Avery Bradley @ 13th (Update On Pg. 14)

[Apollo]

Ford said Bradley canceled his workout due to an ankle sprain..

[Tim W.]

The way I see this whole Bradley issue is if he shows the ability to play point guard during his workouts, he will be picked and if he doesn't show that ability he will be passed on. We can argue that he can't or can play the point all we want but the fact of the matter is no one really knows and saying he for sure can't or he definitely will be able to is impossible. I am confident that our talent guys will work him out, watch his decision making and his passing ability and make a call on whether or not he can be an NBA point guard. If we take him it will not be because of what he has done in Texas or in high school, it will be because men who know a lot more than us and have watched him worked out and talked to him one on one decided he can make the transition to point guard and be successful. It's the same issue I have with people saying Bargnani will fail at the four, if a guy has never played a position and has many of the skills that position requires, how can you be so sure he can't?
That said, I think Bradley has all of the tools he needs to become a good point guard, particularly his speed and his jumper. The athleticism a back court of him and DeRozen would be among the best in the NBA and I think if we have a couple other athletic guys on with them (say Amir and Sonny) we would be a very difficult team to match up with. We would be tremendous on the break if nothing else.

How does one show the ability to play PG in workouts when most workouts (if not all) are them alone in a gym?

And no one has ever said that Bargnani will fail at four. You're misunderstanding the argument. The argument is that he's not playing out of position at the center spot. I've never felt he would fail at the four, but he's simply better suited to the center position.

And exactly what tools does Bradley have to play PG? Speed and a jumper are NOT tools to play PG. They are tools to play SG. Does he have the ability to run an offense? Does he have the ability to make those around him better? Does he have the ability to handle the ball well under pressure? If the answer to any of those questions is no, then he doesn't have the skills to play PG.

[hateslosing]

How does one show the ability to play PG in workouts when most workouts (if not all) are them alone in a gym?

And no one has ever said that Bargnani will fail at four. You're misunderstanding the argument. The argument is that he's not playing out of position at the center spot. I've never felt he would fail at the four, but he's simply better suited to the center position.

And exactly what tools does Bradley have to play PG? Speed and a jumper are NOT tools to play PG. They are tools to play SG. Does he have the ability to run an offense? Does he have the ability to make those around him better? Does he have the ability to handle the ball well under pressure? If the answer to any of those questions is no, then he doesn't have the skills to play PG.

You're right, I did misunderstand the argument. I suppose my reasoning was that a lot of the people who think he is more fit to play center are also usually the people who think he isn't a particularly good player. So if they think he's not great at his natural position, these people would likely believe he would be downright awful at a position he is not suited to.

Speed is most definitely a good thing for a point guard to have, that is not a new concept. Is the answer to those questions no Tim W.? Does he have the ability to handle the ball well under pressure or to act as a play maker? I personally don't know, but I don't think you do either. As far as I know, the guy has never had the chance to play the point consistently and there is very little evidence that says he can't or can beyond the fact he has yet to do it. People point to his assist numbers and say, "look he isn't a playmaker". Well duh, of course his assist numbers are low, he played shooting guard. Also, I believe they work them out in groups in order to see things like decision making and passing ability, but perhaps I am mistaken. Point is, I think it is very premature to start saying he cannot play the point in this league. He will never be able to play shooting guard because his vaunted defense would be useless against guys who are 6'7" and athletic like DeRozen so the point is the position he is going to play one way or another. I'm not saying you're wrong about him either, he could very well be an awful point guard and be out of the league in 3 years, I'm just saying that the argument you have used thus far doesn't hold water since you have no accurate data pool from which to draw conclusions.

[Apollo]

The TrueHoop Network is doing its annual Mock Draft, thought we’d share what’s going on so far. We here at RR are banking on Steve to call it two years in a row and are picking Avery Bradley with the 13th pick.

13. Toronto: Avery Bradley, Raptors Republic. Has agreed to drive Calderon and Jack to the airport.

Source: Raptors Republic

[Tim W.]

You're right, I did misunderstand the argument. I suppose my reasoning was that a lot of the people who think he is more fit to play center are also usually the people who think he isn't a particularly good player. So if they think he's not great at his natural position, these people would likely believe he would be downright awful at a position he is not suited to.

Speed is most definitely a good thing for a point guard to have, that is not a new concept. Is the answer to those questions no Tim W.? Does he have the ability to handle the ball well under pressure or to act as a play maker? I personally don't know, but I don't think you do either. As far as I know, the guy has never had the chance to play the point consistently and there is very little evidence that says he can't or can beyond the fact he has yet to do it. People point to his assist numbers and say, "look he isn't a playmaker". Well duh, of course his assist numbers are low, he played shooting guard. Also, I believe they work them out in groups in order to see things like decision making and passing ability, but perhaps I am mistaken. Point is, I think it is very premature to start saying he cannot play the point in this league. He will never be able to play shooting guard because his vaunted defense would be useless against guys who are 6'7" and athletic like DeRozen so the point is the position he is going to play one way or another. I'm not saying you're wrong about him either, he could very well be an awful point guard and be out of the league in 3 years, I'm just saying that the argument you have used thus far doesn't hold water since you have no accurate data pool from which to draw conclusions.

Speed is definitely a good thing to have, but you said speed and a good jumper were the tools of a good PG. What I meant was that speed and a good jumper are what you look for in a SG, whereas a PG needs other tools, but speed and a jumper certainly are important. Far more important is the ability to run a team, handle the ball and pass. And you're right, I don't know for sure whether Bradley can do it, but there are simply no indications he can. Even in workouts, apparently, he's shooting in pick and roll situations rather than passing, which is what Bledsoe is doing. Generally, guards like Bradley will show they have the ability to play PG in workouts to show they have the tools to make the transition. Bradley hasn't even done that. Everything I've seen and read of him tells me he's a scorer, plain and simple. It's incredibly difficult to turn a scorer into a passer because it's engrained in them.

To me, turning Bradley into a PG is akin to turning Jamario Moon into point forward. Neither have exhibited any skills that would make you think they could become one. A guy like Evan Turner has shown he is a good passer, but Bradley hasn't even shown that. And it's not as if Bradley didn't have talented players to pass to. He just didn't pass much.