Raptors with their Miami pick (27th?) should pick Kenneth Faried of Morehead State. He's the top rebounder in the NCAA and has been compared favourably with Dennis Rodman (without the wacko personality). I think rebounding is the Raptor's biggest need after basketball IQ. He's short (6'8") - that's why he may go late in the draft, but he gets the job done.
I dont watch much NCAA and don't really know much about this guy, but look at Dejuan Blair. Undersized hard workers should not be overlooked with later picks.wrooster wrote:
Blair was a top ten player until it came out he had no anterior cruciate ligaments in his knees. But while I'd tend to agree that undersized hard workers shouldn't be overlooked, the Raptors already have Dorsey and Evans, who fit that description. I'd rather keep one of them, quite frankly. How much time is there behind Johnson and Davis, anyway?
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http://www.nbadraft.net/2011mock_draft
That would be awesome.
I watched the UNC game yesterday to watch Barnes. He has fallen to 8-12 range on many mock drafts but certainly played well yesterday. He has the body of an NBA player and certainly has the 'intangibles' like hustle. I'd like to see him drive more.
How about a 6'8" PG?
The Intriguing Late Bloomer
Mark Payne isn't a household name and UC Davis isn't exactly known for churning out NBA players. Gaining exposure in the Big West Conference is a difficult thing to do, but Payne has proven that it is possible to show up on the NBA's radar if a player possesses a special skill set and back-story.
The 6-8 senior has made a name for himself as a point guard and is turning heads in NBA circles. One league source calls him "unique" while another describes him as "intriguing" with the draft process right around the corner.
But Payne's background makes the story even more interesting. In high school, he played point guard and by junior year started planning for life after basketball. He wasn't the biggest or most athletic kid and he figured his playing days would soon be behind him. But entering senior year, Payne hit a growth spurt and began to take the sport seriously. It didn't take long for others to notice in the late bloomer and he ultimately accepted a scholarship at UC Davis so he could remain close to home.
"I never really lifted weights in high school and I didn't know basketball was going to be such a big part of my life," Payne told HOOPSWORLD. "I didn't know I had a future in it in the middle of high school. I didn't play AAU and I never really knew how to train super hard until I was going into senior year. I got my first dunk in the middle of my senior year and that season I only had like two dunks total. Then I redshirted my freshman year at Davis, and hit the weights hard and got on a strength program. That's when I found my athleticism."
Today, Payne's athleticism is viewed as one of his strengths and it's not uncommon for him to throw down several jaw dropping dunks each game. His versatility has become one of his biggest strengths, but it has also led to questions about what position he'll play at the next level.
"I think I could be a combo guard or point guard," Payne said. "If a team needs it, I could even be a backup point while playing another position too. I feel comfortable either way. I've been playing point guard my entire life until these last few games when I've been coming off the ball a little more. But that's really the first time I've ever played off the ball before. I definitely feel comfortable bringing the ball up and playing that point role though. I definitely know I could do either."
Growing up, Payne loved Larry Bird, another late bloomer that emerged as a versatile threat from a small college. Not only was he a huge Bird fan, he would channel the Boston Celtics' superstar before his games.
"My dad grew up in Indiana and we were always Larry Bird fans growing up so I definitely watched him a lot," he said. "I used to watch a DVD on Larry Bird before all of my games. It was my pregame ritual. Mostly him, but recently I've been trying to study Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and guys like that."
As he studies NBA stars, the league has begun studying him. Scouts and executives have begun showing up at his games to see for themselves what Payne brings to the table.
"It's a big change. You see them in the stands and you try not to think about it, but I love it. When people are there evaluating, it gets me hyped and it's all fun. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to play in front of people like that. I don't get the opportunity to play on ESPN every day or anything like that so it was a challenge to get on the radar. I've only had one game on television in my sophomore year, and I did really well so I think that helped a little bit. But if that hadn't happened, it would just be difficult to get scouts and decision makers to come to Big West games," Payne said.
Once they're in the building, the senior has little trouble impressing those decision makers. Because of his size and skills, he's rarely matched up against someone that can guard him.
"In college, I almost always have an advantage over who is guarding me," he said. "If they put a 6'5 or 6'6 guy on me, I'm so much faster. If they put a little guard on me, I can shoot over them. It's definitely a big matchup problem and I think my versatility will give me a lot of options at the next level."
But Payne isn't ready to start focusing on the next level just yet.
"I'm just trying to focus on winning the Big West and doing everything here. That's my main focus. But at the end of the year, I'm going to have some exciting opportunities and I'm definitely looking forward to doing something different and going through the whole draft process," he said.
Payne isn't the only one excited. The NBA is looking forward to evaluating his game and seeing what this unique, intriguing prospect has to offer during individual workouts. Mark Payne isn't a household name yet, but that could very well change in the next five months.
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?...#ixzz1CulCO5g0
I would try to get Irving, Kanter and Singler/Honeycutt.
Kyrie Irving has just gotten his cast removed and should be starting rehab soon. Blue Devils are hopeful that Irving may be able to see the floor again this year. Great news!
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6091119
I have been and will continue to be a fan of Kyrie Irving, but if he's still on the board at this point I'd take Derrick Williams.
Derrick Williams is sort of like a better bigger version Demar. He's a crazy good scorer, hustler and rebounder, with good size and length for the 3 or sometimes the 4. He's shooting a ridiculous 75% from 3-point range.
He's not a great passer and hasn't developed a mid-range game, but that's not what this team needs. Think of a Calderon->Derozan->Williams -> Bargnani -> Amir/Davis starting five.
You have excellent size at every position, two premier rebounders and two okay rebounders, one of the best pure pass first point-guards in the league and a respectable defense. Irving may be a future star, but the 3 is this teams biggest weakness and Williams can fit into that role perfectly.
-"You can’t run from me. I mean, my heart don’t bleed Kool-Aid."
-"“I ain’t no diva! I don’t have no blond hair, red hair. I’m Reggie Evans.”
Canadian High School/Prep School prospects.
http://crownmagonline.com/
http://www.flagrantfouls.com/
I've been reading up on whether Williams is a 3 or a 4. I'm getting a lot of conflicting information. He is the most efficient scorer in college basketball right now. His size says 4 (6'8", 241lbs according to ESPN) but there are a few big guys playing the 3 in the NBA - LBJ, Artest come to mind quickly and Jeff Green who is really a 3 but plays the 4.
If Irving is gone, given the odds of where the Raps will be picking (top 5), the SF is the most important spot to draft for. It also doesn't hurt that when the Raps draft most likely the best player on the board will be a SF (T. Jones, P. Jones, Barnes, Williams).
Yeah, if Williams is a real option for the 3 (not just a 'forced into the role' kind of thing) then he might be the best 2nd choice for the Raps.
Right now I have: Irving, Kanter, Williams, Valanciunas, Sullinger
Kanter has suspect knees, so I wouldn't take a chance on him with a top 5 pick. Kleiza 6'8 was a power forward in college, similar to Williams, in that they both have good post-up games. It's just that Williams is longer and more atheltic. The problem with this draft is its all potential and there are very few players, who can step right in and play significant minutes. Last year's draft was decent, but out of 60 players drafted only 17 are playing significant minutes, you can halve that number for the 2011 draft.
I'd actually try and see if the Raptors can try and trade down to later in the lottery and take one of the sure thing type players with lower upside. Like one of the Morris twins out of Kansas, Plumlee out of Duke and/or Hamilton out of Texas. Plus, with the Miami pick there should be a couple of decent senior point-guards at that spot, like Nolan Smith out of Duke and Demetri McCarmey out of Illinois.
Also, I'm pessimistic that a lot of the big names won't declare, because they realize that they won't get much playing time in the NBA.
-"You can’t run from me. I mean, my heart don’t bleed Kool-Aid."
-"“I ain’t no diva! I don’t have no blond hair, red hair. I’m Reggie Evans.”
Canadian High School/Prep School prospects.
http://crownmagonline.com/
http://www.flagrantfouls.com/
"This is not the year to have the #1 pick in the draft" a team president says.
Interesting.
Great article here.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...cks/index.html
I really like Ian Thompson. He has some great insights.
So perhaps this year a #3-#4 is just as valuable as the #1.
Very Solid. Or Very Weak. Depends how you look at it I guess.
EDIT: Sorry I guess this could have gone in the Draft thread. Forgot about that.
Either way, great article. This Jonas Valanciunas sounds rather interesting.
Last edited by joey_hesketh; Sun Feb 6th, 2011 at 05:17 PM.
Yeah it's true. Draft Express also said this year is lacking in star power and very shallow. Great year to have two number 1's. *sigh*
Last edited by Employee; Sun Feb 6th, 2011 at 08:00 PM.
Eh follow my TWITTER!
LOL @
The last four drafts have produced at least one elite prospect, but that trend appears to be braking to a full stop now.
So basically there was Bargs - then 4 years of franchise superstars - now the Raps turn again. Nice.
Seriously though, I got a lot of positives out of the the article. I already knew Irving was not on the level of a Wall or Rose. But it was nice to hear some good things about the Lithuanian Centre, and that at least some professional scouts are still high on Jones and Barnes.
the drafts will be very weak for years to come...it hasnt been the same since 2003 to be honest...just let these guys play for a few years and build some chemistry...we need to trade andrea tho
"the raptors were my fav team growing up"-kevin durant
Such is life with the Toronto Raptors. But if the clippers can get their break, why can't we, right? yeah....
Bargnani is asked how he gets beat on the boards.
"Being lazy maybe," he says. "That's the only reason it can be. I've got the body, I've got everything to take 10 rebounds a game. It's just sometimes I get lazy."
It's the Cavs turn, not the Raps.
You know what? I'm good with this. Suppose we get 2 "very good" to "good" players out of this draft. They likely won't be able to propel Toronto into the playoffs in their rookie year, so we get another high draft pick next year. THEN watch out for the Raptors to start tasting success 2 or 3 years down the road.
that's the plan. we may struggle as fans though. Losing sucks
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