2012 Draft Thursday, June 28th: Raptors select Terence Ross

[Tim W.]

well it was preseason. he didn't play "horribly" he had 10 points, 3 assists, 2 boards and 4 turnovers. That isn't bad for a preseason game. if there was anyone that played horribly it was Rasual Butler, played 20 mins and didn't score a singe point.

Well, from what I saw, he was one of the worst Raptors on the court. He took 10 shots in 24 minutes, despite the fact that he was supposed to be playing PG, had a NEGATIVE assist to turnover ratio, constantly made bad decisions and played defense pretty poorly. Based solely on that game, I'd say he shouldn't be anything more than a 3rd PG, if that. Thankfully, it was just one game.

[Tim W.]

Rasual Butler played 20 minutes and didn't hit a single shot. I don't know what game you were watching

The difference is that no one was really expecting much for Butler, and he played better defense than Bayless, at least. Bayless needs to play well, and he didn't.

[NoPropsneeded]

ya well that was only one game. Everyone has a bad night

[Tim W.]

ya well that was only one game. Everyone has a bad night

Ya, but you said he didn't have a bad night. You said he looked pretty good.

[NoPropsneeded]

Hopefully he plays better on Wednesday.

[Maleko]

I like Barnes. I think he'll have a solid NBA career. Assuming Toronto was in a position to draft him say 3rd/4th overall, I'd like to see them swing a trade with a team who might have 2 draft picks and get Quincy Miller and Kabongo. There are a lot of hypotheticals in that statement so take it with a grain of salt. However, I would most definitely take that deal if it was a possibility (that assumes Miller's knee passes all the medicals as I do think Quincy Miller will be a star).

Definitely on board with trading down and getting 2 decent 1sts, but I have a hard time seeing BC doing this. However, if he can get Kabongo, and a Miller or K-G I would be very pleased. I just doubt he will go that young.

[mcHAPPY]

Definitely on board with trading down and getting 2 decent 1sts, but I have a hard time seeing BC doing this. However, if he can get Kabongo, and a Miller or K-G I would be very pleased. I just doubt he will go that young.

Keep in mind that assumes Drummond and Davis are gone. I would not trade down with an opportunity to get one of those two players - especially Anthony Davis.

With the cap space the Raptors have next summer, they might be able to go that young by drafting the players and having them play key back up minutes. Kabongo could back up Ray Felton. Miller/K-G could back up Wilson Chandler. Those two examples are through free agency. Trade options are endless.

[stretch]

Definitely on board with trading down and getting 2 decent 1sts, but I have a hard time seeing BC doing this. However, if he can get Kabongo, and a Miller or K-G I would be very pleased. I just doubt he will go that young.

Is Kabongo on BC's radar? He's settling in very nicely at Texas and his team is playing well but the highest I have seen him on any of the mock drafts is 15 on nbadraft.net in a very thin draft for point guards.

He's up against Kendall Marshall tomorrow night at UNC. I think Texas will be in over their heads on this one.

[Joey]

Is Kabongo on BC's radar? He's settling in very nicely at Texas and his team is playing well but the highest I have seen him on any of the mock drafts is 15 on nbadraft.net in a very thin draft for point guards.

He's up against Kendall Marshall tomorrow night at UNC. I think Texas will be in over their heads on this one.

Kendall Marshall is on pace to win the 2012 Bob Cousy award in my opinion.
Kabongo is on the list of nominees, but Marshall is just blowing it out of the water.

And at 6'-4", Marshall has GREAT size to go along with his court vision.

[mcHAPPY]

Is Kabongo on BC's radar? He's settling in very nicely at Texas and his team is playing well but the highest I have seen him on any of the mock drafts is 15 on nbadraft.net in a very thin draft for point guards.

He's up against Kendall Marshall tomorrow night at UNC. I think Texas will be in over their heads on this one.

I am looking forward to that match up!

[mcHAPPY]

Andre Drummond: NBADraft.net

On Sunday, projected #1 pick Andre Drummond broke out with a career night dropping 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Granted the effort came against Holy Cross, who aren't exactly a basketball juggernaut.

Drummond's performance was noteworthy as he's quickly developing the confidence to be a dominant force on the college level.

He shot a near perfect 11-for-12 from the floor, knocking down three impressive mid-range jump shots, a jump hook and numerous ally oop dunks. He blocked shots and displayed his freakish speed in the open floor. He capped everything off with a beautiful 3/4 court outlet pass, on a dime, in the closing minutes.

Drummond is a personable, fun loving kid who seems to understand how to "flip the switch" on the court. Against Holy Cross he showed that he really enjoys the game and could be seen supporting teammates after made baskets.

At 6'11, 270 lbs, UConn coaches claim that he's UConn's fastest player. Let that sink in for a minute.

We first wrote about Drummond in August of 2009 when he was only 15 years of age. Hoops Prodigy: Andre Drummond, Drummond had announced his presence at an AAU event in Orlando and displayed the unmistakable potential of a future NBA superstar.

In this day and age of internet hype, it's easy for young prospects who get labeled future superstars to buy into their own hype, lose motivation, and develop poor work habits. Players such as Derrick Caracter (who was once labeled the next Shaq at age 15) and Renardo Sidney (thought to be the best player in high school regardless of class at 15), are examples of players who have fallen from grace and far short of their potential.

Despite his immense talent, Drummond has gone through bouts of inconsistency and was not considered the unanimous top prospect in his class. When he reclassified into the Class of 2011 this summer, many recruiting gurus ranked him behind Kentucky bound Anthony Davis.

A number of draft experts followed suit and placed Davis at the top of their draft boards.

Davis is having a fine season and is an extremely intriguing prospect in his own right, with the length and athleticism to be a Marcus Camby type of shot blocker and defender at the NBA level. But as one scout contact recently told me, "I see guys like Davis all the time. Guys like Drummond are rare. We haven't seen a guy like him since Oden, which has been five years. He's in the same class with Dwight Howard and Amare. Bigmen with that combination of size, freakish athleticism, and strength are hard to come by."

The scout further critiqued him saying that. "Some scouts feel that he doesn't have a good feel for the game, but he actually has a GREAT feel for the game. He just needs to gain confidence and learn the nuances and how to play in a structured environment. He plays hard, his motor is not an issue. The only thing he needs to sustain is his confidence."

The scout went on to say that while it's far too early to annoit anyone a lock for the top pick, Drummond is clearly the front runner.

Before the season, we were critical of Drummond's announcement that he would go to a small prep school, despite the fact that he was eligible to go to college. Whether or not Andre (and his advisiors) read our criticism/advice, his great decision in September to attend UConn and play under Jim Calhoun, whom we consider the top NCAA coach at developing NBA prospects, will be extremely beneficial to his career.

Drummond is finally getting comfortable after playing the first month of the season with a "phantom of the opera" mask on his face after breaking his nose in a pre-season practice in late October. The mask seemed to inhibit his vision and overall comfort level on the floor.

He started slow but has had an uptick in production with four out of his last five games scoring at least 12 points. After 10 games, his season averages are up to 9.4 ppg, (59% fg) 6.2 rpg and 3 bpg.

With the mask now off, the nation is being put on notice, a freshman phenom is gaining momentum and confidence up in Storrs, Connecticut.

Despite losing their heart and soul from last year's team, Kemba Walker, this Husky team is an even stronger bunch with championship experience and a number of quality freshmen, including Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels. They began last season outside the top 25 and entered the NCAA tourney as a three seed. This year they were a consensus preseason top five team, and stand an excellent chance to earn a one seed in the tourney barring any significant injuries.

There are a number of talented teams who are more highly regarded (North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio State and Syracuse) at this point. But UConn's giant in the middle gives them as good a shot as anyone to cut down the nets in New Orleans in April.

Source: NBADraft.net


I don't agree that guys like Anthony Davis are seen all the time but I'm not a professional scout so........


Drummond is the fastest guy on UConn? Very interesting.

[planetmars]

Source: NBADraft.net


I don't agree that guys like Anthony Davis are seen all the time but I'm not a professional scout so........


Drummond is the fastest guy on UConn? Very interesting.

I'm not entirely sold on Drummond, yet. He definitely has the potential to be a game changer, but he's not a very good rebounder for his size, and that could be a really big issue. I've also heard that he's not very good on man-to-man defense.

If we are to get another big, he better be as good or better than Val, or there is no point.

[Nilanka]

I'm not entirely sold on Drummond, yet. He definitely has the potential to be a game changer, but he's not a very good rebounder for his size, and that could be a really big issue. I've also heard that he's not very good on man-to-man defense.

If we are to get another big, he better be as good or better than Val, or there is no point.

Drummond definitely has more athleticism than Valanciunas, but Valanciunas has the benefit of player in a more disciplined environment on a pro team (compared to 1 year under Calhoun at UConn)

[stretch]

Drummond definitely has more athleticism than Valanciunas, but Valanciunas has the benefit of player in a more disciplined environment on a pro team (compared to 1 year under Calhoun at UConn)

It's tough to compare the European junior/senior league system with the American high school/college system for elite athletes but Calhoun is one of the best at teaching/coaching though his program is rather slack in the graduation rate.

[planetmars]

Anyone catch the UNC/Texas game?

I didn't get a chance, but Barnes had a good game: 26pts 10rb 2st, only 1ast though.

Kabongo's stats were brutal though: 1pt, 1ast, 0rb, 4to in 15min - yikes!