2011 Draft Rumors & Discussion

[Apollo]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. When I said that his name's only been bandied about now and that there seems to be a lot of people in his corner, I meant on here. As in this site, in this thread.

That's because he wasn't being taken seriously in mock drafts until he proved himself in games this year. With the Raptors picking high it would have been a waste of time to talk about a guy who might be selected ten spots lower.

Edit: Then take into consideration all the players who are pulling out of the draft.

When Barnes had his struggles early on in the season people here were casting off the idea of taking him like it were the plague. Now everybody wants him again.

I'm definitely on some kind of bandwagon.

I guess this is a four lane Trans Kemba Highway.

[MangoKid]

If Walker is drafted by us, then definitely Bayless is the one that's being shipped out. But you're right, Matt, there are more guys by the day deciding to stay in school because of the impending lockout/CBA negotiations, so the number of quality guys available for the draft are dwindling by the day. Heck, Walker might stay for his senior year at UConn.

Knowing that Colangelo loves to swing for the fences, I'm getting this eerily feeling that Perry Jones might be the selection.

[jeff_hostetler]

Yeah man....not to beat a dead bandwagon, but the buzzer beater against Pittsburgh - the higher ranked team - was flat out spectacular. I can't think of a better play I've seen. Not only was the screen executed perfectly, getting the mismatch, but the drive, the hesitation, the second drive and the stepback, getting his man to trip over himself, and then to hit nothing but net....just awesome. I can watch that all day.

[Apollo]

I hope you're wrong about that one. With Ed and Amir on roster it would make no sense. Especially when Colangelo will have a bunch of options in players who can man the point or the paint down low.

Walker, Knight, Kanter and Valanciunas all seem to have traits the Raptors need.

[MangoKid]

That's because he wasn't being taken seriously in mock drafts until he proved himself in games this year. With the Raptors picking high it would have been a waste of time to talk about a guy who might be selected ten spots lower.

Edit: Then take into consideration all the players who are pulling out of the draft.

When Barnes had his struggles early on in the season people here were casting off the idea of taking him like it were the plague. Now everybody wants him again.



I guess this is a four lane Trans Kemba Highway.

In this year's draft, it's such a crapshoot, mocks are usually in sync with each other, usually off by a few spots, expect for this one. Kemba's getting love from draftexpress (#8), but no love from nbadraft.net (#22)- in fact, the guys from nbadraft.net downgraded his optimistic nba outlook from Tim Hardaway to Bobby Jackson.

[MangoKid]

I hope you're wrong about that one. With Ed and Amir on roster it would make no sense. Especially when Colangelo will have a bunch of options in players who can man the point or the paint down low.

Walker, Knight, Kanter and Valanciunas all seem to have traits the Raptors need.

I've been on the Kanter bandwagon all season long, but as of late, I'm really feeling Valanciunas. What I've been reading and seeing on youtube, the kid is just mean. Tough and mean. He's another guy getting love from draftexpress (top-3) and none from nbadraft.net (16)

[Apollo]

Yeah, the only thing with Draft Express is that it's more like a prospect ranking rather than a mock draft so we can hold out hope that when the Raptors are on the clock that Barnes isn't an option then Walker, Knight, Kanter and Valanciunas are all in play. That would be a best case scenario in my opinion should the Raptors pick 5th.

[jeff_hostetler]

Yop. I like Valunciunas. He's got the spark, if not the strength. I can see him being the back-up, shot blocking & rebounding post-presence the Raps need. Unfortunately, he also needs like 20 pounds if he wants to be real force.

What about trading Amir & Bayless for a second lottery pick...anyone think that might be possible?

(Irving/Walker)/Derozan/J.Johnson/Davis/Bargnani
Calderon/Barbosa/Kleiza/Evans/Valunciunas

That's a youthful, extremely athletic and well balanced starting 5, backed by a veteran bench that would likely outrebound every other bench in the league.

And if that doesn't work out, then there's next years draft lottery which will be loaded with crazy talent. And by then they'll also have a ton of money to spend on a free agent, as Barbosa's contract will be off the books.

[Joey]

Yop. I like Valunciunas. He's got the spark, if not the strength. I can see him being the back-up, shot blocking & rebounding post-presence the Raps need. Unfortunately, he also needs like 20 pounds if he wants to be real force.

What about trading Amir & Bayless for a second lottery pick...anyone think that might be possible?

(Irving/Walker)/Derozan/J.Johnson/Davis/Bargnani
Calderon/Barbosa/Kleiza/Evans/Valunciunas

That's a youthful, extremely athletic and well balanced starting 5, backed by a veteran bench that would likely outrebound every other bench in the league.

And if that doesn't work out, then there's next years draft lottery which will be loaded with crazy talent. And by then they'll also have a ton of money to spend on a free agent, as Barbosa's contract will be off the books.

My only concern with that is trading a guy in Amir whom we have spent years grooming and training, for a guy who will require years of grooming and training. This team is already SO young, and thats one of the reasons that BC traded away the Late 1st Rounder, because the thought of getting even younger is a bit scary, for a team that has an average age of about 22 years old. haha

[Apollo]

I'm thinking Bayless could net them a late round pick but they don't want that.

In a weak draft what's the chances of landing a guy equal to Amir in the lottery? I don't man, I think they should keep him.

[jeff_hostetler]

Years? We got Bayless halfway through this season, and Amir has only played for the Raps for 2 seasons. That's hardly a crazy investment. Even combined. And besides, I still think there's no room for both Amir and Davis, not when they play such a similar game, and not when there are so many other positions that need help.

Amir is 23 years old. Bayless is 22. It's not like they're wily old vets. I know BC is concerned about age, but this would help not only to fill needed roster holes, but it would do so in a manner that adds to the potential of the team and frees up more spending money for free agents. If you're going to rebuild, you can't be afraid to rebuild. And there are vets still on the roster. In fact it's possible that by trading TWO young players for ONE, you've in fact increased the average age of the team. This also clears up some playing time for prospects (rookie PG, second year PF) who will not need to fight other prospects/young players for the same.

[b2kelly]

Keep Amuuuur he is sick, one of the few raps to play with heart and grit.

[grindhouse]

You didn't see his name being bandied about a lot earlier in the season. His name was tossed out there, but as of the past few days, there certainly has been an enamourment with the guy. I'd call that being on the bandwagon. I'll wait until after the workouts before I hop aboard. However, don't you feel as though Bayless brings the same things to the table as Walker? Bayless needs to tighten up his shot a bit, but I think he does the same things.

I have to agree here, I am not sold myself yet.

[grindhouse]

Keep Amuuuur he is sick, one of the few raps to play with heart and grit.

I like amir but I want faried

[Apollo]

Here is Draft Express' top 10 prospects:
1. Kyrie Irving
2. Jonas Valanciunas
3. Jared Sullinger ~
4. Harrison Barnes ~
5. Perry Jones
6. Derrick Williams *
7. Kemba Walker
8. Brandon Knight
9. Enes Kanter
10. Jan Vesely


*Not declaring
~Leaning towards not declaring

If we take Sullinger, Barnes and Williams out of the picture this is what we're probably looking at the top ten:

• Kyrie Irving
• Jonas Valanciunas
• Perry Jones
• Kemba Walker
• Brandon Knight
• Enes Kanter
• Jan Vesely

Along with three of the following four:

• Terrence Jones
• Donatas Motiejunas
• Jimmer Fredette
• Alec Burks

If the Raptors don't move up I think we need to start paying close attention to Alec Burks because he could be a real option that no one it talking about. Drafting him would have to result in DeRozan shifting positions.

Personally, based on the second list, I feel Minnesota is going to have to reach on somebody if Perry Jones is gone because they won't pick another big man. Maybe they trade out of that position, not sure, but if they stay you have to think Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight and maybe Alec Burks are in the mix at 3. That would probably result in somebody again falling to the Raptors that won't be expected leading into the few days before the draft.

I would not be surprised to see the Wolves pull a draft day trade involving Flynn and their draft pick if things don't go well for them.

Oh and here's the lowdown on Burks:

NBA Comparison: Eddie Jones/Evan Turner

Strengths: Freshman with intriguing size/length and athleticism ... Late bloomer who displays a ton of promise ... Shows the prerequisite size and athleticism to play the shooting guard position at the NBA level ... An explosive leaper with excellent finishing ability ... A good scorer who shows the ability to effectively score in a variety of ways, extremely proficient for such a young player ... Very smooth in the open floor converting impressive dunks and ally oops with regularity ... Has a soft touch and deft body control allowing him to effectively convert drives to the rim ... Shows a quick first step and the speed to get by opponents off the dribble ... Has the makings of being an excellent outside shooter, getting great lift, a high release, fluid motion, plus he's a 78% ft shooter ... Solid vision and passing ability ... Despite a slight frame, shows aggressiveness attacking the rim. He'll likely be able to finish a lot better as he gains weight ... An excellent rebounder for a wing ... Coachable player who has made excellent strides in his short time at Colorado ... Appears to have a lot of room to add strength. Frame appears capable of adding 30 lbs or more ... Defensively he shows quick hands and feet, long arms, plus solid anticipation jumping passing lanes ... His one on one defensive ability will be enhanced by added strength, but he shows the makings of a strong defender with a willingness to improve ...

Weaknesses: At just 18 years of age, still lacks upper body strength, but that should come as his body develops. He's born in August of 1991 ... Needs to work on his outside shot. While he displays a solid shooting stroke, he still needs to gain consistency and range and become better at picking his spots and finding openings ... Takes ill-advised shots at times, should look to be a more disciplined about taking outside shots while covered ... Learning the nuances of moving without the ball, setting up opponents off of screens will come with experience ... A rhythm shooter who shows better ability to knock down shots off the dribble. Will need to work on his spot up shooting ability, which appears to be his biggest offensive weakness at this point ...

Source: NBADraft.net

As an indication of how much he has progressed, Burks now ranks fourth in scoring on a per-40 minute basis amongst the top 100 NCAA prospects in our database,. It's not just the quantity of points he accumulates that intrigues NBA teams, though, but how he gets his offense.

Burks is a shot creator, a skill that is highly coveted at the professional level. Over two-thirds of his offense is generated by himself, be it in isolation situations, in transition or in pick-and-roll opportunities. He ranks in the top five amongst our top 100 prospects in free throw attempts, and (more impressively) is second overall in makes because of the stellar 82.4% he shoots from the line.

Capable of driving in either direction, Burks is a smooth yet explosive slasher with an outstanding second gear. He has excellent speed in the open floor and the body control and ball-handling skills needed to slither his way around opponents and get to the rim.

Burks is not yet a great finisher around the basket, as indicated by his sub-50% 2-point percentage. He must continue to fill out his frame as he struggles to finish through contact in traffic. He's a scorer through and through, though. He uses the glass nicely with reverses and such and has a knack for finding a way to put the ball in the basket, even in tight spaces.

Unlike most big-time scorers from small(er) colleges, Burks is a fairly unselfish player who is more than capable of making the extra pass. Even if he's often asked to be the one creating and finishing shots for his team (particularly late in the shot clock), he's a nice weapon to have in a half-court offense thanks to his solid court vision and good basketball IQ. When Colorado's starting point guard goes to the bench, Burks will man the position, which is a good indication of the versatility he brings to the table.

Defensively, Burks is somewhat of a mixed bag, but he shows good potential on this end of the floor. With his good size, nice length, excellent lateral quickness and solid anticipation skills, he has all the tools needed to guard his position successfully in the NBA.

He generally puts in a good effort on the defensive end...

Source: DraftExpress.com