NBA Draft Superthread III

2009 NBA Draft:

June 25, 2009

ESPN

4 p.m.-9 p.m. PST

Current Draft Order:

1. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Sacramento Kings
5. Washington Wizards
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Golden State Warriors
8. New York Knicks
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. New Jersey Nets
12. Charlotte Bobcats
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Phoenix Suns

Our Projected Pre-Off-Season 2010 Depth Chart:

PG: Monta Ellis, Jamal Crawford, CJ Watson

SG: Stephen Jakson, Anthony Morrow, Marco Belinelli

SF: Kelenna Azubuike, Corey Maggette 

PF: Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright

C: Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf

Why the Warriors should draft a PG:

If there's a position we are thin at it will be at the PG position. We are lacking playmaking PG's while we are stocked well in scoring PG's.

Our PG's: Ellis, Morrow, Watson, Crawford

Why the Warriors should draft a SG or SF:

Personnel wise we are OK at both positions, especially at the 3. When it comes to true SG's. We have none other than Marco. Drafting a SG is certainly an option.

Our 2's: Ellis, Morrow, Crawford, Belinelli, Jackson, Azubuike

Our 3's: Jackson, Maggette, Azubuike, Randolph [Possible]

Why the Warriors should draft a PF:

Power Forward is a position we have great talent and potential at with Randolph and Wright. Depth over a future starter would be the ideal reason to draft a 4, but there are other needs.

Our 4's: Randolph, Kurz, Davidson, Wright, Turiaf, (All 3's if we play small)

Why the Warriors should draft a C:

The Warriors should draft a Center, but not as a starter, but a backup. This years draft is incredibly weak at the Center spot with only 2 1st round talents in Thabeet and Mullens. You do not draft a backup at #7, but once again if we go BPA and Thabeet is available at our slot not at #1 then he may be the pick.

Our 5's: Biedrins, Turiaf, Randolph, (All 4's if we play small)

Why the Warriors should Trade The Pick:

The Warriors should trade down if at our slot there is no perfect candidate to pick with (Mainly a non-top 3 pick). A trade down to the mid-later 1st would give us many specialists to pick and some pre-season high rated prospects such as Mullens, Teague, Aminu, Lawson, Collison. We can also trade for current NBA players who management target.

Draft Tek's Big Board

(Updated May 17th)

ESPN's Big Board

RK	Player		AGE	POS	HT	WT	SCHOOL/COUNtrY	PROJECTION
1		Blake Griffin	20	PF	6-10	248	Oklahoma	Top 5
		May 13 update Griffin looks like the closest thing to Superman the NBA has ... more
2		Ricky Rubio	18	PG	6-4	180	Spain	Top 5
		May 25 Update: Will he sign with the team that drafts him? To terminate ... more
3		Hasheem Thabeet	22	C	7-3	267	Connecticut	Top 5
		May 14 Update: Thabeet is one of the most polarizing players in the draft. ... more
4		James Harden	19	SG	6-5	222	Arizona State	Top 10
		May 15 Update:We've had Harden ranked in the Top 5 of our Top 100 ... more
5		Jordan Hill	21	PF	6-10	232	Arizona	Top 10
		May 21 update: Among the most improbable storylines of the NBA draft has been ... more
6		Stephen Curry	21	PG	6-3	181	Davidson	Lottery
		Apr 23 Update: It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Curry has decided ... more
7		Tyreke Evans	19	SG	6-5	220	Memphis	Lottery
		Apr 20 Update: Evans has made the argument over the last two weeks of ... more
8		Jrue Holiday	18	PG	6-4	199	UCLA	Lottery
		May 18 update: In a draft without many players with big upside, Holiday has ... more
9		Jonny Flynn	20	PG	6-1	196	Syracuse	Lottery
		May 25 update: Over the past few weeks, a number of GMs seem ... more
10		DeMar DeRozan	19	SG	6-6	211	USC	Lottery
		Apr 8 Update: DeRozan is riding a terrific March back into the lottery. He ... more
11		DeJuan Blair	20	PF	6-7	277	Pittsburgh	Lottery to mid first round
		May 18 Update The problem for Blair is in the definition of "big man." ... more
12		Brandon Jennings	19	PG	6-2	165	Italy	Lottery to mid first round
		May 28 Update: Jennings is all over the map for NBA teams, and seeing ... more
13		Jeff Teague	20	PG	6-2	175	Wake Forest	Lottery to mid first round
		Apr 8 Update: Teague got off to a terrific start this year and a ... more
14		Austin Daye	20	SF	6-11	192	Gonzaga	Lottery to mid first round
		May 14 Update: Daye has had one of the biggest swings of any player ... more
15		Earl Clark	21	SF	6-10	226	Louisville	Lottery to mid first round
		May 18 Update: The question about Clark always has been about heart. Does he ... more
16		Eric Maynor	21	PG	6-3	164	VA Commonwealth	Lottery to mid first round
		Mar 23 Update: Maynor is another guy who came up big in a losing ... more
17		James Johnson	22	PF	6-8	257	Wake Forest	Lottery to mid first round
		April 4 Update: Johnson is a very intriguing prospect. He's a great athlete, has ... more
18		Gerald Henderson	21	SG	6-5	215	Duke	Lottery to mid first round
		April 25 Update: After two pretty non descript years at Duke, Henderson blew up ... more
19		Tyler Hansbrough	23	PF	6-10	234	North Carolina	Mid to late first round
		May 15 Update: Word out of North Carolina, where he's working out, is that ... more
20		B. J. Mullens	20	C	7-1	258	Ohio State	Mid to late first round
		Mar 26 Update: Mullens was projected as a Top 5 pick at the start ... more

EJ's Draft Board with Personal Scouting reports:

1. Blake Griffin

2. Ricky Rubio

3. Hasheem Thabeet

4. James Harden

5. Jordan Hill

6. Brandon Jennings

7, DeMar Derozan

8. Tyreke Evans

9. Johnny Flynn

10. Jrue Holiday

Demar DeRozan

Demar is another Pac-10 prospect and could've been a favorite among SC fans if he did not declare. Was a highly regarded SG/SF prospect coming out of High School. Two words to describe Demar: Offensive Powerhouse. Demar is an excellent offensive option from 17 feet to the hoop. His mid range game is the best in the class, he's a highly effective slasher and gets to the hoop well with fluidity and grace, and he's deadly in transition. His freakish athleticism and  long wingspan should make him a good defender, but his footwork needs some tweaking. Demar is in my opinion a 'project' prospect, very high ceiling and great tools, but inconsistency, a less than stellar 3-Point range, inability to create for teammates, and below average ball handling may make him bust. Drafting DeMar would give us a legit SG and could possibly free up Monta for a trade.

Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Evans was another highly touted HS prospect. Was ranked in top 5 by most major scouting agencies and major sports networks. Tyreke is a score first PG, but may has the ability to play SG in the NBA. Tyreke has excellent size at 6'6" and a Wingspan of 7'3". He has great range and has the ability to hit from downtown, is excellent in transition, and finishes very well at the hole. Him and Jennings are probably the most exciting players in this draft.  He's able to defend both guard positions which was seen alot with the Tigers and is apt in grabbing steals. Tyreke has all the tools to be an offensive juggernaut, but he has to cut his turnovers down (Worst in this years Draft class), needs to work on his lackluster PG skillset, needs to be more disciplined on the court (He's spontaneuous), and has off court issues.

Johnny Flynn

The former Orange star has risen up draft boards with fellow PG prospect Holiday within the last weeks. He was the 4th best PG in the High School class of 07 according to both Rivals and Scout scouting sites. He is very similar to size to Ty Lawson, but Flynn outhsines Lawson in athleticism. Flynn's college campaign ended with a spectacular Sweet 16 run, Syracuse's first sicne 04, in which they beat Harden's best Pac-10 team, the Sun Devils, before gettign eliminated by Griffin's Sooners. Johnny's strenths are in his excellent athelticism and speed when combined with his leadership, court vision, and driving ability he is the perfect playmaker designed for an uptempo team like the Warriors. However, like Lawson he is undersized. He also needs to work on his outside jumper, his occasional erattic playstyle, his defense, and watch his turnovers.

Blake Griffin

Blake is the unofficial #1 prospect in this draft. He's likely to go #1 and will not go past #2 in any situation. Blake is a big and mobile PF who loves to do the dirty work down low and was the most efficient player in the NCAA. The former Sooner has an NBA Ready body that will get you rebounds, will get you points in the paint, and will get his hands dirty on Defense. A great character and teammate, high work ethic, to add to his freakish athleticism for his size. Handles the ball well and passes well for a big man. However, he is not a perfect specimen; he still has not developed a good mid range game (Can't hit well beyond 13-14 feet), is only a 60% FT shooter, Defensive technique is inadequate, has had knee injuries, and is turnover prone.

James Harden

James Harden was the best player in the Pac 10 this year. Was highly efficient on both sides of the ball. Offensively he's able to get to the rim with relative ease and his body control is outstanding, he's able to twist his body which make him an excellent slasher and a perfect guy to have on the fast break. He's a SG who has great court vision, great passing ability, high basketball IQ, and is not erratic with his shot selection. Defensively, he is one of the best, he can guard well Man to Man, is strout, is active on terrorizing passing lanes, and looks as if he actually wants to play D. He has decent range (Can hit downtown as well), but has an inconsistent jumper. He also has average, or maybe less than average, agility and athelticisim. He's also very turnover prone and his handling skills are questionable.

Jordan Hill

Jordan Hill is likely to be the second PF taken off the board. Jordan is another athletic big with an ideal NBA body. The former Wildcat contested well for top Pac-10 player, but I have Harden narrowly beating him out. Jordan, a Junior, has showed great improvement since his Freshman year. He has developed a very solid mid range game, is working on post moves, is a stout shot blocker, is quick and mobile for his size, and is an excellent rebounder. However, he has not developed advanced post moves yet, is old for the draft class, is still inexperienced (Only started playing in High School), is a 65% FT shooter, and still needs to make smarter decisions and work on fundamentals (FT Shooting, Passing, Footwork).

Jrue Holiday

Like Flynn, Holiday has shot up many draft boards including mine. Jrue was ranked the best PG in the HS class of 08 and 2nd overall for Rivals while ranked the best SG and ranked 2nd overall for Scout Inc. A GSoM favorite, the former Bruin although recruited as a combo guard has told scouts and GM's that "I'm a Floor General." His willingness to focus on the PG spot is very encouraging to teams as his ceiling is one of the highest in the draft, another Boom or Bust pick. Blessed with a huge wingspan, 2nd longest amongst Lottery PG's, he will cause matchup problems for the opposing defense as well as have the ability to guard multiple positions on defense, which he already excels at. He has great PG skills in his vision and passing, is extremely smart, and is unselfish. However, his less than stellar College campaign has strayed away people. He also is average when it comes to athleticism, his jumper, and his 3point shot.

Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings was the #1 prospect coming out of HS according to Scout Inc and ESPN and the 4th best accourding to rivals last year and became a High School to EuroLeague Trailblazer. A true PG who is amazingly fast, athletic, and flashy. Dangerous off the dribble and in transition, a terror in the press,  and wonderful in stealing the ball (Ranked #1: 5.1 Steals/40 Minutes). He gets to the hole with relative ease while being able to create for himself and for others which makes him a nautral playmaker. Another boom or bust pick, one who screams allstar and another which can yell bust. Skeptics ask; Did the decision cost him? Although he has matured significantly and played in the second best league he is still turnover prone, is undersized and skinny, is an average jumpshooter, and is a lackluster rebounder.

Ty Lawson

Former Tar Heel and Champion, Ty Lawson, is one of 3 excellent true PG's in this years class. As shown in his fantastic big dance performence he is the fastest person in this draft, is a terror on the open court, is phenomonal in the press and in stealing the ball, and is great in creating oppurtunities for others. His PG skillset is excellent in terms of his passing ability, court vision, and ability to draw defenders to himself via his speed which allows him to make easy passes. He has a solid jumpshot with 3-Point range, takes care of the ball very well, and terrific at getting to the hole. Although, he has good bulk for his size, frankly, he is short. He's under 6 foot (5'11") which will give him a hard time offensively against taller defenders. Although a Junior he is still inexpereinced and needs to inspire his teammates in ways other than on the court.

Ricky Rubio

Pistol Pete, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd. These are the comparisons that he is being drawn to and may be rightfully so. Best PG skillset in this draft as well as one of the youngest. Ricky is a wonderful passer, has eagle eye court vision,  a great knowledge of the game, has faced many tough opponents, and is a tenacious defender. He is excellent in transition and Ricky has the best Assist/40 Minutes in this draft class, which sits at 10.8/40 Minutes and that's saying something in the Slower paced Euroleague. He's a wild defender, think Sasha Vujacic, and like the other 2 excellent PG's is great in the press and at stealing the ball. He also has the best size of the 3 standing tall at 6'3". He does have weakness though; he's coming off an inury to his wrist, is less than average with his jumper, and is highly turnover prone (2.8/2.4 Ratio in the Euroleague and 2.6/3.0 in the lesser Spanish league). He's also young and inexperienced and has the tendency to be too flashy at times.

Hasheem Thabeet

Hasheem "The Dream" Thabeet was probably my second favorite prospect coming in this year. Hasheem has good athleticism for his size and position and is one of the most mobile Centers I have seen in a long time. His big body also allows him to grab rebounds. Hasheem is a marvelous shotblocker and uses his excellent 7'3" height to help him in doing so. His shotblocking and Defense has drawn comparisons to Mt. Mutombo. He's also shown vast amounts of improvement since joining the Huskie basketball program. As gifted as he is Defensively, it's hard to say that about his offense. He still has not developed much post moves outside of his baby hook and really needs to work on his offensive repertoire. He also needs to work on handling the ball better. He's inexperienced as he's only been playing several years. Lastly, he seems to fade in big games and has been outshined by DeJuan Blair of Pitt.

EJ's Mock Draft

Pick #1 - Clippers: Blake Griffin

Unanimous #1 goes to the lottery Winner, the Clippers.

Alt. Pick: Rubio, Trade the Pick

Notes: Expect Z-Bo, Camby, or Kaman to get traded. Baron Davis is also a candidate to go.

Pick #2 - Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet

Rubio's diva attitude seems to be driving away Memphis, but Thabeet would be an excellent pick, he gives the Grizzlies an excellent front court which will enable Marc to slide to PF. Thabeet, Gasol, and Gay would be a solid 345.

Alt. Pick: Trade Down, Rubio

Notes: A trade down to Sacramento would be ideal as the Kings are searching for a new PG. If Thunder are really interested in Rubio, they are an option as well.

Pick #3 - Thunder: Ricky Rubio

The Thunder need a big man and the Grizzlies have drafted Thabeet. This leaves em with the oppurtunity to pick the best player avaialble and that's Ricky. Ricky would be foolish to pass up an oppurtunity to play for a very talented and young squad. This will move Westbrook to the 2 positon and would give the Thunder a nice 1-2-3.

Alt. Pick: Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill, Trade Up/Down, James Harden

Notes: Thunder are also in a position to trade up for Thabeet or Rubio or Trade down with Sacramento if Rubio is available.

Pick #4- Kings: Jrue Holiday

Kings are begging for a PG. With Rubio off the board, they go for the high draft riser in Jrue. He provides better Defense then Rubio, but the playmaking still needs to be seen.

Alt. Pick: Ricky Rubio, Trade Up, Brandon Jennings, Jordan Hill

Notes: The Kings really want Rubio, they can easily trade up to positons 2 or 3 if Rubio is there. Also, look for a possible move of Beno.

Pick #5- Wizards: Jordan Hill

Wizards are looking for in my opinion the BPA. They can draft an heir at the 1, find a true 2, get 3 depth, get a brusing 4 or 5. And it looks like they'll solidify their frontline with Hill. Hill will give them a versatile frontline and some help for the screaming Butler.

Alt. Pick: James Harden, Trade Down

Notes: Also look to see if they will trade a big especially if they draft Hill.

Pick #6- Timberwolves: James Harden

Unlike the earlier 5, with the exception of Sacramento, the T'Wolves have an excellent frontcourt. Look for the T-Wolves to draft a Wing. And they've lucked out, James Harden has fallen out of the top 5 and they get what in my opinion is one of the safest picks in the draft.

Alt Pick: DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans, Trade Up, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings

Notes: If they feel so, they may give up on Telfair and try their stab at one of the Combo Guards in Evans and Holiday and see if they can win the job from him, if not they can play the 2. A Jennings would autoamtically mean they want competition. Look for them to trade up as well, their 3 1st rounders are gold.

Pick #7- Warriors: Brandon Jennings

The Warriors will be looking for PG help and they have alot to choose from. Jennings [and Flynn] would be ideal for this offense. Warriors are not sold on any one person yet so this will fluctuate within the next few weeks.

Alt. Pick: Jrue Holiday, Johnny Flynn, Tyreke Evans, DeMar Derozan, Ty Lawson, Jordan Hill, Trade Up

Notes: Look for the Warriors to dangle Ellis and/or Biedrins especially if they draft Jennings or DeRozen.

Pick #8- Knicks: Stephen Curry

The Knick fans and D'Antoni will be ecstatic to have Curry. They get a great shooter with adequate PG skills, perfect for D'Antoni's Offense.

Pick #9- Raptors: DeMar Derozan

The Raptors are lacking a real 3. And DeRozan has the potential to be one of the best 3's to come out of this draft. Will be a flashy player that will draw the crowd in.

Pick #10- Bucks: Johnny Flynn

They are rumored to be looking for a PG and it may be Flynn.