With the entire draft order having been decided, and the Supes done for the season, it's probably time to cast an eye to the draft. It's a tricky pick for the Supes this season though, at pick 25 and with so many free agents on the roster. Do we just draft best player available? Do we try and anticipate who's coming back and draft on need? Do we trade up or trade the pick away entirely? I've come up with an initial short list of the players I'd like to see us target. Obviously we're not going to be in a position to draft Bogut, Paul, Williams etc, but it looks to be a pretty deep draft in terms of finding value with later picks. In order of preference: Joey Graham, Oklahoma State, 6'7, 225, SF His stock is all over the place at the moment. Has been projected as borderline lottery, borderline first round and everywhere in between after a disappointing NCAA tournament. Graham is arguably the best physical specimen in the draft - very strong, powerful and athletic. What I like about him is he has the potential to be a super perimeter defender. His early days as a power forward mean he is capable of defending bigger players, while he is athletic enough to guard on the perimeter. Long, long arms. Offensively, he is nothing special. He has a reliable midrange jumper, can finish with authority and knows how to put the ball in the hole from inside. However, his ball handling and overall feel for the game offensively aren't anything special. Never going to be a big scorer at the next level. Overall, he's an intriguing one. Any impressive workouts should push him out of our reach, but if he performs poorly he will probably drop. The defensive potential IMO is too much to pass up if he slips to 25. Kennedy Winston, Alabama, 6'6, 220, SG A pure scorer, and great size for a shooting guard at NBA level. Winston can light it up from outside, get to the hole and finish and is basically just a natural scorer. He has a great feel for the game on offense, and is the sort of player I think would suit the NBA. Defensively, he's not a lot. He is a pure offensive player, but at the other end he can get lazy and lost at times. Is inconsistent too. Overall, I'm just a fan of his game. With Ray's future up in the air and Flip likely not coming back, drafting a kid with the scoring ability of Winston could be a smart move. Francisco Garcia, Louisville, 6'7, 190, SG Apart from Salim Stoudamire, probably the purest stroke in the draft. A lanky player who reminds some of Reggie Miller, Garcia can stroke it, handle the ball, pass it (holds Louisville's single game assist record with 15) and move off the ball. He is a smart player and very determined and courageous (see his performances after his brother was killed). Unfortunately, at 23 years old and with a rail thin physique, he may not have the body to compete night in night out. If he has Miller's durability he should be ok, but it's still a worry. He also struggles to get to the hole consistently, and had a knack of disappearing in big games. I like the kid simply because he has a game in the mould of Miller or Rip Hamilton. Probably won't be as good, but a consistent 15-16ppg scorer isn't out of the question.
id take Winston, just because he already has the shooting abilities, he can always become an average defender with a lot of practice [like most the pure shooters in the nba]
I've been high on the Sonics taking Francisco Garcia for awhile and here's why: - He has the ability to play three positions. He played PG, SG, and SF for Louisville with precision. With so many free agents, there will surely be a position in need of backup. Francisco Garcia is a sure fit for any of these positions. If Ray, Flip, or Antonio book out of here then Garcia can step in right away with his collegiate experience and contribute. - He could be an adequate replacement for Vlade Radmanovic. If Radman is gone, Garcia can somewhat replace his shooting premise with his own. What Vlade brings to this team on the court should be able to be duplicated by Garcia. He doesn't have the prototype NBA body but neither does Reggie Miller and that didn't hurt his stroke. - His game isn't just shooting, he can create, pass, handle the rock, and is scrappy around the rim. Since the Sonics do not have a glaring hole, taking a diverse player like Francisco Garcia would be a great choice. Some mock drafts have him going in the 2nd round but that would be a steal.
I'm not sure about Garcia. His stock is starting to fall from what I've heard. In the touney, he had a lot of trouble in the last two games against the opposing team's best defender. Against WVU, he had onlyu 13 points and fouled out of the game at the end of the 2nd half. And against Illinois, Deron Williams absolutely shut him down to only 4 points and 2-10 shooting. Scouts are not sure if his game will translate too good in the NBA. He lacks athleticism and in the NBA, the entire game revolves around speed, especially at SG where he'll probably be playing. But there are some real good things about Garcia like you stated above. He definitely has a great shot, good ball-handler, and is a great passer. I actually think Garcia will be a solid player off the bench in about 2-3 years. I can't see him ever being a starter though.
Every site I have looked at the draft predictions has the Sonics picking up a Center or a PF. Am I missing something here, or do these experts not watch the Sonics or have any clue about the team? The PF position looks pretty much locked up with Collison and Fortson out there and Vlade and Reggie Evans available to re-sign. The center position is a need, but they don't need another rookie at that position, they have Swifty in training. They need a veteran who is serviceable on offense and strong on defense and rebounding. Danny can't start at center with the big Ref target painted on his back. Why would they draft another 18 year old 7' as I have seen predicted? I would think that they would want best available, and then a big might make sense, but why is everyone locked there? The craziest I saw was a prediction for the Sonics to take UW guard Nate Robinson. He is undersized for the NBA, I would think they would want a long, athletic, defensive guard at the 2 and a veteran defensive player at the 1. I would think they would be looking at 2 guards and SF's to complement the roster from the draft. You aren't getting an immediate contribution from someone that deep in the 1st round, and Ray and Lew can mentor a rookie at those spots.. I expect the PG and Center needs to be filled from Free Agency since we need veterans to fill out that rotation. Pwn3D! seems to be thinking along the same lines. Does this make the analysts outright idiots or just Sonic ignorant.
That's a good point, I thought we should take a center but you're right that we don't need another young center, we need an experienced one.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting psheehy:</div><div class="quote_post">Every site I have looked at the draft predictions has the Sonics picking up a Center or a PF. Am I missing something here, or do these experts not watch the Sonics or have any clue about the team? </div> Have you had a look at the Real GM Mock? I mean, they correctly identified our biggest draft needs are a shooting guard and probably a point guard, so that's all fine. Then they have us drafting Ronny Turiaf. Not only this, they say his post game is far advanced on Nick Collison and that he's too good to pass up. This is ahead of Diogu and Frye, too.
i would love to see Garcia with the Sonics.. that would pretty much take care of the shooting droughts when Ray's on the bench.
