Taft dead in water. Murdered by Diogu yesterday.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting REREM:</div><div class="quote_post">I said a month ago Ike would cream Taft in a matchup and was told in various ways that Taft was a sure top 10 and Diogu woild need to skip this draft..to small to play with a real stud...well,I'm not at all surprised.
Diogu also was said to have a measured wingspan of 7-3 to 7-5.</div>

Before you finish patting yourself on the back, you better come back down to earth. The argument was who would have the most value at the number nine pick. There was no argument about this "one on one" matchup or anything like that. Diogu has one of the higher skillsets so I would have never claimed Taft would "beat him" or whatever. If Taft held his own and managed to show effort, it would have been a success. GM's knew this kid was a project. They wanted to see the effort, which he never showed. The argument was that Taft had the NBA size Diogu doesn't and would be able to guard the elite 4's around the league. Taft has the potential but the kid is lazy as a slug. It doesn't mean Diogu will be able to contain KG, Duncan, Amare.

Your argument was Taft would slip to 20 and Diogu would go top 5. Taft is slipping but not due to his lack of talent. No one figured Taft was this messed up. This includes you. You compared stats which doesn't explain anything qualitative. Diogu going top 5 is still ridiculous. He does not have the potential for a top 5 or ten pick. Diogu beating up on Taft doesn't merit that. There also were reports posted that Diogu would pull out, I didn't just say that. Get that straight.

I would have even agreed with you if you said Diogu was more NBA ready, had a better head on his shoulders, had a solid work ethic. Those weren't the claims you were making. Your arguments were revolved around Diogu being a top 5 pick. Even after beating Taft there are question marks surrounding will he be able to do this on a nightly basis in the NBA? If Bogut has those questions around him then certainly Diogu has as well. I never said Diogu sucks but I would never pick him at nine. All the other GM's have him ranked lower. Why draft someone so high if no other teams in your draft area want him?

I think you have a distorted view from what you think you wrote from actually what you wrote. This argument wasn't about who would have the best NBA future which I acknowleged. It was about the best value and most potential for the #9 slot.

 

I look mainly at who I see being the player to have,the guy who a few years from now will be most effective in general,and most effective for us. When I say top 5,I base that on those standards,that looking back,he's one of the 5 best. Who the Knicks or Utah or Lakers like is not my main concern,nor is who mock sites favor. If I am certain to get Diogu at pick 15,sure trade down-but I expect I am not the only person who sees star quality in this guy,and,as I see him as the 3rd best possible pick for us,he's a good deal he's a good deal at slot 9. Schooling Taft will give him a lift,not so much to NBA scouts who have much footage to watch,but to sites and analysts who a few days ago still liked Taft as top 10 and would have assumed Diogu could not dominate him so convincingly. I still maintain that Taft does NOT have as much talent,power,potential or upside as some seem to think. I saw a real basic skills package,not much creativity,or basketball IQ. While Taft is hard to push around,he otherwise is not special on D.
Monty likely is aware of how Diogu played vs Stanford-who had 2 6-10 starters. Diogu had 28pt,15rbd,3 blocks in one game,39pt,11 rbd,2blocks in the other. He had big games vs the Pac 10's best,Arizona and Washington. I cite stats because they support what I saw. I could say the same for Taft,that I saw talent that was barely Rd 1,and the stats Taft had match that observation.
The W's had Taft and Diogu in as candidates for the pick at #9,not round 2...and one is likely scratched off the short list. as I often indicated,I had a look at Taft,and was not impressed. I am still skeptical about the Euros,though obviously there is NO reason to see Marty Andy as a legit lottery guy,every clue is that there is too little there to suggest any significant potential. Vasquez is said to have made progress-but is the age of a college senior. That he may have now caught up to guys who are early round 2 by many estimates does not tell me he's going to be a starter,even if he has 3 years to work on details. Splitter is a bit younger and a bit bigger,but so are Blatche and Bynum,and comparing those 3 will be a challenge for teams who are committed to getting a tall dude.
I lost count of all the times the W's mucked up going for a C in the draft when there was not a real solid candidate...and they guessed wrong. the Warriors historically drafted well when thinking "best player".
It's worth note that the W's missed taking the two impact big-man HS guys in recent years,Garnett and Amare. I saw just a bit of Bynum,and he is closer than Taft already,to being NBA skilled. Blatche,I have not seen but there are positive indicators. I assume the W's are looking at Frye,Blatche,Bynum,and there can be a winner among them,but I still feel most comfortable with Diogu
Round 2 I'd be okay with a tall project,a crapshoot where we may get a long term payoff.

Dunleavy as pick 3,and Darko as pick 2 followed what mocks said was their rank,despite the facts that they had not played to that level.
Beware of assuming things when there's nothing that supports it. Dunleavy was never the super shooter he was hyped as..and still is not. Darko is obviously far less skilled + polished than the claims.

Being a tall guy who can run and jump is just fine ---IF YOU CAN PLAY. Guys who can play are the prize.

 

I have Insider access. Let me know if there's an article you'd like posted

 

As the Diogu advocate,I hear the frequent complaints,He is too small,or he is not "athletic". Diogu got measured as having a well above average wingspan which I think may account for why a 6-8 guy seems to play bigger than 6-10. In effect,longer arms add to the height factor. It's always the hands that handle the ball,block the shot,snare the rebound. Having some muscle also offsets height.

In the language of mock drafts,"athletic" is a very vague term. It can be like your buddy telling you a blind date has a great personality...maybe so,but is he saying that she is one ugly woman? "Athletic" gets attached to guys who appear to run or leap with some grace and have few useful basketball skills. I think Athletic and might say,could he train to compete in the decathalon? Could you turn him into an NFL linebacker? In Diogu's case,maybe so. I saw a quick burst,good hops,brute power-and some well honed skills. He appeared to have above average stamina. I don't think anyone questions the production,as his stat sheet is first rate.
I like Bogut a lot,he is a 7 footer with all the nessecities and a pattern of efficiently improving. Green is a young guy who appears to have some rare gifts,great range,super leaper,magical improv skills,a great idea of how the game is played.

Next there are several,and they have differing qualities. The 3 point G's are real solid,and yet don't have that Kidd,Magic,specialness. Only the small guy,Paul,has been a first rate shooter. There's Diogu and Granger,multi-skilled,productive and polished,one,Diogu has more beef,if you want a 3-4 F. Granger is more of a 2-3 guy,less muscle but more perimeter game,ball handling. Each is quite effective on the boards,on D. Then there is Marvin. Marvin has flashes of greatness as well as areas where he showed really poor skills/effort/focus/fundamentals. It is assumed,but not certain,he will pay the dues and bring up his skills to a high level. I see a kid who means well,has the physique,but is a bit soft in traffic,has yet to learn what it takes to be tough against guys who are also big and strong.
Sometimes a guy who appears to have the raw potential to star,is unable to get it all togather. Something seperates Dwight Howard and Jermaine O'Neal from Kwame Brown and Jonathan Bender...and that something got overlooked on draft day. The imports,and a few have slipped out of the picture now,are kind of in Marvin's situation....currently not at all ready for regular NBA roles. With Marvin we got a real good look at him,and have a real good idea of what the ACC is,the Final 4 etc. Euroleague is low profile here,and a difficult yardstick. It's a somewhat different style,and some say teams try to hide prospects. I don't see a point in never playing a guy to avoid the inevitable consequence of him actually getting good. That would be like a man stayin in bed all the time so he won't sprain an ankle and be unable to walk.

I dispute the idea that a player who HAS game,lacks upside. Rather,I think he is more evolved,has a head start,and that is a plus. Some guys are not do-it-all types,actually,few are. Hakim Warrick and Sean May are 2 guys with some very usable tools,2 guys with much different builds. Both share the sense to know what they do well,and they have really developed those skills. Neither trys to be what he ain't...which actually can be good. Seeing 25% shooters hoist 3's makes me wanna puke.

I wish I could see Petro and Blatche play a full game against S May,or some established NBA C. Won't happen pre-draft so it's a case of ,do you want to guess what's behind door number 3. I saw Diogu,I see he is typically way underrated and I see he has tools that can help the W's and he is sure to be good,at the least,and may be a star....pretty much what I want with the pick.
As I sense we'd have a bargain getting Diogu (or Granger) at #9,I'm hesitant to move down in hope of getting one of them cheaper,at the risk of getting neither. Rumors that teams X and Y have him as pick 22 are not ironclad,team Z may grab him at 11. Team X might actually trade up and grab him at 7. Rumors are only a clue. Draft day is meat on the plate.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CohanHater:</div><div class="quote_post">I have Insider access. Let me know if there's an article you'd like posted</div>Coolio, CH! Thanks! Just keep us up to date on anything "warm" or you think is interesting. I think a lot of the stuff right now regarding Foyle to Orlando (because of Twardzick) or Dunleavy to the Clips is very unlikely to happen even closer to draft day.