Draft Measurements being released

Agreed. Draft picks should be used to get players who have a chance to be the type of player that is hard to get, not the type of player that kicks around the league looking for a contract to sit on the end of the bench.

 

They both do fit a need but I think Lawal's upside along with his athleticism make him a significantly better prospect. Also, he's not "just a project" on offense. He has some skills and for a backup 4 we're not looking for a guy that's going to try and create his own shot, but rather get rebounds, get putback scores, and play defense. With a long wingspan and good lateral quickness he can accomplish those things. I think he is a perfect fit.

I don't why you criticize Lawal for being raw offensively when both Blair's and Hansbrough's offensive game need work.

Neither of us are going to change our opinion of the other player. You think Hansbrough is better and I think Lawal would be better. I'm just going to stop here.

 

My bad. I should have done the adult thing and posted a picture from failblog.

As for the topic. I would prefer Lawai to Psycho T, but if we have to stay at 24, I wouldn't really mind drafting either of them.

 

Now they're up.

James Harden - faster than expected, and stronger.
Jonny Flynn - jumping jack

 

Rodrigue Beaubois - One of the fastest players. 3rd in agility. Wingspan that no one his size rivals at all at 6'9.75". Second highest vertical jump at 39. All of that and he has a decent long range jump shot. This guy is an amazing physical specimen. If he is around with any of our second round picks (if we keep them) I really hope we take him.

Edit: Or even at 24

 

Austin Daye - Slowest player, poor leaping ability, couldn't bench 185 even once.. Yet he is projected mid first round? Can someone explain this to me?

 

6'11" with ballhandling skills like a small forward and NBA 3 point range. The kid is all upside ... and skinny as a bean pole, so it's hard to say what he'll look like in 3 years.

 

If he's that slow will his ball handling be all that effective? And even he is all upside I don't see how he should be drafted at 15 or so with those numbers. Being that bad in all of the athletic categories would just scare me away.

 

Very interesting that the supposedly unathletic Hansbrough actually tested better than the "more athletic" Lawal.

Lawal jumped a little higher (0.5" better max. vertical), but Hansbrough absolutely smoked him in the lane agility test and even beat him in the 3/4 court sprint. At 11.93, Lawal had one of the slowest lane agility times of the combine.

So, first we learn that Hansbrough isn't undersized, now we learn that he's not unathletic. What were his other supposed weaknesses?

BNM

 

Luke Harangody also tested pretty decent. I posted a link a few days ago that stated he did the most reps of the bench press, but his lane agility and 3/4 court sprint times were much better than I expected. I still wouldn't mind the Blazers taking a chance on "Matt Bonner with muscles" with one of their many 2nd round picks.

BNM

 

Remember to take these measurements with a grain of salt. Monta Ellis dropped like a stone in the draft after he measured as slow and unathletic. Yes, Monta Ellis. Meanwhile Kirk Snyder was off the charts.

 

I fully agree, he'd be Barbosa with defense. (and some of the same limitations) But I really like him (and his attitude) in a couple of years as a defensive stopper/one man fast break, who knows his role.

unlike...nevermind

 

He looks like Beeker from the Muppets?

 

Beeker was a playa'

 

Two words for you: Josh McRoberts.

Beware of players whose value is inflated by playing for a great coach/system. Team success/reputaion rubs off. If Hansbrough played for some no-name school, he wouldn't even be mentioned. The butt-kicking he took from Griffen when they went head-to-head was no illusion.

 

Josh McRoberts was a disappointment at Duke - that's why he went so low - and that's why he never translated to the NBA.

TH seems like a much better prospect than McBob and had a much much much better college career. Granted - he is never going to be an elite PF - but he looks like he has the tools and the motor to be a successful backup PF in the league for a long time.

Think of him as a better scoring, smaller size version of Joakim Noah with worse defense. Noah went #9. If TH is still at 24 - he seems like a very good value for that spot.

 

You mean the Josh McRoberts that had 13.7% body fat, was slow footed and unathletic and had a horrible work ethic. Yes, they are both white and played for successful probrams, but that seems to be where the similarity ends. Hansbrough tested out WAY better than McRoberts and no one has ever questioned his desire or work ethic. When it comes to hard work, he's the anti-McRoberts.

BNM

 

I agree that they are hardly clones. Both, however, have benefited from association with a big name program. If Lawal had played for NC, people would be gushing over him as a potential lotto pick. Instead, he is likely to go in the 20s. (which is where he probably belongs)

 

With that logic, it suggests that Hansbrough would be a lottery pick. He's not even going to come close to that, so are you suggesting that he should be a second round pick instead of where he's supposedly going to go(20-30). If he's there at 24 and both Lawal and Blair are gone, we should have no problems taking him. This team needs a backup 4.