I don't know who has seen the mock draft og15, hagrid, and I have done, but we have the Warriors taking Johan Petro at #11. While I'm not especially thrilled with this selection, I do think its the most likely scenario right now, so I was wondering what you guys thought of him. I also wanted to explain my decision a little more. Trust me guys, I tried as hard as I could to come up with a scenario that allows either Podkolzine or Biedrins to fall to the Warriors, but the one og15 and I ended up going with was the one we felt was most plausible. Actually, its a good news/bad news sort of thing. The bad news is that the Warriors are picking #11 in a 10 player draft, which is pretty much the same situation as last year. The good news is that no matter how deep a draft is, someone always drops. Last year Hayes and Sweetney were picked higher than they were projected and Pietrus and Lampe fell. This year my guess is that Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Jameer Nelson, Sergi Monya, or Kirk Snyder will sneek into the top 10 allowing someone else to fall. Hopefully that guy is Biedrins or Podkolzine. But right now, the draft isn't close enough to be able to see who will fall, so og15 and I are opperating under the hypothesis that no one drops and Andriuskevicius and Perovic withdraw from the draft. That would leave Petro, Samardziski, and Araujo as the highest rated prospects. You might notice that I've left Ramos off the list. That's because his biggest knock is a lack of focus and consistent effort. Those are two qualities that Montgomery and Mullin have stressed that their players will have. So that leads me to the ultimate question: who would you guys prefer the Warriors draft? For me its between Petro and Samardziski. I didn't really consider Araujo as a possibility for the Warriors because his value is mainly tied to his ability to come in and play right away. Petro and Samardziski have a lot more long term potential. I decided to go with Petro because he's more of an athletic, defensive-minded player in the mold of Dampier and Foyle. Samardziski (who I actually like more) is more of a halfcourt, offensive-minded player in the mold of Divac. Either player may withdraw from the draft if they don't get a lottery guarantee, but I think both have the talent to be the Warriors pick. The thing I'm trying to figure out right now is what guy Montgomery would want. Samardziski is supposed to have the better work ethic of the two, but scouting reports on euro players can range from pretty accurate to totally wrong. The frustrating thing is that there's hardly been any workout information on either one. So most of my information about Petro came from what I read about him at the euro big man camp. I've got even less on Samardziski, since he's been working out over here. The good news is that Pietrus should be able to tell the Warriors everything they need to know about Petro, so they should have the best read on him of any team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting wtwalker77:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't know who has seen the mock draft og15, hagrid, and I have done, but we have the Warriors taking Johan Petro at #11. While I'm not especially thrilled with this selection, I do think its the most likely scenario right now, so I was wondering what you guys thought of him. I also wanted to explain my decision a little more. Trust me guys, I tried as hard as I could to come up with a scenario that allows either Podkolzine or Biedrins to fall to the Warriors, but the one og15 and I ended up going with was the one we felt was most plausible. Actually, its a good news/bad news sort of thing. The bad news is that the Warriors are picking #11 in a 10 player draft, which is pretty much the same situation as last year. The good news is that no matter how deep a draft is, someone always drops. Last year Hayes and Sweetney were picked higher than they were projected and Pietrus and Lampe fell. This year my guess is that Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Jameer Nelson, Sergi Monya, or Kirk Snyder will sneek into the top 10 allowing someone else to fall. Hopefully that guy is Biedrins or Podkolzine. But right now, the draft isn't close enough to be able to see who will fall, so og15 and I are opperating under the hypothesis that no one drops and Andriuskevicius and Perovic withdraw from the draft. That would leave Petro, Samardziski, and Araujo as the highest rated prospects. You might notice that I've left Ramos off the list. That's because his biggest knock is a lack of focus and consistent effort. Those are two qualities that Montgomery and Mullin have stressed that their players will have. So that leads me to the ultimate question: who would you guys prefer the Warriors draft? For me its between Petro and Samardziski. I didn't really consider Araujo as a possibility for the Warriors because his value is mainly tied to his ability to come in and play right away. Petro and Samardziski have a lot more long term potential. I decided to go with Petro because he's more of an athletic, defensive-minded player in the mold of Dampier and Foyle. Samardziski (who I actually like more) is more of a halfcourt, offensive-minded player in the mold of Divac. Either player may withdraw from the draft if they don't get a lottery guarantee, but I think both have the talent to be the Warriors pick. The thing I'm trying to figure out right now is what guy Montgomery would want. Samardziski is supposed to have the better work ethic of the two, but scouting reports on euro players can range from pretty accurate to totally wrong. The frustrating thing is that there's hardly been any workout information on either one. So most of my information about Petro came from what I read about him at the euro big man camp. I've got even less on Samardziski, since he's been working out over here. The good news is that Pietrus should be able to tell the Warriors everything they need to know about Petro, so they should have the best read on him of any team.</div> From what I have read niether of them are in the lottery.I think they might pick araujo before those 2.If pavel falls to 11 they will snatch him up quick.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Warriorfansnc93:</div><div class="quote_post">You should read ESPN's latest mock draft. It has Pavel falling to them.</div> I have. Actually I should confess that while the usual pitfall in creating mocks is to tweak the order until your team gets the guy you want. I probably overcompensated for that and operated on the assumption that neither Podkolzine nor Biedrins would be available when the Warriors pick. The members mock update on Thursday should correct this. The bottom line is that this draft is totally unpredictable. The best case scenario has the Warriors picking between Biedrins and Podkolzine. The worst case scenario has them picking between Samardziski, Araujo, and Ramos. And honestly, its unlikely that anyone is going to hear anything definate involving those players before the actual draft. Usually by the night before the draft about 5-7 lottery picks are set in stone. For example, last year Lebron, Darko, Melo, Bosh, and Hayes were all pretty much locked into the teams they went to. The year before it was Ming, Williams, Dunleavy, Gooden, Skita, Stoudemire, and Jefferies that were known picks. This year my guess is that no more than 4 picks are known before the draft starts (and perhaps as little as 2). Here's the way I see things right now: Okafor going #1 should be a lock, especially since he officially measured at 6-10 in shoes and his back passed medical inspection. Howard and Livingston MAY go #2 and #4 with the two teams swapping picks (it makes perfect sense on paper, but I don't know if either team will leak it before the draft). The Bulls will be picking between Deng, Iguodala, and Childress and we may know which one before the draft (like if one cancels his workouts with Charlotte and Washington), but that isn't a definate. After that its pretty much guesswork. Even Washington, who usually lets it slip who they'll be drafting, is a mystery because so much depends on what happens in the first 4 picks. But as you can see, none of those teams are seriously considering Podkolzine or Biedrins. The only team who is usually linked to a big man is Phoenix at #7, but my guess is that they take a pg instead.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">I heard Deng withdrew. Is he back in?</div> To my knowledge he never withdrew. He did hire an agent last week, so he's definately in the draft.
So far its leaked out that the warriors have worked out these guys Donta Smith Devin Harris Why would they work out a projected 2nd rounder and a small forward at that? Is there some kind of deal in place where we get a 2nd rounder as part of a sign and trade kind of thing or way to get rid of Nick Van Exel's salary? The warriors have to do everything in their power to clear out now so they can resign Murphy, Jrich, Dunleavy or Pietrus in the future. Or get a major free agent like Yao Ming. I swear if we got Yao we'd sell out every single game and solve the center problem.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">So far its leaked out that the warriors have worked out these guys Donta Smith Devin Harris Why would they work out a projected 2nd rounder and a small forward at that? Is there some kind of deal in place where we get a 2nd rounder as part of a sign and trade kind of thing or way to get rid of Nick Van Exel's salary? The warriors have to do everything in their power to clear out now so they can resign Murphy, Jrich, Dunleavy or Pietrus in the future. Or get a major free agent like Yao Ming. I swear if we got Yao we'd sell out every single game and solve the center problem.</div> Mullin's probably had trade talks that involved the Warriors picking up a second rounder, so he's working out guys to get a feel for them. I wouldn't read too much into it though, it's a fairly common practice. As for NVE, they don't have to do anything with him in order to resign their young guys. Richardson and Murphy will still be on the last year of their rookie deals next year, so they won't be making the big money until the following year, so by then the Warriors will be rid of NVE unless they pick up his option for some unknown reason. Now the fact that they have to sign all the young guys is a reason why they woudn't go after a max-deal free agent. But I don't think any of the Warriors' core will command more than 7-8 mil in the first year of their extension, so they could get a near max guy like Kenyon Martin if they wanted to. They just couldn't break the bank to get him without having to sacrafice one of their young guys.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Chinkboi:</div><div class="quote_post">Is Petro in or out of the draft? I see mock drafts with him in and other without him.</div> He's in the draft, but he's probably going to pull out if he doesn't get a promise in late lottery/mid first round. I've heard that he's not going to get one so the members are going to drop him in our mock update that should be up tomorrow night.
Too bad we can't just sign an undrafted player. There has to be some Brad Millers, Ben Wallaces, Raja Bells, Bruce Bowens, Troy Hudsons, Chucky Atkins, Avery Johnsons, or Earl Boykins floating around. I guess we only would do that if we needed a defensive role player. I think all the above can pretty much do that or at least the put the effort up. BTW J.R. bremer doesn't count.
Johan Petro Birthdate: 1/27/86 NBA Position: PF/C Ht: 7-0 Wt: 240 European Team: Pau Orthez Hometown: France Euroleague Predrag Samardziski Birthdate: 4/11/86 NBA Position: Center Ht: 7-0 Wt: 260 Int Team: Partizan Belgrade Hometown: Skopje, Macedonia Sorry to double post but here's the low down on Petro and Smackdown. I'm big on Petro simply because he's from Pau Orthez, same team that Pietrus was on. http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/johanpetro.asp Top prospect in France. Athletic, can run the floor. Great body, Good wingspan, big bones, and pretty strong. Has put on a lot of weight in the past two years. Has good touch on the ball. Still raw on offense but has a little baby hook that he relies on much of the time. He?s definitely a great potential but has to change attitude on the court and play hard. Weaknesses: Has still slow foot work, not helped with lazy attitudes at time.Shot is not developed and doesn?t even look for the ball yet. Doesn?t move well on offense and could get a lot more done especially offensive rebounding. Has to play harder. Against zones doesn?t get offensive rebounds though nobody was boxing out and everybody under 6?8. Defense is limited right now in having a great body to deny shots or change their way. Is not a shot block addict, and doesn?t move feet quick enough to guard smaller post players. Reaction is still slow. Started basketball some years ago, played for the under 18 national team at just 16. -Babacar Sy Has a very bright future. Excels with the ball close to the basket. Excellent shotblocker. Inevitably compared to countryman Jerome Moiso due to his style of play and raw athleticism, but has a greater future because of his strong motivation level. Already close to 7-feet and has yet to turn 16. Began playing basketball at the age of 12 and is beginning to understand the game ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/predragsamardziski.asp Strengths: Very big frame and nice size for the center position... Can shoot the ball better from 15 feet and in than most centers in the NBA. ... Has a picture perfect shot and release ... Potential as a post player is very good ... Seems to have good toughness ... Solid work ethic ... Intriguing prospect because of his size and shooting ability ... Weaknesses: A long term pick for a team willing to wait several seasons ... Lacks experience due to lack of playing time... Has very little experience at a high level so he's a long term project ... Still unproven and will need to learn to defend and learn the position ... Has thick legs which keep him from being much of a transition player. Mobility isn't great as he's somewhat mechanical in his movements ... Notes: Bigman with very nice upside from Former Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia training in Yugoslavia.Playing for Partizan's second team now. Has been considered one of the most talented players of his age in Europe. has already played for the Seniors as well as in Euroleague. In 2001 at age 15, he signed a 9 year deal with Partizan Belgrade. Practices six hours a day with 20 something pros to improve his game.
Okay, well, this thread is officially moot. Petro and Samardziski were unable to secure a promise in the lottery so both have pulled out of the draft (along with Perovic and Andriuskevicius). However, Tiago Splitter has decided to stay in the draft, so you can replace him as the title guy of this thread. If Podkolzine and Biedrins are gone, would you select Splitter, Ramos, or Araujo? Here's a little info on Splitter, courtesy of DraftCity: Name: Tiago Splitter DOB: 1/1/85 Height: 6'11" Weight: 240 pounds Teams: TAU Vitoria Strengths: Tiago shows most of the physical gifts you should ask for a big man, as he has a nice long frame, great mobility and a decent vertical leap. He also runs the floor quite well. He is a talented player, developing some perimeter skills throughout his learning years, including a nice shot out to three point range, although not really consistent. Right now though, he's focusing on his inside game. He has a variety of post moves, a soft touch near the basket, and doesn't hesitate if he can finish with a dunk. All of this combined make Splitter a very versatile big man. Defensively, he will be very solid. He's intense, doesn't shy away from contact, has nice lateral quickness and knows how to position himself to play strong team defense. His long body does the rest. He's a decent shot blocker, but almost never risks his defensive position to get the block, so in the end he is not very prolific. Good ballhandler, but he doesn't abuse it. Above average passer who doesn't panic when seeing the double team.Tiago shows a very high Basketball IQ and is considered a smart young man off the court as well. He understands the game very well on both ends of the floor. Weaknesses: The biggest knock on Tiago right now is that he suffers offensively a lot when his rivals play him physical, still being hard for him to bang in the post, or just to keep the possition and the ball in those situations, so he tends to avoid contact. It's not a problem of attitude, but a problem of getting used to a different level of physical intensity than he had played until this season. That's why his scoring has been so poor this year. In the NBA it could only be worse at his current point of development. In fact, playing in the Euroleague it is painfully obvious to see the problems he has facing intense defenses, banging in the post, boxing out his opponents or just finding room to receive the ball. In the NBA it can only be worse. He needs to get tougher, to bulk up his body (already not weak at all for a player so young) and become a little more aggressive, as he will be (and already is) mainly a paint player. Playing more games at high competition level will help him a lot. The problem is that he's not getting enough minutes this season. His shot isn't consistent, and needs to work more on it, improving his free throw percentage at the same time. He's a bit foul prone and he hasn't adapted yet to tougher and faster competition. This shouldn't be a problem in the future, as he's fully aware of his duties when defending. Keep in mind that he just turned 19 recently. Comments: Tiago is a great prospect that should pan out as a very valuable player in the NBA, although not dominant in my opinion. I mainly fear the lack of playing time he's suffering right now, and might suffer in the near future, whether in Spain or in the NBA. But with his physical attributes and good head, there should be no problem for him to succeed. Best Case Scenario: Pau Gasol Worst Case Scenario: Chris Mihm, Loren Woods -Luis Fernandez
I'd say Splitter based on the hype, but I don't see him on nbadraft.net. Ramos looks decent too from what I can tell. He tries to do a Shaq impersonation. Tiago Splitter Birthdate: 1/1/85 NBA Position: SF/PF Ht: 7-0 Wt: 236 Strengths: A scorer. Has 3-point range on his shot. Good ballhandler, has one on one moves, good mobility and size at the SF/PF positions. More international experience than Nene Hilario and Anderson Varejao combined. Projected to be top 5 international player in the next few years. TOUGH DEFENDER. Good offensive and defensive rebounder. Weaknesses: Weak. Might struggle on defense in the low post at PF. Isn't strong enough to post up on offense. Can get impatient on defense and rebounding (might move out of position or pick up quick fouls) Might be streaky from medium/long ranges and at the line as his midrange and longrange game is "acceptable". http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/tiagosplitter.asp Peter John Ramos Birthdate: 5/13/85 NBA Position: Center Ht: 7-4 Wt: 260 Int Team: Criollos de Caguas Hometown: Fajardo, Puerto Rico Strengths: Has a variety of ways to score. Posting up, step back jumper, hookshot, and perimeter shot. Good outlet passer. Athletic, good stamina, runs the court well. Good personality on and off the court, a potential leader. Is assumed to speak fluent english as he's been in the states when he was a teen(?). Weaknesses: Is quick running up and down the court, but not a great leaper, Not a great rebounder, lacks strength, lacks intensity at times, not a great free throw shooter. http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/peterramos.asp Rafael Araujo Birthdate: 8/80 NBA Position: Center College: BYU Class: Senior Ht: 6-11 Wt: 280 Hometown: San Paulo, Brazil YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS 2003-04 30 29.8 18.4 10.1 1.2 2.9 1/2.4 1.4 0.8 3.1 .573 .722 .267 1.50 2002-03 32 25.1 12.0 8.9 1.2 2.9 1/2.5 1.4 0.5 3.7 .558 .642 .273 1.38 Strengths: A banger, very wide, strong upper body, good bulk, good rebounder, good low post scorer in college, good outlet passer, aggressive, is above average free thrower as far as big men go, is pretty mobile up and down the court. Is more of a finished product physically at age 23 and might contribute more easily right away. Weaknesses: No defense, not a shotblocker, is foul prone, No perimeter shot, not that agile in stopping quicker post players, not that great at ballhandling
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks for posting that Custodianrules.</div> No problem, anything I can do to help.
