Ya'll are hating on Batum (or just not aware because he's not a scorer)... when the draft class has a chance to reach their potential, Batum will be one of the top five most valuable players out of it.
HOOOOOMMEER!!!! To say Batum will be top 5 most valuable is a little too much if you ask me, he'll be a fine defensive player and finisher but not top 5.
The kid has all the physical tools to be a great player. I don't know what he will end up, but he could be the best of the entire draft or out of the league in five years. I am hoping for best of the draft.
Eh.... Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Brook Lopez, Russell Westbrook, and OJ Mayo all look to end up pretty good. It'd be hard to crack the top 5 here. And that's not taking into account other foreign players, like Omer Asik, who could come over and be better than Batum.
Maybe, but I'd argue he'll be more valuable to the Blazers than Aldridge when he develops. He looks to be a lock-down wing defender who should develop the ability to score. He's probably the youngest rookie out of the class, too. I like him over players that score and don't do much more elsewhere, because there's always that kind of player available on the cheap (trade/FA) or draft. I'd take Batum and his future production over what I'd project from Beasley, Mayo, Gordon, etc. Those players will all be 20 point scorers, but they wouldn't bring to a winning team what Batum will. Or, at least, that's what I'm projecting.
Derrick Rose - I think he's proven to be the cream of the crop for the rookies. He's been inconsistent as of recent, but he's proven he can lead a team and if he can develop a consistent jumper, he's going to be a top 3 PG in this league really quick. Russell Westbrook - He's been terrific, his defense has been solid, and he's proven to be a better scorer than I though he would be. He just needs to shoot the ball better and take better care of the ball. Brook Lopez - Best post scorer in the draft. He's been incredibly consistent and might be my pick for ROY if it wasn't for Derrick Rose. And I actually think he's been a solid rebounder, grabbing 8 per game in just over 30mpg. I think he'll be averaging a double double next season. Michael Beasley - He's shown flashes of being great. He's averaging a good amount of points in his somewhat limited minutes too. I still think he could end up being the best player in this draft, but we'll see. He does need to show more of a determination on defense and focus on hitting the glass more too, but I think he's well on his way to being a very good player. OJ Mayo - He's hit a wall but he's been pretty good. He's shown that he can be an explosive scorer and is easily the best shooter in the draft. He needs to gain some consistency, but every rookie hits the wall (for the most part) and he's really no different. Though I still don't think he can be a PG in this league like a lot of people do/did. Kevin Love - He's really turned it on over the past couple months and is averaging nearly a double double. He's an absolute beast on the glass, even though he's a bit undersized and lacks in athletic ability. He's also displayed a pretty solid offensive game this year. I think he's got a lot more upside than what some people might think and he and Al Jefferson could be a very, very good frontcourt for years to come. Eric Gordon - 2nd best scorer in this draft behind Mayo, but he isn't anything but that. He's undersized at the SG spot but doesn't have the playmaking or decision making abilities to play the PG. However, I think he's a guy that could put up 25ppg in the very near future. DJ Augustin - He's been pretty good for most of the year. I think if he ever gets the full time PG duties he could put up 20pts and 7asts, somewhere in that range. He's shown he's got a great touch from outside and he's also proven to be a pretty good passer as well. Mario Chalmers - He's been rock solid for the Heat. He hasn't proven to be an explosive scorer but he manages the game very well for a rookie PG, and that's all they really ask of him at this point. Danilo Gallinari - When healthy, he's shown flashes of brilliance. I think he could turn out to be one of the best players in the draft if he can ever get his back issues taken care of.
No. Its still too early to tell who won it but I'd rather have the 20 year old rookie PF who's putting up 12 pts, 10 reb in Feb and 15 pts, 9 reb in March than the 21 year old low FG% combo guard who's now struggling as the season comes to a close. Love has been one of the top rebounders in the league as a 20 y/o rookie, hes gonna be a monster on the glass for a long time coming. His offense is only going to get better. Hes really done well as a starter and had Al Jeff not been ahead of him he would be the likely rookie of the year IMO. Hes gone largely under the radar but hes had a pretty great rookie season. Mayo has shown great potential too, don't get me wrong. I'm just usually of the belief that you don't trade big for small. And IMO people are too down on Love because he really has been pretty damn good this season.
No chance. If it wasn't for his earlier season slumps, he'd be putting up a double double for the season. He's an absolute monster on the glass who's only going to get better. His offense is coming along pretty nicely and I think he's going to be a consistent 15/12 guy for his career. Mayo, on the other hand, has hit the rookie wall, and at the same time, Love has just gotten better. Mayo showed flashes of brilliance for the first half of the season, but he has really slowed down and his jump shot has been off. I'm also with Run though, you should very rarely trade big for small.
Think you could attribute that to Jefferson being around, and now he's gone? I'm still wondering how that's going to work out.... I'm having a hard time seeing Jefferson and Love coexisting.
It could be, you never know. However, I think that they'll be able to coexist just fine. I still think Kevin Love will end up being more of a high post scorer in this league, ala Pau Gasol, while Jefferson is much more of a low post scorer. I think it might take a little more time, but I think it'll work out well in the end.
Love is limited just by his size. More athletic, longer forwards have and will continue to eat him up on offense just because they can get any shot they want against him/ Love = David Lee. Fantastic rebounder. Should develop in to a solid scorer and is either a decent starter or good bench player, but his role is limited just because of his size.
