Rudy Gay has great potential, and Rashad Anderson who couldn't play last year due to somehting on his leg, is going to be there. I also have a feeling that underclassmen like Guillermo Diaz and Jameson Curry will declare after the college season.
Its going to feel different without the High School kids in this draft. Tiago Splitter, with Scola leaving Tau, Splitter will become a starter, and if he improves and produces more, I'm confident my boy will be a lock for 1 - 5. I can't wait till the college season starts, Im going try my best to catch as many games as possible, cause I haven't seen guys like Collins, Brewer, Rodney Carney , Daniel Gibson, play alot
Rudy Gay looks like he will be a top five pick in 2006 because of his potential and that's just about it. He hasn't proven himself in college and if he doesn't do that this year I can see his stock falling to the 5-10 range. This year is going to be a great year for teams that need a point guard; Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson, Dee Brown, Mardy Collins, Sergio Rodriguez, and Rajon Rondo are all possible lottery picks from the point guard spot. Too early to tell at this point though, wait until like December and we will have more clear of a view.
Rudy Gay as a freshman last year put up insane numbers. Are you serious? And he didnt start until Anderson went down with that infection. At 6-9 with his athletic ability, ball handeling and defense, all he needs to learn to do it shoot better. Plus I havent seen anyone that young hit the offensive glass and get put back dunks like him except maybe Josh Smith. Add to the list of Lottery bound players, Daniel Gibson, Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams, Mardy Collins and Rajon Rondo. Unfairly I think Shannon Brown is going to get that "can he play point" crap cuz he never has really had to run it at Michigan St. or I wouldnt hesitate to say him either. I also have a list of sleeper guys, who either could use the one-n-done age limit thing, or a couple Soph. who would be very attractive to Lottery teams, wich includes Julian Wright (Kansas) Josh McRoberts (Duke) and don't sleep on Leon Powe (Cal) and Gabriel Pruitt (USC) and finally Darius Washington (Memphis)
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Rudy Gay as a freshman last year put up insane numbers. Are you serious? And he didnt start until Anderson went down with that infection. At 6-9 with his athletic ability, ball handeling and defense, all he needs to learn to do it shoot better. Plus I havent seen anyone that young hit the offensive glass and get put back dunks like him except maybe Josh Smith. Add to the list of Lottery bound players, Daniel Gibson, Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams, Mardy Collins and Rajon Rondo. Unfairly I think Shannon Brown is going to get that "can he play point" crap cuz he never has really had to run it at Michigan St. or I wouldnt hesitate to say him either. I also have a list of sleeper guys, who either could use the one-n-done age limit thing, or a couple Soph. who would be very attractive to Lottery teams, wich includes Julian Wright (Kansas) Josh McRoberts (Duke) and don't sleep on Leon Powe (Cal) and Gabriel Pruitt (USC) and finally Darius Washington (Memphis)</div> I'd like to say that Rudy Gay is the consensus #1 pick, but there are too many internationals out there that I have just not had the time nor resources to see. Towards the top of that list is Andrea Bargnani. I've only seen a few clips here and there of his game, but overall I haven't had much of a chance to see him play. From what I'm told by Shapecity, who knows Bargnani's game much better than I do, Andrea Bargnani actually has a very serious chance of being the #1 pick. I can see why he would think that too. Size always intrigues, and Bargnani is a 7-0 tall Power Forward who I most frequently hear compared to Dirk Nowtizki. While it's become a trend for every tall European player with a mid-range jumper to be labeled as the next Nowitzki or the next Larry Bird, I think that Bargnani might actually be the real deal. Of course, I base this just on word of mouth and a few highlight clips, but these are very reliable mouths and very telling highlight clips that showed his outside shooting as well as his aggressiveness downlow. Another international player who I lack serious resources on but has intrigued me none the less is Sergio Rodriguez. About a month ago, someone posted some highlight reels for a few of his games, and after having that small opportunity to get a feel for his game, I think that with his passing skills, ball handling, and overall creativity, he's going to be a special player in the NBA. With that said, I'm still waiting for the opportunity to see him play in an actual game, and I am also concerned that he may try to over-entertain and become sloppy like Jason Williams was in Sacramento. When I bring up Shannon Brown's name in draft conversations, the reaction is usually mixed. About half the people I talk to will tell me that he's very talented but won't be picked high because he's too short and a classic tweener, but the other half tells me that regardless of height and based on his talent, they believe he's more than a lottery pick and destined to be a future top five pick. I personally believe that because height has not been an issue with players like Ben Gordon, Steve Francis, and Allen Iverson, it will not be a problem with Shannon Brown. Clearly those players, as well as many others like them, have shown that if you are talented enough or have enough athleticism, explosiveness, and quickness, then you can more than succeed as an undersized player. I don't think that he should try to be a Point Guard in the NBA, because he won't play that position at Michigan State unless Drew Neitzel gets injured, and it's better to play the position you are most comfortable with rather than force yourself to play a position where you lack experience. Ultimately, I feel as if he will go in the middle of the lottery in the #6-10 pick range if he waits to come out in 2007. There is bound to be a General Manager who will fall in love with his game and take the risk of drafting a player who is two or three inches undersized. I just can't understand how some mock drafts out there can predict that Brown will go #16 or #24 in 2006. I'm not going to name names, but these are the same sites that projected Andrew Bogut, Danny Granger, and Deron Williams as second rounders as recently as last December. Lastly, you may say to me that I'm just supporting Brown because I am a fan, and you'd be right. What you need to understand though is that I am not a fan by my allegiance to Michigan State. If that were the case, I'd be just as big of a fan of Drew Naymick and Idong Ibok. The truth is, I'm just a fan of his game in the purist way, and I see something special in him that I haven't seen in a Big Ten player since Jason Richardson. Shapecity and I are going to post our 2006 and 2007 mock drafts today to give you guys an idea of how we feel the draft will turn out at this point. We have a few picks that differ from most mock drafts, but keep an open mind to it, because we will provide you with a logical explanation behind each one of our picks if you ask about it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Shapecity and I are going to post our 2006 and 2007 mock drafts today to give you guys an idea of how we feel the draft will turn out at this point. We have a few picks that differ from most mock drafts, but keep an open mind to it, because we will provide you with a logical explanation behind each one of our picks if you ask about it. </div> Already, man you guys are ahead of everyone. Don't forget Mustafa Shakur (The True #1 PG of his class) 2007. He'll be a late first-rounder. Hassan Adams next year too, mid-first rounder next year. I think Jordan Farmar will come out this year too, if he improves from his ultimate freshman season. Farmar was the one carrying the Bruins even with Dijon Thompson. O ya, and according to UK, Aaron Brooks, the PG better than Shakur. Also a, very interesting guy is Cedric Bozeman(not sure how to spell), 6-6 PG out of UCLA. He's coming of a injury, so this will be his Senior campaign. Leon Powe for 2007 will be good too. Pac-10 is stocked full of awesome players.
I would love to see Adam Morrison go in the lottery. He will be a top 10 pick in my book. He is a 6-8 swingman with the mentality of an assassin. He is a fierce competitor that is willing to take the last second shot. He maybe a little slow on D and streaky with his shot but he always goes hard. Josh Boone and Mardy Collins are honorable metions also. Even though these two will go high possibly top 5, I am not sold on Rudy Gay or Daniel Gibson quite yet. Shannon Brown is a classic tweaner. He is listed at 6-4 but he is closer to my height of 6-2 1/2. He is a very explosive player. The new CBA age limit will help him because there will be no high schoolers taking up sports next year thus he will get drafted higher.
Sheldon Williams,Steven Smith and Hassan adams are the guys who interest me. I think the top tier frosh want at least 2 tr in school,or they may as well have declared this time. Likely one or two of the imports who came up short will actually produce at least enough to justify a high pick. A few so-far un-noticed sorts should find that a stong year can get them well up in rd 1,someone like Taj Gray? Paul Millsap?
