Official 2013 Draft thread

Indeed, do like the sound of this:

 

David Mayo ‏@David_Mayo 1m
http://MLive.com : Otto Porter's stock rising as one of Detroit Pistons' purest fits could escape their http://bit.ly/1436BIK

 

[in response to quote by HailBlazers]^^^Yup - that sounds pretty nice! Initially his low APG worried me, but after reading about how he was used by UCLA I'm not as concerned. And with Lillard and Batum we've already got two good play-makers on the floor - we need someone like Shabazz who will attack the hoop, but not need the ball in his hands in order to do so.

 

Descriptions of Shabazz's game make me think of Corey Maggette. And I don't want to have to do that.

 

I think I may undervalue pure scoring, but everybody else seems to WAY overvalue it. Someone like Tony Allen is way more useful than someone like Marcus Thornton. Or OJ Mayo. Or Kevin Martin. Or Monta Ellis.

 

Or Manu Ginobili or James Harden? It's a piece to a puzzle that every contender needs.

 

I was reading an article last week that showed how to win an NBA title based on past teams. all but 2 had at least one top 5 player or a top 5 defensive player. I think the old saying that defense wins championships is taken for granted by a lot of people.

 

That's why you need to draft BPA and not for need in the lottery. It's so important not to miss with those picks. Honestly, BPA any spot in the draft

 

I think Memphis proved last night you need more than just great D. No doubt you need a great defensive unit, but if you don't have multiple go to players, you are in trouble. Defense does win championships as log as you have someone to take over on the offensive end when the game is on the line.

 

Typically I'm with you on pure scoring - I much prefer well-rounded players. But due to a variety of factors I'll be fine if we draft Shabazz, though I'll once again insert my disclaimer that I don't follow NCAA hoops at all.

 

You absolutely need to have someone that can score the ball, but I think what you are discounting is that SA is a great defensive team

ranked 1st in the playoffs for defensive rating

ranked 3rd in regular season for defensive rating

Memphis just ran into a great defensive team as the teams Memphis played earlier in the playoffs did

 

Plus a guy who could break them down and score at will in Tony Parker.

 

True, but so what? That just sounds like poor scouting. Turns out Dennis Rodman SHOULD have been a lottery pick. And Ben Wallace. And Bruce Bowen. And so on. Don't defensive stars get drafted high in the NFL? (I honestly don't know - I couldn't name most of the teams.)

I don't see that that follows at all. Nerlens Noel certainly hopes you're wrong.

I think it's because players who are struggling to make the league see defense as their ticket. Great D is shockingly rare. (Incidentally, this applies in any gym. I am old, white and slow. At 6'2" my fingertips will graze the rim if I really try. Yet I am habitually the best defender in any game I play in [okay: I'm not playing college-level players here], even against people who dunk. It always seems to amaze people when I am able to stay in front of them or take away their one good move. I win a lot of one-on-one games I have no business winning for that reason.)

 

Getting a Corey Maggette at #10 would be a steal in any draft.

 

In the NFL, players play either offense and defensive exclusively, with few exceptions. So, you can build your defense without having to worry about that player's offensive ability.

 

In this draft, the team who drafts a star will just be lucky, because there are no sure things. However, there are players who are obviously rotation players, and some because of their elite defense. The best of these seems to be Dieng (although there are probably advanced stat people who have watched 1000s of hours of NCAA action who know better). My ideal is to acquire Dallas's pick and take Schroeder and Dieng. That would fill two major needs for our team and allow us to sign a proven NBA scorer if we really need that.

 

Very true. But players who are all O no D seem to get a pass in the NBA, whereas all D no O players go undrafted. I think people assume D is just something that's easy to pick up. But it just isn't. You have to have an innate ability.

 

Parker is awesome. Why is he not better regarded than Iverson? He's so fucking quick, and NOBODY's better at getting into the paint. Every time I hear someone say the Spurs are boring, I just don't get it.

 

I actually like that Maggette/Shabazz comparison