Warriors #6 Draft Pick -- Short Breakdown with Videos -- Who do You Take?

It's a tough pick. I think Sac takes Cousins after Wall, Turner, Favors and Johnson. If Cousins is there, I guess we should take him. He seems the most talented even though he has warts and could turn into another Dampier. If Cousins is gone, then Henry seems like a safe pick. However, I'm not sure who is the best out of Monroe, Henry, Aminu, Aldrich or ?.

 

I think Aminu is the better draft option between him or Monroe, which seem to be the other top candidates. Aminu has the tools that make him potentially a better NBA fit - speed, wingspan, energy, and a positive outlook and work ethic. Aminu is the kind of guy that will go all out, and he has the athleticism and leaping ability to make some amazing plays this way, both offensively and defensively. His major weakness is his lack of shooting range, plus he plays a little too fast offensively, which leads to turnovers. On the other hand, while Monroe has a high basketball IQ/instincts, great passing skills, size, and decent speed for an uptempo game, his energy and athleticism are lacking. During his freshman year, he was very poor at hustling out for rebounds and blocking out, and while he's improved on this and his defense in general, it's not the same level of intensity that I hope for out of a top pick. Offensively, he's got his pluses and minuses as well - he's been able to use a face-up game and his ball-handling skills effectively to get points on the board, but he's a very poor shooter or back-to-the-basket guy. However, he's very good at a pick-and-roll type situation as he's got a great knack for spacing and getting open near the basket.

While the focus should be on BAP, the situational needs should be looked at as well. However, neither Aminu nor Monroe really stand out as filling all of the needs of the Warriors. While the biggest question mark on the Warriors is the forward positions, neither player properly fills the need of the Warriors to get some effective inside presence both offensively and defensively. Both will help with rebounding, but that's about it. On the offensive side, Monroe can fit in with pick-and-rolls and to facilitate offense, but we have plenty of players that can direct the offense at this point. I wouldn't trust Monroe in other offensive situations. Aminu also has the same problem as Randolph, in that they can put the ball on the floor and create because of their first step and athleticism and above-average ball handling, but both are still very turnover-prone because their outside shooting is poor, so defensively opponents will predict their drive to the basket and focus on it instead of giving them space, also making it more difficult to get a good pass during the drive. And on the defensive side, neither have the combination of strength and shotblocking skill to be a lockdown defender at the big man spots, although Aminu looks to be very effective at guarding wings or combo forwards because of his speed and athleticism.

 

Riley seems to agree. He doesn't seem to be putting up any smokescreen; he'll take either one of the "top 5" or probably the players we've been mentioning. I really do like Udoh, but I don't know how well his game will translate to the NBA - he's untested as far as playing on a skilled team, but is able to defend, has better range than any of the other forwards, and is a good passer.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_15322214?source=rss

 

I'd take Greg Monroe who is a nice offensive player. His shot looks good, has passing ability and high b-ball IQ. It seems he's the BAP at #6. However, he's not really athletic and doesn't have great defensive post presence.

[video=youtube;xAz2zw_5tto]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAz2zw_5tto&feature=channel[/video]

 

Monroe looks OK, he just seems like another undersized guy we already have too many of. Granted, his jump shot looks better than most of our bigs and he can pass. He would probably be a positive for this team. But he's not a guy that's going to be moving any bodies around under the basket, which is what we really need. It doesn't seem likely he'd be an automatic replacement for Randolph, Wright, or Biedrins.

I'm not high on Aminu at all and I think Monroe is probably a better player, but the more I think about it, the more I think Aminu would be a better fit here, especially if Nelson is still here. I'd like him at the 3, where he'd be a nice counterpart to Maggette's more plodding, stuck to the floor game. Dude definitely has some hops.

It seems likely the Warriors will be stuck with a bunch of unexciting options no matter what, so unless they trade up for Turner or Cousins, it probably doesn't matter much. #6 in this draft is just a crap pick, there's no getting around it.

 

Monroe is DEFINITELY NOT like the other guys we have. What is UNIQUE about him is his PASSING ABILITY for a man who can play center. 3.8 asts/game. Center could be his optimal position says draftexpress. He's awesome and would be a great fit in an uptempo system. I predict he will definitely play center here. Monroe will free up AB, Turiaf or Tolliver in a trade. And the guy averaged 2.2 off and 7.5 def for 9.6 tot rpg and 1.5 bpg. A lot of Georgetown's plays ran through him. I WANT FREAKIN' MONROE!!!

At #6, I'd be happy with whoever drops to us in Cousins, Favors or Monroe. Likely Monroe. I'd be ecstatic about Monroe.

The question is will Nelson play another big man like Brandan Wright next to Monroe at C? Derrr. I doubt it. It will be Mags and Reggie or Buke.

 

I only meant alike in that he's undersized for his position, which pretty much describes everyone on the Warriors. He's not terribly undersized and is an upgrade for the Warriors, but there's so many 7'0+ Cs and PFs to deal with, we need some big bulk and height matters. And unlike Randolph, he's not athletic enough to make up for some of that size with hops. I won't be upset if we end up with Monroe, but I'm not going to exactly be celebrating either.

 

New rumor that Sixers will take Turner for Minnesota and trade for #4, 16 and 23. The T-Wolves want to pair Turner and Ricky Rubio in the backcourt in 2011. The Sixers will take Favors or Cousins at #4. That means good news for Alley Oop as Wesley Johnson would likely fall to the Warriors.

 

[video=youtube;4-NuWFBJIgk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-NuWFBJIgk[/video]

 

Yahoo analysts say that Greg Monroe is small and needs to get stronger. Monroe looked good in workouts and games, but does he have what it takes physically? In Riley and Nelson we trust.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/playe...e/20412421#nba/Y_Sports_NBA_Coverage/20412421

Paul George could be a young, healthy Tracy McGrady. Athleticism = bananas.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/playe...e/20412421#nba/Y_Sports_NBA_Coverage/20412443

Sheesh. Kings = one of the teams that can really help themselves, i.e. Petrie can pick the guy Warriors really want.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/playe...e/20412421#nba/Y_Sports_NBA_Coverage/20410737

 

I have stayed away from Aminu because of lack of size and offense and do we want to pair him with AB? He's a tweener and while he's more athletic and has a better motor than Monroe, he doesn't have the same basketball skills unless it's on the defensive end. For whatever reason, defensive players do not get the same run with Don Nelson. I agree that Aminu has more upside, but he's not a back to the basket player you criticized Monroe for. I'm not sure he's a face the basket type either. I rather trade down if we were going to pick Aminu as BAP. Cohan would probably agree for cash considerations.

Derrick Favors would have the same criticism as Aminu, but he's bigger and a guy we can build around with his upside, but he would be difficult to pair with AB. Favors is compared to DeMarcus Cousins and the argument is similar on a lesser scale between Aminu and Monroe. If we had the #3 pick, perhaps we'd have the same argument who to take between Favors and Cousins. UPDATE: DX is saying Nets are going with Wesley Johnson. LOL.

As to whether Monroe is a top 10 pick, I have to defer to Riley, Nelson and the experts. They must think he has enough athleticism and motor to be a top 10 pick if they like him at #6. What's harder to gauge is Monroe's upside. He needs more physicality. I think Monore's b-ball skills will get better and he has high b-ball IQ, so I like that. It's hard to gauge whether he'll be motivated enough to step it up a notch. I'm not as concerned about his lack of speed, but more his rebounding ability. With his size and agility, he should be able to get boards, but I'm not sure if he'll be willing to mix it up. Even though Monroe's got question marks, I find it hard to pass up the kind of b-ball and passing skills he has for a BIG MAN. That makes him my BAP at #6. It's something the Warriors need at the 5, so that's a plus. He'll make other players like AR and Brandan Wright better and free up AB in trade.

 

I think I figured out with all the BS who Sac will pick assuming it's Wall-Turner-Favors-Johnson. They'll take DeMarcus Cousins if he's there at #5. Why? He'll sell the most tickets. He's big. He'll sell the most tickets. He can play now and will provide offense at the 5 or 4 spot to complement Sammy 'D' in the pivot. He'll sell the most tickets. He wants to go to Sac. Did I tell you he'll sell the most tickets?

Warriors will get Favors, Johnson or Monroe. Likely Monroe. I'd be happy with that. If something goes wrong, then I'd trade down and take a chance with Paul George.

 

Watched some video of Favors. How does that guy become the next best thing? All you saw were dunks and step through dunks. Big deal. How about a hook shot? His hooks were prayers that were answered; off balance.

Monroe was okay. I'll compare him to Jeff Green because he's from Georgetown; same criticisms, lack of athleticism, bright, needs meat. Well he turned out pretty nicely.

Same criticisms of Curry last year, great passer, slight of build, not overly athletic. Curry was the #7 pick last year, this is one pick better.

I am very leery of Cousins, he's a great body and tries hard but seems immature. Very worrisome.

I want Monroe if I cannot get Wall or Turner or Cousins. NO Udoh (Baylor guy), watched him in NCAAs, too skinny, will not get a shot off in the NBA.

 

Yeah, I agree about Udoh, I don't see it with him at all, I'm really hoping Wesley Johnson falls to us, otherwise I'd go with Aminu or Monroe.

 

I say Monroe. Best pick available. He's big, coordinated, good hands, and he's got skills. He's an average athlete, but who cares if he's a center. If he makes others around him better, we need that type of player.