2015 NBA Draft Thread

Like Wiltjer, Kaminsky, Dekker, Grayson Allen, Connaughton, and Gasser!

 

A more balanced team might allow him to play the game as it was intended and lead to more consistent success.

 

I don't think his roster is poorly constructed. I just think he doesn't let anyone get into any kind of role or rhythm.

I don't think the answer is, "Recruit worse players."

You know, a year ago, he took an 8 seed to the title game. Two games before the Wisconsin loss, they beat a ranked opponent by 40 points.

Some of this is on Cal for his stupid rotation. Some of it attribute to, eh, kids.

 

I think you'd be hard pressed to prove that any college coach consistently helps develop his players into NBA talents, or in general, that spending more than a year at college is beneficial to players more than going to NBA training camps and developing in NBA practices. For some players, going from HS ---> NBA was clearly the right decision, while for others, it wasn't. For some players, staying in school clearly helped, while for others, it clearly hurt them. You don't know until the player has actually stayed or left, and the window for doing so is short, and the age of everyone involved here is 18 to 23, when there are dozens of other factors that will effect their development in play as well.

One thing that probably hurts Kentucky draft prospects more than others is that they are under a scouting microscope from the moment they start playing games. Meaning, the scouting file on a Kentucky freshman will probably get as full in one year as an equivalent sophomore at another program. However, I don't think this is unique to Kentucky; Wiggins games and his performance were both dissected thoroughly before the draft last year too. He's done OK so far.

 

Except that was not your typical "8 seed", instead it was a team that began the season as the No. 1 ranked team by everybody, featured what was being hyped as the greatest recruiting class in basketball history, and had UK fans dancing around in 40-0 tee shirts at the beginning of the season.

They then proceeded to play like dogs and greatly underachieve during the regular season--thus resulting in the 8 seed--until finally turning it on and playing up to their capabilities when the tourney began.

 

Start coaching them as if his only job is to blow any and all opponents off the court by as many points as possible, to win every game by so many points that no last-minute bizarro-world miracles or screwy ref calls can make any difference, and win the goddamn national championship. Anything less is a failure.

 

You must own a really big truck.

 

Might have wanted to play the role of "coach" and actually have his team watch some film of Wisconsin. Ya' think? Nah.

 

Why start that process on game 39?

 

I'll be curious how high Kaminsky goes. I've seen him projected in the 15-20 range, but that seems a little low for a 7-footer.

 

I always think it's funny when guys who spent their entire college careers being listed at 6-10 or 6-11 are measured at 6-7 at the draft camp.

 

Okafor or Towns?

I would take Okafor in a heartbeat. It seems Towns is widely rated as the No. 1 prospect.