NBA Draft thread

It's definitely not a great draft, but I don't think too many teams would be disappointed to take McLemore or Porter or Oladipo.

 

Because when there's not a sure-fire No. 1 you draft based on need. So if you need someone with his skill set (definitely a solid defensive big whose offensive game might need a lot of work at the next level), you'll want to trade up for him.

 

I'd be quite happy if the Cavs could land Porter or Oladipo.

 

Right. I feel the same way about the Kings... I think there is a big drop after the top four (Noel, McLemore, Porter and Oladipo... Trey Burke maybe...

 

Geez, I think Noel is the sure-fire No. 1 in this draft, isn't he? It's a weak one because most college players with a pulse either tried to get into last year's, and there is a crop of talent that looks really good for the 2014 draft. But if you're at or near 7-feet with a defensive pedigree, you can play forever in the NBA, even with a spotty offensive game. (And even when it comes to that, at the NBA level you can get by with a big man that just sets picks, hits FTs okay enough to avoid being Hack A Shaq'ed, and makes his dunks / putbacks.) The league is always looking for athletic 7-footers, to the point where guys like Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace are still gainfully employed, while most of their guard and forward contemporaries are retired.

The only team that won't take him at 1 is maybe the Hornets / Pelicans, since they have Anthony Davis, and I imagine there would be interest if they wanted to move the No. 1 pick.

 

Maybe I should have said sure-fire franchise player instead of sure-fire No. 1. The point being, unlike some other drafts, teams will be more willing to listen to trades out of the No. 1 slot (and, again, not based on any inside knowledge, just recapping a column I read that I don't have time to find).

 

I'll e-bet a hundred bucks that the pick isn't traded.

People talk that way all the time, usually the people who hold the #1 pick and want to create a market for it.

 

Roy Hibbert is making Nerlens Noel a lot of money.

 

So who does everybody think will go No. 2?

 

the #1 pick this year, may not be as good as the 4 or 5 player next year. Trade down to get a possible lottery pick next year

 

Sounds great.

But nobody wants to trade up.

That's how guys like Alex Smith go #1.

 

Hahahaha I was just about to post this.