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I think we should cap our Nikolas at 1. that's my strategy.
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yeah, he's been gaining more steam lately as the draft approaches. I think I've seen near 30 names as potential lottery picks though. it's going to be a crazy draft.
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I agree with Topdawg, I like Selby. I think he can have a Jason Terry type of career.
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very interesting... http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aq...ba_draft_062111now, I don't want the Cavs to trade either of their picks for Tony Parker. I'm thinking more long-term than that. But, I could see Utah flipping the #3 pick to SA for Parker. the only problem is that SA would have to sign off on taking back Devin Harris and Raja Bell (or a similar package). either way, that's bad news for us as they are likely targeting a big man (they have some good young guards).
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Who would San Antonio be wanting to come up to get?
I would think they would want to try to get to #2 for Derrick Williams.
That's the only thing I can think of. But, Minnesota won't want Paker.
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I don't see why Utah would want to do that either ... just like Minny taking on Gasol. Why would two rebuilding teams take on late-prime, high-contract guys that are only going to put them at around the 5-8 seed, and stiffle any chance of a full-rebuild? Are teams that desperate to play 5 more games a year?
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Quote:
I don't see why Utah would want to do that either ... just like Minny taking on Gasol or Parker. Why would two rebuilding teams take on late-prime, high-contract guys that are only going to put them at around the 5-8 seed, and stiffle any chance of a full-rebuild? Are teams that desperate to play 5 more games a year?
A lot of these teams have guys in the front office fighting for jobs, so yes, they are that desperate to play 5 more games a year.
If they can say "Look, I got us from a lottery pick to the playoffs in one year!", it increases their chances to keep their job.
Even if it's a short term answer, it buys them time.
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Utah has no reason to do it because their GM Kevin O'Connor is entrenched in his job. David Kahn would do it because he needs to win games to save his job. Winning 40-46 games is usually good for the 8th spot in the West and if they made the playoffs that would probably save his job. Would it help the long term future of the team? No. But when has that mattered to NBA GM's before?
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Buys them time for what? To make a mid to late round pick the next year and continue to go nowhere with a passing his prime high contract guy? I don't think the fan base would be too pleased with it either. I'd be ticked if our gm whizzed away future potential for meaningless short term gains.
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I think the Spurs want Valanciunas or Vesely. How about Tony Parker to the Sacramento Kings?
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Quote:
Buys them time for what? To make a mid to late round pick the next year and continue to go nowhere with a passing his prime high contract guy? I don't think the fan base would be too pleased with it either. I'd be ticked if our gm whizzed away future potential for meaningless short term gains.
Who cares? He gets to keep his job another year.
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Quote:
I don't think the fan base would be too pleased with it either.
Fan bases, in general, don't think like that.
They see "WOW! We're getting better, fast!"
They don't see "Parker is going to be old and useless in 4 years, so we're never going to build off that"
This message board has spoiled a lot of peoples opinions on fan bases.
Basically everyone here is realistic and level-headed (as with most message boards, because the people who get on message boards to talk sports, generally know more than your common fan).
Your common fan isn't as logical as most people you talk to on here 
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Quote:
I think the Spurs want Valanciunas or Vesely. How about Tony Parker to the Sacramento Kings?
No idea if this works financially or whatever, but what if the Spurs want Williams?
Spurs get #2
Minnesota gets #3 and #29 f
Utah gets Parker and #12
Spurs take Williams
Minnesota takes Kanter at 3.
Utah has their replacement (short term) for Deron Williams
Seems to make sense to me?
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I agree.
When I talk about how I want my team to improve. It's to win a championship. Bottom line. I factor in what that move would do, how it would change our team, where it would put us in the landscape of things. Especially when you are considering an older player.
I like Tony Parker, but I'm not huge on him. I don't wanna say he's a result of the system, but he's a result of the system. The guy can play but I don't think he's anywhere near the class of the top tier point guards.
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The guy can play but I don't think he's anywhere near the class of the top tier point guards.
That's partly because we've never seen this many good point guards before. Rose, Rondo, Williams, Westbrook, Paul, and Nash are all All-Star Worthy. That's a helluva top tier. I don't think Kyrie Irving's ceiling would put him up there with any of those guys.
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Quote:
I think the Spurs want Valanciunas or Vesely. How about Tony Parker to the Sacramento Kings?
i don't think Vesely would work for them. they require their wings to be able to knock down 3s in their system. jonas-v very well could be a target as well as enes kanter. if they get later in the lottery, then i wouldn't be surprised to see them go after Bismack (a defensive presense to ease up the load on Duncan on that end of the floor).
but, if they insist on Parker+Jefferson, then I just don't see a deal getting done. here's one example of a deal with Utah
Parker+Jefferson
for
AK47+Devin Harris+Raja Bell+#3 pick
Utah would have to be willing to take on Jefferson's contract for the next 3 seasons when they are finally getting out from under AK47s contract. Yes, Parker likely makes them a playoff team, but they'll be handcuffed on getting any better.
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I don't think it matters what Kahn does anymore. He should do it as a final screw you to Minnesota. Trade Rubio, Love and the #2 for Parker. 
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He should trade those assets (including the #2) to the Cavaliers for the #4 overall instead.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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He should trade those assets (including the #2) to the Cavaliers for the #4 overall instead.
He should trade all those assets to the Cavs for Ramon Sessions.
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Sooooooooooooooooooo glad I don't have a game tomorrow. I can't wait.
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Should be the most interesting and unpredictable draft since the Celtics went nuts in 2007.
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Lot's of crazy rumors out there floating around. Here are some of the best... About the availability of Celtic players: Quote:
“I think he’s talking about moving everybody. I really do,” Mannix said of Ainge. “I’ve had conversations with different people around the league; I would throw Rajon Rondo on that list as well. … He has explored dealing Rajon Rondo in the past. He has talked to other GMs about him in the past. I’m not saying he’s been willing to pull the trigger in the past, but Rajon Rondo has been on the table in the past year or so.
“This is just something that Danny does. He’s not afraid to make the blockbuster deal if he thinks it helps him in the long term. So, I think Danny is absolutely working the phones right now. I think every one of those guys is on the table for a potential deal that he’s sure is going to help him.”
WEEI.com
Josh Smith is being shopped:
Quote:
A source also said discussions between Atlanta and Orlando with Josh Smith going to the Magic are “totally legit.” Executives say the Hawks have expressed an eagerness to move Smith and would like to shed salary in the process.
Mike Brown wants Anderson Varejao:
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Brown coached Varejao during all five of Brown’s seasons in Cleveland, and not surprisingly, grew to love Varejao’s defense, energy and attitude. Now that Brown has been hired as Phil Jackson’s replacement with the Lakers, sources say he is trying to convince the Lakers front office to see what it would take to bring Varejao to L.A.
I don't think the Lakers have what the Cavs want, which is young players. The Lakers have four second round picks, but that won't get anything done.
The Suns offered Steve Nash for the #2 pick. The Suns want Derrick Williams.
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Hey Mike, Andy for Kobe, straight up.
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the only trade with the Lakers (w/o a 3rd team) would be something like:
Matt Barnes+Shannon Brown + 1st round pick
for
AV
I think we get short-changed on it though and the Lakers would have to go and make a couple of their 2nd rounders into a late 1st round pick first. no thanks
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I'd rather just have andy if that were the case.
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Yeah ... what do the Lakers really have that we would want to trade for?
Barnes? Brown? Not really worthy giving up Andy for ... they would have to toss in Steve Blake just to make contracts match too. Seems like we'd just be taking on scraps to get rid of a stater/key 6th man.
Bynum? We'd have to add something into the mix to get the salaries to work, but as mentioned before, I don't see the Lakers FO giving up Bynum, unless it was for Dwight Howard.
Draft picks? At the back end of the first round? Why bother?
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Actually, we could easily take on Bynum's salary with our salary exemption. I can't see the Lakers trading the 2 straight up though.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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j/c
I've been on the Irving bandwagon since the Cavs got the first pick. But now I am starting to favor Derrick Williams for a couple of reasons. One, I think he can play the 3, and I think the worries of him not being able to defend are overstated. I've always been of the opinion that you can't teach scoring and shooting, but you can become a very good defender over time as long as the player is athletic enough. If he is willing to work hard to become a good defender, he has the tools to have an extremely high ceiling. With players like Marion, Stoudemire, LeBron, etc., the scoring was almost innate (which I think Williams has), but all took several years to learn to defend.
Second, I think it is sort of a myth that the league is point guard driven. Look at the teams that made the conference finals this year. Only the Bulls were driven by a PG. The Heat and Thunder are driven by swingmen, and the Mavs by Dirk, who is kind of a combo forward even though he is 7 foot. The Lakers of recent years are driven by Kobe. The Celtics are driven by the big 3.
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Second, I think it is sort of a myth that the league is point guard driven.
If not that the league is point guard driven, its at least a myth that a point guard needs to be the centerpiece. The last great team with a PG as the centerpiece was probably the Bad Boy Pistons (I don't really consider Derrick Rose to be a true PG in the sense of facilitating before scoring). The league has been largely dominated by the pairing of a great 2 and a great 4/5. Kobe and Shaq. Kobe and Gasol. Allen and Pierce/Garnett. Wade and Shaq. Jordan and just about anybody. An exception could be Tony Parker, but without Tim Duncan (and David Robinson early on) those Spurs teams don't do jack. Parker certainly was not the centerpiece.
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Quote:
Quote:
The guy can play but I don't think he's anywhere near the class of the top tier point guards.
That's partly because we've never seen this many good point guards before. Rose, Rondo, Williams, Westbrook, Paul, and Nash are all All-Star Worthy. That's a helluva top tier. I don't think Kyrie Irving's ceiling would put him up there with any of those guys.
I agree except about Westbrook. After watching this years playoffs I think he's the only person on earth who doesn't know he's not better than Kevin Durant. He reminds me of the Vince Carter of point guards. He'll have good stats, but he's not good for the team. I like OKC so I kinda hope the rumor about Orlando thinking he's a piece they can build around is true. Maybe Dwight to OKC? I could live with that 
"All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine." - Charles Barkley
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Found an interesting article about Kemba Walker that's given me reason to look into him a little more than I did, and perhaps change my mind about him. Quote:
RHQ: Kemba Walker versus Brandon Knight. Neither of them are your prototypical “pass-first” NBA point guard, but from a “fit” perspective, which one do you think is the better fit for Toronto, all things being equal if both were available at five.
JG: See I don't really know where this Kemba Walker is a combo guard thing started. I was looking at the analysis Dean Oliver did on ESPN a couple days ago where he was comparing Kemba and Brandon Knight.
Dean Oliver is the godfather of course of NBA Advanced Statistics, he could have a job right now with any team in the NBA. So when he writes something like this, more-so than any other analyst in this NBA draft, that's the guy I'm going to pay attention to, and when he said that the average PPR (pure point rating) of a starting point guard in the NBA is 1.2 in college and Kemba Walker's PPR is 1.5, that stands out. And his assist to turnover ratio is 2.0.
At the beginning of this year people were looking at UCONN saying “Jim Calhoun did a terrible job because they don't have any talent, they're not going to make the NCAA tournament, this guy is over the hill, time for him to retire” stuff like that. And what do they do? Not only do they get to the tournament, but they win the whole thing.
And the only reason they were able to do that, without a shred of a doubt, was because of Kemba Walker on their team. I know, he was a scorer this year but he needed to be a scorer. He did put up big scoring numbers, not always in the most efficient way, but that was because of the team that he had. He had a bunch of freshmen beside him and from seeing him when they were out in Maui at the start of the year, he had to do everything.
This is a guy in high school who couldn't shoot, who couldn't score, he was just a passer. He was a back-up on his own high school team, he wasn't a highly regarded prospect by any means. And by his sheer work ethic, he improved his shooting and his scoring ability to the point now that people think he's too much of a scorer!
I mean I would much rather have that guy on my team then a guy who has never been a point guard in his life, and just wants to score. Kemba can play either one of those two roles, and I think once you put him in the NBA with better players alongside him, I don't see any reason why he's not going to be a pass-first player. I think that he's got very good court vision, he's a very good ball-handler, he knows how to run a team, he can control the offence…I've said this a million times but it's amazing to me how the guy who was seen more than anybody, can be “scouted” most poorly, by the general consensus.
I guess when it's all said and done though we'll all see what kind of player he turns out to be.
"All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine." - Charles Barkley
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Even with Westbrook's playoff meltdown they still were only two games away from the finals. He's easily one of the top five point guards in the league.
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Always great when you fire your coach a day before the draft.
David Kahn is one of a kind.
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Randy Moss when he was younger was the best receiver in the league, but that doesn't mean I'd want him on the team. I think OKC's front office is starting to feel the same way toward him.
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I gotta say I'm pretty intrigued by this draft. I'm pretty much convinced we take Irving with #1, but with #4 it could be anyone. I think we take Williams if he's there, and I think he won't be, but after that I have no idea. Kanter and Big V, are the 2 that most are talking about, but what if we go with Tristan Thompson? I kind of like him and could see it happening.
I'm not even sure if Dan Gilbert knows who we're taking, Chris Grant has played the media masterfully leading up to the draft and seems to be a really tricky dude.
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i've been forcefed alot of Tristan and Hamilton here in Austin. while I want no part of Hamilton (he'll be able to score, but he's way too apathetic on defense and he has Josh Smith disease when it comes to shot-selection), I do like Tristan.
However, the #4 pick in the draft for Tristan? I haven't seen anything that makes me think he'll be worth that selection. Even in this weak draft.
Here's more detail into what I have seen/heard here with Tristan:
He's apparently an incredibly hard worker. And if you saw him his first year to today the best way to demonstrate that is how he went from looking like a Glen Davis clone to being the sculpted beast he is now. Also, on the court, he's always hustling and moving and barking out commands to teammates. Not in the over-the-top Garnett fashion but you can tell he was the leader for the Longhorns this past year. His newfound strength allowed him to overpower guys for position in the post. I am not sure if he'll be able to do this as easily in the NBA because he won't have that advantage (he struggled against the Morris twins for instance). Also, he's a lefty, which teams either didn't always properly scout/prepare because there were times it took awhile for teams to adjust to it (Perry Jones, I see you). He can also run the fastbreak really well for a big man and also was good at getting the outlet pass off a rebound to the proper guys.
The issues with him are one that while he's strong, he's also going to be undersized at PF. the undersized PFs in the NBA generally are not "power" guys, but that is Tristan's game (extremely poor man's Charles Barkely). And, it's not like that is going to change anytime soon because his outside/midrange shot is so ugly that he could go to Shawn Marion for pointers. And that extends to his FTs too.
all that said, I do like him and he would be a fine selection. if we were drafting in the later part of the top10. at #4, we have to get someone with a higher ceiling (IMO).
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Quote:
Randy Moss when he was younger was the best receiver in the league, but that doesn't mean I'd want him on the team. I think OKC's front office is starting to feel the same way toward him.
Kevin Durant struggling against Marion is why they lost.
Westbrook is as talented as D-Rose.
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