Anybody interested in discussing Steve Ballmer's possible deposition, or Judge Pechman ruling in the city's favor, or any other arena-related news?
No? Yeah, me neither.
So let's forget it for today and talk about the Sonics' second first-round pick, the one Steve Kerr bundled up and packaged so nicely for us last summer. Assuming the Sonics get the #2 overall (yes, I know what you get when you assume) and take Derrick Rose to solve their point guard problems, and assuming Kevin Durant makes the shift to small forward this season, it seems pretty likely to me that the Sonics will either go for a big man or a shooting guard with this pick.
Three names jump out immediately to me:
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Brandon Rush
Courtney Lee
All are taller 2 guards with above-average outside shooting skills, which makes them natural fits for the Sonics at this point in time. Being a former teammate of Rose, CDR would have an added benefit of comfortability with the point guard, but that's certainly not enough reason to give him the nod.
With four picks for the second round, the Sonics obviously are capable of making some moves to move up and select their guy if necessary. With that in mind, complete this sentence:
With the 24th (?) overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft, the Seattle Supersonics select ...
29 comments:
Put me down for Brandon Rush. Rush, Rose, Durant, & Green is a heck of a foundation. Then when you think about the possibilty of adding somebody like Thabeet from UConn in the draft next year - man, the possibilities are endless.
Once Hasheem Thabeet enters the NBA in either the 2009 or 2010 NBA Draft, he won't be as raw and unproven as Mouhamed Sene in 2006 -- or, for that matter, at any point during his worthless career -- however, my gut instinct is to avoid the monstrous Tanzanian at all costs. While Thabeet might be the second-coming of Dikemebe Mutombo, I'm not up for placing any bets there.
Any 7 foot stiffs available? Particularly on that the Utah Jazz say they're interested in?
The thing I don't like about Rush is that he's a little older than a lot of the kids entering the draft. At 23, you'd expect him to be ready to go, but I think he's going to be relatively raw. Not that it means anything, but his brother was a horrible pro.
Assuming we can get Rose at #2, I say we go SG, simply because there is a lot more to choose from at that position. My choice? Wayne Ellington. I like Duke's Demarcus Nelson and Kansas State's Bill Walker as sleepers at the SG position.
Bill Walker is strictly a small forward; he's a substandard long-range shooter, has horrible handles, and doesn't frequently distribute the basketball. Nonetheless, Walker is a muscular son of a bitch who can drive to the basket with explosive tenacity; plus, he does a solid job of defending opposing wings. All in all, Walker resembles a very, very raw version of Corey Maggette.
Wayne Ellington has the size of a traditional shooting guard and shoots mid-range jumpers as precisely as long-distance bombs from beyond the arc, but he's not very apt at his creating his own shot and doesn't exactly play adequate defense. All in all, Ellington is fairly similar to another North Carolina product in Rashad McCants.
DeMarcus Nelson is a scrappy, hard-working, and defensive-minded swingman; he proved that while starting at small forward with Duke the past two seasons alongside a pasty, undersized backcourt in Jon Scheyer and Greg Paulus. Yet, even though Nelson has a skill set that's provided a living for several NBA role players -- such as Adrian Griffin, Greg Buckner, Quinton Ross, and Trenton Hassell -- those type of guys shouldn't be selected with a first-round draft pick.
If we do end up with Derrick Rose, then i'd look to add another big with that Suns pick in either trading up(we've got 4 2nd rounders, the Spurs 1st next year and some nice contracts) or just selecting at #24. Guys on my list would be Jason Thompson(Rider), Robin Lopez(Stanford)or DeVon Hardin(California). Though, Hardin might be available with our 2nd round pick.
Rush, Lee and CDR might be nice, but i'm pretty sure that we could add a sg in the 2nd round or via free agency(someone like CJ Miles from the Jazz) as well.
I have had CDR wood since first seeing him play as a freshman. He is uber-talented and brings defense craftiness with his size. The sonics still desperately need another sick outside shooter, but I don't see anyone in the first round who fills that need so well.
Of course I managed to forget about Eric Gordon. I could see presti packaging some picks to move up for that.
its ok the sonics will be in OKC next year and ill tell you how my season tickets are. Durant and Beasley or Rose are gonna be Rockin The FORD CENTER in OKC
I was actually glad to be banned from SonicsCentral by Brian Robinson and his sycophantic minions for one reason, which was that I'd no longer have to deal with this foolishly asinine rivalry between Seattle and Oklahoma City.
The last couple of posters -- who I assume are from Oklahoma City and Seattle, respectively -- are obnoxious, petty losers in my book.
Shit, it always puzzled me whenever someone who disagreed with my points would label me a "troll" -- as I didn't technically fit that description -- yet, on the other hand, you two blowhards are the true definition of that term.
That lower 1st round pick will be an interesting Presti call. Lots of ways to go. Lots of ways to go wrong or at least less than best. I'm waiting to see measurements and combine results and to some extent hear the workout buzz.
The top 2nd round pick should definitely be kept (as it should have last time) and should yield someone worthwile.
I think we should trade up the 24th and get a big. Guards are deeper than big men in this draft. Plus, I think Sacramento at 12 or Phoenix at 15 are possible to trade up, but that is a stretch. I can see us trading up to the 17-21 range though.
With that in mind, there are a lot of big men that might potentially big men on the board at that point including: JaVale McGee, Robin Lopez, Jason Thompson, Kosta Koufos, Roy Hibbert, Nikoa Pekovic.
Out that group I would love McGee, but he isn't going to fall to us. I am not sold on Sideshow Robin Lopez or Kosta Koufos. Roy Hibbert isn't athletic enough for the NBA. I like Jason Thompson but he might not be there.
Nikola Pekovic is interesting. I saw him on Eruovision, if he played strictly as a center with his inside moves and athleticism, he would a be interesting pick.
Gun to my head, I like Jason Thompson. Good character, really led that Rider team, athletic with length, and pretty good all around game.
- Dan
JaVale McGee doesn't play a lick of defense, which puts him on pace to be the next Michael Olowokandi.
That's not a good thing.
The Seattle SuperSonics should avoid McGee. As it is, though, he'll probably be gone by the 24th pick.
I'd be interested in a big with lower 1st rounder if they find a guy they like for their style and a role.
Hendrix might not fit their overall style but might be a balancer off the bench for halfcourt game.
I think Pekovic is under contract for a few years and I get impression unlikely to get out of it. He is well-paid. But some team will take him for the mid-future possibility. When it a complicated question.
This site is news to me. www.thedraftreview.com
By a former main contributor at nbadraft.net.
draftreview still filling out.
I'd guess Ryan Anderson at 32 might "fit" with Presti's plan- whatever that really is. He'd probably help cover for the gaping need Presti created for 3 pt shooting. Assuming he can hit the NBA 3. A 4 with outside touch might fit with Green at SF swapping traditional position roles on offense.
As a prospect who's similar to players like Troy Murphy and Austin Croshere, Ryan Anderson could fit alongside Jeff Green at the backup forward spots. Admittedly, though, I'm not a huge fan of Anderson.
At any rate, however, everyone seems to fathom that Green is a starting caliber player -- which I think is delusional homerism -- thus, Sam Presti isn't likely to go in that direction.
I'll be interested to see if Presti selects a rugged, hard-nosed bruiser with on of the Seattle SuperSonics' second-round picks. D.J. White, J.J. Hickson, and Richard Hendrix all have that skill set.
Despite being undersized, I think Ty Lawson is someone the Sonics should strongly consider with either the 24th pick or if they think he'll still be there with 32 pick. Remember only a year ago had Lawson entered the draft that he would have been a top 15 pick. The reason he's slipped is that he just replicated his freshman season rather than improve on it (and he dropped from 83% FT to 68%... ouch). However, he's still incredibly quick and has knack for slicing up defensive either by taking all the way to the hole or dish to an open shooter.
Here is what draft express has to say about him as of Late Feb 08. "Comparing the prospect we saw last year and the one in front of us today, we clearly see some progress made between his freshman and sophomore years. Lawson is scoring at a much better rate, but is also doing so while being significantly more efficient. He’s getting to the free throw line better, and has improved his percentages from the stripe dramatically, nearly 14%. His 3-point percentages, assists and turnovers have stayed virtually the same, and he’s currently #2 in the country in Pure Point Rating.
With that said, Lawson’s strengths and weaknesses still look to be about the same. There still isn’t anyone that can stay in front of him in transition, and his ability to push the ball up the floor and slice his way through traffic remains unparalleled at the collegiate level. His body control, ball-handling skills, and incredible speed in the open floor are what make him the terrific prospect he is, and are the main reason why North Carolina is the second highest scoring team in the country.
43% of Lawson’s offense comes in transition, according to Synergy Sports Technology’s quantified player reports. That’s an incredibly high number—for comparison, Derrick Rose stands at 23.3%, DJ Augustin at 17.8%, Eric Gordon at 21.9%, O.J. Mayo at 18.3%, Jerryd Bayless at 16.8%, and Darren Collison is at 25.3%."
UNC was one of the best teams in the nation and Lawson was engine to the machine that was UNC last season. I think he'd be a great pick up with 24th pick.
Another thinking to look for is the Sonics to take a PF/C player at either 24th or 32nd pick, if for no other reason than to sure up their bench.
Guys that might still be around then:
R. Anderson - Cal
D. Hardin - Cal
R. Lopez - Stanford
D. White - Indiana
R. Hibbert - Georgetown
M. Speights - Florida
R. Hendriz - Alabama
I think both Hardin and Lopez will be solid role players in the NBA due to the energy they bring to the defensive side of the ball. Anderson, Speights and Hibbert should be gone by 24th, but if they're around they'd both be great gambles. Anderson is the most intriguing due to his outside game, but I just don't see the Warriors, 76ers, Suns or Cavs all passing on him.
If they don't get Rose and want to play fast and care more about offense than defense then going for Lawson (or Augustin) could fit Presti's design. The familiarity and friendship with Durant could be seen as an additional tie to try to bind Durant to the franchise.
I'm not aware of the plans for Jeff Greene....if Durant is to play small forward do you have to bring Greene off the bench?
That's the $1 million question, isn't it? It's possible Green could move to PF, but he would need to bulk up quite a bit to go up against people such as Boozer or Amare.
LOVE the idea of CDR. He's a poor man's Richard Hamilton IMO.
Hibbert was a lock for a lottery pick last year, and despite what the scouts say he hasn't gotten any worse. He handled Oden when they went head to head.
He also has great chemistry with Jeff Green (and supposedly Durant's been hanging around Georgetown these days). If he's still around at 24 he'd be a great second pick for the Sonics.
Hibbert makes me nervous - I get a very Clemon Johnson/Billy Paultz feeling from him. That said, he could make somebody look pretty damned smart towards the 2nd half of the first round. If you compare his skills as a 20-something pick to those of someone like Johan Petro, he's a great selection. I have a feeling that as a rookie, Hibbert will already be more advanced than JoPet, who is already been in the league for 3 years.
Apropos of contemporary players, Roy Hibbert is seemingly similar to Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier.
If Hibbert can play the role of tough interior defender to that level then at the salary of a low first rounder he'd be a good value.
I think it all comes down to his footwork (or lack thereof). Can he defend the pick and roll, or will he be continually burned when the Sonics play someone like the Jazz or Blazers?
Yeah you need a good enough mix of foot speed, smarts and length. Hibbert has the later 2 but his rating on the first is still a potential dealbreaker. Draft Combine tests of agility / quickness and workouts should help with the determination.
I'm not sure if trading up for a big from the 24 spot is a good idea, just to be honest with you. I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree. For every Dwight Howard, there are Araujos and Podkolzines. Obviously, the center market has grown more talented, but I say, the Sonics should try to draft the best player available, as trite as that sounds, and work around it.
If the Sonics draft Beasley, Lawson, Chalmers, Greene, Budinger, or CDR could still be available. If Rose, then maybe Claver, Casspi, Rush, or CDR. And for bigs, McGee could still be on the board, or someone like Hibbert, Hendrix, or Hickson. You could even find athletic late bloomers down the draft who will slip in players like Shawn James, Omer Asik, or someone off the scrap heap like how the Pistons found Traore and Eddy Fobbs.
Ideally, they should find someone to complement Durant or Green, and the Sonics people are probably much smarter than me. I'll admit, I haven't seen Victor Claver live, but he looks like a possible Kirilenko type, you should look him up on youtube. His clips are amazing. But most of all, hopefully they watch film, breakdown statistics, and hold intense workouts so that they oan make the best available pick. This really doesn't answer the question, but I think there will be good players at 24.
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