Post by DERRENMATTS on May 27, 2006 18:06:41 GMT -5
Looking at the players who may fall to us with the 7th pick, I want to examine which guy could potentially move into our starting lineup in a few years.
LaMarcus Aldridge:
I'm not excited about this kid as many people are. I see him being a quality player in the NBA, but not better than Kendrick Perkins. Although Perkins has rebounding and defensive potential, I don't see him making an All-Star team (possibly All-Defensive 2nd or 3rd team though). So if Aldridge won't beat out Perkins, I don't see the benefit of using a high draft pick on him, unless he is the best player available.
Tyrus Thomas:
Well, he plays the same position as Big Al and I'm a big fan of Al, so I don't see Thomas being in the starting rotation. Now, if he was a few inches taller, that might be a different story because he could then play Center and have more of an impact than Perkins.
Adam Morrison:
This guy could possibly beat out Wally Szczerbiak one day. He's a better scorer off the dribble than Wally, though Wally has a better shooting stroke. His competitiveness screams out old school Celtics basketball. But if Pierce is still here a few years from now, he and Gerald Green will be our starting 2 and 3, so I don't know where Morrison will fit.
Andrea Bargnani:
This guy is very intriguing. How can anyone not get excited about seeing a 6'10" SF? And I'm not talking about a stiff 6'10". This kid can move pretty well, and is actually pretty quick. Maybe as athletic as AK-47 (what do you say BC?). He's got some handles and has an outside shot But again, like Morrison, if Pierce is still here, Barg won't be taking his place at SF.
Rudy Gay:
Probably the most versatile wing player in the lottery because of his all around ability as a scorer and defensive player. But see the comments on Barg and Morrison on why he won't be moving into the starting unit.
Brandon Roy:
See Morrison, Bargnani, and Gay.
Randy Foye:
This is where we may find ourselves looking at a new starting player. Delonte has been terrific for us. No doubt about his heart, his fire, his competiveness, his drive, etc. He's truly a gamer and a guy you'd love to have on your team. But as far as making an impact on offense and defense, Foye may turn out to be the more impactful player. Neither Delonte or Foye are prototypical PG's, so we won't be losing anything there. But from what I've read, Foye is a defensive presence and with his strength, I don't see many NBA PG's pushing him around. Plus with his quickness, he'll be able to stay with a lot of the quicker PG's in the league once he's comfortable with the speed of the NBA. And offensively, we could use his scoring punch from the PG spot. Delonte is a better shooter, but Foye is a better scorer. Because he can drive into the paint better than Delonte, it'll give us some diversity and will hopefully get us open shots from the outside and easy scores on the inside.
Marcus Williams:
He's got more PG skills than Delonte and a better feel for running a team, but Delonte is the better defensive player and he also has a lot more intangibles. We could certainly use a pass first PG, but all in all, I don't feel that Marcus Williams is the guy for us. But if Danny does daft him, its because he sees Williams' passing ability as a big time plus that will outweigh his defensive deficiencies and his slight character flaw.
Patrick O'Bryant:
Boy, if only we could be certain that this kid will be the toad who turns into a prince. A legit 7 footer with rebounding and shot blocking ability at the college level, who is said to have very good mobility and some offensive abilities as well. Scouts who have seen him play in high school marvel at the drastic improvements he's made in such a short time and we can only hope that he continues his upward climb. One scout claims he is the top big man prospect in the draft. Obviously, I'm in no position to make this claim because I missed out on seeing him play in college, but Ainge will get a close up look at this kid so I'm confident that if Ainge sees a diamond in the rough, this kid will be ours. Sounds like this kid could have a more all around game than Perkins, and if this is true, he could move passed Perk into the starting rotation.
Tiago Splitter:
I'm no expert on this guy because I've never seen him play before. But if what I've heard is true, he's a more mobile and slightly more offensive Kendrick Perkins. And if this is case, he could move past Perkins into the starting lineup, but I'm not so sure about that. I don't know if he's a better rebounder than Perk (who I think is the best positional rebounder on the team <though Gomes is right up there with him>), but Splitter has been said to be a very good defensive player.
Shelden Williams:
I've been watching him for 4 years now and really like this kid. Strong and mobile is a deadly combination. Though he's pretty muscular, he's fairly flexible and his muscles don't get in his way. He's a very effective shot blocker because he goes after the ball before it gets high in the air. He'll try to swat it before it leaves the player's hands. He's also a solid rebounder because he uses his body to seal off and box out his man, and because he uses his quickness and mobility to move around the paint. He's not much of an offensive player if you isolate him, but he can score the ball in the flow of the offense, as you will see by his impressive FG% over the course of his college career. But adding all this together, the biggest knock against Shelden is that he's only 6'9" (possibly 6'8"). This may hurt his chances. But if he was Perkins' height, I could see him beating out Perk because he's just as rugged as Perk and just as nasty defensively, plus he's more mobile and agile on his feet.
Laying the draftees out in front of us, from what I see, Randy Foye has probably got the best chance to make his way into the starting rotation. Patrick O'Bryant has an outside chance, if in fact, his scouting report is accurate and he still has room to improve his game.
LaMarcus Aldridge:
I'm not excited about this kid as many people are. I see him being a quality player in the NBA, but not better than Kendrick Perkins. Although Perkins has rebounding and defensive potential, I don't see him making an All-Star team (possibly All-Defensive 2nd or 3rd team though). So if Aldridge won't beat out Perkins, I don't see the benefit of using a high draft pick on him, unless he is the best player available.
Tyrus Thomas:
Well, he plays the same position as Big Al and I'm a big fan of Al, so I don't see Thomas being in the starting rotation. Now, if he was a few inches taller, that might be a different story because he could then play Center and have more of an impact than Perkins.
Adam Morrison:
This guy could possibly beat out Wally Szczerbiak one day. He's a better scorer off the dribble than Wally, though Wally has a better shooting stroke. His competitiveness screams out old school Celtics basketball. But if Pierce is still here a few years from now, he and Gerald Green will be our starting 2 and 3, so I don't know where Morrison will fit.
Andrea Bargnani:
This guy is very intriguing. How can anyone not get excited about seeing a 6'10" SF? And I'm not talking about a stiff 6'10". This kid can move pretty well, and is actually pretty quick. Maybe as athletic as AK-47 (what do you say BC?). He's got some handles and has an outside shot But again, like Morrison, if Pierce is still here, Barg won't be taking his place at SF.
Rudy Gay:
Probably the most versatile wing player in the lottery because of his all around ability as a scorer and defensive player. But see the comments on Barg and Morrison on why he won't be moving into the starting unit.
Brandon Roy:
See Morrison, Bargnani, and Gay.
Randy Foye:
This is where we may find ourselves looking at a new starting player. Delonte has been terrific for us. No doubt about his heart, his fire, his competiveness, his drive, etc. He's truly a gamer and a guy you'd love to have on your team. But as far as making an impact on offense and defense, Foye may turn out to be the more impactful player. Neither Delonte or Foye are prototypical PG's, so we won't be losing anything there. But from what I've read, Foye is a defensive presence and with his strength, I don't see many NBA PG's pushing him around. Plus with his quickness, he'll be able to stay with a lot of the quicker PG's in the league once he's comfortable with the speed of the NBA. And offensively, we could use his scoring punch from the PG spot. Delonte is a better shooter, but Foye is a better scorer. Because he can drive into the paint better than Delonte, it'll give us some diversity and will hopefully get us open shots from the outside and easy scores on the inside.
Marcus Williams:
He's got more PG skills than Delonte and a better feel for running a team, but Delonte is the better defensive player and he also has a lot more intangibles. We could certainly use a pass first PG, but all in all, I don't feel that Marcus Williams is the guy for us. But if Danny does daft him, its because he sees Williams' passing ability as a big time plus that will outweigh his defensive deficiencies and his slight character flaw.
Patrick O'Bryant:
Boy, if only we could be certain that this kid will be the toad who turns into a prince. A legit 7 footer with rebounding and shot blocking ability at the college level, who is said to have very good mobility and some offensive abilities as well. Scouts who have seen him play in high school marvel at the drastic improvements he's made in such a short time and we can only hope that he continues his upward climb. One scout claims he is the top big man prospect in the draft. Obviously, I'm in no position to make this claim because I missed out on seeing him play in college, but Ainge will get a close up look at this kid so I'm confident that if Ainge sees a diamond in the rough, this kid will be ours. Sounds like this kid could have a more all around game than Perkins, and if this is true, he could move passed Perk into the starting rotation.
Tiago Splitter:
I'm no expert on this guy because I've never seen him play before. But if what I've heard is true, he's a more mobile and slightly more offensive Kendrick Perkins. And if this is case, he could move past Perkins into the starting lineup, but I'm not so sure about that. I don't know if he's a better rebounder than Perk (who I think is the best positional rebounder on the team <though Gomes is right up there with him>), but Splitter has been said to be a very good defensive player.
Shelden Williams:
I've been watching him for 4 years now and really like this kid. Strong and mobile is a deadly combination. Though he's pretty muscular, he's fairly flexible and his muscles don't get in his way. He's a very effective shot blocker because he goes after the ball before it gets high in the air. He'll try to swat it before it leaves the player's hands. He's also a solid rebounder because he uses his body to seal off and box out his man, and because he uses his quickness and mobility to move around the paint. He's not much of an offensive player if you isolate him, but he can score the ball in the flow of the offense, as you will see by his impressive FG% over the course of his college career. But adding all this together, the biggest knock against Shelden is that he's only 6'9" (possibly 6'8"). This may hurt his chances. But if he was Perkins' height, I could see him beating out Perk because he's just as rugged as Perk and just as nasty defensively, plus he's more mobile and agile on his feet.
Laying the draftees out in front of us, from what I see, Randy Foye has probably got the best chance to make his way into the starting rotation. Patrick O'Bryant has an outside chance, if in fact, his scouting report is accurate and he still has room to improve his game.