2014 NBA Draft Thread

Originally posted by DontSitOnTheHood:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
Please. They were considered elite prospects and the top picks in the draft. Harden might not have been at the same level coming out but the others were all no brainers to be the top picks.

Embiid is very raw, Wiggins has a long way to go, Parker has defensive limitations, and Randle is a Zach Randolph clone. I think Parker will be very good in the NBA right away but I dont see it with the other guys. They will take time.

And.. who cares about what the media thinks anyway.

I'm not arguing who is actually better or how they will actually perform, just saying that those players weren't considered the PROSPECTS that these kids are.

Well.. I understand but I disagree. Everyone knew that John Wall was going to be the #1 pick before he ever stepped on to a college court. Anyway, its all good. I agree with the view that these guys are a bit overrated at this point.

as long as the Sixers end up with one of Embid,Parker,Wiggins or Randle i'll be happy

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
Well.. I understand but I disagree. Everyone knew that John Wall was going to be the #1 pick before he ever stepped on to a college court. Anyway, its all good. I agree with the view that these guys are a bit overrated at this point.

Exactly what those scouts/coaches were pointing out.

But...I get it the draft class is deep...which is making all these teams tank. I still feel it's a terrible msg to send to your players and coaches if your owner/GM wants you to lose games while players are good enough to make playoffs. It's even worse when you're selling talent for very little to make sure you lose enough games.

Originally posted by Knowledge:

as long as the Sixers end up with one of Embid,Parker,Wiggins or Randle i'll be happy

Amen to that

Originally posted by 4ML:
Exactly what those scouts/coaches were pointing out.

But...I get it the draft class is deep...which is making all these teams tank. I still feel it's a terrible msg to send to your players and coaches if your owner/GM wants you to lose games while players are good enough to make playoffs. It's even worse when you're selling talent for very little to make sure you lose enough games.

I agree as well. No professional organization should EVER tank. It breeds dissent all throughout the organization all the way down to the locker room and even to the fan base. We're Americans, we don't give up. I remember when we played the Texans in the '05-'06 season... they kept billing it as the "Bush Bowl", as the loser would likely have the first overall pick and select the Future Legend Reggie Bush. We ended up NOT tanking and Vernon Davis, one of the best weapons in the NFL and one of the greatest postseason players of our era, fell into our hands.

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
Well.. I understand but I disagree. Everyone knew that John Wall was going to be the #1 pick before he ever stepped on to a college court. Anyway, its all good. I agree with the view that these guys are a bit overrated at this point.

Exactly what those scouts/coaches were pointing out.

But...I get it the draft class is deep...which is making all these teams tank. I still feel it's a terrible msg to send to your players and coaches if your owner/GM wants you to lose games while players are good enough to make playoffs. It's even worse when you're selling talent for very little to make sure you lose enough games.

If Shaq, MJ, Kobe, or Lebron were in this draft I could see how a team would want to trade off players in order to put themselves in a better chance to get one of them. But there isnt anyone like that in this draft. Good.. hell yes. Superstar franchise makers.. I dont think so.

It is such a Catch 22 though. On the one hand I completely agree that a team should try to make the playoffs. However, the worst position a team can be in is to just be mediocre year after year and get eliminated in the first round. No chance to get a star, little chance to attract a top FA, and not much of a future. The only reason the Thunder are great is because they were so bad that they were able to get Durant and Westbrook.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
Well.. I understand but I disagree. Everyone knew that John Wall was going to be the #1 pick before he ever stepped on to a college court. Anyway, its all good. I agree with the view that these guys are a bit overrated at this point.

Exactly what those scouts/coaches were pointing out.

But...I get it the draft class is deep...which is making all these teams tank. I still feel it's a terrible msg to send to your players and coaches if your owner/GM wants you to lose games while players are good enough to make playoffs. It's even worse when you're selling talent for very little to make sure you lose enough games.

If Shaq, MJ, Kobe, or Lebron were in this draft I could see how a team would want to trade off players in order to put themselves in a better chance to get one of them. But there isnt anyone like that in this draft. Good.. hell yes. Superstar franchise makers.. I dont think so.

It is such a Catch 22 though. On the one hand I completely agree that a team should try to make the playoffs. However, the worst position a team can be in is to just be mediocre year after year and get eliminated in the first round. No chance to get a star, little chance to attract a top FA, and not much of a future. The only reason the Thunder are great is because they were so bad that they were able to get Durant and Westbrook.

True...it is a catch-22 and Thunder are a great example. Pacers are also a good example. They built that team without getting a very high pick (Paul George was 10th or 11th pick of the draft if I remember correctly). So I think there are different ways to skin a cat. Also...if you notice...same teams usually end near the top of lottery every year. I don't think it's a coincidence and shows that the route Pacers took can be just as effective.

If you have a good structure from top to bottom - your team will find a way to put a good team on the floor. If you have a poor structure...you're gonna be picking near the top pretty much every year...unless of course - you land a player that can change the course of your franchise...and you said - that kind of player may not be there in this draft.

I agree with 4ML in that the draft class has been overrated. And how could it not? So much hype. Especially with Wiggins and the LBJ comparisons. Give me a break. LBJ came into the NBA and "belonged" immediately. Wiggins can't even come close to dominating the college ranks. I think we could all imagine what LBJ would have done with one year in college, and too bad we missed out on that.

I'm a Kings fan so I can give some insight on a fan's perspective of a s**tty team. Tanking sounded nice early on and its a way to feel better about losing all the time. In reality, its impossible to cheer for your team to lose and get embarassed. At this point, I know the Kings don't have to "try" and lose because they aren't that good to begin with. I would prefer that they go out and try and win every night. Either way, we'll end up with a high pick

My boy Wiggins and Embiid balled out last night. Wiggins carried us in the first half and Embiid took over after halftime

Originally posted by valrod33:
My boy Wiggins and Embiid balled out last night. Wiggins carried us in the first half and Embiid took over after halftime

Embiid looked SICK in that second half. Wow. Dude might be the first pick in the draft if he plays like that. Wiggins had a s**t load of boards. I only watched the second half, but doesn't it seem as if Wiggins is disengaged at times? Maybe thats just his personality at a young age, but he seems so f**king chill lol. Definitely not a KG type or something like that. Seems really reserved on the court.

Originally posted by valrod33:
My boy Wiggins and Embiid balled out last night. Wiggins carried us in the first half and Embiid took over after halftime

this. good bounce back game for Embiid

Rasheed Sulaimon from Duke had his best game of the season. Just an outstanding all-around game from him, and a gamewinning shot. He's a guy a lot of people had in the Lottery until his benching.

Originally posted by sacniner:
I agree with 4ML in that the draft class has been overrated. And how could it not? So much hype. Especially with Wiggins and the LBJ comparisons. Give me a break. LBJ came into the NBA and "belonged" immediately. Wiggins can't even come close to dominating the college ranks. I think we could all imagine what LBJ would have done with one year in college, and too bad we missed out on that.

I'm a Kings fan so I can give some insight on a fan's perspective of a s**tty team. Tanking sounded nice early on and its a way to feel better about losing all the time. In reality, its impossible to cheer for your team to lose and get embarassed. At this point, I know the Kings don't have to "try" and lose because they aren't that good to begin with. I would prefer that they go out and try and win every night. Either way, we'll end up with a high pick

The new ownership will find a way to put a good product on the court regardless of where The Kings end up in the draft order. That ownership wants to win and have added quality ppl in management and coaching dept. That will translate to wins on the court.

Originally posted by sacniner:

Originally posted by valrod33:
My boy Wiggins and Embiid balled out last night. Wiggins carried us in the first half and Embiid took over after halftime

Embiid looked SICK in that second half. Wow. Dude might be the first pick in the draft if he plays like that. Wiggins had a s**t load of boards. I only watched the second half, but doesn't it seem as if Wiggins is disengaged at times? Maybe thats just his personality at a young age, but he seems so f**king chill lol. Definitely not a KG type or something like that. Seems really reserved on the court.

That seems to be the biggest criticism on him

My Top 15, Week 3

1. Joel Embiid (Even)
2. Andrew Wiggins (Even)
3. Jabari Parker (Even)
4. Julius Randle (+1)
5. Marcus Smart (+1)
6. Dante Exum (-2)
7. Aaron Gordon (+1)
8. Rodney Hood (+2)
9. Noah Vonleh (-2)
10. Willie Cauley-Stein (Even)
11. Jahii Carson (Even)
12. Dario Saric (+3)
13. Gary Harris (-1)
14. Jerami Grant (Unranked)
15. Montrezl Harrell (-2)