**Official 2009 NBA Draft Thread** (ON RIGHT NOW)

Jarvis Varnado is staying in school.

-Jarvis Varnado
-Patrick Patterson
-Al-Farouq Aminu
-Greg Monroe
-Ed Davis
-Cole Aldrich
-Evan Turner
-Willie Warren
-Donatas Motiejunas
-Craig Brackins

That makes 10 guys returning to school who would have been 1st rounders this year.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
crzy...who do you think the best sleepers in the draft are?

Sleeper List
1) Patty Mills
2) Eric Maynor
3) Dionte Christmas
4) Jarvis Varnado
5) Taj Gibson


My sleeper list starts with the small school point guards, Maynor and Mills.

I don't even think Eric Maynor even counts as a sleeper pick anymore, since he's in the lottery in some mock drafts. Maynor is such a crafty, intelligent player. If he had the physical tools of Flynn and Teague, he'd no doubt be a top pick. He needs to cut down his turnovers though.





Mills, though, is a true sleeper. He's the Tony Parker of this draft. A late first rounder who turns into a stud. He might have gone to St.Mary's, but he's already played on the biggest stage in the Olympics. One NBA scout said Mills was: “Quickest player we’ve seen since the young Allen Iverson.” That's high praise right there.

Quote:
He's a big-game monster. Mills was embarrassing Gonzaga until he broke his hand. He out-magicianed Stephen Curry. At the Olympics, Mills lit up a defense-crazed USA team for 20 points. Playing at warp speed against Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd, Mills had zero turnovers.

Mills, who with his Aussie accent, is more charming that the Geico lizard, tells of checking into that game. The USA players had been warned about Mills, and they hit him with some vicious trash talk.

LeBron James yelled to teammates, “I’ve got him, boys, don’t worry about it.”

Mills: “And I looked at him and just sort of saw him staring straight at me. I’ll never forget that look. I really didn’t know what to think. I definitely wasn’t thinking ‘Attack,’ but I wasn’t taking a backwards step.”

Two plays later Mills was pushing the ball on the break, James closed out on him hard at the three-point arc and plastered a hand in Mills’ face, blotting out the sun as Mills shot.

Swish.

I look at Dionte Christmas, and I see another small school guard who played for four years....Courtney Lee. Both are just terrific, versatile scorers. Both just floated under the radar---under-recruited going into college. Christmas is probably less athletic than Lee, but he can get to where he wants to on the floor and will hold his own on defense. Even though Temple lost to Arizona State in the tournament, Dionte Christmas (not James Harden) was clearly the best shooting guard on the floor in that game (video below). And damn, I love his last name.





Taj Gibson was USC's best player for most of their games last season. I'm usually allergic to undersized power forwards, but Gibson holds his own against bigger post players. He'll be a good role player, and a scrappy defender and rebounder.

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
crzy...who do you think the best sleepers in the draft are?

Sleeper List
1) Patty Mills
2) Eric Maynor
3) Dionte Christmas
4) Jarvis Varnado
5) Taj Gibson

I really hope Jarvis does well. He was so much fun to watch at MSU. That dude can block shots like no one I've ever seen. He had more blocked shots by himself than 325 teams.

Originally posted by YuNGaCE:
BRANDON JENNINGS !

I really wanna see a backcourt of Jennings and Ellis. I know it's me being greedy cus our defense would be taken advantage of (more so than usual), but they would be electrifying to watch.

Got my haircut today. Going in another direction. I got a Will Smith type flat top right now. It should look similiar to Brandon Jennings old haircut in 2 months hopefully.

Originally posted by angelv05:
Got my haircut today. Going in another direction. I got a Will Smith type flat top right now. It should look similiar to Brandon Jennings old haircut in 2 months hopefully.

Nice.

Quote:
John Wall is down to two schools, either Kentucky or Miami, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

“It’s down to the two of them, no question about it,” one source said. “It is Kentucky and Miami. The kid is leaning toward Kentucky. There is a little bit of a concern with the people closest to him that if he goes to Kentucky that they’re going to lose control.”

Said a second source at one of the schools: “That’s what we’re hearing.”

Some believe Duke is still also in the running for Wall.

Hurry up and decide.

Was listening to 1140 in SAC and Napier the host who does the Kings games said he's talked with NBA insiders who aren't all that impressed with Rubio and don't feel he's a lock to be the #2 pick behind Griffen who I guess at this point is regarded as the clear cut #1 pick.

Some don't feel Rubio is even a top half of the lottery pick.

Is Rubio a lock to be a top 2 or 3 pick?

Originally posted by ninerpride:
Was listening to 1140 in SAC and Napier the host who does the Kings games said he's talked with NBA insiders who aren't all that impressed with Rubio and don't feel he's a lock to be the #2 pick behind Griffen who I guess at this point is regarded as the clear cut #1 pick.

Some don't feel Rubio is even a top half of the lottery pick.

Is Rubio a lock to be a top 2 or 3 pick?

Even if scouts have questions about Ricky Rubio, I don't see him falling past the 2nd pick. In this weak draft, that would be a giant shock.

I mean, who else is worth the 2nd pick?

The only thing I'm concerned about with Ricky Rubio is his ability to finish in the paint, in traffic. Which I think is an important characteristic for point guards to have.

Well one argument he made was if OKC was at #2 after the lottery and they already have a young PG in Westbrook. Don't know who OKC would target than, maybe a Thabeet?

Would the same scenario take place if MEM gets into the 2 spot since they already have Conley who they spent a high pick on a few years ago in the draft.

Still I personally don't see Rubio falling past 3.

SAC, WAS, LAC, MIN, GS, MIL all who the top 10 in the lottery need a PG long term, the only team that doesn't is TOR with them already having Calderson.

I don't see any of those teams if they land #2 assuming Griffen goes #1 drafting the likes of a Thabeet, Hill, Harden, DeRozen over Rubio.

Originally posted by ninerpride:
Well one argument he made was if OKC was at #2 after the lottery and they already have a young PG in Westbrook. Don't know who OKC would target than, maybe a Thabeet?

Would the same scenario take place if MEM gets into the 2 spot since they already have Conley who they spent a high pick on a few years ago in the draft.

Still I personally don't see Rubio falling past 3.

SAC, WAS, LAC, MIN, GS, MIL all who the top 10 in the lottery need a PG long term, the only team that doesn't is TOR with them already having Calderson.

I don't see any of those teams if they land #2 assuming Griffen goes #1 drafting the likes of a Thabeet, Hill, Harden, DeRozen over Rubio.

really? What has he done since coming into the league?

In a real draft, Hasheem Thabeet wouldn't go in the top 5 and Jordan Hill would be a late lottery pick.

I really like this draft from pick 5 to pick 20.

However, there just isn't that much "top 5" elite talent in this draft.

Conley, he did very well the last three months of the season.

FEB-averaged 15 PPG, 5 RPG, 6 APG

March-averaged 14 PPG, 4 RPG, 5 APG

April-averaged 16 PPG, 4 RPG, 6 APG

Originally posted by ninerpride:
Conley, he did very well the last three months of the season.

FEB-averaged 15 PPG, 5 RPG, 6 APG

March-averaged 14 PPG, 4 RPG, 5 APG

April-averaged 16 PPG, 4 RPG, 6 APG

Conley won't stop them from drafting Rubio.

Charlotte had Raymond Felton entering last year's draft and still drafted DJ Augustin.

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by ninerpride:
Conley, he did very well the last three months of the season.

FEB-averaged 15 PPG, 5 RPG, 6 APG

March-averaged 14 PPG, 4 RPG, 5 APG

April-averaged 16 PPG, 4 RPG, 6 APG

Conley won't stop them from drafting Rubio.

Charlotte had Raymond Felton entering last year's draft and still drafted DJ Augustin.

My exact thoughts