nuposse87

Thats a legitimate critique of Zeller, I'm overly cautious regarding him but I just don't see the upside, especially in the top 5. In most decent drafts he looks like a borderline lottery pick to me. If you told me who'd be most impactful 3 years from now, hands down Noel. He has a skill he can come in and utilize from day one. He's a fairly competent rim protector and is getting pretty good on the boards. I see McLemore being a cross of Rip Hamilton and a poor man's Wade. That's a solid NBA SG, he has more potential the Beal, but I think Beal is more cerebral player and will put it altogether quicker in their respective career arcs. I've been trying to find the perfect Shabazz comparison and I've finally settled on a rich man's Caron Butler. Solid, to really good player, with "great" peak play. Prime Butler would start on many franchises and make a few all star appearances. It fills a glaring need for us, and gives us a capable scorer. I don't think we'll in a position to get either so it is sort of moot.

Zeller is not better then Lopez, not until you give me some reasoning other than you say he is. Regarding the Blake comparison, that is a terrible one. Blake's entire game is predicated on absurd levels of athleticism (which Zeller cannot even come close to touching). He makes up for t-rex arms by jumping over the standing reach of most big men. Zeller cannot do that. He is not as fast as Blake nor is he as big. And Blake's standing reach will become a big problem unless he gets some skill later in his career. I doubt Zeller will get the superstar calls that Blake gets as well, so while he does shoot well from the FT line, it will probably be moot. So the the t-rex arm thing is completely fair as Zeller's game is not above the rim, as much as you may think it is. He isn't exactly playing against legit NBA size in college. As I've pointed out, his game is tweenerish, but in todays NBA he might be able to get away with that. I'm going to assume until the combine he is vastly inferior standing reach for a Center and the lack of elite athleticism will not allow him to overcome that. He isn't quicker than 4s and I doubt he's stronger than some of the more stout 4s in todays NBA, Nene, Blake, LMA, Faried, etc... His only advantage may be a pick and pop game. That makes him NBA ready, he has the lowest ceiling of any player considered in the top 5. McLemore has more potential then Beal, and I love Beal. It is down right asinine to think Zeller as more potential then McLemore. Zeller needs to develop a very reliable back-to-the-basket game in order to survive in this league. That and add some more weight, which will more than likely cost him some of his average athleticism. ---------- Post added January-25th-2013 at 05:06 PM ---------- So you want a SF, who is horrendously overpaid, who makes the same bad decisions a veteran team...whose basically shown all the upside he has...right... Cousins is a headcase, but he is absolutely salvageable. I think his shooting around the rim is elite, need to find the stats, I could be wrong. Not to mention he's a solid post defender and an elite re bounder, something this team desperately needs. Not to mention his low post passing ability...If Gay was making 10 mil a year, I guess he'd be worth it...but he'll be making 19 mil...in 2 years if i'm not mistaken...that is just stupid money for his level of production.

You honestly think Zeller Has all-star potential? I mean I guess everyone has "all-star potential" but that is a bit of a reach considering his physical handicap. Zeller is almost inbetween positions as well. He has the same liabilities as Bennett. Zeller isn't strong or big enough to guard 5s and he isn't quick or explosive enough to dominate today's 4s. He's a poor mans LMA best case with T-rex arms, and LMA can't even catch break from the coaches. Brook Lopez's career arc will surpass Zeller's If I had to guess. Zeller is 6-11.5 in shoes, so probably really 6'10. With a 6-8 wingspan, and a rather prominent neck. I doubt his standing reach surpasses the average NBA 4 by THAT much. His best case scenario is being the first big off the bench on a contender. Also, consider this, while his numbers are nice, he's only averaging 0.8 points more and 1.6 more rebounds. That should be kind of a signal, if he really is as talented as some would think, he should have made some more strides (although to maintain .60+ FG% is commendable)

Well, I actually think that Shabazz, McLemore and Noel have all-star potential, after that it just seems like 4-14 is kind of a crapshoot. The players in that range could all be good starters but I think players back into the early 20 range have the same pedigree. Tony Mitchell is essentially the same player as Bennett (sans the 3pt %) and could be had 15 or later, wouldn't you say that is better value? I think are ways to make this draft work even if you aren't in the top 3, but a lot of it is predicated on luck. Personally I see us picking 7-8 by years end. Probably 6-7th record wise with some lucky ass team leapfrogging us in the lottery. Ideally I want us to get another late lottery pick and acquire: 1st lottery pick: Otto Porter Later lottery pick: Best developmental Center available (Maybe Gobert?) 2nd round: Kadji and Snaer. I think there are people that can contribute early and get minutes over our current players. Inflate their value and use them as trade chips for the '14 trade deadline.

I think his D is amendable, as long as his standing reach checks out I don't mind him at the 4. He definitely has the strength and explosiveness to be good at the position. I mean if Paul Milsap was able to turn him into an above average PF I don't think its out of the question, the upside is there. I just think picking him in the top 3 is wrong when you could probably trade down a few spots while getting him, and getting a couple more assets in the process.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Anthony-Bennett-5866/ 6-7 with shoes, tweener forward who has skill but has no real idea how to play D. Offense is needed on this team but we don't need a blackhole on offense nor a kid that doesn't know how to defend. I think he's an ok prospect, but more in the 5-10 range. Worse case scenario for him is probably Michael Beasley

You do know...Okafor is averaging better numbers per 36 then Pau...and with vastly better defensive effort...and he's cheaper...and he hasn't shown an acute decline...If Pau somehow could revert to Pau of 2-3 years ago, I'd be all over it, but you have to take into consideration its the wizards medical staff that'll be tending to him.

I didn't think we'd actually win going into the game...but to lose like that is unfortunate. Webster and Nene have been relatively reliable most of the year and just messed up a bit down the stretch. WALL NEEDS TO START. We're doing him a disservice by asking him to play with Crawford and Ariza so much. They aren't exactly the best floor spreaders. Not to mention Booker isn't completely in the flow yet (Although good rebounding, we've missed that). We drafted Beal to play WITH WALL. Randy needs to realize they mesh better. Crawford is better just ISOing himself then playing off Wall. 14-8 and only one turnover in 27 mins. Get with the program Randy.

While I'd usually draft for upside, we ought to look at a player that can make an Immediate impact as well. If I were ranking players and purely upside alone I'd go with: 1. Noel 2. Len 3. Shabazz 4. McLemore 5. Austin 6. Gobert 7. Poythress 8. Porter 9. Zeller 10. Cauley-Stein (If he chooses to come out) Guys who have upside but could actually useful from day one would go: 1. Shabazz 2. Noel 3. McLemore (although he's redundant on the roster..so we'd end up trading him) 4. Zeller 5. Len 6. Otto Porter I think we ought to draft being mindful how the league is changing. Wing play is very important and teams that have great defensive potential go far if you don't have the likes of LBJ or Durant. Noel would be ideal for that in case we do win the lottery. I think Len would be a bit of a project, but if we elect to keep Okafor for the first half of next season, I think it'd go pretty for his learning on how to at least impact that facet of the game. I want us to go after a SF, because I honestly give us a 25% chance at becoming an attractive enough market for Cousins to try to force his way this year, I wouldn't be opposed to taking a raw big as its a good move for the future but we need talent that is ready to make a run. There is still a lot of college ball left to be played though, and the combine measurements will go a long way changing my current outlook.

McLemore is viewed as the number 1 over all pick by many right now. He probably has higher upside on athleticism alone then Beal, but you could probably argue that of Terrance Ross as well. I think the top 3 right now is probably: Shabazz McLemore Noel order varies on team need. Those guys have all star potential, 4-10 are probably starter quality, after that its probably a crap shoot. Len definitely has the frame to be able to add more weight. Davis filled out quite a bit since his rookie campaign, I don't see why Len wouldn't be able to.

Lakers pick goes to the Suns if they're in the lottery this year. I don't think it has top 3 protection, so the suns do stand to profit off of the Laker's new found futility. I'm not sure if they own their '14 pick, and depending on personnel decisions, they could be lottery bound next year as well. Regarding BPA, I wouldn't mind drafting Ben Mclemore. He's...6-5ish I think, massively athletic, and can shoot. I'd look to trade him for a good package revolved around an established player with upside. Cousins, Batum, Leonard+SAS '14 pick, Parsons+HOU pick, hell even Harrison Barnes if interest forms between parties. I think our small ball line up would be absurdly good with Ben, but we'd get abused by teams like Miami, OKC, MEM, NYK, and IND, teams with great SFs. Speaking of IND, imagine Paul George on this roster...

I mean, it doesn't make any basketball sense, but it isn't like Wade is a spectacular shooter either. Wall would need to be willing to accept the qualifying offer in '14 for it to have a chance at happening. I still its only like a 0.0001% chance of happening, but I can't help but think that douche is recruiting. I was thinking more he'd leave in '14 and go somewhere. Ironically Irving would be a better fit next to him. If we extend Wall on a 5 year deal this off season, don't those usually have opt-out clauses? I think we'd have about a 4 year window if the FO really manages to **** up.

You either don't know how the NBA functions, or are in the know with Wall's close circle. All rookies sign their first max offers. With Wall's sporadic play his first two seasons and recent injury scare he'd be a fool to turn it down. Wall isn't a headcase like Cousins. The only reason any drama would be born from this is that the Wiz would be asinine to offer him significantly less then the Max. If he finishes this season strong (Like the team is .500+ with him back) then they have no reason not to offer him a contract. My only concern is that since Wall is such good friends with LBJ he's conspiring with him in '14 cause Wade is losing steam, they chat for a friggin long time after every game against each other.

The good thing about our resurgence is that it'll drive up the value of players, that while are helping, aren't going to put us over the top. Ideally, Ariza continues to knock down 3s and plays decent defense and we can send him away for an expiring, maybe a future 2nd as well. Ideally, with a decent SF in this upcoming draft, we should make a play for Cousins next year, assuming the kings/sonics continue to struggle. Okafor+'14 unprotected pick (I assume we'll be above .500 and a playoff caliber team when healthy)+some crap for cousins. I think the current team would be above .500 had Wall never had a setback. Barring some 15-0 run we go on we're not going to make the playoffs. The improved play is encouraging. Ted is gonna start raising ticket prices, lol.

Unless there is a games played this season they're factoring in, that's just asinine. On cousins game...He actually reminds me of Tim Duncan without a brain. He is brilliant from the low post and can make long 2 pters (although he takes way more than he ought to). If could could put Andre Miller's brain in Cousins, you'd have the most dominating bigman in the game, and I don't think Howard would be able to guard him if he had that level of competence.

We literally stole this win. Nene, Okafor, Webster came to play throughout the game, and Crawford picked the right time to go in "are yah ****ing kidding me" mode. What a shot. Hopefully better execution against Utah.

Yah i was just dreaming about landing Love. Honestly, if I were the new sonics FO, I'd retain Cousins until next years trade deadline, if they stink it up next year as well, they should trade away pieces in order to ensure a solid tank job for wiggins or parker. Cousins is most effective in the low post so, since nene can actually hit a mid range jumper I wouldn't mind that lineup change. And if we can't get love, I think something on the lines of trading for derrick williams. A potential FC of Cousins and Williams could be useful as well. Okafor+Seraphin+chris singleton+top 3 protected pick for Cousins+salmons then Booker+Ariza+JC+top 10 protected 14' pick for Williams+Roy(who is non guarenteed since he's missed a certain amount of games, so essentially an expiring) Wall/Price Beal/Tomas/FA Webster/Salmons/FA Williams/Jan/2nd round pick Cousins/Nene(I actually like Nene for 25-30 mins a game coming off the bench, lessen the load on him)

Love is the only bad defensive starter there. Cousins isn't a bad man defender, he lacks proper rotation but he's still a young big man, he can learn. Jan and Booker are pretty good Pick and Roll defenders and I'd save above average with their help defense. At the very least we'd be an above average rebounding team. How far the team would go past the 1st round would be on Wall and cousins chemistry.

My only issue is, that Nene would make an excellent mentor for him. Any potential trade will also have to ensure that the Sonics...err..Kings...or w/e will be able to tank next season to the point they are assured Wiggins or Parker. If they wanted Okafor..I'd offer him up, but I'm willing to wait until the trade deadline with him and seeing which "potential contender" has a moment of desperation. Dream scenario would be Okafor+'13 1st top 3 protected+Seraphin for Cousins+filler. Then follow up with Nene+Ariza+'14 top 3 protected 1st for Love+filler Wall/Price Beal/Someone competent/Tomas Webster/FA/2nd round pick Love/Booker Cousins/Jan/FA One can dream...

Seraphin+Booker+Ariza+top 3 protected 1st +2nd. Cousins+Salmons. We need to consolidate potential for talent.

Bosh would be a decent fit but he can also opt out. Its kind of amusing he's only three seasons removed from a 24-11 season. Miami would have to suffer a serious injury that would impeded championship hopes moving forward for them to consider that. I also think they would rather trade out of conference to a team like...Hou. They might offer something like Asik, Patterson+Protected pick.

In the end, we gave the game away with our astounding ineptitude on the boards. Randy needs to have everyone crash the boards before leaking out, like its hysterically bad at times. That being said, I hope Blake gets herpes from whichever ref he pleasured before the game, cause this guy stays flopping and nothing is done about it. Such a ****ty way to lose.

The only kids that stay for all 4 years are non-phenoms that need the time to become talents that can instantly add value to potential drafting teams. Noel's growth would be hampered by merely playing against collegiate talent for 4 years, I think he knows that, that and I highly doubt he'd turn down the chance to get paid. Oh and no way Zeller is a better prospect than Mclemore. exhibit A: Jeff Whitey in the background is pretty funny.

Oh and No way Noel stays another year, he's going number 2 at the minimum, he'd go like 5 next year, people know they'll be down 4 slots with next years class, at least.

We ought to just assume we're not getting a top 3 pick, especially if this winning nonsense continues, lol. A SF that can make 3s is our biggest need. Ariza was hot last night and was one of the reasons we won, we all know, he usually isn't that good from 3 pt land, as evident by his performance at the kings. The only PF that would make a difference for us would be Noel. Bennet's defense is apparently lacking, although his offense is steady. Assuming we pick 6-14 I'd prioritize players like so: 1. Poythress 2. Bennett 3. Porter 4. Gobert 5. T. Mitchell With Minny in shambles with injuries they might be willing to trade quality for quantity. I wouldn't include Seraphin in any such proposals if he continues to show he's worth a damn. Also, Nene isn't going to get any quicker, but he is big enough to play center, so if we do end up taking a SF in the draft we could have a potential small ball lineup of: Wall Beal Webster/Poythress(If he's ready) D. Williams Nene That would a very effective lineup in todays NBA climate. Lots of wingspan and speed (sans Nene).