Official 2007 NBA Draft Thread

[TomCat]

Might as well start this up. It is only a few days until the lottery, and I have been waiting for this for ages!

Hope we can get some discussion about which teams they would like to get the top picks and who teams should draft .etc

I am going to create a List of teams that should get the top picks (Must be realistic)

Pick (Projected pick)
1. Atlanta (4)
2. Bucks (3)
3. Blazers (6)
4. Grizzlies (1)
5. Celtics (2)

This year will be a great draft class!

[3PK]

Well this is how the order will go and who they will draft and why

1) Memphis Greg Oden :arrow: Because they need a good big man and simply he is the best College player at the moment now only the best tall. Antoher aspect is could make a moster impact early in his carrer on both ends of the court with his wide range of skill. Greg is also a great fit into Memphis because he will cause a shot blocking presence which will keep people out of the lane [with greg Oden and Pau Gasol combining]

2) Boston Kevin Durant :arrow: Because this kid is a superstar possibly the next Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady. Paul pierce is also aging and he will definately be a solid replacement. Boston will also take Kevin Durant because he has one of the best Jump Shots and has probably the most potential something in which they need. Although if Greg Oden Slips they will take him because they are desperate for a great big man defender. They also won't take one of the other big men because unless someone other then Kevin and greg go first (which is very unlikely) and Greg goes first as planned they won't let the potential of Kevin Durnat Slip.

3) Phoenix Joakim Noah/Brandon Wright :arrow: Because as all would probably know the Suns need some Presence inside [on defence] and out of the possible big men [Yi Jianlian, Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah, Brandon Wright and Al Horford] these two are the best defenders and both great players whom are ready for the NBA. With either of these two and a year of experiance under the bealt the Suns will definately be ready to threaten a title also.

4) Milwaukee Corey Brewer Because he is a great player in the top 10 if not the top 5 best players in the draft. Brewer will also fit in well because they need a solid SF and he has a great mix of Superior Athletisicm, defnence and a good Baksteball brain to go along with a Jumpshot which could turn great.

5) Seattle Ji Yianlian Because the Sonics still have spent 4 years looking for a decent big man and have failed everytime. This time they will make the right choice and take Yi Jianlian a player which i have seen many good things from like he's great inside game which has a broad move set. The sonics may also look at Drafting Al Horford for the same reasons but i think it's time they made the right draft choice after several years of drafting ridiciously

What do you think about that
Also sorry if it doesn't make sense

[nets4life]

if phoenix move up to third in the lottery the pick goes to atlanta

[3PK]

yeh i knew that just forgot whilst doing this,so i will change it. This means atlanta have 2 lottery pics probably both top 10

[TomCat]

if phoenix move up to third in the lottery the pick goes to atlanta

No it is Phoenix's pick. They got it when they traded Joe Johnson.

Phoenix receives Atlanta's 2007 first round pick (Joe Johnson trade 081905) Protected through 3 in 2007 and no protection in 2008.

Anyway 3PK, nice thorough prediction of the draft, although i will tell you this now....MEMPHIS WILL NOT GET NUMBER 1 PICK

[3PK]

so who gets the pic Phoenix right?

[TomCat]

Phoenix gets it...........how the hell could they get the number 3 pick without trading for it??? As it said earlier, it was given to them because of the joe johnson trade

[Dean]

If Atlanta's pick goes top 3 meaning they keep it, it doesnt mean they will have 2.. The 2nd pick they have is Top 10 protected.. So they only get it if it goes 11 or lower i believe?

[3PK]

K i asumed he was right becuase Joe Johnson didn't just go for Diaw anyway i think we should get back to the actual topic

EDIT: i got the official trade news as to speak

The Phoenix Suns today completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Atlanta Hawks that will send restricted free-agent guard Joe Johnson to Atlanta in exchange for guard/forward Boris Diaw (pronounced DEE-ow) and two future first-round draft picks. This trade also leaves Phoenix with a $6 million trade exception for their use in future dealings.The Suns will receive Atlanta's own first round pick no later than the 2008 NBA Draft. That pick which is "lottery" protected (1-14) in 2006, has protection through No. 3 in 2007 and has no protection in 2008. In addition the Suns will also receive a conditional first round pick via either the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics from an earlier trade between Boston and Atlanta. The Laker pick which is subject to protection through No. 10 in 2006, protection through No. 5 in draft years 2007-2010 and unconditional in 2011, is owed to Boston from yet another previous trade. In the year that the Laker pick is conveyed to Boston, Phoenix will receive the least favorable of Boston's own pick or the Laker pick.

This is all from NBA.Com which i'm pretty sure is reliable

[TomCat]

K i asumed he was right becuase Joe Johnson didn't just go for Diaw anyway i think we should get back to the actual topic

Well it is regarding the actual topic 3PK. It is discussing the lottery and who is getting the picks, so it is welcome posting in my oppinion

[3PK]

Yeh Fair enough scoop but i just don't understand why we're debating about something in which we want to know who we think out of the possible teams that could get the top 5 picks will and who they will draft i think we could all advantage and get a better insight if we talked about we're we think abouts they will go and who they will take although i was probably wrong and will admit that i was this is still on topic

Regardless this has sure sparked some early scandal and was a good idea

[maes]

Pick (Projected pick)
1. Phoenix (4)
2. Bucks (3)
3. Blazers (6)
4. Sonics (5)
5. Celtics (2)

Memphis has to be in there...remember the order of most draft picks are not lottery, only the order of the first 3 picks is lottery. 4th+ picks all strictly follow regular season record w/ tiebreakers.

1. Atlanta lottery wins the 1st pick, they would keep it (as mentioned).
2. Bucks lottery win 2nd pick
3. Blazer lottery win 3rd pick
4. Memphis is assigned the 4th pick (worst record)
5. Boston is assigned the 5th pick (2nd worst)
etc..

[Sauru]

well, i dont see how you can really talk about it, or what there is to talk about, so i will just say what i would like to see, and keep it realistic.

1. celtics - obvious reasons here
2. memphis - not that i like them, i think they will end here
3. milwaukee - same as above
4. phoenix - part of me wants this to go top 3 so i can see the hawks get a good pick(moved to atlanta so i could go watch the games or see the player on tv) but i rather see the suns get another key player to help them make another run at the title. i think they will get the lakers pick too which could help
5. seattle - just cause why not

[Anthony15]

I think its going to be:

1. Boston
2. Memphis
3. Atlanta
4. Milwaukee
5. Portland

[Axel]

God I hope the Hawks don't get the pick. They'll just draft another bust with no talent. At least the Suns could make decent use of the pick.

Suns need to draft a SG. A defensive presence in the middle won't be found after Oden.. and besides, I don't see D'Antoni sitting Amare in place of a rookie.

[Dro]

God I hope the Hawks don't get the pick. They'll just draft another bust with no talent. At least the Suns could make decent use of the pick.

Suns need to draft a SG. A defensive presence in the middle won't be found after Oden.. and besides, I don't see D'Antoni sitting Amare in place of a rookie.

Yup. I want Corey Brewer, badly! That fills a need for a shooting guard who can play perimeter defense, shoot the 3, and can create for himself.

That would leave us with Marion and Diaw to package for a big

Oh, the ridiculously sweet trade possibilities I have been conjuring up in my head, all of which will never happen. The happiest one involves a Mr. Ray Allen and Chris Wilcox. Still trying to find a way to involve Luke Ridnour in this fantasy...

[Its_asdf]

God I hope the Hawks don't get the pick. They'll just draft another bust with no talent.

No, the Hawks draft talented people, it's just that they logjam the position entirely with their draftees or draft someone who has a skillset that is completely opposite of what they need.

[nets4life]

they draft good guys but they pass on better ones. Like 2005 when they got Marvin Williams, over Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Raymond Felton. they still to this day dont have a good starting pg

[TSquared]

i agree with nets4life.. those point guards would've become all stars by now if they were in atlanta..

[grusom]

God I hope the Hawks don't get the pick. They'll just draft another bust with no talent. At least the Suns could make decent use of the pick.

Suns need to draft a SG. A defensive presence in the middle won't be found after Oden.. and besides, I don't see D'Antoni sitting Amare in place of a rookie.

I could see Joakim Noah fit in nicely with the suns. He is a pretty good shot blocker, he can run the curt and he competes every night. They could use him at either the C or the PF spot, with Amare playing the other one, and Marion sliding to SF.

[[Q]]

outside of the top 3, don't they order it by record?

and I hope Minnesota slips out of the top 10 (if it's possible) because those fuckers tanked it so they can keep their pick from the Jaric/Cassell trade. Speaking of which, looks like the Clips robbed the Wolves in that one, but karma came around this season and took it all back.

[---]

Talent-wise, I think the Hawks have been very good with drafting players. The problem is they almost always draft players at positions they don't need.

2003: Pick 21, Boris Diaw - Good pick, just didn't get a chance in Atlanta. At 21, was a great steal. Incredibly versatile player and can help in many ways, Atlanta gave up on him too quick. 2006 Most Improved Player.

2004: Pick 6, Josh Childress - Fantastic all round player, one of the top 2 or 3 6th men in the league. Averaged 13 and 7 off the bench this season, to go along with 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks. Rarely turns the ball over.

Pick 17, Josh Smith - One of the most athletic players in the league. Averages almost 3 blocks per at just 21 years old. On his way to become quite a star, in just his 3rd season is dropping 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists to go along with his monster defensive numbers (2.9 blocks, 1.4 steals).

2005: Pick 2, Marvin Williams - A player just waiting to break out. Has all the talent in the world, just hasn't yet really put it together. Still quite raw but posting an impressive 13/5/2 stat line in his 2nd season out of North Carolina. If the Hawks draft someone other than a SF, look out next season.

Pick 31, Salim Stoudemire - A good player off the bench, one of the best 3 point shooters in the league. The undersized 2 guard is still putting up great numbers for a second round pick, averaging around 8 points off the bench. Isn't much more than a shooter, but I doubt the Hawks were expecting more.

2006: Pick 5, Shelden Williams - The Hawks needed a solid big, and they got him in Shelden Williams. We all know he won't be spectacular, but he will get you plenty of rebounds and alter alot of shots. Good defender and knows the game. A reach at 5, but they couldn't trade down on draft night. Picked ahead of Brandon Roy, Randy Foye and Rudy Gay, but they needed a big, not more 2's and 3's.

Pick 33, Solomon Jones - Incredibly raw, but if he puts it together he could post numbers around 13/11 along with 3 blocks. Huge arms, long and lean, jumps out of the gym at 6"10. Doesn't have enough knowledge of the game yet, but still blocks a shot for each 10 minutes or so of playing time he gets. Fantastic free throw shooting big.

Non-Impact Players:

2003 - Travis Hansen, pick 38
2004 - Donta Smith, pick 35
2004 - Royal Ivey, pick 38
2005 - Cenk Akyol, pick 59

In my opinion thats a good track record drafting wise. It's just too bad the Hawks management takes the "best player available" draft strategy to new levels. Still, they have got their hands on some very nice players. As for the players who haven't made an impact yet, even if they never do, what do you really expect from a second round pick?

I can't wait for the lottery, I'm praying the Bulls get a top 3 pick. If they go top 2, I'm moving to Chicago.

[Dean]

outside of the top 3, don't they order it by record?

Nope, the top 15 is lottery determined, and from 16-30 is based on your record. However the worse your record, the greater your odds are of getting the top pick.

And to clarify to 3PK and whoever else were wondering, Atlanta's pick is Top 3 protected, so if it goes 1-3, they keep it, other wise its Phoenix's. Thats the same with their 2nd First rounder, if it goes top 10, the other team gets it (cant remember who) but 11-15 they keep it.

[TomCat]

Under a procedural change adopted by the Board of Governors in October of 1986, the Lottery determined the order of selection for the first three teams only. The remaining non-playoff teams selected in inverse order of their regular season records. Therefore, the team with the worst record in the league was assured of picking no worse than fourth, the team with the second-worst record no worse than fifth and so on.

That should clarify to everyone how the lottery works.

[Sauru]

god i hope the suns dont draft noah if they get the chance. noah is going to be a complete bust in the nba, and i dont want to see him on any team i like.