2005 NBA Draft Thread

[J-Smoove]

marvins being billed a superstar, Sit...

SUPERSTAR POTENTIAL!

[Fresh8]

No way! I think he wont be too much better than he is now.. he will egt better but not into a SUPERSTAR...

[Indy]

I think Marvin has superstar potential absolutly.

[Fresh8]

I dnt think he does... Andrew Bogut has less than himl

[J-Smoove]

...? that proves.... what?

marvin williams is raw, but his potential is the major reason why he's being billed (or at least being mocked) as a 1st overall pick.

hell, watch out for the other williams- jawad. i'm pissed off taht he can't get his head straight and actually try hard (similar to the "hatred" i have for charlie vilanueva). i hope to hell that he succeeds in a jamison-on-the-mavs way.

[J@3]

hell, watch out for the other williams- jawad. i'm pissed off taht he can't get his head straight and actually try hard (similar to the "hatred" i have for charlie vilanueva). i hope to hell that he succeeds in a jamison-on-the-mavs way.

!! I agree. I'm a big fan of Jawad Williams, and I love the fact that he's only seen as a very late 1st rounder/2nd rounder. I think he can be a steal if he plays to his potential.

[SkipToMy_Lou]

Jawad was very very inconsistent in the Portsmouth camp, but I'm hoping he will be a lot better at the Chicago workouts.

[Fresh8]

Potential is overhyped these days IMO. But you never know how any one player will end up.. its a gamble...

[VMS]

I think Bogut, from all the descriptions, is in no way a 'Vlade Divac.' Although I haven't seen him play, I think he's more of a Pau Gasol. Good mid-/close-range jumper. If he can't handle taller players, then maybe he should consider Power Forward. Of course, since he's going to the Hawks, he'll probably be a Center.

If/When he goes to the hawks, I'd still put him at PF. My lineup would be something like:
C Jason Collier
PF Andrew Bogut
SF Al Harrington (he's just not a power forward to me)
SG Josh Smith
PG Tony Delk

After Willis retires, (should be soon, he's 42 or 43 already) they'll still have 4 CENTERS not counting Bogut. They should trade 2 of their centers for one dominant rebounder/blocker. Over 7-feet would be the best choice.

[Indy]

youve never seen him play???

then how could you possibly comment on his playing style???

[The X]

trust me, Bogut is no Gasol....he doesn't have the athleticism to compare to Gasol....he's compared to Divac due to his passing ability....and besides, Divac can hit the mid-range shot....

he's a Vlade Divac/Brad Miller-type player with good footwork....he'll be fine....Hawks would probably use him at C, although you are right that he will play some PF as when I last saw him play he looked more like 6'10" than 7'0" although he could be a 7-footer with shoes.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

when I last saw him play he looked more like 6'10" than 7'0" although he could be a 7-footer with shoes

You mean to tell me that when you last saw him he was without his shoes??? j/k

[J@3]

I think the Divac comparisons work to an extent, Bogut's athletisism is underrated in my opinion. The last time I saw him play was at the Olympics, and for me the great work he did on offense (his passing skills weren't really on show) got immediately cancelled out by his horrific interior D. I think he's improved that a bit but it's still going to be a problem in the future. The best part of Andrew Bogut's game I think, is his attitude. The guy knows what he has to do to improve, he even said in an interview that he's already working on improving his strength because that's the main problem he will have in the NBA. Regardless of whether he becomes an all-star or whatever, he's going to be one of the hardest working players in the league and when you mix that with the talent he has it's a great match.

That being said, his parents might be a bit of a problem...

[The X]

You mean to tell me that when you last saw him he was without his shoes??? j/k

at the Olympics he was about the same height as Tim Duncan....Duncan is only 6'10" in real life but is listed generously at 7'0"....and the shoe thing came out all wrong....you know how the teams measure their players in shoes to make them seem taller and try to gain some type of competitive advantage....he might have grown a tad this season, but we'll find out when he takes a physical in at the Chicago pre-draft camp....my guess is 6'10" & a 1/2" without shoes....

Bogut's athletisism is underrated in my opinion.

yeah, of course it is....I don't think people are foolish enough to compare Bogut to today's Divac who is as slow as a snail....Divac wasn't that bad back in the early 90s though....and because he's white his athleticism is always more likely to be downplayed, especially when compared to the African American players that he is going up against....

the funny thing with Bogut is that when he was in the U18 or U19 World Champion team he was quicker, but it seems the bulk he's put on has taken away from it a little....I liken it to Trunks becoming an Ascendent Super Saiyan and becoming stronger but losing a lot of speed in the process....he needs to find a balance....never sacrifice speed for strength, that's my motto....

That being said, his parents might be a bit of a problem...

why's that? are they like Elena Dokic's parents?!?

[Fresh8]

His parents have done so much for him.. he prob a mommy's boy....

And i think Bogut is fairly comparable to Divac... nothing more... not even brad miller....

[J@3]

why's that? are they like Elena Dokic's parents?!?

Very much so. They tried to take him away from Athens because they didn't think he was getting enough court time. Shane Heal angrily confronted them about it though. I read a news article about it at ozhoops.

And i think Bogut is fairly comparable to Divac... nothing more... not even brad miller....

Hmm... yeah, not sure about that one.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Looks like Marvin Williams and Sean May will both declare:

http://www.nbadraft.net/draftbuzz035.asp

[Indy]

Looks like Marvin Williams and Sean May will both declare:

http://www.nbadraft.net/draftbuzz035.asp

Strange... I thought sean may said he was definitley coming back...

[J@3]

That's a surprise to say the least. Awell, it'll make the draft even stronger.

[The X]

I don't really think it's a surprise at all....had they not won the title, I think they would have been more inclined to go back, but there's not much more for May to do in college, except hurt his draft stock....as for Williams, it would have been nice to see him dominated for a year at UNC, but alas, he's on his way to a Top 3 pick....

good move for May, doesn't matter either way with Williams....

Deron Williams applied as well, which was a given considering his stock is so high....draft is really starting to look pretty deep now....if I've got a top 5 pick in the draft I would be happy as you're either going to get Bogut, Chris Paul, Marvin Williams or Gerald Green....a Euro will be the other player picked in top 5....although Felton and Deron Williams both could go anywhere from 4 to 10....

I'm really looking forward to draft....as per usual, don't give a rat's arse about playoffs....bring on the draft

[BOSS]

iLLuzionz's NBA MOCK DRAFT 2005
Version 1.0

1. Atlanta : C/F - Andrew Bogut
2. New Orleans : F - Marvin Williams
3. Charlotte : G - Chris Paul
4. Utah : G - Deron Williams
5. Portland : C/F - Martynas Andriuskevicius
6. Milwaukee : F/C - Chris Taft
7. Toronto : F/G - Gerald Green
8. New York : F/C - Fran Vazquez
9. Golden State : F - Tiago Splitter
10. Los Angeles (L) : G - Raymond Felton
11. Orlando : F - Charlie Villanueva
12. Los Angeles (C) : F - Aleksandrov Nemanja
13. Charlotte : F/G - Antoine Wright
14. Minnesota : F - Danny Granger
15. New Jersey : C/F : Channing Frye
16. Toronto : F/C - Sean May
17. Indiana : F - Hakim Warrick
18. Boston : F - Ike Diogu
19. Memphis : C/F - Johan Petro
20. Denver : G - Rudy Fernandez
21. Phoenix : G - Rashad McCants
22. Denver : F/G - Martell Webster
23. Sacramento : F - Wayne Simien
24. Houston : G/F - Kennedy Winston
25. Seattle : G - Monta Ellis
26. Detroit : G/F - CJ Miles
27. Utah : F/C - Andray Blatche
28. San Antonio : G/F - Francisco Garcia
29. Miami : F - Ronny Turiaf
30. New York : G - Jarrett Jack

On The Bubble

- Salim Stoudamire
- Ryan Gomes
- Ersan Ilyasova

[The X]

a few opinions on your mock draft....

- Jarrett Jack will go somewhere from late lottery (12) to early 20s (21 or 22) IMHO....late lottery if Deron Williams is picked high and Felton gets pick in top 10, if Felton slides then Jack slides to late teens possibly....

- I think Ike Diogu will pull out of draft when he realises he won't go late lottery to mid-1st round....

- although some mock drafts have Frye as a late lottery selection, I don't know if he'll go that high....but then again, he is big....I think he'll go a little lower than 15....maybe late teens to early 20s....but we'll see how the workouts go....

- while I think Blatche will squeeze into the 1st Round and could rise if he has great workouts, I think CJ Miles could slide into the 2nd Round....

- Ersan Ilyasova won't fall into the 2nd Round IMHO....if he stays in the draft he's a late lottery to mid 1st Round pick IMHO....hopefully he doesn't stay in the draft this year and waits because he can go higher in future drafts....

aside from those couple of things, a pretty solid mock draft IMHO

I'll probably do my version 2 mock draft after the draft lottery and withdrawal deadline for draftees to pull out....

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

- although some mock drafts have Frye as a late lottery selection, I don't know if he'll go that high....but then again, he is big....I think he'll go a little lower than 15....maybe late teens to early 20s....but we'll see how the workouts go....

Phoenix wants this local guy, they'll snap him at 21 for sure if nobofy beats them to him first...

[J@3]

Phoenix should be going for a playmaking PG to back up Nash for the inevitable injuries he gets, but I guess Frye would be alright.

[The X]

oh, I forgot....iLLuzionz....you need to add another couple of Euros to the late 1st Round....teams always like to stash them away for later rather than have them eating away at the cap and roster space....

this draft is starting to look interesting....a lot of players are gonna be disappointed when they slide to the early to mid 2nd Round....too bad for seniors like Stoudamire, Gomes, Hodge, etc, etc who will slide....but ahh well, that's life....they'll have a chance to make rosters as 2nd Round picks