2005 NBA Draft Thread

Draft is crazy w/ PG's in the 1st round, Luther Head is now cracking the 1st round after Chicago.

NBA Draft Prospects Video

Wtf is going on with this draft... Jarrett Jack is back in, and Shavlik Randolph of all people is also in.

http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1014

Shavlik Randolph is off to either Europe or the NBDL where he will be dominated by the likes of Kirk Penney

Shavlik Randolph HAS to be drafted, I need his headshape in NBA Live...

I know that he's a major underachiever, but exactly is wrong with this guy?

Anyone know if David Anderson will evr move from Russia to the States???

Anyone know if David Anderson will evr move from Russia to the States???

Another Aussie in the league? Naaahhh... maybe bring back Heal and Gaze too...

He'd actually do quite well in the NBA. I thought he was the best of the Aussies in the Olympics, moreso than Bogut. I don't know if he'll ever make the move, I think he's around 24-26 so I'd hope he does.

It's really more or less the 'Jasikevicius dilemma' : Do you stay top dawg in Europe, or try to make it with the big fish?

I know Bogut everaged around 15ppg - 9rpg in the Olympics... Hom much did DA average?

jae, i just searched in this thread to see that you have love for him. i already knew about him (one of the draft websites) when the college season was over. i'm a guy that roots for oversized players.

read in a lot of reports that he didn't dominate because he was injury-proned and the stupid coach (who did NOT recruit him; he xfered) played him at the SF/PF, similar to his brother. I fear now that, being joey only measured 6-6 with shoes on, that stephen is probably only 6'5". still, both are athleletes (draftcity reports on these 4 players, which included the graham brothers, about their mini camp) and amazingly strong. stephen doesn't have joey's range in shooting (doesn't say much..) and his form isn't as pretty as joeys. when it came to drills, scouts couldn't really see his PG ball-handling skills. course, once they did 2-on-2, it was easy to see how stephen was recruited as a PG. stephen's main weakness is probably his defense. he could decently defend 3s, but in the pros, i'm looking for him to guard the 3 perimeter positions. his 3point shot isn't that established (probably standstill at best so far) and his off-the dribble needs work.

and about j-smoove:
he played some 4 during high shcool (6-8 1/4 with shoes) and played 4 for the hawks in small ball schemes. rarely did that happen. i can see why they played him at 4 though; his jumpshot isn't really established yet and he's gone enough athleticism and quickness to defend the 4.

scouts say that marvin williams is more filled out, he has the ability to play point-forward (great court vision for his height/position), and already has a pretty jumpshot. not really comparable to j-smoove, outside of athleticism

EDIT: when the hell did draftcity.com turn into draftexpress.com? i was wondering why draftcity was gone and not updating (no more mock drafts) but when the hell did they move to "Draft Express"??

JS is waaaaaay more athletic than Marvin.

Bogut averaged 13/9 roughly shooting 57% in 28mpg

Andersen averaged 5/5 shooting 45% in 19mpg

Andersen looked a hundred times more composed and aware on the court, add to the fact that on defence he was immensely solid compared to Bogut who just seemed to want the opposing teams big men to pad their stats. Admittedly he's better in that area now apparentely, but I actually felt the team looked better with a lineup of Heal/Smith/Saville/Neilsen/Andersen just because it was alot more solid defensively. But either way, it's nice that Bogut's improved so much since then.

EDIT: when the hell did draftcity.com turn into draftexpress.com? i was wondering why draftcity was gone and not updating (no more mock drafts) but when the hell did they move to "Draft Express"??

Ah, JonothanG wrote an article in which he said some things about an agent... the agent was going to sue or something so Prerak "terminated' JonothanG's involvement with DraftCity. JonothanG got all pissed off and formed DraftExpress with most of the ex staff, and not Prerak

Okay, now I feel like an idiot for saying Jack pulled out. You're right Jae, Jack needs to make up his damn mind.

Shavlik Randolph is off to either Europe or the NBDL where he will be dominated by the likes of Kirk Penney

Good God, the guy's an absolute mess. Truly one of the biggest busts in NCAA history. People were talking UCLA dynasty before he got to Duke. Now, he's just a laughing stock.

David Anderson was drafted by the Hawks back in 02 i think. Since then he has led his russian team to Euro titles and won two MVP awards...

Good God, the guy's an absolute mess. Truly one of the biggest busts in NCAA history. People were talking UCLA dynasty before he got to Duke. Now, he's just a laughing stock.

The weird side of it is, he would've been an almost guaranteed lottery pick had he declared out of high school.

Posted from some other thread, I guess I'll post it now in the hope that people forget it by draft day

1: Milwaukee Bucks - Andrew Bogut
- I've heard nothing but good things about him from the Bucks. Pretty much a no brainer

2: Atlanta Hawks - Marvin Williams
- Read a report that said he was impressive in his Hawks workout, I could honestly see them taking Paul but we'll find out soon enough.

3: Portland TrailBlazers - Gerald Green
- This is almost guaranteed to be traded but barring that I think they'll take Green regardless.

4: New Orleans Hornets - Chris Paul
- Some people think Williams has overtaken Paul as the top PG, but I'm not sure. I think NOH will stick with Paul.

5: Charlotte Bobcats - Deron Williams
- They COULD take Felton due to the NC thing but I think they'll be smart and take the solid option.

6: Utah Jazz - Raymond Felton
- They take the best remaining PG and hope it works out. It's a position in need, so it makes sense to take Felton.

7: Toronto Raptors - Joey Graham
- I'm not sure why but I think Graham is silghtly ahead of Granger. It'll be a good draft for Toronto I think after they rebuild from Carter and such. Also Rose is being traded every 10 seconds so who knows what's happening there.

8: New York Knicks - Danny Granger
- He's no Tim Thomas but he'll get the job done. If it's Channing Frye be very afraid.

9: Golden State Warriors - Channing Frye
- I guess he'd be better than Adonal Foyle. This team look really good for the future, he'd be an ok backup... not sure about #9 overall though.

10: Los Angeles Lakers - Jarrett Jack
- Please please please let this happen

11: Orlando Magic - Fran Vasquez
- People seem to think they'll go for Martell Webster but I'm not too sure, especially with the way their guards played towards the end of the season. Also, Cuttino Mobley is a free agent...

12: Los Angeles Clippers - Yaroslav Korolev
- I don't think anyone really knows anything about this guy but apparentely it's a guarantee.

13: Charlotte Bobcats - Antoine Wright
- They need an outside shooting SG and apparentely he fits the bill. Disappointing athletically though.

14: Minnesota Timberwolves - Hakim Warrick
- If there was a better C I think they'd take him, but Warrick would be ok. Could also reach for Roko Leni-Ukic.

15: New Jersey Nets - Ike Diogu
- This one's either Diogu or Villanueva, but Diogu is seeming like the better option right now.

16: Toronto Raptors - Martell Webster
- If he can develop they'll have what looks like the makings of a decent team.

17: Indiana Pacers - Francisco Garcia
- Another supposed guarantee. I'll believe them for now, makes picking easier.

18: Boston Celtics - Charlie Villanueva
- Ultra versatile and I think he'd be really good coming off the bench for the first season. He can fill in anywhere in the front court so I reckon this would be a good pick.

19: Memphis Grizzlies - Roko Leni-Ukic
- I keep reading that they need a PG of sorts, and then I keep reading that they'll pick a foreigner. Look, a foreign PG!

20: Denver Nuggets - Ersan Illyasova
- I've never even heard of this guy but yet again another guarantee.

21: Phoenix Suns - Chris Taft
- I know everyone wants Taft lynched right now, but I really think he'd do well at Phoenix off the bench. I've seen him play about 5 times when everyone thought he'd be a basketball God and I reckon he'd fit right in here.

22: Denver Nuggets - Martynas Andriuskevius
- They want a Euro to store overseas, and this guy needs as much storing as humanly possible. By the time he comes good however, Camby will be older and injuries will begin to catch up etc.

23: Sacramento Kings - Andrew Bynum
- Just someone a good team can let develop on the bench. I think when you're a play off team it's good to draft for potential knowing you don't need them right now.

24: Houston Rockets - Sean May
- The Juwan Howardator. Or Clarence Weatherspoonator, whatever.

25: Seattle Supersonics - Johan Petro
- Would be good to take a punt on a C, considering they currently have Jerome James and that red headed guy. Don't know if he'd come over straight away, but he's big.

26: Detroit Pistons - Randolph Morris

- Another case of letting someone develop. Alongside Darko, can keep him company on the bench or something. It's nice to have someone huge though backing up Ben Wallace and co.

27: Utah Jazz - Wayne Simien
- I don't know why, I just thought it was a bit weird that Simien was still on the board.

28: San Antonio Spurs - Andray Blatche
- I'm taking a punt here and thinking the Spurs could draft the high schooler and hope he develops under Tim Duncan. I mean apart from Duncan their front court isn't exactly the most youthful in the NBA. Actually, including Duncan it's not.

29: Miami Heat - Rashad McCants
- Another risk pick. Most draft sites say Matt Walsh, but I think McCants is a more solid option purely because he'd be coming off the bench and would be playing with Shaq/Wade.

30: New York Knicks - Julius Hodge
- With Penny seemingly not able to walk 80% of the time, Hodge is 6'7 and can play like 3 positions. It might be good for him to again, develop under older players.

I'm really looking forward to this draft either ways.

That's a solid mock Jae, pretty much close to mine...

Some observations:

2: Atlanta Hawks - Marvin Williams
- Read a report that said he was impressive in his Hawks workout, I could honestly see them taking Paul but we'll find out soon enough.

I will stick with Paul being drafted here... I hate logjams in a position, and that's what the Hawks are getting with this pick... Plus, they'll have glaring holes at PG,SG and missing a true PF since neither Harrington, Smith or Williams can manage the position full time. This may prove to be similar to the Bowie/Jordan issue 20 years back, but if I were the Hawks' GM, I'd go with Paul...

6: Utah Jazz - Raymond Felton
- They take the best remaining PG and hope it works out. It's a position in need, so it makes sense to take Felton.

I agree. Ray Felton doesn't exactly fit the Jerry Sloan mold, but they need a PG badly... They ar eenamored with Deron Williams, though, so maybe they'll manage to trade up at 4 and grab him...

8: New York Knicks - Danny Granger
- He's no Tim Thomas but he'll get the job done. If it's Channing Frye be very afraid.

If that Q-Rich trade rumour is true, look for Channing Frye to get picked here...

10: Los Angeles Lakers - Jarrett Jack
- Please please please let this happen

he's areach at 10, he could slip all the way to 20, so maybe they should trade down a bit and get some extra pieces... But I agree with you, he's perfect for the triangle offense, he just has to work on his turnover proneness...

- People seem to think they'll go for Martell Webster but I'm not too sure, especially with the way their guards played towards the end of the season. Also, Cuttino Mobley is a free agent...

The Cat is on the Kings' roster now... You mean Christie...? I too like teh idea of a Nelson/Francis backcourt... plus they have the 6' 10" Hedo if they want to inject size at some intervals of teh game...

15: New Jersey Nets - Ike Diogu
- This one's either Diogu or Villanueva, but Diogu is seeming like the better option right now.

Sean May will get serious consideration here... He fits the NJ mold better than Villanueva by far... Diogu is a possibility...

17: Indiana Pacers - Francisco Garcia
- Another supposed guarantee. I'll believe them for now, makes picking easier.

I have a feeling Toronto wil snap him with the previous pick and leave teh Pacers stunned... Mo Pete is on his way out of Canada, methinks...

19: Memphis Grizzlies - Roko Leni-Ukic
- I keep reading that they need a PG of sorts, and then I keep reading that they'll pick a foreigner. Look, a foreign PG!

Spot on! J-Will is leaving, watson staying is not certain... Let's hope lil' Roko turns out better than Planinic...

20: Denver Nuggets - Ersan Illyasova
- I've never even heard of this guy but yet again another guarantee.

No matter waht, the Nuggets will pick a shooter here... Rashad McCants comes to mind... heck, even a spot-up shooter will do nicely... Garcia will be a steal if he falls to their lap...

22: Denver Nuggets - Martynas Andriuskevius
- They want a Euro to store overseas, and this guy needs as much storing as humanly possible. By the time he comes good however, Camby will be older and injuries will begin to catch up etc.

I konw he needs even more seasoning then Biedrins, but no 22 is too low for the hype that he's been receiving... I have him going to Orlando at 11...

24: Houston Rockets - Sean May
- The Juwan Howardator. Or Clarence Weatherspoonator, whatever.

If either May or Diogu is available, Houston will grab on eof them for sure... If not, look for them to draft the best available PG...




All in all, a pretty solid mock there, Jae

Thanks I did that before the Knicks trade, I think you're right about Frye and the Warriors will hate that I reckon.

The Cat is on the Kings' roster now... You mean Christie...? I too like teh idea of a Nelson/Francis backcourt... plus they have the 6' 10" Hedo if they want to inject size at some intervals of teh game...

Nah Mobley... he's a free agent at Sacramento, but he's made it well known he didn't want to leave Orlando. Add to the fact that Steve Francis is his best friend and seemed actually depressed when he left, I think his chances of winding up back at Orlando are pretty big.

the Warriors will hate that I reckon.

Maybe it'll turn out for the better... if we could land Danny Granger to replace Dunleavy or even Fran Vazquez... if the Spaniard bulks up a bit, he could play center...



EDIT: I just put up my lottery mock in the initia post of teh other thread, should someone want to check it out...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2005/index

How'd the Lakers get the 5th pick???

I think no one should consider Andriuskevicius so high (I'm from Lithuania and I am a fan of the team he plays for so I know what i am talking about). He is expected to be new Sabonis or new Ilgauskas but that's not going to happen. The fact is that he doesn't know how to play at all. Both Big Z and Sabas were a lot better at his age. Big Z averaged about 21 ppg and 13 rpg in 1994-95 season (when he was only 6 months older than Andriuskevicius was this season) for the second strongest team in Lithuania. And the lithuanian league was much stronger back then than it is nowadays because nearly all of the best lithuanian players played there. Andriuskevicius is averaging about 4 ppg. He can't even outplay guys who are 15 cm shorter than him and aren't very good.

His averages in U-18 tournament were about 17ppg and 13rpg but consider that Andrew Bogut and lithuanian Linas Kleiza averaged about 27 ppg and they are not called so perspective.

Even his team coach says that he'd better to work more during trainings instead of talking to agents and scouts.

In fact I don't know who started this 'he is going to be very good' talk. I think that it weret lithuanians and it were NBA scouts. "Strangely" the coach of his team(who is also the coach of national team) doesn't seem to think about Andriuskevicius that good.

Remember what happened to Nikoloz Tskitishvilli who was drafted 5th. Why? I have no idea. It seems that NBA scouts think like "the worse you play the more perspective you are". In fact I don't know most of the players who are drafted from Europe these years.

And the best players like Jasikevicius are not atracting enough interest to atract them to NBA. Bodiroga also didn't play in NBA. And Kutluay or Rigaudau for example landed in teams not suitable for them so they didn't get playing time.

And David Anderson started to play really good only this season and they didn't win the Euroleague title so he couldnt lead his team to Euro titles. Earlier he was just quite good player.

Thanks for the insight A.G.

I was under the understanding that Martynas was pulling out anyways, and now he's back in everybodies mocks. Is he in or out?

As far as I know he will be participating in the draft.

If he doesn't then his hopes to get draftet by will vanish because I don't think he is going to improve. So he'll settle with his chances now and take the money. The sad fact is that he will be getting as much money in his few seasons as the best European players (Jasikevicius, Bodiroga and others) who stay in Europe don't earn in their entire career.

And I just thought I post about he real value of Andriuskevicius so no one later will think that Lithuanians are bad.