Official 2007 NBA Draft Thread

[Indy]

That's a good trade for Charlotte. They have a ton of developing young talent, and now they put an explosive scorer in the mix that will help these guys a long.

[Axel]

Brandan Wright IMO is an awesome fit for Golden State. They need a back to the basket player and they got him. I don't think Jason Richardson was that much to give up, he's great, but Brandan Wright could be one hell of a player. I just wished he slipped one more spot to the Bulls.

Oh no doubt he'll be great for the Warriors, who I absolutely love to watch. I was just excited to get to see another Tar Heel go to Charlotte... but not the case now.

[---]

Yay JamesOn!

Hey Indy you got Stanko.

[Jing]

Sigh.. Yi going to a Milwaukee team with Charlie V and Bogut... and Milwaukee has like an asian population of like 2 people...

Nice to see Sun go to the Lakers, probably will play for D-Fenders and a point-foward position on the Lakers.

And Lasme!

[sucram]

My god, Newley to the Rockets. Very happy right now.

[Carmo]

lol, Blazers get Turean Green as well. They owned this draft.

[---]

I'm hoping Ron Lewis gets picked with this final pick. I really wanna see him make a team.

[[Q]]

I'm just laughing at Portland right now. Paul Allen's buying picks left and right and looks like they're stockpiling draft picks like the apocalypse is coming.

I don't know if you are joking or not, but Portland has had one of the best drafts in league history.

well it isn't a bad thing, i just found it funny that they would buy draft picks like that.


and interesting Sun goes to LA. he played in LA in the ABA and could possibly help the PG situation for the Lakers, since he handles it fairly decent. Marc Gasol is another solid pick and I think both second rounders could possibly make this team next year.


on another note, Oden with #52? is #20 retired in Portland? I tihnk Damon Stoudamire didn't wear 20 there, so it might be.

also, you guys see the red Phila jerseys? It looks like a clone of the Atlanta jerseys with different colors and logo. Patchmakers, start your engines.

[c0nr4d]

my take:

- Bobcats trade for J-Rich was retarded.
- Blazers rocked the draft and got some good stuff (2010 champions?)
- Sonics did well by shoving off the aging RayRay to build for years to come.
- Horrible moves from Celts (what else is new?)
- I'm happy with the Pistons picks, but i wish we would have gotten Byars (he's gonna be a steal)
- Nice work by Isiah in gettin Z-Bo and unloading Francis


btw, Quach, ive already made the red Philly alts, they came out mid-season last yr

[Indy]

on another note, Oden with #52? is #20 retired in Portland? I tihnk Damon Stoudamire didn't wear 20 there, so it might be.

Oden only wore 20 in college because his high school number 50 has been worn by a certain big man legend at OSU. He is probably combining the 20 of OSU and the 50 of high school.

[Indy]

on another note, Oden with #52? is #20 retired in Portland? I tihnk Damon Stoudamire didn't wear 20 there, so it might be.

Oden only wore 20 in college because his high school number 50 has been worn by a certain big man legend at OSU. He is probably combining the 20 of OSU and the 50 of high school.

[Dro]

Fuckin' A.

Suns sell off picks for the second year in a row. Instead of drafting a guy and leaving him in Europe for FREE, we sell him for $3 mil. Where does that $3 mil go to? Marcus Banks' wallet.

If you're going to sell a pick, you sell the damn 29. Instead, who do we draft with the 29? Oh ok, a guy who doesn't have 3-point range. That's just fucking fabulous. The Suns, once known as a 3-point happy team, now only have three reliable 3-point shooters: Nash, Barbosa, and Bell. Now look at the San Antonio Spurs, NBA champs, known for playing half-court basketball. They have 5 reliable 3-point shooters: Whorry, Ginobili, Barry, Finley, and Bowen (automatic from the corners).

I'm absolutely convinced that the way to win an NBA championship is to have at least one great playmaker and one great interior presence. The Suns have both. However, one absolutely necessary key is support players who can be relied on to nail open 3's, in order to SPREAD THE FLOOR.

Going to be a loooooong 4 months. Luckily, I have two friends to keep me company...good ol' Captain and Mrs. J.

[Gundy]

^ I think you are putting waaayyy too much emphasis on a player's ability to shoot the three ball. You think that's gonna help you more to win a championship? Alando Tucker is a very good player and probably the most skilled player they could get at that pick. Would you rather have a less skilled player that can shoot the three?

[Dro]

Would you rather have a less skilled player that can shoot the three?

Hell yes, to tell you the truth. There are many many players who made great careers for themselves because they could do one or two things REALLY well. Look at the Spurs for instance. Bruce Bowen has very limited offensive skills. No mid-range game whatsoever. Can't put the ball on the floor. Not a playmaker...he's neither fast nor athletic. However, he has made a solid career because he works extremely hard on defense and he's automatic from 3-point range on each corner. Robert Horry is much of the same...really doesn't do much except camp out at the 3-point line and occasionally protects the rim. Yet, he's one of the most celebrated championship performers of our time.

The Suns don't need the most skilled player available. They need players that fit the up-tempo style of ball. A wing who has limited range? Tucker will be lucky if D'Antoni gives him 8 minutes per game. A rebuilding team is a team that takes the most skilled player on the board. A championship caliber team takes the player who best fits their style of ball. If this wasn't the case, Fabricio Oberto wouldn't have been on the Spurs' roster this season.

[hammertime23]

on another note, Oden with #52? is #20 retired in Portland? I tihnk Damon Stoudamire didn't wear 20 there, so it might be.

Oden only wore 20 in college because his high school number 50 has been worn by a certain big man legend at OSU. He is probably combining the 20 of OSU and the 50 of high school.

He'll probably just wear 50 now because Zach Randolph is gone.

[maes]

Sigh.. Yi going to a Milwaukee team with Charlie V and Bogut... and Milwaukee has like an asian population of like 2 people...

Rumor is that the word is that Yi is up for grabs for the asking price of Brandan Wright + considerations, so Golden State traded Jefferson to Charlotte for Brandan Wright, who they are trying to negotiate for Yi.

Too bad Chicago was 1 pick away from working into this.

[Axel]

Would you rather have a less skilled player that can shoot the three?

Hell yes, to tell you the truth. There are many many players who made great careers for themselves because they could do one or two things REALLY well. Look at the Spurs for instance. Bruce Bowen has very limited offensive skills. No mid-range game whatsoever. Can't put the ball on the floor. Not a playmaker...he's neither fast nor athletic. However, he has made a solid career because he works extremely hard on defense and he's automatic from 3-point range on each corner. Robert Horry is much of the same...really doesn't do much except camp out at the 3-point line and occasionally protects the rim. Yet, he's one of the most celebrated championship performers of our time.

The Suns don't need the most skilled player available. They need players that fit the up-tempo style of ball. A wing who has limited range? Tucker will be lucky if D'Antoni gives him 8 minutes per game. A rebuilding team is a team that takes the most skilled player on the board. A championship caliber team takes the player who best fits their style of ball. If this wasn't the case, Fabricio Oberto wouldn't have been on the Spurs' roster this season.

I agree completely with your analysis except for one thing.

The Suns need more than one playmaker. Simply put, when you have a superb defender like Bowen who can slow Nash down, and amazing help defenders who can compensate on all the double teams, it takes a second playmaker to make the defense pay. The Suns do not have that second playmaker. What they really need is a player who can shoot the 3, and create off the dribble to play either the 2 or 3, or both. Joe Johnson was that player, but the Suns now need to find someone else to fill that role. Doesn't have to be as good as Joe necesarily, but still, they need someone.

[Dro]

Would you rather have a less skilled player that can shoot the three?

Hell yes, to tell you the truth. There are many many players who made great careers for themselves because they could do one or two things REALLY well. Look at the Spurs for instance. Bruce Bowen has very limited offensive skills. No mid-range game whatsoever. Can't put the ball on the floor. Not a playmaker...he's neither fast nor athletic. However, he has made a solid career because he works extremely hard on defense and he's automatic from 3-point range on each corner. Robert Horry is much of the same...really doesn't do much except camp out at the 3-point line and occasionally protects the rim. Yet, he's one of the most celebrated championship performers of our time.

The Suns don't need the most skilled player available. They need players that fit the up-tempo style of ball. A wing who has limited range? Tucker will be lucky if D'Antoni gives him 8 minutes per game. A rebuilding team is a team that takes the most skilled player on the board. A championship caliber team takes the player who best fits their style of ball. If this wasn't the case, Fabricio Oberto wouldn't have been on the Spurs' roster this season.

I agree completely with your analysis except for one thing.

The Suns need more than one playmaker. Simply put, when you have a superb defender like Bowen who can slow Nash down, and amazing help defenders who can compensate on all the double teams, it takes a second playmaker to make the defense pay. The Suns do not have that second playmaker. What they really need is a player who can shoot the 3, and create off the dribble to play either the 2 or 3, or both. Joe Johnson was that player, but the Suns now need to find someone else to fill that role. Doesn't have to be as good as Joe necesarily, but still, they need someone.

You're absolutely right...but the Suns have that guy: Leandro Barbosa. Problem is, he was absolutely flustered against the Spurs. His shot was completely off...some say it was due to an elbow injury he suffered in the Lakers series (he recently had surgery on it). There's just one major problem with Barbosa; he doesn't pass the ball. He was pretty much a black hole on offense during the playoffs. It worked against LAL because he was making shots, but it was detrimental to the team against the Spurs.

Last year, Boris Diaw was exactly the second playmaker and passer that we needed this year against the Spurs. Problem is, he absolutely disappeared this year, both regular season and playoffs.

That's the biggest reason I'm optimistic about the team this year. They had a great chance to take out the Spurs this year, even with Barbosa and Diaw playing like ass. One HAS to assume that they'll come back more prepared following this offseason, and Amare will improve as he has every offseason in his career. Last year, Diaw and Amare co-existed very poorly when they were on the floor together, because they both operate from the same space on the floor. They're working out together at US Airways every day this offseason, so hopefully they'll be more prepared this year. It's just a matter of adding a few pieces that can put us over the top.

[[Q]]

on another note, Oden with #52? is #20 retired in Portland? I tihnk Damon Stoudamire didn't wear 20 there, so it might be.

Oden only wore 20 in college because his high school number 50 has been worn by a certain big man legend at OSU. He is probably combining the 20 of OSU and the 50 of high school.

He'll probably just wear 50 now because Zach Randolph is gone.

that's true. they probably had that jersey made waay in advance when randolph was still there.


G State continues the highway robbery of the Bobcats and reportedly get a $10 millin exception too. that might help them in the Yi sweepstakes or the KG sweepstakes.

[Sauru]

i still think the bucks are dumb, they took a player who wont play for them. they now are gonna have to trade him and since everyone knows he wont play there, he will come cheap. they should have gone with a player that can help them.

[shadowgrin]

Just watched a replay of the draft.
Pretty boring draft with the drafting of Yi Jianlian the only surprise. The trades done were more spectacular.

Comments:
- Someone really needs to kill Stephen A. Smith

- "Atlanta drafts another forward." Only thing funny in the draft.

- The NYK-Por trade is good but where does that leave David Lee? Since Curry and Randolph will probably start. Lee will be used off the bench? I want Lee to start damn it! Unless Curry is traded but I don't see Zeke'z boner for Curry going away anytime soon so Curry will probably be still in NY.

- Was Ainge drunk or sober when he made that trade? Ray Allen with Paul Pierce, wtf, I don't get it.

- Golden State highway robbery of the 'Cats.

[Sauru]

i cant believe everyone was bashing on atlanta for drafting another forward. they took the best player at number 3, infact he was really the only choice for number 3. not only that but horford should turn out better than any of the hawks current forwards. they could package the williams in hopes to land a center, cant think of who right now, but if they get a center out of those 2 then really atlanta wont have that bad of a line up.

[hammertime23]

They could have taken Conley, and then any other player they'd like at #11. Acie Law isn't much of a PG he's more of a small SG kind of like Gerry McNamara( ). They could have traded the 11 pick for someone more established in the NBA, or they could have picked anyone they felt like.

[-Young Buck-]

Horford and Law or Conley and Al Thorton?

of course its easy to see who was left at 11 after the draft is over.

[Sauru]

i personally would take horford and law, i think atlanta did exactly the right thing with the draft. of course we wont know for sure for several seasons but i think they can field a good team soon.

as for trading the 11th pick for a vet or someone already more established in the nba. i guess it depends who you could have gotten for the 11th. the probably should have tried to package the 11th and williams to another team and moved themselves up. maybe no one would have wanted that kind of deal though. maybe use the 11th and a williams to move someone else up to 11.

anyway, what they could of done dont matter, what matters is what they did do and we cant judge that til atleast the end of thier first season and even then its probably unfair.