I would still take a risk on Austin Rivers. 14th pick? Why not! I'd take the good with the bad. Any rookie especially at this point in the draft has negatives to come along with em but i see great things for this kid. His game is also tailor made for the NBA, IMO.
...the Rockets pick another player that will more than likely, not see the light of day as we once again prepare for this same exact thread next year.
Like every season, we still long for that trade that would bring us back in the map. But if we kept the 14th pick..
Rivers might be a combo guard but the one big issue the Rockets have is 3rd/4th quarter droughts. They need a scorer badly. Dragic, Lee, Parson, Scola, and the rest are decent scorers but they aren't good enough. Rivers is one of the best offensive players in the draft and I think he will only get better.
Those who voted "others", i'm curious, who are ya'll looking to get at 14 instead? Cause there's i don't see Lamb nor Perry Jones III dropping that low. If they do, as highly unlikely as it is, you certainly must draft em.
In a way, i am hoping that the Knicks pick lands on #18. Since our most pressing needs are C and SG, we should get the best SG available at #14 and make a reach at #18 for Fab Melo. The only reason i would want Melo is because he would make a good combo front court with D-Mo coming over next season. They would have a good mix of defense and offense with a huge amount of rebounds between the two. With D-Mo's offensive/rebounding and Melo's great weakside defense, they would be like a Gasol/D. Jordan combo.
Personally, I am pretty high on Perry Jones and since we will have multiple picks, it's my hope that we will attempt to move up in the draft to get him. I think he could end up going anywhere from 2 to 12 depending what flavor of kool-aid the media is sippin on come draft time. I've analyzed a good number of the players entering the draft this year, but I'm getting the impression that this draft might not be as spectacular as the media has hyped it up to be. To be honest, going into the NCAA season, I had pretty high hopes for a a few names on the list, but after watching them play, I didn't really see anything "special" aside from consensus #1 pick, Anthony Davis. Back in high school, Perry Jones was an absolute beast, but his lack of killer-instinct leaves something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, this class is certainly stronger than last years crop of players, but it is by no means a "special" class like the class of '03 or even the class of 08' (Rose, Westbrook, Love, Gordon, Lopez, etc). It could just be GMs talking up a draft class in order to add value to the draft picks that they have in case a potential trade comes along, but for the most part there aren't any players aside from Davis where you can honestly say to yourself, "Damn, that dude is gonna be a stud in the NBA". I would say this draft class is solid, but far from spectacular.
What makes this draft so special is not the superstar potential that it could( and will ) have, but it's depth at the amount of players that are ready to play in a professional rotation from day one. The lock-out changed the entire landscape of the 2012 draft.
On the subject of Austin Rivers, I think it's always beneficial when a player comes from basketball pedigree, but it doesn't always guarantee success. There are a lot of things to like about Rivers, but there are also a number of things that worry me based on my observations and I've outlined them in the following: Strengths: 1) Quick Release on shot (and a decent jump shooter) 2) Very quick first step 3) Plethora of moves on the offensive end 4) Smart Player (good court awareness and is able to adapt to what the Defense gives him) 5) Good basketball pedigree and fundamentally sound 6) Above-average athlete (good, but nothing special) Weaknesses: 1) Not a good defender 2) Often looks to much for his own shot (gets caught playing 1 on 5) 3) A bit of tweener at the SG position at a generous 6'4" (doesn't really have much court vision so can't really play PG because he's mostly looking to score) 4) For whatever reason almost never goes left and when he cuts left always tries to finish with the right hand (if you've watched him play enough this is definitely something you would observe as a defender) Overall, he has the potential to be a solid NBA player, but there are definitely things that I would try to take a second look at. If anything, his game most resembles a player we already have on our roster (Kevin Martin), except he is younger and hopefully less injury prone.
I think PP is more limited than we thought. We need to thank Luis Scola and let him compete for a ring. Knick fans would appreciate him. Soooo definitely a shot blocker from the PF position.
For once I don't think we should trade up. There is some solid talent at 13 and 16. Jones/Lamb/Rivers/Miller/Teague/White/Marshall If we escape the draft with a combination of any of these players i'd call it a very good night. Look for Morey to draft a PG for the second unit (doubtful to see Llul). Quincy and White would be so exciting to watch develop!
No way. If we can move up a few spots to get Sullinger, we have to do it. We need a young, big body. No guards please.
