I am fine with the Wolves selecting Johnson he is a a talented scorer that fills a need for them just them taking Johnson OVER Cousins is what boggles me. For that matter same with aminu being taken over Cousins when the Kings could use a good center and not another PF. Cousins is still a kid if teams dismiss him based on that its their loss. Now if its because of work ethic thats different but at least according to our UK expert HayesFan he has been fine
For Johnson hopping Cousins, perhaps this is indicative that the Wolves have no intention of sending Jefferson away.
NBADraft.net has Cousins at 7# and Whiteside at 9# My guess is, this draft is so deep, that in the draft we will have some WOW picks If you look to the predictions when the lotery was over, they were very similar, right now everyone has different opinions, it will be a NASTY draft night
Who is the best defensive 4? Please give some details of pros and cons. I would like to see independent views,and not those from draftexpress or nbadraft.net.
The Rockets should not be focusing on getting a center who is only a defensive player- they need to try and nab a Yao replacement. Post scoring is still the surest way to victory in the NBA. We need more of that.
We do need a true replacement for Yao. A big who is athletic,tough and that can play consistently on offense and defense. No one fits that description right now,and even if one was around,it would be very difficult to obtain him.
Everybody's opinion is different. Teams create their own tier systems and hold them secret. Hollinger generally puts out his ideas of who belongs in respective tiers -- but that is his opinion.
if whiteside falls to the late first round, i would look into buying a pick and snatching him up. while i'm not sold on him at 14, i would take a gamble on him in the 20's.
This is one of the longest draft clas ever.... multiple guys with 9'5'' standing reach, and a ton others with 9'+ standing reach.
Alabi has been mired in the 20s but Ford has him moving down. It is one of the few assessments by him with which I agree. Alabi will look like a bust or near bust for his first year and possibly the second. However, after that (assuming he has a good coach like Adelman and Dawson) he will be the best center of his class.
Here's Ford's comments on Whiteside slipping in the draft: A number of teams reported to me that their interviews with Whiteside were rocky. I can understand why. In the 15 minutes or so I spent with him one-on-one he projected a confidence that bordered on naïve arrogance. He compared himself to everyone from Dwight Howard to Hakeem Olajuwon (with whom he spent a week training), complained about where I had him on my mock draft (No. 14 to the Rockets) and was insulted that our scouting report didn't have more on his 3-point shooting ability. Whiteside clearly believes he has the stuff to be great ... but my interview with him was eerily similar to the one I had with Tyrus Thomas a few years ago. Thomas tried to convince me he was a perimeter player, complained he wasn't ranked No. 1 and generally seemed clueless about the rest of the players in the draft. That's not to say Whiteside isn't a nice kid. He has a great smile, can carry on a great conversation and clearly has worked hard on his game the past few years. But it's going to be a big jump to the next level, both emotionally and physically, and from what I saw on Friday, I'm not sure he's quite ready to make it.
I do agree with this. If we can by a pick in the late round I wouldn't mind picking up Whiteside. Just not with the 14.
i wouldn't mind him either. can't teach size. however, whiteside has lottery talent. the only reason hes slipping is his attitude. he'll probably move back up the board with individual workouts, but if he actually slips on draft night... i'd jump on that chance.
Udoh's a solid pick but if Whiteside is available like he has in this mock, then I dont see us passing on him
You pick Udoh WAY before you pick Whiteside... It will take that guy 3 years at the least to develop the right attitude to be in the NBA...
ehhh ... I seriously don't like Udoh for us, he doesn't have the reach and athleticism that will help him translate his shot blocking ability to the NBA, not to mention the guy's lack of reach and strength won't allow him to play center affectively, meaning we would just be drafting another PF... I seriously believe we need to get a center out of this Draft, given Yao's injury problems... and there's and abundance of center's to choose from: Demarcus Cousins C Derrick Favors PF/C (measured similar to Howard, and is capable of playing the position) Greg Monroe PF/C (measured a legit 6'11, giving him Ideal size to play the position) Hassan Whiteside C Cole Aldrich C Daniel Orton C Larry Sanders C Solomon Alabi C Jerome Jordan C etc.... --RB
