With Diogu and Simien measuring taller than expected, and apparently impressing in their workouts, Chris Taft is looking more and more availble. We all know he's a douche bag, but Chad Ford writes: "Combine that with the recent revelations about the actual height of Simien and Diogu, and there's a good chance Taft will be sliding down to the bottom of the first round and maybe even out of it, according to one NBA director of player personnel who claims his team has Taft ranked as the 10th-best power forward in the draft. Maybe that's why, in the past few days, Taft's agent has reversed course and agreed to start working out Taft for teams in the 20s after insisting to them for weeks that he'd be in the lottery." The espn scouting report on Taft reads like this: "Draft Projection: Late lottery to late first round Notes: Started the season as a consensus top-three pick, but played indifferently for most of the year. Some blame it on Pittsburgh's offense -- and point guard Carl Krauser, in particular. Others believe that Taft got a dose of "NBA-itus". He has hired Ben Gordon's agent, Billy Ceisler. Positives: Taft has the rare combination of size, athleticism, strength and power that NBA scouts covet in a good power forward. And unlike many players who possess those abilities, Taft prefers to score with his back to the basket. His footwork is sound, he's patient in the paint and always is working for a good shot. Negatives: He struggled this season. "He just looks like he's going through the motions," one NBA scout said. "Last year he had something to prove. This year, he seems like he's just trying not to get hurt." Another scout said that he's concerned that Taft has put on some bad weight, which might be hurting his athleticism and explosiveness. Scouts wish he was more assertive and question his motor. After a recent workout in Toronto, GM Rob Babcock wondered aloud about his heart. "That's the toughest thing to measure," Babcock, told the Globe and Mail after the Taft workout. "Even the mind's easier to measure than the heart. It's difficult. It's very difficult." "I think Chris is still very raw and he would certainly be better served . . . by going back to school. He has a tremendous amount of potential, there's no doubt. But there's a lot of guys with a great amount of potential. It's what you can do with that and whether you can develop that, that's the key." Summary: There's a dearth of athletic big men in college basketball. When one comes along, very few teams are willing to pass him up. A strong performance in the first round of the tournament (13 pts, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks) helped his stock but so far he's struggled in workouts to the point that he's slipping big time on most draft boards." So, if the Suns take Diogu as they've reportedly promised, and Simien is gone. Would you take Taft if he was available at 24? I think that that level of potential/semi-proven talent is just too much to pass up in the late first. Thoughts?
Taft seems like another Chris Wilcox. A player with a good body and athleticism but a low motor which means a player that just doesnt realize their potential. To me, anyone that JVG takes, will be someone with a high motor, someone that gives maximum effort. Perhaps their potential ceiling is lower but I think JVG would rather go with that type of guy than a high ceiling guy with a questionable motor.
I'm from Pittsburgh and I go to a neighboring D-1 school barely 2 miles down the road from Pitt. Players from my school's team and Pitt's are very close and hang out all the time. I've spoken to players that know Taft well and i've gotten the impression the guy is in it for job security and has serious motivation issues. Apparently the guy is cocky as hell---you just have to light a fire under him to get him to show up. The talent is obviously there, the problem is he's just not a very intelligent person and will probably end up being a headache unless he can crack out of this negative shell he's inside. Would I take him with the #24 pick, though? Hell yes I would. The fact that he's a complete bonehead can't completely mask his talent. If a top 5 talent falls to 24, the move is pretty obvious. JVG is a disciplinarian and perhaps that's what Taft needs since Jamie Dixon is much more of a players coach. Also, I wouldn't underestimate what playing with a premier NBA player like T-Mac could do for a guy like that.
Anybody we take at 24 is going to be a gamble. If we can get a rare combination of size, athleticism, strength and power that NBA scouts covet in a good power forward" who only needs to be motivated, that seems like a risk worth taking. He doesn't seem like Van Gundy's type of player, though.
Well I'd rather trade up and draft a guy like Diogu (whose sounding more and more like a poor man's Brand on defense and Donyell Marshall on offense), but if Taft is at 24 and there aren't any locks available (and there probably won't be) then I think you got to take him. JVG has dealt with all manner of players and personalities. I think he would do a good job getting the most out of Taft if he got the chance.
I think a couple other posters raise a good point. What would having players like T-mac, Sura, Bowen, Padgett, and other hustle players who go out and push really hard do for the kid? I mean, it sounds to me like he grew complacent with a guaranteed top 3 selection and I think that the culture we have on the rockets could help get him going in the right direction. I mean, that first season for Pitt didnt' come out of nowhere...
At 24 you have to go best player available IMO and if hes there at 24 he will defiently be the best player available.
Is he definitely the best player? Maybe he's the best talent or the prospect with the most potential, but I don't know if this makes him the best player. After the Eddie Griffin fiasco, I am simply not interested in a player that has a reputation for having no motivation. And this guy doesn't sound as smart as Boozer, who realized after being drafted in the 2nd round that he'd be out a job unless he applied himself. However, I'd consider trading some cash or assets in order to get an early 2nd round pick for this guy.
Why would the Suns take Diogu? I mean, not necessarily that they shouldn't, but to promise a spot?? Bench play is definitely needed for that team, but of all positions to shore up, why backup PF??
That's what I was wondering too. It seems like there's more sentiment to bringing in a legit center and moving Amare back to PF, than keeping him at C. I personally think that Amare at the C is something they should keep, and bringing in Diogu would make them an impressive frontcourt tandem. But who knows what they're thinking? Either way, I'd love to trade up (package the #24 and some cash to move up a couple of spots), and land Diogu. I'm really high on drafting him.
I think the Suns are pretty content with keeping Amare at the 5 and they're going to need a backup pf with size in case they face teams like the Spurs that have a 4 too big for Marion to guard.
That's a good point. I forgot the Marion is really the 4 on their team. Still, though, with Jimmy Jackson, Barbosa and Walter McCarty as your backup backcourt players, even assuming they re-sign Joe Johnson, there is still room for improvement there, and definitely room for improvement at the center spot in terms of a bigger, more traditional center. But Diogu makes more sense now.
If Taft is available at #24, which I highly doubt he will be, I would pick him up. The guy has the size and the ability to be a force, but he probably lacks the proper work ethic. Maybe a coach like JVG could do something about that.
I'd take Turiaf over him. I'd take Warick over him. I'd take just about any PF except Splitter over him. I wouldn't take him. Maybe the last pick of the 2nd round.
Warrick will be gone by #24, even Splitter will be gone too. I guess it would be a toss up btwn Turiaf and Taft, I think it could go either way.
I wouldn't take Turiaf unless we got a pick at the end of the 2nd round. No way in hell would I take Turiaf in the first. I'd take Warrick over him too, and I would definitely take Splitter.
