I've read that he's measuring out as a legitimate 6'5". Not an inch or two shorter like people thought. If this is the case, why not draft him ahead of Carney? Like someone said earlier, why are people seeing upside with Carney when he's a 22 year old senior? I'm not too familiar with either player. I saw Carney in a couple of NCAA games this year and I wasn't too impressed. I haven't seen Ager play, but from what I've read he seems to have all the tools to be a solid starter and a good upgrade over Wesley. Can someone compare the two players and explain why Carney is rated so much higher than Ager?
Carney is 6-7 that can play both SG and SF. Also, athletically, Carney is probably the 2nd best athlete in the draft. I like both guys but I do wonder why Ager is being projected as a 15-20 pick vs. a Top 10-12 pick in Carney.
I bet that right now it's based on uncertainty over Ager's official height. There's no disputing that Carney is 6'6"-6'7". While Ager's been suspected at coming in at 6'4" or even shorter. Now a report said that Ager was measured at a surprising 6'5", but that's not official, so I don't expect the draft projections for questionable height guys to resolve itself until at least the pre-draft camp. And obviously even then we'll need to wait until draft day to see how it finally shakes out.
Just average from what I've seen. He played the 3 for Michigan State, who had 2 good penetrating guards (Nietzel and Brown). From my observations, Ager scored mainly off catch and shoots/spot up shooting and on cuts to the basket - he's very quick and explosive in space. He's pretty comparable to Carney in that he's an athletic wing who's a good spot up shooter. Honestly, it's pretty hard to pick one over the other other than Carney has a clear size/length advantage, and there's just this feeling you get watching Carney vs. Ager of a little more untapped potential in Carney.
Thanks for the info! Still wondering if we'll trade up, or trade down. Looks like Ager might be an option if we swing a deal including our pick, and get a lower 1st round pick in return. He's probably not going as high as the 8th spot.
How comparable is Ager to someone like Cuttino Mobley? Is Rodney Carney comparible to Richard Jefferson?
I wouldn't trust these workout reports. Carney may be the best player on the floor for all we know. If a team wants Carney their scouts will focus on other players in the workouts and hype them as much as possible. Remember Rodney White. He was the next coming of Micheal Jordan. It was all a ploy.
STAY AWAY FROM CARNEY!!!! He is nowhere near the player his athleticism makes it seem he should be...see Stro Swift. Shawne Williams would be a better selection at SF because Carney is not a SG. His handles are loose and suspect. He is not aggressive and got benched this year for lack of effort and concentration. Draft at your own peril.
I take what you are saying very seriously since you had the chance to see him on a regular basis last season and your warning on Stro was pretty much dead on. I was never on the Carney bandwagon anyway.
The thing that keeps Ager from being a Cuttino Mobley type player, IMO, is twofold. First, Ager doesn't have nearly the handles that Mobley, an admittedly "undersized" two guard, did, thus ridding him of the versatility that Cat brings to the table. Also, Cat had a chip on his shoulder trying to prove that he was more than a 2nd rounder. Yes, Ager probably has a chip on his shoulder too (lottery vs mid-late first rounder) but there were many times in MSU games when Ager would seemingly get very tentative. He's kind of streaky in that if he makes his first couple of shots, hel'l start diversifying his game. If his confidence gets shook early, though, he'll tend to camp out at the 3 and just hoist up shots...or disappear from the offense altogether. If he ever learns that he has a big enough body to go inside penetrating, he'll be a good player...
We might just see Shawne Williams taken over Rodney Carney. I just don't see it in Rodney. I'm shaking my head at the Carney RJ comparisons, because RJ attacks the basket with tenacity and that is no where to be seen in Carney's game. If Roy is off the board, which he will be, we need to look at Ronnie Brewer and Maurice Ager. Guys that fit our needs... penetration and perimeter defense. And Brewer is working hard on that shooting stroke, a weak release isn't a problem with his size.
we should look into brandon roy and jj redick more..those two players could help us right away...carney looks like he isn't polished in any way...he looks like he is still looking to find something that will be his mark, redick has proven he can shoot, and roy is a smart player with a nice shot, he could be very dangerous next to yao and mcgrady....if we get james back that would be even more dangerous for other teams that play the fast break basketball, see dallas and phoenix... I do not want shelden williams or tyrus thomas..I do not believe they will have a big impact...I don't even think Shelden will make it thru the nba....he looks like a poor man's sweetney the other guy I was looking forward is marcus williams, but then we have to give up james if he is on our list...and last but not least, bargnani, if smehow we can get toronto to trade the pick plus howard or swift, that would be great!
If Ronnie Brewer shows improvement in his outside shot in the workouts I would definitely prefer him over Carney. How good is Randy Foye? I have heard comparisons to Ben Gordon and Luther Head. If he closer to Ben in creating own shot,range, penetrating ability and toughness I would consider him with the 8th pick despite his lack of size and height but if he is closer to Head in skill level I would pass up on him. I'm moving beyond trying to get Shelden Williams but if he is best player available I wouldn't mind him on the Rockets either.
No more short guards! brewer, carney, ager, roy- one of these guys has to be the real deal, CD, stats man and grumpy need to figure it out for us.
Guys like Roy and Bargnani will most likely be gone by #8, but I think everyone would agree that those would be good picks. Tyrus Thomas is an interesting prospect. I wasn't a big fan of him because he reminds me of Stro w/ a motor, but then I realize that sometimes Stro could be a good player if he played w/ heart. If Thomas were to fall to #8, I wouldn't be suprised if we picked him up, Swift can be easily moved IMO. I wasn't a big fan of Shelden Williams either but I've warmed up to the idea of drafting him. The guy is an absolute beast in the paint, he has a big body that takes up a lot of space and he is a very good defender, the best in the country last season. Overall I want us to see 1 of 2 things in the draft: Size and athleticism on the perimeter (Carney, Brewer, Roy) or some type of improvement at PF (rebounding, scoring, defense), guys like Thomas and Williams can provide some of those things.
