# The Official 2006 Orlando Magic Draft Thread



## lw32

Much like the Bulls thread on their boards, I was thinking we could discuss prospects, workouts, and everything else draft related in here. Feel free to ask questions about the draft, give your suggestions and opinions, rankings, whatever you want draft related.

If anyone doesn't know, we're probably looking at the 11th pick, with 0.8% of getting the 1st pick. The lottery order is decided May 23rd.


Here are some sources for the draft:

The Chicago Bulls Draft Thread

There's a lot of good discussions in there about the top players in the draft, and some of the mid range players as the Bulls have a high pick, and the 16th pick.

NBAdraft.net

Most should know of nbadraft.net. A Mock draft website.

Draftexpress 

A good Mock site again, also has good articles and review of players workouts.

Hoopshype Mock

Not a big fan, but still a decent Mock Draft. Their rumor page is better.

Hoopshype Draft Rumors

My favorite draft rumor page.


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## lw32

Here are some workout reviews that have already taken place with other teams. I will update them as more reviews come out. Also, a list of players and their upcoming workouts with teams.

Scheduled Workouts 

*Player, Workout Team, Date*

Leon Powe (CAL), No Team, 8/5


Marqinhos, Morro, Tarance Kinsey (USC), No Team, 11/5

Word On the Street, 14/5

Rodney Carney, No Team, 14/5

Guillermo Diaz/Alexander Johnson, Five Star, 15/5

Patrick O'Bryant/Kyle Lowry, IMG Academy, 18/5


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## cpawfan

You're missing the best draft site in Draftexpress


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## lw32

cpawfan said:


> You're missing the best draft site in Draftexpress


Lol, thanks. I actually thought I had it, but instead had draftcity. Which no longer exists. Weird, considering I check draftexpress regularly.


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## Duck

Personally, I think the Magic should be looking at one of two guys given their situation.

Rodney Carney and J.J. Redick.

Morrison isn't getting past the Blazers

Aldridge isn't getting past the Bulls

Roy isn't getting past the Bobcats

Gay isn't getting past the Timberwolves

and.. if the Hawks don't draft Marcus Williams, I think they should go down in NBA history as the stupidest franchise ever.

I think the Magic should really try and concentrate on trying to persuade to get F. Vasquez to break up with his girlfriend and come and play for the Magic, giving us an unreal depth in the front court. 

*J.J Redick*

Advantages: Whoes going to want to leave Hedo Turkoglu and/or J.J. Redick to double team Dwight Howard or Darko Milicic in the post? Redick is a great shooter and uses screens better than pretty much everyone in the world not named Rip Hamilton. 

Disadvantages: He's somewhat of a defensive liability, especially when teamed with Jameer Nelson in the backcourt. I just don't know how'd they stack up against the bigger and stronger guards in the league. The Magic would have to resign Trevor Ariza or DeShawn Stevenson to make up for him on the defensive end of the floor. Keyon Dooling could also be a big help here, but Jameer and J.J. still have to guard somebody. The Magic had so many problems with limiting penetration this year, and I think its the only thing that may make the Magic hesistant on pulling the trigger on this deal.

*
Rodney Carney*

Advantages: I haven't watched Carney nearly as much as I have of Redick this year, but from what I've seen this kid can flat out jump and run the floor. He's a servicable outside shooter (atleast an upgrade from DeShawn Stevenson) and a decent defender. 

Disadvantages: From what I've read he's very inconsistent (kinda like how Mike Miller was while he was still here -- but then again look where he's at now). He reminds me of Reece Gaines.

My Pick: J.J. Redick

Magic Prediction: Carney. I think he's going to 'wow' the Magic at pre-draft camps but then turn mediocre during the season.


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## lw32

JJ Reddick had a workout with Roy and their agent. Draftexpress reported that there was no 1 on 1, and they believe JJ might not even work out against anyone, ala Gerald Green last year. If JJ doesn't go head to head against other lottery players, he's falling out. Guaranteed. I wouldn't bother drafting him if he's not willing to prove himself.

The link's under the workout post (the 2nd post).


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## ralaw

I don't like the idea of us drafting Redick at #11, to me that is too high for a player of Redick's skill. Now I wouldn't mind us taking Redick at #11 if he was closer to becoming Juan Dixon, but the gamble in my opinion is too high. One thing that I like about Redick is that he has proven his critics wrong on every level, by working hard on his game, so him developing enough ball handling skills in order to be a confident ball handler shouldn't be a problem in my opinion, also he is very head strong having experienced the "Kobe treatment" throughout his college career from fans and the media. However, for me the gamble and risk on him is too high and the only way I could see us rationalizing taking Redick at #11 is if Carney, and a host of other better players are gone or if no team is offering a trade. Almost every draft site has us taking Redick, but the pick of Redick in my opinion just seems to perfect of a fit and convenient to me.

I really am on both sides of the fence of what Rodney Carney can become as a basketball player, but his potential is better than Redick and at his worse he can do what Redick can do at his best. I like Carney's athleticism and shooting ability, he sort of reminds me of Ron Mercer when Mercer was at Kentucky only with more range. I could really see him excelling in a Rip Hamilton role of coming of screens because he really doesn't have the ball handling skills you would expect from a player of his caliber, but he gets great elevation on his shot making it virtually impossible to block. Carney has a tendency to limit himself by settling on his athleticism and jump shot too much which in my opinion hurts what he could become. He has an extremelly quick first step, and open floor quickness, so he has the skills to be a good slasher as well once he developed better ball handling skills. Carney also has all of the tools to be a great wing defender. One thing about Carney in my opinion that can't be ignored was his coaching, Calipari in my opinion isn't a great coach as it relates to developing fundamental skills of his players, and due to this he tends to let them play "free." So, yes Carney may be a senior which typically means you are getting what you see, but from a skillset he probably is closer to being a sophomore. 

Another player I like is Carney's teammate Shawne Williams, in my opinon he can become a Rashard Lewis type player. However, it may be a reach to pick him at #11. At 6'9" he has a tremendous versatility being able to play from 1 to 4 positions on the court at any given time. He has good court awareness, good ballhandling skills, good rebounding skills and is a good shooter. He also has proven the ability to play with passion and intensity. A major knock on him would be his defense which is usually the case for many players coming out of college. However, he in my opinion would still be a better pick than Redick at this point.

Overall, if Carney is available at #11, Orlando has to take him unless a top player falls or the team is offered a trade. I don't like the idea of taking Redick at this point because in my opinion it'll be possible to find a player of his skills later in the draft or in free agency. If Carney and Williams were gone I would rather us trade down or take a player such as Patrick O'Bryant or Sheldon Williams and possibly package them in a trade. Another thing I believe we should consider is trading the pick outright for a veteran player such as JR Smith or a possible draft pick in next years potentially deep and talented draft.


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## lw32

Looks like Carney and his agent feel that he'll be selected in the top 10. Between 3 and 10 to be specific. That's only 1 pick away from us, but one too high.

He'll start scheduling workouts after the 23rd, when the draft lottery is finalized and he'll "probably" only work out for teams from 3-10. Interesting.

He's also been working out with McGrady and his brother for the last few weeks.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/tigers/article/0,2844,MCA_25363_4698083,00.html


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## lw32

A new article on Alexander Johnson and Guillermo Diaz's workouts for draftexpress is up.

It sounds a bit too positive, if they were as good as draftexpress proposed they'd be lottery picks.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1301


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## lw32

DraftExpress posted a review of Kyle Lowry and Patrick O'Bryant's workout at IMG last week.

Patrick O'Bryant seems to be moving up the board a little if you ask me. If Bynum could go top 10, O'Bryant should too. He's shown he can rebound, and he's athletic for a 7 footer. He's physically everything you could ask for out of a center, huge wingspan, big broad shoulders which will help him keep position and add some strength, agile, quick and athletic. He's also shown in college that he's a good rebounder.

I'll predict that O'Bryant, if his workouts keep going well will be gone between 4 and 12. Atlanta, Toronto, Minnesota, Boston, Golden State and New Orleans could all use a big man like O'Bryant. Seattle and Houston are probably fine with what they have. Seattle might seem weird, but with Swift and Petro they seem to have young players already at the 5. Both showed glimpses last year of being decent.

If O'Bryant moves up past us, then we'll be looking at someone falling. Probably a 2 or 3, as Gay, Morrison, Aldridge, Marcus Williams, Bargnani and Thomas will more than likely be gone.

Another player who could work their way up the board is Cedric Simmons. We all know the NBA scouts love athletic bigmen. Simmons fits that mold, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's picked before Sheldon Williams.

Of course all of this is just predictions until more is known about their workouts and the pre-draft tests are done.

Patrick O'Bryant and Kyle Lowry, IMG Academy, 18/5


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## lw32

All of this would have been a lot easier if we had selected Gerald Green last year instead of letting him slide all the way to Boston. I know the main knock on him was that he didn't participate in workouts which weren't directed, and didn't participate against other players.

Signs are that Reddick could be going the same route. If he does, he needs to fire his agent. Agents think they're being smart, protecting their clients from dropping but realistically it's putting the player in a no-win situation.


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## goodseats

first of all, why would you not draft the redick that you see now, but draft him if you thought he could be a juan dixon type of player. juan dixon is not a lottery talent level type player, not even close. second yeah that article is definitely wrong if it says that diaz is going to be in the lottery. hes a second round pick for sure. i really hope orlando takes a good look at ronnie brewer. i mean last year i really liked antoine wright and look at what a great year he had, but i think ronnie brewer could do well on our team.


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## lw32

Ralaw looks to be right, Shawne Williams (Memphis) will probably be staying in the draft. NBA execs. are saying that he could move his way into the lottery easily if he has a few good workouts and shows the shot he lost half way through the year.

Also James White is really shooting up the board. He'll probably no longer be available with any of our 2nd rounders. He's looking like he'll be a mid-late 1st rounder.

The Boston Celtics are really looking at 1's and that's about all. That's good for us, because Williams will probably be gone before they pick and Foye has shown little point guard skills. As I thought, reports from his workouts are saying he's a 2, and doesn't really have much in the way of skills to play the 1. Either the Celtics will reach, draft Foye, take the BPA, or trade down.

The Rockets seem to be keen on drafting a point guard too. Rondo, Foye, Gibson and Washington all worked out for Houston this week. Note that Lowry was not apart, for whatever reason. Mardy Collins wasn't there either. If Houston is looking for a 1 (like Boston) Lowry and Collins will probably have workouts later.

Rajon Rondo came away as impressive. He's using his athleticism well, and supposedly measured in "off the charts" for the agility test. He was beating the defender constantly. Also he was shooting well in the drills, "better than advertised", but seemed to freeze up when it came to shooting in the 2-on-2's. His penetration was excellent, and he made good decisions. Excellent defender too. Measured in at 6'2. Foye measured at 6'3 (not 6'4).

No one else who would really affect our pick, or picks around us, in the article.

Shawne Williams 
Foye, Rondo and White


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## TM

Lachlanwood32 said:


> If JJ doesn't go head to head against other lottery players, he's falling out. Guaranteed. I wouldn't bother drafting him if he's not willing to prove himself.


Prove himself? And you want him to go against other lottery players? Like.....? Ronnie Brewer? Brandon Roy? Maurice Ager? Mardy Collins? Unless I'm forgetting someone, those are the only 2 guards with any shot of going in the lottery. If I'm going by what some of you are saying, there's no way Roy will be around by the time your pick comes up at #11. Brewer can't shoot himself out of a wet paper bag. Same for Collins. And unless something happens during some workouts, the Orlando GM would be a fool to select Ager with a pick anywhere before 13. And also, what is Redick proving? He's slower than those other 4. Everyone knows it. He plays mediocre defense. Everyone knows that too. And he shoots better than those for, with the exception of Roy when he's on fire. Everyone knows that.


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## lw32

TM said:


> Prove himself? And you want him to go against other lottery players? Like.....? Ronnie Brewer? Brandon Roy? Maurice Ager? Mardy Collins? Unless I'm forgetting someone, those are the only 2 guards with any shot of going in the lottery. If I'm going by what some of you are saying, there's no way Roy will be around by the time your pick comes up at #11. Brewer can't shoot himself out of a wet paper bag. Same for Collins. And unless something happens during some workouts, the Orlando GM would be a fool to select Ager with a pick anywhere before 13. And also, what is Redick proving? He's slower than those other 4. Everyone knows it. He plays mediocre defense. Everyone knows that too. And he shoots better than those for, with the exception of Roy when he's on fire. Everyone knows that.


Redick has to prove that he's not an Eric Piatkowski, nor a Trajan Langdon. He needs to show scouts that he's not purely 1 dimensional and it was merely due to the Duke system. He needs to show some ballhandling skills. If Redick purely competes in a controlled environment without competition he'll drop, definitely. Gerald Green dropped from a top 5 pick because of it last year.

Rodney Carney will be a 2/3, Foye a 2 and Roy a 2. Add Collins and Brewer and you have 5 players who could fall in the lottery.

If Redick is purely happy with the perceptions already cast upon him, fine. If he thinks that he has nothing to prove and can't play any better defense, can't show better athleticism and can't show any improvements over his recent college season, fine. He's completely wasted the time and resources available to him since the seasons ended though.

The scouts already know he can shoot the lights out, and probably better than everyone in the draft. He needs to develop his weaknesses and show his improvements off in his workouts, not reiterate the same point. That he can shoot. Everyone knows it. As mentioned by scouts, if they wanted to see Redick shoot the ball for an entire workout they could have attended a Duke pre-game warmup. They want to see Redick's other skills. If he can't show them, he won't go high.


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## TM

Or you could have watched a Duke game this last season instead of just picking up things about him on highlight clips and radio talk shows.

Arm Tellam seems to know what he's doing. I'm sure he'll have JJ do the right thing.

J.J. Redick: In his own words



> Right now I'm starting to prepare for the draft. I think it's hard to improve on something in a month. I did a great deal for improvement during my four years at Duke. I'm not going be liked by every GM or team-all it takes is one to take me give and give me a chance to play. I'm just trying to stay sharp and continue to improve on the areas where I need improvment like shooting off dribble, ball handling. Hopefully during workouts I can do some things that surprise people.


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## lw32

TM said:


> Or you could have watched a Duke game this last season instead of just picking up things about him on highlight clips and radio talk shows.
> 
> Arm Tellam seems to know what he's doing. I'm sure he'll have JJ do the right thing.


Not sure where you're going with this. Either you're accussing me of not having watched JJ play this season, or just regurgitating stuff I've heard.

If you think JJ's more than a shooter, sorry to dissapoint you with my criticism. If you think that JJ doesn't need to work out against competition, just take a look at others who were far more talented and dropped. Far.

Arn Tellem (I guess that's who you were talking about) is a good agent, I'll give you that. He's worked his way up SFX for good reasons. That doesn't mean that JJ won't fall though. Tellem can only represent JJ, he can't plan on hiding his weaknesses through tailored workouts and expect to impress teams.

If teams were impressed, they wouldn't be voicing their displeasure would they?

I've pretty much sussed out that you're an avid Duke supporter. Am I correct to assume so? I have nothing against Duke, I just don't see JJ projecting to become a great NBA player. I've been wrong before though (not often though!).


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## DrewDaGreat

Carney. Carney. Carney.

That's who I want at 11.


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## lw32

Carney was supposedly impressive in his last workout during the drills, but lackluster during the 2 on 2. It was his first serious workout though. He was "unconcious" from the 3 point line supposedly.

The workout was with Ager, Foye and Adams. Supposedly Ager and Foye played great in the game, but Carney was the best during the drills. Hopefully he doesn't impress too many other teams, because with his athleticism and range he could be a real talent.

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1312


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## TM

Duke supporter, yes. Annoying Duke homer, I try my best not to be. 

Great NBA player? I don't believe he will be, and I don't believe I said he would be. But mentioning him with Trajan Langdon? You are mistaken. I'm sorry if I'm regurgitating stuff you've heard, but that's a poor comparison. As for accusing you of not watching him play this season - you may have. You may have also watched Trajan Langdon when he was at Duke, but I don't think you did. The reason I don't think you did - you wouldn't be comparing the two. Anyway, that is really of little importance.



> Arn Tellem (I guess that's who you were talking about) is a good agent, I'll give you that. He's worked his way up SFX for good reasons. That doesn't mean that JJ won't fall though. Tellem can only represent JJ, he can't plan on hiding his weaknesses through tailored workouts and expect to impress teams.


You said...



> If he does, he needs to fire his agent.


My reply was basically, Arm seems to know what he's doing. I know that just having a certain agent will automatically prevent a guy from falling 

Anyway, it really doesn't matter to me whether or not the Magic pick him. He proved in college he's got the determination and drive to improve. I'm sure he'll improve in some of his weaker areas.

BTW, he had a workout yesterday for Golden State. If anyone hears anything about it, I'd like to hear about it. I can't seem to find any info about it.


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## lw32

TM said:


> Duke supporter, yes. Annoying Duke homer, I try my best not to be.
> 
> Great NBA player? I don't believe he will be, and I don't believe I said he would be. But mentioning him with Trajan Langdon? You are mistaken. I'm sorry if I'm regurgitating stuff you've heard, but that's a poor comparison. As for accusing you of not watching him play this season - you may have. You may have also watched Trajan Langdon when he was at Duke, but I don't think you did. The reason I don't think you did - you wouldn't be comparing the two. Anyway, that is really of little importance.
> 
> 
> 
> You said...
> 
> 
> 
> My reply was basically, Arm seems to know what he's doing. I know that just having a certain agent will automatically prevent a guy from falling
> 
> Anyway, it really doesn't matter to me whether or not the Magic pick him. He proved in college he's got the determination and drive to improve. I'm sure he'll improve in some of his weaker areas.
> 
> BTW, he had a workout yesterday for Golden State. If anyone hears anything about it, I'd like to hear about it. I can't seem to find any info about it.


JJ is definitely a lot better of a player than Langdon coming out. Trajan wasn't even the best player on the Duke team IMO, JJ probably is. However, they both had similar weaknesses which is why I mentioned Langdon. Really, it's impossible to come up with an exact comparison for JJ. I like a poor-man's Reggie Miller more than Piatkowski and Langdon.

I haven't heard anything about the GS workout yet. Foye, Gansey and Grunfield were supposed to be a part of the workout too. Will be interesting to hear about the Foye/JJ match up.


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## TM

How bout David Wesley?

I'm working on getting some info. I'll let ya know.


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## deanwoof

David Wesley could at least play some minutes at PG, like he did early in his career.


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## TM

Redick will be able to before it's all said and done


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## goodseats

i would hate to see david wesley here, all he does is spot up and hope somebody else can create an open shot for him. if you want a player like that please hope we draft redick, because at least redick hasnt proven that he cant do anything else yet. 

david wesley?


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## deanwoof

goodseats said:


> i would hate to see david wesley here, all he does is spot up and hope somebody else can create an open shot for him. if you want a player like that please hope we draft redick, because at least redick hasnt proven that he cant do anything else yet.
> 
> david wesley?



I think what TM meant when he said David Wesley was him comparing the two. JJ Redick = David Wesley.


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## lw32

TM said:


> How bout David Wesley?
> 
> I'm working on getting some info. I'll let ya know.


I think Redick is a far superior player to Wesley without the ball. Redick moves to get open with the best of them. If he can do it as a pro he could become a Hamilton/Miller-mold player. I also think Wesley has a better handle than JJ at the moment.

Still haven't found anything on the JJ workout, must have been pretty private.

Brandon Roy worked out for the Lakers. He was good, but not exceptional. Had a 41'' vertical, perfect midrange and pull up jumper with great form, measured in at 6'6 with 6'9 wingspan. Supposedly he was only "decent" though and everything else was "pretty average."

Still doubt he drops to us though.

Brandon Roy, 29/5, Lakers

I've also been hearing that Shelden Williams could be going to Houston or Golden State. God knows why Golden State is seriously impressed with him, they already have Biedrins, Murphy and Ike.


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## lw32

There was also a good article on Rodney Carney in the Orlando Sentinel.

I'm trying to figure out who we have coming in for workouts, if you hear anything let me know please.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/local/orl-magic2806may28,0,5258994.story


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## lw32

Carney is working out on the 8th of June for us. Hoopshype has him down for New Orleans on that date, but I guess they're wrong. Emens, his agent, doesn't believe he'll be around for our pick though. That's probably just agent talk though, I hope.


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## hobojoe

What's funny about the Magic is for how poorly they draft in the first round, they have a history of picking productive players in the 2nd round (although often times not keeping them). For the Jeryl Sasser, Steven Hunter and Fran Vazquez picks, we drafted Zaza Pachulia acquired Keith Bogans on draft day and drafted Anderson Varejao as well. It'll be interesting to see if we can pull another steal out of the second round this year, and actually keep him.


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## lw32

hobojoe said:


> What's funny about the Magic is for how poorly they draft in the first round, they have a history of picking productive players in the 2nd round (although often times not keeping them). For the Jeryl Sasser, Steven Hunter and Fran Vazquez picks, we drafted Zaza Pachulia acquired Keith Bogans on draft day and drafted Anderson Varejao as well. It'll be interesting to see if we can pull another steal out of the second round this year, and actually keep him.


We also have up to 3 2nd rounders this year. I don't believe we'll take all 3 picks this year, as that'd overload the roster, but we'll see what happens. There is some interesting players to be had in the 2nd round though.

The only reason Ronnie Brewer seems so off-putting to me is because of Reece Gaines and Jerryl Sasser. He's got too many similarities for me to even take the risk of wanting to draft him.


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## deanwoof

Lachlanwood32 said:


> The only reason Ronnie Brewer seems so off-putting to me is because of Reece Gaines and Jerryl Sasser. He's got too many similarities for me to even take the risk of wanting to draft him.


I agree. Something about these 6'5-7 "PGs" makes me cringe for our team. I think it's the Penny curse.


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## hobojoe

Lachlanwood32 said:


> We also have up to 3 2nd rounders this year. I don't believe we'll take all 3 picks this year, as that'd overload the roster, but we'll see what happens. There is some interesting players to be had in the 2nd round though.


I agree with you there, we'll probably trade away at least one of them for a future 2nd rounder or for cash. Some names I would consider in the 2nd round: Hassan Adams, Mustafa Shakur, Kevin Pittsnogle, Allan Ray.


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## TM

deanwoof said:


> I think what TM meant when he said David Wesley was him comparing the two. JJ Redick = David Wesley.


Thank you, dean

Sorry folks, it was just an attempt to find a comparision. I you want to find a 6'4" white guy who shoots, handles, and moves like JJ, you're gonna be looking for quite a while. If you want a guy who could mirror what JJ Redick could be like in a couple years, I think I'll stick with the David Wesley of the Charlotte Hornets days. 

You're right though, Lachlan. JJ moves a whole lot better without the ball.


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## goodseats

ohh well then i see your point much better now, i was thinking you actually wanted us to get david wesley. it is a good comparison though, i have never heard of david wesley playing well in a big game.


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## TM

Like against Texas or NC State in the ACC Title game or against BC in the ACC Title game or....

Won't matter anyway. The Magic haven't played in any big games for years.


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## goodseats

the texas game was a blowout, nc state is nc state, and the boston college game i dont remember very well, but i doubt it was very impressive. 

i know he is a good player i just hate duke and most of their players, him being one of the more hated ones, so i dont want to see him on the magic at all.


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## TM

goodseats said:


> the texas game was a blowout,


I wonder why



> nc state is nc state,






> and the boston college game i dont remember very well, but i doubt it was very impressive.


it was

i'd rather not see him on the magic either. they're not on tv enough around my parts.


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## Captain Obvious

Second Rounders to Look At:

Hassan Adams- Can give us what Ariza gave us last year.
Kevin Pittsnogle- Savvy player who can light it up like PG used to.
Solomon Jones- Local kid has a lot of "upside potential" (sorry I guess listening to Hubie is getting in my head) but for now he's a body that can gives us a few minutes here and there.
James White- Long uber-athletic wingman who can play some D. Doesn't really make sense though if we get a guy like him (Carney) in the first.

We should also look to get at least one guy to stash overseas (Sene, Markota, Veremeenko, etc.)


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## JNice

Captain Obvious said:


> Second Rounders to Look At:
> 
> Hassan Adams- Can give us what Ariza gave us last year.
> Kevin Pittsnogle- Savvy player who can light it up like PG used to.
> Solomon Jones- Local kid has a lot of "upside potential" (sorry I guess listening to Hubie is getting in my head) but for now he's a body that can gives us a few minutes here and there.
> James White- Long uber-athletic wingman who can play some D. Doesn't really make sense though if we get a guy like him (Carney) in the first.
> 
> We should also look to get at least one guy to stash overseas (Sene, Markota, Veremeenko, etc.)



Hassan Adams I wouldn't mind. To me he's like a better DeShawn Stevenson. I am guessing he'll go in the first round somewhere.

Having seen Solomon Jones play firsthand, I wouldn't waste a pick on him. He reminds me too much of Steven Hunter. He's very long and looks very athletic, but he has no idea how to use his athleticism and his footwork, like Hunter, is terrible. Watching him live it looked like he should be dominating but wasn't. He might make a roster but I doubt he is around for long. He could be very successful overseas though.

I would love to pickup James White. I think the best case draft for this draft to me would be to somehow land Brandon Roy with the first pick and White with the 2nd. But neither of those is probably going to happen.


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## TM

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/...onicle.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com



> I'm going back to L.A. before I head to Houston for a workout Saturday. After that I'm actually going to head to Duke for a few days before I go to Orlando for the pre-draft camp. I'm not going to play there, just going for the physical. *The day the Orlando camp ends actually I'm going to work out for the Magic.
> *
> I'm not too worried about what number I get drafted. I want a good situation for me, a situation where I can prove myself right away. I couldn't care less what number I'm making. The difference in money between a few picks is not that big. Right now I'm working out for the teams between six and 14, and for Chicago, which has the second and 16th picks.


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## lw32

There's also been rumors about us moving up to the 7 and 8 range. I don't believe Otis Smith would be letting the world know of his intentions though. Nobody had much of an idea that we were going to take Vasquez last year. Of course, it could have been to warm up interest from teams in the range. Usually when these type of things go public it's a last resort by one of the managers.


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## JNice

I want Brandon Roy. If we can move up a few spots to get him by trading Vasquez' rights, I'd be up for it. As long as we intend to keep Darko around.


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## lw32

http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1348

All the measurements are out.

Some interesting notes:

No measurements for Rajon Rondo. He must have a 6'10+ wingspan though.

Saer Sene is intriguing, 9'5 standing reach and 7'8.5'' wingspan. With the right training he could be a real defensive force.

JJ Redick measured out a bit taller than we though, however his wingspan is only 6'3.

Shelden Williams had a huge wingspan, as did Shawne too. However both standing reaches were a little short, both have near identical numbers.

Rudy Gay and Tyrus Thomas have near identical numbers. Every thing is so similar. The difference? Gay is a legit 3, Thomas is undecided between the 3 and 4.

Carney measured short, however his wingspan was decent and his standing reach was up there with Shelden Williams.


----------



## ralaw

It seems very possible now with this rumored Pheonix/Seattle trade that it's likely that the Suns could select Carney or Brewer at #10. I've also heard rumors of us trading Hedo + #11 for the chance to move up and take Roy; however, to me that seems to be a little much for Roy, as Hedo really came on last season proving to be a sure fire 3rd option offensively. It's my understanding that Otis really likes Roy or Gay; however, it still seems unlikely that we'll be able to pull something off for either of them unless they slide to the 6-10 range. I've also heared rumors of Houston taking Carney at #8. So it's very possible that when we pick at #11 that Carney will be off the board with either Pheonix or Houston selecting him. 

I fully understand the history of us selecting combo guards such as Brewer in recent drafts, but it's very likely he'll be the best player available at #11 for what we need. I honestly believe Brewer is a better player than both Jeryl Sasser and Reece Gaines and may be the best pick at #11 if Carney is off the board.

1. Rodney Carney
2. Ronnie Brewer
3. Shawne Williams (a reach at #11....should trade back for extra pick if we want him)
4. Patrick O'Bryant 
5. trade pick for young veteran SG (ie JR Smith) or trade for a pick in next years draft.


----------



## lw32

ralaw said:


> It seems very possible now with this rumored Pheonix/Seattle trade that it's likely that the Suns could select Carney or Brewer at #10. I've also heard rumors of us trading Hedo + #11 for the chance to move up and take Roy; however, to me that seems to be a little much for Roy, as Hedo really came on last season proving to be a sure fire 3rd option offensively. It's my understanding that Otis really likes Roy or Gay; however, it still seems unlikely that we'll be able to pull something off for either of them unless they slide to the 6-10 range. I've also heared rumors of Houston taking Carney at #8. So it's very possible that when we pick at #11 that Carney will be off the board with either Pheonix or Houston selecting him.
> 
> I fully understand the history of us selecting combo guards such as Brewer in recent drafts, but it's very likely he'll be the best player available at #11 for what we need. I honestly believe Brewer is a better player than both Jeryl Sasser and Reece Gaines and may be the best pick at #11 if Carney is off the board.
> 
> 1. Rodney Carney
> 2. Ronnie Brewer
> 3. Shawne Williams (a reach at #11....should trade back for extra pick if we want him)
> 4. Patrick O'Bryant
> 5. trade pick for young veteran SG (ie JR Smith) or trade for a pick in next years draft.



Brewer would be a fine pick, as long as we don't try and portray him as a 1. Or even a fill-in 1. If we draft Brewer I want him solely as a 2, never playing the 1. I don't care if it doesn't optimize his skill package, I don't want to see Orlando try it. It shot Gaines and Sasser because they lost all confidence in the ability which got them to the NBA.

It looks like Hasan Adams will be around in the 2nd round, especially with his new injury.

I'd love to see us grab a Thomas, Roy or Gay if they were to slip to 6 (someone has to slip). Every year it seems a decent player slips from the top few spots. Paul Pierce, Gerald Green for the Celtics alone. I'm hoping if we see one of the top players slipping we pounce up a few spots and take them around 6-8.


----------



## Duck

J.J. Redick is really dropping on everyone's draft boards. I've seen him go as low as #22 to the Nets.

I've also considered the Hedo Turkoglu rumors and their impact on the team. Honestly, I don't know if anyone in this draft is going to fill the Magic's need like Hedo does. Adam Morrison or Rudy Gay are inticing still, but I think its a bit much to give up for a pick in this draft.


----------



## JNice

FYI - I haven't been around as much working around 10.5 hrs a day and working out 2 hours a day but I am taking Wed night off from working out and will be watching the draft in its entirety so I will probably be online the whole night if anyone wants to hang around and discuss the haps. Should be a very interesting draft to say the least.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> FYI - I haven't been around as much working around 10.5 hrs a day and working out 2 hours a day but I am taking Wed night off from working out and will be watching the draft in its entirety so I will probably be online the whole night if anyone wants to hang around and discuss the haps. Should be a very interesting draft to say the least.


I might be on, it'll be more of a spur of the moment decision though. Also, usually draft day's extremely busy around here and in the past I seem to recall surver crashes (not sure if that was at bbb.net).

This draft seems like it has a lot of potential for trades and surprises because there is no certified #1. Last year, by the time the draft rolled around, it was pretty much a sure thing that Bogut would go 1. This year, I don't think it's as certain.

At the moment I think that our draft board looks like this:

1. Ronnie Brewer
2. Rodney Carney
3. JJ Redick

Of course these are only players that have a legitimate chance to be around for our pick. I think others are rated higher, but we don't have a chance at 11.

I'm hoping we don't select Redick still. Draftexpress has Brewer, Carney and Redick going in order. With us landing Redick.


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> I might be on, it'll be more of a spur of the moment decision though. Also, usually draft day's extremely busy around here and in the past I seem to recall surver crashes (not sure if that was at bbb.net).
> ...



That's true... supposedly they have new servers this year and everything will be fine. I think last year I spent much of the draft chatting over AIM with Sir Patchwork when the servers crashed. Either last year or the year before.

If some big trade goes down there is a good chance you'll probably be right ...


----------



## TM

So, you hate the pick?


----------



## JNice

So, JJ Redick it is. I'm a little disappointed we didn't take Carney. And I was hoping Gay would continue to slide.

I'm not sure how I feel about us taking JJ right now.


----------



## TM

after all i said a month ago, ya probably should have taken Brewer


----------



## lw32

Definitely hate the pick. I don't mind JJ's offense, it's his defense. What a liability our backcourt is now. Nelson and JJ is possibly the most unathletic backcourt in the L.

Seriously contemplating severing all ties with Orlando. I'm extremely sick of bad pick after bad pick, year after year.


----------



## JNice

As long as his back is really fine he should at least help with Orlando's pretty crappy outside shooting.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> As long as his back is really fine he should at least help with Orlando's pretty crappy outside shooting.


There are so many question marks around Redick though. His back, his defense, his athleticism, his ball handling. Why not take a player that doesn't have injury concerns, is athletic and can at least play defense in Carney or Brewer?

Why do we always make such bad picks every year?


----------



## ralaw

I like Redick, but I don't like selecting him over Carney and Brewer. I do believe Redick fits a need, but at this point in the draft selecting the best player should be of higher priority. Carney can essentially do what Redick can do offensively while adding defense and athleticsm. I don't understand the pick.


----------



## JNice

Utah takes Brewer ... Utah wanted Redick ... maybe a trade coming? hrmmm...


----------



## ralaw

JNice said:


> Utah takes Brewer ... Utah wanted Redick ... maybe a trade coming? hrmmm...


That would be wonderful, but I don't know.....


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> Utah takes Brewer ... Utah wanted Redick ... maybe a trade coming? hrmmm...


Lets hope so. Maybe Redick and Vasquez for Brewer? Haha.

Redick's not a bad pick if we're drafting 15th, or if there weren't so many question marks surrounding Redick. Usually these trades are leaked pretty quickly though, I'm not confident a trade will go down.


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> There are so many question marks around Redick though. His back, his defense, his athleticism, his ball handling. Why not take a player that doesn't have injury concerns, is athletic and can at least play defense in Carney or Brewer?
> 
> Why do we always make such bad picks every year?



My only real worry really is defensively next to Jameer ... other than that, with Jameer, Hedo, Dwight, and Darko he doesn't need to do much else other than stand outside and hit open shots. 

With Jameer, JJ, and Hedo on the perimeter and Darko hanging around at mid-range ... Dwight is going to be tough to double and triple team.

I would have preferred Carney I think but I don't think Redick is a terrible pick ... as long as his back is not a big issue.


----------



## lw32

The more I think about it, the more I dislike this pick. What exactly is Redick going to provide for us besides shooting and better spacing on offense?


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> The more I think about it, the more I dislike this pick. What exactly is Redick going to provide for us besides shooting and better spacing on offense?


What else do we really need? 

Now I'd like to see us grab James White in the 2nd round ... then he can be our defensive SG/SF .. here's hoping ...


----------



## rainman

i always thought redick would end up there for the simple reason i see coach k taking over there in a year or two.


----------



## JNice

rainman said:


> i always thought redick would end up there for the simple reason i see coach k taking over there in a year or two.



Coack K taking over in Orlando? Nah, I don't see it. I'd see Coach K only going to a bigger market NBA team, if any. Although it is a good place to retire.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> What else do we really need?
> 
> Now I'd like to see us grab James White in the 2nd round ... then he can be our defensive SG/SF .. here's hoping ...


Stevenson is a decent defender. I think we need a starter who can do both, not one or the other. I just think you can't have a player that is too 1-dimensional and win the championship.

There goes Carney to Philadelphia. Iguodala and Carney seem like a nasty pairing.


----------



## lw32

Is the Rudy Gay to Memphis deal final yet? If not, that's the perfect trade for us to take. Offer Redick + Vazquez + filler.


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Is the Rudy Gay to Memphis deal final yet? If not, that's the perfect trade for us to take. Offer Redick + Vazquez + filler.



Hasn't been announced .. and Houston was supposedly interested in Redick. I don't really understand why Houston wanted to trade Gay for Battier.. but who knows...

I can't keep up with all the trades...


----------



## lw32

Double post.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> Hasn't been announced .. and Houston was supposedly interested in Redick. I don't really understand why Houston wanted to trade Gay for Battier.. but who knows...
> 
> I can't keep up with all the trades...


From what I know the Portland trades (Boston and Chicago) have been announced. That's all as of now.


----------



## ralaw

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Is the Rudy Gay to Memphis deal final yet? If not, that's the perfect trade for us to take. Offer Redick + Vazquez + filler.


Sorry Lachlanwood32, but I don't see Redick being traded. It seems Redick is hear to stay. What scares me about Redick and this may sound strange, but he almost fits our "needs" almost too perfectly and it makes me nervous about his prospect. The pick just seems almost too perfect. However, as I said, I like Redick, but this pick just makes me nervous.


----------



## lw32

ralaw said:


> Sorry Lachlanwood32, but I don't see Redick being traded. It seems Redick is hear to stay. What scares me about Redick and this may sound strange, but he almost fits our"needs" almost too perfectly and it makes me nervous about his prospect. The pick just seems almost too perfect.


See I think he only fits one need. I feel we have more than one need though. I also feel we can't be too one-dimensional on the perimeter. We need players that aren't liabilities on the defensive end.


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> See I think he only fits one need. I feel we have more than one need though. I also feel we can't be too one-dimensional on the perimeter. We need players that aren't liabilities on the defensive end.



James White ... James White ... I want James White!

Then we can throw White and Redick into a pot, boil for 20 mins, and make the perfect SG for our team.


----------



## JNice

I'd love to see Shannon Brown fall to us but I don't see that happening.


----------



## ralaw

Lachlanwood32 said:


> See I think he only fits one need. I feel we have more than one need though. I also feel we can't be too one-dimensional on the perimeter. We need players that aren't liabilities on the defensive end.


Yeah, that's my point he fits our need for a shooter, but thats about it. I personally don't like Stevenson, but it seems with this pick he may have to be re-signed. Every perimeter player we have is one-dimensional and this concerns me as well, as they either offer offense or defense, but not both.


----------



## ralaw

JNice said:


> James White ... James White ... I want James White!
> 
> Then we can throw White and Redick into a pot, boil for 20 mins, and make the perfect SG for our team.


I've heard the Lakers are in love with White and are considering selecting him at #26.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> James White ... James White ... I want James White!
> 
> Then we can throw White and Redick into a pot, boil for 20 mins, and make the perfect SG for our team.


Now that'd be great! Too bad White doesn't use his athleticism to his advantage as much as I'd like, somewhat like Carney.

I have a feeling we'll go with Kevin Pittsnogle in the second. Redick and Pittsnogle, I'm going to cringe at our unathletic lineup if Garrity gets thrown out there with Redick, Pittsnogle and Hedo.

It's not as if we don't have shooters, it's just our shooters can't get PT because they don't do anything else to warrant being on the court. I still can't see why Redick will be any different. I'm praying I'm wrong though.


----------



## ralaw

Okay, Redick is our pick and I'm going to stand by it. I guess I'll revert back to my orginal beliefs of Carney being overrated to validate my beliefs. :biggrin: I will say I like JJ's heart, determination and work ethic and having experienced the "Kobe treatment" from the media and haters ignited a fire in him to prove people wrong. GO JJ!!


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Now that'd be great! Too bad White doesn't use his athleticism to his advantage as much as I'd like, somewhat like Carney.
> 
> I have a feeling we'll go with Kevin Pittsnogle in the second. Redick and Pittsnogle, I'm going to cringe at our unathletic lineup if Garrity gets thrown out there with Redick, Pittsnogle and Hedo.
> 
> It's not as if we don't have shooters, it's just our shooters can't get PT because they don't do anything else to warrant being on the court. I still can't see why Redick will be any different. I'm praying I'm wrong though.



Pittsnogle in the 2nd ... hah ... damn I hope not


----------



## TM

JNice said:


> Coack K taking over in Orlando? Nah, I don't see it. I'd see Coach K only going to a bigger market NBA team, if any. Although it is a good place to retire.


He already runs the Clippers. I don't think he wants Orlando too. 

His dribbling will improve.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> Pittsnogle in the 2nd ... hah ... damn I hope not


Don't be surprised.

ralaw, we shouldn't excuse the JJ pick. It's not bad, I just don't think it was the best option. Good thing I'm a Sixers fan too.

Rudy Gay trade still not mentioned, and the 13th for 16th trade was just announced concerning Carney. Wondering if that was just a wild rumor?


----------



## JNice

Things could be worse ... we could be the Knicks.


----------



## TM

JNice said:


> Things could be worse ... we could be the Knicks.


:laugh:

Isiah has talent.... ruining everything he touches. Tonight sums up his post-playing career.


----------



## lw32

Yeah, but New York has had successful drafts in the past under Thomas. He's not a good GM, but the scouts aren't bad.

Our draft record doesn't even compare to NY, they're light years ahead of us.


----------



## lw32

Supposedly it's Rudy Gay AND Stromile Swift for Shane Battier. Wow. I'd be mad if I was a Houston fan.


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Supposedly it's Rudy Gay AND Stromile Swift for Shane Battier. Wow. I'd be mad if I was a Houston fan.



Stromile heading back there? That doesn't seem to make sense.

Josh Boone off the board ... thought maybe we could get him in the 2nd round.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> Stromile heading back there? That doesn't seem to make sense.
> 
> Josh Boone off the board ... thought maybe we could get him in the 2nd round.



I'm scratching my head too, but that's what I've heard.

Nice picks by New Jersey. I don't think James White will be around for us in the 2nd round.

Perhaps next year we'll be a bit luckier. Thad Young, somehow.


----------



## JNice

I'm guessing Lowry heads to Houston in that deal ... Stromile heading back to Memphis just doesn't seem to make sense, especially with Warrick there.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> I'm guessing Lowry heads to Houston in that deal ... Stromile heading back to Memphis just doesn't seem to make sense, especially with Warrick there.


That could be it, makes sense.

Aldridge looks good to me, I think he could thrive in Portland if they kick Randolph. Roy was also a solid pick.


----------



## lw32

I guess we'll get a lot of pub with Redick coming in. Howard and Redick will both be trying out for team USA this summer.


----------



## lw32

James White is still onboard after the Lakers. Only 14 more teams or so. He won't last.


----------



## lw32

Portland, geez.
Rodriguez, Roy and Aldridge. and all they lost was Telfair, Ratliff and some cash if I'm correct.


----------



## lw32

Diaz, White, Adams, Tucker, Alexander Johnson, Gibson, Paul Davis, Kevin Pittsnogle (we'll pick him probably) and Allan Ray are all still available for us in the 2nd.


----------



## jskudera

I hope we do not select Taquan Dean. I went to HS with him, and he's such a dick. The definition of *******. Plus he can't do anything but shoot 3's


----------



## JNice

Hassan Adams or Johnson would be good picks for us.

Although it will probably be Paul Davis or Pittsnogle.

Well, good, Davis is gone.


----------



## lw32

Davis and Tucker just went. I'm a fan of Tucker, I think he'll do well. Lets hope Pittsnogle goes soon, and James White falls to us. I can't see him falling past Seattle though.


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Davis and Tucker just went. I'm a fan of Tucker, I think he'll do well. Lets hope Pittsnogle goes soon, and James White falls to us. I can't see him falling past Seattle though.



You must have missed it ... Portland already took White.


----------



## lw32

Haha, bathroom break.

Portland has 5 picks now. Freeland will stay overseas, but they also received Raef and Dickau.


----------



## JNice

I don't understand Anthony and Smith's criticisms of Portland ... they picked up Aldridge, Roy, White, Sergio and Freeland for the future. Seems like they did well and gave up an old guy and Khryapa who they didn't really need.

I'm hoping for Hassan Adams now ...


----------



## rainman

JNice said:


> I don't understand Anthony and Smith's criticisms of Portland ... they picked up Aldridge, Roy, White, Sergio and Freeland for the future. Seems like they did well and gave up an old guy and Khryapa who they didn't really need.
> 
> I'm hoping for Hassan Adams now ...


i dont know about espn but people here in the northwest are going to look back and figure they could have had morrison and aldridge, why they didnt do that i'll never know.


----------



## deanwoof

augustine?


----------



## lw32

God....


----------



## JNice

James Augustine ... woo-hoo ... another big white guy ...


----------



## Brian34Cook

Congrats Augie.. good luck in Orlando!

Should not have fell that far.. but Im a homer.. 

He's a decent player that could go 7 PPG / 7 RPG in his career.. his only problem is he's a little foul prone!


----------



## lw32

I didn't understand Weisbrod, and I don't understand Otis either.


----------



## JNice

Let's cap off the ****** draft with Pittsnogle ..


----------



## deanwoof

Is it me or is orlando just picking up.. (borderline) white guys? 

Last year it was Diener, who by the way won't play this year now that Redick is the token short white boy shooter. This year Redick and now Augustine. 

What's left...

Mike Gansey? Hassan Adams? Leon Powe hopefully?


----------



## lw32

I have a feeling that Orlando has an unconcious bias towards white players. Now, I'm not trying to bait anyone but we're consistantly drafting white players. Redick, Darko, Augustine, Garrity, Hedo, Diener, Arroyo, Kasun. Granted Arroyo, Kasun and Hedo aren't "white."


----------



## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> I have a feeling that Orlando has an unconcious bias towards white players. Now, I'm not trying to bait anyone but we're consistantly drafting white players. Redick, Darko, Augustine, Garrity, Hedo, Diener, Arroyo, Kasun. Granted Arroyo, Kasun and Hedo aren't "white."



Mike Miller, Brooks Thompson, Geert Hammink, Mike Doleac ... list goes on


----------



## lw32

Gibson's a good pick, we should have had him.


----------



## lw32

JNice said:


> Mike Miller, Brooks Thompson, Geert Hammink, Mike Doleac ... list goes on


I was thinking of our current team. It's predominantly white.

Is there that big of a market for white players in Orlando?


----------



## JNice

Brian Evans, Matt Harpring, Fran ...

I don't really know what the market is ... I would say that the couple of times I've been to Orlando games the crowds were predominently white although that might be the case in a lot of places. But it really does seem that Orlando favors picking up white players. Maybe it is DeVos ...


----------



## JNice

Picked Lior Eliyahu ... nice ...


----------



## magicfan187

as long as they build i winner i could care less what color they are


----------



## rainman

is there a quota there on how many white guys is too many?


----------



## lw32

Who?


----------



## JNice

what the hell ... Gansey, Adams, Diaz, Alexander Johnson all available ..


----------



## lw32

Great, a super project.

Varejao, Andrius as 2nd round white picks.


----------



## lw32

I don't know what to say. Diaz, Powe, Gansey and Adams are all available.

I'm less than thrilled with Orlando, yet again. Why, oh why is it like this every year? We can't make the playoffs, and we can't make decent draft picks.


----------



## deanwoof

I'm shocked about the players that are left. Just doesn't make sense. Sure we don't need Diaz. Probably didn't need Gansey. But Adams would have been a nice pickup in case Ariza and/or Stevenson bounced.


----------



## JNice

Wow, Portland gets Alexander Johnson and two 2nd round picks out of James White.


----------



## lw32

It'll be interesting to see how Otis saves his skin. I wouldn't be surprised if DeVos is the reason.

James White just traded to Indiana. Now they have White and Williams after drafting Granger last year.


----------



## lw32

They acquired 3 2nd rounders for the future. Portland is going to have a monster roster.


----------



## lw32

If Pittsnogle falls out of the draft we'll probably sign him to a max deal over 6 years.


----------



## JNice

We should have taken Rodney Carney, Alexander Johnson, and Hassan Adams. IMO ...


----------



## lw32

Haha. We sold our pick. Priceless.


----------



## JNice

lol .. Eliyahu gone for some cash ...


----------



## lw32

And Portland gets ANOTHER future 2nd rounder, that's 4 now I think.


----------



## lw32

Management is making me sick. You don't need to sell your pick when your team has so many problems and Hasan Adams is still on the board.


----------



## TM

Lachlanwood32 said:


> If Pittsnogle falls out of the draft we'll probably sign him to a max deal over 6 years.


That could turn out to be a reality

And it also could turn out to be their best pick up in this draft.


----------



## JNice

Snoggle is a free agent!


----------



## TM

Allan Ray maybe?

Pittsnoggle's phone is no doubt ringing off the hook right now.


----------



## Enigma

I think there's some serious overreacting going on in this thread. The picks aren't great, but they're not terrible either. After last years Fran debacle, this draft is fine with me. Redick will make a great role player off the bench. Honestly, that's all I was really expecting from this draft unless someone like Roy or Gay dropped to us. Augustine can possibly come in and fill in the Mario Kasun role. Sure, we could have gotten Brewer or Carney, but it's not like those guys are guaranteed to succeed either. It's just as likely that Brewer and Carney will become the next Reece Gaines and Kedrick Brown, respectively, as Redick will become Trajan Langdon.


----------



## Hairy Midget

I love this pick. Redick will work hard to make up for his deficiencies. He wasn't the best scorer in ACC history by mistake. Besides, it's not like he's going to be double teamed in the NBA.


----------



## Charlotte_______

Do you think its possible he will start? Later on in the season, not necessarily now.


----------



## deanwoof

Naw I dont think he'll start. But I do think he'll end up finishing most games. He'll be used interchangably strictly for offense/defense purposes.


----------



## lw32

deanwoof said:


> Naw I dont think he'll start. But I do think he'll end up finishing most games. He'll be used interchangably strictly for offense/defense purposes.


If we could field one team for offense and one for defense, like the NFL, then we'd be great.

I don't think there was serious overexaggerating going on in this thread, I tihnk that Orlando, yet again, did a shakey job at best in the draft. Redick, fine, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. But followed up by Augustine and some Israeli kid we later sell off for cash?

I've come up with two conclusions from the draft;

1. We're more than willing to sell 2nd rounders to save some money (Israeli kid and Andriuskevicius last year, was Burks sold to Memphis for cash too?).

2. We will pick a white player 75% of the time. History doesn't lie. Since '02: Chris Borchardt, Reece Gaines (not white), Zaza Pachulia, Dwight Howard (not white), Anderson Varejao, Fran Vazquez, Travis Diener.

If you go back further in history, the records are much the same with Doleac, Miller, Harpring, etc..


----------



## lw32

Allan Ray, Gansey and McNamara should all be considerations for summer league or 1 year contracts. To me, they're not that much different to JJ. All can shoot, none are fabulous defenders. Oh well.


----------



## ralaw

Overall it was a decent draft. Not the best, not the worse, but somewhere in the middle. Let's hope Redick can continue to prove people wrong as he has done his entire career. At worse Redick should still be able to open the floor for Dwight and Jameer and at best he should be able to provide 10-14ppg. I just pray it's the latter. I also hope the "white boy" thing is a coincidence, but these days you never know. I just really whish we could have taken Carney or Brewer.


----------



## ralaw

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Allan Ray, Gansey and McNamara should all be considerations for summer league or 1 year contracts. To me, they're not that much different to JJ. All can shoot, none are fabulous defenders. Oh well.


I wouldn't be surpised if Otis brings in Darius Washington either, as he is a local kid who left school too early. He may have a chip on his shoulder making him become a better player. I've never liked his game since his highschool days, but you never know.


----------



## lw32

ralaw said:


> Overall it was a decent draft. Not the best, not the worse, but somewhere in the middle. Let's hope Redick can continue to prove people wrong as he has done his entire career. At worse Redick should still be able to open the floor for Dwight and Jameer and at best he should be able to provide 10-14ppg. I just pray it's the latter. I also hope the "white boy" thing is a coincidence, but these days you never know.


It makes you wonder, the "white boy" theory. We've had 6 straight white players drafted. I don't consider myself racist, but we've had a history of drafting either a big guard or a white player in the past.

I'm not as mad about our draft as I was earlier, I don't believe we went BPA with any of our picks though. If I was in charge, it would have been Carney or Brewer, Gibson and Powe. I would have tried to send Houston a package including our #11 + filler for Gay. They gave him away WITH Swift way too easily.


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## lw32

It'll be interesting to see how we do this year. I'm hoping we either do terribly or make the playoffs. If we're in between like this year then we lose a lottery pick, and Darko probably wasn't worth it.

I'd love to see Thad Young in an Orlando uniform. If he adds some weight he could be a big time stud. I'm not happy we don't have a pick next year, not with the potentially star-studded draft. I would have HAPPILY offered all our picks this year for a top 5 protected pick next year. We'll miss out on a potentially loaded draft, especially at the 3/4 positions.


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## ralaw

Lachlanwood32 said:


> It makes you wonder, the "white boy" theory. We've had 6 straight white players drafted. I don't consider myself racist, but we've had a history of drafting either a big guard or a white player in the past.
> 
> I'm not as mad about our draft as I was earlier, I don't believe we went BPA with any of our picks though. If I was in charge, it would have been Carney or Brewer, Gibson and Powe. I would have tried to send Houston a package including our #11 + filler for Gay. They gave him away WITH Swift way too easily.


I was sitting on my seat hoping we would do something to get Gay at #8. Battier is a good player, but we could have offered something better than that to get him. I actually wouldn't of had a problem with us trading Turkoglu + #11 for him to be honest. I really believe Gay is going to be the best player from this draft. I actually believe he has as much talent and potential as any guy who potentially will be in next year's draft, so doing what we had to do to get him would have been wise considering we don't have a pick next year.

What concerns me most about this Redick pick is it seems Otis locked in on him rather earlier and was going to draft him unless Roy or Gay fell into our laps. 



Lachlanwood32 said:


> It'll be interesting to see how we do this year. I'm hoping we either do terribly or make the playoffs. If we're in between like this year then we lose a lottery pick, and Darko probably wasn't worth it.


I'm hoping we win around 45 games, making our draft pick less meaningful, but regarldless, next year's draft is going to be deep as well. Otis needs to do something to get back in the first round or trade for a veteran because this team as it is right now with Redick still has some holes and isn't good enough to compete consistently with the top teams in the East. Orlando needs to do something about perimeter defense considering it seems in order to have playoff success down the road we'll have to go through Miami (with Wade) and Cleveland (with James).



Lachlanwood32 said:


> I'd love to see Thad Young in an Orlando uniform. If he adds some weight he could be a big time stud. I'm not happy we don't have a pick next year, not with the potentially star-studded draft. I would have HAPPILY offered all our picks this year for a top 5 protected pick next year. We'll miss out on a potentially loaded draft, especially at the 3/4 positions.


Yes, Thad Yound is a great prospect who we may miss out on; lets just hope Darko is allowed to start and given meaningful minutes next year, as he is in the last year of his rookie deal and we need to see what he can consistently do; however, given the the circumstances of us trading a 07' first rounder it seems we will re-sign him regardless. I would like for us to do something to get JR Smith or trade for Marquis Daniels from Dallas because with the drafting of Ager, Dallas now has a log jamb at sg/sf with Howard, Stackhouse, Daniels and now Ager. Besides, I heard rumors they were looking to move Daniels before the draft. Another player we should keep an eye on is Loul Deng. With Chicago draftnig Thabo Sefolosha I can see them eventually tying to trade Deng sometime down the road. They are loaded at sg/sf now and Deng would be a great fit hear in Orlando.

The only problem with trading now is who or what do we have to offer? Turk is probably the only real legit tradeable asset we have now. The #11 pick had more value before the draft, which is why we should have tried package it to New Orleans for the 12th or 15th pick along with JR Smith. It seems to me Orlando is less focused on "white guys", but more focused on guys who they perceive to be of high character, and this is why the draft has played out the way it has over the years. The problem is that they may consider JR Smith to not be of high character considering what happend with Byron Scott.


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## WhoRocks

I'm content with the Redick pick, although that might be because Houston are my second favourite team (which hurts my heart).

So, we (Orlando) still don't have a quality starting SG, or even someone who can develop into the role? And does Redick's presence cut into Jameer Nelson's PT? Because I assume Redick's gonna get his minutes, he can't play the point, and him and Nelson paired together in the backcourt gets murdered defensively. So will Redick be primarily paired with Dooling on the court?


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## lw32

ralaw said:


> I was sitting on my seat hoping we would do something to get Gay at #8. Battier is a good player, but we could have offered something better than that to get him. I actually wouldn't of had a problem with us trading Turkoglu + #11 for him to be honest. I really believe Gay is going to be the best player from this draft. I actually believe he has as much talent and potential as any guy who potentially will be in next year's draft, so doing what we had to do to get him would have been wise considering we don't have a pick next year.


Gay was second on my board as a 2. I'd take Morrison over him probably just because of his marketability if he succeeds.

As for Gay compared to next year, talent yes. Ability to reach that talent I'm not sure. These guys coming out next year are quite possibly the best, most level-headed bunch of HS'ers I've seen. Perhaps it's because the NBA hasn't got to them yet and corrupted there minds, but they seem very down to earth. '06 and '07 are stellar crops of talent, especially for wing players. We NEED to get into the '07 and '08 drafts to potentially have the chance at selecting from these talented HS classes.

Unfortunately I see us as of now landing around the 11th spot again. We'll be on the fringe of the playoffs and have to give up our pick to Detroit in my opinion.



ralaw said:


> What concerns me most about this Redick pick is it seems Otis locked in on him rather earlier and was going to draft him unless Roy or Gay fell into our laps.


Redick didn't even work out for us. Guess what other team used this tactic? Atlanta. We see how much good it's done them over the years since Blaylock and Smith left town. If you're going to draft someone, at least work them out. Even if they are a senior college player, run them through plays specifically for your team and see how they cope.

I don't mind the Redick pick, it's a safe pick. The problem with it is it doesn't have the potential to put us over the top and turn us into a much better team. He can shoot lights out, but he can't create his own shot, handle the ball or defend. He's small and being thrown into the backcourt with a barely 6' point guard. If Carney or Brewer develop, this pick looks stupid. If they don't, it looks solid. Redick will be at worst a Kyle Korver with worse defense. Good for a few three's.





ralaw said:


> I'm hoping we win around 45 games, making our draft pick less meaningful, but regarldless, next year's draft is going to be deep as well. Otis needs to do something to get back in the first round or trade for a veteran because this team as it is right now with Redick still has some holes and isn't good enough to compete consistently with the top teams in the East. Orlando needs to do something about perimeter defense considering it seems in order to have playoff success down the road we'll have to go through Miami (with Wade) and Cleveland (with James).


We still have free agency, but with this bunch I can't see us ending top 8. Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Washington, Indiana and New Jersey are all probably better teams. That leaves 1 spot for Philly, Orlando, Milwaukee and Boston really. Sure we finished the year strong, but that's a small sample. Over the full year we didn't do as well as expected, which has become the norm.

The East is loaded with future stars. Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Charlotte have a ton of potential. As do we. Miami and Cleveland have legit superstars that are still on rookie contracts. Arenas is young too. We're basically in a race with these teams to compete in the future. But a few top teams will just replace talent with talent as it ages, Indiana has been good at this in recent years.




ralaw said:


> Yes, Thad Yound is a great prospect who we may miss out on; lets just hope Darko is allowed to start and given meaningful minutes next year, as he is in the last year of his rookie deal and we need to see what he can consistently do; however, given the the circumstances of us trading a 07' first rounder it seems we will re-sign him regardless. I would like for us to do something to get JR Smith or trade for Marquis Daniels from Dallas because with the drafting of Ager, Dallas now has a log jamb at sg/sf with Howard, Stackhouse, Daniels and now Ager. Besides, I heard rumors they were looking to move Daniels before the draft. Another player we should keep an eye on is Loul Deng. With Chicago draftnig Thabo Sefolosha I can see them eventually tying to trade Deng sometime down the road. They are loaded at sg/sf now and Deng would be a great fit hear in Orlando.


Daniels and Smith are both on the block. But we don't have many assets. We have little to no chance of trading for Deng in my opinion. He's a good player, and I believe he'll be very solid down the road, he'd do great here, but again we don't have the assets unless we trade Darko. I wouldn't oppose a Darko for Deng deal, but I'm sure some would. As you mentioned, assets are our problem. I wonder what Ariza is worth on the market? I would trade him with filler for Smith or Daniels.

Did you pick up that we actually took Ryan Hollins from Sacramento as the future 2nd they owe us? I have mixed feelings about that pick, it really seems like we're trying to add some seasoned players. 3 college seniors.



ralaw said:


> It seems to me Orlando is less focused on "white guys", but more focused on guys who they perceive to be of high character, and this is why the draft has played out the way it has over the years. The problem is that they may consider JR Smith to not be of high character considering what happend with Byron Scott.


It probably isn't "white guys" but it sure seems like it. 6 straight in a sport which predominantly is not white. I think this year we were looking more at senior players who could possibly step in. High character, perhaps, but Redick's DUI wouldn't go down too well then. Especially with the coverage it got right before the draft.


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## lw32

WhoRocks said:


> I'm content with the Redick pick, although that might be because Houston are my second favourite team (which hurts my heart).
> 
> So, we (Orlando) still don't have a quality starting SG, or even someone who can develop into the role? And does Redick's presence cut into Jameer Nelson's PT? Because I assume Redick's gonna get his minutes, he can't play the point, and him and Nelson paired together in the backcourt gets murdered defensively. So will Redick be primarily paired with Dooling on the court?


Good question. That's my biggest problem too, how do you fit Redick in defensively? I guess Orlando will throw Redick and Nelson out there at the same time and see how it goes. Redick can't play the point guard, I doubt he could consistantly handle the ball for the role. I guess management figures that if you have two good defensive big men down low that Redick and Nelson will be less of a liability? The problem is, Darko and Howard can't guard a mid range shot, nor can they consistantly foul the opposition when Redick and Nelson are beaten off the dribble. It's a big problem.

Redick has the heart to become a good defensive player, I just don't believe he has the athleticism or ability. He doesn't need to be super athletic, Hornacek got by being cheap. Perhaps JJ should bone up on some Hornacek film.


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## ralaw

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Did you pick up that we actually took Ryan Hollins from Sacramento as the future 2nd they owe us? I have mixed feelings about that pick, it really seems like we're trying to add some seasoned players. 3 college seniors.


Hollins is a soft bum who only wants to dunk. No offense, but I've never been impressed with him. If he does make the team he'll only be with us for 1 year. Hollins is a classic athletic freak bigman who teams believe can become something, but is out of the league in 1-2 years. He reminds me of a poor man's Maceo Baston. I know you know who that is and yes a poor man to a player who isn't even in the league.


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## lw32

ralaw said:


> Hollins is a soft bum who only wants to dunk. No offense, but I've never been impressed with him. If he does make the team he'll only be with us for 1 year. Hollins is a classic athletic freak bigman who teams believe can become something, but is out of the league in 1-2 years. He reminds me of a poor man's Maceo Baston. I know you know who that is and yes a poor man to a player who isn't even in the league.


I've seen Hollins play, I just don't understand why we decided to use the 2nd rounder they owed us AFTER they picked Hollins. Why didn't we take the pick and then select Adams, Gansey or even Pittsnogle?

Hollins will only be on the roster if we're desperately thin up front. I know Kasun's probably moving on, so that's where Hollins will fit. To me he has all the makings of a poor Steven Hunter. Great athlete, decent shot blocker, but has no clue and is inconsistant. Also very weak physically. I guess it's better than us taking Hunter 15th overall.


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## ralaw

Lachlanwood32 said:


> I've seen Hollins play, I just don't understand why we decided to use the 2nd rounder they owed us AFTER they picked Hollins. Why didn't we take the pick and then select Adams, Gansey or even Pittsnogle?
> 
> Hollins will only be on the roster if we're desperately thin up front. I know Kasun's probably moving on, so that's where Hollins will fit. To me he has all the makings of a poor Steven Hunter. Great athlete, decent shot blocker, but has no clue and is inconsistant. Also very weak physically. I guess it's better than us taking Hunter 15th overall.


You have a point with the Hunter comparison and comment about being not being drafted at #15. I actually thought about a Hunter comparison than I thought about how Hunter was developing in Pheonix before he left and I stopped. I don't see Hollins in the league longer than 2 years where Hunter has developed into an alteast serviceable big man. Drafting Adams or Gansey would have been great for this team.


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## Captain Obvious

Here's what I wrote on another board about Redick:



> I've been on the Brewer bandwagon for a while but when it comes down to it, Redick is an absolute perfect fit in our offense. We all know he can shoot the lights out, which will only help Dwight and Darko operate down low as well as allowing Hedo and Jameer to drive more effectively. Over the last couple of years Redick has also developed his mid-range game. He has solid quickness and passing skills. He also has experience playing with a very good big, something most college guards don't have coming into the NBA.
> 
> Defense is another story. Simply put, Nelson and Redick will not work in the backcourt right now, especially with Hedo at the 3. Nelson and Hedo have made good strides in the past season, so hopefully Redick can do the same. With Redick having to do less on offense he can put more energy into his defense. I believe he has the basketball IQ to become a very good team defender, and if he can become an average man defender he will be an excellent pick. But he has a long way to go.


I thought the Augustine pick was a pretty good pick. I think he's good enough to be a 10-12 mpg backup to Dwight. I wish we would have used the 44 on a guy like Johnson, Adams, or Pittsnogle.

Where did you guys hear that we got Hollins too?


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## JNice

I think there may have been other guys we could have taken but for whatever reason, maybe blind optimism, I think Redick is going to be a success in Orlando.


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## Duck

I know I'm a little late with this but I'm absolutely elated with the pick of Redick by Orlando. I can't tell you how frustrated I got last season watching them avoid the 3-point shot and consequentially being victimized by double and triple teams. Redick's defense isn't as bad as what people make it out to be, and the rest of the team will more the coverup his deficiency on the defensive end. 

Augustine was a solid pick out of Illi. If you don't count Hedo and Pat, we've only got 3 real big guys under contract for next season; Darko, Dwight and Tony. If this guy can give them any minutes at all at #41, maybe just 5-8 mins a game for some hustle plays and scrappy defense you could call this pick a success.

Why Hassan Adams? He's a shorter, rawer version of DeShawn Stevenson. Plus the fact that you can't just count out DeShawn for all that he's done for the team thus far. That also creats a log-jam at the 2-guard spot with DeShawn, J.J., Hassan Adams, and maybe even a bit of Keyon Dooling. 

and... Kevin Pittsnoggle? I've seen plenty of tape on this guy. We don't need another Pat Garrity on our roster.

Rep management on a solid draft.


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## JNice

Duck34234 said:


> I know I'm a little late with this but I'm absolutely elated with the pick of Redick by Orlando. I can't tell you how frustrated I got last season watching them avoid the 3-point shot and consequentially being victimized by double and triple teams. Redick's defense isn't as bad as what people make it out to be, and the rest of the team will more the coverup his deficiency on the defensive end.


I agree on the defensive point. I think it is somewhat of a knee jerk reaction and I do think that having Nelson and Redick on the court at the same time is somewhat of a liability, but I also think individual perimeter defense in today's NBA is a bit overrated. Unless you are a great one, like Bowen, Artest, etc ... I don't think it matters all that much.



> Augustine was a solid pick out of Illi. If you don't count Hedo and Pat, we've only got 3 real big guys under contract for next season; Darko, Dwight and Tony. If this guy can give them any minutes at all at #41, maybe just 5-8 mins a game for some hustle plays and scrappy defense you could call this pick a success.


I didn't watch much of Augustine, so I would have preferred more of an athlete like Johnson. But like you said, barring injury, he won't see much court time anyway. How much did Kasun play? Not much.



> Why Hassan Adams? He's a shorter, rawer version of DeShawn Stevenson. Plus the fact that you can't just count out DeShawn for all that he's done for the team thus far. That also creats a log-jam at the 2-guard spot with DeShawn, J.J., Hassan Adams, and maybe even a bit of Keyon Dooling.
> 
> and... Kevin Pittsnoggle? I've seen plenty of tape on this guy. We don't need another Pat Garrity on our roster.
> 
> Rep management on a solid draft.



I think Adams would have been a smart pick with our second 2nd rounder. We don't know what is going to happen with Stevenson. I can't imagine another team offering him much, but if they do, I don't see us matching much of a contract. Same with Ariza. Adams could have been easy, cheap insurance in case one of those guys walks. Rather than throwing away a pick for a little cash ...


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## JNice

I guess I didn't follow college ball that well last year because lastnight was the first time I've really seen clips of Ronnie Brewer's jumper and wow ... not pretty. That makes me glad we didn't take him.


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## lw32

Duck34234 said:


> I know I'm a little late with this but I'm absolutely elated with the pick of Redick by Orlando. I can't tell you how frustrated I got last season watching them avoid the 3-point shot and consequentially being victimized by double and triple teams. Redick's defense isn't as bad as what people make it out to be, and the rest of the team will more the coverup his deficiency on the defensive end.
> 
> Augustine was a solid pick out of Illi. If you don't count Hedo and Pat, we've only got 3 real big guys under contract for next season; Darko, Dwight and Tony. If this guy can give them any minutes at all at #41, maybe just 5-8 mins a game for some hustle plays and scrappy defense you could call this pick a success.
> 
> Why Hassan Adams? He's a shorter, rawer version of DeShawn Stevenson. Plus the fact that you can't just count out DeShawn for all that he's done for the team thus far. That also creats a log-jam at the 2-guard spot with DeShawn, J.J., Hassan Adams, and maybe even a bit of Keyon Dooling.
> 
> and... Kevin Pittsnoggle? I've seen plenty of tape on this guy. We don't need another Pat Garrity on our roster.
> 
> Rep management on a solid draft.


I couldn't disagree more with some of these points. Redick's defense is as bad as made out. He doesn't move his feet nor have the lateral quickness to stay infront of college guards, I can't imagine him being a better success defensively on the NBA stage anytime soon. He needs to take a page out of Hornacek's book and learn how to survive on defense without being the best athlete.

Redick's a good shooter, but he hasn't shown me that he can create those shots. That might work for our system if all he does is a Bruce Bowen/Kyle Korver type roll and just hit three's. Jameer and Dwight will get Redick open shots, no question, but he isn't a threat unless you have him spot up or run a curl off a screen. He's not going to beat anyone off his dribble.

The rest of the team shouldn't have to make up for Redick being a defensive liability. That's not how basketball works. If a team plays this way often the big men are in foul trouble because the quicker guard beats the bad defensive player and drives. I don't think we can afford this luxury when our frontcourt is so thin, and arguably has our best player in it not to mention our only player that garners double teams. Also, when another player needs to come over to help Redick on defense it creates gaps and opportunities for the offensive team.

Augustine is not a great option when you consider what was left on the board, why would you draft Augustine with the 41st pick when chances are he's there with the 44th? Why not take Daniel Gibson who can shoot the rock, defend on the perimeter and has potential to be a decent player? If Augustine's not around with the 2nd pick, Powe and Johnson were. Johnson and Powe were probably better options than Augustine, but I believe we took Augustine because he's a senior and management believes we don't need any more project players.

Deshawn Stevenson is a free man. If Hasan Adams turns into a Stevenson clone then I will be extremely mad. Stevenson opted out and is trying to take our whole MLE, whereas Adams could have been inked to a 2 year minimum contract. Adams is a good defensive player with great athleticism. Having him at the end of the rotation for a 2 would have been great, especially if Stevenson leaves. With Adams we could have gone after someone else during the FA period.

Pittsnogle was more of a joke, although I wouldn't mind signing him now. Management has selected 6 straight white players, Pittsnogle fits the bill and can shoot. Seems perfect for Orlando.


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## Enigma

Lachlanwood32 said:


> Management has selected 6 straight white players


Last 6 picks:
Lior Eliyahu
James Augustine
JJ Redick
Martynas Andriuskevicius
Travis Diener
Fran Vasquez

I don't see 6 'white' guys. I know plenty of hispanics who would get pretty mad if you called them white. I'm sure Israelis and Lithuanians would feel the same way.


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## Brian34Cook




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## lw32

Enigma said:


> Last 6 picks:
> Lior Eliyahu
> James Augustine
> JJ Redick
> Martynas Andriuskevicius
> Travis Diener
> Fran Vasquez
> 
> I don't see 6 'white' guys. I know plenty of hispanics who would get pretty mad if you called them white. I'm sure Israelis and Lithuanians would feel the same way.


Lithuanians are caucasian, definitely. Israeli's aren't necessarily white, but notice how I'm using colors not ethnicities?

I thought the point was pretty clear, but if we're going to nitpick about ethnicities, then I won't bother.


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## deanwoof

great pictures!


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## Brian34Cook

Did JJ miss the memo? Looks like casual day to me?  LOL


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## deanwoof

Haha.. JJ looks spiffy in the suit and tie.


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## lw32

At least we'll have no problems following the dress code with these guys.

I'm actually starting to warm to the idea of at least having solid characters as draft picks. Even if they don't develop into good players, it'd always be worse to be the Traiblazers. Bad team, bad characters.


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## lw32

David Thorpe has convinced me of JJ Redick's abilities. Credit to Henry Abbott for posting the file.

Thorpe makes a lot of great points, as long as we utilize JJ the right way and he isn't effected by his back injury and can still knock down shots like in college he'll be good.

If you haven't listened to David Thorpe talk about Redick, I strongly suggest you do.

Link 

Again, credit is due to Henry Abbott for posting the link.


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## ralaw

Brian34Cook said:


> Did JJ miss the memo? Looks like casual day to me?  LOL


JJ is the best and has to fit the part.


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## JNice

Lachlanwood32 said:


> At least we'll have no problems following the dress code with these guys.
> 
> I'm actually starting to warm to the idea of at least having solid characters as draft picks. Even if they don't develop into good players, it'd always be worse to be the Traiblazers. Bad team, bad characters.



I agree about the character. At least JJ has a real competitive spirit unlike some guys who just seem like they don't care. I even read him saying recently he was hoping he got booed in the NBA like he did in college. That type of attitude can really help you win some games. Hell, I've even seen Jon Barry, with as little overall talent as he has, really help his team win by bringing some attitude to the court.


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## TM

Lachlanwood32 said:


> David Thorpe has convinced me of JJ Redick's abilities. Credit to Henry Abbott for posting the file.
> 
> Thorpe makes a lot of great points, as long as we utilize JJ the right way and he isn't effected by his back injury and can still knock down shots like in college he'll be good.


I accept your apology for all the bad things you said about JJ :laugh:

BTW, great interview


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## lw32

TM said:


> I accept your apology for all the bad things you said about JJ :laugh:
> 
> BTW, great interview


I still think his bad defense and athleticism apply. However, I do feel he can still be successful. Hopefully Brian Hill will be able to form a gameplan that fits us perfectly.

TM, I am usually over critical of players. I tend to be more of a critic than a praiser. With that being said, I hope JJ turns out to be a great selection and I've warmed more to the idea. Thorpe pointed out some great ideas which someone should forward to Hill ASAP.


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## TM

Lachlanwood32 said:


> I still think his bad defense and athleticism apply.


And I totally agree. The defense may improve a little, but he's obviously always going to lack the athleticism. I'm a JJ homer, but IMO for this draft, this guy was a steal. People have been talking for months about there not being any franchise guys. So why not draft a guy who can bring something to the table so important as shooting? Hopefully this turns out to be a good pick. And hopefully they start winning more so I can see them on TV more.


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## JamesisMagic40

Hey, I'm new to this site and I have a question that a lot of us Illini fans have been wondering.

Does Augie have a good chance of making it, and if so will he play power there?

Thanks!


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## Captain Obvious

JamesisMagic40 said:


> Hey, I'm new to this site and I have a question that a lot of us Illini fans have been wondering.
> 
> Does Augie have a good chance of making it, and if so will he play power there?
> 
> Thanks!


I think Augustine has a great chance of making the team. After Dwight, Battie, and Darko there will be a battle for the fourth big man spot, and Augustine has a good shot.


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## JNice

JamesisMagic40 said:


> Hey, I'm new to this site and I have a question that a lot of us Illini fans have been wondering.
> 
> Does Augie have a good chance of making it, and if so will he play power there?
> 
> Thanks!



As was said, I'd say he has a very good shot at making the team. We need a 4th guy and I think Kasun is going back overseas. Augustine's main competition will probably be Marcin Gortat whom Orlando drafted last year.


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## Enigma

Any idea where Jerome Beasley is these days? He was relatively productive in last years summer league and could compete as possibly a fifth big. Another name just to throw out there is Brandon Hunter.


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## lw32

Enigma said:


> Another name just to throw out there is Brandon Hunter.


And to think we traded away Bogans for that scrub. At least Charlotte got Lonny Baxter when they moved him to Houston.


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