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MagicMadness
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2008 Magic Draft Thread
Topic Started: Mar 15 2008, 10:54 PM (760 Views)
MAGICMANEVAN
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The Draft talk is among us, so we might as well join in on the fun.

NBA Draft - Vital Information
What: 2008 NBA Draft
When: June 26, 2008
Where: Madison Square Garden, NY
Rounds: Two rounds
TV: ESPN
Other: The Seattle SuperSonics received a conditional second-round draft pick from the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rashard Lewis on July 11, 2007.



Real GM has us taking 6'9" UCLA PF Kevin Love with the 21st pick in the Draft.

Quote:
 
21. Kevin Love
Power Forward. UCLA

Love is making an immediate impact on a very good UCLA team, but his future as an NBA player does not live up to the hype of his arrival out of high school. Running the full length of the floor is currently a struggle for Love, as his man consistently beats him to the other side. He will use his wide and strong frame to rebound, but his elevation is very lackluster.

Offensively, he seals off defenders and creates space exceptionally well and makes it a priority to catch the ball close to the bucket, allowing him to take those very high percentage shots. Love is also a brilliant passer and this aspect of his game will be one that separates him from other power forwards.


NBADraft.net has us picking 6'10" PF Jason Thompson from Rider

Quote:
 
NBA Comparison: Jason Smith
Strengths: Post forward with excellent length and versatility ... Though he's already a senior, he has a developing skill set and shows a lot of upside ... A late bloomer who despite playing at a mid-major has lottery pick potential ... Terrific foot speed allows him to hold his own on the perimeter on both ends of the floor ... Has great fluidity and athleticism and inside/outside skills ... Good touch on his shot with consistent range out to 12-15 feet ... Has some polished post moves including a nice jump hook ... A marvelous passer for a 6-10 guy with vision and good decision making. Has a 1:1 a/to ratio, which for a post player is excellent ... Rebounds the ball well ... Quality defender. A factor as a shot blocker with his quick leaping ability and timing ... Can handle the ball in both the half court and full court ... Has the ability to face the basket and take bigger players off the dribble ... High character guy. Plays with a high motor, great attitude and eager to improve. ... Hard worker who has shown steady improvement throughout his college career ... Averaging 20 and 10 for his second consecutive season in college ...

Weaknesses: Needs to become stronger and tougher inside ... He has the frame and ability to play inside but will need to improve on those skills for the next level ... He'll need to improve on his leg strength to better fight for positioning ... Must become better at using positioning for rebounds instead of relying strictly on his athleticism over less athletic, smaller players ... Playing in a lower level conference makes him a tougher sell. Level of competition has not been great playing at Rider in the MAAC, he'll have a bigger adjustment in level of competition, thought he has performed very well when facing top level competition ... His free throw shooting while solid over his career has trailed off (55%) as a senior ...


My NBA Draft has us taking 6'9" Kansas PF Darrell Arthur.

Quote:
 
NBA Comparison: Antonio McDyess
Strengths: A skilled power forward with a tremendous package of size and athleticism ... Measures in at 6’9” 230 lbs with bigtime hops and lateral quickness ... Possesses a good handle for a player his size as well as a mid-range shot ... Led the Jayhawks in blocked shots as a freshman with 56, displaying his quick, explosive vertical leap ... Had a big game against Florida early in the season with 19 points and 9 rebounds, showing that he can compete with NBA caliber big men and step up when it counts ... Finished the year averaging 9.8 ppg, good for fourth on a talented Kansas team ... Runs the floor very well for his size, very fluid ... Solid post moves for a player his age, and showing good development in his post game ... His shooting touch id good and his range seems to be improving ...

Weaknesses: Foul prone, amassing 133 fouls over the course of the season, first on the team by a wide margin. Must learn to stay on his feet more often rather than trying to block everything in sight ... As good as his shot looks, his free throw shooting must improve as he shot 65% for the season ... Needs to improve his ball handling as he likes to face the basket from midrange but struggles to get to the rim due to unpolished ball skills ... Has a great frame, but needs to put more weight on to contend with NBA big men. Probably about 15 pounds away from having an NBA ready body. Needs to increase his shooting range ...

Outlook: Reports out of the U19 Team USA practices claimed that Arthur was the best player on the team before suffering a stress fracture in his left leg. The injury should be completely healed before practices begin so the injury doesn’t appear to be one that should haunt him the rest of his career ... With the departure of Julian Wright to the NBA, Arthur will be asked to step right in and be a bigger contributor to a team that has its eyes on a national championship. With the return of Brandon Rush for his junior year the focus of the offense won’t rest squarely on Arthur’s shoulder, but make no mistake about it, the Jayhawks will need a big year from Arthur if they expect to be a true contender ...


Here are some other links to 2008 Mock Drafts:
http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm
http://www.draftexpress.com/
http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/Draft/2008/
http://www.insidehoops.com/nba-mock-draft.shtml
http://nbadraftpress.com/


So many sits have us taking a PF in this draft, which is a glaring need on the team. Who do you have us taking with whatever pick we end up having? Who will be there? Who do you want us to take? Should we upgrade the PG, SG or PF first?
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adamosthegreek
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Kings of Europe
Hmmm...Kevin Love had back spasms last night, sounds familiar.
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Eyriq
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Well two things first; I think that Nelson and Lewis should be the starting 1 and 4 for this team for years to come, so no upgrade needed there. In my mind that leaves us needing to upgrade the 2, though I do appreciate what Evans brings to the table there. I would also rather upgrade that spot through FA and not the draft as a good FA would have a more immediate impact, especially considering how late in the draft we will most likely pick. So my first choice is a combo forward, and if not that then a combo guard, a la Dooling.

Since we are probably drafting in the early to mid 20's drafting Darrell Arthur would be a steal. It sounds like he could work on his 3 point shooting but his defense would be a nice addition to the rotation. He also fits that role as a combo forward continuing in the tradition of Lewis and Cook, which gives the offense great versatility. If not him than the guy from Congo, Serge Ibaka, would be worth a look.

At PG I’d love to see us grab Nick Calathes from Florida. Not much of a defender and that is what we would really need but the kid can play.
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CLos
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Eastern Conference Champs
Kevin Love would be awesome on this team. Another low post scorer with an outside jumper who can play solid defense. I would definitely like him on the team.
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MagicMadness
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NBADraft.net now has us taking senior power forward DJ White of Indiana.

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I don't know much about him, but I do like his size.
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MAGICMANEVAN
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Quote:
 
NBA Comparison: Wayne Simien

Strengths: Skilled post player with a big motor and good feel for the game … Plays with great energy … Explosive athlete, loves dunking on players … His long arms make him an excellent rebounder … Has an adept post game using pump fakes and sound footwork to create shots. His touch is solid around the basket and out to 12 feet … A quick leaper with good reflexes making him a formidable shot blocker at the PF position (2.2 blocks per game as a freshman) … Has a huge wingspan, somewhere close to 7-feet which helps make up for his lack of height for the PF position … Quick feet around the basket …

Weaknesses: He’s undersized for the power forward position at around 6-7.5 with shoes ... Has to prove he can stay healthy after missing a full season after breaking his left foot at two different points of the season … Should focus on expanding his range; adding a consistent 15-18 foot shot …

Notes: Received a medical red-shirt after playing just 5 games in 2005-06, so he enters the 06-07 season as a sophomore …


These are his stats:
PPG APG FG% FT% RPG BPG SPG
17.4 0.8 .605 .689 10.3 1.6 0.8

He seems like the type of guy we would need. Hes big, strong, good rebounder, is athletic and has potential. I don't to get my hopes up like before because I know how we do in drafts.. :rolleyes:
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CLos
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Eastern Conference Champs
Knowing us we might go for some European player again.
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gomagic33
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Mr. Anderson
Knowing us, we will likely pick someone we will never use.
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jscarrozzo
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ha ya..unless we get the #1 pick, we might as well give our pick away. the #1 is the only one we know how to use.
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dxwwf3
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Legend
Love could really thrive in this system. He'll never be a go to guy, but he's a hustle guy who can shoot.
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