2009 draft studs, duds and underdogs

[Tr1boy]

studs

Blake Griffin - reminds me of a kenyon martin but with a higher iq. Strength, hops , can shoot, defend etc. The clippers got themselves a better elton brand. Should be a decent team next season

hakeem thabeet - Finally put together the season everyone envioned he could. Is definitely the next coming of mutombo with even more potential. More agile than mutombo was also. Memphis would be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't pick this guy 2nd

Duds

Ricky Rubio - Next coming of the steve nash you see today and not 3 years ago. Remember how legendary rudy fernadez said everyone was?? I don't think he will have the physical capabilities to be able to defend guys like rondo, fight through screens etc. Also he is just an ok shooter and his hocus pocus driving moves won't work in the nba. If memphis passes i think he could drop far like gerald green


underdogs

Earl Clark - multitalented 6'10 sf. Another boris diaw and that is a great thing for a team that drafts him. Saw him in a couple of games and looked good

Hansborough - Finally won in his last year of college. He worked hard in this game and body. Tenacious , strong and hard worker with decent skills. I think he can become a leon powe #2

Omri casspi - looks like a better hedo torkulu. At 6'8 he can defend, shoot, drive in plus looks aggressive. Seen numerous clips and looks like he will be a real good nba pro. Danny should try all in his power to obtain a late draft pick and get this guy.

yours?

[wiley]

studs

Blake Griffin - reminds me of a kenyon martin but with a higher iq. Strength, hops , can shoot, defend etc. The clippers got themselves a better elton brand. Should be a decent team next season

hakeem thabeet - Finally put together the season everyone envioned he could. Is definitely the next coming of mutombo with even more potential. More agile than mutombo was also. Memphis would be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't pick this guy 2nd

Duds

Ricky Rubio - Next coming of the steve nash you see today and not 3 years ago. Remember how legendary rudy fernadez said everyone was?? I don't think he will have the physical capabilities to be able to defend guys like rondo, fight through screens etc. Also he is just an ok shooter and his hocus pocus driving moves won't work in the nba. If memphis passes i think he could drop far like gerald green


underdogs

Earl Clark - multitalented 6'10 sf. Another boris diaw and that is a great thing for a team that drafts him. Saw him in a couple of games and looked good

Hansborough - Finally won in his last year of college. He worked hard in this game and body. Tenacious , strong and hard worker with decent skills. I think he can become a leon powe #2

Omri casspi - a better hedo torkulu. At 6'8 he can defend, shoot, drive in plus looks aggressive. Seen numerous clips and looks like he will be a real good nba pro. Danny should try all in his power to obtain a late draft pick and get this guy.

yours?

I have a feeling Rubio will help a team on offense very quickly.  He needs to be on a team with some intimidating interior defenders so that the N.B.A. fastest PG's won't make mincemeat of him on defense during his first couple of years.

The way Earl Clark is presented makes me think he should be slated as a slightly higher pick.

Tyreke Evans intrigues me.

[SquishPCfriar]

Thabeet is gonna get crapped on in the NBA.  I think its gonna take him atleast 6 or 7 years to get comfortable in the NBA.

[bballdog384]

Thabeet is gonna get crapped on in the NBA.  I think its gonna take him atleast 6 or 7 years to get comfortable in the NBA.

I agree. He'll probably be a player a lot like Samuel Dalembert. He is tall, and thats about it. He'll get pushed around by almost every other center in the league.

[ma11l]

Hansbrough has winning in his blood, I'd love to see him in green.

[cordobes]

Ricky Rubio - Next coming of the steve nash you see today and not 3 years ago. Remember how legendary rudy fernadez said everyone was?? I don't think he will have the physical capabilities to be able to defend guys like rondo, fight through screens etc. Also he is just an ok shooter and his hocus pocus driving moves won't work in the nba. If memphis passes i think he could drop far like gerald green

He isn't a okay shooter but a rather pedestrian one. He can only shoot a slow and low-release set jump-shot. On the other hand, he's an excellent on-the-ball defender and superb playing the passing lanes. His off-the-ball defence it's pretty bad though.

About Rudy Fernandez: As I wrote several times here, during the off-season, that he was being way overhyped. The only people giving him legendary status were fans that had only seen him playing the Olympics Final.

Omri casspi - looks like a better hedo torkulu. At 6'8 he can defend, shoot, drive in plus looks aggressive. Seen numerous clips and looks like he will be a real good nba pro. Danny should try all in his power to obtain a late draft pick and get this guy.

A better Hedo Turkoglu would be a top-5 pick in this draft. Casspi isn't even similar to Turkoglu. He isn't a playmaker, his shooting is subpar, his ball-handling raw and he can't create his shot. He's a high energy, athletic tweener.

[cordobes]

I have a feeling Rubio will help a team on offense very quickly.  He needs to be on a team with some intimidating interior defenders so that the N.B.A. fastest PG's won't make mincemeat of him on defense during his first couple of years.

Precisely the opposite. Rubio will help a team with his defence.

[DanMan08]

Studs

Curry to the knicks....talk about a perfect fit, he'll light it up there without really having to play D.  On any other team, he might be similar (slightly better) to JJ Reddick in Orlando.

Tyreke Evans great size for a guard, showed he could run the point in memphis.  If he can develop his outside shot, he could be hard to stop. 

Patrick Mills!!  Showed in the olympics he is a force to be reckoned with, quickness that will translate really well in the NBA. He'll be a longtime starter w/e team hes on.

Johnny Flynn - Did you see him in college? enough said.   

Duds

Rubio.  Next great thing? Wasnt impressive in the olympics and anyone can dominate the Euro leagues (Marc Gasol did). 

Thabeet.  Some of those blocks in college will tranlsate to posters in the NBA.

Underdogs

Wayne Ellington - can shoot the heck outta the ball with defenders in his face.

[KCattheStripe]

Duds

Rubio.  Next great thing? Wasnt impressive in the olympics and anyone can dominate the Euro leagues (Marc Gasol did). 

And Gasol turned out to be one of the most effective rookies this year.

[DanMan08]

Duds

Rubio.  Next great thing? Wasnt impressive in the olympics and anyone can dominate the Euro leagues (Marc Gasol did). 

And Gasol turned out to be one of the most effective rookies this year.

depends how you look at it, he struggled big time against teams with solid big men.

[Big_Matt34]

hakeem thabeet - Finally put together the season everyone envioned he could. Is definitely the next coming of mutombo with even more potential. More agile than mutombo was also. Memphis would be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't pick this guy 2nd

More potential than Mutombo? A 4 time DPOY, one of the best shotblockers of all time, a guy who is probably a hall of famer? You are either really overrating Thabeet or really underrating Deke. He has been a role player and has played limited minutes the last 7 years, but his numbers after the first 11 years oh his career are 12.3/12.4/3.4 blocks a game and shot about 54%. Id be suprised if Thabeet even puts those numbers up for one season. Thabeet reminds me of a slightly better Sam Dalembert, the Grizz dont really need a center since they have Marc Gasol. I think it makes more sense for them to trade down a few picks, and take Jordan Hill because the one position they really need is Pf, i like Authur but he seems like more of a 3rd big in a rotation. A lineup of Conley/Mayo/Gay/Hill/Gasol is a VERY nice core to build around.

I think Thabeet will go to the Thunder at 3, its a perfect fit. They desperately need a center who will just play defense downlow, it also helps make up for the lack of size at Pf with Jeff Green. Id be very suprised if he doesnt end up in OKC, a starting lineup of Westbrook/Sefalosha/Durant/Green/Thabeet with a bench of Kristic/Collison/Weaver/DJ White and potentially Shaun Livingston if he can recover is a great foundation for them.

Whenever i see Blake Griffin play all i could think of was Antonio McDyess before he started getting hurt, a freak athlete with a pretty good faceup game and could defend some. He may end up being better but prime Dice was an awesome player.

I really like Terrence Williams from Louisville, he isnt a great shooter but he can pass, rebound, finish at the rim with the best of them and he could turn into a great defender. Kind of like a swingman version of Rondo, he will put up his share of triple doubles.

The guy i think who will be a bigtime dud is Derozen, he is a very good athlete who cant really do much. He hustles and can certainly finish on breaks but he cannot shoot at all and gets lost defensively alot. I think any team who takes him in the top 10 or 15 will seriously regret it.

I also dont think Steph Curry will be all that great, he can really score but i dont think he is much more than a rich mans Bobby Jackson in his prime, which is a good player but not a top 10 pick.

[KungPoweChicken]

Thabeet will be a bust. I'd like to see the Thunder draft Harden.

[xmuscularghandix]

Duds

Rubio.  Next great thing? Wasnt impressive in the olympics and anyone can dominate the Euro leagues (Marc Gasol did). 

And Gasol turned out to be one of the most effective rookies this year.

TP i was just gonna make that point.

[Chris]

studs

Blake Griffin - reminds me of a kenyon martin but with a higher iq. Strength, hops , can shoot, defend etc. The clippers got themselves a better elton brand. Should be a decent team next season

I think the Kenyon Martin comparison is fair.  Although I don't think he is a "better" Elton Brand.  I think his absolute ceiling is somewhere close to Brand and Boozer.  He is going to be a very good player, but not a great one.  No one would be disapointed by picking him, but he won't be leading anyone to a championship either.

hakeem thabeet - Finally put together the season everyone envioned he could. Is definitely the next coming of mutombo with even more potential. More agile than mutombo was also. Memphis would be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't pick this guy 2nd

Thabeet's absolute ceiling is Mutombo.  He looks a lot more like Dalembert to me.  He is too weak, not nearly as quick as Mutombo was, and has even less of an offensive game.  I really think he has a huge bust potential, and too many people are falling in love with his size, and not his actual basketball ability.  He will block shots in the NBA, but I don't see him being a great player the way Mutombo was at his peak.

Duds

Ricky Rubio - Next coming of the steve nash you see today and not 3 years ago. Remember how legendary rudy fernadez said everyone was?? I don't think he will have the physical capabilities to be able to defend guys like rondo, fight through screens etc. Also he is just an ok shooter and his hocus pocus driving moves won't work in the nba. If memphis passes i think he could drop far like gerald green

No way he drops out of the top 5-6.  My only real concern with him is with his ability to stay on the floor.  If he can stay healthy, he is going to be one of the better PG's in the league.  He won't be on the Paul/Williams/Rose level, but I expect him to be somewhere in that second or third tier.

underdogs

Earl Clark - multitalented 6'10 sf. Another boris diaw and that is a great thing for a team that drafts him. Saw him in a couple of games and looked good

Hansborough - Finally won in his last year of college. He worked hard in this game and body. Tenacious , strong and hard worker with decent skills. I think he can become a leon powe #2

Omri casspi - looks like a better hedo torkulu. At 6'8 he can defend, shoot, drive in plus looks aggressive. Seen numerous clips and looks like he will be a real good nba pro. Danny should try all in his power to obtain a late draft pick and get this guy.

yours?

Clark could end up being a very nice player...but he seems to have a lot of Villanueva in him.  He has the talent, but I just don't see him fully realizing it.  There is just something missing.

Casspi is kind of the opposite of Clark.  He does not have a whole hell of a lot of talent.  His feet aren't that quick, he is not that good of a shooter, he is not a great ball handler or passer...but he works his butt off, and makes things happen.  I am not convinced that his heart will be enough to overcome the talent gap, but I would never bet against him.

Hansborough is basically the same thing as Casspi...just a PF instead of a SF.  Although I think it is a huge stretch to compare him to Powe.  Powe is an exceptional athlete, who slipped in the draft due to injuries and his lack of height.  Hanborough is probably closer to Davis...but I think Davis had a more polished skill game when he came out of school than Tyler does.  I go back and forth on his future, but I can't see him being any more than a bit role player.

[Big_Matt34]

Thabeet will be a bust. I'd like to see the Thunder draft Harden.

Harden is the one other person that i could see them taking besides Thabeet, Sg is a pretty big need for them. They are considering moving Westbrook to Sg, in that case i dont think theyd take Harden but otherwise he'd would be a great fit for them. He does everything well and his lack of athleticism is completely overblown, he isnt quite the athlete B Roy is but i think he can be a similar player.

I dont think Thabeet will be a bust but i dont think he will be a great player either, slightly better than Dalembert is what comes to mind. He will change shots in the middle, and with Jeff Green at pf, they could really use a defensive presence at center. Id lean towards bust with him if i had to pick and think #3 is too early for him but i think the Thunder really want what he can potentially bring.