Justin Jaudon

No offense taken. Partly it's what I've seen myself, partly it's others' opinions on him. I try not to make assumptions in a vacuum. Maybe he's like Rondo, just an odd cat with odd mannerisms. And yes, I saw some of that from Smart as well, especially in his freshman season. He got better this past year, though, in getting himself going more consistently.

I would love to see him develop a post game. At that point, the only way for anyone, bigger or smaller, to guard him would be to foul him. God help them if he figures both those things out.

That's one of the reasons I liked Smart more than Exum, in truth. I haven't seen enough of Exum to know for sure that he has that killer instinct that Payton seems to be missing, but enough GM's and scouts seemed to think he did that I've been willing to assume it. Payton, I haven't heard anyone laud his aggression. Maybe I just haven't heard it. I saw the same passiveness in Rondo in college, but I assumed it was because he hated Tubby Smith (and who doesn't, really).

I see what you're saying. In truth, I was thinking about not playing him as a 3 with a more traditional sort of PF. He would be useless, say, on Chicago's roster playing beside Noah and Gibson/Boozer. On this team, you're right; the 3/4 is usually going to be pretty fluid, so the definition is unnecessary. I just don't want to see him out there at 3 with Vuc and Maxiel.

Not Shabazz Muhammed "I'm a big fat baby" body language or anything. He just seems at times like he's somewhere else. Too relaxed.

Still not really liking Payton, as much as I want to. I see the Rondo comparisons, but I also see a turnover machine with bad body language and a Rondo-comparable "jump shot." I'm not saying he's a terrible pick, just that he's a risk, especially when they had the opportunity for Exum and Smart. Maybe I'm undervaluing something about the kid, or maybe I'm overvaluing the other 2. I don't think I'm doing the latter. Exum and Smart went both right after Orlando's pick at 5 and 6. Both of those guys will be stars, in my opinion. I hope Gordon is, as well, so then I can just judge Payton on his draft spot, not who we missed out on at PG.

It's not about who's defending him, really. I know I made it seem that way, but my point was that you want the opportunity to create mismatches with him. You don't dictate who's guarding him, but with him offensively at the 4, you can dictate who they have on the floor by forcing them to go small if their four can't guard your 3 or your 4; you can dictate how they defend, moving their defenders around with quicker guys. My point was that at the 4, he gives your team an overall quickness advantage, not so much when he's at the 3.

GATORS!!!!

Then you have a mismatch with the opponent's 4 guarding Harris or whoever else is at 3. The point is that he creates mismatches if he's in there at the 4. At the 3, not so much.

One thing I want to say about Gordon is that putting him primarily at the SF position would be a mistake. If he can't play most of his minutes at PF, he'll be a bust. I think he is a PF who can slide down occasionally. He's got good enough handles and speed to play the 3, but his strength offensively will be in his quickness as a mismatch. Guys like Kawhi Leonard will be able to shut him down. What's ideal is to put him up against guys like Duncan, where he can just blow by them and get to the basket. That's where his handles and speed will help him in the half-court.

God! The more I watch this Gordon kid (started studying last night, watching more this morning; it's nice to be a stay-at-home dad and have time for this stuff), the more I try to talk myself into it, the more I think he could actually be great offensively as well as defensively. His weight, which I don't see staying where it is, and his FT% are really his only major weaknesses. This kid is REALLY smart off the ball. And with the ball, for that matter.

I think we're on the same page, mostly. Marion was never that thin. About 225 lb at 6-7. At 6-9, 235/240 still keeps Gordon lithe. Like I said, what I want to see from him physically is a faster Josh Smith, another guy at PF who could run with the best of them, super athletic on the break. I don't think 10-15 pounds takes anything away from his speed. It certainly didn't hurt LeBron.

I hope so. I think he would have a much better post game on both sides. He has the moves, from what I've seen, on offense - he just can't sustain his position and get comfortable. Not that he's ever going to be a stellar post player, but he needs to be at least capable. I hope that's true. His handles are so good. Improving his FT % will go miles in making him devastating to guard as a slashing PF. Right now you can just foul him - if he gets that % up above 60, and keeps his 3-pt % in the 30-plus range, he could be a nightmare. 10-15 pounds puts him at 6-9, 235/240. That's still Josh Smith size, which is perfect for his style.

More on Gordon. That outside stroke is downright nice. How can you look so good from outside and so bad from 15 ft? Confusing, but I suppose Bowen did that his whole career.

Watching more and more video on Gordon. The kid really needs to put on 10-15 pounds of muscle.

I'm starting to think Patrick Young really needs to be on this team as a fourth big. He just fits the mentality and toughness and intelligence that Orlando is clearly trying to build as a team. I would love to see us bring him in.

I'm starting to see Gordon. I still would rather they had got Smart at 4, but I get Gordon the more I think about it. Put ten pounds on this guy and he does remind me a bit of a twisted mix of Blake Griffin and Dennis Rodman. I get that he has a great Ball IQ, passes really well for a big (which is my litmus test for successful bigs), handles the ball really well for a big, and is so athletic its silly. The ball handling and passing are what make me think he can be more than just Kenneth Faried 2.0 on offense. He doesn't seem to be much of a shot-blocker, but his defense fits this team. I doubt seriously he'll ever be a 20-point a night guy, or ever more than 15. My guess is he peaks as a 15-8-4 type who does a lot of the little things that help a team win. Is that worth the 4th pick in this draft? I don't know. Maybe I'm selling him short offensively. maybe there's more "young 'Tawn Jamison' in him than I'm giving him credit for - he does finish really well like 'Tawn. Maybe his FT shooting really will get better. I don't know how you shoot nearly as well from 3 as from the FT line. His shot doesn't look Bo Outlaw busted or anything.

I'm done pouting. Somebody talk me into this, please.

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together. . . mass hysteria!

I. Love. Steve. Harvey.

Same with Smart. There is great upside in the 4-8 range of this draft. Smart/Vonleh/Randle/Embiid/and even Gordon (in a Ben Wallace way) can all be perennial All-Stars who change the culture of a team. The idea that you have to have a superstar is just wrong. If you want a dynasty, sure, you likely need a superstar. But you can be competitive and even win one or two championships with a group of very good players who fit together. Guys like Smart/Randle/Embiid(healthy) could be considered superstars if you put them on a team that competes for a championship. Paul George is considered a franchise player by a lot of people, and I think all three of those guys have a very good chance of being at least that good.

Dude's got balls, putting Wiggins and Vonleh that low. That being said, I agree with just about everything he wrote. This just makes me want Smart in Orlando so bad. The guy just looks like a star to me when I watch him. I think he's a guaranteed 15-5-5 guy his rookie year, with nasty defense from the get-go; and I could see him turning into a 20-6-6 guy easily in two to three years with even a little improvement on his outside shot. I'm starting to desperately want Orlando to move into the 6-9 spot with AA to try and get Randle, as well. To me, that gives Orlando a go-to scorer in Randle, and an absolutely nasty defensive perimeter. Smart/Oladipo/Harkless/Randle/Vucevic, with Nelson/Harris/O'Quinn off the bench; that would be one fun team to watch. Great perimeter defense and guys who run the floor well to score on the break; a bulldozer like Randle and a skilled big like Vucevic to score in the half-court. The only problem with that lineup is the lack of outside shooting, which Memphis has shown you can win without. Also, if Orlando keeps the 12 and still somehow manages to get Randle, there are some very good shooters at the SF they could draft there, like McDurmott/Hood/Young.

So you're saying Tony Parker is part of Aaron Hernandez' crew? I don't buy it. French people don't kill, not since we Huguenots left. Now that Matt Bonner: there's a killer. You know they say Judas was a red-head.

Ah. Cool. Thought I must have missed something, so I went back. I do agree with you on this point. Not many teams have ever won a championship with a point-guard superstar as their best player. Showtime Lakers, Bad Boy Pistons. That's really all I can think of at the moment. Even San Antonio doesn't really count, there. Parker is very good, and I wouldn't exactly say he's old - late prime, sure, but old is unfair; he's still one of the quicker guards in the league with the ball in his hands - but he's not a superstar, and not even hands-down the most important guy on that team. That being said, to be a star wing player you have to be able to score in the half-court. Wiggins' shot is decent enough (assuming he makes it more consistent) to be a solid scorer in the half-court; but his lack of ball-handling will hurt him in the NBA, where lots of guys are CLOSE to as athletic as he is. I think to be a great wing scorer in the League you have to be either a great shooter (Durant, Reggie, etc.) or a great ball-handler (Jordan, Wade, etc.). Wiggins is neither, just an athlete, thus the Paul George comparisons.

Catman, please tell me that I'm confused. I missed some of this, right? You're not really comparing Wiggins to Kevin Durant, are you?