ESPN Chats Thread

[ball junkie 277]

Some more evals for players 5-8 by the guys at OPP…Randle, Vonleh, Smart & Gordon…

 

Potential fit in Orlando; I wrote more on depth about Randle's potential fit with the Magic here. The idea being that Randle would produce from the gate at the power forward spot. He would work really well next to Kyle O'Quinn's rim protection and if Nikola Vucevic continues to improve on that end, that pairing could work, too.

 

Potential fit in Orlando: Again, the idea of Vonleh is great. He's long-armed and has the tools to become a good defender and shot blocker, but it's going to take time. If he becomes a floor-stretching four man who can also protect the rim, then he'd be perfect next to Vucevic.

 

The same general lineup principles that worked for Randle would work for Vonleh. Tobias Harris would work as the sixth man alongside O'Quinn and either Maurice Harkless or Arron Afflalo would fill the small forward position. Or Harris could start at small forward.

 

Potential fit in Orlando: Smart and Victor Oladipo would be a terror on defense. They are both quick and strong enough to defend either backcourt spot and they would generate havoc up top. They would also be able to cross-match in transition and pick up multiple positions.

 

But I worry about the offense. Not necessarily getting the team within the flow of the offense--I think their combined ability could work, though Smart would take care of most of the handling--but with the shooting. Smart will likely never be a very good shooter, unless he reworks his jumper. Look at how low he brings the ball and how off-balance he is when he catches it:

 

There's just too much movement from below his waist to above his head. It's tough to have any consistency shooting this way and I worry that it will take a ton of work to iron those kinks out.

 

Which brings me to Oladipo: I like his mechanics and he shot 38 percent from behind the arc after the All-Star Break, but he will have to stay around that percentage for a full season for the pairing to really work. Otherwise, teams will give up the long range shot and pack the paint on the two, taking away what those two guards do best.

 

Potential fit in Orlando: As much as I like the versatility Gordon brings to the table, and that he's only 18, he would be a very awkward fit for Orlando. The Magic have struggled spacing the floor over the last two years and Gordon would just add those struggles. He isn't a good enough back-to-the-basket player to bring immediate scoring like Randle, and he doesn't project in the same mold that Vonleh does.

 

Now, if he slipped to No. 12, which I don't think he will, then sure, Orlando can afford to grab him. He could play reserve minutes as a versatile, pace-changing defender and stay on the bench until his shot develops. But I wouldn't reach for him at No. 4, not with the roster Orlando is working with.

 

Please click the link and see the wonderful pictures and illustrations of how Smart's shooting form is a wreck and how Randle was constantly double and triple-teamed this past season….

 

http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/6/14/5806830/2014-nba-draft-scouting-report-noah-vonley-julius-randle-orlando-magic

[ball junkie 277]

Just got this month's edition of ESPN the Mag with all of the usual suspects adding input….Pelton, Ford, Elhassan….Cover by the way has Embiid, Wiggins and Parker (no Exum)….After taking a few moments to scan over the material I was really impressed with the content….There's much more stuff in this than what you see on the website……Wish I could copy and paste but it won't let me….My son says it's because they want you to buy it at the newsstand…..Anyway….

 

The writer's gave their NBA Comparison's for all the top 30 players….Wanted to share a few….Thought they were interesting:

 

EMBIID….Ceiling - Anthony Davis……Floor - Brook Lopez

WIGGINS….Ceiling - Tracy McGrady…..Floor - Chandler Parsons

PARKER…..Ceiling - Carmelo Anthony…..Floor - Luol Deng

EXUM…..Ceiling - Michael Carter-Williams…..Floor - Andre Miller

VONLEH…..Ceiling - Al Horford….Floor - Markieff Morris

GORDON….Ceiling - Blake Griffin…..Floor - Kenneth Faried

RANDLE…..Ceiling - Lamarcus Aldridge….Floor - David Lee

SMART Ceiling - Russell Westbrook….Floor - Goran Dragic

McDERMOTT….Ceiling - Mike Miller…..Floor - Martell Webster

SARIC….Ceiling - Hedo Turkoglu….Floor - Farouq Aminu

YOUNG….Ceiling - Paul Pierce….Floor - Gordon Heyward

STAUSKAS….Ceiling - Damian Lillard….Floor - Jeremy Lin

PAYTON…..Ceiling - Rajon Rondo…..Floor - Ish Smith

 

Couple other notes…..Says James Young 3-point percentage was 46% against top 25 teams…..Talks about *Real Plus-Minus and it explains as follows:

 

"Regular" plus-minus measures the net change in scoring margin while a player is on the floor. So if Lebron James leads the Heat on a 10-0 run and Mario Chalmers is on the court, Chalmers get a plus - 10 rating, just for Lebron being Lebron.

 

Enter "real" plus-minus, which uses play-by-play data to determine the impact each player has on each possession . So if Chalmers doesn't touch the ball or give up any points during that 10-0 run, then his RPM is zero…..It then mentions the Magic in regards to drafting Exum.

 

The hope ???….That Exum pushes Aaron Affalo's putrid RPM out of the lineup -- or to another team.

 

I realize Orlando probably didn't care about wins or losses but for what it's worth here's the "REAL" Plus-Minus(RPM) for a few of our players…

 

JAMEER…..+ 0.89

OLIDIPO…..- 0.57

AFFALO……- 3.19

T. HARRIS…- 1.97

VUCEVIC….+ 0.74

[CTMagicUK 1,491]

Those comparisons are ridiculous.

[Soul Bro 1,423]

It would seem to me that RPM inflates the positive or negative impact of the primary ball handlers or playmakers on teams. For instance, Irving's RPM was -1.41, while Deng's was 2.93. Hmmm...

[Soul Bro 1,423]

David Thorpe on Parker:

 

If he works on his conditioning and improves his conditioning, he will contend for scoring titles. That's how advanced his offensive game is.

http://insider.espn....insider/espnmag

[Soul Bro 1,423]

David Thorpe on his full comps for Exum:

 

Exum plays with great speed and poise, like MCW and John Wall, which will help him dominate a full-court game. His size and length should help him be among the league leaders in steals, too. Exum's floor is a tall Miller, a starting point guard and rotation player for 15 years who's comfortable in post-up play.

http://insider.espn....insider/espnmag

 

I personally think that's quite complimentary and fair. The Wall comparison probably works best for me.

[Soul Bro 1,423]

Opponents shot 34% when Aaron Gordon was the primary defender. That is awesome!!!

[Soul Bro 1,423]

David Thorpe on Smart:

 

Smart will never be as athletic as Westbrook, but his strength and length will destroy opponents on the glass and at the rim. But even his development levels off, he should still be a borderline All-Star like Dragic, who had a 3.36 RPM last season, better than that of WC All-Star James Harden (3.22).

http://insider.espn....insider/espnmag

[MagicFanInNevada 51]

I could only hope that Exum and Saric have higher ceilings than MCW and Turkoglu boss

[ball junkie 277]

I could only hope that Exum and Saric have higher ceilings than MCW and Turkoglu boss

 

David Thorpe on Saric and J. Young….NBA Comps were Turk and Paul Pierce…

 

Don't forget how dynamic Turk was in Orlando, where he was the go - to fourth - quarter scorer on a team that lost in the 2009 Finals.… Saric is that type of playmaker, a wing who can affect the paint with his size.… If his growth stunts at Aminu, he can still be a solid 4 with sixth-man potential.

 

Young uses his frame so well; he reminds me of Pierce, who became a genius at footwork.… If Young fulfills his potential as a shooter, he'll be special.… If not, he'll be like Hayward: a mix of talent, athleticism and inefficiency.

 

Fresno, in 2009 Turk was a pretty good player for us….The only place he sucked was on this Forum.

 

Soul, agree with your assessment about Thorpe on Exum….Thought it was pretty fair too.

[CTMagicUK 1,491]

I could only hope that Exum and Saric have higher ceilings than MCW and Turkoglu boss

 

They do. The Exum/MCW comp is mind boggling to be honest. How it's a good thing to compare a prospect to one of the worst shooting players in the league who stat padded as a result of his teams ridiculously fast pace is beyond me.

 

While I think the 09 Turk comparison for Saric is fair I also think Saric has the potential to be more than that.

[Nyce_1 311]

Opponents shot 34% when Aaron Gordon was the primary defender. That is awesome!!!

Hearing Gordon talk about how much he loves defending, rebounding, and simply winning is encouraging. He has an array of skills mixed with a great mentality and work ethic to make himself special. I'd do anything to trade up for him, to pair with Exum.