Official 2015 Draft Thread

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,031]

Speaking of draft picks, if we look at our roster, what would yo anticipate being a "need" position come next years draft. Personally, I see PG, SG and C locked up with Payton, Oladipo and Vuc. So, for me, it's more of SF and PF, depending on how Tobias Harris plays and what position he plays

SF, but I'd rather get a free agent like Klay Thompson or Kevin Durant :creaturedance:

[jjasso007 6]

SF, but I'd rather get a free agent like Klay Thompson or Kevin Durant :creaturedance:/>

 

I'd like one of them also, but the question is: do they want to play here? Orlando isn't necessarily a big market city and we aren't a playoff caliber team who can go in and win a championship if one of them comes here immediately. So it would take some convincing to get one of teh top stars to come to Orlando. But we can always hope!

[The Neighborhood Bully 266]

The 2015 draft is more than nine months away, but teams track prospects year-round in an effort to make the right decisions when the day finally arrives. All that work doesn’t prevent draft busts, as is proven time and again, but teams can still gather valuable information so they can limit their mistakes. Here’s the latest:

 

• University of Kentucky coach John Calipari has invited all 30 NBA teams to send personnel to watch him put his star-studded roster through a two-day scouting combine of sorts next month, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Calipari is believed to be the first college coach to set up such a showcase for his players, but Wojnarowski adds that he won’t allow anyone from the league to observe his practices for an indefinite time thereafter.
• There’s no shortage of NBA prospects on Kentucky, as nine fall within the top 43 inJonathan Givony’s DraftExpress ratings, but forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns, shooting guard Aaron Harrison and combo guard Andrew Harrison will be the main attractions at the team’s preseason showcase, scouts tell Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
• Duke center Jahlil Okafor remains the top-ranked player on the second version of Chad Ford’s ESPN.com Insider-only draft board, but 6’10″ UCLA combo forward Kevon Looney vaults to the No. 8 spot after Ford left him outside his top 30 the first time around

 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

Not heard much of Looney, will have to look into him.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Not heard much of Looney, will have to look into him.

 

Recruiting Rankings: 247: #7, ESPN: #9, Scout: #9, Rivals: #11

 

Strengths:

-Solid frame. Big shoulders. Should be able to fill out nicely

-Good wingspan (7-1)

-Plays extremely hard

-Excellent rebounder

-Very competitive defensively

-Guards multiple positions

-Gets in passing lanes. Blocks shots

-Decent shooting mechanics. Can make a spot-up 3-pointer

-Uses shot fakes to open up driving lanes

-Unselfish player. Does all the little things. Doesn't mind doing the dirty work

 

Weaknesses:

-Somewhat stuck between the 3 and the 4 offensively

-Doesn't have a consistent means of scoring right now except via offensive glass

-Flat-footed jumper with a slow release

-Average ball-handler

-No left hand

-No real post game

 

Outlook: Undersized power forward with terrific energy and toughness. Selfless teammate who will help a college team win plenty of games. Will need to continue to fill out his frame and expand his offensive game to improve his NBA prospects and not be labeled as strictly a garbage man type role player.

 

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3CvTBxRrf'>http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3CvTBxRrf

http://www.draftexpress.com

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Sounds like a Gordon clone

[Murphy13 185]

I just want to say that it depresses me that I return to the forums after a hiatus to see the top thread being a wait til next year thread...and I love the draft!

[Emory889 353]

The conversations will pick up in a month.

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

Yea there's really nothing else to talk about. The season can't get here sooner.

[Voodoo Man 99]

Yea there's really nothing else to talk about. The season can't get here sooner.

Agreed, and sometimes no news is good news in the NBA. None of our players or coaches are in the news for drugs, violence, or general stupidity. We can be thankful for that.

[The Neighborhood Bully 266]

The NBA’s Board of Governors is expected to vote later this month on a slightly altered version of the league’s earlier proposal to change the draft lottery, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports (Twitter links). It’s not entirely certain that the measure will come up for a vote, but Lowe senses that it’s likely to pass easily, perhaps with only the Sixers voting against it (Twitter link). The changes would probably go into effect for the 2015 lottery if the Board of Governors vote to approve them, Lowe tweets.

 

The latest version of the proposal would give the four worst teams equal 12% chances at the top pick, while the worst team would fall no farther than seventh, since the lottery would determine the top six picks, according to Lowe (on Twitter). The worst team gets a 25% shot at the No. 1 overall pick under the current system in which the lottery determines only the top three picks.

 

It’s unclear how much of a shot the fifth- and sixth-worst teams would have at the top pick, but the seventh-worst would have an 8.5% chance, eighth would have 7%, ninth would have 5.5% and 10th would have 4%, as Lowe tweets. Teams 7-10 would have a 13% chance or better to move into the top three. Teams with the 11th- through 14th-worst marks would have 2.5%, 1.5%, 1% and 0.5% chances, respectively, and that group of four would have better chances of moving into the top six than they have today, Lowe adds (via Twitter).

[LaVar 108]

 

 

even more of a reason to start playing to win now. Either way, it is time.