2014 Draft Thread

[KandiKane 136]

My issue with Exum is that he is not a pure PG, he still appears as a SG that can play PG. I do not think I am a fan of having two SG's that can play PG. So personally I hope Exum is gone by number 4.

[OrlandoFeds 34]

Look past the stats. Isaiah is one of those players who can put up good numbers on lottery teams for his career.

 

Past stats? Because a 2nd round pick had to earn his minutes? Usually good numbers on lottery teams is due to a lack of defense but this isn't the case.

 

Winning is such an overrated stat when measuring an individuals effectiveness. You basically haven't acknowledged the coaching staff and other players in Portland.

 

No one remembers that the Blazers struggled with Aldridge out or that Portland's offense stays roughly the same when he doesn't play.

[Air Gordon 156]

My issue with Exum is that he is not a pure PG, he still appears as a SG that can play PG. I do not think I am a fan of having two SG's that can play PG. So personally I hope Exum is gone by number 4.

The main difference in this to me is Exum has been running the point for most of his life. I also think the idea of a "pure point" is one of the most overrated, fan based ideas in basketball. Tell me the last time a team led by a star pure point guard won an nba title. Hell, look at the 4 teams still playing. Indiana and Miami use the point guard spot as a spot up shooter to spread the floor and Oklahoma City and San Antonio feature two of the best point guards in the league, both of which are much more combo guards than pure point guards. The draft will be very interesting. The only one of the big 4 I can't see somehow falling to us is Wiggins.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Though Victor Oladipo played on the ball for stretches last season, Dante Exum would give the magic two long, athletic guards and plenty of flexibility moving forward. Exum is a bit of an enigma given he hasn't been seen extensively since last summer, but Orlando assistant GM Matt Lloyd was one of the few high level executives who actually were in attendance to scout him last summer in Prague at the U19 World Championship, and the Magic have reportedly conducted more background research into the Australian guard as any team in the NBA, according to our sources.

 

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz32LmEqmaH'>http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz32LmEqmaH

http://www.draftexpress.com

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

Though Victor Oladipo played on the ball for stretches last season, Dante Exum would give the magic two long, athletic guards and plenty of flexibility moving forward. Exum is a bit of an enigma given he hasn't been seen extensively since last summer, but Orlando assistant GM Matt Lloyd was one of the few high level executives who actually were in attendance to scout him last summer in Prague at the U19 World Championship, and the Magic have reportedly conducted more background research into the Australian guard as any team in the NBA, according to our sources.

 

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz32LmEqmaH'>http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz32LmEqmaH

http://www.draftexpress.com

 

"According to our sources"

 

If you look on the DX website Givony manages to get an interview with Henny and they seem to know each other pretty well (presumably because they both spent a lot of time scouting the same players when Rob was Director of International Scouting for the Thunder) and when I saw that I thought about how last year Givony had us drafting Romero Osby in the 2nd round despite not even having a scouting page for Osby (at the time he also sited a "tip" that the Magic really liked Osby).

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

Does height matter when you produce the same?

 

I understand there are a lot of different opinions on here but it seems weird the range in which these two have been seperated. People have suggested that Lillard is worth a top 3 pick and yet the Kings could let Isaiah walk.

 

The height doesn't matter really, no.

 

However, Lillard IS a better defensive player than Thomas is or ever will be(which is ridiculously faint praise, admittedly). Also, Lillard has proven to be a much more effective in-game leader than Thomas, who too often is obviously concerned with "getting his". That's relevant, and something that has to be acknowledged.

 

Also, I don't remember anyone here suggesting that Lillard was worth a top 3 pick OR that Thomas would be allowed to walk. Please try to keep your arguments to actually said things, please.

[OrlandoFeds 34]

The height doesn't matter really, no.

 

However, Lillard IS a better defensive player than Thomas is or ever will be(which is ridiculously faint praise, admittedly). Also, Lillard has proven to be a much more effective in-game leader than Thomas, who too often is obviously concerned with "getting his". That's relevant, and something that has to be acknowledged.

 

Also, I don't remember anyone here suggesting that Lillard was worth a top 3 pick OR that Thomas would be allowed to walk. Please try to keep your arguments to actually said things, please.

 

Keep in mind we were looking at pick 3 at the time;

 

So if Portland offered Lillard for our 1st pick would you do it? Lol! Wow!!!!

 

I would in a vacuume. But I don't want to trade for a good player that has to toil on a bad team for a few years.

 

I'd argue that Lillard, along with whoever we wind up with at #12, could make for a pretty darn good team with an extremely high ceiling moving forward. Obviously Portland would never do it though, as Lillard has established himself as a superstar in only his second year.

 

 

But apologies to Mauro Pedrosa because my memory was incorrect to the exact quote;

 

If it's #4 or worse yeah, but then they wouldn't do it

 

And apologise to TreyMachine if I came to a conclusion you weren't actually suggesting but it is how I read it;

 

They have a log-jam of good talent that just doesn't seem to gel. If anything, I think they will be looking for a PG, especially since Isaiah, while he's good, is not their PG of the future.

 

 

However going back to your original argument then to be fair it is true but I guess I see Lillard as trying to "get his" more than most others do as for an example I can't stand his early off the dribble three point shots very early in the shot clock (maybe because it used to annoy me when Jameer did it too).

 

Also I would like to point out before I get in a different argument that I'm not saying Isaiah is better just that I don't see that much of a gap between the two compared to their perceived value.

 

I'm not saying you're wrong because I don't have any statistics on it but out of curiosity I would like to see any proof you have that shows Lillard is a better defensive player than Thomas.

 

 

EDIT: Extra quote

[Soul Bro 1,421]

Great article from Doolittle of ESPN:

 

Three best fits

 

Joel Embiid, C, Kansas (Chad Ford Big Board ranking: No. 2): This assumes of course that Embiid's back isn't a major issue, which is one of the early dramas of this draft class. If he's OK, then Embiid follows in the footsteps of O'Neal and Howard as a hyper-athletic center, defensive anchor and interior scoring threat. Both he and Vucevic have the ability to face up, so that's a good pairing, especially given Embiid's mobility on the defensive end.

 

Dante Exum, PG, Australia (Chad Ford Big Board ranking: No. 4): A combo guard pairing of Exum and Oladipo would give the Magic one of the league's most dynamic backcourts for the next decade. Of course, if Smart slides on draft night, the Magic might be able to set up a similar dynamic by taking him with their second pick.

 

Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan (Chad Ford Big Board ranking: No. 11): Stauskas' ranking coincides with the Magic's second pick (at No. 12). If Orlando lands one of the top three prospects -- Wiggins, Embiid or Jabari Parker -- Stauskas is the perfect fit in terms of skill set, positional need and draft slot value.

 

http://insider.espn....-2014-nba-draft

[Nyce_1 311]

Wasn't everyone saying Harkless can't shoot when we got him 2 yrs ago? Look how he's turned out; a dependable spot-up 3pt shooter. With that said, I have ZERO doubt Oladipo & Exum will improve their shooting to respectable levels. I can't wait to watch this backcourt duo.

 

With both having the ability to penetrate into the lane, we'll need to eventually fill the roster with snipers, like the Spurs.

[Soul Bro 1,421]

I'm crazy excited about this draft. I expect Henny to work wonders. Nothing would surprise me, including either trading up with our second pick and AA to 5-8 or simply flipping AA for Charlotte's pick at 9. I do think Smart is a sleeper target for us at some point. Let's do this!

[The Neighborhood Bully 266]

Here's a depressing thought.

 

 

I’ve been told to watch out for Orlando as a potential trade partner for Golden State. They have cap space and after a second consecutive year finishing way down in the Eastern Conference standings, they need to make a move. They might be a taker for David Lee for the same reasons the Warriors were back in 2010: they need someone who can produce reliably and usher the franchise into respectability.

 

How did the draft lottery help? The Magic landed at No. 4.

 

That’s out of the range of the no-brainers: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embid. If those are the top 3, as projected by the renown DraftEXpress, that leaves Orlando probably in play for a guard. Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart will be on the board. So will Australian prodigy Dante Exum. Of course, Kentucky’s Julius Randle, Arizona’s Aaron Gordon and Indiana’s Noah Vonieh are on the board. But if the Magic go with a perimeter player, that could be good for the Warriors for two reasons.

 

1. Orlando will still have a need for a proven veteran in David Lee who knows what it takes to change the culture of a locker room and make a team competitive.

 

2. Aaron Afflalo could be expendable. Drafting a guard will give the Magic its frontcourt of the future: the rookie it drafts plus last year’s first-rounder Victor Oladipo.

 

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson/2014/05/20/orlando-a-possible-destination-for-david-lee/

 

 

 

[Nyce_1 311]

Here's a depressing thought.

 

"I’ve been told to watch out for Orlando as a potential trade partner for Golden State. They have cap space and after a second consecutive year finishing way down in the Eastern Conference standings, they need to make a move."

 

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/thompson/2014/05/20/orlando-a-possible-destination-for-david-lee/

 

This is where I stopped reading. We've been at the bottom on purpose and we don't "NEED" to make a move. Lee's contract and ugly and Barnes doesn't justify taking on the $$$. Not to mention we already have 2 good, young SF that I'd rather play over Barnes.

 

Sounds like GS pipe dream to me.