2014 Draft Thread

[magicblue 315]

Keep in mind he's probably got another inch or so of growth left in him. He could end up closer to 6'10"by the time he's done growing and his body will fill out natural as he matures and gets on a regular weight program. I think he will wind up looking eerily similar to Griffin in 2-3 years, and play like a Marion on steroids.

[bhnole 153]

Good article on Payton just before the draft which tells you how he went from barely recruited to a surprise starter on the USA U19 team and now top ten NBA draft pick.

 

My link

[magicblue 315]

i saw someone refer to it as "lob kingdom"

 

"Lob Kingdom", lol! I love it!

[Justin Jaudon 221]

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.

[crisby pancakes 126]

Must say I was regretting staying up till 2am at the point where we drafted Gordon but was so happy when that trade for Payton was announced and like many, a few hours to chill has helped me warm to Gordon much more. We have so many hard workers in this team now that there is no way they can't but bounce off one another and push each other on.

 

Has it definitely been confirmed that the first round pick we gave to the sixers was their own from the Dwight trade? If so, I like that even more considering how protected it was.

[Jay Magic 1,240]

I said it prior to the draft but this draft is funny. I don't think anyone would have had a problem with us selecting Gordon with the 5th pick. In fact, I'm betting most of us would have been happy with it. But we pass up a point guard that everyone thought could be the next Penny and there is a near riot on this forum. The bottom line is that we know Hennigan scouted the crap out of both Exum and Smart. After all that scouting he decided he would rather take Gordon. I think that says a lot about Gordon and Payton to be honest.

 

The thing is I don't see how Gordon could be a bust. His absolute floor is a dominant defender with little offensive game. It wasn't that long ago that the Pistons won a championship with Ben Wallace. That is Gordon's floor. The dude can start in the NBA tomorrow because of his defense. And offense can be taught. Maybe he never becomes a good outside shooter but that doesn't mean he can't turn himself into an offensive threat. Tyson Chandler has made a career out catching passes for dunks. He was limited offensively but still found a way to become a threat on the floor. I don't think anyone can look at Gordon's athleticism and not envision him at least having that ability offensively.

 

Now lets go out on a crazy limb and assume the 19 year old kid actually improves......

 

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[Mauro Pedrosa 1,031]

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.

Agreed. He could be PF full time as far as I'm concerned

[jjgator 164]

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.

 

No matter what position he plays the opposing team can send whoever they want to guard him.

[magicblue 315]

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.

 

 

 

You can't really dictate who guards you, but I agree he should have success early on against bigger forwards in face up situations.

 

 

 

[magicblue 315]

No matter what position he plays the opposing team can send whoever they want to guard him.

 

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[Nyce_1 311]

for anyone questioning Gordon's shot, watch him talk about it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLttmhNPYt0

[Emory889 353]

Good article on Payton just before the draft which tells you how he went from barely recruited to a surprise starter on the USA U19 team and now top ten NBA draft pick.

 

My link

 

He reminds me a lot of Oladipo in the way he went from unheralded prospect to lottery pick by working hard.