2014 Draft preview-worthy?

[CelticsGM]

I hope to get a short draft preview up for tonight, just to start a little bit of discussion here.

And if anyone wants to know how good this draft is viewed, how about the list of picks that are available for trade on the eve of the 1st round:
1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26

Idea: Can't we just give'em all to the Kings to start their rebulding project around Iggy?
 

[MagicGM]

I must be smelling a "bad" blood between the both of you. 

[CelticsGM]

I must be smelling a "bad" blood between the both of you. 

Not at all, there's a lot of love actually. We just love to tease ...

[CelticsGM]

So here we go, a preview of the 2014 draft beginning tonight. This won't be a mock draft since I have no clue on teams needs but rather a position by position look at the bets that's available there.

PART 1: Centers
don't expect much here, especially if you need help right away.
1. Andrew Lundy, Conncticut, 6'9" / 228
not the greatest of rebounders but he can score from close range and is arguably the best shot blocker in the draft. One of the better defensive big man available.
2. Alfonzo Helman, Notre Dame, 6'8" / 265
The leader of his team did it all last year. Score, rebound, block, steal, turn it over. Might be solid when he's not the main focus on a pro team. His defense was fine but could also improve with less offensive responsibility.
3. Jourdain Godin, Oklahoma, 6'9" / 234
solid on offense/defense and also grabs some boards. he even attacks the rim and gets to the line, but don't expect any blocks or steals

dark horse: Jose Milne, Sam Houston, 6'9" / 249
defends, defends, defends, blocks shots and grabs defensive boards. He won't score from beyond 5 ft but you know what you get here, no more and no less. But careful, his next game with the big boys will be his first against a legit opponent

[CelticsGM]

Next up, the rest of the frontcourt personnel

PART 2: Power Forwards
one of the deepest positions in this draft, although it gets to project status after the first two prospects.
1. Don LaPorte, Oklahoma, 6'8" / 246
Will contend to be the top pick in this draft and rightfully so. Might be the guy most ready to make an instant impact in the pro's. Sure he doesn't have a lot of blocks and his perimeter defense could improve, but he's a legit threat on both ends of the court ... and young enough to get a lot better.
2. Kenton Siu, Dayton, 6'8" / 251
A defensive force who had to play C all year but held his own there and was a big factor for #9 Dayton's surprisingly good year. He hits the board hard and protects the paint with fine defense and shot blocking. His offense comes from putbacks mostly but he gets to the line a lot (>10ftpg) and can hit those (>82%).
3. Jeremy Munson, So. California, 6'9" / 231
Little dropoff from the top 2 prospects but here's another biggie who defends, boards and can hit it from the charity stripe. He played no role in Californias offense but did keep a lot of possessions alive with off boards and steals. Expect similar things in the pro's.

dark horse: Gary Green, UCLA, 6'7" / 243
He plays defense only Doug Moe would love but does a lot of good things otherwise, namely score, rebound and block some shots. True basics you might look for, especially when it comes with a .520 fg% and brought his Bruins all the way to the title game.


ATTENTION ! THIS JUST IN: Kenton Siu decided to remove himself from the draft and pursue a career in painting on the island of Maui. Rumors that the FBB governing board accidentially forgot to submit his name on the official draft list and he wouldn't have been eligible anyway - remember, we are talking about the 5th best prospect in the complete 2014 draft - are completely off target, repeat completely off target, according to a league source.
 

[CelticsGM]

Now let's look at the wing

PART 3: Small Forwards
and here it get's ugly. the best prospect isn't even in this draft and the rest won't play meaningful minutes unless a team is very very very desperate.
1. Steven Jackson, Arizona, 6'8" / 239
As mentioned, this senior from #1 Arizona isn't in the draft list for whatever reason. He was one of the key players, ballhandlers and 2nd leading rebounder on the best team in the league (which just collapsed in the tourney). So let's not even look deep at his value, you can't pick him.
2. Valentin Kaspar, Missouri, 6'6" / 225
First long-term prospect for this position. One of the top defending SF with great rebounding and little value on the offensive end. Call him a Ron Artest sans offense. Problem is, he didn't even start for his team and played backup to a junior with no offense, defense or rebounding skills. Makes you wonder ...
3. John Gallegos, Syracuse, 6'7" / 236
Questionable defense is probably the last you want from a player with mediocre offense and only good rebounding won't cut it in the pro's. Sure, he can hit the three point shot but that takes him away from the baskets and decimates his rebounding value. But hey, there have been worse picks ...

dark horse: Russ Allen, Kansas, 6'6" / 252
bulky offensive force who loves to shoot but can also attack the rim when the defense collapses on him. He has little value beyond scoring but that he can do better than most. So if you are lacking a scorer on a defensive oriented team with good help defense he will be a great addition.

and if you think the talent pool at SF is lame, just take a look at the OTHER prospects here like Harris, Pools, Short or Taylor. 

[CelticsGM]

and here come the people who will shoot the lights out

PART 4: Shooting Guards
now celebrate, dance, letyour heart jump, we get to the cream of the draft. The only position giving us REAL talent, finally ...
1. Richard Roan, Cinncinnati, 6'7, 212
The purest scorer in this draft who can score from wherever he wants inside the arc. He will fill up the stat sheets in the big league as well and also defends well enough not to hurt his team. Expect him to run a lot of fastbreaks off steals and reduce his own giveaways when he has a REAL playmaker getting him the ball.
2. Andrew Walsh, Cinncinnati, 6'4, 217
The other pure scorer, this time with less defensive ability and lesser value. Walsh is expanding his scoring to the 3pt line as well, but since he played in the relative obscurity of the Atlantic10 we will have to wait to find out if he can do it against better defenders too. He's quick, can jump out of the gym and is a solid rebounder for the SG slot.
3. Michael O'Neil, Fresno St, 6'6" / 189
Not the scorer like Roan or Walsh but a better defender than either. He won't turn the ball over as much but since he's mainly an outside shooter he is missing a dimension on the offensive end. But it might not be the worst concept to keep his skinny frame away from the paint. So don't expect much rebounding but simply solid SG play.

dark horse: Danial Crites, Gonzaga, 6'4" / 204
A lesser polished version of O'Neil but shooting better than 50%. He will find his team, since the dropoff on SG talent starts right after him.


oh, and least I forget, another two good prospects are missing from the draft preview at SG:
- Daytons Damion Clement, the leading scorer on one of the surprise teams this season. Good defender too, most likely a first round pick
- Detroits Dimitrii Ozolinsh Maybe FBB doesn't want too many russians in here but he should have been in, leading a top25 team with 22ppg (on great shooting percentages) and 6rpg from the SG spot.
did I mention that this FBCB-FBB transfer sucks? Thats at least 3 missed 1st round picks so far, all seniors off course.
 

[CelticsGM]

And finally, the playmakers got an audition

PART 5: Point Guards
No single player sticks out from the largest group of prospects at PG but you got around 6 or 7 fine young PGs, none of whom plays Larry  Brown defense
1. Adalberto Marquez, Oklahoma State, 5'10" / 186
The #1 PG in this draft most analysts say ... and I'm not sure what they are talking about. Sure he can do it all, score, pass, defend, steal, and his pro ratings better than any other PG. But he also turns it over at a high rate, shoots 40% from the field (and 27% from three) and is pretty small. Guess the jury's still out ...

2. Thomas Gresham, Cinncinnati, 6'1" / 179
He has the best hands of all PGs in this draft, on offense AND on defense. Lacks the scoring power a bit but if you look for a pure PG to lead your team look no further. His defense is as questionable as that of all other PG prospects but he comes from a winning program and after the took over the starting spot from Fisher at midseason his numbers improved greatly.

3. Julian Brown, Missouri, 6'0" / 201
Good-shooting ballhandler who turns it over a little too much but can run a team with fine decisionmaking. His defense is better than it seems but I'd see him no more ready for the pro's than his counterparts above. I just have a feeling he'll be the best of this group, but thats just me.

dark horse: Alexandr Rychtr, Miami, 6'0" / 174
The best shooter (and worst rebounder) of the main prospects he does few things great but a lot of things pretty good, including playing defense. He might be a season away from withstanding the rigors of a SSBA season and god help him he gets a GM like ZLOVRO but this kid might get something special at the big stage, too ...



So much for the better PG, as mentioned earlier there are another 3-4 prospects not far behind, and we haven't even mentioned the FBCB Player Of The Year yet (ok, ok, FBCB might be double as worse in selecting award winners than FBB which is truly crappy at that), who also belongs !
 

[SunsGM]

I think the top 2 spots are pretty much common knowledge the real intrigue is at #3, and what the Cavs will do.

[SpursGM-old]

2. Kenton Siu, Dayton, 6'8" / 251
A defensive force who had to play C all year but held his own there and was a big factor for #9 Dayton's surprisingly good year. He hits the board hard and protects the paint with fine defense and shot blocking. His offense comes from putbacks mostly but he gets to the line a lot (>10ftpg) and can hit those (>82%).

You must have the super secret draft eligible list because this one http://ssba.phillyarena.net/draft/draftplayers-pos.htm doesn't list this player.

[CelticsGM]

2. Kenton Siu, Dayton, 6'8" / 251
A defensive force who had to play C all year but held his own there and was a big factor for #9 Dayton's surprisingly good year. He hits the board hard and protects the paint with fine defense and shot blocking. His offense comes from putbacks mostly but he gets to the line a lot (>10ftpg) and can hit those (>82%).

You must have the super secret draft eligible list because this one http://ssba.phillyarena.net/draft/draftplayers-pos.htm doesn't list this player.

what a pity. Finally I discover a top talent and FBB completely forgot about him. He's a senior, so there's no excuse ...

[CavsGM]

I think the top 2 spots are pretty much common knowledge the real intrigue is at #3, and what the Cavs will do.

I don't think your pick is so clear to everyone. You were leaning towards one guy and then changed your mind, so that shows it's a tough decision.

[MagicGM]

its sad to say that this draft is pretty much a turd :S

[CelticsGM]

updated PGs. now the preview is complete and I hope it at least entertains some of you ...
 


And believe it or not, giving this crappy draft a closer look actually had me discover a few gems, none of course ready right away, who might be worth taking a chance.