timvp
06-28-2006, 05:05 PM
The San Antonio Spurs head into the 2006 draft with only one pick in the second round but the buzz around the league is the Spurs could be looking to trade up in the draft. Holding the 59th selection, the Spurs war room will be working overtime. This draft is regarded as one of the weakest in recent history, but there are a number of interesting prospects that can be had late into the first round and even into the early second. The Spurs don't have a history of trading up in drafts, however that could change tonight if the Spurs see a prospect they like slipping.
TEAM NEEDS
A long small forward has been a need for the Spurs for years. Bruce Bowen cant play forever and the Spurs would like to start grooming his eventual replacement. If they can find a swingman in the draft who has the tools to be a good defender, the Spurs could go in that direction.
There are rumblings that the Spurs might be looking for another point guard. Though the team has been satisfied with the play of Tony Parker, theyve had trouble with finding him a backup. Nick Van Exel is retiring after doing next to nothing in the playoffs and Beno Udrih hasn't shown much consistentcy over the last couple years. Going small and getting a point guard in this draft is a likely outcome.
With Rasho Nesterovic being traded to Toronto and Nazr Mohammed being a free agent, the Spurs may look to see if they can snag a center in the draft. A rebounding power forward would also fill a need in San Antonio.
TRADING UP INTO THE EARLY/MID FIRST ROUND
There's a decent chance that the Spurs move up in the draft to get the player they want. They may dangle players such as Luis Scola, Beno Udrih or even Brent Barry to move up in the draft. If they do improve their draft position up into the early to mid first round, the following players would come into play:
Tyrus Thomas This jumping jack out of LSU has superstar potential. Few players can match his athleticism and energy he brings to the court. ****
Andrea Bargnani By far the highest rated Euro this year. There's a good chance he'll go to Toronto with the first pick. ***1/2
Rudy Gay Regarded by many has having the most potential in the draft. This guy could really be something special if he figures it all out. ****
LaMarcus Aldridge A bigman who is developing rapidly. He's big with long arms and a good touch around the basket. ***1/2
Shelden Williams The Hawks are said to have promised to pick him at five. He's a tough power forward who lives to rebound a play defense. ***1/2
Adam Morrison Morrison is probably the best scorer in the draft. He can hit the three and already has an NBA level midrange game. ***
Brandon Roy Roy is probably the most NBA ready player in the draft. This guy can step in and be a good shooting guard right off the bat. ***1/2
Randy Foye Foye is a high character guy who has seen his stock rise over the last couple months. He won't slip past Seattle at 10. ***
Ronnie Brewer He has a chance to be a lockdown defender in the league. He's also a good kid who has helped his draft ranking with his interviews. ***1/2
Saer Sene Potential. This guy could one day be a beast. He'll be the longest guy in the league and has good jumping ability to go with it. ***
JJ Redick Redick has a recent DUI charge and has also had back problems recently. Given that, he'll probably still be a top 20 pick. **1/2
Hilton Armstrong He's a guy who will come into the league to rebound and defend at the center position. Not a huge amount of upside but should be able to get the job done. ***
Cedric Simmons Simmons is a very good athelete who has a chance to become a good power forward in the league. He's a little raw but teams around the league like his tools. ***
Rodney Carney Carney can score and is a very good athlete. He's had some character issues in the past but most think he's turned over a new leaf. ***
Shawne Williams Williams is a guy who has very good potential but tested poorly in the Orlando draft camp. He's a big, long small forward with a lot of skills, so he'll still be drafted rather high. ***
Thabo Sefolosha The Spurs liked this small forward from Switzerland in the past. To get him this year, they'd probably have to move up into the middle of the first to get him. ***
Marcus Williams Regarded by many as the best point guard in the draft, William's stock dropped a bit after he went to Orlando overweight and out of shape. Despite that, he'll be a top 20 pick.. ***
Patrick O'Bryant O'Bryant's stock is slipping fast. At one point he was considered a top-five pick. Now he could slide all the way to 20. ***
TRADING FOR A PICK BETWEEN 20 AND 35
This is a more likely scenario than the Spurs trading for a top 20 pick. In this scenario, the Spurs will trade into the late first/early second round if a player they like starts to slip in the draft. That group of players could include:
Alexander Johnson Johnson is a big power forward with load of athleticism. He hasn't produced much on the court but has potential to make it in the league. **1/2
Olexsiy Pecherov Pecherov is a perimeter playing power forward who has seen his stock raise a little lately. He's probably now secured himself a first round selection. **1/2
Shannon Brown Brown is a smallish shooting guard who has played well in individual workouts. He's another guy who is NBA ready. **
Rajon Rondo Once upon a time, Rondo was considered a likely top five pick. But after a poor season at Kentucky, his stock has fallen pretty far. **1/2
Quincy Douby Douby is another small shooting guard. However he can shoot and is one of the better scorers in the draft. **
Kyle Lowry Lowry is a short point guard but one who is very strong and willing to work. It's looking likely that he's a first round pick. **1/2
Jordan Farmar Farmar had a pretty good year at UCLA but surprised many but declaring for the draft early. He tested out very well in the Orlando draft camp, so that should help his stock. **1/2
James White Probably the best athlete in the draft, White can jump incredibly well. He didn't have that great of a career at Cincinnati but most scouts think he'll be a better player in the NBA. ***
Sergio Rodriguez Rodriguez is a pure point guard who at one point in time was tough of to be a lottery pick. From Spain, he's very likely to go in the first round. **1/2
Maurice Ager Ager can shoot and defend well for his size. At 6-foot-5, he translates to a shooting guard in the NBA. **
Guillermo Diaz Diaz is a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who has a chance in the NBA based on his great athleticism. He's also an improving shooter from deep. **
Joel Freeland Freeland is a kid out of England who impressed in the Euro camps. He has a chance to be drafted in the first round. **1/2
PJ Tucker Tucker is an extremely short power forward prospect who makes up for it with toughness and an ability to rebound. Eventually, he could transition into a small forward. **1/2
Josh Boone Boone has a lot of potential but never amounted to much in college. He's a guy who could go late in the first or drop deep into the second. **1/2
Mardy Collins Collins is a good defender who would helpful in almost any NBA backcourt. He'd be ready to play as a rookie. **1/2
Marcus Vinicius Vieira de Souza This small forward from Brazil has seen his stock drop recently. He used to be a first round lock but is now seen as a second rounder. **1/2
Damir Markota Markota is a very athletic small forward. When drafted, he'll probably stay overseas for a year or two. **1/2
Solomon Jones Jones is a bit of an unknown player out of South Florida. He can rebound and block shots but is a few years away. **
Ryan Hollins Hollins is a center who is ultra athletic. The problem with him is he's never seemed to be motivated. **1/2
Daniel Gibson Gibson is a player who at one point in time was a top rated point guard but he's now fallen on his face after a poor season at UT. *
LOOKING FOR A SECOND ROUND GEM
The Spurs could just keep there pick and hope that someone they likes falls to them.
Yotam Halperin Halperin would become Israel's first NBA player. He could be ready right away to come in and play point. **
Dee Brown Brown is an experienced point guard but might be too small to make it. *1/2
Leon Powe Powe is a tough player but his two ACL surgeries will scare teams off. **
Hassan Adams A super athlete but needs to learn how to shoot. *1/2
Will Blalock Blalock is a quick point guard but does he have enough tools to make it? *1/2
Paul Davis Davis' stock has fallen since a high about six months ago but he'll still be drafted somewhere in the mid-second round. **
James Augustine He's athletic and can hit the open jumper. Could become a good role player in the league. **
Jose Juan Barea A quick point guard who can score and pass. A little eratic but has played well internationally. **1/2
Kevin Pittsnogle **
Paul Millsap **
Mike Gansey *1/2
Allan Ray *1/2
Steve Novak *1/2
David Noel **1/2
Louis Amundson **
Kenny Adeleke **
Taj Gray **
Denham Brown *1/2
Darius Washington **
Bobby Jones **
Thomas Gardner *1/2
Justin Williams **
Danilo Pinnock *1/2
Gerry McNamara *
Rashad Anderson *1/2
Nik Caner-Medley *
WHAT WILL HAPPEN
timvp looks into his crystal ball and predicts that the Spurs will try to trade into the late first round or early second round if a player they like (Sefolosha, White, Farmar, Rondo?) falls. The Spurs will keep their second round pick and will hope that they can get Jose Juan Barea at their spot. If Barea is off the board, look for them to go for a perimeter athlete like Noel, B. Jones or Amundson, or a banger like Millsap or Adeleke. The Spurs would also be happy if a player like Tucker or de Souza fell to them at 59.
Knowing the Spurs like we do, going with an international player late in the second round is also a safe guess. Names of players the Spurs could pick are Vladimir Veremeenko, Viktor Keirou, Yemi Nicholson, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Kosta Perovic, Pape-Philippe Amagou and Ejike Ugboaja.
Key
**** - A future great player on the Spurs
*** - A very good player for the Spurs
** - Has a chance to be a solid role player
* - A long shot to thrive in the NBA
TEAM NEEDS
A long small forward has been a need for the Spurs for years. Bruce Bowen cant play forever and the Spurs would like to start grooming his eventual replacement. If they can find a swingman in the draft who has the tools to be a good defender, the Spurs could go in that direction.
There are rumblings that the Spurs might be looking for another point guard. Though the team has been satisfied with the play of Tony Parker, theyve had trouble with finding him a backup. Nick Van Exel is retiring after doing next to nothing in the playoffs and Beno Udrih hasn't shown much consistentcy over the last couple years. Going small and getting a point guard in this draft is a likely outcome.
With Rasho Nesterovic being traded to Toronto and Nazr Mohammed being a free agent, the Spurs may look to see if they can snag a center in the draft. A rebounding power forward would also fill a need in San Antonio.
TRADING UP INTO THE EARLY/MID FIRST ROUND
There's a decent chance that the Spurs move up in the draft to get the player they want. They may dangle players such as Luis Scola, Beno Udrih or even Brent Barry to move up in the draft. If they do improve their draft position up into the early to mid first round, the following players would come into play:
Tyrus Thomas This jumping jack out of LSU has superstar potential. Few players can match his athleticism and energy he brings to the court. ****
Andrea Bargnani By far the highest rated Euro this year. There's a good chance he'll go to Toronto with the first pick. ***1/2
Rudy Gay Regarded by many has having the most potential in the draft. This guy could really be something special if he figures it all out. ****
LaMarcus Aldridge A bigman who is developing rapidly. He's big with long arms and a good touch around the basket. ***1/2
Shelden Williams The Hawks are said to have promised to pick him at five. He's a tough power forward who lives to rebound a play defense. ***1/2
Adam Morrison Morrison is probably the best scorer in the draft. He can hit the three and already has an NBA level midrange game. ***
Brandon Roy Roy is probably the most NBA ready player in the draft. This guy can step in and be a good shooting guard right off the bat. ***1/2
Randy Foye Foye is a high character guy who has seen his stock rise over the last couple months. He won't slip past Seattle at 10. ***
Ronnie Brewer He has a chance to be a lockdown defender in the league. He's also a good kid who has helped his draft ranking with his interviews. ***1/2
Saer Sene Potential. This guy could one day be a beast. He'll be the longest guy in the league and has good jumping ability to go with it. ***
JJ Redick Redick has a recent DUI charge and has also had back problems recently. Given that, he'll probably still be a top 20 pick. **1/2
Hilton Armstrong He's a guy who will come into the league to rebound and defend at the center position. Not a huge amount of upside but should be able to get the job done. ***
Cedric Simmons Simmons is a very good athelete who has a chance to become a good power forward in the league. He's a little raw but teams around the league like his tools. ***
Rodney Carney Carney can score and is a very good athlete. He's had some character issues in the past but most think he's turned over a new leaf. ***
Shawne Williams Williams is a guy who has very good potential but tested poorly in the Orlando draft camp. He's a big, long small forward with a lot of skills, so he'll still be drafted rather high. ***
Thabo Sefolosha The Spurs liked this small forward from Switzerland in the past. To get him this year, they'd probably have to move up into the middle of the first to get him. ***
Marcus Williams Regarded by many as the best point guard in the draft, William's stock dropped a bit after he went to Orlando overweight and out of shape. Despite that, he'll be a top 20 pick.. ***
Patrick O'Bryant O'Bryant's stock is slipping fast. At one point he was considered a top-five pick. Now he could slide all the way to 20. ***
TRADING FOR A PICK BETWEEN 20 AND 35
This is a more likely scenario than the Spurs trading for a top 20 pick. In this scenario, the Spurs will trade into the late first/early second round if a player they like starts to slip in the draft. That group of players could include:
Alexander Johnson Johnson is a big power forward with load of athleticism. He hasn't produced much on the court but has potential to make it in the league. **1/2
Olexsiy Pecherov Pecherov is a perimeter playing power forward who has seen his stock raise a little lately. He's probably now secured himself a first round selection. **1/2
Shannon Brown Brown is a smallish shooting guard who has played well in individual workouts. He's another guy who is NBA ready. **
Rajon Rondo Once upon a time, Rondo was considered a likely top five pick. But after a poor season at Kentucky, his stock has fallen pretty far. **1/2
Quincy Douby Douby is another small shooting guard. However he can shoot and is one of the better scorers in the draft. **
Kyle Lowry Lowry is a short point guard but one who is very strong and willing to work. It's looking likely that he's a first round pick. **1/2
Jordan Farmar Farmar had a pretty good year at UCLA but surprised many but declaring for the draft early. He tested out very well in the Orlando draft camp, so that should help his stock. **1/2
James White Probably the best athlete in the draft, White can jump incredibly well. He didn't have that great of a career at Cincinnati but most scouts think he'll be a better player in the NBA. ***
Sergio Rodriguez Rodriguez is a pure point guard who at one point in time was tough of to be a lottery pick. From Spain, he's very likely to go in the first round. **1/2
Maurice Ager Ager can shoot and defend well for his size. At 6-foot-5, he translates to a shooting guard in the NBA. **
Guillermo Diaz Diaz is a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who has a chance in the NBA based on his great athleticism. He's also an improving shooter from deep. **
Joel Freeland Freeland is a kid out of England who impressed in the Euro camps. He has a chance to be drafted in the first round. **1/2
PJ Tucker Tucker is an extremely short power forward prospect who makes up for it with toughness and an ability to rebound. Eventually, he could transition into a small forward. **1/2
Josh Boone Boone has a lot of potential but never amounted to much in college. He's a guy who could go late in the first or drop deep into the second. **1/2
Mardy Collins Collins is a good defender who would helpful in almost any NBA backcourt. He'd be ready to play as a rookie. **1/2
Marcus Vinicius Vieira de Souza This small forward from Brazil has seen his stock drop recently. He used to be a first round lock but is now seen as a second rounder. **1/2
Damir Markota Markota is a very athletic small forward. When drafted, he'll probably stay overseas for a year or two. **1/2
Solomon Jones Jones is a bit of an unknown player out of South Florida. He can rebound and block shots but is a few years away. **
Ryan Hollins Hollins is a center who is ultra athletic. The problem with him is he's never seemed to be motivated. **1/2
Daniel Gibson Gibson is a player who at one point in time was a top rated point guard but he's now fallen on his face after a poor season at UT. *
LOOKING FOR A SECOND ROUND GEM
The Spurs could just keep there pick and hope that someone they likes falls to them.
Yotam Halperin Halperin would become Israel's first NBA player. He could be ready right away to come in and play point. **
Dee Brown Brown is an experienced point guard but might be too small to make it. *1/2
Leon Powe Powe is a tough player but his two ACL surgeries will scare teams off. **
Hassan Adams A super athlete but needs to learn how to shoot. *1/2
Will Blalock Blalock is a quick point guard but does he have enough tools to make it? *1/2
Paul Davis Davis' stock has fallen since a high about six months ago but he'll still be drafted somewhere in the mid-second round. **
James Augustine He's athletic and can hit the open jumper. Could become a good role player in the league. **
Jose Juan Barea A quick point guard who can score and pass. A little eratic but has played well internationally. **1/2
Kevin Pittsnogle **
Paul Millsap **
Mike Gansey *1/2
Allan Ray *1/2
Steve Novak *1/2
David Noel **1/2
Louis Amundson **
Kenny Adeleke **
Taj Gray **
Denham Brown *1/2
Darius Washington **
Bobby Jones **
Thomas Gardner *1/2
Justin Williams **
Danilo Pinnock *1/2
Gerry McNamara *
Rashad Anderson *1/2
Nik Caner-Medley *
WHAT WILL HAPPEN
timvp looks into his crystal ball and predicts that the Spurs will try to trade into the late first round or early second round if a player they like (Sefolosha, White, Farmar, Rondo?) falls. The Spurs will keep their second round pick and will hope that they can get Jose Juan Barea at their spot. If Barea is off the board, look for them to go for a perimeter athlete like Noel, B. Jones or Amundson, or a banger like Millsap or Adeleke. The Spurs would also be happy if a player like Tucker or de Souza fell to them at 59.
Knowing the Spurs like we do, going with an international player late in the second round is also a safe guess. Names of players the Spurs could pick are Vladimir Veremeenko, Viktor Keirou, Yemi Nicholson, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Kosta Perovic, Pape-Philippe Amagou and Ejike Ugboaja.
Key
**** - A future great player on the Spurs
*** - A very good player for the Spurs
** - Has a chance to be a solid role player
* - A long shot to thrive in the NBA