The 2008 NBA Draft

[Mr. Body]

The only really bad thing about Batum is his lack of rebounding.

[Sway]

I'm pretty sure they'll draft a tweener with a limited skill set but has good character and can name (for Pop) at least one leader of the former Soviet Union, and is slow but also "might be able to play a little point." There's a chance they may try to draft Marcus Williams again.

At the end of the season, after we lose in the second round and the 'assessment article' comes out where we learn all the behind-the-scenes stuff and know that a few of the early second rounders had pretty nice seasons, we'll find out that there were a couple chances to move the first for two early second picks that were shot down by Holt because he didn't want to pay 'double salary' (i.e. two players). Meanwhile, Pop will pretend he would have played young players in an off-handed remark about how disappointed he was the swap didn't go through.

That's pretty much how it goes down. I just haven't decided which bad prospect the Spurs will pick. I'm pretty sure they've learned enough to get to the kindergarten level and won't pick a foreign big man prospect, I'm just not sure how they'll wind up again without any youthful talent. It's just not clear to me who in that range is clearly the 'stay away from him' player yet.

Man I hope you are wrong...

[A.H 21-50]

I saw some of you wanting chalmers , he seems to be a good player but do you think it's a priority to have a back up point guard ?

Imo a wing player and someone inside if Splitter doesn't come are the options

Maybe a combo guard , pg/sg could be an option but i prefer a sg/sf who can scores also someone inside who can hit the boards and block some shots is a necessity

[Gino2882]

What is everyones take on Roy Hibbert? I know many feel Hibbert underachieved throughout his college career but he put up solid numbers each year and is a season as well as young player. Hibbert just turned 21 and is 7'2 260. I feel a player like Hibbert would allow Duncan to legitimately play the power forward position while giving Duncan a serious compliment on the defensive end. Hibbert could immediately give the Spurs serious minutes at the center position and allow Ian Mahinmi to slowly work his way into the PF/C rotation.

As for wing players, I think it would be beyond a dream if the Spurs were able to land Brandon Rush. He is being very underrated. A legitimate 6'6 wing player who is deadly from three and gives great effort on defense. Someone like Bill Walker would solve the lack of athleticism problem.

A couple potential scenarios (assuming Splitter stays with Tau)

Draft Roy Hibbert and sign someone like Mickael Petrius.

Draft Rush/Walker/CDR and re-sign Kurt Thomas.

[angelbelow]

hibbert is an idea that i like however i think another team will draft him before he gets to us.

[A.H 21-50]

What is everyones take on Roy Hibbert? I know many feel Hibbert underachieved throughout his college career but he put up solid numbers each year and is a season as well as young player. Hibbert just turned 21 and is 7'2 260. I feel a player like Hibbert would allow Duncan to legitimately play the power forward position while giving Duncan a serious compliment on the defensive end. Hibbert could immediately give the Spurs serious minutes at the center position and allow Ian Mahinmi to slowly work his way into the PF/C rotation.

As for wing players, I think it would be beyond a dream if the Spurs were able to land Brandon Rush. He is being very underrated. A legitimate 6'6 wing player who is deadly from three and gives great effort on defense. Someone like Bill Walker would solve the lack of athleticism problem.

A couple potential scenarios (assuming Splitter stays with Tau)

Draft Roy Hibbert and sign someone like Mickael Petrius.

Draft Rush/Walker/CDR and re-sign Kurt Thomas.

I don't think Hibbert will fall to the no.26 pick but offcourse if he was here why not

Rush and CDR will be good too , walker with our second round

[K-State Spur]

I don't think Hibbert will fall to the no.26 pick but offcourse if he was here why not

Rush and CDR will be good too , walker with our second round

Zero chance that Walker would still be on the board when we choose in the second round. There's an outside chance that he may not even be around at 26 - he's such a tremendous athlete that he just has to show something in the Orlando camp and a few teams will fall in love with him.

That said, for this team, I much prefer CDR or Courtney Lee with our first pick.

[exstatic]

Hibbert allegedly has AWFUL hands. If you hated seeing Nazr fumble away passes you probably want no part of Hibbert. I also don't think that hands are something that can be taught or improved. I'd prefer almost any other hole in his game.

[Bruno]

Spurs need speed and Hilbert is slow. Pass.

[timvp]

I kinda like the idea of Bill Walker. I know he has some red flags regarding at ude and off the court issues, but his game looks really NBA compatible. He's the type of explosive athlete that can struggle in college because of the short three-point line and the zone defense but then could breakout in the NBA because of the added open space.

I saw a video of him recently and he looks to have lost a good amount of weight since the end of the season. He'd definitely be a high-risk, high-reward pick but he has a skillset that could potentially really help.

His torn ACL worries me but ACL tears when you are young usually heal quickly and no longer have a devestating long-term impact. I need to do some more research but I'm starting to like the Bill Walker bandwagon.

[A.H 21-50]

Spurs need speed and Hilbert is slow. Pass.

I have the same feeling

Wich big do you think Guys could be a good addition to the team ? ( with Splitter staying in tau)

[Spur-Addict]

I kinda like the idea of Bill Walker. I know he has some red flags regarding at ude and off the court issues, but his game looks really NBA compatible. He's the type of explosive athlete that can struggle in college because of the short three-point line and the zone defense but then could breakout in the NBA because of the added open space.

I saw a video of him recently and he looks to have lost a good amount of weight since the end of the season. He'd definitely be a high-risk, high-reward pick but he has a skillset that could potentially really help.

His torn ACL worries me but ACL tears when you are young usually heal quickly and no longer have a devestating long-term impact. I need to do some more research but I'm starting to like the Bill Walker bandwagon.

I like Bill. He'd have to spend some time with Chip, but who doesn't? His size and ball handling ability will give fits. Plus, he's accustomed to physical basketball so he would fit in well. He enjoys playing inside, driving and finishing etc. Also, he can get out and run, he can guard some ppl as well. Not a great defender but he can D up some. We need a legit big as well. I'd put Bill at the three mostly.

[ChumpDumper]

Spurs need speed and Hilbert is slow. Pass.

True. I know next to nothing about the draft, but there seems to be a great number of players with high athleticism available at the Spurs' draft spots. Unless an skilled player with less athleticism has something working for him like great size for his position (and there are a couple of those), I'll take the athlete.

[AFBlue]

I kinda like the idea of Bill Walker. I know he has some red flags regarding at ude and off the court issues, but his game looks really NBA compatible. He's the type of explosive athlete that can struggle in college because of the short three-point line and the zone defense but then could breakout in the NBA because of the added open space.

I saw a video of him recently and he looks to have lost a good amount of weight since the end of the season. He'd definitely be a high-risk, high-reward pick but he has a skillset that could potentially really help.

His torn ACL worries me but ACL tears when you are young usually heal quickly and no longer have a devestating long-term impact. I need to do some more research but I'm starting to like the Bill Walker bandwagon.

Reports on him say he's lost 25 pounds since the end of the season, and judging by the scouting video I'd tend to believe it. Also, I think the off-court questions about him are overblown...sort of the way they were with Williams.

Oddly enough, he has a similar power game with Williams, but the one major difference is his athleticism. Unlike Williams, he should be able to make the transition successfully to SG/SF because he's got the speed and quickness to do so. Reminds me alot of Bonzi Wells, except a better defender.

[AFBlue]

I like Bill. Not a great defender but he can D up some.

Listening to his scouting video it seems he wants to concentrate first and foremost on being a defensive stopper. Based on his video, he seems to have the right at ude and the athleticism is certainly appealing.

[K-State Spur]

I kinda like the idea of Bill Walker. I know he has some red flags regarding at ude and off the court issues

What off the court issues?

[K-State Spur]

Reports on him say he's lost 25 pounds since the end of the season, and judging by the scouting video I'd tend to believe it. Also, I think the off-court questions about him are overblown...sort of the way they were with Williams.

Oddly enough, he has a similar power game with Williams, but the one major difference is his athleticism. Unlike Williams, he should be able to make the transition successfully to SG/SF because he's got the speed and quickness to do so. Reminds me alot of Bonzi Wells, except a better defender.

He very easily could become one, but Walker has been a terrible defender to date.

He struggled mightily on the perimeter, and rarely rotated correctly in the post.

There are many other aspects of his game that are certainly further along, but his defense is still a long ways off.

[AFBlue]

He very easily could become one, but Walker has been a terrible defender to date.

He struggled mightily on the perimeter, and rarely rotated correctly in the post.

There are many other aspects of his game that are certainly further along, but his defense is still a long ways off.

Thanks for the insight. I was just making reference to the video I saw, where he kept mentioning that he wanted to concentrate on defense and be a good defender for some team.

Sounded like he had the right at ude and I know he's got the skill.

[K-State Spur]

His only real at ude issue is that he gets frustrated with the officiating.

He proved to be a great teammate, was solid in the classroom (reports are that he is the smartest guy on the team), and Frank Martin said that he was very coachable.

And, despite being recruited by Bob Huggins to be 'the man', he deferred to Beasley as the go-to player without complaint.

Really, if his jumper wasn't just completely erratic, I'd like him a lot more @ 26. I just worry that he's still raw enough that he might be a guy like Jermaine O'Neal who is past his rookie contract before he is truly ready to contribute.

But, there is good reason that no NBA team is offering me a scouting job.

[SPARKY]

I kinda like the idea of Bill Walker. I know he has some red flags regarding at ude and off the court issues, but his game looks really NBA compatible. He's the type of explosive athlete that can struggle in college because of the short three-point line and the zone defense but then could breakout in the NBA because of the added open space.

I saw a video of him recently and he looks to have lost a good amount of weight since the end of the season. He'd definitely be a high-risk, high-reward pick but he has a skillset that could potentially really help.

His torn ACL worries me but ACL tears when you are young usually heal quickly and no longer have a devestating long-term impact. I need to do some more research but I'm starting to like the Bill Walker bandwagon.

He would make sense as a high 2nd round pick. You don't feel good enough about his game to give him a guaranteed contract with the 1st round pick. Problem for the Spurs is, they don't pick in the 2nd round for the first time until #45. Undoubtedly some other team will think the same and take him before then. More or less it's the same story as Marcus Williams. He didn't pan out, and it didn't cost you much.

[K-State Spur]

He would make sense as a high 2nd round pick. You don't feel good enough about his game to give him a guaranteed contract with the 1st round pick. Problem for the Spurs is, the don't pick in the 2nd round for the first time until #45. Undoubtedly some other team will think the same and take him before then. More or less it's the same story as Marcus Williams. He didn't pan out, and it didn't cost you much.

it may mean something, it may mean not. but the word amongst the KSU coaching staff is that Walker's status is sky-rocketing and he may not even be around at 26 at this point.

it's not that outlandish. from a pure athlete standpoint, i'm not sure anybody else in this draft can match him - including Rose & Beasley.

[T Park]

Is 45 where the Raptor's second round pick ended up?

[A.H 21-50]

Is 45 where the Raptor's second round pick ended up?

yes

[ChumpDumper]

Is 45 where the Raptor's second round pick ended up?

Yep.

[T Park]

bleeping Raptors.

Oh well 45th pick Bonner >>>>>> Rasho