another podcast of Givony, this time talking to a guy from Blazersedge.
of course mainly about Blazers related points.
interesting: asked about a possible move up scenario, Givony mentioned that there are a lot of activities in the late lottery and that several picks in that region seem to be on the market. mentioned especially the #10 pick from Indiana and the #13 pick from Raptors. other picks likely on the market: #12 (Grizzlies) and #16 (Wolves), maybe even #8 (Clippers).
once more raves about the talent of Paul George. (draws the t-mac comparison). and that Blazers might try to move up to get him. (probably offer some players, likely Fernandez, in the e up package)
also thinks that Bradley might be picked in the late lottery.
^
Moving up rarely works but I damn hope it will work this year. Spurs targets should be Henry, George, Hayward or Babbitt and they have a good chance to be all gone at #20.
BTW, Spurs will attend at a group workout of 23 teams in New Jersey on June 10th:
http://www.goexplorers.com/sports/m-...060410aaa.html
Dammmmmmit. It happens every year. At least most years we're about 15 spots away from a decent SF. This year we'll be 2-5.
but reportedly this year the chance to trade up is bigger than ever. will likely also take some money. several teams will want the allowed 3 million for a pick (or even a swap of picks).
but I agree, it seems as if we need to move up about 5 spots to get one of the right guys.
Trading up is unfortunately much more expensive than we anticipate.
it will be smart to use our 2011 first round pick to move up, future assets should not interested us, we need to improve our team now, our window is closing and Spurs should put the best team they can for next season.
Today is the last day of the Adidas Eurocamp.
Stats for games can be find here:
http://www.adidaseurocamp.com/page.php?pid=93
Websites like www.nbadraft.net and www.europeanprospects.com have a coverage of this event.
Measurements have been made at this camp and I guess they should be available soon.
http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm
only extracts from an ESPN insider article. can someone post the other parts of the article?
Per sources in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder all have had discussions about moving up, down or out of the draft.if in fact Spurs are among the most aggressive in trade up talks, they are pretty likely also willing to sacrifice something significant. (money? Tony, Hill, Blair, Splitter? future picks?).The Pistons, Spurs and Thunder have been the most aggressive about moving up. The Pistons have been searching for a big and would love to get their hands on either DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors. The Spurs and Thunder also are in the hunt for a big and have targeted a number of teams in the lottery to move up a few spots. The Thunder have multiple picks to offer. The Spurs have Tony Parker or George Hill. While the Spurs aren't necessarily shopping either player, they're not untouchable, either. If the Spurs can get another big man to help prolong Tim Duncan's career, they'll do it.
they wouldn't call the Spurs "most aggressive" if they just called the Wolves about swapping the #16 pick offering 500K and the 2nd rounder.
Last edited by mountainballer; 06-08-2010 at 10:26 AM.
Trade Winds starting to Swirl
JUN 7, 10:45
By Chad Ford
Doing mock drafts this far ahead of the draft is always a challenge. Teams are still working out players, gathering info and for the most part, still a few weeks away from making a decision on who they'll draft. To complicate things, there has been an abundance of trade talk surrounding draft picks this year.
Per sources in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have all had discussions about moving up, down or out of the draft.
The Pistons, Spurs and Thunder have been the most aggressive about moving up.
The Pistons have been searching for a big and would love to get their hands on either DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors. The Spurs and Thunder are also in the hunt for a big and have targeted a number of teams in the lottery to move up a few spots. The Thunder have multiple picks to offer. The Spurs have Tony Parker or George Hill. While the Spurs aren't necessarily shopping either player, they're not untouchable either. If the Spurs can get another big man to help prolong Tim Duncan's career, they'll do it.
Tony Parker may not saddle up for the Spurs next season.
The Wolves continue to look in all directions. They have interest in moving up to the No. 2 spot to grab Evan Turner and have also shown interest in perhaps trading one or two of their first-round picks for a player like Anthony Randolph.
The Pacers and Raptors are in the same boat as the Wolves. They would like to move up in the draft and have inquired about the Sixers' and Nets' picks. They also wouldn't mind moving out of the draft if they got the right pieces in return.
A new twist with Turner
I may have jumped the gun a bit when I put Favors at No. 2 in my latest mock draft. As I wrote last week, I had sources disagreeing on which direction the Sixers were leaning. Some suggested Favors, others Turner and one said Cousins. However, I decided to lean toward a source who said they had direct knowledge of Doug Collins' thinking and that Collins liked Favors.
Since the mock draft I've gotten a number of strong signals from inside the Sixers organization that Turner is the guy they'll take at No. 2.
While the signals certainly could be legit, I take some of those indications with a grain of salt. Since Turner is the consensus No. 2 pick in the draft, the Sixers want other teams trying t o trade up for him (the Wolves and Pacers seem to be the hottest suitors) to believe that they're taking him. If teams think he's slipping, they'll begin dealing with New Jersey instead.
For what it's worth, the Sixers are still asking teams to take basck Elton Brand's contract in a deal for the No. 2 pick. But virtually every GM I've spoken with believes the Sixers would soften their stance as we get closer to the draft.
The Sixers are also exploring other trade possibilities. The team had Andre Iguodala on the trade block in February and may look to put him back on the market this summer. If Iguodala goes, suddenly Turner looks like a better fit in Philly.
The Jazz and the Monroe Doctrine
The Utah Jazz historically don't do a lot of workouts, often targeting a few players in their draft range and then selecting from that group. But when they do workouts, they do them right. Over the past few days they've examined some of the best prospects in the draft.
Monroe's workout in Utah was a one-man show.
On Friday they brought in Georgetown big man Greg Monroe for a solo workout. Monroe's agent, David Falk, will only let Monroe work out against Cousins or Favors. Since neither player is projected to be available at No. 9, Monroe went at it alone in Utah.
On Sunday the Jazz brought in Gordon Hayward, Luke Babbitt, Xavier Henry and Al-Farouq Aminu for a head-to-head workout of the four best swingmen in Utah's draft range.
The Jazz don't have any other high-profile workouts scheduled. Glean from that what you will, but I think it's safe to say that those are the five prospects the Jazz are considering at No. 9. Monroe fits a big need if Carlos Boozer leaves this summer. Henry, Babbitt, Hayward and Aminu all fit a void left by Kyle Korver hitting free agency.
From the sound of things, Monroe is still atop the Jazz's list. But it seems like Babbitt is strongly in the running too. The Jazz have been higher on Babbitt than most all year. The rest of the league is playing catch-up to what Utah was saying in January.
The interest in Indy
Picking right behind the Jazz are the Pacers at No. 10. The Pacers also got to work early last week and had virtually every player they'll be considering in for workouts. On June 1 they brought in Daniel Orton, Ekpe Udoh, Hassan Whiteside, Lance Stephenson and Derrick Caracter. The next day, they watched Avery Bradley, Eric Bledsoe, Sherron Collins, Willie Warren and Jordan Crawford.
Much like the Jazz, I think you're looking at the key players the Pacers will be considering at 10. If they go big, Orton, Udoh and Whiteside are the three guys they'll likely consider. Obviously Ed Davis or Monroe would be in the picture too if they were to fall, but neither player is expected to be there at No. 10.
If the Pacers go with a guard, it most likely will be Bradley or Bledsoe. While 10 may be a bit high for both players, point guard is the Pacers' biggest need and both players have sufficient upside.
Other prospects like Collins, Warren, Crawford, Stephenson and Caracter would be in the mix for the Pacers' pick at No. 40.
It's too early to say which way the Pacers are leaning. Of the bigs, Udoh seems like the safest choice, but Orton and Whiteside have more upside. As far as point guards go, I think Bradley has the edge over Bledsoe at the moment.
Knee knocks
Last week I reported that there were no medical red flags coming out of the physicals at the draft combine. A week later, after each team's medical staff has had a chance to look at the results, it the top prospects still appear to be clear.
However, a few teams have privately expressed some concerns about Orton's left knee. While the issue hasn't risen to the point that a team would seriously consider not drafting him, there are worries that his knee is still weak and may have some structural issues.
Orton tore cartilage in his left knee in November of 2008 and ended up missing his senior year of high school. This past February, Kentucky head coach John Calipari noted to the media that he felt like Orton was still hobbled by the knee -- though Orton, at the time, claimed it was 100 percent.
While the teams that had the information stressed that the concerns have not scared them away from drafting him, they do muddy the waters a bit when you factor Orton's sparse playing time last year and that he lacks the production of other big men in the draft.
The other player with injury questions swirling around him is Memphis guard Elli0t Williams. Williams suffered a minor knee injury after a workout with the Spurs and skipped the combine. He hasn't really been heard from since. Several NBA teams say that he has turned down multiple workouts.
There are two possible interpretations. One is that Williams' injury is worse than he's letting on and he can't work out. The second is that a team somewhere in the first round has promised to pick him and he is sitting out the workout process. Of the two, the second scenario seems more likely. Williams has been working out in L.A. for the past few weeks and I'm told through sources that he's fine.
So where is the promise? The Memphis Commercial Appeal speculates that San Antonio might be the culprit because he's worked out there. The Spurs do have a history of making such promises and the 20th pick isn't out of Williams' range. I'd also pay close attention to the Memphis Grizzlies. After passing on Memphis guard Tyreke Evans last year, they may have decided that they're better off taking a hometown kid with one of their three first-round picks this year.
There's no place like home
Finally, this year's international crop is looking weaker and weaker by the day. Forward Donatas Motiejunas withdrew from the draft on Friday. Motiejunas was the only international player in the draft that projected as a potential lottery pick.
Last week we got more news that Kevin Seraphin (currently the only international player we have in the first round) had injured his knee and would be out the next few weeks. His agent, Bouna Ndiaye, insists that Seraphin hasn't withdrawn from the draft, but if the injury is serious enough, he may have no choice. Ndiaye told me he's looking for a first-round promise for Seraphin. If the right team commits, he'll stay. If no one does, he'll pull out of the draft.
If Seraphin withdraws we could be facing the first year without an international player in the first round since 1995.
If a player or two creeps in, keep an eye on two prospects -- Tibor Pleiss and Miroslav Raduljica. There are five teams with two or more first-round picks. Someone's going to want to stash one of these guys overseas.
Pleiss is a 7-footer from Germany. He's a hustle player who gets things done on the defensive end, despite lacking strength and offensive polish at the moment. While he's still a year or two away from being an impact player in the NBA, he's a nice developmental pick.
Raduljica is the other guy that could get some love. The Serbian big man posted solid numbers in the Adriatic league this year and he has the size and strength to make it in the NBA. Raduljica didn't endear himself to several NBA executives when he bailed at the last minute on a workout at the Eurocamp. However, I'm told by a source inside the camp that a team representative may have convinced Raduljica to shut down the workout. That could be a sign that a team already has him locked up late in the first.
IMO, it's cash, RJ and future picks.
For example a trade I can see Spurs doing with RJ is RJ+#20 for Posey+Songaila+Wright+#11.
Does that help NO? The Spurs get all the best pieces out of that.
Spurs trade the best player and get one (Posey) with a bad contract.
thanks Bruno for posting the article.
So where is the promise? The Memphis Commercial Appeal speculates that San Antonio might be the culprit because he's worked out there. The Spurs do have a history of making such promises and the 20th pick isn't out of Williams' range. I'd also pay close attention to the Memphis Grizzlies. After passing on Memphis guard Tyreke Evans last year, they may have decided that they're better off taking a hometown kid with one of their three first-round picks this year.so let's start this one again. the Spurs never ever never never never make such a promise.
I wonder why they talk about a big man. would any big in this draft be able to provide an impact like Splitter could right away? those who could become franchise players (Favors, Cousins) are so young, they won't be ready to "help prolong Tim's career". those bigs, who are more NBA ready (Aldrich, Patterson) are not more NBA ready as Splitter is. I would call this section uninformed. if the Spurs trade up and go for a big, it will be a move to prepare for the future after Tim.If the Spurs can get another big man to help prolong Tim Duncan's career, they'll do it.
NO doesn't need Jefferson at that money, unless people expect him to stop his several year decline in production.
Posey would actually help for a season or two, but does have a relatively unattractive contract. I'd certainly do this trade if I were SAS but there's not enough there for NOH, IMO.
They promised Mahinmi and they basically gave a promise to Batum.
I can see the Hornets trade their pick, but their priority will be once again to get their payroll under the threshold. this move doesn't really help them in this regard. I think they would talk about Posey plus #11 for a package with some un guaranteed contracts. (difficult for the Spurs to assemble. maybe if they include Dice).
in a bigger scenario they could do RJ + ungarranteed for Peja, Posey and #11.
this way they could save about 6 million. (plus the money for the #11 pick). would help them big time to stay under the threshold.
I know. this was referring to the discussion in the E. Williams thread.
Oh, okay, missed all that.
Id do that in a heartbeat. Especially if George is at 11. IMO teams are going to want Hill or Blair packaged with RJ before they even touch him and trading Blair for the right pieces might not be a bad idea considering his ceiling isn't to high and his knee problems.
I'm not sure that Hornet's new owner will try to go as hard under the tax than the previous one but I agree with you that they will likely try to go under the tax. Saying that, it won't be easy because they will be about $5M over the threshold.
The idea behind my trade was to put Hornets under the cap next summer by dumping Posey. Hornets need to rebuild/reload their team and being under the cap in 2011 to sign a big FA could be an option for them.
I'm starting to think Blair won't be in a Spurs' uniform next year.
I really would not to see Blair gone, but if the spurs did go after a young big they could possibly just re-sign Ian to take Blairs minutes. So basically the young big would probably be in Austin most of the season while Ian get 10-15 minutes a game, not a bad plan if this can net you possibly a SF in a trade.
and best of all is locked into a very low salary for a couple of more years. Alot of bang for the buck with blair.
Eurocamp measurements:
http://www.europeanprospects.com/tou...nts/#more-1431
I realize Dasic is a headcase but I still like him in the 2nd if he is available. Good size for a SF at 6 ft 8 in shoes with 7ft armspan and average athlete with 30 inch vertical. This guy is my sleeper pick for the spurs.
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