Spurs' future draft picks

[JPB]

I didn't think Batum would enter this year. Thought he would wait one or two more years.
His euroleague experience sure has helped him to shine in the Nike hoop summit where some other players never really play at a high level.

But I've never hidden that I was high on Nicolas. Great athlet, very good BBIQ, definitly NBA material.

Too bad Spurs won't probably have a shot at him.

[AFBlue]

Passing time is exactly it. In rough order (IMO):

Kevin Durant - All-around package is an incredible athlete, great rebounder, solid defender, unbelievable shot....but he's a bit thin (215lb) and prefers to play outside

Julian Wright - Good Passer, excellent post player, decent shooter out to 15ft, incredible athlete, great defender....no 3pt range and plays 4 in college but will need to transition to the SF

Corey Brewer - Tenacious Defender (best of group), great athlete, smooth player, great length....perimeter game is streaky and production doesn't always match talent

Jeff Green - Good passer, good inside/outside offensive game, good size/athleticism, good defender....as you can tell he does alot "good" but not anything "great", almost too unselfish

Nicholas Batum - Good passer, good athlete, good defender, smooth player, great length, high IQ...perimeter shot still developing, can disappear for stretches
Al Thornton - Great athlete, intense player, great defender, good size....streaky perimiter game, good in transition but bad in halfcourt, plays 4 but will have to transition to 3

Thaddeus Young - Supreme athlete, great length, good in transition, good passer...needs to add lb's, too perimeter oriented w/o consistent outside game

Dominic McGuire - Great athlete, good length, good ball-handler, great rebounder....no real perimeter game to speak of, needs to add weight

Alando Tucker - Aggressive inside player and finisher around the basket, good athlete, decent mid-range jumper....has SG size (6'5, 210) and no range from 3pt

Derrick Byars - Good strength, good shooter, good defender, floor leader....just "okay" athlete, struggles to shoot off dribble

Jared Dudley - Intense player/defender, good length, excellent scorer, good rebounder....terribly unathletic which hurts defense and creating shot

... all project as straight up SFs. I left off SG/SFs like Nick Young, Marcus Williams, and Brandon Rush, although I think Rush could be a SF and I like him very much. This draft is utterly insane.

I've listed the supposed strengths and weaknesses of each player listed above.

I'll disagree with his last comments though....not all of them project as straight up SFs. In fact, all of them have the versatility to play at least two positions at the NBA level....mostly 3/4. Durant and Brewer could probably play three different positions in spots (2, 3, and 4). So, I'll include the others.

Nick Young - Good all-around scorer, good defender, good athleticism, great length...has all tools, but seems to lack motivation at times, needs to add strength

Brandon Rush - Good athlete, good shooter, good length...can disappear at times, good potential defender but also inconsistent in that area

Marcus Williams - Good shooter, good length, great defender....could add some muscle, disappears at times

[AFBlue]

I didn't think Batum would enter this year. Thought he would wait one or two more years.
His euroleague experience sure has helped him to shine in the Nike hoop summit where some other players never really play at a high level.

But I've never hidden that I was high on Nicolas. Great athlet, very good BBIQ, definitly NBA material.

Too bad Spurs won't probably have a shot at him.

They may or may not have a shot at him, but him entering the draft increases the chances that the Spurs will grab a legit SF prospect, or prospect in general.

With all this talent, someone good will fall....

[Mr. Body]

I've listed the supposed strengths and weaknesses of each player listed above.

I'll disagree with his last comments though....not all of them project as straight up SFs. In fact, all of them have the versatility to play at least two positions at the NBA level....mostly 3/4. Durant and Brewer could probably play three different positions in spots (2, 3, and 4). So, it's rediculous not to include the others.

Nick Young - Good all-around scorer, good defender, good athleticism, great length...has all tools, but seems to lack motivation at times, needs to add strength

Brandon Rush - Good athlete, good shooter, good length...can disappear at times, good potential defender but also inconsistent in that area

Marcus Williams - Good shooter, good length, great defender....could add some muscle, disappears at times

"Rediculous"? Come on, that's stating it a little harsh, don't you think? All three of those guys I see as more SGs than SFs, but anyway... In the list, most of the guys do swing between positions - the SF is a swing position, after all - but most go SG/SF since they are perimeter-oriented players. The only guy who definitely skews more SF/PF is Jeff Green, who has a post up game. I still think he'd be the most interesting guy to put next to Duncan, and could run small ball sets perfectly.

[AFBlue]

"Rediculous"? Come on, that's stating it a little harsh, don't you think? All three of those guys I see as more SGs than SFs, but anyway... In the list, most of the guys do swing between positions - the SF is a swing position, after all - but most go SG/SF since they are perimeter-oriented players. The only guy who definitely skews more SF/PF is Jeff Green, who has a post up game. I still think he'd be the most interesting guy to put next to Duncan, and could run small ball sets perfectly.

Yeah...didn't mean to come off harsh. My bad.

All of those three are considered SG, but could play the majority of their minutes at SF depending on their team's needs.

Agree with you that Green would be a great fit. But, I also think that those others mentioned could play the PF role in small-ball sets for alot of teams....most of them played PF in college.

[Mr. Body]

I agree overall. Unfortunately, even including Williams, Rush, and Young, it looks like the only guy on that list who obviously drops to the Spurs is Dominic McGuire, with Rush still projected to drop (though I don't know why).

[Bandwagon Bill]

Ridiculous???

[wildbill2u]

judge by this.

If Im correct, Alando Tucker is a SF, something tells me the Spurs will upgrade either this or something else, and that they may want to use Scola to move up for their guy. Either that or they finally bring him over to establish trade value and to see what they got on their hands. And I take it that Tucker will not turn out to be what he was in college.

Great pics. I had no idea he played the guitar. A real dual threat. Maybe if he doesn't work out the first year he can play the Star Spangled Banner before the game and perform at halftime.

[wildbill2u]

Young's performance in the tournament could of dropped his stock a bit.

He has good length, a 7-1 wingspan, has huge upside (18yrs old), and has a sweet stroke.

However, a great system, a great coach, and great players around him....Young can turn out being a huge steal in the 1st.

He can be there for sure....unless he has amazing workouts.

The last guy the Spurs drafted with a 7' wingspan that people thought could overcome his height disadvantage was Romain Sato. He now probably works as a bank clerk in Altoona, Pa.

A California condor also has a 7' wingspan, but you don't see them suited up in the NBA because they can shoot, can't defend, and can't rebound either.

[El_Mago]

Actually, the one guy I've always wanted the Spurs to nab is Serbian Nemanja Aleksandrov.

I've attempted to connect with some people to see if he would declare or what his whereabouts even are, but I've gotten nothing so far.

Last that I know.....he missed the entire season in 2005-2006 because of injury, but I don't know if thats still from his ACL injury.

Anyone here know whats up with Aleksandrov?

[Mr. Body]

El Mago, read up on Draft Express, the World Hoop Summit thing on the front page tells how Aleksandrov is doing. Here are links: http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprof...=37&page=links

He looks like a second round prospect, probably not athletic or fast enough for the NBA.

[El_Mago]

Wow, if Nemanja is second round material now....the Spurs better grab him.

Nemanja a couple of years back was the sure-fire number 1 pick.

However, he and his agent always would back out at the last minute and pull out.

Eventually, that caught up to him and he suffered the ACL injury.

However, the kid is extremely talented. The kid has it all.....he is extremely lengthy and has one of the sweetest strokes I've ever seen.

Yet, one thing that has plagued him is his intensity. He seems to know how good he really is, but just seems to "turn it on and turn it off" whenever he pleases.

[wildbill2u]

I wonder how many of these 6-7 to 6-10 guys listed as 'power forwards' in college will change to SF in the NBA because of thin body-size and athleticism. It seems like a lot of them could make the change-over.

Any ideas on who might make it as a long or big SF?

[Mr. Body]

I think Nemanja stays out of the draft this year. He's only 20 and can build himself up into the first round again. He did well in the Hoop Summit but struggled with the speed.

[Bruno]

The last guy the Spurs drafted with a 7' wingspan that people thought could overcome his height disadvantage was Romain Sato. He now probably works as a bank clerk in Altoona, Pa.

Sato is having a good year in europe.
He is playing in Italia and his team is the leader of the regular season. He is averaging 13 points and 6.5 rbds in 28 min.

[Bruno]

BTW, a question for people who watch the ncaa.

Do you know a player called Stephane Lasme ?
He played with U Mass in a quite weak conference but has averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in 31 minutes this year.

Is he worth a late second round pick if he agrees to spend one or two years in europe before signing with Spurs?

[Mr. Body]

Lasme - DX's take on him at Portsmouth: http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1079

Comparing him to Justin Williams of the D-League this year. Could be something down the road, not sure if the Spurs can draft him late and suggest he play overseas. More likely he'd be a training camp cut.

[Spursdaone]

I don't trust the Spurs front office with late first or 2nd round picks anymore. We've blown our opportunity to get better the past 3 or 4 years.

[AFBlue]

The last guy the Spurs drafted with a 7' wingspan that people thought could overcome his height disadvantage was Romain Sato. He now probably works as a bank clerk in Altoona, Pa.

A California condor also has a 7' wingspan, but you don't see them suited up in the NBA because they can shoot, can't defend, and can't rebound either.

The only "Romain Sato" mentioned is Alando Tucker. The other prospects with above-average wingspans are at least 6'7...Sato was maybe 6'5.

Thaddeus Young, however, has the body of a SF and should be able to gain enough mass to play the PF as well.

[mardigan]

That's great, as is the note about Julian Wright possibly re-thinking his status in this draft. The more prospects the better. Love it!

He is only 17, dont you have to be older to enter the draft?

[AFBlue]

I wonder how many of these 6-7 to 6-10 guys listed as 'power forwards' in college will change to SF in the NBA because of thin body-size and athleticism. It seems like a lot of them could make the change-over.

Any ideas on who might make it as a long or big SF?

Most of the Guys mentioned in Mr. Body's post that I duplicated with Strengths/Weaknesses were PF in college.

Jeff Green, Al Thornton, Julian Wright, Dominic McGuire, Jared Dudley....all played most of their minutes at PF and all have games suited to play PF in college (with the exception of Green who has a developed outside game), and all of them will see the majority of their time at SF on the NBA level....though I think some could see significant time at PF depending on the system they're in.

[Mr. Body]

Wright was born 5/22/87, so is nearing the ripe old age of 20.

[AFBlue]

He is only 17, dont you have to be older to enter the draft?

Wright or Batum?

Wright is a college sop re and is 20 I believe

I'm pretty sure Batum will be 19 by draft day, which I think is the requirement...

[El_Mago]

Thaddeus Young is who I want the Spurs to nab.

The kid has a 7-1 wingspan, has a nice jumper, untapped potential, versatile, still very young, good handles, and is just an athlete.

He has the tools to become something special.

Also, under a great coach, system, and being surronded great players can only make him better and not put too much pressure on him at an early age.

If the Spurs can move up to the late teens or early 20's he might still be around.

[Bruno]

I'm pretty sure Batum will be 19 by draft day, which I think is the requirement...

The requirement for internationational player is to be at least 19 during the draft year. Batum will be 19 in december.