General 2010 NBA Draft Discussion

[Bruno]

Anyone know when the lottery will be? A quick google search didn't give me a date.

May 18th.

There are some draft infos in the first post of this thread (including key dates).

[jesterbobman]

I know that there is naturally a lot of focus on what we'll do with 20, but Do people have any thoughts on who we could possibly target with the 49th pick. While it's unlikely that that player would be on the roster next year, we could get someone interesting in Europe or someone who is undervalued or is limited but could fulfil a specific role. If we're presuming that SF is taken in the 1st(Which seems natural given the talent there and the need), I'd say we're looking at Centre projects(Artsiom Parakhouski, Jerome Jordan etc) or best available Euro, unless someone really significantly drops, in which case take them.

[mountainballer]

I know that there is naturally a lot of focus on what we'll do with 20, but Do people have any thoughts on who we could possibly target with the 49th pick. While it's unlikely that that player would be on the roster next year, we could get someone interesting in Europe or someone who is undervalued or is limited but could fulfil a specific role. If we're presuming that SF is taken in the 1st(Which seems natural given the talent there and the need), I'd say we're looking at Centre projects(Artsiom Parakhouski, Jerome Jordan etc) or best available Euro, unless someone really significantly drops, in which case take them.

we have had some discussions about using the 2nd rounder in the Tyler Smith thread.
(reason was that Smith, after being kicked out of Tennessee, played very good in Europe). Smith would have some steal potential at #49 and he would be intriguing, because he likely would agree to stay in Europe for one or two more seasons.
in general I don't think there is any chance the Spurs will bring in the #49 pick next season. (more likely they trade this pick IMO)
so, if they don't plan to bring the pick immediately, it's also not that important to look at at roster needs.
best player available. pick and stash. bring in 2011 the earliest.
(and this BPA could be the mentioned Tyler Smith)

right now it looks as if De Colo is developing into another international steal for the Spurs. might convince them to go that route this draft either. even if this years international pool looks pretty poor.
Milan Macvan and Pablo Aguilar could be interesting for a long term plan.
(both might withdraw though)
I don't think Raduljica will still be on the board at #49, but if he was, he would be a great option.

[Darkwaters]

I personally think Dexter Pittman would be a great pickup at 49. Of course, he would be on the roster next season and not in Europe. But for a 6th bigman, and an Austin project, I think he would be a great choice. Many of the mocks are showing him being there at 49 too, but I think he might just just out of reach for us.

International or trade is probably the way to go.

I'll elaborate on that later. Gotta run...

[Bruno]

At 49, Spurs should go with 1988 born French player Steeve Ho You Fat.
He isn't very good but he will be the NBA player with the coolest name ever. I want a "Ho You Fat" Spurs jersey.

[Mel_13]

Quick reference for who is staying in the draft/signed with an agent:

http://www.draftexpress.com/2010-dra...agent-list.php

[coyotes_geek]

^^^ thanks for the link.

Good to see that there's only one guy in the top 20 with a question mark by his name. That means any withdrawls from the draft shouldn't affect the Spurs 1st round pick.

[mountainballer]

i fear it's some more than one.
in our draft range (or higher) it's Motniejunas, Hayward, Ebanks, Beldsoe, Orton, Crawford, Bradley. (maybe I missed someone)

[Darkwaters]

i fear it's some more than one.
in our draft range (or higher) it's Motniejunas, Hayward, Ebanks, Beldsoe, Orton, Crawford, Bradley. (maybe I missed someone)

Thats fine. At this point I have eyes only for Quincy Pondexter and Paul George.

[Mr. Body]

With the #49 I can see them go for a potential microwave player, like they tried to do with Jack McClinton. With guys like Jodie Meeks and Marcus Thornton having success picked late, and possibly few foreign guys looking great, I can see that happening. Clearly they knew they needed scoring punch off the bench, and are willing to take an undersized player to get it, and especially with the rigor mortis setting in on Roger Mason as a Spur, they'll need to find this in free agency and the draft.

[Darkwaters]

I personally think Dexter Pittman would be a great pickup at 49. Of course, he would be on the roster next season and not in Europe. But for a 6th bigman, and an Austin project, I think he would be a great choice. Many of the mocks are showing him being there at 49 too, but I think he might just just out of reach for us.

International or trade is probably the way to go.

I'll elaborate on that later. Gotta run...

Ok, sorry. I got interupted earlier by a patient with a dislocated wrist. The nerve of some people!

I'm definitely high on Dexter Pittman as a 6th big. He offers you the ability to stash him in Austin and I think he could produce in limited minutes right now as a low minutes dreadnaught style big. Might be useful against teams like LA. But I definitely see the fruits of drafting international - as weak as this year's crop may be. I called De Colo last year at 51 last year (we took him at 53) so I get a kick out of guessing the late round picks. Here are some other potentials I'd like at 49 next year (not in any order):

Greivis Vazquez - combo PG. May not be as necessary with De Colo on the rise. Seems to have some skill. Slotted to go higher than our pick, but I can see him falling easy.

Milan Macvan - I'm not sure if hes on the Spurs radar, but I wouldn't mind taking a swing. Big sturdy big who lacks athleticism, but could very well contribute down low.

Jarvis Varnado - Big man with stupendous shot-blocking skills. Probably goes higher than we pick, but I'd snatch him up if he well our way. Definitely above Pittman in my book. Not really a draft n' stash option.

Alexey Shved - 6'7 combo guard. Diverse offensive game and decent defensive instincts. Lots of potential. Should be there at 49. But do we need another combo guard? Could he play at a point forward?

Tim Ohlbrecht - Very interesting prospect. 6'11 PF from Germany. Phenomenal shot blocker at his current level (albeit, a weak level) who has the ability to stretch the floor on the other end of the court with three point shooting. Very cerebral player with a good BBIQ. Athletic for Europe.

[Mr. Body]

What does Dexter Pittman do that DeJuan Blair doesn't? Pittman is like an extremely poor-man's Blair.

Vazquez will be interesting floating around the 2nd round. He has higher upside than most any player picked that late but I feel he needs to dominate the ball too much and may not fit well as a middle-bench guy.

If Alexei Shved is still on the board with the 2nd I can't see the Spurs passing on him.

Herb Rudoy is the agent for Nemanja Bjelica and he is a classic draft-n-stash type player, who could develop some Lamar Odom versatility.

[coyotes_geek]

i fear it's some more than one.
in our draft range (or higher) it's Motniejunas, Hayward, Ebanks, Beldsoe, Orton, Crawford, Bradley. (maybe I missed someone)

If those guys pull out of the draft though it's going to be because they're not hearing good things about being taken in the first round. Granted the Spurs don't draft according to the "popular" mock draft rankings, so fair point that the Spurs may lose someone on their draft board because they have him ranked higher than what the consensus amongst the rest of the league is saying. But with very few exceptions I'd think that anyone the Spurs would want to draft at #20 is going to stay in because they'll be feeling safe about getting that 1st round guarantee. When you're drafting 25 or lower, guys pulling out is a bigger concern because guys are afraid of falling out of the 1st. At #20, that concern isn't as great.

[coyotes_geek]

What does Dexter Pittman do that DeJuan Blair doesn't? Pittman is like an extremely poor-man's Blair.

My thoughts as well. Nothing against Dex, but what's the point?

[Mr. Body]

Can anyone anticipate trying to move up in the draft? Supposedly the Spurs have tried to do so nearly every year, but now that they're already at #20, may not need to, and moving up may be even more expensive.

Are there any players you can imagine they'd try to leap up a few spots to snatch? Say, to spot #16? A suggestion would be if Xavier Henry is dropping.

[coyotes_geek]

I could see the Spurs liking one of the bigs like Udoh or Orton. Even with Splitter, you can never have too many bigs. Especially in the west.

The problem with trying to move up though is what would the Spurs have to give up? Nando?

[Mr. Body]

I don't know what they'd give up. Future picks from them aren't that attractive.

I'm enthusiastic about Udoh. Not so much Orton.

[AFBlue]

Jarvis Varnado - Big man with stupendous shot-blocking skills. Probably goes higher than we pick, but I'd snatch him up if he well our way. Definitely above Pittman in my book. Not really a draft n' stash option.

While the possibility to sign Mahinmi remains, I think it's much more likely the Spurs look to the draft or free agency to fill the "athletic, shot-blocker" role. There are a few good prospects in the first round (Udoh, Sanders, Alabi), but in the early to mid-second round, I think Varnado is a great value.

He's ready to come in and fill the role immediately, but I think there's also opportunity for him to get "seasoning" in Austin and grow into a more complete player for down the road. I do think his ceiling is as a role player, but he could definitely be a solid one for the Spurs.

[pad300]

Can anyone see us trying to work a trade down? Eg. #20 (SAS) for #25 and #28 (MEM); many mocks are projecting the fall of several SF's, for example draft express has Pondexter, Ebanks and Babbitt all falling that far. If the Spurs could work such a trade, I could see a draft of say Quincy Pondexter and Dominique Jones...

[Mr. Body]

Can anyone see us trying to work a trade down? Eg. #20 (SAS) for #25 and #28 (MEM); many mocks are projecting the fall of several SF's, for example draft express has Pondexter, Ebanks and Babbitt all falling that far. If the Spurs could work such a trade, I could see a draft of say Quincy Pondexter and Dominique Jones...

I'm not sure this draft is scintillating enough teams will want to spend much to trade up... but I guess teams fall in love with players.

On the other side, it's hard to imagine the Spurs bringing over Splitter, having Hill as a third year player, Blair as a second year player, and adding two more rookies.

But yeah, if we could swing Pondexter and Jones out of this draft - or better, Babbitt and Jones - then I certainly would, myself.

[coyotes_geek]

Can anyone see us trying to work a trade down? Eg. #20 (SAS) for #25 and #28 (MEM); many mocks are projecting the fall of several SF's, for example draft express has Pondexter, Ebanks and Babbitt all falling that far. If the Spurs could work such a trade, I could see a draft of say Quincy Pondexter and Dominique Jones...

I definitely think there's a better chance of the Spurs moving down than there is of them moving up. Besides Memphis at #25/#28 there's also the Thunder at #26/#32, the Nets at #28/#31 and the Wizards at #30/#34.

In fact, if the Spurs do move down it would probably be more advantageous to deal with one of the teams who has a high 2nd as opposed to two-firsts due to being able to use a high 2nd on a top flight draft-and-stash euro prospect and not have to worry about being tied into a 1st round rookie scale contract when it's time to bring him over.

[AFBlue]

Can anyone see us trying to work a trade down? Eg. #20 (SAS) for #25 and #28 (MEM); many mocks are projecting the fall of several SF's, for example draft express has Pondexter, Ebanks and Babbitt all falling that far. If the Spurs could work such a trade, I could see a draft of say Quincy Pondexter and Dominique Jones...

If the Spurs aren't sold on any one player, then it makes alot of sense to trade down and maximize draft position. Personally I would hate for the Spurs to risk losing out on Pondexter or George (my top 2 SF prospects) by trading down, but I've learned to trust their scouting/player evaluation team.

Spurs could fill multiple needs (athletic SF, shot-blocking F/C, perimeter-oriented PF, shooting/scoring guard) in this draft and avoid the more expensive options in free agency this summer.

[mountainballer]

the #20 for #25 and #28 pick from Grizzlies is a very intriguing scenario. the Grizzlies will look for deals with their picks. absolutely no chance they add 3 more first round picks this summer.
(they have 10 players under contract, plus 2 RFA they will try to re sign and they already have a lot of youth).
they might even try to package all their picks (12,25,28) to move up. might target the Clippers pick at #8. Clippers only have 5 players under contract next year. two late 1st rounders would be a cheap way to fill the roster. #8 pick would give the Grizzlies a shot at Johnson or Aminu and that way security if they can't re sign Gay.
however, let's just guess the Spurs trade #20 for #25 and #28. right now it seems as if 25 will be good enough for a quality SF prospect and the #28 could be used for any position. Spurs only have 7 players under contract, to add another 1st rounder would help to fill the roster without using the exceptions.

[yavozerb]

Not sure if anyone posted the nbadraft.com positional rankings but they seem preety good. http://www.nbadraft.net/ranking/positional

[Darkwaters]

the #20 for #25 and #28 pick from Grizzlies is a very intriguing scenario. the Grizzlies will look for deals with their picks. absolutely no chance they add 3 more first round picks this summer.
(they have 10 players under contract, plus 2 RFA they will try to re sign and they already have a lot of youth).
they might even try to package all their picks (12,25,28) to move up. might target the Clippers pick at #8. Clippers only have 5 players under contract next year. two late 1st rounders would be a cheap way to fill the roster. #8 pick would give the Grizzlies a shot at Johnson or Aminu and that way security if they can't re sign Gay.
however, let's just guess the Spurs trade #20 for #25 and #28. right now it seems as if 25 will be good enough for a quality SF prospect and the #28 could be used for any position. Spurs only have 7 players under contract, to add another 1st rounder would help to fill the roster without using the exceptions.

I would jump all over a #20 for #25 and #28. But I'm not sure thats realistic. Still, if we could make that happen it'd be incredible. Pondexter could very easily still be there at 25 (maybe even 28) and then you have another 1st to spend on literally anything.