2006 NBA Draft/Offseason Thread

[Groundhog]

The lottery results are in:

1. Toronto Raptors
2. Chicago Bulls (Thanks NY!)
3. Charlotte Bobcats
4. Portland Trailblazers
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Boston Celtics
8. Houston Rockets
9. Golden State Warriors
10. Seattle Sonics
11. Orlando Magic
12. New Orleans Hornets
13. Philadelphia 76ers
14. Utah Jazz

Everyone is saying that this is a draft where it might be better to be picking from the 6-10 spot than the 1-5 because there is no consensus over the #1 player, but I don't buy that at all. There are a couple of players I really think will be solid; maybe not LeBron/Carmello/Dwayne solid, but solid. I think it is a deep draft though, just not as top heavy as most GMs would like. This should change for the better starting next year now that High Schoolers have to spend a year in college.

Having said that though, what are the Raptors going to do? Bosh and Charlie V are their forwards, and there are no guards or centers worth taking that high. If I ran the Raptors I'd be moving that pick for a guard and a lower pick in the top 10. Perhaps off to Minnesota for their selection this year, McCants, and maybe a future pick? Or maybe see if you can get Joe Johnson from Atlanta?

Chicago have a pretty easy task in my opinion, and just need to take Aldridge - assuming he is available. A lot of people would probably say to take Tyrus Thomas, but there is something about the guy that just doesn't sit well with me. I saw every one of LSU's tourney games, and not once did I find myself thinking "this guy is a future #1 selection". I didn't even think him the best player on his roster.

[vex]

Was really hoping the Hornets could move up a few spots, but oh well. The front office has said there is a possibility of packaging the #12 and #15 picks they have this year to move up, if they find someone worth moving up, that is.

[vex]

Dola

Oh, and Portland got screwed.

[vex]

Double Dola

Hopefully the Hornets tank this season so they can get Oden :P

[miami_fan]

I have a helluva lot more confidence in Colangelo running this draft for the Raptors than Babcock. That being said I think you have to trade down. I don't expect the Hawks to move Johnson at all.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by vex

Dola

Oh, and Portland got screwed.

it's a lottery

[Groundhog]

Should be interesting to see what the Bobcats do, too. I imagine they are going to be hoping Morrison falls in their laps, which he should. In my opinion Morrison should go #1, but there is no way he will.

[vex]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

it's a lottery

Just sayin.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by vex

Double Dola

Hopefully the Hornets tank this season so they can get Oden :P

I wonder what people will say if Oden averages just 10 points and 8 rebounds at Ohio State? Will he still go #1? Who knows how he will do at the college level. I often wonder how Kwame Brown would have done actually. I find it very difficult to believe he would have gone #1 after a year of college, though.

[sterlingice]

Hope Eddie Curry was worth the #2 pick *snicker*

SI

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I wonder what people will say if Oden averages just 10 points and 8 rebounds at Ohio State? Will he still go #1? Who knows how he will do at the college level. I often wonder how Kwame Brown would have done actually. I find it very difficult to believe he would have gone #1 after a year of college, though.

I agree with the Kwame statement and am very interested to see how Oden does this year.

[oykib]

F'in Knicks!

[Swaggs]

I don't know much about the NBA these days, but I have to think J.J. Reddick is a perfect fit for the Jerry Sloan and the Utah Jazz.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I don't know much about the NBA these days, but I have to think J.J. Reddick is a perfect fit for the Jerry Sloan and the Utah Jazz.

Agreed. He should still be around, too.

[vex]

Reddick might be a nice scoring threat to go along with Chris Paul for the Hornets as well.

[Neuqua]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Hope Eddie Curry was worth the #2 pick *snicker*

Don't forget the option of swapping picks with the Knicks next year too.

So there's a chance we traded Eddy Curry for the #2 pick and just maybe, Greg Oden.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Hope Eddie Curry was worth the #2 pick *snicker*

SI

Chicago thought he was worth a #4 originally.

[chinaski]

god damn right Portland got screwed, could they have mathematically ended up lower than #4? Being a Blazers fan is so miserable.

[digamma]

Please let Brandon Roy drop to the Hawks.

[vex]

Originally Posted by chinaski

god damn right Portland got screwed, could they have mathematically ended up lower than #4? Being a Blazers fan is so miserable.

They worst they could do was 4th, and well...

[chinaski]

Originally Posted by vex

They worst they could do was 4th, and well...

I guess its what we get for tanking the last month.... i swear we were tanking, yea thats it!

[Swaggs]

With my Big East sunglasses on, I think whoever gets Randy Foye and, especially, Rudy Gay will end up very happy.

I think Gay will end up one of the best 2-3 players in this draft. I have seen him play quite often and he is the best player on the court most of the time. If he plays on a team with good leadership, he can be really special.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I think Gay will end up one of the best 2-3 players in this draft. I have seen him play quite often and he is the best player on the court most of the time. If he plays on a team with good leadership, he can be really special.

I think the T-Wolves will do whatever it takes to make sure Rudy Gay is on their team next year.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

I think the T-Wolves will do whatever it takes to make sure Rudy Gay is on their team next year.

I think that would be a good fit. I don't follow the NBA as closely as I used to, but I imagine he would be the most talented offensive teammate that Garnett has ever had. I could easily see him winning Rookie of the Year for the T-Wolves.

[Schmidty]

Reddick will be the next Trajan Langdon. A superstar!!!!!


In Europe

[bbor]

Woohoo go Raps.

There must be a big man the Raps can get for the 1 pick.Could Mgloire be had for the pick?Is he worth the pick?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Reddick will be the next Trajan Langdon. A superstar!!!!!


In Europe

As a Cavs fan, I know the horror of Langdon first hand. Reddick is no Langdon though. Langdon was a straight spot-up shooter who could do little else. Reddick can actually move off the ball, and does it rather well.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by bbor

Woohoo go Raps.

There must be a big man the Raps can get for the 1 pick.Could Mgloire be had for the pick?Is he worth the pick?

I'm sure Magloire could be quite easily had for the pick, though there is no way he is worth it.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

As a Cavs fan, I know the horror of Langdon first hand. Reddick is no Langdon though. Langdon was a straight spot-up shooter who could do little else. Reddick can actually move off the ball, and does it rather well.

I've seen a couple of draft lists that have Farmar to the Cavs

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I've seen a couple of draft lists that have Farmar to the Cavs

That's an interesting choice... Only saw one UCLA game last year and it was the championship game, but the only UCLA player that impressed me at all was Farmar. He played with a lot of energy and was the only Bruin who looked a threat to do anything. But he also played a little out of control and threw up some bad shots, but it's not like anyone else was giving him much of a reason to pass. If he's there when we select, I'd say it was a decent pick up.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by vex

Was really hoping the Hornets could move up a few spots, but oh well. The front office has said there is a possibility of packaging the #12 and #15 picks they have this year to move up, if they find someone worth moving up, that is.

With the hornets, they only had the chance to move to 1, 2, or 3... when you are in their position, it's impossible, to move, to say #10.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I wonder what people will say if Oden averages just 10 points and 8 rebounds at Ohio State? Will he still go #1? Who knows how he will do at the college level. I often wonder how Kwame Brown would have done actually. I find it very difficult to believe he would have gone #1 after a year of college, though.

How about Diop. He averaged something like 10 and 8 in HS, and went #8 overall. That fall he was scheduled to be a reserve energy big man at Virginia. There's little chance he ever would have gone as high as #8 if he went to college and was exposed. He seems to be making an okay career out of it this year, I suppose.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

I think the T-Wolves will do whatever it takes to make sure Rudy Gay is on their team next year.

Trade KG? Hypothetically, if you get offered the #2 pick in the Draft, Tyson Chandler and Ben Gordon/Deng(one of them), do you at least think about moving KG for that?

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

That's an interesting choice... Only saw one UCLA game last year and it was the championship game, but the only UCLA player that impressed me at all was Farmar. He played with a lot of energy and was the only Bruin who looked a threat to do anything. But he also played a little out of control and threw up some bad shots, but it's not like anyone else was giving him much of a reason to pass. If he's there when we select, I'd say it was a decent pick up.

He seems to have good potential, but does tend to play a bit out of control though. He's a great passer and plays very emotionally. Needs a better outside shot IMO. Of course, I'd love him to com eback for next year, but I think he's gone this year

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by stevew

How about Diop. He averaged something like 10 and 8 in HS, and went #8 overall. That fall he was scheduled to be a reserve energy big man at Virginia. There's little chance he ever would have gone as high as #8 if he went to college and was exposed. He seems to be making an okay career out of it this year, I suppose.

I never understood the craze about Diop even back then. He was one of those players that I thought "Gee, I'd hate to be a fan of the team that drafts this guy much higher than he deserves to be selected" and, of course, it was the Cavs that then proceeded to take him.

He has size, can block a few shots, and gives you 6 hard fouls... but that's about it. Muggsy Bogues had more devestating post moves than this guy. He did a decent job on Duncan in OT the other day, but I certainly don't miss him on our roster.

[Young Drachma]

I think David Stern is happy that the owners are not longer on the dole for big-time contracts to unproven HS kids. They'll take unproven college kids instead, thank you.

But I guess its only one year, so the risk-reward isn't huge for them. And there will be some kid eventually who is good enough to play in Europe for a year if he's not interested in college, figuring that might raise his stock.

But this is a pretty "meh" draft compared to past years. Should be interesting to see who shines out of it long-term.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I wonder what people will say if Oden averages just 10 points and 8 rebounds at Ohio State? Will he still go #1? Who knows how he will do at the college level. I often wonder how Kwame Brown would have done actually. I find it very difficult to believe he would have gone #1 after a year of college, though.

Didn't seem to hurt Marvin Williams' draft status too much...


There's a rumor out there that the Rockets are offering Stromile Swift and the #8 to the Bulls for the #2. The Bulls would have to be idiots to do it, but I would love to see the Rockets get a shot at Rudy Gay...

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Didn't seem to hurt Marvin Williams' draft status too much...


There's a rumor out there that the Rockets are offering Stromile Swift and the #8 to the Bulls for the #2. The Bulls would have to be idiots to do it, but I would love to see the Rockets get a shot at Rudy Gay...

Trade up's in the NBA draft aren't as common as the NFL draft. And trading much of anything for Stro Swift would be a mistake, IMO.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by chinaski

god damn right Portland got screwed, could they have mathematically ended up lower than #4? Being a Blazers fan is so miserable.

Lottery failures? You really want to talk about getting screwed in the lottery? The Nuggets spent a decadeout of the playoffs and never once had their draft position improved by the lottery.

Even the year they got Melo, the Nuggets were tied for the worst record in the league and ended up picking third. Ugh.

[stevew]

The Grizzlies were also noticeably screwed in the lottery. They were the worst team in the league several years in a row, and never got the #1 pick.

[vex]

Originally Posted by stevew

The Grizzlies were also noticeably screwed in the lottery. They were the worst team in the league several years in a row, and never got the #1 pick.

That was because Vancouver and Toronto had a clause in their expansion that stated they couldn't pick higher than 5th for a few years, IIRC.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by chinaski

god damn right Portland got screwed, could they have mathematically ended up lower than #4? Being a Blazers fan is so miserable.

Nope, #4 is as low as they would go.

The only picks that are up for grabs in the Lotto are pick 1,2 and 3.

Basically, Portland was outlucked on all 3 picks, and ended up going #4.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by stevew

Trade KG? Hypothetically, if you get offered the #2 pick in the Draft, Tyson Chandler and Ben Gordon/Deng(one of them), do you at least think about moving KG for that?

I don't think so. There's no reason to rush KG out the door unless you get maximum value (which I don't think the trade above has). Ricky Davis is the guy who is probably on the outs. I'd really like to see what Garnett-Gay-McCants could do. Or figure out a way to bring Allen Iverson into town...

[MrBug708]

If there was ever a year to be screwed in the draft, this was the year...

[stevew]

2003 has had at least 10-12 above average starters in it thus far.....that was the year to be screwed, if there was ever one.

[MrBug708]

Well, it's a lot more open, I am saying...Hindsight is much clearer of course

[Groundhog]

Nbadraft.net has their first post-lottery mock draft up. Here are the top picks:

1. Raptors - LaMarcus Aldridge
2. Bulls - Andrea Bargnani
3. Bobcats - Adam Morrison
4. Blazers - Tyrus Thomas

If things really go down like that I would be surprised. Firstly, pretty much all I've read has Aldridge as a PF, not a C, so the Raptors really don't need this guy at all. Secondly, I can imagine how happy Bulls fans would be with Bargnani - ie. Not very. Scouting report scares me more than anything, as he sounds more like a Nikoloz Tskitishvili than a Dirk Nowitzki, which is nbadraft.net's NBA comparison player. Bobcats would probably be thrilled to get Morrison, and Blazers would have to be happy with Thomas at #4 after their (lack of) luck in the lottery. Not sure how he would fit in to their plans with Zach around, though.

With the 25th pick it has my Cavs selecting Quincy Douby now. I can see why they would consider this guy - with LeBron being the only guy that can put the ball in the hoop for us and everything - but I just don't think he's a good selection. He could come off the bench and shoot the 3, but don't we already have Damon Jones to do that? I'd rather take a gamble with a true PG and see if we can't get someone with a few more dimensions to their game. Farmar, who I'm starting to really warm to, is listed as going to the Kings at at #19, though Rondo and Lowry are listed as being around. I'm not fond of Rondo, but Lowry looks to me like he could be a nice player. His biggest knock is his jumper, but I believe that if you want to win games you need well-rounded basketball players, not guys who can just shoot the ball (unless you have Phoenix's personell, which I still feel will flame out at some point these playoffs). Lowry looks more likely to be one of those guys to me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Well the nbadraft.net mock is clearly wrong.

Any idiot knows that the Hawks will take the best available athlete who is a prototypical swingman.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oops, accidental double post.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

With the 25th pick it has my Cavs selecting Quincy Douby now. I can see why they would consider this guy - with LeBron being the only guy that can put the ball in the hoop for us and everything - but I just don't think he's a good selection. He could come off the bench and shoot the 3, but don't we already have Damon Jones to do that? I'd rather take a gamble with a true PG and see if we can't get someone with a few more dimensions to their game. Farmar, who I'm starting to really warm to, is listed as going to the Kings at at #19, though Rondo and Lowry are listed as being around. I'm not fond of Rondo, but Lowry looks to me like he could be a nice player. His biggest knock is his jumper, but I believe that if you want to win games you need well-rounded basketball players, not guys who can just shoot the ball (unless you have Phoenix's personell, which I still feel will flame out at some point these playoffs). Lowry looks more likely to be one of those guys to me.

I think Lowry would be a great pick, and I think its somewhat intriguing that he could be available for the Knicks at 20. Personally, I think he would make the Knicks forget about this whole #2 pick fiasco in a few years. I watched him a lot in the Big East. He's a scorer, he's a handler, and he's a competitor. He could play on my team anyday.

But onto Douby. I'm a Rutgers guy, so you can surely think I'm biased. But I think he will be an excellent pro, as he won't just be a 3 pt shooter. He'll have the ability to score from anywhere on the floor (literally...he could get his floater off in traffic or drain a 30 foot jumper). He's gotten better every year, and I don't doubt that he could play PG in the pros. It's hard to display your ball-handling skills when you're getting swarmed by 3 defenders since no one else on your team can score.

EDIT: And cnnsi.com's mock has him at 14 to Utah. Don't think he would really go that high, but good for him if he does.