Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2014 16:51:38 GMT
Every year teams tank for a shot at a top 3 pick, and when most of those in the lotto miss out, they scramble to pick up the pieces. This year in particular, training camp was not kind to those who picked outside the golden top three spots. More than ever it paid off to just make the obvious top pick than to try to find that steal later on as this draft fell off in a hurry. There won't be any grades seeing as it's a bit early for that and sadly for many of these picks there wasn't much better on the board anyway, but that doesn't make the player actually good. This is more just evaluating the player only while factoring in who they passed on who went a pick or two after him while mostly factoring in my opinion pre-TC.
1. Suns: Jerry West
Pre-TC: C+ B+ C+ C+ C- A
Post-TC: C+ A- B- B- C- A
Summer League: PG 14 34.9 19.9 5.0 5.2 1.1 0.3 2.5 .429 .795 .400
The first pick overall could have gone one of three ways, and after a +3 TC and a more than solid pre, the Suns certainly didn't pick the worst one. West looks to be the next great PG in the league as long as all goes to the plan these next few years of development and should make a strong run for ROTY. The best part about him is there looks to be no real flaws in his game. He was well under three turnovers in summer league and also shot close to 80% from the line and 40% from beyond the arc. It would be nice if he could get his steals up closer to two than one, but that's not really a flaw as long as he turnovers are more than manageable.
2. Knicks: Oscar Robertson
Pre-TC: B- C- B- B- C A
Post-TC: B- C B B- C B
Summer League: PG 15 36.9 22.1 6.2 6.2 1.6 0.1 3.1 .476 .787 .000
When this pick was first made most likely immediately questioned it. After seeing an iffy +2 TC and a solid summer league but nothing too special considering how god awful his teammates were, the questions will only multiply. The 22 ppg is nice, but it is very unlikely he keeps that up once there's some solid veterans next to him this season and beyond. The worst part is a tie between being just over three turnovers a game and not taking a single 3pt shot. It was said his range beyond the arc was bad, but this likely proves any fears of him being worthless there throughout his career true. With that huge flaw in his game he'll never be an elite player, which is pretty discouraging to see after just one TC for a top two pick. What hurts even more is who they passed up on for him.
3. Spurs: Wilt Chamberlain
Pre-TC: B+ F D- B B B
Post-TC: A- F+ D B B A
Summer League: C 17 33.2 18.8 11.2 2.3 0.8 1.7 2.1 .479 .426 .000
Fans in San Antonio stormed the streets after Wilt fell amazingly to third overall. There are only a handful of great big men in this league and they are as valuable as they are for a reason. Finding a complete player who not only can score but also block shots and rebound is invaluable. Wilt's free throw issues are definitely a concern, but if he can shoot around 48% from the field it isn't too much of a concern. He only had a modest +2 TC, but he did go +1 in the most important area for a young big to improve in: inside scoring. Over the next few years if he can continue to develop the rest of the game he should easily become a 20/10/3 player at the least, and considering how hyped he was entering the draft, it's still hard to understand why he fell to third overall.
4. Wolves: Artis Gilmore
Pre-TC: B C D+ C B- A
Post-TC: B C D C B B
Summer League: PF 14 27.6 19.1 9.1 2.9 0.5 0.9 3.0 .468 .625 .600
A bad draft lottery that saw the Timberwolves fall to #4 from #2 got even worse after they saw Wilt go right before them. From there they had to pick up the pieces and went for Artis Gilmore. Gilmore had solid notes, but after seeing him play you can see a few red flags. To start off with, the three turnovers in only 27 minutes of action are very concerning. I doubt they stay that high, but after going -1 in handling we will have to wait and see. He proved himself as a scorer though, but with his well below average defense he isn't really a long-term starter at the moment. He will need some work to hit his likely peak of A- C+/B- A- type ratings, and even then I'm not sure if he's the type of player you want around if you're looking to compete for a championship unless you have a center who can compete for DPOTY.
5. Raptors: Mike Gale
Pre-TC: C B- B- B- D A
Post-TC: C B B B D C
Summer League: SG 17 27.6 6.9 3.2 2.4 0.9 0.1 0.6 .448 .462 .405
When a guy named Mike Gale goes in the top five, you know a draft has fallen off quite fast. Gale looks to be a decent player after going +3 in TC, but he's not really that good at, well, anything. He's the prototype backup guard, and while he supposedly has good upside, his stats in summer league don't give you too much hope. Players are supposed to overachieve when they don't have to worry about facing any veterans, so seeing Gale put up 7 ppg in nearly 28 mpg and even shoot 46% from the line, is very discouraging. Taking a player of this caliber in the top five is almost always a waste of a pick. You can't fully write him off by any means, but from what we have seen there's no reason to believe otherwise. Luckily for Toronto, this draft somehow gets worse from here.
6. Knicks (from Clippers): Elmore Smith
Pre-TC: C+ D+ D B C+ A
Post-TC: C+ D+ D B+ C+ B
Summer League: C 15 23.6 5.7 7.3 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.1 .354 .696 .000
A bad start to the draft for the Knicks takes a turn for the better here. Elmore had a meh +1 TC and was not too good in summer league, but considering the handful of picks to follow, it really wasn't that bad of a pick and was probably the best one to be made sadly. When you enter a draft with #2 and #6 overall you usually expect to draft two great young prospects, but the Knicks unluckily partially because of their own incompetence look to have come away with none. It's really no fault of theirs with this pick though as there really was no great young player to be found. Elmore projects to be a solid defensive big who can give you 10 rpg and around 2 bpg or so at the least which is by no means bad but it's nothing to get excited about this high in the draft.
7. Hornets: Lenny Wilkens
Pre-TC: C C+ B+ C+ D+ B
Post-TC: C C+ A- C C- B
Summer League: PG 15 16.7 6.1 1.9 1.9 0.4 0.1 1.1 .443 .739 .235
If you've ever read anything I've ever said about FBB, you already know I won't find many positives with this pick. After Jerry and Oscar it was pretty weak guard wise in this draft so taking Wilkens fourth guard wise isn't outrageous by any means, but he really isn't a good player at all considering where he was taken. Considering how much this draft fell off, that's actually saying a lot. He's basically a worthless player and after his pretty terrible TC he somehow became even more worthless. From just looking at summer league, he gives you very little scoring wise and while his turnovers aren't bad, they aren't impressively low by any means. Defensively he gives you nothing as well. He's just a bad player who unless a miracle happens will be a leftover FA once his rookie contract expires. There's no use in even wasting camps on him unless he has a great TC in the next few seasons, and I think his drop in defense means he's too far gone.
8. Thunder: Jackie Moreland
Pre-TC: B- C+ C+ C C A
Post-TC: B- C+ C+ C+ C C
Summer League: C 15 26.5 17.6 4.6 3.5 0.8 0.1 1.7 .485 .579 .280
Nothing from Moreland's notes really screamed out at me, and after a meh TC and a decent summer league, still nothing excites me about him. His low rebounding numbers and complete lack of blocking make him unplayable at PF or C, and I suppose if he's moved to SF he could be a decent player. The problem is if you move him there, he looks to be nothing special. He'll likely be a career backup and maybe he can carve out a role as a solid scorer off the bench as his summer league stats indicate. Drafting a solid bench scorer in the lotto is never a fun time though. You could call this a swing and a miss pick, but you were really only swinging for a groundout to third.
9. Wizards: Sidney Wicks
Pre-TC: C+ D- D B C+ B
Post-TC: C+ D- D+ B+ C+ B
Summer League: PF 12 34.1 3.7 9.1 0.6 0.9 1.3 1.3 .353 .333 .000
Out of any of the bigs drafted after Wilt, I have to say Sidney interested me the most. After seeing him play quite a few minutes in summer league, I have to wonder why. His notes read as if he was an excellent shot blocker, and after +1 defense you'd think he'd be looking good there. Sadly, he looks to be pretty mediocre there. Maybe (hopefully) it was only a flukey sim, but even then his 3.7 ppg in 34 mpg is just terrible to put it lightly. The more I read over his notes I have to wonder if this was an elaborate troll. "Wicks is a solid PF, can score, defend and board," well he can't really do any of that very well. Can't blame the Wizards for buying into what we now know were obvious lies, but you have to wonder how they're feeling now.
10. Pacers: Spencer Haywood
Pre-TC: B- D D+ B- C+ C
Post-TC: B- D+ D+ C+ B- C
Summer League: C 13 26.5 8.0 8.5 1.6 0.5 1.4 0.6 .447 .683 .000
Haywood is yet another player who had a meh TC seeing as he swapped -1 defense for +1 rebounding. Luckily for the Pacers, that -1 defense didn't affect his shot blocking much it seems as he was able to block 1.4 a game in under 27 minutes a game. Haywood was a pretty good value pick here considering he could actually be a decent starter if he develops well enough unlike a few players drafted before him. He's probably very close to being back up to B- defense, and once he gets there you never know. With camps alone he may reach B B B and I'm not sure you can say that about any other big sans maybe Elmore in this lotto after Wilt.
11. 76ers: Austin Carr
Pre-TC: C B+ C- C+ D+ B
Post-TC: C B+ C- C+ D+ C
Summer League: SG 16 6.6 1.4 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.1 .320 1.000 .286
It pains me to say it, but I don't think Austin ever had a chance to be good. He barely player in summer league so you can't really take anything out of it, but after doing nothing in TC there's little to be excited about here. A SG who struggles to score inside and has turnover problems is what I like to call a nice salary filler, but sadly Austin is on a 4-year contract so he can't even be that. Until we see how he does in more minutes you can't completely write him off, but there's no reason to believe a no change TC improved his inside game or handles much. At least he is on a team with more than enough time to be patient with him, but I don't think it'll matter in the end.
12. Nets: Rudy LaRusso
Pre-TC: B- C C C+ C+ B
Post-TC: B- C C C C+ C
Summer League: C 17 27.5 12.5 8.3 1.8 0.5 0.9 1.2 .377 .805 .000
Yet another dismal TC for a lotto pick as Rudy LaRusso went -1 defense and nothing else. You never like to see that in a veteran let alone a rookie lottery pick. What is encouraging is his very good free throw shooting, but he really isn't good at anything else. After going down in TC it's hard to believe he has much left in the tank, and even if he has a +3 TC for example he still won't be a very good player at B C+ B- ratings. The hope now is he can at least reach around that and be a solid backup big, which is obviously disappointing if true for the Nets. At least his notes said it's unlikely he'll ever be a starter to ease the pain a bit.
13. Knicks (from Pistons): Lee Shaffer
Pre-TC: B- C+ C- C+ C+ B
Post-TC: B- C+ C C+ C+ D
Summer League: PF 15 29.5 13.9 7.3 3.5 1.0 0.3 1.8 .454 .625 .435
Honestly, this was a pretty terrible draft for the Knicks. Lee Shaffer looks to be not enough as a blocker or rebounder to play as a big man and likely not athletic enough or good enough of a jump shooter to play as a wing. So basically he's destined to be a tweener backup and nothing more. I'm not say the Knicks could have made much better picks than what they did make at #6 and #13, but overall they just didn't come away with much of anything talent wise. After a pretty mediocre TC for nearly all their young players, their rebuild is off to a pretty terrible start and seeing as they are in the tougher Eastern conference they need to turn things around in a hurry. Dealing off a good PG, an elite albeit old SF, and elite center and a very good PF for basically what amounted to be a mediocre PG, a handful of mediocre big men and cap space along with a handful of picks to use in this upcoming draft is a haul that could make the biggest of Knicks fans consider following the Lakers.
Building around the logo is always a fun time.
1. Suns: Jerry West
Pre-TC: C+ B+ C+ C+ C- A
Post-TC: C+ A- B- B- C- A
Summer League: PG 14 34.9 19.9 5.0 5.2 1.1 0.3 2.5 .429 .795 .400
The first pick overall could have gone one of three ways, and after a +3 TC and a more than solid pre, the Suns certainly didn't pick the worst one. West looks to be the next great PG in the league as long as all goes to the plan these next few years of development and should make a strong run for ROTY. The best part about him is there looks to be no real flaws in his game. He was well under three turnovers in summer league and also shot close to 80% from the line and 40% from beyond the arc. It would be nice if he could get his steals up closer to two than one, but that's not really a flaw as long as he turnovers are more than manageable.
2. Knicks: Oscar Robertson
Pre-TC: B- C- B- B- C A
Post-TC: B- C B B- C B
Summer League: PG 15 36.9 22.1 6.2 6.2 1.6 0.1 3.1 .476 .787 .000
When this pick was first made most likely immediately questioned it. After seeing an iffy +2 TC and a solid summer league but nothing too special considering how god awful his teammates were, the questions will only multiply. The 22 ppg is nice, but it is very unlikely he keeps that up once there's some solid veterans next to him this season and beyond. The worst part is a tie between being just over three turnovers a game and not taking a single 3pt shot. It was said his range beyond the arc was bad, but this likely proves any fears of him being worthless there throughout his career true. With that huge flaw in his game he'll never be an elite player, which is pretty discouraging to see after just one TC for a top two pick. What hurts even more is who they passed up on for him.
3. Spurs: Wilt Chamberlain
Pre-TC: B+ F D- B B B
Post-TC: A- F+ D B B A
Summer League: C 17 33.2 18.8 11.2 2.3 0.8 1.7 2.1 .479 .426 .000
Fans in San Antonio stormed the streets after Wilt fell amazingly to third overall. There are only a handful of great big men in this league and they are as valuable as they are for a reason. Finding a complete player who not only can score but also block shots and rebound is invaluable. Wilt's free throw issues are definitely a concern, but if he can shoot around 48% from the field it isn't too much of a concern. He only had a modest +2 TC, but he did go +1 in the most important area for a young big to improve in: inside scoring. Over the next few years if he can continue to develop the rest of the game he should easily become a 20/10/3 player at the least, and considering how hyped he was entering the draft, it's still hard to understand why he fell to third overall.
4. Wolves: Artis Gilmore
Pre-TC: B C D+ C B- A
Post-TC: B C D C B B
Summer League: PF 14 27.6 19.1 9.1 2.9 0.5 0.9 3.0 .468 .625 .600
A bad draft lottery that saw the Timberwolves fall to #4 from #2 got even worse after they saw Wilt go right before them. From there they had to pick up the pieces and went for Artis Gilmore. Gilmore had solid notes, but after seeing him play you can see a few red flags. To start off with, the three turnovers in only 27 minutes of action are very concerning. I doubt they stay that high, but after going -1 in handling we will have to wait and see. He proved himself as a scorer though, but with his well below average defense he isn't really a long-term starter at the moment. He will need some work to hit his likely peak of A- C+/B- A- type ratings, and even then I'm not sure if he's the type of player you want around if you're looking to compete for a championship unless you have a center who can compete for DPOTY.
Who is this man and why is he going top 5.
5. Raptors: Mike Gale
Pre-TC: C B- B- B- D A
Post-TC: C B B B D C
Summer League: SG 17 27.6 6.9 3.2 2.4 0.9 0.1 0.6 .448 .462 .405
When a guy named Mike Gale goes in the top five, you know a draft has fallen off quite fast. Gale looks to be a decent player after going +3 in TC, but he's not really that good at, well, anything. He's the prototype backup guard, and while he supposedly has good upside, his stats in summer league don't give you too much hope. Players are supposed to overachieve when they don't have to worry about facing any veterans, so seeing Gale put up 7 ppg in nearly 28 mpg and even shoot 46% from the line, is very discouraging. Taking a player of this caliber in the top five is almost always a waste of a pick. You can't fully write him off by any means, but from what we have seen there's no reason to believe otherwise. Luckily for Toronto, this draft somehow gets worse from here.
6. Knicks (from Clippers): Elmore Smith
Pre-TC: C+ D+ D B C+ A
Post-TC: C+ D+ D B+ C+ B
Summer League: C 15 23.6 5.7 7.3 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.1 .354 .696 .000
A bad start to the draft for the Knicks takes a turn for the better here. Elmore had a meh +1 TC and was not too good in summer league, but considering the handful of picks to follow, it really wasn't that bad of a pick and was probably the best one to be made sadly. When you enter a draft with #2 and #6 overall you usually expect to draft two great young prospects, but the Knicks unluckily partially because of their own incompetence look to have come away with none. It's really no fault of theirs with this pick though as there really was no great young player to be found. Elmore projects to be a solid defensive big who can give you 10 rpg and around 2 bpg or so at the least which is by no means bad but it's nothing to get excited about this high in the draft.
7. Hornets: Lenny Wilkens
Pre-TC: C C+ B+ C+ D+ B
Post-TC: C C+ A- C C- B
Summer League: PG 15 16.7 6.1 1.9 1.9 0.4 0.1 1.1 .443 .739 .235
If you've ever read anything I've ever said about FBB, you already know I won't find many positives with this pick. After Jerry and Oscar it was pretty weak guard wise in this draft so taking Wilkens fourth guard wise isn't outrageous by any means, but he really isn't a good player at all considering where he was taken. Considering how much this draft fell off, that's actually saying a lot. He's basically a worthless player and after his pretty terrible TC he somehow became even more worthless. From just looking at summer league, he gives you very little scoring wise and while his turnovers aren't bad, they aren't impressively low by any means. Defensively he gives you nothing as well. He's just a bad player who unless a miracle happens will be a leftover FA once his rookie contract expires. There's no use in even wasting camps on him unless he has a great TC in the next few seasons, and I think his drop in defense means he's too far gone.
8. Thunder: Jackie Moreland
Pre-TC: B- C+ C+ C C A
Post-TC: B- C+ C+ C+ C C
Summer League: C 15 26.5 17.6 4.6 3.5 0.8 0.1 1.7 .485 .579 .280
Nothing from Moreland's notes really screamed out at me, and after a meh TC and a decent summer league, still nothing excites me about him. His low rebounding numbers and complete lack of blocking make him unplayable at PF or C, and I suppose if he's moved to SF he could be a decent player. The problem is if you move him there, he looks to be nothing special. He'll likely be a career backup and maybe he can carve out a role as a solid scorer off the bench as his summer league stats indicate. Drafting a solid bench scorer in the lotto is never a fun time though. You could call this a swing and a miss pick, but you were really only swinging for a groundout to third.
9. Wizards: Sidney Wicks
Pre-TC: C+ D- D B C+ B
Post-TC: C+ D- D+ B+ C+ B
Summer League: PF 12 34.1 3.7 9.1 0.6 0.9 1.3 1.3 .353 .333 .000
Out of any of the bigs drafted after Wilt, I have to say Sidney interested me the most. After seeing him play quite a few minutes in summer league, I have to wonder why. His notes read as if he was an excellent shot blocker, and after +1 defense you'd think he'd be looking good there. Sadly, he looks to be pretty mediocre there. Maybe (hopefully) it was only a flukey sim, but even then his 3.7 ppg in 34 mpg is just terrible to put it lightly. The more I read over his notes I have to wonder if this was an elaborate troll. "Wicks is a solid PF, can score, defend and board," well he can't really do any of that very well. Can't blame the Wizards for buying into what we now know were obvious lies, but you have to wonder how they're feeling now.
Anybody want to snort some white powder?
10. Pacers: Spencer Haywood
Pre-TC: B- D D+ B- C+ C
Post-TC: B- D+ D+ C+ B- C
Summer League: C 13 26.5 8.0 8.5 1.6 0.5 1.4 0.6 .447 .683 .000
Haywood is yet another player who had a meh TC seeing as he swapped -1 defense for +1 rebounding. Luckily for the Pacers, that -1 defense didn't affect his shot blocking much it seems as he was able to block 1.4 a game in under 27 minutes a game. Haywood was a pretty good value pick here considering he could actually be a decent starter if he develops well enough unlike a few players drafted before him. He's probably very close to being back up to B- defense, and once he gets there you never know. With camps alone he may reach B B B and I'm not sure you can say that about any other big sans maybe Elmore in this lotto after Wilt.
11. 76ers: Austin Carr
Pre-TC: C B+ C- C+ D+ B
Post-TC: C B+ C- C+ D+ C
Summer League: SG 16 6.6 1.4 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.1 .320 1.000 .286
It pains me to say it, but I don't think Austin ever had a chance to be good. He barely player in summer league so you can't really take anything out of it, but after doing nothing in TC there's little to be excited about here. A SG who struggles to score inside and has turnover problems is what I like to call a nice salary filler, but sadly Austin is on a 4-year contract so he can't even be that. Until we see how he does in more minutes you can't completely write him off, but there's no reason to believe a no change TC improved his inside game or handles much. At least he is on a team with more than enough time to be patient with him, but I don't think it'll matter in the end.
12. Nets: Rudy LaRusso
Pre-TC: B- C C C+ C+ B
Post-TC: B- C C C C+ C
Summer League: C 17 27.5 12.5 8.3 1.8 0.5 0.9 1.2 .377 .805 .000
Yet another dismal TC for a lotto pick as Rudy LaRusso went -1 defense and nothing else. You never like to see that in a veteran let alone a rookie lottery pick. What is encouraging is his very good free throw shooting, but he really isn't good at anything else. After going down in TC it's hard to believe he has much left in the tank, and even if he has a +3 TC for example he still won't be a very good player at B C+ B- ratings. The hope now is he can at least reach around that and be a solid backup big, which is obviously disappointing if true for the Nets. At least his notes said it's unlikely he'll ever be a starter to ease the pain a bit.
13. Knicks (from Pistons): Lee Shaffer
Pre-TC: B- C+ C- C+ C+ B
Post-TC: B- C+ C C+ C+ D
Summer League: PF 15 29.5 13.9 7.3 3.5 1.0 0.3 1.8 .454 .625 .435
Honestly, this was a pretty terrible draft for the Knicks. Lee Shaffer looks to be not enough as a blocker or rebounder to play as a big man and likely not athletic enough or good enough of a jump shooter to play as a wing. So basically he's destined to be a tweener backup and nothing more. I'm not say the Knicks could have made much better picks than what they did make at #6 and #13, but overall they just didn't come away with much of anything talent wise. After a pretty mediocre TC for nearly all their young players, their rebuild is off to a pretty terrible start and seeing as they are in the tougher Eastern conference they need to turn things around in a hurry. Dealing off a good PG, an elite albeit old SF, and elite center and a very good PF for basically what amounted to be a mediocre PG, a handful of mediocre big men and cap space along with a handful of picks to use in this upcoming draft is a haul that could make the biggest of Knicks fans consider following the Lakers.
