Intrigueing 2013 draft prospects

[coachx]

CJ Leslie is really similar to Josh, so if we pick him then that will be a sign of things to come in the offseason.

Leslie is very coachable.........his coach is real hard on him and he takes it. I see a different maturity level then Smith at that age. I agree he tries to do too much at times but my point is he is coachable. I don't think he will ever be big enough to play PF full time in the NBA. He will have to develop his perimeter shot. I like him around pick 20. I'd rather you be too aggressive then too passive like MacAdoo.I like the Georgetown SF, Porter. Great work ethic and all around game. Natural NBA SF but he is all over the place on mock drafts. Some places have him in the top 10 and others have him around 20. I like him more then Leslie.When you have 2 picks you can take a gamble on 1 with upside.Robinson III may have the most upside. He is playing with 2 ball dominant upper class man.......would be interesting to see if he could play SG........at 6'6'' he worries me at SF. Hardaway and Burke are holding him back in my opinion. He is more of a gamble but the upside is there. Edited February 21, 2013 by coachx

[Guest]

Leslie is very coachable.........his coach is real hard on him and he takes it. I see a different maturity level then Smith at that age......or mow for that matter. I agree he tries to do too much at times but my point is he is coachable. I don't think he will ever be big enough to play PF full time in the NBA. He will have to develop his perimeter shot. I like him around pick 20.

I am not so sure that CJ is anymore coachable than Josh. Gottfried just understands his players much more than our coaches do, he went out of his way to start calling him Calvin Leslie instead of CJ "because that's what your momma calls you". Have we ever had someone do that with Josh?

But Calvin still makes boneheaded plays all the time and lacks the drive for the entire game. I like him, but you can see he goes in and out for effort.

[TheFuzz]

With the deadline passed, I'm looking forward to the draft!

With our (presumably) two 1st rounders I'd look to take a PG and then either a wing or a big. Probably a wing. If we could come out of the draft with, say, Trey Burke and Otto Porter or Dario Saric from the 1st round and then Patric Young and Mcdermott in the 2nd, I'll be a happy camper.

[CroHawk]

If we pick Dario Saric it will be dream come true for me.his potential is greater then Toni Kukoc's.

[coachx]

If we pick Dario Saric it will be dream come true for me.his potential is greater then Toni Kukoc's.

I know very little about him but he does intrigue me. The Cavs and Spurs have had luck drafting international guys.His vision and passing appear elite for a 6'10'' guy.....same with his perimeter shooting. His athletic ability is below average but his feels for the game is intriguing.Can you share your thoughts on him ? Edited February 23, 2013 by coachx

[gurpilo]

I don't think Saric is such a good prospect, I would take a chance with Porter, Goodwin, Robinson or Poythress before him. I think we should go with a big and a wing unless Burke is available with our 2nd first round pick that could happen. If we came out of the draft with Austin and Porter would be a dream for me.

[CroHawk]

Yes sir. I get to watch Saric once a week.Dario Saric,6'10" 223lbs 18y old sf/pf from Croatia/Europe. Projected 23rd in upcoming NBA draft.Showing nice potential,although seems to be inconsistent at times. As mr. Coachx said, Saric has elite court vision and excellent passing ability.Defensively he is avarege on-ball defender. Lacks lateral quickness, but he compensate that with great timing on steals & blocks.Personally i think his perimeter shooting is not that good. Has unorthodox release, bad shooting form. From time to time seems like ball slips out of his hand which leads to bad ball rotation.Rebounds well despite of below avarege athletic ability. But hey! Hes 18y old. Alot of room to grow. With physical improvement comes better defense,rebounding and also entire offensive improvement.All in all, possess great game awareness and high BBIQ.Off topic.There is nice coach in Europe. Croatian Neven Spahija. Well known and highly respected. Good friend of G.Popovich. Coach Spahija also works with SA Spurs during summer league. Mr. Popovich invited coach Spahija to join SA Spurs, but he rejected offer couple of times which leads to guessing(supposing), does he thinks hes not ready for NBA, or maybe he wants to be a HC, not an assistant. Who knows...Also for all those who didnt know, mr. G. Popovich's grandma is Croatian. Maybe there is something in it :-P.(joke)P.S. Sry for bad english. Hope you understood my point.

[TheFuzz]

I don't think Saric is such a good prospect, I would take a chance with Porter, Goodwin, Robinson or Poythress before him. I think we should go with a big and a wing unless Burke is available with our 2nd first round pick that could happen. If we came out of the draft with Austin and Porter would be a dream for me.

I really like Otto Porter from what I've seen of him. Really high IQ and high character player with some athleticism and the work ethic to capitalize on his sizable potential. Not a fan of Poythress or Goodwin though.

[coachx]

I really like Otto Porter from what I've seen of him. Really high IQ and high character player with some athleticism and the work ethic to capitalize on his sizable potential. Not a fan of Poythress or Goodwin though.

He played great today vs Syracuse.33 points to go along with his great defense......as alwayse. I think our chances of getting him at 16 or 17 iin the draft are gone. He is top 10 material. His production in the tough Big East conference in impressive.He looks like the 2nd coming of Luol Deng.

[coachx]

Yes sir. I get to watch Saric once a week.Dario Saric,6'10" 223lbs 18y old sf/pf from Croatia/Europe. Projected 23rd in upcoming NBA draft.Showing nice potential,although seems to be inconsistent at times. As mr. Coachx said, Saric has elite court vision and excellent passing ability.Defensively he is avarege on-ball defender. Lacks lateral quickness, but he compensate that with great timing on steals & blocks.Personally i think his perimeter shooting is not that good. Has unorthodox release, bad shooting form. From time to time seems like ball slips out of his hand which leads to bad ball rotation.Rebounds well despite of below avarege athletic ability. But hey! Hes 18y old. Alot of room to grow. With physical improvement comes better defense,rebounding and also entire offensive improvement.All in all, possess great game awareness and high BBIQ.Off topic.There is nice coach in Europe. Croatian Neven Spahija. Well known and highly respected. Good friend of G.Popovich. Coach Spahija also works with SA Spurs during summer league. Mr. Popovich invited coach Spahija to join SA Spurs, but he rejected offer couple of times which leads to guessing(supposing), does he thinks hes not ready for NBA, or maybe he wants to be a HC, not an assistant. Who knows...Also for all those who didnt know, mr. G. Popovich's grandma is Croatian. Maybe there is something in it :-P.(joke)P.S. Sry for bad english. Hope you understood my point.

His passing ability is amazing.His lack of athletic ability makes the transition to the NBA a risky bet.......but like you said, he is still only 18.I wish we could see him play vs NCAA competition. Edited February 24, 2013 by coachx

[TheFuzz]

Yep, both Porter and Oladipo look out of reach now.

Saric looks skilled with great instincts, but he seems really slow-footed. I can't tell if he'd be a steal with our Houston pick or simply ok. What are the chances Steven Adams declares for the draft this year? If he slips, I really like him.

[AHF]

Just as an aside, I love my Cats but Goodwin seems like he is headed for a career as a volume scorer. I hope that isn't the case, but I would be wary of him based on his freshman year.

[coachx]

I'm not a fan of making a different thread on every prospect you like this early before the draft.

LeBryan Nash of OKL ST.

Is this guy a young poor mans Ron Artest without the "crazy ?" For all the young bucks on here research the St Johns and Indiana Pacers model of Artest...........not the Lakers model.

6'7'' 230 lb

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/LeBryan-Nash-5721/

Edited March 6, 2013 by coachx

[gurpilo]

Well, Saric could not even make a roster spot on a Spanish League Team, Bilbao Basket that owns his rights, I doubt hes is such a great prospect for now at least.

I still think I would take a chance first on Porter, Goodwin, Poythress or Robinson. Goodwin is shooting with good percentages, reminds me Mayo kind of player.

Another player is beginning to intrigue me is Caldwell Pope.

[coachx]

I doubt many of us have seen much of Doug McDermott..........I don't watch any Missouri Valley Conference basketball even though its a good mid major conference. Creighton University just won their 2nd conference tournament in a row and will be in The Big Dance again. I'm interested in seeing McDermott. He goes to the same school as Kyle Korver and even looks like him.........and his stats resemble him.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20130310_WICHST@CREIGH/creighton-holds-off-wichita-to-earn-mvc-bid-to-ncaas

Most draft sites have him projected in the 1st round around picks #15 - 25. He is a possibility for us but I can't give any insite on him. Can anyone ?

Check out his stats:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51586/doug-mcdermott

Notice that 42 point game he had vs. a good Wichita St. team in early March where he shot 15-18. He is a pure sniper from beyond the 3 and he became his schools alltime leading scorer toward the end of his junior year. (Kyle Korver is 6th on that list and played 4 years for whatever thats worth.)

So instead of overpaying to keep an aging Kyle Korver (turns 33 next season) it may make sense to draft a younger, stronger, and possibly better version of him.

Edited March 12, 2013 by coachx

[mattlanta]

I'm not a fan of making a different thread on every prospect you like this early before the draft.

LeBryan Nash of OKL ST.

Is this guy a young poor mans Ron Artest without the "crazy ?" For all the young bucks on here research the St Johns and Indiana Pacers model of Artest...........not the Lakers model.

6'7'' 230 lb

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/LeBryan-Nash-5721/

From that video scouting report, he only looks kind of like Artest and doesn't really come off to me as a "poor man's Ron..." A poor man's Ron in my point of view would be someone who can play gritty defense and would have inconsistent offense, which is kind of the opposite of Nash's strengths & weaknesses.

[coachx]

From that video scouting report, he only looks kind of like Artest and doesn't really come off to me as a "poor man's Ron..." A poor man's Ron in my point of view would be someone who can play gritty defense and would have inconsistent offense, which is kind of the opposite of Nash's strengths & weaknesses.

Agree there is no evidence of him being a defensive stopper like Artest. Then again I'm not sure Artest was that coming out of St Johns. Most college sophomore aren't. MeBryan Nash's physical tools and strength are just eye catching at 6'7'', 230 lbs, with hops, and quickness. He just appears to posses the natural tools and body to defend the Lebrons and Carmelo's of the league if he applies himself to defense. As a scorer he looks like the high volume variety. He is not a good shooter but he is a scorer at the Big 12 level. I think he may have to make his living on defense and just being a hustle guy on offense in the NBA. Hopefully he is more easily coached and has better shot selection then guys like Ron Artest and Josh Smith.

Edited March 12, 2013 by coachx

[gurpilo]

McDermott is a PF, not a SF, he is not strong to play PF and not fast to play SF.

Nash could be an option but I think there are better players at the wings, Porter, Robinson, Poythress, Goodwin, Caldwell Pope... I would take anyone of them first.

[coachx]

McDermott is a PF, not a SF, he is not strong to play PF and not fast to play SF.

Nash could be an option but I think there are better players at the wings, Porter, Robinson, Poythress, Goodwin, Caldwell Pope... I would take anyone of them first.

McDermott can't be any slower then Korver. He has the same weaknesses as Korver did comnig out (defense). When you can shoot like he can there is a place for you in the NBA.

Agree that the names you mention seem better then Nash....or are atleast mentioned in all the online mock drafts......but none of them are the athlete Nash is or have the frame Nash has. I just see upside with him. I just wanted to bring his name up since he had not been mentioned.

Porter is not an option anymore where we are picking.

Robinson has plenty of upside since he is only a freshman and plays with 2 older ball dominant guards (Burke and Hardaway). Robinson will have to show he can play SG in the NBA so there is a risk there with him.

KCP would be a very solid pick. He just needs to improve his ball handling.

[gurpilo]

McDermott can't be any slower then Korver. He has the same weaknesses as Korver did comnig out (defense). When you can shoot like he can there is a place for you in the NBA.

Agree that the names you mention seem better then Nash....or are atleast mentioned in all the online mock drafts......but none of them are the athlete Nash is or have the frame Nash has. I just see upside with him. I just wanted to bring his name up since he had not been mentioned.

Porter is not an option anymore where we are picking.

Robinson has plenty of upside since he is only a freshman and plays with 2 older ball dominant guards (Burke and Hardaway). Robinson will have to show he can play SG in the NBA so there is a risk there with him.

KCP would be a very solid pick. He just needs to improve his ball handling.

On the perimeter, McDermott is largely a catch and shoot player, rarely creating either for himself or for others off the dribble, and his ball handling and shot creating ability are clear weaknesses for a player who doesn't have the physical strength or length to play in the post at the next level.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz2NXwi3XWj http://www.draftexpress.com

The defensive side of the ball looks to be the primary issue with McDermott when projecting his chances at the next level. His effort level appears to be adequate, but his physical limitations are evident. He doesn't have the size or strength to deny position in the post, and he doesn't have either the length or quickness off the floor to provide much if any weak-side help. On the perimeter, which is where he is more likely to play at the next level, his lateral quickness is a huge concern. He tends to give a large amount of space on the perimeter to combat his mediocre foot speed, both when defending isolation and pick and roll sets, a problem that is sure to become more pronounced the more he is asked to defend away from the basket.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz2NXxGsLEc http://www.draftexpress.com

He is really playing PF and I don't think he can transition to a SF, perhaps I'm wrong but seems to me he is more like a stretch 4.