A Babcock strikes again!!!

[KB21]

Charlie Villanueva with the 7th pick. LOL!!

[Blunt91]

Thank god we don't have either one of the brothers with us.

[Final_quest]

Worst pick out of the top ten. I'm so glad we don't have a Babcock anymore.

[Vafan]

Last year too!

[chillzatl]

[Traceman]

While that may have been a little high, consider the fact that Toronto still had their choice of Graham, Granger or Green at #16. I don't think Villanueva would have been there at #16. Perhaps from a talent standpoint, they got the picks reversed but no one would have said anything if they had taken Graham at #7 and Villanueva at #16.

I think Bosh and Villanueva can play together some and Graham will be fine at SF. I can see an argument that they should have taken Frye at #7 rather than Villanueva but I think Villanueva is the more talented player between the two.

[Diesel]

I've been telling you all since last year that charlie V. had lottery potential. I read Babcock's account. He tried to trade down but couldn't so he took Charlie V. while he could get him.

The real question is why would you want another PF/Sf/C...

And interestingly enough, the answer is BPA... Same answer you see for us and MWill. Babcock believes that Charlie V. will be a star down the road. How can you argue with him.. He has the tools. After last night he should have the motivation...

But it's interesting. You guys criticize Babcock for picking what he believed was BPA when he already had a player playing that position.. And you praise BK for doing the same thing?

Hypocrite right??

[gohawks11]

thank good ness the babcocks are terrible.

[KB21]

That's because Villanueva was far from the best player available at the 7th pick. Villanueva carried a grade that was in the 16-25 range.

Villanueva lacks toughness, has no work ethic, and is only an average athlete. Limited shooting range...limited defense.

Basically, a typical Babcock pick.

[Diesel]

It's my understanding that Toronto had Villuneava in more than twice and were impressed each time. Bickerstaff wanted Charlie too...

read this before the draft..

Quote:

---

STORRS — He was listless. He was slow. He was, well, awful.

More than anything, Charlie Villanueva was in over his head.

This was the overwhelming conclusion two years ago when Villanueva entered the 2003 NBA draft straight out of Blair Academy in New Jersey.

Fortunately for the 6-foot-11 Villanueva, after a miserable pre-draft workout, he thought better of his high school foray into professional basketball and headed to UConn instead.

Fast-forward two years.

Suddenly, Villanueva is nearly a sure-fire lottery pick when the 2005 NBA Draft takes place Tuesday night in New York. Villanueva is expected to be chosen anywhere from No. 5 to No. 15, according to his agent, Billy Ceisler.

For those keeping track at home, that's a rookie salary ranging from $2,741,880 million as the No. 5 pick at Madison Square Garden to $1,407,240 as the No. 15 pick.

"We didn't turn something into gold that wasn't already gold," said Ceisler, who also represents ex-UConn star Ben Gordon and former Pittsburgh forward/center Chris Taft. "We just needed to shine it up a little bit, that's all.

"Charlie has made everyone forget about what happened two years ago. He's lived up to the Charlie Villanueva hype that we've all heard about for so long. He went to every workout and proved that he's the most skilled big man in this draft."

---

Again I ask.. WHO decides?

Just because Charlie V. didn't line up with NBADRAFT.NET or Draft Express.

Last Night, Bilas continually called those guys IDIOTS for misleading so many of those guys who didn't get drafted in the first and if you go to their sites you will see that their mocks were way off...

[KB21]

It doesn't matter. Charlie Villanueva wasn't rated that high, just as Rafael Arajou wasn't rated as high as Babcock drafted him last year.

The Raptors are damn lucky that Babcock wasn't there in 2003 when they took Chris Bosh. He would have passed on him for some European big man that will never set a foot on an NBA floor.

[Traceman]

NO ONE thought Villanueva was BPA at #7. My thought was that Babcock thought he had a better chance of getting a SF he wanted at #16 than he did of getting a PF he wanted at #16 so he took Villanueva thinking that Graham, Green, Granger or Wright woulkd still be there at #16. Just a thought.

[KB21]

Which shows how warped Rob Babcock is.

There were several in the 7 to 15 range that didn't draft smart, IMO. Babcock's pick was, hands down, the worst pick of the first round though. Danny Granger was the best player on the board at that point, IMO, and Indiana stole him at the 18th pick.

[Diesel]

2005-06-26

Villanueva plays lottery

UConn star expects to go early in NBA draft

By Brian Koonz

AP

Charlie Villanueva led UConn with 13.6 points per game and 12 double-doubles last season.

THE NEWS-TIMES

STORRS — He was listless. He was slow. He was, well, awful.

More than anything, Charlie Villanueva was in over his head.

This was the overwhelming conclusion two years ago when Villanueva entered the 2003 NBA draft straight out of Blair Academy in New Jersey.

Fortunately for the 6-foot-11 Villanueva, after a miserable pre-draft workout, he thought better of his high school foray into professional basketball and headed to UConn instead.

Fast-forward two years.

Suddenly, Villanueva is nearly a sure-fire lottery pick when the 2005 NBA Draft takes place Tuesday night in New York. Villanueva is expected to be chosen anywhere from No. 5 to No. 15, according to his agent, Billy Ceisler.

For those keeping track at home, that's a rookie salary ranging from $2,741,880 million as the No. 5 pick at Madison Square Garden to $1,407,240 as the No. 15 pick.

"We didn't turn something into gold that wasn't already gold," said Ceisler, who also represents ex-UConn star Ben Gordon and former Pittsburgh forward/center Chris Taft. "We just needed to shine it up a little bit, that's all.

"Charlie has made everyone forget about what happened two years ago. He's lived up to the Charlie Villanueva hype that we've all heard about for so long. He went to every workout and proved that he's the most skilled big man in this draft."

Consider: Aside from leading UConn with 13.6 points per game and 12 double-doubles last season, Villanueva also had six games with three or more assists.

After being labeled as lazy and unfocused, Villanueva played the best basketball of his career down the stretch for UConn. Over the last 12 games of the season, including two NCAA tournament games, Villanueva averaged 17.1 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Huskies.

But the real litmus test, the ultimate final exam for his future, took place in NBA gyms all across the country the last two months.

Villanueva, 20, worked out for many of this year's lottery teams, including Charlotte at No. 5 and No. 13, Utah at No. 6, Toronto at No. 7, the Lakers at No. 10, Orlando at No. 11 and the Clippers at No. 12.

He also worked out for New Jersey and Boston, which pick No. 15 and No. 18, respectively.

On Saturday, Villanueva went down to Charlotte for a second workout with general manager and coach Bernie Bickerstaff. Could there be a reunion in the works for Villanueva and former UConn star Emeka Okafor?

Sure, but it's just as likely Charlotte will deal one of its first-round picks to upgrade its young talent base.

For Toronto head scout Bob Zuffelato, who saw Villanueva develop before his eyes in Storrs, the transformation from underachiever to NBA lottery pick has been especially satisfying.

"He's a pleasant kid to be around and he made a good impression on our group," Zuffelato said. "He's certainly a first-rounder. I'm not sure where. I would say somewhere in the middle.

"He's big. He's strong. He's got to learn how to defend, but he's going to get tougher, too."

As part of his pre-draft regimen, Villanueva worked out twice a day — with two different trainers — to help improve his strength and conditioning.

On the road, Villanueva competed against some of this year's top draft prospects in NBA workouts: North Carolina's Sean May in Orlando on June 17, Syracuse's Hakim Warrick in Toronto on June 2 and Providence's Ryan Gomes in Boston on June 6.

And yet, with the top four picks largely decided — Utah center Andrew Bogut, North Carolina forward Marvin Williams, Wake Forest guard Chris Paul and Illinois guard Deron Williams — the draft really starts for Villanueva with the No. 5 pick.

"From five on, every team is going to ask themselves, 'Can we really pass on a guy who can score, put the ball on the floor, rebound, pass and block shots?' I guarantee you, every one of them is going to think long and hard about Charlie," Ceisler said.

"He's put himself in a great situation, but it wasn't given to him. He was determined to change people's minds and show them that he's not the same player he was two years ago. He's much, much better."

Ryan Blake, assistant director of scouting for the NBA, agreed.

"At UConn, Charlie had the advantage of playing with and playing against great players," Blake said. "Anytime you step up in competition, particularly from high school to college, it's going to be to your benefit.

"Plus, having that game confidence is key. He didn't have that two years ago when he first worked out. Physically and mentally, he's developed a lot more at both ends of the floor."

No matter where Villanueva worked out this spring — Los Angeles, Orlando, New Jersey, Utah — he always packed some extra motivation in his suitcase.

"Anytime a player comes in with the attitude he wants to prove people wrong, that's great," Blake said. "The key is, keeping that kind of attitude after the draft.

"Physically, he's probably a (power forward), but he's shown some of the tools to play (small forward and center) too. The more versatile you are as a player, the better off you are."

One NBA scout, who wised to remain anonymous, marveled at the strides Villanueva has made under UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

The player who used to take off plays and coast down the floor has learned how to tap his talent for complete games and dominant performances.

"He's really matured a lot. The last six weeks of the season, he really understood his role at UConn," the scout said. "He didn't shoot those crazy 3s he used to take. He really, really hustled out there.

"The one thing that haunts him a little is that terrible workout he had two years ago before the draft.

"That's why it was so important for him to impress people this year and I think he did that. How much he impressed them, I guess we'll see on draft night."

[Diesel]

This morning, Bickerstaff said that it was their plan to get Charlie at 12. May was their backup plan.

The point being.. The only people predicting Charlie V. to be middle lottery is Charlotte people trying to inflate draft place so that they could get him...

I don't think it was that much of a surprise that he went 7.

He's 6'11 240 with the game of a PF and a Sf. People kill for that!

[Buzzard]

The GM. Which is exactly why the I aam glad we do not have the Babocks anymore.

If they were going with best pf available, they should have jumped all over Diago! He will be a star!

Bickersttaff thought Villuneava may be the best player left at 13. Huge difference between 7 and 13.

And do you like have a ph# for Bernie or something? Everything I saw that even half way resembled a hint was day before the draft, when it was mentioned both May and Felton were brought in for extra workouts.

In fact I believe you posted that this indicated we would trade down if Charlotte did pick those two. If it was not you , it was definetely posted. So those two picks were hot rumors that both panned out. Which does not happen very often at five and thirteen.

With that being said, that indicates Bernie was able to get both his guys. Felton and May and not Felton and Villuneava. I never read anything where Charlotte preferred Villuneava over May. Again do you have Bernie's PH#?

[Sage11]

FOTFLOL Pick!!!! I knew it had to be the screw up pick of this year draft. Only a Babcock could do such a thing.

[Diesel]

But at the end of the Day Diogu is still 6'6"...and shaped like Mike Sweetney.

the question is:

Quote:

---

"From five on, every team is going to ask themselves, 'Can we really pass on a 6'11" guy who can score, put the ball on the floor, rebound, pass and block shots?'

---

[Traceman]

so my point is was he really stupid for not taking him at #7? To me, it appears that Babcock made the right pick picking someone other than Granger at #7 because he could have had Granger at #16. Apparently, Babcock thinks Graham is going to be a better player than Granger because they both are SFs who can play some PF. Maybe he should have taken Frye, Vasquez, May or even Antoine Wright at #7 instead of Villanueva - we'll see about that in time - but Granger apparently would have been the wrong pick at that point.

[Buzzard]

Quote:

---

This morning, Bickerstaff said that it was their plan to get Charlie at 12. May was their backup plan.

---

I would really love to see the link to that quote. I doubt any gm would say a guy he took was there backup plan.

Futhermore, do you think that Bernie would have taken him at seven over all those other players who were still on the board? I doubt that very seriously.