With the 13th Pick in the 2010 NBA Draft...

Realizing that the Raps are likely to get bigs back in return, I dont think we should grab a big with #13. Unless Aldrich drops down this far, which I doubt.

Avery is compelling but I am not convinced he can become a pass-first PG.

With that doubt, I would not grab him at #13.

We should grab Paul George SF Fresno State with #13.

I pray we get a second later pick in the 1st round where we can grab a shot-blocking big or perhaps a PG.

Hmmmm, does not sound like a recipe for success. At 6’2", Bradley projects as a 6th man at best (assuming he remembers how to shoot) if his point guard skills don’t develop. The hype around him is mostly from his excellent athleticism (check YouTube for some pretty sweet dunks) and defensive abilities which draw comparisons to Russell Westbrook. The difference with Westbrook was that he actually ran the offence for UCLA when Collison was hurt and had some semblance of PG-skills. To expect Avery Bradley to develop those when there has been nary a hint of that is asking a lot.

I’m definitely on the Paul George boat on this one. He has that tantalizing combination of size, shooting ability and ball-handling. His passing is also underrated (~3apg), though he was far from an efficient playmaker last year. I really feel like we need to draft for potential here and hope we hit it big (lucky?). Our team is devoid of high-quality talent and a team of role players without a star won’t do better than scrap for the 8th spot in the playoffs. Taking a risk on someone like George, or Whiteside who I am also very high on, may be what it takes to get us to over that hump and become a perennially competitive team.

Just a little bit on Whiteside. He’s pick 13a for me, though I suspect BC won’t take him (hoping to get a legit C with sign-and-trade with Bosh/ don’t want to sound like he’s giving up on Bosh). This pick makes sense because of the impending free agencies of both Amir and Rasho. Whiteside would immediately step into the Rasho role of occassional body we throw out there to clog up the lane. Off the bench, Whiteside would be a good compliment to Bosh/Bargnani while one of them sits. He may also make Amir redundant as I shudder to imagine the pair of Amir and Whiteside sharing the court on offense. The Tyson Chandler comparisons seem reasonably with the one exception of Whiteside’s shooting touch. The reason Tyson Chandler could never reach his potential was that he lacked a good feel for the ball on offense. Outside of catching and finishing, his offense was non-existent. Whiteside, on the other side, has already demonstrated a good shooting touch that he isn’t afraid to use. He also has decent footwork to compliment that shooting touch, though he has considerable work to do on developing more post moves and building up strength.

I guess we’ll see how all of this unfolds in a couple of days…