Could Davis, Drummond or Sullinger Be On The Board When The Raptors Make Their Pick?

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 2:29 AM EST

Right now the Raptors are sitting with the fifth most ping-pong balls behind

1. Charlotte with 3 wins

2. New Orleans with 6 wins

3. Washington with 7 wins

4. New Jersey with 8 wins

5. Raptors and Pistons with 9 wins. However, the Pistons are playing a bit better as of late winning five of their last 10 games.

The Raptors are 3 - 15 without Bargnani. Their winning percentage of .167 without Bargnani is the second worst in the NBA. We have no idea when Bargnani will return. So for the sake of argument lets say the ping-pong balls fall according to who has the most and the Raptors wind up with the fifth pick in June.

The current top five potential June draftees according to Draft Express are:

1. Anthony Davis

2. Andre Drummond

3. Harrison Barnes

4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

5. Jared Sullinger

Under the above scenario Charlotte picks #1. Biyombo is playing pretty good at Center averaging 6 PPg and 7 RPG in his 6 or so starts and he should only continue to get better. He is a lot stronger than Davis who will definitely need to put on a lot more weight to handle the NBA Centers. On the other hand Charlotte is starting ancient Corey Maggette at SF. So if I was Charlotte I pick either Barnes or MKG and not Davis or Drummond.

New Orleans picks second. They have Okafer at Center and Ariza at SF. Both have contracts through 2013-14. Kaman is coming in off the bench but he will be a free agent after this season. New Orleans has no one at PF so they could very well pick Sullinger with the #2 pick

Washington has Javale McGee at Center who while not steller is still young (just turned 24) and is averaging 12 and 9 along with 3 blocks per game. I can't see Davis doing better than that. . Not very likely that they waste a draft pick on Davis or Drummond the latter who is still a project.. The Wiz are starting Chris Singleton at SF so ISTM that they take either Barnes or MKG depending on who Charlotte picks.

New Jersey picks fourth. They have Brook Lopez so I don't see them drafting a Davis or Drummond. The Nets have Humphries at PF who is averaging a double-double for the second consecutive year. The Nets also desperately need a SF. The next SF on Draft Express Big Board after Barnes and MKG is Terrence Jones who is at #11. However, Draft Express has Perry Jones III who can play both Center and PF listed as #7 just behind Thomas Robinson of Kansas a PF . So it is possible that the Nets could pick either Jones or Jones LOL..

Preferring Perry Jones III over Drummond or Davis because Perry Jones III can play either PF or Center and would initially make a nice first Big off of the bench at either Center or PF. Neither Davis nor Drummond can play PF so PJ III would give the Nets more flexibility on their front line than drafting either Drummond or Davis.

The Raptors are up next with Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Tyler Zeller, Thomas Robinson PF, John Henson PF, Terrence Jones SF along with two SGs Bradley Beal and Jeremy Lamb still available form the Draft Express current top 12.

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Comments

move up

We have to find a way to move up,MKG should be our target,having said that another first round pick would help in scooping perhaps a Beal . How realistic is this? Do we have pieces ,Barbossa,maybe Ed? to help make that happen?

by d279 on Feb 16, 2012 8:13 AM EST reply actions

Anthony Davis

is going #1 no matter who drafts there. So unless the Raps get pick #1 he is off the board.

New Orleans has a youth movement going on, so I find it unlikely they will draft for any ‘need’. Drummond likely going to them, but really they could draft anyone as there is no position that isn’t a long term upgrade for them

Washington has their PG and C… but the rest of the field at this point is PF and SFs anyways… so if NO doesn’t draft Drummond for some reason its POSSIBLE that he drops one more spot, but I wouldn’t bet on it. MKG or Barnes pretty much gone here

NJ is a crap shoot right now… Dwight Howard coming? Deron leaving? But lets assume all stays ‘as is’, they can easily use a SF or PF. I can see Sullinger or the MKG/Barnes off the board here.

So, if all stays the same, and the Raps are at #5 the most likely player will be Sullinger with a smaller chance of MKG/Barnes. Which ofcourse is where an interesting dilemma exists as this team already has Bargs/Amir/Ed + JJ and Kleiza (occasionally) at PF…….

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 16, 2012 8:59 AM EST reply actions

I like Amir and Ed, but neither have been playing well enough to influence who we draft

by iend on Feb 16, 2012 11:04 AM EST up reply actions

BC Will Probably Take The Best Player Available

This has been his thinking in the past and I see no reason for it too change now.

He will then sort it all out and make any trades he feels are appropriate.

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 11:45 AM EST up reply actions

If Michael Wants A Center He Most Likely Will Take Drummond

Drummond is about 50 pounds heavier than Davis

Drummond has a NBA Centers body just like Kwame who Michael drafted does. People tend to repeat what they have done even if it didn’t work out.

Davis is a very good NCAA Center without a shot. He is a risk because he is way too light to play Center in the NBA. At 220 pounds he would get murdered. Even at 240 he would get pushed around just like Jonas would now at 240 pounds.

Davis is a big time weight room project. It is also unknown whether he can ever effectively carry the weight needed to be an good NBA Center.

Drummond also has a NBA body and is playing pretty good for UConn. His stats are not that much worse than Davis except Drummond doesn’t have the benefit of playing with Kendall Marshall who is averaging 10 APG. He also doesn’t have a Harrison Barnes to open up the middle for him.

If Michael goes big my guess is he takes Drummond.

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 11:42 AM EST up reply actions

you are the only one I know

calling Davis a C

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 16, 2012 1:42 PM EST up reply actions

Where Do You Think He Plays?

You must have forgotten about Henson.

Right now he is a Center plain and simple. People are saying he will play PF in the NBA because he is too light to play Center.

Most of his points by far come on dunks. You need a heck of a lot more to than that on offense to be a good PF in the NBA. Even Amir has more offense at PF than Anthony Davis does.

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 1:47 PM EST up reply actions

My Bad I Meant Terrence Jones Not Henson

In any case that doesn’t change the fact that Davis is playing Center for KY

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 2:34 PM EST up reply actions

I'm sorry...

…But you just proved you have no idea what you’re talking about. You referenced Kendall Marshall and John Henson who play for NC in comparing Davis to Drummond, and then try to save yourself by saying "I meant Terrence Jones, who plays backup forward for Kentucky behind Davis and MKG. You know who plays center in Kentucky? Michael Chandler.

Anthony Davis is a guard in a big man’s body. His 8 inch growth spurt gives him all the fundamentals of a wing player with the amazing athletic ability to block shots and rebound. Do your homework before you post one of these and then argue it bro.

by kmatrix on Mar 5, 2012 9:38 PM EST up reply actions

Not to mention

“Harrison Barnes to open up the middle for him…”

smh

by kmatrix on Mar 5, 2012 9:43 PM EST up reply actions

NO doesn’t need a SG going forward so I think they try and “improve” at PF/C. It simply makes more sense for them to do so unless they are open to trading Gordon as they need to build a balanced team and Okafor is probably not a long term solution there.

by McGateway on Feb 20, 2012 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

You need to do your research before posting this garbage

First of all anthony davis is going to be a power forward not a centre in the NBA. He is going #1 overall no matter who has the pick because he is going to be a franchise player. He was 6"2 in highschool and then hit a massive growth spurt so most of his life he played the wing so he has solid handles for an nba power forward. New Orleans is not going to let people slide in the draft just because they have okafor and ariza. Kaman wont be there much longer.

I do agree with the top post though that we should find a way to get kidd-gilchrist i think hes going to be a really good small forward. Very good defender and rebounder and can play on the offensive side as well

by Traptors on Feb 16, 2012 12:29 PM EST reply actions

You Could Be Right That He Will Be Drafted To Play PF

However I have watched him play and the majority of his points come on dunks. He has no offense. I don’t care how tall he was when he was younger

Can he play PF? Maybe a bit better than Ed Davis.

Anthony Davis is over hyped big time primarily because he is a great shot blocker in college and plays for a team that is always on one of the ESPN channels. Yes he blocks tons of shots but that is because he plays at Center. He won’t be a shot blocker at PF..

Wings are where it is at in the NBA. Do your research. Of the current top ten teams Dallas is the only team whose best player is a PF. Orlando is the only team whose best player is a Center.

The Clippers are very good but Blake is not their best player and DeAndre Jordan might not even be their third best player. CP3 is the difference maker and the addition of Caron Butler has greatly helped them.

The name of the game in the NBA today is wing players who can score. Davis is not one of those and their will be two of those on the Board when the #1 pick is made.

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 1:44 PM EST up reply actions

Oh really?

I just watched Davis drop 28/11 with 2 steals and 6 blocks versus a very goody Vandy team. 10 for 11 from the field and 8 for 9 at the line. He was drilling multiple shots from all over the court even as far out as his foot on the 3 point line.
He will be #1 overall no questions.
Yes he gets allot of dunks but he can shoot, drive and score in a variety of ways.

by Mojo J on Feb 25, 2012 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

You Need To Learn About The Talking Heads

Here are the Bigs hyped by the talking heads before the annual draft over the last five drafts.

DeMarcus Cousins – Jury still out but he has had very little positive impact at Sacramento in his two season

Blake Griffin – They got that one correct but he could score in college

Hasheem Thabeet – Wonderful, wonderful

Michael Beasley – Another great hype LOL

Greg Oden – Yea got to love that one

Al Horford – They got that one right

So over the last five years the talking heads at ESPN have been correct on two of their six Big man hypes with the jury on Cousins long term still out.

Since the NBA is a perimeter player’s game now and not a big man’s game the talking heads do a lot better forecasting the NBA careers for Guards and SF. However, when it comes to Bigs their batting average might not even get them a MLB hitting title.

by Buddahfan on Feb 16, 2012 1:59 PM EST up reply actions

Cousins has been a beast this season, so not sure what you're harping about.

That Sacramento has a crap team hierarchy and structure for a guy with his temperament is another thing altogether, but he’s putting up 16.6/11.4 and has a 21.57 PER. That’s hardly chopped liver, so the ESPN prognosticators were basically right on that one. As for Oden, he’s been pretty damn good whenever he got playing time, and you can’t really say that anyone would have predicted two microfracture surgeries and a number of smaller ones.

Davis is legit though. That’s freakish athleticism tied together with solid defensive instincts and huge upside. Just because he appears on national television a lot doesn’t cheapen his accomplishments. He might not be that polished yet but you don’t turn down that kind of prospect in the top five.

@brosales12

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu

by Ben R on Feb 20, 2012 3:27 AM EST up reply actions

telling me to do research

so lamarcus aldridge isnt good? kevin love isnt good? amare isnt good? gasol isnt good? josh smith isnt good? boozer? tim duncan isnt one of the best ever? garnett sucks? zach randolph isnt any good? i guess bargnani is worthless too.

i guess all of these guys mean nothing to their team. to be successful you need an inside and an outside presence. chris paul couldnt do it by himself. i think i rest my case here

Traptros- 1 Buddahfan- 0

by Traptors on Feb 17, 2012 1:13 PM EST reply actions

I'll add a +1 to Traptors...

For the sake of what you are talking about in this specific post…

But I would take MKG with my first pick…

MY REASONING HOWEVER, is that there is no way B.C. moves Bargnani and Davis would get stunted and frustrated behind him…

IF I thought for a second Colangelo might trade Bargs in a package for a top SF I would take Davis… but he won’t, so MKG is the #1 choice…

"the Truth"

by Mikthaniel on Feb 17, 2012 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

Either could Kobe.

by McGateway on Feb 20, 2012 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

Also, it should be noted that I read neither Buddha's post or comments replying to you...

Only your reply and points given…

I pretty much just refuse to read anything Buddha types any more as he has as much as said he is only posting to argue with people…

I mostly only comment when I disagree, eh.

"the Truth"

by Mikthaniel on Feb 17, 2012 4:41 PM EST reply actions

Acording to NBAdraft.net

The top 5 are as follows:

1. Davis
2. Drummond
3. Barnes
4. Robinson
5. Lamb

They too have us picking at number 5, meaning MKG would be available to us, and if he isn’t, any of those other 5 on the board are intriguing (also have Sullinger to pick outside of those).

Formerly known as timboslice85

by Rebrand_the_Raps on Feb 18, 2012 9:20 PM EST reply actions

MKG

What are the odds he will be able to improve his shooting? I know he brings all the intangibles, but if he can’t shoot well, he can’t be the next MJ.

We need the next star wing player and Barnes or MKG seem like the pick unless Davis is still on the board, and then we have a decision to make.

The one thing that gives me hope with MKG’s shot is his work ethic and age. What do you guys think?

by defensive rap on Feb 19, 2012 1:45 PM EST reply actions

Well, I wasn’t expecting an MJ in this draft lol. I always liked MKG because Barnes seems too high in the draft to be considered for the Raps. But hey, if we get lucky, then I would choose Barnes any day because he has the extra year of experience and he’s proven to be a great SF in the league. However, MKG has that work ethic you mentioned and has a nice defensive presence. It’s difficult to say who is better, but both are at the top of my list. I wouldn’t be disappointed with either of them.

by keepit4real on Feb 20, 2012 6:19 PM EST up reply actions

If we draft Davis

Then we have some deals to make and we finally have some decent assets to move but it will be murky waters with Davis and Andrea, two number one picks ont he same team and in the same position.

by defensive rap on Feb 19, 2012 1:47 PM EST reply actions

No murkyness... Bargnani prety much HAS to get traded in that scenario.

by MAS11 on Feb 22, 2012 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

Davis vs. MKG

Davis, as of right now, is the sure-fire #1 pick… if the raps get the first pick, I think we HAVE to pick him or trade the pick, the raps aren’t talented enough at this stage to be picking for need with the first overall pick… any pick lower than #1 and there is no controversy with the 2, Davis will already be gone… MKG, from the little I’ve seen of him and from everything I’ve read or heard, is tailor made for the raps… so #1 pick —→ Davis; MKG with any other pick

by superAD on Feb 20, 2012 8:03 PM EST reply actions