2015 NBA Draft

[jacone21]

Man, those guys look so much better at 6'0" and 180lbs than I do. I need to hit the weights.

[neemizzle]

Here's mock drafts from 3 guys over at CBS -

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/draft/mock-draft

Here's where they have the Duke guys -
Okafor - 2nd, 1st, 2nd
Winslow - 5, 3, 11
Jones - 18, 20, 21

That's a really wide range for Justise. Most mocks have him in the 5-8 range.

The places they have Winslow at (Orlando and Philly) are perfect places for him and can use him immediately, no? I'm a Magic fan and would love to see him there. But Philly could come out of this draft a HUGE winner with the picks they have.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

As a native Cheesehead, we never called Wisconsin Wiscy or Wisco. We referred to the UW as Bucky.

I used to be friends with kids from Madison who would reference Wisco. Also, known some folks from Atlanta who never said "Hotlanta" but would sometimes reference ATL.

Maybe it's an ex-pat thing?

Living in Asheville, I hear people say "Ashevegas," but it seems to be more in jest.

Huh, come to think of it, maybe it's one of those appropriated tongue-in-cheek things. I'll be damned if I let you call my town ATL, but those of us from there can use it as an identifying joke.

I heard "Cackalacky" for the first time from a fellow NC resident when I lived in Seattle. Hrmmmmm...

[JasonEvans]

The places they have Winslow at (Orlando and Philly) are perfect places for him and can use him immediately, no? I'm a Magic fan and would love to see him there. But Philly could come out of this draft a HUGE winner with the picks they have.

If Justise is still on the board at #11, I'll be shocked. The will be NBA GMs who lose their jobs if something like that happens. It would almost be like the time Paul Pierce, projected as a top 5 pick, somehow lasted to #10 in the 1998 draft, making Celtic fans deliriously happy. I can vividly recall the announcers being shocked as team after team passed on Paul.

By the way, the 1998 draft is notable due to the incredible smarts of Don Nelson, who made trades with Milwaukee and Phoenix on draft day. His moves got him Dirk Nowitzki with the #9 pick and a backup PG that Phoenix did not want named Steve Nash. In return, he sent Robert Traylor to Milwaukee and Pat Garrity to Phoenix. I'd say that trade worked out pretty nicely for Nelly and Dallas.

-Jason "Wislow will be off the board well before #11... probably no later than #6 or #7... and no one cares that he is under 6-5 in his bare feet" Evans

[superdave]

If Justise is still on the board at #11, I'll be shocked. The will be NBA GMs who lose their jobs if something like that happens. It would almost be like the time Paul Pierce, projected as a top 5 pick, somehow lasted to #10 in the 1998 draft, making Celtic fans deliriously happy. I can vividly recall the announcers being shocked as team after team passed on Paul.

By the way, the 1998 draft is notable due to the incredible smarts of Don Nelson, who made trades with Milwaukee and Phoenix on draft day. His moves got him Dirk Nowitzki with the #9 pick and a backup PG that Phoenix did not want named Steve Nash. In return, he sent Robert Traylor to Milwaukee and Pat Garrity to Phoenix. I'd say that trade worked out pretty nicely for Nelly and Dallas.

-Jason "Wislow will be off the board well before #11... probably no later than #6 or #7... and no one cares that he is under 6-5 in his bare feet" Evans

Imagine an Orlando backcourt of 6'4'' Elfrid Payton, 6'4'' Victor Oladipo, 6'9 Tobias Harris and 6'6'' Justise Winslow. That is a defensive nightmare for everyone in the league. Those guys are all long, athletic and even have some bulk.

Of course, they may want to look for a big guy like Myles Turner. But that athletic group above would be fun to watch.

[MCFinARL]

The link in my previous post appears to be working again. Here are Quinn's Numbers:

QUINN COOK

Height with shoes: 6'2"; Height without shoes: 6'0 1/4"; Weight: 179.0; Standing reach: 8'0.5"; Wingspan: 6'4"; Body fat: 6.7%.

Before you look, I didn't just copy and paste Tyus' numbers from the last post. They just have really similar body measurements.

Yes, that's kind of interesting. I'm a bit surprised to hear that Tyus actually slightly outweighs Quinn. I would have guessed the opposite (having seen neither in person). But maybe it's just Quinn's hair that makes him look a little more solid. [serioiusly, maybe Tyus' slightly longer wingspan makes him look proportionately thinner even though he and Quinn are clearly about the same size.]

[johnb]

The link in my previous post appears to be working again. Here are Quinn's Numbers:

QUINN COOK

Height with shoes: 6'2"; Height without shoes: 6'0 1/4"; Weight: 179.0; Standing reach: 8'0.5"; Wingspan: 6'4"; Body fat: 6.7%.

Before you look, I didn't just copy and paste Tyus' numbers from the last post. They just have really similar body measurements.

I don't think their numbers are all that impressive. I'm that height and weight and also have 67% body fat. And I don't even work out.

[dukelifer]

I don't think their numbers are all that impressive. I'm that height and weight and also have 67% body fat. And I don't even work out.

67% body fat is impressive

[toooskies]

Not worried about Justise's height. His play at the PF for Duke this year should resolve any meaningful questions about it.

[weezie]

67% body fat is impressive

Yes, helps with floating, I imagine.

[MCFinARL]

Was just watching Quinn in the 5 by 5 drills at the combine (ESPN 2). He made some nice passes but was stuffed pretty badly on his one drive to the basket.

[CDu]

Yes, helps with floating, I imagine.

Makes scuba diving quite a chore though.

[CDu]

Looking at the measurements, it looks like Winslow measured very small for his "natural" position in the NBA (presumably SF). He's probably going to need to convince folks he can play a lot of SG at the next level, which means he is probably going to need to show some serious ballhandling chops (moreso than the open court bulldozing sessions he displayed in college). I felt early in the season that his style of play and size/athleticism reminded me of a young Dwyane Wade. Well, he's measured out VERY similarly to Wade (3/4" taller but similarly built with a similar wingspan). Hopefully his game continues to expand the way Wade's did. He's ahead of where Wade was at the same age (Wade made his big jump during college) so there is definitely hope.

I'm sure Winslow will still spend a fair amount of time at SF in the NBA. But unlike in college, he's going to be giving up size to everyone there and the difference in athleticism and skill isn't as great as it is for the typical college PF (the dropoff in size from college PF to NBA SF isn't much; the skill and athleticism difference between NBA SF and college PF is vast). He will be fine as a player, but this probably makes it tough for him to get to the top-5 of the draft. Probably looking at an 8-12 spot.

[Turk]

FWIW, people in and around Philadelphia do regularly refer to it as Philly.

However, when they do say the full name and they're from the city neighborhoods, it usually sounds something like "Faluffya". These good folks also like to enjoy a fruit-flavored summertime treat pronounced "wooder ice".

[Turk]

Sometime in the last decade or two, my hometown of Cincinnati came to be regularly referred to as "the 'nati" by residents and non-residents alike

Same thing happened in Pittsburgh; people started referring to "the Burgh". I don't hate it but choose not to partake.

[Turk]

Imagine an Orlando backcourt of 6'4'' Elfrid Payton, 6'4'' Victor Oladipo, 6'9 Tobias Harris and 6'6'' Justise Winslow. That is a defensive nightmare for everyone in the league. Those guys are all long, athletic and even have some bulk.

Of course, they may want to look for a big guy like Myles Turner. But that athletic group above would be fun to watch.

Fun to watch on defense, and probably on the break, but I'm not so sure about half-court offense and shooting.

Gotta see where the Ping-Pong balls land; love to see Justise as a Sixer. I am a Brett Brown fan, so it could be a good place for Justise even with another year of Tankapalooza up ahead...

[Kedsy]

Not worried about Justise's height. His play at the PF for Duke this year should resolve any meaningful questions about it.

DeMarcus Nelson played PF at Duke. He wasn't even big enough for SG in the NBA. I think Justise will do fine, but I also think these measurements will cause some to think twice about drafting him too early.

[MChambers]

DeMarcus Nelson played PF at Duke. He wasn't even big enough for SG in the NBA. I think Justise will do fine, but I also think these measurements will cause some to think twice about drafting him too early.

DeMarcus did not play PF anywhere near as well as Justise did.

[Devil77]

Smelly Delly destroying Les Boulez.

[neemizzle]

Imagine an Orlando backcourt of 6'4'' Elfrid Payton, 6'4'' Victor Oladipo, 6'9 Tobias Harris and 6'6'' Justise Winslow. That is a defensive nightmare for everyone in the league. Those guys are all long, athletic and even have some bulk.

Of course, they may want to look for a big guy like Myles Turner. But that athletic group above would be fun to watch.

Don't get me excited. I want this backcourt so badly. I've pulled for the Magic, and they started going downhill once Redick was gone and Dwight Howard left. Haven't been the same since. They need a Winslow type player, though. Orlando is already talented, they're just really young. Payton did really well this year, considering the team he was on.

I'm interested to see the actual Draft Lottery this year. The Cavs lucking up (again) with that #1 pick was crazy. Something tells me it'll happen again, but it'll be some odd team in the running for #1 that no one expects that has like a .7% chance of getting it haha!

Any early assumptions after watching the combine? Meaning, any changes in where we think some of these guys will go?