2019 NBA Draft discussion

[budwom]

Brutal.

I love it.

To bad he can't fall back on his skills speaking Swahili like his predecessors.





It would pay Matt Kuchar's caddies for the rest of his life … and Matt would still have plenty left to put in his pocket

good one. As for Jimmy Butler and his tip money, that guy is unhappy wherever he goes...he has talent, but his 'tude is rarely helpful.

[Turk]

Two thoughts from last night:

1. Patterned jackets are very in, and socks and ties are very out.

2. My Wizards seemed to have a competent night. First they took Hachimura with the 9th pick, which some called a stretch, but there wasn't a ton separating the guys picked 7th-15th. Hachimura is as good as any of them, though I hope we won't come to regret passing on Cam Reddish. Mostly I'm fine with this pick.

The real sharp move was trading into the second round. Philly, desperate to cut salary, was willing to give up #42 if a team took on Jonathan Simmons's contract. So without sacrificing other assets (just cash), the Wiz bought into the second round and selected Admiral Schofield. Pretty simple with Schofield: he's 6'6" 240 lb and shot 42% from three. Seems like a guy who could be a rotation piece down the line, so kudos to Washington for getting him for basically nothing. Maybe this was an opportunity to swing for the fences on Bol Bol, but can't complain too much.

So far having no GM is better than the previous option for the Wizards.

1. Also, "Hey, I can still fit into my pants from 8th grade! No one will notice they only come halfway down my shins!"

2. The Sixers must love it when fans of "Les Boulez" are chortling about how they got a free pick in exchange for some loose change under the couch cushions and the privilege for cutting someone like Jonathon Simmons, even though they don't have a GM. Schofield is exactly the kind of player that's worth taking a chance on in the 2nd round: a talented player with a high motor, a character guy that might find a way to get better and contribute. If he was 3" taller he would have been drafted 20 slots higher. Instead, the Sixers punted and traded what amounts to lunch money for a much worse player.

[MChambers]

Seems super weird they didn't have Hachimura in for a workout or apparently even talk to him during the draft process.

This is the Wizards, after all.

[Acymetric]

Since trades have to be reported to the league office, I can't imagine why the league would allow a change of heart...that could get pretty chaotic...

I'll refer back to the other part of my question then...why not just make the trades official (pending a physical evaluation) and do things like the NFL does for the draft?

[ChillinDuke]

I'll refer back to the other part of my question then...why not just make the trades official (pending a physical evaluation) and do things like the NFL does for the draft?

I don't know what the "NFL does for the draft", but I agree that the way it was handled last night was very confusing. Regardless of how uncommon the volume of trades last night might be, it should be a pretty simple switch (whether official or unofficial) to let the viewer know the ultimate team that a draftee is headed to.

- Chillin

[Acymetric]

I don't know what the "NFL does for the draft", but I agree that the way it was handled last night was very confusing. Regardless of how uncommon the volume of trades last night might be, it should be a pretty simple switch (whether official or unofficial) to let the viewer know the ultimate team that a draftee is headed to.

- Chillin

They announce the trade with the pick.

Say the Jets have the 27th pick and trade it to the Lions. It goes like this:

"Pick 27 is in"
"The New York Jets have traded the 27th pick to the Detroit Lions."
"Pick is Player X"

This way the fans know and​ the player that was just drafted knows.

[JetpackJesus]

They announce the trade with the pick.

Say the Jets have the 27th pick and trade it to the Lions. It goes like this:

"Pick 27 is in"
"The New York Jets have traded the 27th pick to the Detroit Lions."
"Pick is Player X"

This way the fans know and​ the player that was just drafted knows.

The NHL does it essentially the same way. Team A trades pick to Team B, Bettman announces the trade, Team B selects the player it wants with the pick it just acquired. The way the NBA does it seems needlessly complicated and makes the draft rather confusing.

[Acymetric]

The NHL does it essentially the same way. Team A trades pick to Team B, Bettman announces the trade, Team B selects the player it wants with the pick it just acquired. The way the NBA does it seems needlessly complicated and makes the draft rather confusing.

There are a ton of instances of guys getting drafted and giving interviews right after thinking they're going to that team instead of the team they were traded to.

[brevity]

Undrafted Free Agent Signings

Tyus Battle (Syracuse), Timberwolves
Marques Bolden (Duke), Cavaliers
Phil Booth (Villanova), Cavaliers
Brian Bowen (Louisville/Sydney), Pacers
Ky Bowman (Boston College), Warriors
Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Clippers
Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Lakers
Aubrey Dawkins (UCF), Pelicans
Terence Davis (Ole Miss), Nuggets
Luguentz Dort (Arizona State), Thunder
Tacko Fall (UCF), Celtics
Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest), Trail Blazers
Dedric Lawson (Kansas), Warriors
Jalen Lecque (High school), Suns
Fletcher Magee (Wofford), Bucks
Luke Maye (UNC), Bucks
Zach Norvell Jr (Gonzaga), Lakers
Shamorie Ponds (St. John's), Rockets
Naz Reid (LSU), Timberwolves
Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech), Wizards
Dean Wade (Kansas State), Cavaliers
Kris Wilkes (UCLA), Knicks
Kenny Williams (UNC), Spurs

Click each name for an article with some details. Could be just a Summer League commitment, or it could be a more substantial contract.

Feel free to add to this partial list.

[bedeviled]

I'm NBA-ignorant (I'm ignorant with regard to everything else, but I'm also ignorant regarding the NBA), but I imagine some of those undrafted FAs are viable in pro rotations if given adequate opportunity. I'm curious what y'all think of these guys and their chances of landing a steady NBA gig.

After the retrospective look contrasting DBR drafts with the current Toronto Championship roster (including undrafted guys), I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to add some undrafted free agency stuff to the DBR annals. Maybe a poll in which members vote for undrafted FAs they think will eventually find a steady place in the NBA?

[UrinalCake]

The fact that Bolden signed his deal about an hour after the draft was finalized makes me think he had received some sort of guarantee prior to deciding to leave. If that’s the case then we really can’t fault him for going (not that we could regardless) as staying at Duke another year would likely have put him back in the same scenario and a year older.

[Duke79UNLV77]

Undrafted Free Agent Signings

Tyus Battle (Syracuse), Timberwolves
Marques Bolden (Duke), Cavaliers
Phil Booth (Villanova), Cavaliers
Brian Bowen (Louisville/Sydney), Pacers
Ky Bowman (Boston College), Warriors
Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Clippers
Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Lakers
Aubrey Dawkins (UCF), Pelicans
Terence Davis (Ole Miss), Nuggets
Luguentz Dort (Arizona State), Thunder
Tacko Fall (UCF), Celtics
Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest), Trail Blazers
Dedric Lawson (Kansas), Warriors
Jalen Lecque (High school), Suns
Fletcher Magee (Wofford), Bucks
Luke Maye (UNC), Bucks
Zach Norvell Jr (Gonzaga), Lakers
Shamorie Ponds (St. John's), Rockets
Naz Reid (LSU), Timberwolves
Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech), Wizards
Dean Wade (Kansas State), Cavaliers
Kris Wilkes (UCLA), Knicks
Kenny Williams (UNC), Spurs

Click each name for an article with some details. Could be just a Summer League commitment, or it could be a more substantial contract.

Feel free to add to this partial list.

A good number of those guys made very questionable decisions. Will there be similar list of high school kids in a couple of years?

[moonpie23]

Here’s hoping that Marques can make it stick!

[UrinalCake]

A good number of those guys made very questionable decisions. Will there be similar list of high school kids in a couple of years?

There were certainly players who should have gone back to school, but I also see Tyus Battle who would likely have been drafted last year and should have stayed in the draft then. Probably Shamorie Ponds and Ky Bowman too; at they very least they could have left a year earlier and gotten a head start on the process. So it goes both ways. At least there are more avenues now for these undrafted guys to pick up a small contract and have a shot. If they can play, they have a chance to prove it.

[brevity]

A good number of those guys made very questionable decisions.

I count two: Luke Maye and Kenny Williams.

Not that they need it, but most early entry players have my blessing, as long as they understand that the NBA Draft is a fickle choice of 60, out of a pool of candidates at least double that, and so a lot of uncertainty is to be expected. You need all the bravado to stand out AND all the humility to handle any outcome.

[budwom]

The fact that Bolden signed his deal about an hour after the draft was finalized makes me think he had received some sort of guarantee prior to deciding to leave. If that’s the case then we really can’t fault him for going (not that we could regardless) as staying at Duke another year would likely have put him back in the same scenario and a year older.

Clearly the Cavs had interest in Bolden, but I'm not sure there's much to the notion of any kind of guarantee here...he'll get a chance to compete, maybe get deal if things go ultra well, or a G League deal...that's about the best he can hope for.
He might come out of this with something tangible, or absolutely nothing.

[subzero02]

Clearly the Cavs had interest in Bolden, but I'm not sure there's much to the notion of any kind of guarantee here...he'll get a chance to compete, maybe get deal if things go ultra well, or a G League deal...that's about the best he can hope for.
He might come out of this with something tangible, or absolutely nothing.

Well, if he doesn't already have some kind of undisclosed guarantee from the Cavs, his short term basketball future will come down to a handful of summer league games. I wish Bolden the best; he can't afford a bad performance or a disappearing act if he wants to quell some of the criticism that contributed to him going undrafted.

[Billy Dat]

On CBS’ Eye on College Basketball pod, Gary Parrish shared the following about Cam Reddish (paraphrase)

“I was listening to a college basketball analyst interviewed on Dave Glenn’s show down in NC. He said, “If Cam Reddish is a great shooter, why doesn’t he make 3s? If he’s supposed to be a great athlete, why doesn’t he finish at the rim? I don’t think we know what Cam Reddish is on a basketball court.” Normally, I wouldn’t pay close attention to that talk because lots of people have said that, but the analyst speaking was Chris Spatola, Mike Krzyzewski’s son-in-law.”

Ouch.

Glad the draft is over and he went top 10.

[miramar]

On CBS’ Eye on College Basketball pod, Gary Parrish shared the following about Cam Reddish (paraphrase)

“I was listening to a college basketball analyst interviewed on Dave Glenn’s show down in NC. He said, “If Cam Reddish is a great shooter, why doesn’t he make 3s? If he’s supposed to be a great athlete, why doesn’t he finish at the rim? I don’t think we know what Cam Reddish is on a basketball court.” Normally, I wouldn’t pay close attention to that talk because lots of people have said that, but the analyst speaking was Chris Spatola, Mike Krzyzewski’s son-in-law.”

Ouch.

Glad the draft is over and he went top 10.

For example, we know that a lottery pick should not go 2-8 in his last game, which his team lost by 1 and therefore failed to reach the final four.

Lottery picks also shouldn’t make 7 baskets in the ACC Tournament and 10 in three NCAA games. There was an additional NCAA game, but that’s a separate issue.

I haven’t felt this nervous about a #10 pick since Austin Rivers, who has averaged in double figures only twice in seven years.

I wish him every success, so I’m just sayin’.

[budwom]

Well, if he doesn't already have some kind of undisclosed guarantee from the Cavs, his short term basketball future will come down to a handful of summer league games. I wish Bolden the best; he can't afford a bad performance or a disappearing act if he wants to quell some of the criticism that contributed to him going undrafted.

I'm not sure what you expect from these signings, but my understanding is that most of the time it just gives the player an opportunity to compete for a spot on the team OR a G League contract...maybe someone will correct me, but these deals rarely entail any kind of guarantee of making the team...if he plays well, he'll do better than the "handful of summer league games" you mention....it's up to him to perform now and impress the Cavs.