Raptors 2011-2012 Tanking/Draft Anticipation

[Check my Stats]

Just like last years, use it if you want, if not that is cool, but I want a thread for my own reference so I can keep up with how the prospects we are probably going to be looking at in June are doing.

 

Daily Scores

Daily Scores/Games (Top 25 Only)

Stat Leaders

 

Mock Drafts:

 

NBADraft.net

Hoopshype

MyNBADraft.com

Draft Express

 

Top Prospects:

 

Andre Drummond

Anthony Davis

Austin Rivers

Brad Beal

Doron Lamb

Harrison Barnes

Jared Sullinger

James McAdoo

Jeremy Lamb

John Henson

Marquis Teague

Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Patric Young

Perry Jones

Quincy Miller

Terrence Jones

Terrence Ross

Thomas Robinson

 

 

This draft seems awesome. If anyone (looks at BFT) wants to add anything throughout the year, that would be appreciated.

[BasX]

This year more than any other will the spot the Raptors fall into determine who I want, because I have no idea going into it. Obviously an Anthony Davis and Jonas front court would be incredible but I haven't seen guys like Beal or Drummond play yet.

 

This should be a fun year though.

[Built Ford Tough]

CmS, there were a couple of nice reports from the UNC-UK game on Saturday. One was written from Givony of DX and the other is from a great blog called The Painted Area Both are worth checking out.

 

Givony

 

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/11405/north-carolina-kentucky-from-a-nba-scouting-perspective-2

 

The Painted Area

 

http://www.thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/

 

Gives two different perspectives on the top prospects playing in that game.

[Built Ford Tough]

Barnes is playing tonight. Game is just getting underway now.

 

http://www.firstrowsports.tv/sport/basketball.html

 

You'll find a link there.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

Another Grantland piece (written by Sebastian Pruiti, who's stuff is always great) worth checking out.

 

This one is strictly about Anthony Davis, who seems to be pulling away from the pack as the best player in this draft. I'm just going to post the link only because a lot of the worthwhile parts of the article is in diagrams and video breakdowns of players, like most Pruiti struff.

 

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/11616/the-pros-and-cons-of-kentuckys-anthony-davis

 

If you want to check out Bradley Beal, the Arizona-Florida game is on The Score in just over 30 minutes.

 

EDIT: Also forgot to mention that Austin Rivers and Duke are playing at the same time, but that game isn't on TV here in Canada, so you would have to find a stream if you wanted to watch it.

Edited December 7, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

One of the posters over at RealGM made a spreadsheet tracking the prospects of this draft. It is very well done and makes it very easy to get a look at top prospects stats.

 

Definitely worth checking out:

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0Att6UkE6YL9pdEN3cFlqaEU2VTFwTnowaDdPMll6NlE&hl=en_US&rm=full#gid=0

 

As far as I know, he upgrades it after every game from one of the players listed.

Edited December 13, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Check my Stats]

Good looks on that.

[Built Ford Tough]

Perry Jones is really impressing me this season.

 

I still have questions about whether or not he can actually play the 3 or if he is really just a face up 4 in the mold of a Chris Bosh (I think the latter is true), but he has looked great since coming back from his suspension.

 

Today he torched BYU for 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on 11-16 shooting including 2-2 from 3 to lead the Bears to an 86-83 win. If he continues to develop his perimeter skills and shows that he can in fact play the 3, I think he may be at the top of my draft board, or at the very least right there with Davis and Drummond. He is just so talented and physically gifted.

 

With Barnes not really taking his game to the next level and Quincy Miller disappointing (whether it is from his ACL injury, I don't know), the options at SF are starting to look not quite as good as they were hyped up to be.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Built Ford Tough]

Drummond with his breakout game today, even though it was against Holy Cross.

 

24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks on 11-12 shooting in 30 minutes.

 

Hopefully this is the game that gets him going as he is way too talented to continue having these disappointing games.

 

Although it may be better if he doesn't go nuts as it would increase the chance sof the Raptors being able to draft him without having to get the 1st overall pick.

[Built Ford Tough]

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist absolutely dominated Louisville today.

 

24 points and 19 rebounds on 7-16 shooting including 2-4 from three. He had 15 points and 9 boards in the first half and was just all over the court today. A very, very impressive game from MKG as he continues to play his best against top competition.

 

Just look at his play against the best teams Kentucky has faced:

 

vs. Kansas - 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks on 4-9 shooting

vs. UNC - 17 points, 11 rebounds on 6-10 shooting

vs. Indiana - 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals on 9-12 shooting

vs. Louisville - 24 points, 19 rebounds on 7-16 shooting

 

Very impressive how he plays his best against some of the best teams in the country.

 

 

Anthony Davis had a great game as well. 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals on 3-4 shooting and 12-13 from the line. I think about 16 of his points came in the 2nd half and 5 of his 6 blocks came in the 2nd half as well.

 

In non-Kentucky prospect news, Andre Drummond had 16 points and 11 rebounds on 7-11 shooting and Jeremy Lamb had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks on 5-9 shooting including 4-7 from three. UCONN played St. Johns.

[Built Ford Tough]

Colangelo and Stefanski were at the UCONN game today, presumably to check out Drummond and Lamb.

 

AdamZagoria: 19 NBA scouts here at UConn-Seton Hall including Bryan Colangelo...Ed Stefanski...Billy King...Rod Thorn...Joe Dumars

[Built Ford Tough]

Conference play started up the other day, which is usually when the games become tougher. Some stats from today.

 

The Good

 

Harrison Barnes - 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals on 10-15 shooting including 3-4 from deep

Quincy Miller - 15 points, 9 rebounds on 3-7 shooting and 9-11 from the line

Anthony Davis - 12 points, 10 rebounds, 7 blocks on 5-10 shooting

Jared Sullinger - 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals on 13-18 shooting

Myck Kabongo - 15 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists (only 1 TO) on 3-8 shooting and 8-12 from the line

 

 

The Meh

 

Perry Jones - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks on 4-8 shooting

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 9 points, 6 rebounds on 3-5 shooting

Andre Drummond - 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks on 4-9 shooting

 

 

The Bad

 

Bradley Beal - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers on 4-12 shooting (Florida lost to 7-8 Tennessee as well)

Austin Rivers - 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 turnovers on 3-10 shooting

Jeremy Lamb - 8 points, 1 rebound, 5 fouls in only 24 minutes

[DunkinDerozan]

I think Drummond should be our man if we can get a top 2 pick. If not I do like Myck Kabongo, but he's more like a mid-first rounder which i think we'll have a better pick than that.

[Built Ford Tough]

Anthony Davis had one of the best games of any player in college basketball last night.

 

27 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks on 10-12 shooting and 7-8 shooting.

 

He also managed to not turn the ball over once or pick up a signle foul despite being absolutely everywhere on the court.

 

Could you imagine the potential of a Valanciunas/Davis front court defensively? Too bad it is highly unlikely the Raptors get the 1st pick because he seems to be cementing himself as the 1st overall pick with every passing day.

[DunkinDerozan]

Anthony Davis had one of the best games of any player in college basketball last night.

 

27 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks on 10-12 shooting and 7-8 shooting.

 

He also managed to not turn the ball over once or pick up a signle foul despite being absolutely everywhere on the court.

 

Could you imagine the potential of a Valanciunas/Davis front court defensively? Too bad it is highly unlikely the Raptors get the 1st pick because he seems to be cementing himself as the 1st overall pick with every passing day.

 

Right now, Washington has got the best chance and is looking like they're going to get him. at 1-12, they don't look like they can beat anyone other then us. Although us being 1-9 in our last 10 is a good sign. i'd say the favourites are Washington, New Orleans, Toronto, Charlotte and Detroit. Although I seem to forget sometimes that in the NBA, the draft lottery is pretty crazy and as long as we finish in the bottom 5 we have a solid chance at getting the #1 pick.

[Built Ford Tough]

Harrison Barnes with a great game tonight against Virgina Tech.

 

27 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals on 8-14 shooting (1-3 from three) and 10-12 from the free throw line.

 

What is even more impressive than his numbers, which are impressive, is how he bounced back from a poor shooting first half. I think he had 6 points on 2-6 or 2-7shooting at the end of the first half and UNC was trailing by around 5 points. He came out int he second half and scored 21 points on something like 6-7 or 6-8 shooting and brought his team from down 5 to winning the game by 14 (lead was as high as 21 at one point, though).

 

He also wasn't just shooting jumpers like he is known for, although he had some beautiful step back and pull up jumpers. He managed to do a great job of getting into the paint and getting to line.

 

His game is so smooth and, while he may not ever live up to the initial hype of being the next Kobe, he is going to be a damn good player whenever he decides to make the jump to the NBA.

 

If the Raptors aren't able to land a top 2 pick and get one of Davis or Drummond (assuming he declares like I think he will), Barnes is without a doubt my next choice. Love his game.

[Built Ford Tough]

For anybody that is interested, there is a great double header on The Score tonight.

 

Kentucky vs. Tennessee at 7 EST

 

followed by

 

UNC vs. Wake Forrest at 9 EST

 

Great chance to get a glimpse of guys like Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes. As well as some lesser regarded prospects like Terrence Jones, John Henson and Kendall Marshall.

 

Of course, there is a Raptors game tonight and also a Leafs game, so I likely will be watching the Leafs game instead. Just thought I'd make this post in case any of you wanted to check out the games and didn't know they were on tv.

[DunkinDerozan]

For anybody that is interested, there is a great double header on The Score tonight.

 

Kentucky vs. Tennessee at 7 EST

 

followed by

 

UNC vs. Wake Forrest at 9 EST

 

Great chance to get a glimpse of guys like Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes. As well as some lesser regarded prospects like Terrence Jones, John Henson and Kendall Marshall.

 

Of course, there is a Raptors game tonight and also a Leafs game, so I likely will be watching the Leafs game instead. Just thought I'd make this post in case any of you wanted to check out the games and didn't know they were on tv.

 

Now I wish I watched this instead of watching the Leafs blow a lead and the Raptors get spanked yet again.

[Built Ford Tough]

Chad Ford did a piece on who he believes each team would take if they landed the 2nd overall pick (he has Anthony Davis as number 1 regardless of who gets the pick) and here is what he said for the Raptors:

 

Toronto Raptors

No. 2: Harrison Barnes

 

With Andrea Bargnani and last year's lottery pick Jonas Valanciunas looking like the team's future front line, Barnes looks like a logical choice. The team has a weakness at the 3 and Brian Colangelo has a weakness for 3s who can shoot the 3. See?

 

Pretty shitty analysis, but I can understand the logic and can't say I would be unhappy at drafting Barnes. Drummond and Perry Jones both scare me with their lack of a motor and disappearing act that both have for long periods of time. Sullinger and Robinson are obviously out of the equation for the Raptors. That likely leaves Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeremy Lamb and maybe Quincy Miller, although I think Miller has slipped below into that 3rd tier and is more likely to go in the 8-13 range than the 2-7 range.

 

Barnes and MKG would be my preference but at this point I'm leaning more towards Barnes.

 

With that said, even with my skepticism about Drummond and PJ3, I'd be lying if I said that their potential doesn't intrigue me.

[DunkinDerozan]

I have no interest in Jones at all. For me I like Barnes if we don't land 1st pick. Some people will be against me, but I think if we land a mid range pick we have to take a gamble on kabongo. He's a Toronto boy, he's got the right attitude and he's got a lot of talent. I love him.

 

Oh, and when I said the thing about Kabongo, I meant if we have our own pick and get another one through trade.

Edited February 4, 2012 by DemarDerozanDunk

[Akkerman]

Whats wrong with Perry Raps get worked on the glass, and with Jonas and A tall lengthy 3 like Perry, they could dominate

[Built Ford Tough]

Whats wrong with Perry Raps get worked on the glass, and with Jonas and A tall lengthy 3 like Perry, they could dominate

 

He is a 4. He has some perimeter skills, but he projects much more as a 4 than a 3. You could probably get away with him at the 3 if you run a lot of zone, but I'd be willing to bet he is a face up 4 when he makes it to the NBA. He is also a pretty poor rebounder at the college level and considering his size, length and athleticism advantage over most of his competition, it doesn't bode well for his future rebounding in the NBA.

 

I like his talent and athleticism, but there are some major red flags around him which makes me hesitant. I wouldn't be furious if he was picked, but I'd rather have somebody like Barnes or MKG before him, possibly Lamb as well. Drummond has the same question marks and concerns, but I'd take a chance on him before PJ3 as well.

[Akkerman]

He is a 4. He has some perimeter skills, but he projects much more as a 4 than a 3. You could probably get away with him at the 3 if you run a lot of zone, but I'd be willing to bet he is a face up 4 when he makes it to the NBA. He is also a pretty poor rebounder at the college level and considering his size, length and athleticism advantage over most of his competition, it doesn't bode well for his future rebounding in the NBA.

 

I like his talent and athleticism, but there are some major red flags around him which makes me hesitant. I wouldn't be furious if he was picked, but I'd rather have somebody like Barnes or MKG before him, possibly Lamb as well. Drummond has the same question marks and concerns, but I'd take a chance on him before PJ3 as well.

 

I agree, he isn't perfect, but all Im saying is, if Raps dont get a top 5 pick and say end with an 8th or 9th overall pick or something along those lines, I wouldn't mind seeing him in a Raps uni

[DunkinDerozan]

He is a 4. He has some perimeter skills, but he projects much more as a 4 than a 3. You could probably get away with him at the 3 if you run a lot of zone, but I'd be willing to bet he is a face up 4 when he makes it to the NBA. He is also a pretty poor rebounder at the college level and considering his size, length and athleticism advantage over most of his competition, it doesn't bode well for his future rebounding in the NBA.

 

I like his talent and athleticism, but there are some major red flags around him which makes me hesitant. I wouldn't be furious if he was picked, but I'd rather have somebody like Barnes or MKG before him, possibly Lamb as well. Drummond has the same question marks and concerns, but I'd take a chance on him before PJ3 as well.

 

I like MKG for sure. I'd take him with a fourth overall pick or later assuming Davis Barnes and Drummond are 123.

[Built Ford Tough]

Colangelo was just on Prime Time Sports and most of the interview was about the draft. Some highlights:

 

- Just got back from watching Kentucky play last night. Was sitting courtside so he could get a great read on players body language, demeanor on the court and things like that.

 

- Says that there is a consensous number 1, but isn't able to name names because of rules. Obviously, he is refering to Anthony Davis and you can tell when he describes the player as having exceptional length, athleticism, timing and a high motor. All of which have been used to describe Davis this season.

 

- After number 1, he says that there are another 8-10 players he believes will be impact players in the NBA with around 4 or 5 of them having All-Star potential. If I had to guess based on the interview, the players he views with having star potential would be Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Perry Jones, Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb, but this is pure speculation on my part.

 

- Will draft BPA regardless of position, but says that they are talking about finding their point guard of the future and that their biggest need at the moment is a small forward.

 

- Mentioned Kentucky and North Carolina on multiple occasions (also talked about UCONN, but not as much) and that, combined with his comments about small forward being a huge need, suggests that Barnes and MKG are at the top of his board, assuming they aren't picking first and taking Davis.

 

- Didn't seem confident that they would be able to finish in the bottom three so would need lottery luck to move into that grouping. He didn't seem too worried though, as he said that there really is not much of a difference between picking 2nd and 8th in this draft.

 

That was pretty much it in regards to the draft. He talked a bit about the current team, but nothing really noteworthy.

 

One thing I could add, but this is purely speculation on my part, is that I think he is very interested in Myck Kabongo. With the comments about drafting a Canadian player coming out the other day, his comments about looking for a point guard for the future and mentioning the great depth in this draft I got the impression that he would love to acquire another first round pick to draft Kabongo. Again, this is just speculation on my part from piecing together a few seperate comments.