NBA Draft '18 Thread.

[lurkeraspect84]

The NBA Draft Room will not include non-collegiate players for the 2018 draft, league sources told ESPN Saturday.

Among the known invitations: Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr., Texas’ Mo Bamba, Alabama’s Collin Sexton, Oklahoma’s Trae Young, Duke’s Wendell Carter Jr., Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr., Villanova’s Mikal Bridges, Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Kentucky’s Kevin Knox, Texas A&M’s Robert Williams, Miami’s Lonnie Walker, Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith, Boston College’s Jerome Robinson, Boise State’s Chandler Hutchison and UCLA’s Aaron Holiday.

 

[denniden]

Should be an interesting draft. Both who goes where and potential trades. Some very talented players in the lottery.

 

[HRTheCard]

I’m just putting this here...I’ve never seen this Ray Spalding before

 

[JimboBBN]

Is it tonight? Hardly ever watch the NBA draft. NFL draft is much more exciting.

 

[lurkeraspect84]

Is it tonight? Hardly ever watch the NBA draft. NFL draft is much more exciting.

21st. I now kind of feel like an asshole for starting the thread early.

 

[JimboBBN]

21st. I now kind of feel like an asshole for starting the thread early.

Ha, not a big deal. Regardless of what Cal says, this UK fan isn’t all that interested in that night

 

[dtgold88]

Should be an interesting draft. Both who goes where and potential trades. Some very talented players in the lottery.

All based on what I've heard as I don't watch enough CBB to know, but I'm hoping Porter or Young is the guy at 8.

Looking less and less likely it's Porter.

 

[npreston]

Just read that Porter is hurt again. Might hurt his stock, but he’ll still be a lottery pick IMO, even though he doesn’t deserve it (also my opinion).

 

[anon_0astpxev9h4gk]

This draft class is kind of meh to me. Ayton and Bagley/Bamba seem to be the only first year impact players. A lot of them are good, just not great imo. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. I mean, I never expected to see D Mitch do what he did this rookie year.

 

[Hank_]

Draft night was so much better before Woj and his crew started ruining it on Twitter.

Wonder if he’ll stop now that he’s with ESPN? Cant imagine he can since others definitely won’t.

 

[denniden]

All based on what I've heard as I don't watch enough CBB to know, but I'm hoping Porter or Young is the guy at 8.

Looking less and less likely it's Porter.

I think there is a few guys that could turn out very nicely at that 8th spot. I admittedly haven’t paid as much attention to the draft this year but I believe both of the Bridges are expect d to be around that spot or a few later. I think both of those guys will be solid pros.

 

[lurkeraspect84]

 

[UKcats1988]

 

[UKcats1988]

 

[UKcats1988]

 

[UKcats1988]

I guess my top 14 which I constantly change would look like this


Doncic
Jackson Jr
Ayton


Carter Jr
Bagley
Bamba
Trae Young
Miles Bridges
Zhaire Smith
Porter Jr
Mikal Bridges
SGA
Knox
Sexton

 

[dtgold88]

I think there is a few guys that could turn out very nicely at that 8th spot. I admittedly haven’t paid as much attention to the draft this year but I believe both of the Bridges are expect d to be around that spot or a few later. I think both of those guys will be solid pros.

I'd be fine with them, as well as Carter. Figure one of them has to be there.

 

[Quavarius]

To me this draft is deep. Without a lot of foreign players, lots of guys will go higher than normal.

 

[dtgold88]

To me this draft is deep. Without a lot of foreign players, lots of guys will go higher than normal.

Agreed....and like nearly every year someone taken later will better than most or all the guys taken in the top 3.

 

[Big_Blue79]

I think this draft is deep in the starter (SGA, Knox, both Bridges, Carter, Williams) and fringe All-Star (maybe Bamba, Bagley, Porter if healthy, maybe Young) range, but I don't know there's any superstars or even regular All-NBA guys (maybe Ayton if he really improves on D, and Doncic with the right organization). Hopefully we get a lot of trades, like Memphis' #4 pick and the Parsons contract for whatever makes the cap math work. Or someone targeting Doncic if he slips. I wouldn't touch Porter in the top 10 unless I really, really trusted my medical staff (so no to Philly, Sacramento, Dallas, Memphis at least), but he could end up the best in 5 years; he was ranked where he was for good reason and plays a premium position. If he slips, someone with risk tolerance should probably grab him, but I just hope it's not my Bulls.

 

[JimboBBN]

Interested to see where SGA goes. Never would have though he would be a one and done but the kid is a baller and proved to be our best player last season.

 

[denniden]

I'd be fine with them, as well as Carter. Figure one of them has to be there.

If Carter is there at 8, Cleveland got lucky and better not pass on him.

 

[Big_Blue79]

If Carter is there at 8, Cleveland got lucky and better not pass on him.

Heard an interesting take on him on the Dunc'd on podcast: Carter is the type of guy who is a useful starter, but that you might not want to pay on his second contract. So good enough to be useful, but could be limited enough that he's eventually going to get overpaid. Interesting thought, not sure if I agree but the idea is to take a swing on a hit or miss prospect and gain some certainty. I think 8 is about right.

 

[Quavarius]

 

[MileHighSpartan]

That is kind of a crazy stat. Kentucky has only had one single lotto pick, that wasn't from Calipari?

 

[Big_Blue79]

That is kind of a crazy stat. Kentucky has only had one single lotto pick, that wasn't from Calipari?

Cal had at least Camby and Rose from prior stops, likely more. UK has 23 if you count Enes Kanter.

The lottery era began in 1985 (so it's basically perfect for Coach K's stats; who else has been coaching since then?), and non-Cal UK lottery picks include at least Mashburn (#4 overall), Mercer (6), Kenny Walker (5), Chapman (8), Antoine Walker (6), Derek Anderson (13). UK had zero lottery picks between 1997 (Mercen, Anderson) and 2010 (Wall, Cousins, Patterson). Wow, Tubby was mediocre (and BCG sucked).

 

[MileHighSpartan]

Cal had at least Camby and Rose from prior stops, likely more. UK has 23 if you count Enes Kanter.

The lottery era began in 1985 (so it's basically perfect for Coach K's stats; who else has been coaching since then?), and non-Cal UK lottery picks include at least Mashburn (#4 overall), Mercer (6), Kenny Walker (5), Chapman (8), Antoine Walker (6), Derek Anderson (13). UK had zero lottery picks between 1997 (Mercen, Anderson) and 2010 (Wall, Cousins, Patterson). Wow, Tubby was mediocre (and BCG sucked).

So the tweet is incorrect then, yea?

It says 22 or UK's 23 all-time lotto picks were from Cal.

 

[lurkeraspect84]

 

[lurkeraspect84]

The NBA on Tuesday officially announced the names of those invited to the Green Room for Thursday’s NBA Draft.

The group includes two players apiece from Kentucky, Michigan State, Villanova and Duke.

Miles Bridges (Michigan State)
Mikal Bridges (Villanova)
Marvin Bagley III (Duke)
Mohamed Bamba (Texas)
Collin Sexton (Alabama)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Michigan State)
Lonnie Walker IV (Miami)
Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova)
Zhaire Smith (Texas Tech)
Aaron Holiday (UCLA)
Deandre Ayton (Arizona)
Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke)
Luka Doncic (Slovenia)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Kentucky)
Kevin Knox (Kentucky)
Michael Porter Jr. (Missouri)
Robert Williams (Texas A&M)
Trae Young (Oklahoma)
Chandler Hutchison (Boise State)
Jerome Robinson (Boston College)

http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/06/19/nba-announces-green-room-invites-for-draft/

 

[1991greywildcat]

Philly will not pass on Knox at 10, i agree Denni, Cleveland would be foolish to pass on Carter at 8.. Give them some room to shop Thompson.

 

[dtgold88]

Philly will not pass on Knox at 10, i agree Denni, Cleveland would be foolish to pass on Carter at 8.. Give them some room to shop Thompson.

I'm not dismissing this, but will say what I do about NFL draft....we as fans don't really have the first clue.

I'm hoping for Porter, Young or Carter...but this is only based on things I've heard. Maybe they like sexton, though, or Charlotte wants him in a deal for Walker?

who knows?

 

[MileHighSpartan]

I'm not dismissing this, but will say what I do about NFL draft....we as fans don't really have the first clue

I agree.. no one really knows shit. Teams are putting fake info out there to throw off the scent before the draft, teams always make a few bonehead picks, surprise picks etc

 

[dtgold88]

I agree.. no one really knows shit. Teams are putting fake info out there to throw off the scent before the draft, teams always make a few bonehead picks, surprise picks etc

what cracks me up the most (and it happens a ton here leading up to NFL draft) is when fans go ballistic over rumors they hear as though they actually happened.

Many went nuts here over a tweet by a Dan Gilbert comment about Sexton. Never mind it means nothing, but my guess is most complaining probably saw Sexton play 1-2 games at most.

 

[Big_Blue79]

I agree.. no one really knows shit. Teams are putting fake info out there to throw off the scent before the draft, teams always make a few bonehead picks, surprise picks etc

I think there are a few things that can be believed, but yeah lots of BS. Some stuff I believe from Givoney on Lowe's podcast: that Doncic is rated highly by teams outside the lottery (i.e. good teams) and less so by teams within the lottery (i.e. bad teams); that Bagley to Sacramento thing seems to be because he is willing to play for them (Ayton, Doncic, and someone else (maybe JJJ) wouldn't release medical records); that the draftees attitude/work ethic is an important factor for most teams; that most teams realize now that non-elite bigs are a dime a dozen in free agency and secondary ball-handling wings will be priorities for teams picking late (aka what GSW and Boston have been doing for years).

And one of his more interesting takes is that last year's Kentucky team was poorly constructed due to a lack of shooting and making Knox play the 3 (and he seemed to imply that Knox is better than his UK tape). Said lots of young players (generally, not just a UK thing) want to play a position up (SFs as SGs, PFs as SFs), but the NBA is trending in the opposite direction, and it makes evaluations much tougher. Hinted that coaches in college should follow the NBA trend. I like that Cal seems to be coming around on this (offseason comments re: shooting, recruiting priorities). Of course college coaches tend to have elite talent for only a year or two, and young guys struggle with D, so I get the appeal of athleticism and size being a priority.

 

[dtgold88]

I think there are a few things that can be believed, but yeah lots of BS. Some stuff I believe from Givoney on Lowe's podcast: that Doncic is rated highly by teams outside the lottery (i.e. good teams) and less so by teams within the lottery (i.e. bad teams); that Bagley to Sacramento thing seems to be because he is willing to play for them (Ayton, Doncic, and someone else (maybe JJJ) wouldn't release medical records); that the draftees attitude/work ethic is an important factor for most teams; that most teams realize now that non-elite bigs are a dime a dozen in free agency and secondary ball-handling wings will be priorities for teams picking late (aka what GSW and Boston have been doing for years).

And one of his more interesting takes is that last year's Kentucky team was poorly constructed due to a lack of shooting and making Knox play the 3 (and he seemed to imply that Knox is better than his UK tape). Said lots of young players (generally, not just a UK thing) want to play a position up (SFs as SGs, PFs as SFs), but the NBA is trending in the opposite direction, and it makes evaluations much tougher. Hinted that coaches in college should follow the NBA trend. I like that Cal seems to be coming around on this (offseason comments re: shooting, recruiting priorities). Of course college coaches tend to have elite talent for only a year or two, and young guys struggle with D, so I get the appeal of athleticism and size being a priority.

I do agree these type of general comments are believable. Not so when we hear about a specific GM or FO liking or not liking a player. What purpose would it serve to leak this info....unless a smokescreen.

 

[MileHighSpartan]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2781712-you-can-call-on-miles-bridges

 

[WeAreDePaul]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2781712-you-can-call-on-miles-bridges

I've got Miles along with Robert Williams as the two lottery picks most likely to bust. Not a fan of either.

 

[MileHighSpartan]

I've got Miles along with Robert Williams as the two lottery picks most likely to bust. Not a fan of either.

Interesting. Care to expand why?

 

[Big_Blue79]

I like Miles. Not high on Williams, mostly because his position/role is over-saturated.

 

[WeAreDePaul]

Interesting. Care to expand why?

For Bridges, he's a one dribble player. And undersized for 4 in the NBA. At best I see him as a rotational spot up 3 point shooter and defensive player. I also don't like that he didn't improve from last year to this year.

For Williams, million dollar talent and ten cent brain. Expected domination from him this year, was he even one of the 3 best players on his own team??? Even less improvement this year than Bridges.