Post by aar on Oct 4, 2011 9:54:26 GMT -5
This article will grade each lottery selection based on Spencer's notes and where they were selected.
1. Knicks -Chet Walker SF 6'6'' 212 22 A- C+ C- B- B- A
Walker definitely seems like the safest prospect in this draft. He has good size and is well-rounded in terms of his abilities.
The red flags in the notes are that he's "athletic" and a "big leaper" - to me this will inflate his inside scoring abilities and is why I had DeBusschere ranked first on my list.
The notes also say that his three point shot is improving, which means that it's likely in the 40-50 range, which means that his mid-range shooting is probably in the 70-80 range.
The only thing mentioned about his defensive rating is that he's a good post defender. To me, that may mean that he's better suited as a power forward in what's becoming a smaller league, however, nothing was mentioned about his shot blocking abilities.
Grade: A-
Walker was a safe pick and I'm certain that both he and DeBusschere will become solid players.
2. Hornets- Dave DeBusschere SF 6'6'' 220 22 B+ C- C- B B+ A
DeBusschere is another intriguing prospect, but if you compare his ratings on the surface to Walker, it looks like he finishes a close second.
His notes are what impress me:
- Very good post scorer (with no mention of jumping/athleticism)
- Good shotblocker/stealer (always a bonus!)
- Very good rebounder
- EASY top-3 pick
While I think that at this point Walker and DeBusschere are similar, I think that DeBusschere will ultimately be the more valuable player.
Grade: A-
DeBusschere is the easy pick here, so it's hard to give it an "A" or "A+" because it was a no-brainer. If anyone else in this draft was taken here, the grade would be ridiculously low.
3. Raptors- Zelmo Beaty C 6'9'' 225 23 B- C D+ B B A
This was the hardest pick in the draft and the Raptors managed to land it after moving up in the lottery.
Beaty's notes have some red flags as well: Nice offensive player who can score inside, but is also really strong - if this is the case, why is his inside rating only B-?
He's a good man-to-man defender who "should" also get some blocks.
Personally, I had Leroy Ellis ranked ahead of Beaty, but I certainly understand this pick.
Grade: B
This pick could have gone either way and until TC happens, it will be hard to judge this pick. As a two-time NBA All-Star and three-time ABA All-Star in real life, he certainly has the most name value.
4. Spurs -Reggie Harding C 7'0'' 250 20 B- D+ D B B A
Harding's real life story is a sad one - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Harding
Will it impact his career which is based mostly on upside?
His notes indicate that he has big upside and can do a little bit of everything.
Personally, I think that Ellis would have been the safer pick.
Grade: C
Not sold on this pick at all.
5. Pacers - Leroy Ellis C 6'10'' 210 22 C+ C- D+ B B- A
Ellis was a winner in his real life career and was a solid roleplayer, but how will it translate to BBS?
His notes make it apparent that he'll be a stellar shot blocker.
The obvious turn-off is his raw offensive game, although his description says that he's a two-way player.
I think that this was a solid pick by Biggie and that if Ellis has a good TC that he can turn around and add another nice piece to his team.
Grade: A
Probably the best player available, but also, could end up being one of the best players in the draft.
6. Bulls -Roger Strickland SF 6'5'' 200 22 C A D C C B
Terrible ratings, but tremendous notes - Strickland is the type of boom or bust prospect that Play would want to take a gamble on.
It seems like Strickland has ungodly range and has a lot of hidden talents behind these ratings.
His real life career was unspectacular, but that never necessarily means anything.
When I look at the guys selected after him, Donnie Walsh is really the only one that I would have considered.
I'll give Play the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Grade: B+
Interesting gamble and we'll see how it pays off.
7. Bobcats- Donnie Walsh PG 6'0'' 180 21 C+ C+ C+ C+ C A
I like this pick a lot for the Bobcats.
Walsh looks like an incredible, raw prospect who could end up becoming a great player.
His notes are so-so, they have some huge questions marks about his true upside, but it says that he's a good ballhandler and is athletic.
With the 7th pick, this isn't a gigantic gamble and we've often seen players with ratings like this get selected in the top-3.
In real life, Walsh never played in the NBA, so that's another big question mark.
Grade: B
High risk pick that could yield high dividends.
8. Wizards- Duke Hogue C 6'9'' 240 22 C D+ D+ B B A
The fourth center selected in the first eight picks is Hogue, who I'm really not high on at all.
Other than rebounding, there's really nothing that he brings to the table.
The notes say that he's a solid lotto selection, but I can't see why.
His notes say nothing about blocking shots, he's a complete offensive liability and I don't see him doing much.
In real life, he was a second overall pick who did very little in the pros despite a stellar college career.
Grade: F
There were much better players available here in my opinion.
9. Suns - Terry Dischinger SG 6'7'' 189 22 B- A- C C+ C- B
This is the ideal pick for a 9th overall type player. Dischinger will be a solid scorer and starter in the league with some limitations.
In his real career, he was a better rebounder than indicated, but also a tremendous scorer, rookie of the year and a three-time all-star.
Certainly a safe pick by ashes, but one that I think will pay dividends if he improves even a little bit.
Grade: A-
10. Warriors - Bobby Rascoe SF 6'4'' 205 22 C+ A- C B- C- B
In a deep small forward class, Rascoe looks to be another solid player.
While he may struggle with turnovers, it looks like he does almost everything else well.
The only red flag is him having C+ inside when it looks like he's a great athlete.
His NBA career was a dud.
The Warriors didn't want Rascoe, so they traded him for Jimmy Rayl, who I actually think is the better prospect.
Grade: C (for the Mavericks)
I'm not sold on Rascoe, he looks very run of the mill.
11. Nuggets - Bud Olsen C 6'8'' 220 22 C F+ D B+ B+ B
Olsen is another one-trick pony who looks like he'll be solid defensively and on the boards.
He's very similar to Leroy Wright, who was selected fourth overall two years ago.
His notes indicate that he'll be absolutely horrendous offensively, but that he has the tools to contribute defensively.
At the 11th overall pick, I think that Olsen is fairly safe. You know what you're getting from him and you can't expect much more or less.
Grade: B
12. Mavericks - Jimmy Rayl PG 6'2'' 175 21 C B- B A- D+ B
Even though the aforementioned Reggie Harding once tried to kill Rayl, he looks like a solid player.
In fact, his notes say that he may be the best PG in the entire class, which says something considering Walsh was picked 5 picks earlier.
The big red flag for Rayl is that his notes say that he's a solid passer with good quickness with no mention of his handles.
I expect that Rayl will be a nice, well-rounded point guard.
A nice pickup for the Warriors, who get the player that they wanted at no additional cost.
Grade: A- (for the Warriors)
13. Pacers - Len Chappell C 6'8'' 240 21 B C- C- B- B- B
Chappell looks like a nice scorer, but his notes tend to indicate that he won't block shots, which is an immediate detriment.
I expect that Chappell will be a serviceable center, just like he was in real life, that can score inside, grab some rebounds.
At 13th overall, to get a potential 16/9 starter is pretty solid.
The players selected after him don't look to be as good, so Biggie essentially takes the best player available, just like he did earlier.
Grade: B+
Solid draft for Biggie. We'll see if he can parlay those pieces into CY survival.
1. Knicks -Chet Walker SF 6'6'' 212 22 A- C+ C- B- B- A
Walker definitely seems like the safest prospect in this draft. He has good size and is well-rounded in terms of his abilities.
The red flags in the notes are that he's "athletic" and a "big leaper" - to me this will inflate his inside scoring abilities and is why I had DeBusschere ranked first on my list.
The notes also say that his three point shot is improving, which means that it's likely in the 40-50 range, which means that his mid-range shooting is probably in the 70-80 range.
The only thing mentioned about his defensive rating is that he's a good post defender. To me, that may mean that he's better suited as a power forward in what's becoming a smaller league, however, nothing was mentioned about his shot blocking abilities.
Grade: A-
Walker was a safe pick and I'm certain that both he and DeBusschere will become solid players.
2. Hornets- Dave DeBusschere SF 6'6'' 220 22 B+ C- C- B B+ A
DeBusschere is another intriguing prospect, but if you compare his ratings on the surface to Walker, it looks like he finishes a close second.
His notes are what impress me:
- Very good post scorer (with no mention of jumping/athleticism)
- Good shotblocker/stealer (always a bonus!)
- Very good rebounder
- EASY top-3 pick
While I think that at this point Walker and DeBusschere are similar, I think that DeBusschere will ultimately be the more valuable player.
Grade: A-
DeBusschere is the easy pick here, so it's hard to give it an "A" or "A+" because it was a no-brainer. If anyone else in this draft was taken here, the grade would be ridiculously low.
3. Raptors- Zelmo Beaty C 6'9'' 225 23 B- C D+ B B A
This was the hardest pick in the draft and the Raptors managed to land it after moving up in the lottery.
Beaty's notes have some red flags as well: Nice offensive player who can score inside, but is also really strong - if this is the case, why is his inside rating only B-?
He's a good man-to-man defender who "should" also get some blocks.
Personally, I had Leroy Ellis ranked ahead of Beaty, but I certainly understand this pick.
Grade: B
This pick could have gone either way and until TC happens, it will be hard to judge this pick. As a two-time NBA All-Star and three-time ABA All-Star in real life, he certainly has the most name value.
4. Spurs -Reggie Harding C 7'0'' 250 20 B- D+ D B B A
Harding's real life story is a sad one - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Harding
Will it impact his career which is based mostly on upside?
His notes indicate that he has big upside and can do a little bit of everything.
Personally, I think that Ellis would have been the safer pick.
Grade: C
Not sold on this pick at all.
5. Pacers - Leroy Ellis C 6'10'' 210 22 C+ C- D+ B B- A
Ellis was a winner in his real life career and was a solid roleplayer, but how will it translate to BBS?
His notes make it apparent that he'll be a stellar shot blocker.
The obvious turn-off is his raw offensive game, although his description says that he's a two-way player.
I think that this was a solid pick by Biggie and that if Ellis has a good TC that he can turn around and add another nice piece to his team.
Grade: A
Probably the best player available, but also, could end up being one of the best players in the draft.
6. Bulls -Roger Strickland SF 6'5'' 200 22 C A D C C B
Terrible ratings, but tremendous notes - Strickland is the type of boom or bust prospect that Play would want to take a gamble on.
It seems like Strickland has ungodly range and has a lot of hidden talents behind these ratings.
His real life career was unspectacular, but that never necessarily means anything.
When I look at the guys selected after him, Donnie Walsh is really the only one that I would have considered.
I'll give Play the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Grade: B+
Interesting gamble and we'll see how it pays off.
7. Bobcats- Donnie Walsh PG 6'0'' 180 21 C+ C+ C+ C+ C A
I like this pick a lot for the Bobcats.
Walsh looks like an incredible, raw prospect who could end up becoming a great player.
His notes are so-so, they have some huge questions marks about his true upside, but it says that he's a good ballhandler and is athletic.
With the 7th pick, this isn't a gigantic gamble and we've often seen players with ratings like this get selected in the top-3.
In real life, Walsh never played in the NBA, so that's another big question mark.
Grade: B
High risk pick that could yield high dividends.
8. Wizards- Duke Hogue C 6'9'' 240 22 C D+ D+ B B A
The fourth center selected in the first eight picks is Hogue, who I'm really not high on at all.
Other than rebounding, there's really nothing that he brings to the table.
The notes say that he's a solid lotto selection, but I can't see why.
His notes say nothing about blocking shots, he's a complete offensive liability and I don't see him doing much.
In real life, he was a second overall pick who did very little in the pros despite a stellar college career.
Grade: F
There were much better players available here in my opinion.
9. Suns - Terry Dischinger SG 6'7'' 189 22 B- A- C C+ C- B
This is the ideal pick for a 9th overall type player. Dischinger will be a solid scorer and starter in the league with some limitations.
In his real career, he was a better rebounder than indicated, but also a tremendous scorer, rookie of the year and a three-time all-star.
Certainly a safe pick by ashes, but one that I think will pay dividends if he improves even a little bit.
Grade: A-
10. Warriors - Bobby Rascoe SF 6'4'' 205 22 C+ A- C B- C- B
In a deep small forward class, Rascoe looks to be another solid player.
While he may struggle with turnovers, it looks like he does almost everything else well.
The only red flag is him having C+ inside when it looks like he's a great athlete.
His NBA career was a dud.
The Warriors didn't want Rascoe, so they traded him for Jimmy Rayl, who I actually think is the better prospect.
Grade: C (for the Mavericks)
I'm not sold on Rascoe, he looks very run of the mill.
11. Nuggets - Bud Olsen C 6'8'' 220 22 C F+ D B+ B+ B
Olsen is another one-trick pony who looks like he'll be solid defensively and on the boards.
He's very similar to Leroy Wright, who was selected fourth overall two years ago.
His notes indicate that he'll be absolutely horrendous offensively, but that he has the tools to contribute defensively.
At the 11th overall pick, I think that Olsen is fairly safe. You know what you're getting from him and you can't expect much more or less.
Grade: B
12. Mavericks - Jimmy Rayl PG 6'2'' 175 21 C B- B A- D+ B
Even though the aforementioned Reggie Harding once tried to kill Rayl, he looks like a solid player.
In fact, his notes say that he may be the best PG in the entire class, which says something considering Walsh was picked 5 picks earlier.
The big red flag for Rayl is that his notes say that he's a solid passer with good quickness with no mention of his handles.
I expect that Rayl will be a nice, well-rounded point guard.
A nice pickup for the Warriors, who get the player that they wanted at no additional cost.
Grade: A- (for the Warriors)
13. Pacers - Len Chappell C 6'8'' 240 21 B C- C- B- B- B
Chappell looks like a nice scorer, but his notes tend to indicate that he won't block shots, which is an immediate detriment.
I expect that Chappell will be a serviceable center, just like he was in real life, that can score inside, grab some rebounds.
At 13th overall, to get a potential 16/9 starter is pretty solid.
The players selected after him don't look to be as good, so Biggie essentially takes the best player available, just like he did earlier.
Grade: B+
Solid draft for Biggie. We'll see if he can parlay those pieces into CY survival.