Post by styro on Aug 12, 2012 12:00:53 GMT -5
Hindsight 20/45
1.
Draft Time: Darryl Dawkins C 6'11'' 251 18 B D+ D+ B C+ A
Thoughts: There were about four to five players listed as possible number one selections by spence on the draft notes. Among those considered for the top spot were Alvin Adams, Roundsfield, Thompson, Dawkins and World B. Free. Dawkins is probably the one with the biggest name and the fact he's the youngest probably gives him the slight edge at #1 for most gm's. He is labeled as a player than can score and block but also has handling and jump shot issues so it looks like he'll be a defensive presence at the very least. Roundsfield might be the safer pick here, but Dawkins will no doubt be the best player if he fulfills his potential.
Now: Darryl Dawkins PF 25 6'11'' 251 A- C- C- A A- B
Hindsight: Darryl Dawkins has indeed fulfilled his potential and has become the best and most valuable player in this draft. His career got off to a slow start and struggled to develop into an all star in his first few seasons which led to him constantly being traded, which is unusual for a young #1 pick. He has turned into one of the best bigs in the league, if not the best and has developed into a do-it-all big. He can score, rebound, and is among the best defensive bigs in the league. He is a 20/13/4 player on an offense catered to its perimeter players, amazing.
2.
Draft Time: Dan Roundfield PF 6'8'' 205 22 B C D+ B+ B A
Thoughts: Another one of the candidates for the #1 is Dan Roundfield. Although he has probably the best ratings of the draftees and has that balance of ratings and potential, there's no doubt Dawkins has the most upside so Roundfield falls to #2. In my opinion, Roundfield is the only other player i would have thought about at #1 even though the notes say otherwise. It looks like he can do a little bit of everything, his upside will determine just how well though. Great pick by HF here.
Now: Dan Roundfield PF 29 6'8'' 205 B+ C+ D+ A A- C
Hindsight: It's hard to argue with the pick even in hindsight, but I'm a little bit disappointed in his development. His notes said he would be just a solid shot blocker with the ability to steal but he has surpassed that and has become one of the best shot blockers in the league. His offense has been mediocre over the course of his career when i thought that was going to be the facet he was going to excel at. He's won a DPOY and has made all star games and has been at around 15-17 ppg for the majority of his career. It turned out to be a solid pick, just not a home run.
3.
Draft Time: Gus Williams PG 6'2'' 175 22 B C B B D A
Thoughts: I was surprised to see that in Gus Williams' notes, he was not included as a top pick candidate when his ratings say otherwise. Gus was clearly the best Point Guard in the draft and although i kind of like the pick, i didn't love it. Only for the simple fact, Spence mentioned others as top pick candidates, but not Gus. Plus, I hate perimeter players that can't shoot or have mediocre outside ratings.
Now: Gus Williams PG 29 6'2'' 175 B+ C+ A A- C- C
Hindsight: Gus turned out to be a real good pick. For a while there it looked like he was going to end up being the best player in the whole draft but has tailed off a little bit recently. He steadily increased his point production every season until his fifth where it reached a climax of 25 ppg and did it on solid percentages. A sub par tc here and there has diminished his value some as he has failed to even touch 20 ppg since he's been traded. Maybe that's a dc issue, or maybe Gus has plateau'd into what he was always set to become. Solid, but not great.
4.
Draft Time: David Thompson SG 6'4'' 195 21 B B C C D+ A
Thoughts: Here we are with another top pick candidate but this is probably the one i like the least. I just hate taking guys with C defense in the top 5, it's hard to overcome that rating over the course of his career. At best it seems like he'll be a scorer who can fill it up but will also let your opponent fill it up. I probably would have picked Thompson outside of the top 5 so I don't really like the pick here.
Now: David Thompson SG 28 6'4'' 195 B A C B- C- C
Hindsight: Well, he's going into his 8th year and although his defense has improved slightly since he was drafted his ability to score has yet to flourish. He had one season where he got 24+ ppg and that's been it for him. He's been a solid scorer, but far from great. I expected him to be Paul Westphal by now, but he's only hit 20 ppg twice. Pretty disappointing from someone you expect to fill it up. His rebounding has also been horrible by wing standards so it's safe to say i don't really like the pick in hindsight either.
5.
Draft Time: World B. Free SG 6'2'' 185 21 B B- B- C D+ A
Thoughts: He's right there with Thompson as far as quality goes, but for some reason I like him a little bit more. I probably wouldn't have picked him inside the top 5 due to my phobia of C defense, but i don't hate the pick. I probably personally would have gone with Alvin Adams. Alvin has "some upside" and was said to be capable of starting right away. The only reason i value him a little higher than Thompson is cause Free might be capable of playing the Point Guard spot.
Now: World B. Free SG 28 6'2'' 185 B+ A B+ B+ C- C
Hindsight: Well he turned out considerably better than I had thought and his defensive has improved considerably also. He's turned himself into the scorer I expected David Thompson to become. He has a career average of 24 ppg including four of his seven seasons with over 24 ppg. Looking at his player page it's surprising to see him have no individual accomplishments outside his rookie year. He's a solid SG and definitely turned out to be a top 5 player in the draft.
6.
Draft Time: Alvan Adams C 6'9'' 210 21 B C B B C+ A
Thoughts: I loved this pick. He's a big that was labeled as an immediate starter and also had some good upside to improve. It seems like he can be a pretty good all around big and didn't really have no red flags in his notes other than the fact his handles were sub par which should be of concern. This is the last of the potential #1 picks so it looks like their could potentially be a drop off after him. Nice acquisition by the Bucks.
Now: Alvan Adams SF 6'9'' 210 28 A- C B- A- C+ C
Hindsight: As it turns out, I was completely wrong. He has done jack shit and has been a perennial scrub. He even got moved out of the big position cause he struggled to contribute any value there. I thought all the aspects of his game had the chance to develop into something nice but as it turns out the only facet that developed was his ability to turn the ball over a lot. His most noteworthy stat on his player page is the 1.4 topg in only 16 mpg over the course of his career. Complete scrub.
7.
Draft Time: Ricky Sobers PG 6'3'' 198 22 B- B- B B C- A
Thoughts: His ratings are indicative of someone usually picked in the top five in your average draft, but for some reason he falls to 7. I honestly probably would have picked him over David Thompson out of those picked ahead of him, but it's hard to make the case when he wasn't a candidate for the #1 pick. I think he'll be a nice 18 and 10 point guard at the very least if he's camped and what not. He probably doesn't have a bunch of potential but the fact he's labeled as a "good pg prospects" leads me to believe he has some.
Now: Ricky Sobers PG 6'3'' 198 29 B B+ B A- D+ C
Hindsight: Well, his career has been up and down. I feel like he's been under appreciated over the course of his career due to the trade that sent him as a major piece for Kareem Abdul Jabbar. GM's have hated on him ever since. I don't think he's a great player or anything, but he was solid for a bit there. He had a 20 ppg season in his second season and looked to be on the up and up. His only problem early on was his turnovers, but nothing i think a gm that worked with him couldn't manage. I was probably wrong on Sobers, he hasn't done much of anything since that second season and has now be relegated to a career back up.
8.
Draft Time: Tom Boswell C 6'9'' 220 22 B B C- B B- B
Thoughts: I love the ratings, i love the player, i love the potential player Boswell has the chance to become. I just hate Spencer's ability to create outside bigs. They usually flame out at one point or another, but at this point in the draft you have to take risks. Boswell has the chance to be a homer, but also a chance to completely suck. There's been plenty of similar looking bigs who have ended up being nothing over the course of their careers. I like the pick, hit or miss. The fact spence said he might not be able to survive at SF scares me though.
Now: Tom Boswell PF 6'9'' 220 29 B B+ D+ B+ A- B
Hindsight: Well, his ratings have developed nicely and he seems like he could be at the very least an effective SF with those ratings. Unfortunately he's always had turnover problems and has always had the ability to shoot like crap when more is demanded of him. Early on in his career, he was probably a player gm's would give a few picks for, but at this point in his career and once he was unleashed by J, most gm's did their best to stay away from him. He just seems like a liability in everything other than rebounding. Fortunately for him, Game kinda likes him.
9.
Draft Time: Gus Gerard SF 6'8'' 200 22 C+ C+ B- A B B
Thoughts: Well, he got picked right where he was slotted but i'm not sure I like him. It looks like he's going to be more of a defensive specialist throughout his career and I'm not sure i like that from the SF position. If his scoring was a little better i'd like him a lot more. Maybe his future will be at the Power Forward position since it seems like he has the ability to block shots and his rebounding for a rookie is good. I probably would have just taken a risk with someone else here, but Gerard seems to be a decent pick here.
Now: Gus Gerard SF 6'8'' 200 29 B- B B- A B C
Hindsight: He's shown more ability to score than I initially thought and his defense has been pretty good. I'm assuming he's been played at SF for the majority of his career so the 3+ combined blocks and steals per game along with his great rebounding are pretty valuable. The only disappointing thing about Gerard has probably been his turnovers. He was said to have great handles and 1.7+ topg doesn't seem to be indicative of someone with great handles, unless you're a Point Guard. He was a safe and solid pick whose contributed in one form or another over the entirety of his career.
10.
Draft Time: Bill Willoughby PF 6'8'' 205 18 C+ C C B C A
Thoughts: This is my type of player I love at the tail end of the lotto. Someone raw, young and with the ability to possibly explode. He's definitely a boom or bust type player but the possibility of the boom scenario would be hard for me to pass up. At this point in the draft, it's hard to get sure fire studs, even with the "safe" picks so giving your self the opportunity to draft a potential beast, no matter how slim the chances, seems to be a great risk to take. Plus, he had no negatives in his notes. The only thing bad is his initial ratings but potential can always fix that and spence labeled him as a "big upside player".
Now: Bill Willoughby SF 25 6'8'' 205 A- C C A- C+ B
Hindsight: Well, he never became the sick two way player he once had the potential to become but he's still young and he's still effective. Knowing what i know now, i would have picked over about half the players picked ahead of him, so you gotta love the pick. He has become a sick front line defender and his ability to get 3 bpg with solid offensive percentages from the SF spot has made him one of the rare and most valuable assets to have. Couple that with his willingness to constantly sign on the cheap and you have a sick asset and he's probably not even halfway through his career yet.
11.
Draft Time: Marvin Webster C 7'1'' 225 23 C+ C D A- B B
Thoughts: Marvin Webster seems to be nothing but a defensive specialist, which is pretty solid to get at this point in the draft. There seems to be no more high upside players so taking a shot blocker is a good move here, they hold a lot of value in this league. Not much else to say about him, you pretty much know what you're going to get here.
Now: Marvin Webster C 30 7'1'' 225 B- C D- A A- D
Hindsight: He became pretty much what he was projected to be. A solid shot blocker, a good rebounder and a horrible offensive player. His point production has increased over the last couple seasons but his percentages still suck. He's turned himself into a luxury off the bench or a solid starter, but not great. Turned out to be a solid pick.
12.
Draft Time: Joe Bryant SF 6'9'' 185 21 B C+ C B C+ B
Thoughts: Another lotto pick for the Bulls, this makes it their third. Joe Bryant here is a solid safe pick, but i didn't really like him. The main reason i didn't like him was due to his high athleticism which makes that inside scoring look better than it is and probably other ratings as well. Spence projected him as a late lotto pick so i can't really hate the pick. I don't know, it just seems like guys with those notes and ratings go late teens early 20's all the time and most of them don't really turn into much.
Now: Joe Bryant PF 6'9'' 185 28 A- C+ C A- C C
Hindsight: Well he hasn't really done much in the league up until this point. We're approaching days 4 and 5 in fa and still no one has picked him up. He was projected to get 1 bpg and 1 spg over the course of his career but has only accomplished that feat in 1 season. He only scored over 13 ppg in one season and has been mediocre otherwise. Not much to say, pretty much a non factor in the league.
13.
Draft Time: Bill Robinzine SF 6'7'' 230 22 B B D+ B C+ B
Thoughts: I kinda liked this dude. I didn't project to be a star or nothing but i felt like at the very least he'd be a B+ B+ A- type wing player if camped right and what not. I felt he'd be a 20 ppg player for his career. He reminds me a lot of Mchartley, maybe that's why i'm fond of him as much as I am. The D+ handling is kind of concerning but spence said he might have only a slight handling issue so it's nothing that would raise a red flag. I love the pick here.
Now: Bill Robinzine SF 29 6'7'' 230 A- A- C B+ C+ D
Hindsight: Mixed feelings towards Robinzine. Not because I have him and am disappointed by the way he turned out but I'm disappointed that his ratings exceeded what i projected for him but his production hasn't. He seems like a ratings whore and at times his handling issues have been more than just a "slight" concern. He'll get you 20 to 22 ppg in the right offense as a third option but something he leaves you hoping for more. If we were to do this draft over again, Robinzine would probably get picked hire than this slot, which is all you can ask for as a GM when making these picks.
