[spuriousjones]

very hard to imagine alexander will be available at 17. speights, too.

[billfindlay10]

Originally Posted by spuriousjones

very hard to imagine alexander will be available at 17. speights, too.

True, but maybe we use Ford in a package to move up! Pacers need a point guard and they pick 11th. Just a thought.

[NCR]

Draft Express and nbadraft.net both have Alexander going 8th now.

[billfindlay10]

Originally Posted by NCR

Draft Express and nbadraft.net both have Alexander going 8th now.

Maybe another trade with the Bucks is in store!

[southeasy]

Ajinca from France

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archiv...a_next_season/

good to see turiaf giving him props.

crazy length.. 7'9" wingspan, very gritty for a frenchman, heard from the Nets workout his shooting touch is very underrated, out to the 3. that's a shotblocking forward with a nose for the ball. something we don't have near this type of length. great frame, able to put on weight without losing supreme mobility.

i dont know about you all, but the dude looks to be the perfect versatile fit beside chris bosh. Sleeper for 08, remember i been saying it. hopefully he can add more weight, but i'm not worried about this guy ever being considered soft. with that reach, he'll change the game without even scoring if need be.

[spuriousjones]

there were reports a while back that some teams had him rated ahead of batum.

i remember gheradini mentioning early in the draft process that we were going to be looking for a bigman in the draft. i think that unless a wing talent the team feels is a good amount better than a 17th pick would suggest, we will be doing so.

there's so many bigs projected around our pick. i have a feeling that once the draft comes, a lot of them will go earlier. centers are just so hard to get, the easiest/cheapest way to get them is just bite the bullet, draft one, and hope he can one day be a legit player.

[ballocks]

this is an exciting draft for the raps. personally, i'm just looking for a rotation piece, and in a draft like this, that's pretty much all there is. i don't feel the need for upside right now, we can worry about that on the trade market with tj, parker, kapono, rasho and whoever else. i'm just inclined to look for an asset that can play 10-15 mpg from the start- and if it's a centre, one who can help rebound the basketball and be a bit of a nuissance on the defensive end. i just want the team to change its identity and feel that an immediate contributor would go a long way towards addressing the point.

i see a lot of prospects in the pool who qualify. i don't see much star power in this draft, i didn't see it all year, but there are guys who can bring some life to the team (which we were obviously missing). i think having a first-rounder last year would've helped. i think having one this year will help. i'm excited to see who we pick. having him come over with roko will give us some youth and inexperience- we won't be bored silly watching this team go through the motions for 82 games again.

but i will reiterate: our position on bargnani should determine how and who we draft. that's not a popular thing to say, there are always those who suggest taking the bpa (and that's usually wise), but andrea bargnani is issue # 1 for this team. imo, we should draft accordingly.

peace

[southeasy]

Budinger - OUT (some of you guys liked him, i never saw him, but still didn't like him)

Ty Lawson, Ellington, Pargo, Danny Green, Lester Hudson, - OUT

i liked Dozier for a possible 2nd rounder - OUT

[a_i_4_life]

Originally Posted by southeasy

Budinger - OUT (some of you guys liked him, i never saw him, but still didn't like him)

Ty Lawson, Ellington, Pargo, Danny Green, Lester Hudson, - OUT

i liked Dozier for a possible 2nd rounder - OUT

damn, enough good players dropped out

[billfindlay10]

I am surprised by Budinger, but not by Lawson after his run in with the law.....he was playing well though and would have gone in the first round. The other guys are non impact anyway.

[King Bosh]

I rally dont know why but I really like Nicolas Batum at #17(if he's still avalaible). I've seen videos of his game on youtube and I have a gut feeling he's going to be something special in 3-4 years from now, and would be a perfect fit at SF. The only thing that deffers me from his game is that he loses interest during the game. But I think him playing with tougher competetion in the NBA, it should change all that which will help him stay focus throughout the game. His size kinda scares me a bit but if he's dedicated like Chris Bosh was back in 2003 to become a better player he shouldn't have any problem gaining the muscle mass(he's the same size Chris Bosh was drafted in 2003..both weighed 210 lbs). It's a risky pick, but I love the potential.

[SkywalkerAC]

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...-Preview-2932/

Speights is my guy after seeing how he faired in the Win-Scores analysis. Wish there were combine measurements for him.

[silverpaw1786]

Originally Posted by billfindlay10

True, but maybe we use Ford in a package to move up! Pacers need a point guard and they pick 11th. Just a thought.

They can get a MUCH better pg at 11 than Ford...Augustin Westbrook