Austin Rivers would love to play in New Orleans {title edit}

[PELICANSFAN]

You have to understand that we don't need a conventional PG next to Eric Gordon. Monty said he wants a scorer - a guy who can get to the rim and create his own shot. This was tweeted earlier today:

Jeff Duncan ‏@JeffDuncanTP
Monty Williams ID'd 2 qualities he'd like to add to the Hornets roster this offseason: length at the basket (AD) & offensive creativity.

Jeff Duncan ‏@JeffDuncanTP
Williams defined offensive creativity as the ability to create own shot, get to rim and/or get to FT line. Wants to add a compliment to EG.

Isn't converting at the rim a weakness of Rivers? He does draw fouls though.

[Soundwave]

Who here expects our #10 to be an all-star?

Who here really expects our #10 pick to get most of his minutes or significant minutes as a starter?


If you expect either of these in year one, then either you will be disappointed or we will truly be bad/tanking this year. We have to fit the argument to the circumstances.

[G.P.Free]

Curry might not be able to get to the rim as easily as Rivers (in college), but he is amazing at moving without the ball and getting into space. Gordon is better than both, I agree with that. But starting a ball stopper next to him who waits around for the ball to come to him and has no semblance of court vision or passing ability would kill the offense. Rivers would be great coming off the bench, but at #10 in this draft I would hope we go for more than a 6th man.

I don't think I would mind too much, a James Harden type of player at #10.... not saying Rivers is that, but if he could become at least that... cool with me.

[nolaslim213]

Isn't converting at the rim a weakness of Rivers? He does draw fouls though.

It is, but that is because he is so young. It takes practice to be able to hit those shots, but the hardest thing to do is to actually get to the rim, which he does better than anyone in this draft. And yes, he does draw fouls, but he needs to get his FT% up.

He is far from a polished prospect, but he has elite tools to work with. If anyone can hone these tools, it's Monty.

Who here expects our #10 to be an all-star?

Who here really expects our #10 pick to get most of his minutes or significant minutes as a starter?


If you expect either of these in year one, then either you will be disappointed or we will truly be bad/tanking this year. We have to fit the argument to the circumstances.

Who expects Rivers to be an All Star next season? I haven't seen anyone say that... He is a project.

[Nola3]

I don't think I would mind too much, a James Harden type of player at #10.... not saying Rivers is that, but if he could become at least that... cool with me.

I agree that if we could get that, then jump on it. But there's a reason Harden went #4 in a pretty good draft. He has the court vision and playmaking abilities that any team would covet. And, in all honesty, he's a starter. He gets starter minutes and finishes every game. 6th man is just a title for him and Manu. Rivers is a quicker, more athletic Jason Terry. He can carry an offense in spurts and give your team a jolt, but shouldn't be relied upon to carry a team for a full 35-40 minutes.

[Sleeper]

I agree that if we could get that, then jump on it. But there's a reason Harden went #4 in a pretty good draft. He has the court vision and playmaking abilities that any team would covet. And, in all honesty, he's a starter. He gets starter minutes and finishes every game. 6th man is just a title for him and Manu. Rivers is a quicker, more athletic Jason Terry. He can carry an offense in spurts and give your team a jolt, but shouldn't be relied upon to carry a team for a full 35-40 minutes.

Yeah Harden finished every game except the ones in the finals. Give me a kid with confidence.

[Nola3]

Yeah Harden finished every game except the ones in the finals. Give me a kid with confidence.

What? I meant he is in the game when the buzzer sounds. And really? Harden doesn't have confidence? And he doesn't finish? You're as bad as all the idiots who kept saying LeBron wasn't clutch.

[G.P.Free]

I agree that if we could get that, then jump on it. But there's a reason Harden went #4 in a pretty good draft. He has the court vision and playmaking abilities that any team would covet. And, in all honesty, he's a starter. He gets starter minutes and finishes every game. 6th man is just a title for him and Manu. Rivers is a quicker, more athletic Jason Terry. He can carry an offense in spurts and give your team a jolt, but shouldn't be relied upon to carry a team for a full 35-40 minutes.

Ok if this be the case, then when you draft and pcks after 6+ are generally a crap shoot... wouldn't a quicker, more athletic Jason Terry be worth a 10 pick, if thats his floor potential? I can live with that gamble.

[nolaslim213]

I agree that if we could get that, then jump on it. But there's a reason Harden went #4 in a pretty good draft. He has the court vision and playmaking abilities that any team would covet. And, in all honesty, he's a starter. He gets starter minutes and finishes every game. 6th man is just a title for him and Manu. Rivers is a quicker, more athletic Jason Terry. He can carry an offense in spurts and give your team a jolt, but shouldn't be relied upon to carry a team for a full 35-40 minutes.

I think in time he could be that guy. Either way, he doesn't have to. We have Gordon for sure, and if Davis develops into the Kevin Garnett-type offensive player that most think he will, Rivers definitely wouldn't have to carry the load.

Although... one of his best attributes is his affinity for hitting the clutch shot. He has ice in his veins.

[Sleeper]

What? I meant he is in the game when the buzzer sounds. And really? Harden doesn't have confidence? And he doesn't finish? You're as bad as all the idiots who kept saying LeBron wasn't clutch.

Lebron wasn't clutch until this year and Harden did not play as aggressive against the Heat. He finishes , just not when it matters.

[nolaslim213]

What? I meant he is in the game when the buzzer sounds. And really? Harden doesn't have confidence? And he doesn't finish? You're as bad as all the idiots who kept saying LeBron wasn't clutch.

No, Harden doesn't finish. He completely disappeared in the Finals, and he admitted it.

And yeah, LeBron wasn't clutch until this year. He missed MANY opportunities to close out big games/series in the past. He would fold under the pressure, but that changed this year.

[G.P.Free]

What? I meant he is in the game when the buzzer sounds. And really? Harden doesn't have confidence? And he doesn't finish? You're as bad as all the idiots who kept saying LeBron wasn't clutch.

Lmao... I agree, I think youth, and the moment got to Harden... experience should fix that.

[PELICANSFAN]

It is, but that is because he is so young. It takes practice to be able to hit those shots, but the hardest thing to do is to actually get to the rim, which he does better than anyone in this draft. And yes, he does draw fouls, but he needs to get his FT% up.

He is far from a polished prospect, but he has elite tools to work with. If anyone can hone these tools, it's Monty.



Who expects Rivers to be an All Star next season? I haven't seen anyone say that... He is a project.

Yeah, based on what is likely to be available at 10, he is probably one of the better options. Even if he does not develop into a PG, he should be a nice bench player that can create his own shot. I just hope Monty can get Rivers' ego in check so that it does not become an issue.

[Nola3]

I think in time he could be that guy. Either way, he doesn't have to. We have Gordon for sure, and if Davis develops into the Kevin Garnett-type offensive player that most think he will, Rivers definitely wouldn't have to carry the load.

Although... one of his best attributes is his affinity for hitting the clutch shot. He has ice in his veins.

Ok clearly we're not going to agree today. But tomorrow when we take him (which seems like an almost certainty) I'm gonna need you to give me 25 reasons why I should be ecstatic that we drafted Austin Rivers so I can jump on your bandwagon. I want to like the kid, I'm just not sold on him

[Soundwave]

Who expects Rivers to be an All Star next season? I haven't seen anyone say that... He is a project.

I didn't say Rivers, did I?

But since you bring it up, I'm just trying to temper expectations. I started at all-star then digressed, just a tactic to use as a starting point. Just want people to really think about what we are getting. There seems to be too much talk about who plays next to who and who fits where this year when in reality we will be drafting a bench player. At least I hope he is, because if we need 10 to start it might be a bad sign. Plus, when you start thinking about fit, you tend to forget about BPA.

[nolaslim213]

Ok clearly we're not going to agree today. But tomorrow when we take him (which seems like an almost certainty) I'm gonna need you to give me 25 reasons why I should be ecstatic that we drafted Austin Rivers so I can jump on your bandwagon. I want to like the kid, I'm just not sold on him

Haha, we'll see tomorrow. I have a final exam Friday morning, so I don't know how available I'll be, but I'll write something up when I get some time (if we draft him).

[Nola3]

No, Harden doesn't finish. He completely disappeared in the Finals, and he admitted it.

And yeah, LeBron wasn't clutch until this year. He missed MANY opportunities to close out big games/series in the past. He would fold under the pressure, but that changed this year.

Dude Kobe missed shots to close out games under pressure too (6-24 comes to mind), he just had great teammates to bail him out sometimes. LeBron is a phenomenal player who consistently dragged his teams farther than they should have gone. Just because he won this year doesn't mean he wasn't clutch before.

[groundpatty]

I just hope Monty can get Rivers' ego in check so that it does not become an issue.

I don't think it's gonna be that big of a deal. Broussard tweeted earlier something about how GMs are saying Rivers is one of the nicest players they've interviewed, and that his ego problem is over-blown.

And if someone does need to get his ego in check, I'm comfortable with Monty's chances, having known him all his life or whatever.

[Sleeper]

Dude Kobe missed shots to close out games under pressure too (6-24 comes to mind), he just had great teammates to bail him out sometimes. LeBron is a phenomenal player who consistently dragged his teams farther than they should have gone. Just because he won this year doesn't mean he wasn't clutch before.

Clutch= taking the game over in the late fourth quarter. It does not equal to deferring to teammates in the fourth so sportscenter won't show your losing shot in the highlights. Lebron even admitted it was a problem after years of denial. Take down you poster and quit being objective. He is one of the best but not known as clutch.

[Imnos 2]

I really think our draft board for the 10th pick is a simple one.

#1A Rivers
#1B Leonard
#2 Trade the pick.

Rivers is the type of player I have been talking about for a minute. CHOS guy. Thats what we need more than anything. And he is cocky which I think is needed to a certain extent. Some cocky guys use their arrogance to their advantage. Because once they see they dont have some portion of their game together they will have the drive to get better. When Kobe came into the league one of the biggest knocks on him was his defense. But that cockiness to be the best propelled him into that place where he has been NBA all defense several times throughout his career. I think we need to get this guy.

At the same time I think a Leonard/Davis front court would be mind blowing. I believe their games will compliment each other. Having two shot blocking, rebounding bigs is a luxury only a few teams have ever had. And you can build easier around guys like this. Once you get your 4 and 5 spot solidified it makes it easier for your 1,2 and 3 spots to get open looks. makes it easier to team rebound. Makes it easier to convert higher percentage shots and start fast breaks on defense.

If you cant get either one of those guys, it aint worth it. Trade down

[Miss_318]

Coach K's view on Rivers

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...-rivers-future

I'm sorry but I trust Coach K's opinion of him more than anyone....he feels he can be good with the right coach...and I personally think Monty is one of those coaches.

And eveyone piling on about his attitude.....you won't here a peep out of 'em if he's one of the main reasons we're winning....they'll just jump on the bandwagon then....

Him & Davis are basically still children @ 19yrs old....Davis is humble and Rivers is cocky but both are still getting older and learning how to be better players as well as better people. Give the kid a chance...

[FlyGirl]

For those interested, there are a few draft prospect interviews here. Rivers' is currently the first video being interviewed by Craig Sager.

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/dr...vers_intv.nba/

[Miss_318]

For those interested, there are a few draft prospect interviews here. Rivers' is currently the first video being interviewed by Craig Sager.

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/dr...vers_intv.nba/

Good interview and answers some key questions too....but people are still gonna pile on him regardless but I like the kid...

[fullcourtpress]

I'm with all you Lamb guys

Let it be stated, if we get jeremy Lamb I'll be happy!

Yahoo thinks we should too.



http://sports.yahoo.com/news/y-sport...4zzfqwaIS8vLYF

Draft Express agrees on Lamb too,

but SOMEBODY HELP ME it's Draft Day and I am terrfied we will pick

Austin Rivers!!!!!


Why would we want an overrated Duke glam-guard?



my wish list


NO CHANCE AT BEAL, MKG, T-ROB

A. Drummond- has the tools to be as dominant as any center currently playing PIPE-DREAM

H. Barnes- His offensive skill-set would make our offense scary! PIPE DREAM

D. Lilliard- We need a PG AND we need a creator! PIPE-DREAM portland's dream

J. Lamb- 6'11" length - athlete who can catch and shoot and create. Draft's last jedi

T. Ross- brings Barnes' ability to play SG and SF; can reign 3's off the pass but doesn't create; LENGTHY WING who brings DEFENSIVE \\

J. Leonard- Teams go DECADEs looking for a CENTER to appease their star PF's

K. Marshall- instant help at PG who meets our team's criteria for CREATING but it's for his teammates. Why can't he be a Jason Kidd type?

T. Zeller- See: leonard. Appeasing our PF will help us dominate for a decade

Dion Waiters- cause he isn't Austin Rivers and posterizes people- that's it

Heck, I guess I may pick Rivers after those guys>

[thefuture]

Draft Express agrees on Lamb too,

but SOMEBODY HELP ME it's Draft Day and I am terrfied we will pick

Austin Rivers!!!!!


Why would we want an overrated Duke glam-guard?

Yahoo's mock is made by Jonathan Givony of the Draftexpress