Draft Board

[fullcourtpress]

1 Marcus Smart- size, strength and savy make him an easy pick

2 Victor Oladipo- his explosiveness and game will get him a dion waiters/bradley beal rookie season PLUS WE NEED AN EXPLOSIVE GUARD THAT CAN DRAW FOULS

3 Cj Calhoun. the real steph curry of this draft

4 Trey Burke


draft one of these and save up for Larry Sanders next year

[Mr. West]

Had wrote this for something else, but here's my top ten as far as fit for the Pelicans and overall upside.

1. Marcus Smart- Best mix of team fit and upside for the Pelicans. Leadership and perimeter D are things every team can use.

2. Otto Porter- Will be a solid starter in the league, but probably no better than a 4th option on offense for a good team. Very high floor. Carried a bad team on his back at times.

3. Ben Mclemore- The NBA is filled with either athletic or great shooting 2 guards. Very few of both. Has a chance to be big time offensive player and make an all star game or two.

4. Nerlens Noel- At this point in the draft, you have to roll the dice on the potential. Does he fit next to Davis? Will he come close to meeting his ceiling? Who knows. You just let Monty work with him and hope for the best.

5. Victor Oladipo- Got the heart of Vasquez with the athleticism of Aminu. I think the Wade comparisons are a long shot, but he could be big time on both sides of the ball in his own right.

6. Trey Burke- Has always been a smart player who does the right things, however during the tournament he has shown the ability to really make a difference on the offensive side. A sophomore Davis playing help D might could mask some of his defensive trouble.

7. Alex Len- Talented player who never was dominant, but that could be more to the Maryland system than lack of talent. Could be a gem, but would take time to develop.

8. Shabazz Muhammed- G/F who has character questions and was never as good as the hype suggested. Would he rather score 22 for a terrible team or 15 on a decent one?

9. C.J McCollum- Natural scorer who doesn't do a ton else like Shabazz, minus the character issues. However, no real position. Tunnel vision + small size = true combo guard in the worst way.

10. Cody Zeller- I don't think he will be a starting 5 in the league, not even sure he will be a 5 at all. High energy guy off the bench in a Carl Landry situation may be the best role for Zeller.

[Snarly]

I have a hard time taking any ranking with Noel and McLemore out of the top 3 seriously. Even if it's a list tailored to your team, I can't imagine anyone would pass up on those 2 if they're on the board.

[Purple Haze]

I like your player descriptions, Mr. West.

Though once again, even at 1. even you don't sound as enthusiastic about Smart as you want to be. Same way for me. I just can't quite put my finger on it.

[Snarly]

I like your player descriptions, Mr. West.

Though once again, even at 1. even you don't sound as enthusiastic about Smart as you want to be. Same way for me. I just can't quite put my finger on it.

I can definitely understand being reserved about the kid. On one hand, he's oozing potential and on the other, he's not particularly skilled in terms of shooting and finishing. That will take time. The biggest reason people are so high on his is because he actually has the best shot of developing into a superstar caliber player if given time and freedom to develop.

[smcgull]

Had wrote this for something else, but here's my top ten as far as fit for the Pelicans and overall upside.

1. Marcus Smart- Best mix of team fit and upside for the Pelicans. Leadership and perimeter D are things every team can use.

2. Otto Porter- Will be a solid starter in the league, but probably no better than a 4th option on offense for a good team. Very high floor. Carried a bad team on his back at times.

3. Ben Mclemore- The NBA is filled with either athletic or great shooting 2 guards. Very few of both. Has a chance to be big time offensive player and make an all star game or two.

4. Nerlens Noel- At this point in the draft, you have to roll the dice on the potential. Does he fit next to Davis? Will he come close to meeting his ceiling? Who knows. You just let Monty work with him and hope for the best.

5. Victor Oladipo- Got the heart of Vasquez with the athleticism of Aminu. I think the Wade comparisons are a long shot, but he could be big time on both sides of the ball in his own right.

6. Trey Burke- Has always been a smart player who does the right things, however during the tournament he has shown the ability to really make a difference on the offensive side. A sophomore Davis playing help D might could mask some of his defensive trouble.

7. Alex Len- Talented player who never was dominant, but that could be more to the Maryland system than lack of talent. Could be a gem, but would take time to develop.

8. Shabazz Muhammed- G/F who has character questions and was never as good as the hype suggested. Would he rather score 22 for a terrible team or 15 on a decent one?

9. C.J McCollum- Natural scorer who doesn't do a ton else like Shabazz, minus the character issues. However, no real position. Tunnel vision + small size = true combo guard in the worst way.

10. Cody Zeller- I don't think he will be a starting 5 in the league, not even sure he will be a 5 at all. High energy guy off the bench in a Carl Landry situation may be the best role for Zeller.

I do not know enough about the players to comment but I do know that the Pelicans' coaches, front office, and scouts will get to know what they can do, and get the best player they can for the team.

I do hear a lot about those players listed and I hope they can at least help the team as a backup first, then make it to be a starter.

[Mr. West]

I like your player descriptions, Mr. West.

Though once again, even at 1. even you don't sound as enthusiastic about Smart as you want to be. Same way for me. I just can't quite put my finger on it.

Thanks bro. I definitely feel like we picked the right year to win the lottery.

[Shelbywmccarty]

I feel like Mclemore Noel and dipo should be higher than porter.

[Purple Haze]

Thanks bro. I definitely feel like we picked the right year to win the lottery.

Agreed. Though Barnes last year and Noel this year wouldn't be terrible.

[fullcourtpress]

Had wrote this for something else, but here's my top ten as far as fit for the Pelicans and overall upside.

1. Marcus Smart- Best mix of team fit and upside for the Pelicans. Leadership and perimeter D are things every team can use.

2. Otto Porter- Will be a solid starter in the league, but probably no better than a 4th option on offense for a good team. Very high floor. Carried a bad team on his back at times.

3. Ben Mclemore- The NBA is filled with either athletic or great shooting 2 guards. Very few of both. Has a chance to be big time offensive player and make an all star game or two.

4. Nerlens Noel- At this point in the draft, you have to roll the dice on the potential. Does he fit next to Davis? Will he come close to meeting his ceiling? Who knows. You just let Monty work with him and hope for the best.

5. Victor Oladipo- Got the heart of Vasquez with the athleticism of Aminu. I think the Wade comparisons are a long shot, but he could be big time on both sides of the ball in his own right.

6. Trey Burke- Has always been a smart player who does the right things, however during the tournament he has shown the ability to really make a difference on the offensive side. A sophomore Davis playing help D might could mask some of his defensive trouble.

7. Alex Len- Talented player who never was dominant, but that could be more to the Maryland system than lack of talent. Could be a gem, but would take time to develop.

8. Shabazz Muhammed- G/F who has character questions and was never as good as the hype suggested. Would he rather score 22 for a terrible team or 15 on a decent one?

9. C.J McCollum- Natural scorer who doesn't do a ton else like Shabazz, minus the character issues. However, no real position. Tunnel vision + small size = true combo guard in the worst way.

10. Cody Zeller- I don't think he will be a starting 5 in the league, not even sure he will be a 5 at all. High energy guy off the bench in a Carl Landry situation may be the best role for Zeller.

nice job. I considered McLemore and Noel goners by our pick. In regards to Porter, I like him, a lot. Regardless, seeing another talented yet unrefined forward running down the court with our team while the same crew handles the ball for us will make me ill. All of the other really-bad teams are starting to load up. Heck, Cleveland and Washington's backcourts look set after drafting Waiters and Beal and pairing them with Irving and Wall. NOW ID RATHER have our nucleus regardless cause bigs are the hardest to find. Ecspecially one with an efficiency rating like Davis' (I believe he is only behind Duncan, Griffin and Paul)

Vasquez- stats are decieving. ideal 6th man due to versatility, but we cannot go on with a PG that gets by noone and cannot stay infront of 90% of his counterparts. Given he still scores over them and gets assists, but defenses MUST be penetrated by our PG and we need more speed there.

Gordon- I've seen him jump really high. Thankfully I was watching cause I havn't seen it many more times. Is it the knee? I dunno. But he is either pulling a brandon roy (may not regain athletic edge) or his heart isn't in it. Maybe not either, but at this juncture it's blatantly obvious we need more help

McLemore- ideal
Noel- wowza frontcourt
Oladipo- explosive, can run, guard and finish. what we need with Davis starting the break
Smart- although i have concerns, his command of the ball dribbling and passing combined with his savy and strength/chanucy billups-like
CJ Calhoun- lengthy guard who shot 50% 3's while taking 5 a game. can he pass? sure, just needs someone to pass to
zeller- talented, scary to me
Porter
Burke

[ramsters60]

ok....I've seen it twice now and maybe I a missing something, but I have to ask.....who in the world is CJ Calhoun?

[FLYINGPELICANS]

Burke or Porter and I will be happy

[fullcourtpress]

Who is CJ Calhoun? He's the second best PG in this draft



51% 3 PT shooter while averaging 5.3 attempts a game. A 6'3" "combo" with a 6'6" reach. The only player to get to the FT line more in this draft was lil Zellar. "Combo" guards in college can become PG's in the NBA if they have the 'handles'; he has them. Curry was similar to me. Here's some from Draftexpress on him; they have him ranked as the 12th best player overall

With his overall offensive ability and his excellent work ethic, it's hard to believe McCollum won't at least get the chance to prove he belongs if he decides to enter the draft this year. The success of smaller school players like Jeremy Lin and [B]Stephen Curry—who he [/B]very much resembles—should work in his favor, and he's more than talented enough to do the rest, if given the opportunity

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz2PcYq6Ht4

Another area where McCollum excels is in transition. Extremely fast with the ball in his hands, his excellent defensive rebounding ability (7.6 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted, #1 in our database amongst guards) combined with his ability to generate turnovers (3.1 steals per 40 minutes pace adjusted, #1 amongst all college prospects) provides him ample opportunities to get out and run.

In terms of creating off the dribble, McCollum has good, controlled ball-handling skills and does a very good job of changing direction and speeds, allowing him to get into the lane virtually whenever he wants. He's not the greatest finisher at the rim due to his average explosiveness at the rim, but he has good body control and touch around the hoop, and this year saw his field goal percentage around the basket increase substantially, to 50.5%, up from 35.6% the prior year.

He'll likely never be a Derrick Rose type finisher at the rim due to his average strength and explosiveness, but his willingness to go get into the paint and draw contact will serve him well. McCollum's 8.2 free throw attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranks 6th in our database amongst top-100 prospects, further illustrating how much of a complete all-around scoring weapon he's become.



http://www.draftexpress.com

[Pelicans78]

I would have Porter above Oladipo myself.

[UNO Gracias]

I think your talking about CJ McCollum when you are saying CJ Callhoun (wth is CJ Callhoun).

I agree, he is the 2nd best combo guard out there. If he is there, and we can trade back I woudl take him, and still believe we got the best pg in the draft.

[NOLa.]

Depending on our position in the draft CJ might be a good prospect to reach for. I don't care to much for a lot of the top prospects remaining after my favorite 4.

[Snarly]

I think your talking about CJ McCollum when you are saying CJ Callhoun (wth is CJ Callhoun).

I agree, he is the 2nd best combo guard out there. If he is there, and we can trade back I woudl take him, and still believe we got the best pg in the draft.

Seeing how Dion Waiters and Ross went higher than expected, If you have your guy on the board in a draft where the difference between 7-14 is minimal, I'd probably wouldn't risk trading down. The only way I'd trade down is if there are multiple guys that we'd be will be happy with available to trade down.

[UNO Gracias]

Yeah, but in the case of CJ, here is a guy coming off of an injury that kept him on the shelf most of the season. Maybe (seeing as how we also have Mr. Glass playing SG for us). we team CJ and Gordon up at SG, and get an entire solid year of SG play out of the two combined.

[Mythrol]

I'd be all for getting McC. If we could get OKCs 1st pick to take back a bad contract (depending how bad) I'd love to get him. Walking out of this draft with him and Bazz / Porter would be awesome and I think would put us on the verge of the playoffs before making any offseason moves. I'll tell you one thing, a line up of McC, Gordon, Bazz, Anderson, and Davis would be SICK in transition.

[UNO Gracias]

How do we get the Thunder lotto pick?

[PelsFan2313]

How do we get the Thunder lotto pick?

We take on Durant's icky contract. Sucks I know. But it's for the better of the team.

[Mythrol]

How do we get the Thunder lotto pick?

I am by no means an expert on how to get a draft pick, however mjf504 posted this in the Perkins trade thread

From Hoopshype, in 2013/14, they are $66M with 10 players signed. In 2014/15, they are $59M with 5 players signed.

They need to dump salary or like tdcreator pointed out they will pay a huge luxury tax plus the extra salaries. Yes they could amnesty him but since it's not our money that always gets brought up. I don't know if OKC will want to pay $18M just to tell the guy go home. but then again, we did it.

Remember, 1st round picks are guaranteed contracts. Picks between 4-10 the salary is between $3.1M to $1.9. IMO, either way, they are selling the late 1st rounder. Maybe the 2nd too. If I wanted a pick I would just buy it from them or someone else without having to take on Perkins salary. That's why they have to use the lottery pick as bait.

This was a rumor reported before the trade deadline "…another source said there was All-Star break talk of Oklahoma City exploring Marcin Gortat and P.J. Tucker for Kendrick Perkins, Jeremy Lamb and a first-round pick."

Someone else almost pointed out that they're going to have to resign Kevin Martin next year and so they will need cap space for that.

So either we can work some sort of sign and trade with them for a bad contract to help them clear space and give them back expiring contracts / cash, offer to take Perkins off of their hands and them not have to pay him any amnesty money (who knows if the owner will push for this. Though I doubt it), or heck Dell I'm sure can come up with some way to get a late lottery, 11ish pick.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

We take on Durant's icky contract. Sucks I know. But it's for the better of the team.

You meant Perkins right?

[RUFshreve]

You meant Perkins right?

No he meant Durant, but he was obviously making a joke.

Too many on this board don't recognize sarcasm when they see it.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

No he meant Durant, but he was obviously making a joke.

Too many on this board don't recognize sarcasm when they see it.

Its not funny.