I really don't care that we traded 39. 5 drafted rookies weren't going to be on this team. Heck Didi is a stash anyway so at most we're keeping 3.Originally Posted by johnpagenola
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I really don't care that we traded 39. 5 drafted rookies weren't going to be on this team. Heck Didi is a stash anyway so at most we're keeping 3.
I like the draft, but would of did things a little differently.
1. Zion
8. Hayes (I rather Reddish, but Little falling to the next pick would of been better for me)
17. Little
35. Bol Bol
That’s 4 guys who could of been picked in the top 15 and no one would of blinked an eye.
Now as far as the draft goes:
#1 - Zion: (A+) Clearly an A+ pick not much to be said.
#8 - Hayes: (A) I was literally having this discussion before the Atl trade about if we got 8 and decided to go with a center here would we rather Hayes or Goga. I personally leaned more towards Goga but center was a clear need for us and if they prefer Hayes I see why. He gets this bad wrap as some super raw talent but he's not anywhere near as raw as people act. Does he need time to develop? Absolutely. But certain areas of his game, especially his touch around the basket, are already really good.
#17 - NAW: (B-) People get wrapped up in just drafting extremely high upside guys even at the expense of their potential bust risk. We've already taken two guys in this draft with high upside, Zion being huge upside. I see this pick much more as rounding out the roster. Get a guy who may never be an All Star but can be a solid player for the team and fits really well. NAW may never blow you away with any one area of his game but can he be an Otto Porter type player who can be used like a utility knife to do a little bit of it all? That's the potential and he makes sense if that's what the team is looking for. There were guys here I liked better but I totally understand the Pelicans thinking here.
#35 - Euro Stash: (NA) Can't say anything about this pick. It's a 2nd round pick that can develop overseas and maybe make the NBA or maybe not.
#39 - Trading pick for 2 future 2nd round picks and cash: (A+) With already having so much youth on this team and so many rookies coming in this was an outstanding move to pick up two future 2nd for a pick that would end up being a stash anyway and might have never seen the NBA. Much better to have future flexibility and more assets than to just take a player for the sake of taking one.
2nd round picks can be used exactly how 1st round picks are used. There are slight differences for how they affect the cap but for all intent and purposes a pick is a pick.
Getting Zion makes the draft an A+ no matter what. I would have preferred to stay at 4 and take Garland or even Hunter. I am not a huge fan of Hayes, but hope he pans out. I do like NAW as I think his BB IQ is through the roof.
#1 pick: Zion Williamson A+
#8 pick: Jaxson Hayes B-
Jaxson just strikes me as a Dwight Powell personally, he's going to be a great rim roller, that much is obvious, but there are major questions about his toughness and feel for the game. At 8 the draft is kind of mediocre, but Hayes as the main piece in the trade of number 4 does not feel convincing at all to me.
#17 pick: Nickeil Alexander-Walker B+
I really like this kid. His game needs some refining it's not the safe low upside pick being talked about here though. There are elite passes in this kids highlight reel. I really think he can be as good as his cousin Shai with some development. He'd have to really drastically change his body to be an allstar, but I wouldn't rule that out for him.
#35 pick: "Didi" Silva B
Looks generic shooting guard but the Pels really needed a draft and stash
Trade with Atlanta C+
think the pelicans just traded the pick without a real plan other than feeling they didn't love anyone at 4
Trade with Golden State A
The pelicans got good value here, most other 2nds in this draft seemed to go for less
Overall A-, we got Zion some interesting guys and cap space. While id rather had another high potential superstar prospect I can't be mad at this draft.
Last edited by Pelifan; 06-21-2019 at 10:14 AM.
Unless Hayes can develop a decent mid range jumper I think this was a bad pick.. we need a 5 that can spread the floor and open the paint for Zion
If this was a stronger draft you would have a stronger point, but this draft was weak like wet toilet paper. Every prospect between 4-10 was interchangeable, so drafting a big where they did wasn't a reach any more than drafting any other prospect in that range. You can play him now, and if he gets better you have another Jarret Allen type, and that’s not bad.
Last edited by UNO Gracias; 06-21-2019 at 10:34 AM.
If you Jimmer it, they will come.
Does anyone else worry that Hayes might be the next Hilton Armstrong?
It's already been said Hayes has a nice jumper and he shot 74% from FT so he's got all the fundamentals. His biggest thing will just be extending his range out to the 3pt line. Now that will probably take years for him to get to that point but that's basically expected with bigs.
You know who would absolutely kill it in this modern era where bigs are asked to shoot? Rasheed Wallace.
Shouldn’t the FA signed using Solo’s cap space factor into the overall draft grade
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Well it should factor into the Atl trade grade.
I think the TWolves foiled Griffin's plan's at 8. I think he traded down hoping Culver would drop. Right after our trade was announced, Minnesota traded up to 6 and threw a wrench in that. I honestly expected him to select Reddish after Culver did not fall.
Zion A+
Hayes B-
The rest I don't really know. Maybe I'd have gone double center and drafted Goga at 17 also. I would've preferred Doumbouya at 8 and I wished we would've rolled the dice on Bol. In hindsight I also wish we'd have stayed at 4 and picked Coby White. I think he'd have been the perfect fit for us.
That seems like a really risky play to me, If Culver is your guy taking him at 4 and having to keep Solo for a year and losing 17 and the Cle pick is a small price to pay to secure him. The Wolves were supposedly shopping 6 after Garland went. So Griff could have moved up by absorbing Teague if that were the play.
Purely a guess on my part.
He didn't really shoot any jumpers in college, so I don't know how much him having a nice jumper is really just smoke. It looks good in workout videos and stuff, but we all know how workout videos are.
That said, he isn't just a dunker. He already showed a variety of nice crafty layups, utilising the glass, at college and he even showed off a pretty nice little hook shot that extends out to 8 feet or so away from the basket. He's far from Kareem, but there's a ton of potential and the guy is not a stiff.
His ceiling is super high. Not as high as Zion's, sure, but if that's the standard we're holding people to then we're being a little silly.
Analysts are super high on this guy for a reason. Fast, mobile feet. Big, soft hands. Athletic. He's not an explosive athlete, no matter how much Bilas said he was a ''pogo stick'' jumper: he's not really, but he's an extremely functional athlete, fast, quick hands, good second jump, etc. Billing him as a Capela type really undersells his switchability: he may be a rim protector and rim runner, but Rudy Gobert this is not. Hayes can guard down, legitimately.
The more I think about this pick, the more I like it.
Edit: 6'11.5'', 7'4'' wingspan, 10.75'' hands. That kind of size, but legitimately switchable? Come on. The potential is insane.
Last edited by Pelicanidae; 06-21-2019 at 01:39 PM.
Basketball.
My homer opinion:
We don't need to discuss Zion.
Hayes is interesting. I've heard people compare him to a raw rim protector who won't amount to much more. Other people have said this is ignorant. That he is a hard worker and his FT% hints at him being able to become so much more. I'm an optimistic homer....do I'll side with the 2nd. Our roster is LOADED with defense and having a rim protector fortifies it.
NAW.....people are being ridiculous here. It was pick 17. This isn't the NFL with some7 round monstrosity that you pick BPA on. You pick someone who compliments your team at this spot. You're not expecting an all-star but a solid player. It looks like a good pick.
Silva.....I trust Langdon. This kid looks exciting with his veracity, 3pt ability, and defense. He really could turn into something sweet. Can't ask for more in the 2nd round.
And the trades. Just look at our draft picks for the next five seasons. Wow. We are loaded. A decent team with the possibility of greatness now but backed up by the most insanely deep arsenal of picks for the future.
A+++ for the entire month on general.
BI, Zion, and CJ had a net rating of +3 when on the court together. BI and Zion had a +13.4, BI and CJ had a +13.2, Zion and CJ was just +5.4.
BI and Zion worked. BI and CJ worked. It was CJ and Zion and all three together that didn't work.
But now Rasheed would have to deal with the suspensions for 16 or more T's.
Any one else notice we took as many first round picks in one night as we did in 8 years of Dell Demps
Let's just hope we aren't trading those guys away like Buddy Hield.Any one else notice we took as many first round picks in one night as we did in 8 years of Dell Demps
Griff said in his presser that none of the people who were drafted were drafted to be traded.
Obviously that's just the kind of thing he has to say in the presser, but the fact that he specifically talked about it is probably a good sign.
Overall: 3.5 GPA
Zion: Obviously an A+ he is a generational talent
Hayes: C+, Im beginning to come around but was really skeptical early. There wasn’t really anybody else within that range that I loved other than Brandon Clarke and he fell to the 20’s. Admittedly I didn’t watch much of Texas, they were a bad basketball team, and bad college basketball is unbearable. What I did see is a functional athlete who can finish and protect the rim. I am intrigued by his touch around the rim, and his percentage from the ft line. It makes me think he might be able to become some sort of threat as a spot of shooter. While he gets lost on D, thats to be expected from a 19 year old big, he did show glimpses of being able to defend out on the perimeter. I guess my biggest worry is he still needs to add a good bit of weight to his frame to come close to reaching his potential, and Im not sure his frame can handle it. Also with that frame comes injury concerns. He does play hard, and from all indications works hard as well, he also apparently is a high character kid. Im kind of in the camp if all he becomes is a rim protector/rim runner those can be found all over the place including this draft, and I am also of the opinion Zion’s ceiling is as a small ball 5 or playing with a 5 who can space. I also don’t really understand why he is considered a better prospect that say Claxton. His ceiling may be a bit higher do to the measurable, but Claxton has a better feel for the game right now, and can play make a bit as a roll man.
Nickiel Alexander-Walker: A, I love this pick he would have been my number two guy at 17 behind Brandon Clarke. I had him in my own personal top ten, which doesn’t mean much, but theres not much about his game to complain about. He doesn’t the super high ceiling of a Kevin Porter or Nassir Little, but his floor is so much higher. I think he is ready to be a contributor from day one. When you really think about it what are the chances Porter or Little reach that ceiling? I would put it at less than 15%, and fully expect Walker to be a better NBA player than both. There just is not much he can’t do. He should be able to guard 1-3 pretty efficiently, and as he gets stronger may even to be guard smaller 4’s. He can play off ball and is functional on ball as well, he can finish with either hand, and was one of the better spot up shooters in the draft. I could easily see him turning in to a Brogdon level player as his ceiling, and at worst a 3rd guard on a good basketball team.
Silva:????????, no idea……..A+ just for getting some South American flare on the roster, and I would love to see a resurgence in high level Brazilian basketball players.
Atl Trade:???????B, the question boils down to whether you would rather have had Culver or Walker/Hayes plus the 2nd rounders(including the Cleveland pick because its almost certainly not going to convey as a first) and dumping Hill’s contract. On Hill’s contract I didn’t view it as necessary, it really depends on what Griff is going to do with the extra cap space. If you can sign a younger player to fit in with the timeline that is terrific, if its stopgap vets on 1 year deals, Im not sure that does much other than maybe make a play for the 8 seed. Honestly with the improved odds I would rather take our chances in the lottery. I personally loved Culver I had him number two on my board, I think he is the most likely after Zion to be a multiple time all star in this draft, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he reached that level. I think I would have rather had Culver than the rest of the package, although it is close. Now if it was Clarke/Walker then I would have preferred that. Value wise in a weak draft the value is good, but I think Culver is somewhat underrated as a prospect and after Zion Culver kind of represented a tier by himself.
I’m with you, I love the NAW pick, those are the types of players that make your team better as a whole, glue guys
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