Looking ahead to the 2009 Draft
by Stop-n-Pop on Oct 4, 2008 8:57 AM CDT
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I know it's a long, long way off but with training camp almost over and with a long list of players trying to make the team, let's take a quick look at the players that Wolves fans should be keeping their eyes on during the upcoming season:
- Ricky Rubio- The 17 year old PG from Spain showed the world that he can play at a high level during the Olympics and he did it at both ends of the court. If Rubio enters the draft, it's hard to envision a scenario where he is not a lotto pick.
- Brandon Jennings- The 19 year old PG who skipped college for Italy will spend the next year playing professional ball, probably learning more about handling the business than his freshman peers. Jennings is a fantastic ball-handler who looks to pass first.
- Stephen Curry- I've made no bones about my belief that Curry is the best thing going in college ball this year. A stunningly efficient jump-shooter who is able to maintain an extreme ORtg while holding the ball a ton, Curry will be given PG duties during his junior year at Davidson. If he can maintain his Ortg/%Poss ratio while not turning the ball over and running an offense, Curry should be included in the conversation about who is the best lead guard in the draft.
- Nick Calathes- The sophomore guard from Florida isn't the most athletic player and he's not a great finisher around the rim, but he has the size and skills to be the type of player that can play multiple positions off the bench while even taking some time at the point.
- Chase Budinger- For the life of me, I'll never understand why Mr. Budinger did not enter the draft last year. He has the size, athleticism, and outside stroke to be a fantastic wing player in the NBA. He needs to work on his aggressiveness but the tools are there.
There are a few other players out there to keep an eye on, but I'm crafting this list with a few things in mind: the Wolves will likely have a late lotto pick as their first pick, and the rest of their picks will be mid-1st to late-1st. With the exception of Rubio (a possible #1), I'm not trying to predict the order, or even the best ranking of players in the draft. I'm simply trying to give you a list of players that will a) have a chance to be available with the Wolves' top pick, and b) fit a need with the squad.
At this point in time, I think it is obvious that the Wolves' top pick next year will be a guard or a wing player. The Foye/Shaddy Death Match should be settled and the Ollie/Ahearn experiment will be over. The Wolves will need a point or a lead guard to share the 1 duties with Foye and Bassy; ideally one who can split time at the 2 or 3 (or allow Foye to split more time at the 2).
Beyond these 5 players, here are 5 more to keep an eye on: Jrue Holliday (G- UCLA), Demar Derozan (G- USC), James Harden (G- AZ State), Tyreke Evans (G- Memphis), and Ty Lawson (G- UNC). Also, don't forget about Tyler Hansbrough. Kevin McHale may not be able to help himself if Mr. Hansbrough is sitting there when the Wolves are on the clock with their 2nd 1st rounder.
Anywho, here's hoping for Curry. Get on the bandwagon while you can.
Next up, 5 things the Wolves need to improve in order to field a winning squad this season.
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Curry?
I loved watching Curry tear through March Madness last year.
One thing I didn’t get from his game was his ability to run the 1. I saw him as a 2 that could handle and possibly get his team into its offense but I just see him as too much of an important cog. To me I saw more of a RIP Hamilton then a Mr. Big Shot. I can’t say I wouldn’t love to see Curry here.
If we do end up with Curry I’d have to hope we move on from Shaddy cause aren’t they too similar to have on the same team? Shaddy is a slasher and Curry is more of a stop-n-popper but they are 2’s aren’t they?
I’d mortgage this draft and our next if need to be get up and grab Rubio. I think he’s a real stud. That would give us a legit one-two with Al and Rubio, we’d need to find a little something from one of our other pieces. We’d already have our glue guy in Gomez/Love, and then we’d just need Foye or Brewer to turn into something/anything. Then the following year when the big man from overseas comes here we’d have our three headed beast heading into Rubio’s second NBA season. That’s just my crazy opinion.
Rubio seems to be the prize...
…in next year’s draft, but don’t sell Curry short. He’s going to be handed the point duties this year and if he shows himself to be proficient, he’s exactly the type of guard you can pair with Foye.
Curry is like an uber-JJ Reddick. He’s an extreme jump shooter who is able to maintain insanely high efficiency rates while having the ball a ton and not getting to the line as much as one would expect. In other words, on a team built around Jefferson and Love, he’s exactly the type of perimeter player that would work. He’s a mid-to-outside type player who should be able to hit for over 40% from 3 as well as having one of the most advanced mid-range jumpers to come out of college in the last decade or so. If he can split the 1 with Foye, the Wolves could start Curry, Foye, Miller, Love, and Jefferson. That’s some pretty extreme jump shooting to surround the high/low post.
As for Rubio, I completely agree that they should do whatever they can to get him, but I don’t see it happening. In that case, they need to focus on players that could realistically fall to them; guys like Calathes, Curry, etc.
Finally, you’re spot on about Curry being a stop-n-popper. We’ll be watching him this year to see if he can play the point. If so, the Wolves could do a lot worse.
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BTW:
Let’s say that both Jefferson and Love are able to maintain something around a 15-18 Reb-r. Let’s also say that the Wolves’ 3 main perimeter players are able to shoot above 40% from 3. If the perimeter players take about 40% of their total shots from behind the arc, that means that 1.6 out of every 10 backcourt shots taken is a 3 pointer made. (I’d really like to see them take upwards of 45% of their shots from behind the arc). If they can shoot 50% from inside the arc, that’s 3 made shots for the remaining 60% of 10 total FG. Added all together, that’s upwards of 9 points for every 10 shots with 2 (hopefully) fantastic rebounders in the frontcourt. This season should be bombs away and they should stick to the basic plan of committing to an extreme-jump shooting backcourt. For me, this is especially interesting considering that Portland is committing to an extreme-penetrating formula. They place a premium on getting to the line. I think the Wolves can make up for their lack of penetrators with a healthy dose of 3 point proficiency and 2 big time rebounders. If they can limit turnovers, I think they can sacrifice the FT battle by winning rebounding and hitting for a solid eFG. Bombs away.
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I’m very suspicious of the idea that McCants and Foye will be able to shoot over 40% from 3pt range when they are playing in cost games on a more consistent basis.
That concern....
…will be #3 on the 5 things the Wolves need to do in order to win: maintain 3 point accuracy with greater frequency and in high leverage situations.
The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
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Good call on Curry. I don’t care about all this 1/2 crap (no offence to anyone, just my view), Curry is just a player. Period. He is one of the smartest guys I have ever seen and can do things other more easily categorizable players can’t. I’m hardly an expert but I think he’s going to have a really good career in the NBA, better than his dad who was fantastic. I mean we’re talking a slightly less flashy version of Earl the Pearl here (only Curry shoots better). I think his success will depend on his landing with a coach who is imaginative enough not to worry about exactly which position he needs to play, a coach who will simply let him play. I don’t mean someone who will just throw the ball out and say “get after it,” but someone who can devise offensive sets that will allow his particular skill set to flourish, etc.
Let’s hope he ushers in a new era in the NBA, one in which people aren’t so worried about preconceived notions of what players at certain positions have to do to have success.
Also, let’s hope he ushers in a new era in which Usher plays a more prominent role.
by plinytheelder on Oct 5, 2008 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions
I’ll try watching all those guys as much as I can, especially the ones playing in europe since I’m probably the only one living in the right timezone for that. I’ll also watch BJ Mullens, he seems like an awfull fit but still, I want that defensive minded center, he doesn’t seem like one right now and we already got Pekovich but I’m gonna watch him anyway.
We'll expect...
…Jennings, Rubio and Pekovic updates ;)
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The Wolves should have around the 12th-14th pick.
I dont expect Rubio to be availible, Go with Curry if hes still availible.
Here...
…is our handy-dandy draft page:
http://www.canishoopus.com/pages/draft-info
The Clipper pick is top 10 protected. As is the Heat pick.
Ideally, the Wolves improve as much as possible and they lose the Clipper pick while the Heat get the 11th pick. We also need to root for Utah to finish among the top 8 teams in the league.
Last year the Pacers had the 11th pick with 36 wins. That should be right around the high end of what the Wolves can do. They’ll be close to losing the pick they owe to the Clippers. I suppose the “ideal” situation would be for them to keep their own pick and the Heat pick….however, I’d like to see them win as much as possible from here on out in the rebuilding process.
The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com
I forgot we had the Clippers and Heat Pick
Expect those two picks to be packaged up to get into the Top 3 or the 1st pick to get Rubio knowing McHale.
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