Post by Minnesota on Oct 9, 2015 13:57:58 GMT
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The first ever Ultimate ABCA Rookie Draft class has been announced and some advanced scouting is already starting to trickle in. The dirt sheets are posting what they are hearing and the rumor mill is working overtime.
By all accounts this seems to be a fairly deep draft. The teams drafting in the lottery are hoping to all land guys who can help them win games sooner rather than later but it's going to be tough to leap frog established squads by plugging in young, undeveloped guys into big minute situations. In most cases these rebuilds almost always take a couple of seasons.
Let's see who most of these teams will be starting their franchises with.
1 Milano Olimpia - Bill Russell
If you can get a player like Bill Russell to solidify your frontcourt you jump at it. He is an elite defender and rebounder. He may never give you 20 ppg but he may never give up 20 either. The one knock is that maybe he is a little undersized and might be considered a Power Forward but if that's your fall back you're still in great shape. Russell is 23 unlike some of the other rookies but he is still almost a lock for #1 overall in my eyes.
2 Boston Celtics - Elgin Baylor
Elgin is another one of the older rookies coming in. The big upside to that is that he is ready to play. Elgin is incredibly skilled offensively. He can score from all over. He can probably play either wing position and may be able to use his size as a mismatch for smaller shooting guards. He is also a great athlete. There won't be many players who are in his league.
3 Los Angeles Lakers - Chris Paul
I think Paul's value comes in the lack of Point Guards and his youth. Someone will be attracted to the fact that he is under 20 and will roll the dice on him. Not that he doesn't have skill. He has a lot of it. He could grade out as being as good as Stockton although they play different styles (Paul is more offensive while Stockton seems more defensive). I really like his game you just need to watch out for Training Camp death.
4 Washington Generals - Jerry Lucas
The Generals are virtually locked in at #4 so this is a pick we can actually discuss. I think Washington will take a look at his roster (see nothing), and then the draft (see solid depth at the wing), and select a big. Jerry Lucas is the 2nd best big man on the board and would be a building block for a long time. Lucas is a strong low post player who does virtually everything you'd want in a big (not a great shot blocker). He's a very good passer for a big man.
5 Tel Aviv Maccabi - John Havlicek
Havlicek definitely could go in the Top 4 and is certainly worthy of consideration up there so getting him at 5 would be good value here. Hondo does a little bit of everything. Not a great shooter for a guard but is good enough as long as he isn't your only guy capable of knocking down 3s. He has good size for a shooting guard but may be a little small to play small forward full time.
6 Minnesota Timberwolves - Sam Jones
Sam "Same" Jones has the potential to easily be the best shooter to come out of this draft class. He could end up being one of the elite shooters in the league. Spreads the floor, can pass, defend, and is a good athlete. He's a nice looking player. Being 6'4" he is probably suited to play shooting guard exclusively. Maybe could develop his handling enough to play some minutes at the point if you need a combo guard.
7 Madrid REAL - Andrew Bynum
I think if this is REAL's spot this pick could make a lot of sense. They already have Dumars and Smart so adding size would help balance their roster. His size and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect - that combination could be lethal. Bynum has tremendous upside and should develop into a very good starter.
8 Brazil Franca BC - Deron Williams
The Franca have a couple of nice players already in Earl Monroe and Oscar Schmidt. It could be argued that they need either a point guard or a center and luckily both are still available. I decided that Deron looked like the better prospect and while that would still leave Brazil weak up front I think Deron's ability to lead an offense would probably get this team into the playoffs next season.
9 Washington Generals - Andrew Bogut
I had Washington taking Jerry Lucas at 4 and the way things have played out they could take a couple of promising wing players or a big center. I went with the big, defensive-minded center in Andrew Bogut. I think Bogut and Lucas would take care of the Generals' post problems for the better part of a decade. You can almost always find a wing player in a draft but finding capable big men can be difficult. I take them when they are available.
10 Portland Trailblazers - Dave DeBusschere
Dave should be in the conversation at 9 too with his all around game. He's probably a really good value pick right here although is kind of a tweener. Does he play Power Forward for you or Small Forward? I think he is more of a Small Forward but is more built to stop other tweeners. He may never ever give you more than 15 a game but will help your post defense and rebound numbers. He does have good technique on his jumper. If that comes around he could be a very unique/valuable player.
11 Toronto Raptors - Terry Dischinger
"The Disch" is one of the best pure jumpshooters we have in this draft. He will certainly provide a scoring punch as he shot over 42% from 3 in college and he has good size (6'7"). Sure he's not Baylor or Havlicek but at this point every team needs contributors and landing a guy who might be able to put up 20 a game isn't a bad find here.
12 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Tom Heinsohn
Tommy H does a little bit of everything. He is elite at nothing but he won't hurt you on defense, he rebounds, and he gives full effort on defense. Not a star but probably the type of hustle and glue guy that every playoff team needs. Maybe won't add a ton of wins for whoever drafts him but he will make the games a lot closer.
13 New Orleans Jazz - Raymond Felton
The Jazz love Felton's game..
14 Taipei Fubon Braves - Bill McGill
McGill has some nice skill. Can defend, rebound, pretty good athlete for a big man. Not sure if he grades out as a starter on a playoff team but will be a guy who can give you minutes. Better to get a sure fire 3rd big than to swing and miss on a reach.
15 Moscow CSKA - Paul Hogue
Hogue is an upside pick. He could be a lockdown defender who owns the glass or he could be a 6'9" guy who is just okay. He is definitely one of the strongest players in this class which should help him play a little bit bigger than he really is. Not going to score much at all for whoever drafts him. Really needs to hit on all of his other skills to be a good starter otherwise he's probably a 3rd big.
16 New Orleans Jazz - Rashad McCants
The Jazz love McCants' game.
By all accounts this seems to be a fairly deep draft. The teams drafting in the lottery are hoping to all land guys who can help them win games sooner rather than later but it's going to be tough to leap frog established squads by plugging in young, undeveloped guys into big minute situations. In most cases these rebuilds almost always take a couple of seasons.
Let's see who most of these teams will be starting their franchises with.
1 Milano Olimpia - Bill Russell
If you can get a player like Bill Russell to solidify your frontcourt you jump at it. He is an elite defender and rebounder. He may never give you 20 ppg but he may never give up 20 either. The one knock is that maybe he is a little undersized and might be considered a Power Forward but if that's your fall back you're still in great shape. Russell is 23 unlike some of the other rookies but he is still almost a lock for #1 overall in my eyes.
2 Boston Celtics - Elgin Baylor
Elgin is another one of the older rookies coming in. The big upside to that is that he is ready to play. Elgin is incredibly skilled offensively. He can score from all over. He can probably play either wing position and may be able to use his size as a mismatch for smaller shooting guards. He is also a great athlete. There won't be many players who are in his league.
3 Los Angeles Lakers - Chris Paul
I think Paul's value comes in the lack of Point Guards and his youth. Someone will be attracted to the fact that he is under 20 and will roll the dice on him. Not that he doesn't have skill. He has a lot of it. He could grade out as being as good as Stockton although they play different styles (Paul is more offensive while Stockton seems more defensive). I really like his game you just need to watch out for Training Camp death.
4 Washington Generals - Jerry Lucas
The Generals are virtually locked in at #4 so this is a pick we can actually discuss. I think Washington will take a look at his roster (see nothing), and then the draft (see solid depth at the wing), and select a big. Jerry Lucas is the 2nd best big man on the board and would be a building block for a long time. Lucas is a strong low post player who does virtually everything you'd want in a big (not a great shot blocker). He's a very good passer for a big man.
5 Tel Aviv Maccabi - John Havlicek
Havlicek definitely could go in the Top 4 and is certainly worthy of consideration up there so getting him at 5 would be good value here. Hondo does a little bit of everything. Not a great shooter for a guard but is good enough as long as he isn't your only guy capable of knocking down 3s. He has good size for a shooting guard but may be a little small to play small forward full time.
6 Minnesota Timberwolves - Sam Jones
Sam "Same" Jones has the potential to easily be the best shooter to come out of this draft class. He could end up being one of the elite shooters in the league. Spreads the floor, can pass, defend, and is a good athlete. He's a nice looking player. Being 6'4" he is probably suited to play shooting guard exclusively. Maybe could develop his handling enough to play some minutes at the point if you need a combo guard.
7 Madrid REAL - Andrew Bynum
I think if this is REAL's spot this pick could make a lot of sense. They already have Dumars and Smart so adding size would help balance their roster. His size and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect - that combination could be lethal. Bynum has tremendous upside and should develop into a very good starter.
8 Brazil Franca BC - Deron Williams
The Franca have a couple of nice players already in Earl Monroe and Oscar Schmidt. It could be argued that they need either a point guard or a center and luckily both are still available. I decided that Deron looked like the better prospect and while that would still leave Brazil weak up front I think Deron's ability to lead an offense would probably get this team into the playoffs next season.
9 Washington Generals - Andrew Bogut
I had Washington taking Jerry Lucas at 4 and the way things have played out they could take a couple of promising wing players or a big center. I went with the big, defensive-minded center in Andrew Bogut. I think Bogut and Lucas would take care of the Generals' post problems for the better part of a decade. You can almost always find a wing player in a draft but finding capable big men can be difficult. I take them when they are available.
10 Portland Trailblazers - Dave DeBusschere
Dave should be in the conversation at 9 too with his all around game. He's probably a really good value pick right here although is kind of a tweener. Does he play Power Forward for you or Small Forward? I think he is more of a Small Forward but is more built to stop other tweeners. He may never ever give you more than 15 a game but will help your post defense and rebound numbers. He does have good technique on his jumper. If that comes around he could be a very unique/valuable player.
11 Toronto Raptors - Terry Dischinger
"The Disch" is one of the best pure jumpshooters we have in this draft. He will certainly provide a scoring punch as he shot over 42% from 3 in college and he has good size (6'7"). Sure he's not Baylor or Havlicek but at this point every team needs contributors and landing a guy who might be able to put up 20 a game isn't a bad find here.
12 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Tom Heinsohn
Tommy H does a little bit of everything. He is elite at nothing but he won't hurt you on defense, he rebounds, and he gives full effort on defense. Not a star but probably the type of hustle and glue guy that every playoff team needs. Maybe won't add a ton of wins for whoever drafts him but he will make the games a lot closer.
13 New Orleans Jazz - Raymond Felton
The Jazz love Felton's game..
14 Taipei Fubon Braves - Bill McGill
McGill has some nice skill. Can defend, rebound, pretty good athlete for a big man. Not sure if he grades out as a starter on a playoff team but will be a guy who can give you minutes. Better to get a sure fire 3rd big than to swing and miss on a reach.
15 Moscow CSKA - Paul Hogue
Hogue is an upside pick. He could be a lockdown defender who owns the glass or he could be a 6'9" guy who is just okay. He is definitely one of the strongest players in this class which should help him play a little bit bigger than he really is. Not going to score much at all for whoever drafts him. Really needs to hit on all of his other skills to be a good starter otherwise he's probably a 3rd big.
16 New Orleans Jazz - Rashad McCants
The Jazz love McCants' game.
