NBA Draft Rumors

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I have no idea why Enes Kanter is NOT the #1 pick in this draft, if not the #2 pick.

Irving #1 overall? You don't need a PG to win the in the NBA. Taking a PG #1 overall is like taking a RB #1 overall...dumb.

[NAHSTE]

Agree with Larry, Irving is gonna come into the league with the hopes of becoming the 11th or 12th best PG at best. Even if he reaches his full potential, I don't see him as a difference maker.

Kanter could be a bust but he at least is a rarer commodity and thus has a higher chance of being a difference maker.

As for the Josh Smith rumors, deal him. I'm done.

[Rudi]

Kanter is going to be a bust.

[NAHSTE]

Kanter is going to be a bust.

Maybe, but even if Irving pans out, he's still a 4th team all-NBA PG at best.

[EmpireWF]

Cleveland can get Irving and Kanter.

Or they could go with Kanter and Brandon Knight.

Depends on who they feel is the best player, either Irving or Derrick Williams. Kanter is the next level beneath them.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Agree with Larry, Irving is gonna come into the league with the hopes of becoming the 11th or 12th best PG at best. Even if he reaches his full potential, I don't see him as a difference maker.

Kanter could be a bust but he at least is a rarer commodity and thus has a higher chance of being a difference maker.

As for the Josh Smith rumors, deal him. I'm done.

Kanter at his worst, will be as serviceable as Irving at his best...he's a big man, there is a lack of them in the league with any kind of talent. Kanter beasted Sully in international play and has a shit load of talent. Just as "talented" as D-Cuz coming out last year. He might bust, but even the biggest busts as big men are incredibly serviceable int he NBA.

If Cleveland can get Irving AND Kanter, good for them, that is what they should do. Its not a better tandem than Williams and Kanter, but whatever.

There are very few good players in this draft, if you have two of the top 4 picks, you need to hit on them both when you are as awful as Cleveland...get two "good" players, they don't even have to be studs, just two players that improve your roster and you made out like a bandit in a draft that will have very few of said "good" players.

[EmpireWF]

But Irving and Williams are considered the two best players.

[godspeed]

"Larry Riley confirmed that the Warriors are interested in drafting power forward Bismack Biyombo with their number 11 pick at the June 23 draft."

I will be very pissed off if this happaned. As if the organization hasn't learned from drafting Adonal Foyle, and Todd Fuller. If you can;'t get a can't miss big guy,,,don't even bother on a project.

Why the new ownership has even kept Riley around is behind me, makes zero sense.

If we pick Klay Thompson or Alec Burks if they are around,,, means Monta is probably gone.

[Rudi]

See, I know the Cavs aren't going to do this, but I want them to take Derrick Williams 1st overall and then Brandon Knight/Kemba Walker with the 4th pick [perhaps even trade down a few spots, gain another pick or something]. I don't like foreign players. There is too much question about them. I want players I have seen play and I know are beasts like D-Will and Knight/Kemba, etc.

Too bad theyre going to take Irving and Kanter.

[A Tasty Burgerr]

Iriving easily is the most prolific guard this year stats-wise, he has no personality issues and seems to have the intangibles to be a leader. He doesn't seem to have a superstar ceiling but not really anyone in this class does.

[EmpireWF]

See, I know the Cavs aren't going to do this, but I want them to take Derrick Williams 1st overall and then Brandon Knight/Kemba Walker with the 4th pick [perhaps even trade down a few spots, gain another pick or something]. I don't like foreign players. There is too much question about them. I want players I have seen play and I know are beasts like D-Will and Knight/Kemba, etc.

Too bad theyre going to take Irving and Kanter.

Not sure about that. Chad Ford's ESPN blog has this:

As I wrote in my mock draft, news that Jonas Valanciunas won't play in the NBA next season makes it unlikely the Cavs will select him at No. 4. However, it doesn't mean the Cavs still won't draft him. I'm hearing the Cavs are exploring moving down a few spots in the draft to take him. The goal is to secure another first-round pick to compensate them for not getting Valanciunas to play this season. One potential scenario has the Wizards giving up Nos. 6 and 18 for the No. 4 pick. The caveat? Enes Kanter has to be there at No. 4 for the Wizards. If he's not, there's no deal.

The Cavs, for their part, would take Valanciunas at No. 6 and add a third asset at No. 18. Jordan Hamilton and Marshon Brooks are among the possibilities with the latter pick.

If the Cavs don't select Valanciunas, it appears he still won't fall out of the lottery. I have him at No. 14 in my latest mock. But I'm hearing this afternoon that the Bucks might select him at No. 10 if he's on the board, and the Warriors are even more likely to take him at No. 11.

[A Tasty Burgerr]

Iriving easily is the most prolific guard this year stats-wise, he has no personality issues and seems to have the intangibles to be a leader. He doesn't seem to have a superstar ceiling but not really anyone in this class does.

For the record not bullshit stats either, genuine production.

The projected #1 pick in this year's draft, Kyrie Irving's statistical prowess is just as impressive as his scouting report.

Despite playing in just 12 games this season due to injury, Irving leads all guards in the draft in a variety of categories, most notably overall efficiency, where he scored a scorching 1.199 points per possession on a middle-of-the-pack 14.2 possessions per game. Irving is likewise ranked #1 in both overall halfcourt and overall transition efficiency, making excellent use of his possessions from all areas of the court.

Breaking down his prowess in the halfcourt, Irving does himself a ton of favors with his style of play, having a game geared towards free throws and three-pointers. Irving drew a free-throw on 19.7% of his halfcourt possessions this season, well ahead of the second-ranked Ben Hansbrough at 16.2%. His adjusted field-goal percentage of 60.9% also ranked first, helped heavily by his 46.2% three-point shooting on 3.5 three-point attempts per game (of 9.5 field goal attempts overall).

Like many point guards, Irving saw the bulk of his halfcourt possessions in the form of isolations (25.6% of the time) and pick-and-rolls (20.5% of the time). His 0.95 PPP on isolations ranked in the top half of the class, while his obscene 1.438 PPP on pick-and-rolls was so far ahead of everyone else, none of whom posted a PPP higher than 1.0.

Irving didn't see much time playing off the ball (13.5% of possessions spotting up and 1.9% of possessions off screens), but he posted above average efficiency in both areas, and clearly has the spot-up shooting ability and range to be a serious off-ball threat.

Irving's jump shot numbers on the whole are incredibly impressive, as once again he leads all guards with a 1.226 points per shot, with him shooting a near equal amount of pull-up and spot-up jumpers. Continuing with the trend, Irving also lives up to his billing as a phenomenal finisher at the basket, with him once again leading the pack with a 1.5 points per shot around the basket in the halfcourt.

One last interesting note for Irving is that 25% of his possessions came in transition, the highest of any player in the class. He drew a free-throw on a ridiculous 34.6% of those transition possessions, well above the next ranked player, Brad Wanamaker at 25.0%.

All things said, Irving appears to be the cream of the crop in virtually every statistical category, with halfcourt turnover percentage (15.4% of possessions) being the only major category he ranks in the middle, as opposed to the top, of the class. Not only does Irving excel in so many individual categories, but his distribution of possessions is also inclined towards shots that are normally of the highest efficiency (free-throws and three-pointers), giving him the potential to be an extremely dangerous and proficient NBA player.

Irving's small sample size obviously tempers the enthusiasm some for his extremely high numbers, and adjusting to a less ball-dominant role may be necessary in the pros, but it's clear Irving has a highly developed skill set that is already refined to playing winning basketball, and his versatility and comfort in the pick-and-roll could make his style fit even better in the NBA than it did in the NCAA.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...#ixzz1Px5nLXcA

http://www.draftexpress.com

[godspeed]

Iriving easily is the most prolific guard this year stats-wise

I don't know if it's easily, and prolific?? He would have to be very above and beyond in every stat category. Knight has a pretty similair stat line, and Kemba, Burks, Jimmer, Klay all have pretty solid stat lines and can fill the stats category's as well.

I think they are looking at the bigger picture, not soley on the stat line with Irving.

[godspeed]

For the record not bullshit stats either, genuine production.

He also has a very solid, talented well coached team around him. Just saying. I think he is good solid player, but can't see him that above and beyond other players in the draft.

[A Tasty Burgerr]

He also has a very solid, talented well coached team around him. Just saying. I think he is good solid player, but can't see him that above and beyond other players in the draft.

His shooting percentages in all types of situations and ability to get to the foul line are way ahead of anyone else. I think the only other point guard prospect I see being close to him in the NBA is Kemba.