the_ouskull
6/25/2010, 10:25 AM
Had one H*LL of a draft night.
- Traded two late first-round picks for the 11th overall pick, KU's Cole Aldrich, and Morris Peterson from the Hornets. Interior defense? Check. Rebounding? Check. Wing athleticism? Check. Outside shooting? Check. Needs? Addressed. In addition, with our backcourt growing more crowded, Mo Pete's $6 million expiring contract looks tasty in trade talks too. (Thank you for that report, Alliteration Man.)
- Traded a "potential" type player in Eric Bledsoe to the Clippers for a future (lottery-protected) first-rounder.
I actually kinda don't like this pick. I mean, if we're going ahead with Westbrook as the point of the future and Maynor as his backup that we'll develop until he gets too good, then trade, then it makes sense... I get that side of it. Bledsoe is a project, and we're sitting on ESTABLISHED young talent at the same position. BUT... Getting a lottery-protected pick from the Clippers? Did Sterling sell the team or something? What's the point of a lottery-protected pick from the Clippers? It's like telling my (non-existent) girlfriend, "Honey, I promise, I'll never cheat on you with anybody except Scarlett Johansson." How often does THAT number get dialed?
But, regardless, it's a Clippers first-rounder, so, even non-lottery, we're looking at something in the high teens, maybe as soon as this season, even, depending on how well their guards hold up out there.
- Tibor Pleiss. This guy has a ridiculous amount of potential. Weight/Strength, Stamina, and Athleticism are all that he's really short on. All of those can be improved upon quickly. He's 7'0", weighs 220, and can fly around the court making bad sh*t happen for the other team's offense. Also, he's only 20, which makes him young... but he grew up in another country, which should help his maturity a bit. And, with our being a young team, and OKC not being as intimidating a foreign city as others, he may very well stay here to develop. He's no B.J. Mullens, guys.
- Ryan Reid. I freaking LOVE this pick.
Take a guy, a well-built (6'8", 232) hard-working guy, and tell him, "If you remain humble, hard-working, and bust your butt to make these guys look good, you're going to have a job where you would have never had one like this before. Don't do those things, and we don't sign you, 'cause you're an unguaranteed second-round pick." What do YOU think is going to happen?
Watch. This guy will become our Kurt Rambis... and just in time for the other one (Collison) to start eying the exit, too. By the time Reid's developed enough of an offensive game (maybe in the D-league) to not be a Sefolosha, (sorry, I misspelled "liability") then it'll be time for Collison to jog on. And yes, they play different positions, Reid and Collison. But, seriously, in Reid's case, he can defend the post and the perimeter, whereas Collison is only good for some limited post defense - limited by his height. With Reid in, we have perimeter defense that can switch off from time to time, something Collison cannot do. This will help all of our rotations as well as Ibaka's penchant for fouling when helping from the weak side. (And yes, it's a LOT of speculation for a guy that may never even make the team, but willing role-players are rare in this "gimme mine" world, and I really like the kid...)
He wasn't SUPER highly-recruited, but he was highly-recruited by some big-time schools, and he went from all of that to being a role player in college. Now, he's got a shot to extend his role-player career in the pros. (And don't think that Leonard Hamilton's influence didn't help this kid get drafted, either...) I think he'll step up and take it. Oh, and good luck trying to get into a fight with Durant with this guy around now. Jus' sayin'.
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A Likely Opening Day Roster/Depth Chart:
1 - Westbrook / Maynor / Cook
2 - Harden / Peterson / Sefolosha
3 - Durant / Sefolosha / Reid
4 - Green / Kristic / White
5 - Ibaka / Aldrich / Collison
My Ideal:
1 - Westbrook / Maynor
2 - Harden / Cook
3 - Durant / Reid
4 - Ibaka / Green
5 - Aldrich / Pleiss
Either way, we're not looking at a championship roster. We're still too perimeter-oriented. However, with the potential improvement of Ibaka and Aldrich's post scoring, by next season, we could be a team capable of getting those occasional scores in the "running game," to complement our perimeter game.
Also, I think that, with the additions of Aldrich and Reid, and the continued development of Ibaka, our high screen/roll game is going to be even better at producing points in the paint or free throws. Both of those newcomers are scrappy, screen-setting fools, and Aldrich especially can roll off of them towards the basket like a man possessed. Boston got to the Finals with KG and Perkins doing this for Rondo and Pierce. Why can't we as well? Good basketball starts with separation.
Our roster now could start a potential All-Star in Westbrook, the number 3 overall pick last year in Harden, the NBA scoring champion in Durant, a player whose Bp36 would have landed him behind only Dwight Howard last season, and KU's all-time blocks leader.
And NONE of them are over 23 years old. Jus' sayin'.
This will be the year of Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka.
the_ouskull
- Traded two late first-round picks for the 11th overall pick, KU's Cole Aldrich, and Morris Peterson from the Hornets. Interior defense? Check. Rebounding? Check. Wing athleticism? Check. Outside shooting? Check. Needs? Addressed. In addition, with our backcourt growing more crowded, Mo Pete's $6 million expiring contract looks tasty in trade talks too. (Thank you for that report, Alliteration Man.)
- Traded a "potential" type player in Eric Bledsoe to the Clippers for a future (lottery-protected) first-rounder.
I actually kinda don't like this pick. I mean, if we're going ahead with Westbrook as the point of the future and Maynor as his backup that we'll develop until he gets too good, then trade, then it makes sense... I get that side of it. Bledsoe is a project, and we're sitting on ESTABLISHED young talent at the same position. BUT... Getting a lottery-protected pick from the Clippers? Did Sterling sell the team or something? What's the point of a lottery-protected pick from the Clippers? It's like telling my (non-existent) girlfriend, "Honey, I promise, I'll never cheat on you with anybody except Scarlett Johansson." How often does THAT number get dialed?
But, regardless, it's a Clippers first-rounder, so, even non-lottery, we're looking at something in the high teens, maybe as soon as this season, even, depending on how well their guards hold up out there.
- Tibor Pleiss. This guy has a ridiculous amount of potential. Weight/Strength, Stamina, and Athleticism are all that he's really short on. All of those can be improved upon quickly. He's 7'0", weighs 220, and can fly around the court making bad sh*t happen for the other team's offense. Also, he's only 20, which makes him young... but he grew up in another country, which should help his maturity a bit. And, with our being a young team, and OKC not being as intimidating a foreign city as others, he may very well stay here to develop. He's no B.J. Mullens, guys.
- Ryan Reid. I freaking LOVE this pick.
Take a guy, a well-built (6'8", 232) hard-working guy, and tell him, "If you remain humble, hard-working, and bust your butt to make these guys look good, you're going to have a job where you would have never had one like this before. Don't do those things, and we don't sign you, 'cause you're an unguaranteed second-round pick." What do YOU think is going to happen?
Watch. This guy will become our Kurt Rambis... and just in time for the other one (Collison) to start eying the exit, too. By the time Reid's developed enough of an offensive game (maybe in the D-league) to not be a Sefolosha, (sorry, I misspelled "liability") then it'll be time for Collison to jog on. And yes, they play different positions, Reid and Collison. But, seriously, in Reid's case, he can defend the post and the perimeter, whereas Collison is only good for some limited post defense - limited by his height. With Reid in, we have perimeter defense that can switch off from time to time, something Collison cannot do. This will help all of our rotations as well as Ibaka's penchant for fouling when helping from the weak side. (And yes, it's a LOT of speculation for a guy that may never even make the team, but willing role-players are rare in this "gimme mine" world, and I really like the kid...)
He wasn't SUPER highly-recruited, but he was highly-recruited by some big-time schools, and he went from all of that to being a role player in college. Now, he's got a shot to extend his role-player career in the pros. (And don't think that Leonard Hamilton's influence didn't help this kid get drafted, either...) I think he'll step up and take it. Oh, and good luck trying to get into a fight with Durant with this guy around now. Jus' sayin'.
-----
A Likely Opening Day Roster/Depth Chart:
1 - Westbrook / Maynor / Cook
2 - Harden / Peterson / Sefolosha
3 - Durant / Sefolosha / Reid
4 - Green / Kristic / White
5 - Ibaka / Aldrich / Collison
My Ideal:
1 - Westbrook / Maynor
2 - Harden / Cook
3 - Durant / Reid
4 - Ibaka / Green
5 - Aldrich / Pleiss
Either way, we're not looking at a championship roster. We're still too perimeter-oriented. However, with the potential improvement of Ibaka and Aldrich's post scoring, by next season, we could be a team capable of getting those occasional scores in the "running game," to complement our perimeter game.
Also, I think that, with the additions of Aldrich and Reid, and the continued development of Ibaka, our high screen/roll game is going to be even better at producing points in the paint or free throws. Both of those newcomers are scrappy, screen-setting fools, and Aldrich especially can roll off of them towards the basket like a man possessed. Boston got to the Finals with KG and Perkins doing this for Rondo and Pierce. Why can't we as well? Good basketball starts with separation.
Our roster now could start a potential All-Star in Westbrook, the number 3 overall pick last year in Harden, the NBA scoring champion in Durant, a player whose Bp36 would have landed him behind only Dwight Howard last season, and KU's all-time blocks leader.
And NONE of them are over 23 years old. Jus' sayin'.
This will be the year of Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka.
the_ouskull