The Great Debate: Trading down

[jmanvelocity]

Absoultely torn on this draft class. I follow the nba draft religiously (well every bobcats fan does) and i have to say i cant decide. so i was breaking it down and it looked like this in MY opinion

Oladipo
Mclemore
Bazz
Smart

so i looked at mock drafts (draftexpress, nbadraft.net, others) and it consensus shaped out to this:

Mclemore- 1
Smart- 4
Bazz- 5
Oladipo- 10

and i said to myself, well then my top guy is the lowest, my question is if we get the number 1 (or 2) how much value do you get from going down to 8-9-10 range?

i feel you could pull in Oladipo (LOVE his perfect style for this team) and either extra draft assets or some decent players. i personally think this is the way to go and this is why...

Mclemore- Silky 3, Athlete, WAY too passive
Bazz- Natural scorer, questionable for 2guard
Smart- Dont know to much about him apart from him being more of a point undersized 2
Oladipo- Nice 3 ball (not as good as Ben M.), insane motor, best defender in college, jumps out of gym, is a junior (mclemore is freshman but hes 21)

Id like to here opinions on this topic, by the way really unimpressed with big men in the top of this class so i am personally not condiering them.

Thanks for reading guys

[Wi11iWii]

I like Oladipo too but my gripe with him is that he is less skilled as a Junior than Mclemore and Bazz are as freshmen which speaks to their talent level and they have more potential than he does. But I too love his game. Oladipo has an insane motor and work ethic and that willingness to get better will surely make him great. But his shooting is still questionable as he shoots over 50% from deep but he doesn't take many 3's so his consistency is still into question. Can he maintain those numbers with more attempts?

Can Mclemore become more of a dominating offensive presence? Can he develop that killer instinct that the best scorers in the league have? What can Shabazz do on the defensive end? Will he be more than just a scorer. Everyone in this draft seems to have big question marks. The only big i like in this draft as a early lottery pick at least is Alex Len but i wouldn't even consider him with a top 3 pick.

I think you take the best available player. Only positions off limits are the 1 and 3. We are set there for now but we need help everywhere else but mostly the 2 especially if Henderson walks and we trade Ben Gordon like we're expected to. There is no consensus #1 pick in this draft which speaks to how even the talent is at the top of the draft. So the scouts surely have their work cut out for them.

[jmanvelocity]

I like Oladipo too but my gripe with him is that he is less skilled as a Junior than Mclemore and Bazz are as freshmen which speaks to their talent level and they have more potential than he does. But I too love his game. Oladipo has an insane motor and work ethic and that willingness to get better will surely make him great. But his shooting is still questionable as he shoots over 50% from deep but he doesn't take many 3's so his consistency is still into question. Can he maintain those numbers with more attempts?

Can Mclemore become more of a dominating offensive presence? Can he develop that killer instinct that the best scorers in the league have? What can Shabazz do on the defensive end? Will he be more than just a scorer. Everyone in this draft seems to have big question marks. The only big i like in this draft as a early lottery pick at least is Alex Len but i wouldn't even consider him with a top 3 pick.

I think you take the best available player. Only positions off limits are the 1 and 3. We are set there for now but we need help everywhere else but mostly the 2 especially if Henderson walks and we trade Ben Gordon like we're expected to. There is no consensus #1 pick in this draft which speaks to how even the talent is at the top of the draft. So the scouts surely have their work cut out for them.

i agree and with no clear cut #1 its tough to not trade the pick. its funny becuase i reaaly like otto porter but with mkg...

[gamecocksmitty4]

I'd rather get the Portland pick and trade that one up for two top 10 picks. Use Sessions, cap space, Hendo, whatever to move up around 8. This draft may not have many superstars but has a lot of talent still.

[dav7z]

I'd rather get the Portland pick and trade that one up for two top 10 picks. Use Sessions, cap space, Hendo, whatever to move up around 8. This draft may not have many superstars but has a lot of talent still.

Mc lemore has the most talent by far and is a safe pick with that shooting ability ,, Ray Allan ,, stroke . I would trade the #Portland pick up to around 4 or 5 and go after Zeller another safe pick . That address two positions of need and adds tons of scoring.Zeller is solid not a star but solid. Mclemore has all the tools to be star material and i feel is our best chance to draft a go to player.

[Wi11iWii]

Mc lemore has the most talent by far and is a safe pick with that shooting ability ,, Ray Allan ,, stroke . I would trade the #Portland pick up to around 4 or 5 and go after Zeller another safe pick . That address two positions of need and adds tons of scoring.Zeller is solid not a star but solid. Mclemore has all the tools to be star material and i feel is our best chance to draft a go to player.

You're spot on about Mclemore. If he doesn't develop at all and what we see now is a finished product then he is still a very valuable player who can hit 3's in bunches and chasedown in the open court for blocks and play the passing lanes. If he develops he can potentially be a top 5 SG in the league. It's rare to see a player this young with such immense athleticism who can shoot the way he does. The athletic guys normally can't hit water if they fell out of a boat. He has the purest shot in all of college basketball.

But i'd rather pick up Len than get Zeller simply because Zeller's t-rex arms concern me when it comes to reaching up for rebounds and contesting shots.

[dav7z]

You're spot on about Mclemore. If he doesn't develop at all and what we see now is a finished product then he is still a very valuable player who can hit 3's in bunches and chasedown in the open court for blocks and play the passing lanes. If he develops he can potentially be a top 5 SG in the league. It's rare to see a player this young with such immense athleticism who can shoot the way he does. The athletic guys normally can't hit water if they fell out of a boat. He has the purest shot in all of college basketball.

But i'd rather pick up Len than get Zeller simply because Zeller's t-rex arms concern me when it comes to reaching up for rebounds and contesting shots.

Agreeded but i expect some one to fall in love with a 7.1 large frame in this weak draft . Im thinking he falls no futher than 4th. Though i agree if possable hes the better pick . I fully expect Zellers stock to fall mabe as far as 14th for the reason you stated .He Has the makeings of a very good value pick.

[Wi11iWii]

Oh yeah. Zeller is solid on the offensive end showing good finesse moves in the post. He is a legit post scorer with a nice soft touch and can stick jump shots from mid range. He's incredibly bright too and his basketball IQ is tops for any big eligible for the draft in my opinion. He has great size and kind of makes up for the short arms with good instincts and quick hands. He could actually fall too because as Oladipo's stock rises, Zeller's falls.

[DashGlobal]

wish there was some way to come away from this draft with bazz or mclemore & bennett

[Wi11iWii]

Yeah I really like Bennett too. He's like the second coming of Grandmama.