2019 NBA Draft Lottery

[Ozone]

I would definitely trade down. I think Reddish or Coby White would be there at 8. Then I would take Goga or Hachimura at 10. While still hoping that we can move JRs contract for a pick in the teens.

Reddish might get picked at 7 to CHI but it would only be if White,Culver and Garland are gone already imo. White really has a minimal chance of sliding to 8 and probably goes 6th to PHO.
Hachimura is older and still more raw than Sekou who is the youngest player in the draft , I would not touch Rui in the lottery.
Goga only makes sense with absolute locked up roster moves reducing the number of 5's on the roster, and as much as I like his game, don't see him as a target for Cavs even in a trade down scenario.Maybe in a trade up one but would probably be gone before any pick they could get from Smith's contract was on the clock.
I have a lot of hard stances regarding available players for the Cavs and think a lot of people are overlooking Sekou,Kevin Porter and to some degree White are all in the mix at 4 to LA and are definitely in the mix for Cavs at 5.
Porter,Bol & Sekou are not the project boom bust picks they are made out to be, and they possess the "it" factor missing on 99% of the prospects in this draft outside of Zion and Ja. Garland & White have it to some degree as well.
Bol's impact if he does not have a bad medical report and questions are answered about his motivation and desire etc make him a huge trade chip if nothing else given the roster with too many 5's already.

 

[Nathan S]

Reddish might get picked at 7 to CHI but it would only be if White,Culver and Garland are gone already imo. White really has a minimal chance of sliding to 8 and probably goes 6th to PHO.
Hachimura is older and still more raw than Sekou who is the youngest player in the draft , I would not touch Rui in the lottery.
Goga only makes sense with absolute locked up roster moves reducing the number of 5's on the roster, and as much as I like his game, don't see him as a target for Cavs even in a trade down scenario.Maybe in a trade up one but would probably be gone before any pick they could get from Smith's contract was on the clock.
I have a lot of hard stances regarding available players for the Cavs and think a lot of people are overlooking Sekou,Kevin Porter and to some degree White are all in the mix at 4 to LA and are definitely in the mix for Cavs at 5.
Porter,Bol & Sekou are not the project boom bust picks they are made out to be, and they possess the "it" factor missing on 99% of the prospects in this draft outside of Zion and Ja. Garland has it to some degree as well.

Not the biggest Rui fan...but...no prospect is more raw than Sekou right now. He's been a total non-factor so far today in a win-or-go-home situation, and that's been the norm for him this season. He needs at least another year developing overseas, probably two, before he'll be ready for NBA minutes.

 

[Ozone]

Not the biggest Rui fan...but...no prospect is more raw than Sekou right now. He's been a total non-factor so far today in a win-or-go-home situation, and that's been the norm for him this season. He needs at least another year developing overseas, probably two, before he'll be ready for NBA minutes.

He is not raw like you are suggesting and certainly not the most raw.
Calling him raw is kind of a headscratcher considering how much he can do with the basketball despite some in game decision rawness that can easily be cleaned up.He is not 2 yrs away from playing in the NBA. He is 2 years away from having a major impact,which to me is inevitable and well worth the wait.
As far as the non factor claim , it's not the norm. His ability to make plays defensively take it coast to coast ,hit 3's and as a cutter is very high level type stuff. He is not a initiator or a high iq player either, but that wouldn't be his role as a hybrid 3/4 anyway. here is a game clip against the same team in March:View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VolXL3I6GKo

 

[inliner311]

I like where your head is at with that. I happen to think that four(4) 1st round picks in one draft is too many. I wouldn’t mind seeing this type of deal with Atlanta:

#5 pick, #26 pick, & JR Smith to Atlanta for Miles Plumlee, #8 pick, #10 pick, and our 2020 1st round pick back.

That seems like a fair deal for both sides.

I think you take first round picks when teams are willing to give them up now. If it happens that teams are willing to let them go in this year's draft and we have the chance to bring in 3 or 4, I think we have to do it.

I think the next trend in the NBA is trying to bring in an influx of young talent quickly. Take your shots at draft picks and hope you hit on enough stars and talent to then be able to turnover the rest of the players in trade before the stars get off their rookie contract and onto their second contracts.

If large markets can make superteams thru free agency. Small markets if they want to be a contender will need to do what Philly did with getting Butler and Harris before Simmons rookie contract was up.

 

[Nathan S]

He is not raw like you are suggesting and certainly not the most raw.
Calling him raw is kind of a headscratcher considering how much he can do with the basketball despite some in game decision rawness that can easily be cleaned up.He is not 2 yrs away from playing in the NBA. He is 2 years away from having a major impact,which to me is inevitable and well worth the wait.
As far as the non factor claim , it's not the norm. His ability to make plays defensively take it coast to coast ,hit 3's and as a cutter is very high level type stuff. He is not a initiator or a high iq player either, but that wouldn't be his role as a hybrid 3/4 anyway. here is a game clip against the same team in March:View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VolXL3I6GKo

He had some good games, as all prospects have, but big picture he averaged 7 points and 3 boards per game against roughly major-conference NCAA level competition. He was the 5th or 6th best player on his team. If he was producing at this level in college, as an 18 year old, the consensus take would be that he's an interesting prospect but should stay in school another year to hone his skills. Bringing him into the NBA at this stage would make no sense; he's just not ready physically or mentally, and shuffling back and forth between the D-League and 5-minute garbage time stints in the NBA isn't ideal for his development.

 

[Ozone]

He had some good games, as all prospects have, but big picture he averaged 7 points and 3 boards per game against roughly major-conference NCAA level competition. He was the 5th or 6th best player on his team. If he was producing at this level in college, as an 18 year old, the consensus take would be that he's an interesting prospect but should stay in school another year to hone his skills. Bringing him into the NBA at this stage would make no sense; he's just not ready physically or mentally, and shuffling back and forth between the D-League and 5-minute garbage time stints in the NBA isn't ideal for his development.

I think you are undervaluing his ability going forward. I mean if what you were saying was true which it isn't , why is he considered a lottery pick ? What he has done to improve his skillset in a short time despite having a ways to go along with Westbrook speed, Siakim + upside , similarities to Giannis at the same age and really just a very underrated athleticism and body control make him primed at this point in his development to be molded in a perfect system player for whomever takes him that can make huge defensive plays and turn them into instant offense from day 1. I think if the Cavs are smart enough to take him they will give him plenty of rotation minutes his first season and yes will give him plenty of time developing in their system in Canton.
If they don't want to go the route of developing a high ceiling target, and want the easier route of taking a higher floor more NBA ready player , I wouldn't blame them, but it's not the smartest move long term if your in the business of building a contender.

 

[Nathan S]

I think you are undervaluing his ability going forward. I mean if what you were saying was true which it isn't , why is he considered a lottery pick ? What he has done to improve his skillset in a short time despite having a ways to go along with Westbrook speed, Siakim + upside , similarities to Giannis at the same age and really just a very underrated athleticism and body control make him primed at this point in his development to be molded in a perfect system player for whomever takes him that can make huge defensive plays and turn them into instant offense from day 1. I think if the Cavs are smart enough to take him they will give him plenty of rotation minutes his first season and yes will give him plenty of time developing in their system in Canton.
If they don't want to go the route of developing a high ceiling target, and want the easier route of taking a higher floor more NBA ready player , I wouldn't blame them, but it's not the smartest move long term if your in the business of building a contender.

I don't think anyone expected him to struggle so badly this season, and since no one in the states pays attention to Euro basketball, no one's noticed how much he struggled yet. He's not as crazy athletically as people seem to think...he's in many ways pretty similar to Reddish, though his age does give him a little more upside. I think he's likely to be a good 3&D guy eventually, but I want more than that from a lottery pick.

 

[Ozone]

I don't think anyone expected him to struggle so badly this season, and since no one in the states pays attention to Euro basketball, no one's noticed how much he struggled yet. He's not as crazy athletically as people seem to think...he's in many ways pretty similar to Reddish, though his age does give him a little more upside. I think he's likely to be a good 3&D guy eventually, but I want more than that from a lottery pick.

See that's where I differ from most regarding him in the NBA. He is already a legit 3 & D player and that portion of his game is his floor not his ceiling.
I am not confident he will ever be a elite initiator or pace controller, but I think his athleticism although not exceptionally explosive vertically is very twitchy and explosive through speed and cuts. He makes a ton of weak side blocks based on a high level of anticipation skill and awareness, same goes for dirty work put backs.
I see him as being just as impactful as Siakim has been for Toronto this season in as soon as 2 years. That is a quality value player at #5 in a weak draft.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

See that's where I differ from most regarding him in the NBA. He is already a legit 3 & D player and that portion of his game is his floor not his ceiling.

Absolutely not.

His 3 and his D are both still very suspect.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

See that's where I differ from most regarding him in the NBA. He is already a legit 3 & D player and that portion of his game is his floor not his ceiling.
I am not confident he will ever be a elite initiator or pace controller, but I think his athleticism although not exceptionally explosive vertically is very twitchy and explosive through speed and cuts. He makes a ton of weak side blocks based on a high level of anticipation skill and awareness, same goes for dirty work put backs.
I see him as being just as impactful as Siakim has been for Toronto this season in as soon as 2 years. That is a quality value player at #5 in a weak draft.

ridiculous.

Also, you can't label someone legit 3 & D player after watching him against such competition and not even excel at it in that area. Most young europeans struggle from nba range early on. He certainly doesn't have nba 3 yet, certainly not with this form.

 

[sailfish]

I think you take first round picks when teams are willing to give them up now. If it happens that teams are willing to let them go in this year's draft and we have the chance to bring in 3 or 4, I think we have to do it.

I think the next trend in the NBA is trying to bring in an influx of young talent quickly. Take your shots at draft picks and hope you hit on enough stars and talent to then be able to turnover the rest of the players in trade before the stars get off their rookie contract and onto their second contracts.

If large markets can make superteams thru free agency. Small markets if they want to be a contender will need to do what Philly did with getting Butler and Harris before Simmons rookie contract was up.

I understand what you’re saying. However, you also have to consider that Simmons was the #1 overall pick and Embiid was a top 3 pick. The chances of picking a superstar in the top 3 is obviously much greater than picking outside the top 5, as the Cavs are doing.

Additionally, picking outside the lottery, chances are you’re picking non-starter types, who you hope can be a part of the rotation one day. How many of those types do you want? I’d rather spread the picks around over multiple years, as some drafts can be stronger than others.

 

[inliner311]

I understand what you’re saying. However, you also have to consider that Simmons was the #1 overall pick and Embiid was a top 3 pick. The chances of picking a superstar in the top 3 is obviously much greater than picking outside the top 5, as the Cavs are doing.

Additionally, picking outside the lottery, chances are you’re picking non-starter types, who you hope can be a part of the rotation one day. How many of those types do you want? I’d rather spread the picks around over multiple years, as some drafts can be stronger than others.

It going to be harder to get those high lotto picks now because of the odds. It's more finding diamonds in the rough and we will have to sort thru possible getting non-starters. I think it will be important to try to package those players to still get value out of them.

Alot of us have already discussed how having Beilein should hopefully help develop and grow players regardless of where they were drafted. Koby has to do his part to in evaluating talent to draft and when is the right time to let certain players go to maximize their value.

I think if you only take two players a draft it's alot like Chris Grant's drafting strategy. We passed up alot of good players because he only thought the staff could handle two rookies at a time. We didn't have much to show either after those 4 years.

I think it's better to go get 3 or 4 guys in the draft and let them develop together/against each other. The best players will shine and maybe you get some busts along the way, but at least your not passing up talent when you can have it. They are on our team to develop instead of on another team where we will be mad about missing on them.

 

[Nathan S]

See that's where I differ from most regarding him in the NBA. He is already a legit 3 & D player and that portion of his game is his floor not his ceiling. I am not confident he will ever be a elite initiator or pace controller, but I think his athleticism although not exceptionally explosive vertically is very twitchy and explosive through speed and cuts. He makes a ton of weak side blocks based on a high level of anticipation skill and awareness, same goes for dirty work put backs.
I see him as being just as impactful as Siakim has been for Toronto this season in as soon as 2 years. That is a quality value player at #5 in a weak draft.

Gonna take issue with this in particular. He is absolutely not a legit 3&D player right now. In NBA history, few if any players were so outlandishly talented that they were legit 3&D players at age 18, and he's not one of them. Those are just his most projectable NBA skills, as far as I can tell. About half of his FGA are from 3, and he's making them at over 30%...that, combined with his solid foul shooting, suggests that he'll probably be a competent NBA 3-point shooter in time. He also appears to be a competent 1-on-1 defender in the French league, which suggests that he could be a competent or good 1-on-1 defender in the NBA someday.

Unlike Siakam, though, he's not a very useful rebounder/shot blocker...his rebound rate is about half of what Siakam averaged as a freshman, and his block rate is significantly less than half of what Siakam averaged. If he's just a league-average rebounder/shot blocker for a PF by the time he's in his prime, that would have to be considered a success. Has the same thing as Reddish where he just gets out-muscled by most bigs without putting up a great fight.

 

[Ozone]

ridiculous.

Also, you can't label someone legit 3 & D player after watching him against such competition and not even excel at it in that area. Most young europeans struggle from nba range early on. He certainly doesn't have nba 3 yet, certainly not with this form.

the competition he faces is not any worse than Ja faced. Hasn't hurt his stock any.
My feeling is his role is ltd and his criticism high because he lacks a dribble drive which needs to be developed if he wants to play the 3, but his impact overall as subtle as it has been in half court settings is on the contrary very impressive in the open court for a modern 4 that can stretch the floor and face guard 1-5.Run the floor faster than most bigs in the nba etc.
I acknowledged my opinion is higher than most. and I don't care what most think

 

[bleachkit]

I like where your head is at with that. I happen to think that four(4) 1st round picks in one draft is too many. I wouldn’t mind seeing this type of deal with Atlanta:

#5 pick, #26 pick, & JR Smith to Atlanta for Miles Plumlee, #8 pick, #10 pick, and our 2020 1st round pick back.

That seems like a fair deal for both sides.

Atl would not need to include the 2020 pick. The only way Atl would do that is if they really covet a player at #5. Otherwise, why not just keep #8 and #10? Two bites of the apple are better than one in a weak draft.