McLemore? If they're already drafting over him, it's not a good sign on what they spent to get him last season.

 

While that might be true, it doesn't mean that picking Stauskas is bad. I think you corrected yourself later int he post by saying if they get rid of one its a good pick, but the reality is that they need to upgrade that position no matter who is already on the roster. Ben McLemore is the bust, not Stauskas. Stauskas was a good pick and had they not picked him, Charlotte most certainly was going to with the 9th pick.

 

I am not sure about anyone thinking his "swagger issues" or "throwing a shoe into the stands"would be a problem, but he is the furthest player possible from being a locker room issue or cancer. He riles up away team fans and that's about it.

 

While Vonleh would have been a safe pick as well, picking Stauskas at 8 definitely wasn't a stretch IMO. I think every team from 8-13 would have selected him.

While that might be true, it doesn't mean that picking Stauskas is bad. I think you corrected yourself later int he post by saying if they get rid of one its a good pick, but the reality is that they need to upgrade that position no matter who is already on the roster. Ben McLemore is the bust, not Stauskas. Stauskas was a good pick and had they not picked him, Charlotte most certainly was going to with the 9th pick.

 

I am not sure about anyone thinking his "swagger issues" or "throwing a shoe into the stands"would be a problem, but he is the furthest player possible from being a locker room issue or cancer. He riles up away team fans and that's about it.

 

While Vonleh would have been a safe pick as well, picking Stauskas at 8 definitely wasn't a stretch IMO. I think every team from 8-13 would have selected him.

 

 

Can promise I didn't "correct" it in editing the post in anyway that a regular user couldn't, and that if I had, it would show up as edited.

 

I'm unsure, but I think we may be getting confused between my blurb on Stauskus and my reply to Clyde's post too. My apologies if I wasn't clear about what I was referring to (the reply to Clyde).

 

If they move McLemore or Stauskas, then the pick makes tons more sense. I'm not really convinced that a trade that gets value for one of those two in the same way a trade involving Payton or Vonleh is much of a slam dunk though. I do think Rondo is going to be on the move after the Celtics took Smart, and that the Kings are a likely landing spot, I'm just not sure they take McLemore or Stauskas as anything more than a filler. I do think the Celtics would be more interested in a lineup with Smart, Bradley, Young, Olynyk, and Vonleh than they would the same lineup with Stauskas or McLemore instead of Vonleh and a logjam of wing-types that has to relying heavily on Smart as a true rookie point.

 

To add, I wasn't aware that Charlotte was going to take Stauskas at #9, so, if true, that does change the equation some as well.

 

 

Personally, I'm not convinced McLemore is a huge bust, at least not at this point in his career. He had a 48.5% True Shooting Percentage, a 44.6% Effective FG%, shot 32% from 3, and 42% on corner 3's (Link Here). Even if he is a huge bust, I don't know why anyone wants him in a trade knowing that.

 

For comparison, here are the same numbers for Ray Allen as a rookie, 54.1% True Shooting Percentage, a 49.4% Effective FG%, shot 39.3% from 3, and 50% on corner 3's (in 2001, his fifth year in the league because data doesn't go back that to his rookie year on corner 3's).

 

Now, I'm not by any means comparing McLemore to Allen (maybe the best pure shooter of his generation) when it comes to their volume of shots or the other things they did to help their team, but you can probably also see how they compare in terms of shooting from deep. Sacramento doesn't need McLemore to be a Ray Allen. They just need him to be a shooter, to improve defensively, and to round out his offensive game a little more in terms of midrange game or getting to the cup. A more realistic comparison for what the Kings would probably love to have out of McLemore would be Kyle Korver's rookie year (link here).

 

 

As for any concerns I expressed about his attitude or demeanor, I was more or less just implying that Stauskas is a fiery guy who has a competitive streak and doesn't seem like the type who is afraid to speak his mind or be demonstrative with his emotions. Given that, I don't know if Sacto, which is by all accounts a fairly toxic locker room culture as is, would be the best fit for him.

Wasn't sure where to post this, but I loved these thoughts.

 

http://www.wdrb.com/story/25890724/bozich-five-winners-and-losers-from-the-nba-draft

When will Embiid be ready to play? I saw something last night that said not until January. When is Noel back?

When will Embiid be ready to play? I saw something last night that said not until January. When is Noel back?

 

5-8 months...

When will Embiid be ready to play? I saw something last night that said not until January. When is Noel back?

 

 

Embiid is projected to be out 4-6 months. Nerlens is ready to go now.

Utah: Dante Exum:

 

I’m not as in love with this one as the analysts seem to be. Not sure what his actual position ends up being, and I’m not sure it’s really good to be labeled a “tweener” like he is when it comes to the middle ground between a 1 and 2. For me, the ideal “tweeners” are more often going to end up being someone stuck between a 2 and 3 or a 4 and 5, not someone stuck between a 1 and 2 or a 3 and 4.

 

If I’m a Jazz fan, I worry that he’s not faced the kind of competition that’s going to prepare him for what he’s about to see. Further, I worry about the kind of expectations that will be placed on him from Day 1. He’s inevitably going to end up being compared against guards who went behind him like Smart and Payton. He’ll also be judged on how he produces compared to Randle, Vonleh, and even guys like McDermott or Young. That’s just the nature of the draft.

 

Exum had a great performance at the Nike Hoops Summit, but so did Bismack Biyombo, Enes Kanter, Donatas Motiejunas, and a host of others who haven’t exactly panned out in the pros. People make mistakes on these guys because they see them in a single high school all star game, fall in love with their measurables and combines. What’s likely most important though, is that unlike their domestic counterparts, teams don’t have huge frames of reference for them. No one has seen him as many times as they have Smart or Payton. The latter have had analysts poke holes in their games, assistants in big time collegiate programs were given time to study tape and devise game plans, etc.

 

We’ve got a guy we don’t know much about outside of a performance in a high school all-star game. CHECK.

 

Teams are relying heavily on individual workouts and combine numbers, which aren’t a great indicator of performance on the floor, especially in relation to how he’ll do against top competition. CHECK.

 

He’s being taken high, even over a proven guy like Marcus Smart in a loaded draft. CHECK.

 

The best quote I’ve read on Exum (LINK: Ryen Russillo?s NBA Draft Confidential: Real Scouts on Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh, and Aaron Gordon «), “you can look like a hero or get fired for taking this kid, that’s who he is”. Pardon me, but I think I’ll play safety and go with labeling him a bust, then later eat crow if I’m wrong about him. The odds seem to be in my favor.

 

Today I'm driving on the evening commute and hear the ESPN radio crew already talking about potential buyer's remorse. No one wants to miss on the next big thing, but it's different when you are the one who has just pulled the trigger.

I watched as much film on Exum as I could find. That cat is as right handed as Randle is left. Pass.