Why would anyone be satisfied with a SF?

[Admin]

I just dont understand that. We have our SF of the future in Diaw. The only things that he needs to work on are his outside shot and his desire to take the open shots (which both got much better as the year went along). We also have Jax who is really primarily a SF (if we resign him). If we lose out on Jax, then we have JT either at the 1 or 2 depending upon who we draft, Diaw at the 3 and then plenty of room for improvement at the 4 and 5 positions. I think that the main focus on this draft, if we stand pat with our 2 picks should be PG and PF.

I am hoping for Livingston or Harris with the top pick and Varejão or Humphries with the 2nd pick. Thats if we dont move around in the draft.

[sinctybldh]

I like your thought process but I don't think you can discount Iguodala. The guy has major upside and could be looked at as one of the better players in this draft. Once he develops an outside shot, watch out.

[Admin]

I dont consider Iggy a SF though. I see him as a prototype SG, minus the outstanding outside shot. I see him and Diaw forming one of the best 2-3 defensive/ballhandling combos in the league. I would be thrilled with Iggy if both Gordon and Livingston are gone when we pick. I just dont want us picking Deng unless we are planning on moving Diaw.

[sinctybldh]

Agreed I will be pissed as all get out if we pick Deng and I am very concerned that we will get him or Childress. I don't want either of them.

[Admin]

and with Deng as another possibility. He says that Billy is enamored with Childress' ability to play multiple positions. I guess he sees him as a better Tayshaun Prince. If we can get him to play SG (which apparently he can) I would be fine with choosing him.

Insider Report on Childress:

Notes: Missed the first two months of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. Despite his frail build, missed the Pac-10 rebound title by one-tenth of a point. First team all-american this year. He's an early entry candidate. Has hired an agent, ending his college eligibility.

Upside: He's an outstanding pro prospects because of his long arms, athleticism, and guard-like skills at his size. He reminds some scouts of former NBA great George "The Ice Man" Gervin. He's a pretty complete package. He can shoot both the mid-range J and the 3-pointer. He has excellent ball-handling skills and can play the point-forward position. He's an excellent rebounder and good shot blocker for his position. He's an amazing defender because of his combination of lateral quickness and huge wingspan. When he's guarding players on the perimeter, it's like having a 7-footer on them. He has shut down several of the best players in the nation. He possess very good athleticism and is a heady type of player.

Downside: He's very thin and looks a little fragile at times, both physically and emotionally. He's a bit of a finesse player. Can get down on himself and lose his confidence. He could be more aggressive. At times he'll take over a game, at other times he'll fade into the background a bit. However, recently that's started to change, and Childress has begun dominating games.

Insider Projection: He's one of the hottest names in the draft right now and could up being a top 3 or 4 pick in the draft. There are very few people in college basketball or the NBA with his full complement of skills. Strength and aggressiveness are the only things holding him back at this point. Has worked out very well in Chicago and Charlotte but won't slip past Philly at No. 9.

[Traceman]

Even if you take away the aggressiveness issue, Diaw simply doesn't have the offensive skills that Deng possesses. I think Deng has All Star potential and I don't see that for Boris unless he changes his mentality. In addition, both Deng and Diaw will be able to play multiple positions so I don't see having them both as an issue. To me, having Deng and Diaw is no different than having JT and Gordon and I wouldn't have a problem with that either.

[Admin]

and that is that a Gordon/JT backcourt can score like crazy on anyone and you have to be able to score in this league to win. Honestly I wouldnt want to see that backcourt together though because Gordon doesnt have the size or defensive ability to make it successul.

The same goes for having Diaw/Deng together on the court at the same time. We would be very very good defensively with the two of them, but Diaw doesnt have the offensive ability to play SG and neither does Deng, so that would mean having to move Diaw to PG and JT to SG. That would work sometimes, but with JT being the only consistent outside shooter of those 3 we would struggle big time. I would be fine with drafting Deng if we traded Diaw for another lotto pick and used it on a PG or SG that can keep the defense honest.

[Weez]

what two positions does Deng play? You better not say sg...cause I don't see it. He's not reputed as a passer...and he doesn't have that much athleticism.

you're right, he could end up being better than Diaw. Personally, I'd rather have a guy who's grounded in fundamentals, has won a country's slam dunk contest (premier league), is a fluent passer, and has great interest in playing defense...

would I always take the safe bet vs. the "upside"? No. But Deng's got to a) learn to dribble with both hands/handles in general, b) to post up (as a sf), c) the game in general,as he didn't grow up playing it.

[Traceman]

credit for. He is a big kid with a HUGE wingspan. I think he could play some 4 down the road. He is already a great rebounder and he has a lot of heart. Did you see the Duke/U Conn game? He singlehandedly brought Duke back in that game and they almost came away with the win. He out fought Okafor for a couple of big boards, blocked a couple of shots and scored over Okafor's help D more than once. I think Deng is a winner and I'd love to have him.

[KB21]

Both players are around the same size (6'8", 230-240 lbs), and both players are very versatile. Mashburn came into the league with the ability to play the two, three, and the four. Good ball handler, good shooter with a mid range game and the ability to shoot off the dribble. Could finish on the fast break. Very polished post offensive game and a good defender on the perimeter.

Deng is the same type of player.

[Weez]

except Deng can't dribble.

I pose this question: I truly don't recall, but how "dominant" was Grant Hill post Laetner at Duke? How'd he play? Who else was with him? I can't recall at the moment...

Unless I'm completely off base, I see Childress as almost a complete of player. If it came down to Childress/Iggy...who would you take (for the sake of this argument, Deng is out, as I don't think he's worthy)?

[KB21]

He was an above average ball handler in the games I saw him, and every scouting report you read on him talks about his above average ball handling ability.

[DominiqueWilkins]

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I dont consider Iggy a SF though. I see him as a prototype SG, minus the outstanding outside shot. I see him and Diaw forming one of the best 2-3 defensive/ballhandling combos in the league. I would be thrilled with Iggy if both Gordon and Livingston are gone when we pick. I just dont want us picking Deng unless we are planning on moving Diaw.

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I agree, I only hear about Iggy being a shooting guard, and not a small forward in the NBA.

I pefer us to stay away from a small forward with the 6th pick.