Re: look at it this way

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

At 07:54 22/06/01 -0600, Gene Kirkpatrick wrote:
>you would feel worse about Kendrick Brown if you had ever seen the
>campus of Okaloosa-Walton JC.  Of course, I drove though a week after
>a hurricane a few years back.  But, just look at the possibles in the
>second ten.  Mostly stiffs or hopefuls or incomplete games with a few
>jewels (Richard Jefferson, for instance) in the mix.

I'd pay to see Jefferson in a one-on-one workout with Jason Richardson. 
Jefferson obviously schooled Richardson in the Final Four but that could 
have been a one-time affair. My feeling is that if you believe Jefferson 
can dribble well enough to play shooting guard (a job even Ron Mercer 
wasn't up for) then draft him without hesitation. But if he stays at small 
forward or fails to develop great shooting guard skills, Jefferson is 
probably just not going to be anything other than an undersized role player.

When it comes to Tweeners, I think you have to just block out of your mind 
some of their collegiate strengths, because a lot of those strengths 
totally evaporate at the pro level. They should not be factored into the 
equation. For example, Mercer could maybe turn the corner against a college 
small forward, but this can no longer be part of his game playing as an NBA 
guard. Similarly Fizer could outquick some college power forwards, but who 
cares? He was drafted to be a 6-7 NBA small forward and that's the ultimate 
(and only) basis for evaluating his upside. Either that or keep him at his 
natural position and hide him on the bench. Luckily Jefferson can play 
defense as you note...and probably will generate a little more offense than 
Bruce Bowen. ;-) But if he can't make shooting guard his natural position, 
don't draft him I say.

>So, if Brown has it all and the question is "can he take that game to the 
>NBA level?" then, I wouldn't mind trying him.  It looks like he's got the 
>game. Still, I don't see why he wouldn't be available at 21.  Unless 
>Wallace has some inside dope that he's moved up considerably, then I would 
>wait on him, just as I would wait on Gasol at 10.

When Brown's agent guaranteed his player will go in the top twenty, I 
assumed it meant one thing: namely that Portland made about as firm a 
pledge as can possibly be made to take him at #19 if he's still there. At 
the time he made this pledge, Boston probably wasn't even a suitor for 
Brown nor were any other teams #11 through #20.

If Wallace loves Brown that much, then I view it as kind of a gamble to 
trade down a few spots for an additional pick. We may lose out on both 
Brown and a quality player at #11 just to get an additional second rounder 
or something.

I actually think the FoxSports scenario is the most plausible: namely that 
Sagana Diop will fall to us at #10 (oops, we're all set at center with 
Blount and Vitaly) followed by Kendrick Brown at #11 and Omar Cook at #21. 
Three teenage dirtbags. Will they turn into three future Boston starters to 
play alongside the Pierce-Walker nucleus?

It might take awhile but two of them (Brown and Diop) may be able to help 
out soon on defense while the two captains get the green light to go for 60 
points every night. If Kendrick (or Joe Johnson if he's there) can play 
defense as adequately as Bryant Stith, then it seems like an overall 
upgrade at that spot.

If that's our draft day picture (Diop still available), I think the big 
question is whether Boston uses the 11th pick on Kedrick Brown, Troy Murphy 
or Radmanovic. That's not a bad position to be in.

There is a small chance that Tyson Chandler will be there instead. That 
poses a dilemma because he's a projected small forward with no small 
forward skills yet, and may need to gain 20 pounds before he gets to play 
at all. But Papile earlier said he loves him. Maybe even rates him one of 
the top-three players in the draft.

The other scenario has one among the top wing players (Joe Johnson, maybe 
Richardson, Battier, White) would slip to #10. If that happens I assume 
Boston will take whoever falls and pass on Kedrick Brown for a "second 
tier"  power forward (Murphy, Zach, Bradley), or else shock the world and 
choose Brown over them along with said power forward. It would be 
surprising if Boston drafted say Kedrick Brown AND Joe Johnson (or Brown 
and Jason Richardson) with the two picks. Wallace would catch a lot of heat 
for doing that, but right now I have a lot of faith in him (his quotes in 
the Papile article were right on).

The main thing is if Diop is there, we probably HAVE to take him at #10 if 
he checks out medically.

A shot blocking 7-foot center would make the idea of Walker staying at 
power forward yet another year seem a lot more palatable, and I sort of 
doubt we can bank on finding a future starting power forward who can defend 
or block shots or even rebound any better than Walker already does at that 
position from among the three who will be there (Murphy, Zach and Bradley). 
Diop available at #10 is probably the easiest and best scenario for Boston.

It lets them take a small forward next like Kedrick Brown or Radman. If 
Diop plays well enough, chances are both Battie and Moiso will be groomed 
as athletic starting power forwards down the road. Maybe neither will be as 
effective as Bradley, Murphy or Zach. Or maybe they will. In any case, we 
won't need much scoring from them anyway.

For another year at least, it will have to be Walker at power forward.

>  But recent news on Gasol looks like he will be gone.  Could we be 
> trading up for
>Pau and then taking Brown at #11?  My only concern is that it's hard
>to upgrade at #1 and #5 positions.  Are we missing a chance to
>solidify even one of those spots?  Come on, Chris.  Don't let us
>down.

Definitely it looks to be BPA (best player available).  I figure if Wallace 
is on the hot seat, he may as well go out in a total blaze of glory rather 
than settle on the fan's #1 choice Troy Murphy (whom they've worked out 
twice, and I can see them taking in certain scenarios).  Wallace should go 
get two guys that five years from now he can proudly point to and say, hey 
I drafted those two superstars a few weeks before I got fired!