RE: draft prospects

[OzerskyJA <OzerskyJA@cmog.org>]

Inappropriate for me to wax knowing on Joe Johnson, but FWIW I don't
buy those "lazy/unmotivated" jeers.  First of all, the guy is a freshman.
Very few freshman are like Rodney White or Joe Forte, full-blown stars 
right away.  But more importantly, I like the way this guy plays in gear;
he reminds me of Alex English, the way he never seems to explode or exert
himself, but then you look up and he's scored thirty points on you.  He
is a very cerebral player with a great feel for the game, a great handle,
terrific court vision, and when the workouts start you'll see him back in 
the top ten.  (Cisse will be top sixteen).  The guy I expect to drop
somewhat
is Chandler, who is far too raw at this stage to be anything but a long-term
project.  Wallace too, although project swingmen see more time than project
centers. Former McDonald's MVP randolph will have his suitors in the top ten
as well.  We'll have to see with Rodney White; but even after hearing the
hype
I'm still pscyhed about Joe Johnson.  I find him much more interesting as a 
player than a lot of these guys who make faces throughout the game.  Tim
Duncan,
you'll remember, was also accused of being a cold fish.

-----Original Message-----
From: Hironaka [mailto:j.hironaka@unesco.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 11:00 AM
To: Thomas Murphy
Cc: Celtic list
Subject: Re: draft prospects


Thomas Murphy wrote:

> Saw this at TSN http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/draft/
>
> What do you guys who follow college hoops closely think?
>
> 10.  Jeff Trepagnier  USC  G
> He is a high-flyer who was one of the most impressive players at the
> seniors-only Nike Desert Classic, the first of the predraft camps.

    Seeing Sam Clancy, Trepagnier and Brian Scalabrine all rise up into the
bubble first rounder status on most mock drafts, I feel less bad that the
Troy
Bell and the BC Eagles failed to "Beat LA" (USC) in the NCAA tournament. I'm
kind of shocked Trepagnier ranks this high on TSN, he sounds like a Kris
Clack, Harold Minor, Kenny Gregory type one-dimensional highlight film type
player. Who knows? His name sounds suspiciously French.

> 11.  Rodney White*  Charlotte  F
> He only spent one year in college, but it was productive. He was named
> freshman of the year by several publications after averaging 19 points and
> leading Charlotte to the NCAA tournament. Scouts, however, like White's
> size -- 6-10, 235 -- and potential much more than his college numbers.

    Ideally, it would be very nice to see another double-double rebounder,
shotblocker or defender in the starting lineup to play alongside Antoine.
Although Rodney White fits none of those categories, he's one of those that
might have the talent of a top-three lotto pick if he stayed an extra year
in
college. You could project him increasing his rebounding and scoring
considerably had he stayed. How he fits in with the Celts isn't clear, but
who
cares if he's the best player available?

    I'm fighting a sinking feeling that the draft is only 9-deep. But
afterall
doesn't it always seem like that EVERY year, even if that proves to be far
from the reality (as with the Paul Pierce draft)?

    FWIW, here are nine guys just out of our reach, in my view (Battier,
Kwame
Brown, Curry, Griffin, Rodney White, Jason Richardson, Tyson Chandler, Diop,
Zach Randolph). No doubt one or more of these names will fall, or we'll find
something even better at #10 and #11. Clearly the top college center or
power
forward performers this year will be available (Bradley, Murphy, Woods,
Heywood), a scenario that is pretty uncommon in most NBA drafts. I'd frankly
be disappointed if we end up with Pau Gasol and say Michael Bradley, but who
knows they could turn out to be the best players. You never know.

    The third Celts pick right now is actually one of the most intriguing
(I've variously heard it reported as the 21st, 22nd, or 24th pick), since
you've got names like Ousmane Cisse, Omar Cook, Gerald Wallace, Joe Forte,
Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson and Tayshaun Prince still bunched in that draft
range on many boards (although any could move up). These guys are all
underclassmen who haven't even finished growing physically or as players,
which makes it very exciting. I hope Wallace invites a long list of players
for individual workouts, not just the guys projected to go in the lottery.

    If Cisse can rebound and play NBA defense, he'll play. Cook sounds like
a
6-1 version of Toine, glaring at refs and opponents. He could be very
productive though, but I do think you need a point guard of character and
maturity to take charge of a team like the Celtics. And he'll need to be
able
to shoot to get off the bench. Jason Williams completely destroyed him this
year...ate him alive.  Forte and especially Arenas both seem to have
potential
Joe Dumars combo-guard skills, IMO well worth the "risk" of taking these
tweeners if they are available. I've read in several places that Joe Johnson
is one of the least motivated players in the draft, and has disappointed
many
scouts this year. It's a talent league though, and maybe he'd also be well
worth the risk at that stage of the draft. My point is that the third pick
might even turn out to be the best of the three picks down the road. It
could
happen. Boston should scout for that pick as diligently as if it were their
only pick in the draft.

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