Mock Draft

[Beeazlebub]

Put on your objective NBA general manager hat for a moment and imagine picking Diamond Stone or Thomas Bryant before AJ Hammons. Now imagine how many drugs you would need to be using in order to make such a myopic decision.

Gary Parrish mock draft

 

[mathboy]

The two picks that stood out to me was Detonya Davis at #16 and Caris LeVert at #21. I would pick neither of these guys in the first round. Detonya has not impressed me to date, and Caris has been hurt for most of this past year. Both are second rounders at best.

He also has Bryant going to the Bull in the first round at #23. Bryant is a good player with a great motor, but I thought AJ outplayed him. If you draft on potential, then I think any argument for or against is basically unprovable. If it were my dime, I'd take AJ over Bryant, but I could be thinking like a homer on this one.

 

[BoilerFan#35]

He will be a 1st rounder. You can't teach his level of footwork and blocking ability. He is so skilled... I could see an organization like the Spurs disregarding his age and taking him in the first round.

 

[FirstDownB]

It's the NBA, a super star driven league. One guy can change the fortune of an entire franchise. The draft, in particular the first round, is all about trying to find that next transcendent player. The book on AJ is he has more or less reached his potential. The book on Stone and Bryant is they are young with potentially higher ceilings. So, its really all about potential, which is why draft order more closely resembles their college recruiting rank than actual production.

 

[Boiledin90]

Put on your objective NBA general manager hat for a moment and imagine picking Diamond Stone or Thomas Bryant before AJ Hammons. Now imagine how many drugs you would need to be using in order to make such a myopic decision.

Gary Parrish mock draft

Hammons challenge is less about his college skill vs. these other guys but more about his translation to the NEW NBA...7 footers who are basket protectors, back to the basket guys are simply not in vogue right now...still, hope someone takes the chance and gives him the opportunity. Wonder if the "experts" see Stone and Bryant being more in the mode of Pacer's Miles Turner than Hammons?

 

[*4purdue*]

Put on your objective NBA general manager hat for a moment and imagine picking Diamond Stone or Thomas Bryant before AJ Hammons. Now imagine how many drugs you would need to be using in order to make such a myopic decision.

Gary Parrish mock draft

I love AJ, but he is a 4th year player that still has his work ethic questioned... remember, he was out the 1st 3 games of the season for mystery benching... If he has a big NCAA tourney, he will get his.

 

[njm8845]

I would probably take Stone over Hammons. Not Bryant or Davis or anyone else mentioned though.

Players with a high ceiling are always overrvalued. It doesn't matter where their actual play is. Seems counter-intuitive, but that's the NBA. I can see thinking like that late in the second round, but not the top of the first.

That's also why there have been so many big busts in top 5 NBA draft picks.

 

[SBendguy]

Hammons will be 24 years old before the NBA season begins. Bryant is 18. If you're looking for immediate impact, you NEED a starting center Hammons probably comes closer to that than Bryant. If you're thinking you want somebody to grow into a starting role three years from now, you unquestionably take Bryant.

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

AJ can shoot and he's a great shot blocker. He will go high. He's gotten better every year here. I don't think he has hit his ceiling. I would take Bryant over Stone. Davis is not 1st round.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

Hammons challenge is less about his college skill vs. these other guys but more about his translation to the NEW NBA...7 footers who are basket protectors, back to the basket guys are simply not in vogue right now...still, hope someone takes the chance and gives him the opportunity. Wonder if the "experts" see Stone and Bryant being more in the mode of Pacer's Miles Turner than Hammons?

Hammons won't be posting up in the pros very often. He will be setting screens and knocking down open 18-20 foot jumpers. And blocking shots and rebounding. All of those skills are very much in demand by the NBA.

 

[TC4THREE]

At a minimum, Hammons should be a really nice backup center who can come in off the bench and be a solid contributor on both ends of the court. Maybe he could be a starter after he gets some experience at that level. It seems like NBA teams are using their first round picks on players who have star potential even if they have average production. I don't think anyone is penciling Hammons in as a future All Star so he might not get drafted in the first round but he should certainly get picked up and I'd be shocked if he wasn't on an NBA roster next season.

 

[cobbocinco]

I think the warriors will take him if he is available. he has everything the NBA 5 man needs...mobility to guard athletic 5, rim protector, size, outside threat to spread floor for athletic wings.

 

[TC4THREE]

I think the warriors will take him if he is available. he has everything the NBA 5 man needs...mobility to guard athletic 5, rim protector, size, outside threat to spread floor for athletic wings.

I'm hoping he goes to a team with structure and a professional environment. I was thinking Spurs but Golden State would probably work well for him too. I think he needs to play with a competitive team and with teammates who will challenge him to compete and improve.

 

[BoilerDeac]

The two picks that stood out to me was Detonya Davis at #16 and Caris LeVert at #21. I would pick neither of these guys in the first round. Detonya has not impressed me to date, and Caris has been hurt for most of this past year. Both are second rounders at best.

He also has Bryant going to the Bull in the first round at #23. Bryant is a good player with a great motor, but I thought AJ outplayed him. If you draft on potential, then I think any argument for or against is basically unprovable. If it were my dime, I'd take AJ over Bryant, but I could be thinking like a homer on this one.

Caris will be and should be a first rounder...he's a stud.

When he is healthy, he is typically the best player on the floor; he makes everyone else better.

 

[mathboy]

Caris will be and should be a first rounder...he's a stud.

When he is healthy, he is typically the best player on the floor; he makes everyone else better.

I don't disagree with you about Caris, but given his history of injuries, I would not spend a first round on him, were I a GM. Just my opinion. He certainlty is a great player, but he has to be & stay healthy to translate that skill into NBA wins.

 

[HUD628]

First of all, I want to make it clear that I love both of our centers. I think thy both are guys that give us a ton and are really good college basketball players.

With that being said, I don't think either Hammons or Haas will make it in the NBA. Hammons may have a chance at a role, as he did at Oak Hill, but Haas has no chance at all. Look at the NBA game now. I can't name a center. The game has completely changed, and is not favorable to the traditional center.

 

[mathboy]

First of all, I want to make it clear that I love both of our centers. I think thy both are guys that give us a ton and are really good college basketball players.

With that being said, I don't think either Hammons or Haas will make it in the NBA. Hammons may have a chance at a role, as he did at Oak Hill, but Haas has no chance at all. Look at the NBA game now. I can't name a center. The game has completely changed, and is not favorable to the traditional center.

Something to think about the next time you read someone's post that we have FF talent, and it is only Painter holding us back, eh? THat list of talent in the mock draft - that is FF talent for sure. ...and only a few of them will make the FF.

 

[Heller]

No question if both were available I would take Stone although he's probably a four at the next level. But like others there is a niche for guys like AJ who can play all parts of the game. As an example, Stone has never impressed me as a rebounder or passer. Also, the average career of a NBA player is less than 10 years and I don't think AJ will lose much skill by the time he's 35. I think the thing that will be the most questioned is his motor over a 82 game season. As to the others, Davis, Bryant I wouldn't waste a first or second round on either one. Both need more time in college.

 

[honey_badger]

Put on your objective NBA general manager hat for a moment and imagine picking Diamond Stone or Thomas Bryant before AJ Hammons. Now imagine how many drugs you would need to be using in order to make such a myopic decision.

Gary Parrish mock draft

Bryant will not declare for the draft. Did you see Ethan Happ eat him alive? If you missed it, you'll know that he will spend another year at Indiana. Hammons is the best center in the draft by a long shot. He WILL be the first true center taken.

 

[BoilerFan#35]

First of all, I want to make it clear that I love both of our centers. I think thy both are guys that give us a ton and are really good college basketball players.

With that being said, I don't think either Hammons or Haas will make it in the NBA. Hammons may have a chance at a role, as he did at Oak Hill, but Haas has no chance at all. Look at the NBA game now. I can't name a center. The game has completely changed, and is not favorable to the traditional center.

Almost all teams play with a Center they just use 3s as 4s nowadays.

 

[honey_badger]

Caris will be and should be a first rounder...he's a stud.

When he is healthy, he is typically the best player on the floor; he makes everyone else better.

Caris is right up there with Denzel V. -- If Caris would have been able to return this year, I would have given them a chance to get to the sweet sixteen, that's how much he means to that Michigan program.

 

[chaspark]

Okay, this recent love for C/PF who can play transition game is ridiculous. Those kinds of strategy works with Golden State because of Stephen Curry. Excuse me, but there is ONLY ONE STEPHEN CURRY! You can't build a team based on a strategy which has focused on one superstar whom you do not have! Despite being the best basketball league in the world, there are way too many idiots running the front office. There is a reason why Utah Jazz was so dominant for so long, and Spurs won so many championships. Fad does not win championship.

I actually want Hammons to drop out of lottery pick, or even down to the 2nd round, if that means he can go to a team that is willing to utilize him right. There is a reason why not every lottery pick pans out. Sometimes it is the player, but quite often it is the team. They dropped low enough to have the lottery pick for a reason. If he really ends up somewhere like Spurs, or any team with a decent head coach, he will do fine. He is talented enough to show his worth anywhere he goes. Whether or not they will appreciate it is a different matter. If he goes to a team that always ends up at the bottom, even for a lot of bags of money, that would be a tragedy.

 

[spradecki]

i think ajh will thrive in the nba. he will not be the focus of every defense and will enjoy more room to operate

 

[bsmitty08]

Put on your objective NBA general manager hat for a moment and imagine picking Diamond Stone or Thomas Bryant before AJ Hammons. Now imagine how many drugs you would need to be using in order to make such a myopic decision.

Gary Parrish mock draft

Hammons will be 24 by the time he plays an NBA game....the guys mentioned above will be 19/20 years.

 

[SIBoiler2]

First of all, I want to make it clear that I love both of our centers. I think thy both are guys that give us a ton and are really good college basketball players.

With that being said, I don't think either Hammons or Haas will make it in the NBA. Hammons may have a chance at a role, as he did at Oak Hill, but Haas has no chance at all. Look at the NBA game now. I can't name a center. The game has completely changed, and is not favorable to the traditional center.

I really think Haas has a brighter future as a tight end in the NFL than center in the NBA.

 

[BoilerFan#35]

I really think Haas has a brighter future as a tight end in the NFL than center in the NBA.

A 7'2 guy in the NFL is just asking for knee problems. Isaac will not have TE speed either

 

[mathboy]

A 7'2 guy in the NFL is just asking for knee problems. Isaac will not have TE speed either

"Okay, you, Haas, run down there 10 yards and stand on the sideline. There will be a bunch of little guys jumping around you, tickling your arm pits. Just ignore them. When the quarterback gets around to thowing a pass, he will throw it high enough only you can catch it. Then just step out of bounds" says the NFL coach....

 

[crazed_hoosier2]

... Haas has no chance at all. Look at the NBA game now. I can't name a center. The game has completely changed, and is not favorable to the traditional center.

You guys have watched him more than I have. But I have to imagine that a player of Mount Isaac's size, strength, and physical coordination will at least garner some serious looks. I hear what you're saying about the pro game changing. But players with that mix of attributes are pretty rare.

I don't know if he'll flourish in the pros. But I suspect he's going to get a shot.