Each week, Shawn Siegel, CHN's NBA Draft
expert answers fan questions in the NBA Draft
Mailbag. Siegel receives emails each and every day from fans
trying to find out about their favorite player or favorite team.
***
This will be the last Mailbag prior to Draft on June 28th. I just
wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who submitted questions.
I did my best to answer as many as possible in the Mailbag itself, or
answer them over email if they didn't make the cut. I may decide
to do one last Mailbag following the Draft to discuss trades and the
various picks, so feel free to
email me in the coming few days as well.
Thanks,
Shawn
***
Dear Shawn,
Who in their right mind would
choose Randolph Morris over
Ronny Turiaf? Turiaf has all
of the skills, an outside shot, great passer, great leaper, bundle of energy
and still a little raw with a big upside. Morris on the other hand has no
range, no energy and can't get a rebound if it hit him in his hands.
Cat Fan
Spokane, WA
Dear Cat Fan,
Even though you are biased in
your opinion, I could not agree with you more. No scout really doubts
that Turiaf has more skill and is a better athlete. But they do doubt
his injury past, and the simple fact that Morris is bigger and suited for
the center position which is in more demand than the power forward.
Following the Pre-Draft Camp, there has been renewed interest in Turiaf's
game, and there has been some talk that he could squeeze back into the 1st
round. More likely though he gets picked early in the 2nd round, a few
picks ahead of the Kentucky big man.
***
Dear Shawn,
Besides being 7'2",
Martynas
Andriuskevicius also has a very
weak frame, questionable work ethic, and short arms. I am not even sure he
could play in the ACC. Is Sabonis' word worth so much to NBA GMs? The kid
has gotten no PT the last two years, and has flopped at the big camps. What
is going on?
American Coach in Europe
Dear American Coach,
Hope your time in Europe is
working out for the best. As you note, Andriuskevicius has barely been
getting any playing time for his club team, Zalgiris Kaunas. In fact,
for the 15 games he played in the Euroleague schedule, the Big A scored a
whopping 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in 130 minutes of play.
Let's not forget that he still is a baby, and was playing in a competitive
professional league. He is just 3 months older than
Marvin Williams, and
Williams will be the 2nd pick after being the 6th man on a college team.
So the fact that Big A didn't play a lot on his professional team is not a
major issue. In terms of the other issues, his weak frame, etc, teams
will be more than willing to stash him away in Europe for a season or two as
he bulks up on his 240ish pound frame. Despite his weakness, and that
he's more of a finesse player, some teams
even feel he has as much raw skill as Dirk did at the same age.
***
Dear Shawn,
Who should Danny Ainge take and
why? Should he trade Pierce and what should be the price? Thanks,
Raymond,
Mass
Raymond,
Last year, I thought Danny Ainge
was off his rocker with some of the moves he made. I didn't like the
selections of West and Allen, nor dumping Walker. And most likely, I
wouldn't like it if the Celtics traded Pierce now. Mainly because a)
his value is as low as ever and b) who can you really get back in return
that's as good as Pierce? Lets say the Celtics make a trade on draft
night, and trade Pierce for a starting player and a high draft pick.
Unless they get an All-Star in return, the Celtics will suddenly have a
roster stacked with a dozen mediocre players. With the Nets getting
Jefferson back healthy, the Knicks acquiring Richardson, and the Sixers now
having Webber for a full season, the C's could fall from playoff contention
extremely quickly. I also think that if Ainge is banking on Banks or
West to be his future point guard, than he's off the wall. I really
like Roko Leni-Ukic if he's around. If not, then the C's will most
likely go with a young, raw big man to develop.
***
Dear Shawn,
The Timberwolves are in need of a center because Olowokandi just isn't doing
it for them. Do you think they will take a center with the #14 pick of the
draft? Who do you think they'll take?
Thanks,
Jordan
Minnesota
Jordan,
The Wolves clearly need a new
center as you noted, but honestly, they need help at just about every
position outside of Garnett at this point. There's so few legitimate
big men out there, that the Wolves will probably end up just taking the
player they have rated highest left on their draft board regardless of
position. This should include taking which ever player is left over
out of Charlie Villanueva,
Sean May, or
Joey Graham.
***
Dear Shawn,
I like your picks for the Bobcats. If they can get both
Chris Paul and Sean May, their
ticket sells will go through the roof. I guess it's a good thing, that
they will have a new arena.
Phil
Salisbury, NC
Phil,
People often get so caught up
in the idea of winning that they forget the name of the game in the NBA is
making money. David Stern doesn't care if the Lakers or Knicks win,
he just wants a team to win that will make his team a lot of money.
Winning matters to GM's 90% because winning games means more money, and
about 10% because they can brag to their owner buddies about it. If
Chris Paul was in fact available at #5, they'd be crazy not to take him,
and the same goes for May at #13. However, the more and more it
seems that the Blazers might trade the #3 pick to someone other than
Charlotte, the more likely it seems that Paul would be gone by #5.
At #13, May isn't quite as sure of a thing as Paul is at #5, especially if
Fran Vazquez drops that low.
Despite the rumors that the Jazz don't want Vazquez a #6, he still has the
highest upside of any power forward in the Draft.
***
If you have a question
which you'd like Shawn to answer, email
collegehoopsnet@aol.com
He’ll post and answer as many questions as possible in the
NBA Draft Mailbag. Please
include your first name and home town when contacting Shawn.
