[nateoak10Participant]

 We all know bigs are always taken higher then they should so I can see all 3 taken top 10 and 2 (not Motie) taken top 5 depending on the lottery standings . Who do you think ultimately goes highest and what is each players best fit ? 

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

don’t forget Jan bro

[OhCanada-Participant]

And Enes^^^

Im not sure whats going to happen. I would say Kanter is the best, but it very easily could  be any of Motie, Valanciunas, or Vesely as well. Havent seen enouh of these guys so my judgement is reserved.

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

 and dude, Mirotic can straight ball, this may be one of the best international player drafts ever

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

• Kanter(4)
• Vesely(5)
• Jonas(8)
• Montiejunas(10)
• Mirotic(29)
• Bogdanovich (32)
• Bertans(51)
• Shemardini(56)
• Rabeseda(59)

(Not quite sure if you would really consider Tyler an international so he is not on my list. But if he is than he would go right after Montiejunas)

I would also consider Michael Dunigan, Robin Benzing, and Jamine Peterson

[seniokasParticipant]

I think that from all european players the best choice right now would be Motiejunas because he has unique combination of size, quickness and iq. Well Kanter is the beast inside but I have doubts about his athletism and length of course there is no question that he is top10 pick. Jonas could evolve into great center because of length, soft touch, solid size and athletism but he is still raw and has to bulk up one thing about him is that he really can become a good midrange shooter just he dont get a chance to do it during the games because he has to work inside. And finally Vesely is just mutant with his size and mobility the problem is about his shooting consistency and position in the next level.

I really have lots of questions about Biyombo while there are lots of obscuritys about his real age..

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

"and dude, Mirotic can straight ball, this may be one of the best international player drafts ever"

This is what happens in weak drafts. 2006 was the first year of the one-and-done rule, and was regarded as a weak draft. It resulted in sixteen players from outside the NCAA being taken. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but it a less than stellar international class. It is fun to imagine these guys as draft saviors, but neither this class or the 2006 group is all that special.

Bargnani (1)
Sene (10)
Sefolosha (13)
Pecherov (18)
Sergio Rodriguez (27)
Freeland (30)
Perovic (38)
Vinicius (43)
Eliyahu (44)
Veremeenko (48)
Cheikh Samb (51)
Halperin (53)
Ugboaja (55)
Bavcic (56)
Mavrokefalidis (57)
Markota (59)

Mirotic is a good young player (not a phenom but is a big guy who can shoot), but he isn’t all that interested in the NBA.

http://www.nbadraft.net/forum/nikola-mirotic-likely-declare-though-not-overly-excited-nba

He is in a good spot with Real Madrid, and that combined with a big buyout means he probably won’t be in the NBA for some time. How high do you take someone who doesn’t care to be there?

Valanciunas and Biyombo have huge foul and turnover issues. They aren’t saviors, they are raw projects. I’m sorry but Valanciunas is at 8.2 fouls per 40 and 3.8 turnovers in the Euroleague and 5.8 fouls and 3.5 turnovers in the LBL. Biyombo was at 4.8 and 4.1 in the ACB and 4.9 and 6.0 in the LEB. Those numbers translate more than anything else. They are nice physical specimens and all, but there are a ton of those on the bench in the NBA. If someone wants to compare Biyombo to Ben Wallace, they ought to have their head examined. I’m still laughing about the Valanciunas as being a better Omer Asik line.

Shermadini has the same foul and turnover issues (6.6 and 3.7 per 40), but I have no problem with allocating a second round pick on a big physical specimen who needs work. There is a big difference in the level of investment and the ability to let him develop his game in Europe and then once he figures out his game transition to learning the NBA game at a later date. If the guy does not develop, then it really costs next to nothing (just a second rounder).

Kanter has the issue of not playing at any sort of competitive level in two years and the knee is somewhat of a concern, but if you have to miss then missing with a big man as skilled as him is the way to go.

Vesely is fine. He seems ready to go as a rotation caliber small forward with great length.

Motiejunas has had his body fill out a bit which gives promise, but he has had a bad year. He is still soft and mistake prone, and his best games in Italy are against the lesser clubs.

Xavi Rabaseda is just a guy. 6’ 6” shooters are not hard to find. If someone wants to take him, he wouldn’t be an awful use of a pick but passing on him is not a big deal either. Remember when people thought Rudy Fernandez was something special? Same for Bojan Bogdanovic. I think a team that does not want to bring over a rookie could do worse than them, but neither will be a steal by any stretch of the imagination.

Albicy is a small, quick flee of a point in a draft where there are no shortage of flees.

Milan Macvan is signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv through 2015, so someone who wants a long-term flier can give him a shot. I’m not concerned about the less than impressive transition to Tel Aviv. It happens all the time.

Leon Radosevic is a long body, but lacks muscle. I think a team that prefers to get out and run could do well to take a flier. I think with another couple years of his body filling out, he could be worth a pick.

Lucas Nogueira is a child playing in a junior league. If he declares, he is worth a pick if he agrees to stay in Spain through his current contract. Otherwise, it is a waste of money and a roster spot.

Davis Bertans is another really young guy who would have no business being in the NBA next year. He signed a multi-year deal (supposedly a six year deal with buyout at three) with Union Olimpija in November, hopefully he plays it out. When Motiejunas was 18 and had Bertans-like shooting skills, he was compared to Dirk too. Better to see which path he takes in the Adriatic League.

Jeremy Tyler’s decision to go play in Israel and ultimately Japan did not help his cause all that much. He is a project with maturity issues.

Michael Dunigan is no different now than he was at Oregon. He is a big unskilled body who needs a ton of work. I am not opposed to a team taking him in the second round and having him working those out in Estonia for a few years, but that would have been the case had he been in Eugene as well.

 

[thparadoxParticipant]

 

I view Kanter as a pick similar to Brandon Roy in some senses.

I think he’ll be pretty dominant out of the gates. He is absolutely massive and has great footwork combined with a soft touch. But the knee issue is a big one and could kill his long term value. 

[JoeWolf1]

@thparadox

I think dominant is pushing it, I expect solid

[OhCanada-Participant]

 I’m still laughing about the Valanciunas as being a better Omer Asik line.

Great post you have alot of insight on these Euro prospects but what is wrong with that comparison. If Asik was as good as he is now at 18 he would likely have gone high in a draft as well. That is a very good core to develop a bigman, and Valanciunas has shown the will to learn and develop his game.

[Raef LaFrentzParticipant]

I FINALLY agree with BothTeamsPlayedHard about something. I’ve waited a long time to say that, and to be honest it feels good. This makes me dislike him less, and maybe, juuuust maybe, we can now become pals.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

"Great post you have alot of insight on these Euro prospects but what is wrong with that comparison. If Asik was as good as he is now at 18 he would likely have gone high in a draft as well. That is a very good core to develop a bigman, and Valanciunas has shown the will to learn and develop his game."

This was what I was referring

http://www.nbadraft.net/forum/lucas-bebe-nogueira

———–

Says a Western Conference exec, "Once he gets stronger, he is going to be a force. If he were in college right now, we would be talking about him going Number 1."

Plays like: "[Bulls center] Omer Asik," says the exec, "but [Valanciunas] is more talented."

———–

Asik is fine for a second round pick. He is a huge guy who plays hard. He is limited, but knows his limitations. That is fine for a second string center, but this same exec said that if Valanciunas was in the NCAA he would be going #1. That is ridiculously stupid. The return on investment is going to be poor.

[OhCanada-Participant]

So then why are people so high on Derrick Favors? Give Jonas time to mature, and he should be good although it is definitely no sure thing it is alot better then many players in this draft and he is a big. Hard to come by. I think if Valanciunas falls within the 7-13 range it would be just, but mostly because of the drafts weakness.

Asik maybe fine for a 2nd round pick in other drafts but not in this one, and not if he was 18. 

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Favors was far more developed as a player and far more of a physical marvel than Valanciunas.

A weak draft does not mean there are not guys who can play. Even 2006 had guys like Gibson, Novak, Millsap, Powe, and Craig Smith go in the 2nd. J.J. Barea, Azubuike, Chris Quinn, and Louis Amundson went undrafted. The mentality of how to approach a weak draft varies. A scout might want to approach it with the mentality of finding a resume builder. If he can come away with a gem out of a weak crop, it makes him look smarter. More often than not, that does not work out. A more reasoned approach would be to take the sure things, but nobody gets declared a genius for taking DeJuan Blair in the second round. I keep going back to last year, but throughout the winter and spring people kept leaping Greg Monroe in the rankings. Where is the person who watched him play that is surprised that he actually can? Yet, he went after Ekpe Udoh.

[HitsterParticipant]

I’ve always had Motiejunas ahead of Valanciunas in most of my thoughts over the years and will do so when I do my mock draft ( once the withdrawl date passes next week so we will know who is in and out). Bismack will be below these two as one game does not make a career. Kanter will certainly be ahead of Valanciunas in my mind at this moment, I’m still trying to decide who goes ahead of Kanter and Motiejunas in my mock.

[JimmeredYaWabafetParticipant]

Valanciunas

[VilkasParticipant]

I’m sorry but Valanciunas is at 8.2 fouls per 40 and 3.8 turnovers in the Euroleague

And 15.6 rebounds per 40 in the highest level of European basketball. I am watching Jonas every day. He is not like Asik. The simplest example – Asik is a terrible shooter (30.0% FT in World Championship),  Valanciunas shoots an incredible 88.5% percent from the free throw line in Euroleague.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Well that too, people compare him to Asik for his hustles and abillity to do the dirty work. They forget he is an 18 year old 6’11 230 pound center, shooting 90% from the FT line in front of much crazier fans I might add, and working on his post game. He is also a much better passer, and a bit more athletic.

[Author]

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