[WhodunitParticipant]

 Its always fun to go back and see who u were Bullish on versus those u were Bearish on before the actual draft… And how your predictions worked out now that a conclusion can be formed about the players.

 

Bullish

Jan Vesely+++

Jonas Valanciunas

Brandon Knight +++

Kemba Walker+

Nolan Smith

Donatas Montiejunas

Jordan Hamilton

Josh Harrellson

Shelvin Mack

 

Bearish

Derrick Williams-

Enes Kanter–

both Morris Twins

Chris Singleton

Tobias Harris

Tyler HoneyCutt

Jordan Williams-

 

So there were some hits and misses as usual.. I still think theres hope for Brandon KNight and Vesely. Especially if Vesely got with the Spurs next year somehow.

Your hits and misses from 2011?

[TRC1991Participant]

I definitely was off on Tobias Harris. I didn’t even bat an eyelash when people mentioned him and now he’s a sure-fire 14 and 7 type starter who can guard both forward spots. (He’s still incredibly young). He’s been a very pleasant surprise.

I also thought Enes Kanter would be an 18 and 11 type guy by his 3rd season and I’m surprised by his ho-hum development.

I was spot-on with Chris Singleton. I tried to make it very clear how horrible this guy was offensively and how overrated he had become defensively. Too bad the Wiz didn’t listen.

I was also right about Jordan Williams. How often do fat players succeed in the NBA? (mike sweetney, sean may, robert traylor, oliver miller) Boris Diaw is like the only one. 

I was wrong about Nolan Smith. Thought he was so talented in college with his high bball IQ, craftiness, and clutch playmaking skills…Turns out a 6’2”, weak-body combo guard with OK athleticism can’t really make it in the NBA

I was right about Honeycutt. I knew he’d be a nobody. The only thing he was good at in college was being tall for a shooting guard. 

[TRC1991Participant]

I definitely was off on Tobias Harris. I didn’t even bat an eyelash when people mentioned him and now he’s a sure-fire 14 and 7 type starter who can guard both forward spots. (He’s still incredibly young). He’s been a very pleasant surprise.

I also thought Enes Kanter would be an 18 and 11 type guy by his 3rd season and I’m surprised by his ho-hum development.

I was spot-on with Chris Singleton. I tried to make it very clear how horrible this guy was offensively and how overrated he had become defensively. Too bad the Wiz didn’t listen.

I was also right about Jordan Williams. How often do fat players succeed in the NBA? (mike sweetney, sean may, robert traylor, oliver miller) Boris Diaw is like the only one. 

I was wrong about Nolan Smith. Thought he was so talented in college with his high bball IQ, craftiness, and clutch playmaking skills…Turns out a 6’2”, weak-body combo guard with OK athleticism can’t really make it in the NBA

I was right about Honeycutt. I knew he’d be a nobody. The only thing he was good at in college was being tall for a shooting guard. 

[Scrooge McDuckParticipant]

 Shaq was fat, Glen Davis is fat. Another problem for Jordan Williams is he wasn’t very athletic.

The only thing I don’t like about these posts is people claim they "knew" about something when it could have been just a coincidence.

[Scrooge McDuckParticipant]

 Shaq was fat, Glen Davis is fat. Another problem for Jordan Williams is he wasn’t very athletic.

The only thing I don’t like about these posts is people claim they "knew" about something when it could have been just a coincidence.

[IhateusernamesParticipant]

 I’ve been wrong about Derrick Williams so far. I would’ve taken him #1. He’s been able to score in bunches when given freedom but apparently he doesn’t know his shorts from his headband half the time,

Still think there’s hope for him. Still can be 18 & 9 if given 35mpg. 

[IhateusernamesParticipant]

 I’ve been wrong about Derrick Williams so far. I would’ve taken him #1. He’s been able to score in bunches when given freedom but apparently he doesn’t know his shorts from his headband half the time,

Still think there’s hope for him. Still can be 18 & 9 if given 35mpg. 

[imAboutDatActionParticipant]

 I lol’d a you saying theres hope for Vesley if he signs with the Spurs.

Such a lazy statement.

[imAboutDatActionParticipant]

 I lol’d a you saying theres hope for Vesley if he signs with the Spurs.

Such a lazy statement.

[WhodunitParticipant]

 I believe he has a high Bball IQ and is versatile with high energy. Why couldnt he be Jeff Ayres or Aron Baynes next year? I dont get that being a "lazy statement". Spurs have a knack for taking ill-fitting but talented players and making them into something. I just hope his confidence hasnt been completely broken. Plus he’s a foreigner.

[WhodunitParticipant]

 I believe he has a high Bball IQ and is versatile with high energy. Why couldnt he be Jeff Ayres or Aron Baynes next year? I dont get that being a "lazy statement". Spurs have a knack for taking ill-fitting but talented players and making them into something. I just hope his confidence hasnt been completely broken. Plus he’s a foreigner.

[imAboutDatActionParticipant]

 Why couldnt he be Ayres or Baynes next year? You mean..a Bench warmers.

its lazy because he’s a foreigner. People see a foreigner now and instanntly think he will thrive with the Spurs. either its thru the draft or free agency.

Vesley has real problems as a player. i highly doubt going to the Spurs would fix him.

 

[imAboutDatActionParticipant]

 Why couldnt he be Ayres or Baynes next year? You mean..a Bench warmers.

its lazy because he’s a foreigner. People see a foreigner now and instanntly think he will thrive with the Spurs. either its thru the draft or free agency.

Vesley has real problems as a player. i highly doubt going to the Spurs would fix him.

 

[highflyer0Participant]

Players I really liked 
I thought Alec Burks would be a star.  I still think he can be an above average starter.
I loved Isaiah Thomas and wanted the Lakers to draft him at 58 so badly…Instead they picked Ater Majok.
I was a big fan of Travis Leslie and thought he’d be a very good player with his elite athletic ability.  

Players I didn’t like

I never really got the Derrick Williams hype, although I thought he’d be better than what he has turned out to be.
I didn’t think Nikola Vucevic had any chance of becoming a good player because of his lack of athleticism.  
I was completely unimpressed by Chandler Parsons.

 

 

[highflyer0Participant]

Players I really liked 
I thought Alec Burks would be a star.  I still think he can be an above average starter.
I loved Isaiah Thomas and wanted the Lakers to draft him at 58 so badly…Instead they picked Ater Majok.
I was a big fan of Travis Leslie and thought he’d be a very good player with his elite athletic ability.  

Players I didn’t like

I never really got the Derrick Williams hype, although I thought he’d be better than what he has turned out to be.
I didn’t think Nikola Vucevic had any chance of becoming a good player because of his lack of athleticism.  
I was completely unimpressed by Chandler Parsons.

 

 

[WhodunitParticipant]

Same thing i saw in Derrick Williams I saw in Thomas Robinson a year later. Above average Athletic yet short for the 4 players who didnt have a defined skillset. Couldnt shoot. not a great rebounder, not a leader, not the main guy on their college teams, a tweener defender. Plus I think Williams benefitted greatly from that last second shot he made in the NCAA tournament that year. I still think theres hope for him though, dont know where tho.

 

Plus he got drafted by Minnesota, hows their player development branch? Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasely, Johnny Flynn, Rashad Mccants, Randy Foye, Ricky Rubio, Corey Brewer,  and all of KG’s 12years  say TERRIBLE!

[WhodunitParticipant]

Same thing i saw in Derrick Williams I saw in Thomas Robinson a year later. Above average Athletic yet short for the 4 players who didnt have a defined skillset. Couldnt shoot. not a great rebounder, not a leader, not the main guy on their college teams, a tweener defender. Plus I think Williams benefitted greatly from that last second shot he made in the NCAA tournament that year. I still think theres hope for him though, dont know where tho.

 

Plus he got drafted by Minnesota, hows their player development branch? Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasely, Johnny Flynn, Rashad Mccants, Randy Foye, Ricky Rubio, Corey Brewer,  and all of KG’s 12years  say TERRIBLE!

[Lotto StudParticipant]

I don’t base my Mocks off of who I like especially around the draft process. No matter how much I like a guy, I go with what seems logical.

[Lotto StudParticipant]

I don’t base my Mocks off of who I like especially around the draft process. No matter how much I like a guy, I go with what seems logical.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

Thought…

Kawhi was going to be what MKG is ..
..
Tobias Harris was going to eat himself out of the league..
..
Travis Leslie would win the dunk contest…

Klay Thompson was severely underrated since shooting translates especially with his size and fundamentals, got one right!

And finally thought it was a super weak draft, which I was also right about.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

Thought…

Kawhi was going to be what MKG is ..
..
Tobias Harris was going to eat himself out of the league..
..
Travis Leslie would win the dunk contest…

Klay Thompson was severely underrated since shooting translates especially with his size and fundamentals, got one right!

And finally thought it was a super weak draft, which I was also right about.

[butidonthavemoney]

I kept a .txt document of my big board at the time, so I can see how I ranked these players:

1. Kyrie Irving (Who I would have drafted first overall. Better than I thought he would be though.)
2. Enes Kanter (Read reports that he was an above-average defender and passer. Still like him, but not as much as I did.)
3. Derrick Williams (Wasn’t as high on him as most. Really liked his athleticism and scoring ability. Compared him in my notes to Antwan Jamison and Michael Beasley.)
4. Jonas Valaciunas (Loved him. Huge fan. Performing pretty close to what I expected)
5. Brandon Knight (Thought he had an interesting profile, but didn’t sing to me. Reminded me of Jrue Holiday. Members of the All-Star Mock that year might remember that I was terrified that the Jazz would draft him over Kanter. Not performing as well as I expected.)
6. Jan Vesely (Again, I loved him. I have a thing for international players. Compared him to Jonas Jerebko.)
7. Kemba Walker (Liked his spirit. Saw some Kyle Lowry in him. Performing close to what I expected.)
8. Kawhi Leonard (Was very fond of him in college. Still outperforming my expectations.)
9. Jimmer Fredette (Saw him playing in a "Gilbert Arenas" role as his ceiling and an "Eddie House" role as his floor. Hasn’t lived up to my expectations.)
10. Donatas Motiejunas (Silky smooth offensive games. Thought he’d carve out an "Ersan Ilyasova" role off of a bench by now.)

So two of these players are playing at the level I expected them to, while another two are outperforming my expectations, and the other six are underperforming. Admittedly, not my best year.

(Extra notes: My next four in order were Biyombo, Burks, Hamilton, and Thompson; all of whom (excluding Hamilton) are performing at the level I expected. Regrettably, Klay Thompson wasn’t even in my top 25. Was also a big fan of Chandler Parsons and Nikola Mirotic.)

[butidonthavemoney]

I kept a .txt document of my big board at the time, so I can see how I ranked these players:

1. Kyrie Irving (Who I would have drafted first overall. Better than I thought he would be though.)
2. Enes Kanter (Read reports that he was an above-average defender and passer. Still like him, but not as much as I did.)
3. Derrick Williams (Wasn’t as high on him as most. Really liked his athleticism and scoring ability. Compared him in my notes to Antwan Jamison and Michael Beasley.)
4. Jonas Valaciunas (Loved him. Huge fan. Performing pretty close to what I expected)
5. Brandon Knight (Thought he had an interesting profile, but didn’t sing to me. Reminded me of Jrue Holiday. Members of the All-Star Mock that year might remember that I was terrified that the Jazz would draft him over Kanter. Not performing as well as I expected.)
6. Jan Vesely (Again, I loved him. I have a thing for international players. Compared him to Jonas Jerebko.)
7. Kemba Walker (Liked his spirit. Saw some Kyle Lowry in him. Performing close to what I expected.)
8. Kawhi Leonard (Was very fond of him in college. Still outperforming my expectations.)
9. Jimmer Fredette (Saw him playing in a "Gilbert Arenas" role as his ceiling and an "Eddie House" role as his floor. Hasn’t lived up to my expectations.)
10. Donatas Motiejunas (Silky smooth offensive games. Thought he’d carve out an "Ersan Ilyasova" role off of a bench by now.)

So two of these players are playing at the level I expected them to, while another two are outperforming my expectations, and the other six are underperforming. Admittedly, not my best year.

(Extra notes: My next four in order were Biyombo, Burks, Hamilton, and Thompson; all of whom (excluding Hamilton) are performing at the level I expected. Regrettably, Klay Thompson wasn’t even in my top 25. Was also a big fan of Chandler Parsons and Nikola Mirotic.)

[WhodunitParticipant]

Thanks for sharing

[WhodunitParticipant]

Thanks for sharing

[Jester87Participant]

I liked:

– Kyrie Irving. It looks like a no brainer now, but many people back then were labeling him a low ceiling guy and thought Derrick Williams was the best prospect.
– Kyle Singler, I thought he was overscouted and he should’ve been a first round pick
– Chandler Parsons, I obviously didn’t think he was going to be this good, but I thought he had the potential to be a starter someday
– Darius Morris, big point guard, athletic, solid distributor, young, was projected as a first rounder for most of the season, I thought he was going to be a steal
– Alec Burks, I thought he was going to be a solid contributor from the get go, it took him a bit longer than what I expected, but he’s coming
– Iman Shumper, I thought he was a steal at #17 and I was sure he would’ve been one of the players in the draft, I’m still a believer but the Knicks have messed up his development and he’s started to show some bad habits, especially when it comes to shot selection.
– Jonas Valanciunas, I thought the Cavs should’ve drafted him. I also thought he and Kanter were the players with the highest ceiling. 

Didn’t like:
– Derrick Williams, never bought his ability as a shooter, great numbers only in his second year and on a small sample, not much back to the basket game, never really been a fan, obviously I didn’t think he was going to be as bad as he’s been
– Bismack Biyombo, I had seen him play in the ACB and got to appreciate his legendary stone hands, always thought it was a reach using a lottery pick on him
– Jimmer, I loved him as a college player, but I always thought his skills wouldn’t have translated, at least not to the point of using a lottery pick and trading up to get him. Still, I expected something more, I thought he could’ve found a niche as a shooting specialist.
– Kawhi Leonard, I thought he couldn’t shoot and had below average ball skills for an Nba wing. Of course I started thinking I got something wrong the moment I saw the Spurs trading George Hill for him.
– Jimmy Butler, it’s not that I didn’t like him, but I just thought he was a second round talent.

[Jester87Participant]

I liked:

– Kyrie Irving. It looks like a no brainer now, but many people back then were labeling him a low ceiling guy and thought Derrick Williams was the best prospect.
– Kyle Singler, I thought he was overscouted and he should’ve been a first round pick
– Chandler Parsons, I obviously didn’t think he was going to be this good, but I thought he had the potential to be a starter someday
– Darius Morris, big point guard, athletic, solid distributor, young, was projected as a first rounder for most of the season, I thought he was going to be a steal
– Alec Burks, I thought he was going to be a solid contributor from the get go, it took him a bit longer than what I expected, but he’s coming
– Iman Shumper, I thought he was a steal at #17 and I was sure he would’ve been one of the players in the draft, I’m still a believer but the Knicks have messed up his development and he’s started to show some bad habits, especially when it comes to shot selection.
– Jonas Valanciunas, I thought the Cavs should’ve drafted him. I also thought he and Kanter were the players with the highest ceiling. 

Didn’t like:
– Derrick Williams, never bought his ability as a shooter, great numbers only in his second year and on a small sample, not much back to the basket game, never really been a fan, obviously I didn’t think he was going to be as bad as he’s been
– Bismack Biyombo, I had seen him play in the ACB and got to appreciate his legendary stone hands, always thought it was a reach using a lottery pick on him
– Jimmer, I loved him as a college player, but I always thought his skills wouldn’t have translated, at least not to the point of using a lottery pick and trading up to get him. Still, I expected something more, I thought he could’ve found a niche as a shooting specialist.
– Kawhi Leonard, I thought he couldn’t shoot and had below average ball skills for an Nba wing. Of course I started thinking I got something wrong the moment I saw the Spurs trading George Hill for him.
– Jimmy Butler, it’s not that I didn’t like him, but I just thought he was a second round talent.

[Author]

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