2015 Draft a Franchise (NBA): Discussion.

[NFLfan123]

Can we just give Geving harden and move on lol

Btw I have stm85 top 3

[Geving]

James Haren has all the ability to play great on both ends of the floor. But he just doesn't. There's no D in Haren. But at the same time. From going to sixth man, to a max contract to being an all star, to luring Howard to Houston. It's been a meteoric rise, and I think he needed this season. Playing along another superstar, one that actually showed up in the playoffs. I think Haren will improve, mature and become Harden. He is still only 24, and is the best SG in the league. Extremely talented, I saw him play great D on Kobe a few years ago in the playoffs, I've seen him play great post D. But when it comes to awareness, concentration, fighting through screens and not letting up back door cuts, he's absolutely woeful. And It's not as if it's ability,it's maturity. I think he cares now, and we will see improvement in his game that will make him a complete player.

 

And no matter how frustrating it is to watch Harden on D, he is a joy to watch on O. And as a Rockets fan, I just have to love him  no matter what. After being a perennial 9th seed with no bright future in sight. We now have Harden, Howard and are in a great position to add another star this summer. LeBron, Carmelo, KLove, Rondo, or build on what we already have. Acquiring Harden started this.

[T3hRaven]

Can we just give Geving harden and move on lol

Btw I have stm85 top 3

 

Good call.

[gabefergy]

Harden smh.

[BALTIMOREFLACCO]

Well we knew that was coming

Im getting hope that my number 3 and 4 players could fall to me

[Mt. Crushmore]

Truth just made his pick in the NFL DaF, so I would expect his pick here shortly.

[-Truth-]

Yes, sir. Just looking for the picture. This may be the "duh" selection of the day. Two others were considered, but no way did I expect to be in this position at #7.

[allblackraven]

Yes, sir. Just looking for the picture. This may be the "duh" selection of the day. Two others were considered, but no way did I expect to be in this position at #7.

Seems like two others are being reconsidered.

[-Truth-]

Seems like two others are being reconsidered.

 

It looked like it, but I was just stuck on finding the best picture.

[-Truth-]

My facial expression when I looked at the Draft thread this morning:

[gabefergy]

Was not expecting that pick.

[allblackraven]

I like George pick. Very "duh" considering few guys that went ahead of him.

[-Truth-]

I like George pick. Very "duh" considering few guys that went ahead of him.

 

Thank you and I agree. I consider him to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA and somebody who can score from anywhere on the court at a high level.

Edited June 24, 2014 by -Truth-

[gabefergy]

Thank you and I agree. I consider him to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA and somebody who can score from anywhere on the court at a high level.

The best part about George is that he is still young, but there have been massive stretches where he loses his shot. The 2nd half of this past year was not pretty.

[-Truth-]

The best part about George is that he is still young, but there have been massive stretches where he loses his shot. The 2nd half of this past year was not pretty.

 

Can't disagree there. The month of March alone was an indicator of just that. They did struggle as a team, but his shot not falling is mostly an individual flaw. I feel like his shot selection could be better at times as well. He attempted a ton of fadeaway and step-back jumpers in traffic last season, and those didn't yield the best looks. I do love his stroke, however. He's a threat from the mid-range and out, and his release is relatively quick. The age is one of the biggest positives, but his defensive prowess is what made it an easy selection for me. Routinely using his uncommon length and sound footwork, George is an upper tier on-the-ball and weak-side defender, and he was outstanding in defending the P&Rs. On those nights when his shots aren't falling, I would at least be able to depend on his defense.

[-Truth-]

Love the selection of Chris Paul.

[Geving]

Westbrook.... smh

[gabefergy]

Westbrook.... smh

He's actually good.

[Geving]

He's actually good.

Yeah, but he's just so dumb and I don't think his knees can take much more than they already have. Hopefully you can build a good team around him. Several other players I would've picked before him.

[gabefergy]

Yeah, but he's just so dumb and I don't think his knees can take much more than they already have. Hopefully you can build a good team around him. Several other players I would've picked before him.

I can definitely build a good team around him. Unlike Harden, he plays defense and facilitates. He's still young, and the knees are clearly not an issue

 

He was the best player on the court for much of the postseason, which is saying something considering he shared it with Kevin Durant. 

[-Truth-]

Westbrook is a pest defensively, but I don't agree that Harden doesn't facilitate. He's easily one of the better passing non-PGs, if not one of the best. One of the biggest knocks on Westbrook is that he doesn't facilitate enough. He's a bit too predetermined with the mid-range jumper, especially in fastbreak situations when the defense is undermanned.

[gabefergy]

Westbrook is a pest defensively, but I don't agree that Harden doesn't facilitate. He's easily one of the better passing non-PGs, if not one of the best. One of the biggest knocks on Westbrook is that he doesn't facilitate enough. He's a bit too predetermined with the mid-range jumper, especially in fastbreak situations when the defense is undermanned.

Harden is a good passer, but he is primarily looking to score, which is his main job as a SG. I don't know if that is someone you can build around. It doesnt help that he only plays on one end of the floor.

 

Westbrook certainly has a questionable shot selection at times, especially from behind the arc, but he gets other players involved. He averages 8+ assists and has an assist rate that is on par with the league's best PGs. He's also the best rebounding guard in the league, especially on the offensive end.

[T3hRaven]

I totally knew gabe was going Westbrook.

[gabefergy]

I totally knew gabe was going Westbrook.

I thought it would be a surprise.

[SecretAgentMan]

I totally knew gabe was going Westbrook.

Anyone who knows Gabe knew he was going with Westbrook

[-Truth-]

Harden is a good passer, but he is primarily looking to score, which is his main job as a SG. I don't know if that is someone you can build around. It doesnt help that he only plays on one end of the floor.

 

Westbrook certainly has a questionable shot selection at times, especially from behind the arc, but he gets other players involved. He averages 8+ assists and has an assist rate that is on par with the league's best PGs. He's also the best rebounding guard in the league, especially on the offensive end.

 

That he is, so it's testament that he's able to get his teammates involved in the process. Can't argue about the lack of production on the other end of the floor. Westbrook is the clear winner between the two in that department.

 

He does get players involved, but he doesn't do it enough. Part of it lies with Scott Brooks lack of offensive plays, but part of it lies with Westbrook himself. The 8.1 assists was in the postseason alone. He averaged 6.9 assists last season, which was .8 more than Harden. So it's difficult to state that one distributes and the other one doesn't. He was also 53rd in the assist ratio through the regular season so I can't take his postseason numbers at face value. I can't at all compare him to the league's best passing PGs. I view him as more of a combo guard. However, he's definitely up there in terms of his rebounding. There was another PG who had him in both offensive and defensive rebounds, but he wasn't as fearless when going up for the boards as Westbrook.

[NFLfan123]

Anyone who knows Gabe knew he was going with Westbrook

This

[SecretAgentMan]

This

I don't blame him. At this point I would've done the same..

Well. There's two players that will been taken now

[gabefergy]

That he is, so it's testament that he's able to get his teammates involved in the process. Can't argue about the lack of production on the other end of the floor. Westbrook is the clear winner between the two in that department.

 

He does get players involved, but he doesn't do it enough. Part of it lies with Scott Brooks lack of offensive plays, but part of it lies with Westbrook himself. The 8.1 assists was in the postseason alone. He averaged 6.9 assists last season, which was .8 more than Harden. So it's difficult to state that one distributes and the other one doesn't. He was also 53rd in the assist ratio through the regular season so I can't take his postseason numbers at face value. I can't at all compare him to the league's best passing PGs. I view him as more of a combo guard. However, he's definitely up there in terms of his rebounding. There was another PG who had him in both offensive and defensive rebounds, but he wasn't as fearless when going up for the boards as Westbrook.

Sorry, I was referencing per 36 min stats. Considering he was limited for most of the regular season, a per minutes basis is a more accurate representation of what he brings to the table. He clearly outshines Harden in this comparison as Harden is at 5.8 Assists/36 compared to Westbrook 8.1 Assists/36. Harden's assist rate is 27% while Westbrook is at 40%, which is below CP3, but essentially equivalent to guys like Curry or Wall.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "assist ratio", but I assume you are referring to assist to turnover. Westbrook is a high TO player due to his usage rate and style of play, but he also forces TOs at an elite rate which balances this out to some degree.

[Gordo52]

Westbrook is a top 5 player in the league. Good pick.