The Bourbon Street Shots NBA Draft Big Board

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Published: June 25, 2013

Presenting the Bourbon Street Shots Writer’s Big Board for the New Orleans Pelicans

 
Names in red indicate a Tier 1 Prospect.  Names in blue are a Tier 2 Prospect, and Tier 3 are in green.  The Tiers mean the writers don’t see a tremendous difference between the guys in a tier, and that they would always, always take a guy in a higher tier no matter what need a prospect in a lower tier might meet.

Pick McNamara Schwan Gerrity Pellissier Grayson Ginsberg Madison
1st Oladipo Porter Noel Noel Oladipo Noel McLemore
2nd McCollum Oladipo Porter McLemore McLemore McLemore Oladipo
3rd Noel McLemore Oladipo Oladipo Noel Oladipo Noel
4th McLemore Noel Len Porter Porter Porter Porter
5th Porter McCollum McCollum Len Burke Burke Len
6th Len Burke McLemore McCollum Zeller Len Burke
7th Zeller Zeller Burke Burke McCollum MCW MCW
8th Burke Len Bennett Bennett KCP McCollum McCollum
9th KCP KCP MCW Zeller MCW KCP Bennett
10th MCW Bennett KCP MCW Len Bennett KCP

 

Draft Questions!

1. Which player(s) projected to go in the Pelicans range would you be furious if we took on draft night?

Michael McNamara: Anthony Bennett and Shabazz Muhammad. I have Bennett 19th on my board because of his defensive effort and his injury history. I think he is super talented offensively, but he gives you nothing on the other end. Even if he somehow fixes that, it won’t matter because he will always be in a suit on the bench as opposed to a uniform. Shabazz, on the other hand, gives you all out effort but he brings nothing to the table outside of a marginally effective ability to score. Please Dell, just stay away from these two and I will be content, at the very least, on draft night.

Ryan Schwan: Anthony Bennett. There is nothing he brings to the table that this team doesn’t already have – and in general, do better. I’d be pretty down as well if we took Len or Michael Carter-Williams, but I could talk myself into them.

Joe Gerrity: There’s nobody who would infuriate me. In most cases I defer on draft decisions to the paid experts. Those guys are spending all day and night thinking about this stuff with analytics and personal information that still trump what we have easy access to. While the line between expert scout and expert blogger has been blurred a bit more in recent years due to information being more readily available for outside analysis, I’ll reserve any draft day fury until at least Summer League.

Michael Pellissier: The only two players that would infuriate me are Steven Adams and Shabazz Muhammad, but I don’t see us taking either.

James Grayson: Steven Adams. I just don’t see why people are so enamoured with him outside of his size. Also I think Alex Len is severely overrated. Any time a seven-foot big man has some offensive skills combined with shot-blocking abilities people get excited. He’s not athletic, can’t stay healthy and has overrated offensive ability. I wouldn’t be infuriated, I just wouldn’t be overly happy.

Mason Ginsberg: Shabazz Muhammad. I absolutely hate Bennett’s total disregard for the defensive end of the court, but if the Pelicans take him, it means that Monty and Dell think that his defensive effort is something that can be fixed, so I’ll trust them. Shabazz, however, is simply too one-dimensional to draft in the top-10, and he hasn’t even proven that he’ll be able to consistently do that one thing (score) at an NBA level.

Jake Madison: Shabazz. He’s just too one-dimensional to really add as a key piece. I’m also not entire sold he can score consistently in the NBA.

2. List a few guys that you would target if we traded down or acquired another first rounder in this draft

MM: If we move down I really like Jamaal Franklin, Giannis Adetokoubo, Allen Crabbe, Sergey Karasev, Jeff Withey, and Mike Muscala. Franklin is similar to Tony Allen while Crabbe and Karasev can be lethal spot up shooters. Withey is a fantastic fourth big; basically a better shot blocking version of Jeff Foster. Muscala is a high IQ, productive big that the Spurs will probably somehow wind up with, and Adetokoubo has a high ceiling and I think Monty might be able to work with him the same way he worked with Nic Batum.

RS: Erick Green, Mike Muscala, Jeff Withey, Seth Curry, and Sergey Karasev. Erick Green is very similar to CJ McCollum as an explosive spark plug scorer, Muscala was a monster rebounder and solid player, and Withey will challenge for the title of Elite Fourth Big.  Curry and Karasev are all shooting specialists that could definitely find spots in a rotation.

Joe: Glen Rice Jr. fills a current position of need, and appears to be able to score on the next level given his offensive success in the iso-heavy D-League and his proven ability to hit the NBA-length three at a nice clip (38%). I’d be happy to give him a shot to prove himself if we wind up acquiring a late first round pick. Franklin would be worth grabbing as well.

MP: Giannis Adetokunbo would make me the happiest. He has a long way to develop, but if we can draft/stash him, he has a very high ceiling. He has enormous hands, which help considerably in ball-handling and passing. If he has the right attitude and work ethic, he could be special one day. I am also a Reggie Bullock fan and would love to have him as a role player.

JG: There are two guys on my (expanded) board that I would love to pick up if we traded down. Sergey Karasev and Dennis Schroeder are two guys that I am fixated on. Karasev is a deadly shooter and reminds me of a Steve-Novak type. Dennis Schroeder is a quick and agile point-guard with excellent passing skills. He has adept knowledge of the pick-and-roll. What concerns most people about Schroeder is his shooting and his size. He has a decent pull-up midrange game, but he can work on his outside shot a bit more. His athleticism and passing abilities can be elite which means you could learn to work with his weaknesses.

MG: Tony Mitchell, Allen Crabbe, Giannis Adetokoubo, & Sergey Karasev. I really love Mitchell as a potential super-athletic 3 & D small forward, especially if he can learn to knock down the corner 3. Crabbe has the size and skill set to be a two-way menace. Refer to Pellissier for Adetokoubo’s potential. Karasev can be a really solid floor spacer who is also a pretty decent passer.

JM: Sergey Karasev and Giannis Adetokoubo. Karasev is a deadeye shooter who can space the floor–which is vital to the Pelican’s offense. Adetokoubo just oozes tons of potential. He looks like he can be a defensive monster with his 7-foot-3 wing span. Glen Rice Jr. is another guy I think can be a steal late in the first round.

3. Without knowing who will still be left on the board, give me a few realistic young vets that you would be willing to package this pick for today

MM: Eric Bledsoe, Thaddeus Young, Jimmy Butler, MKG, Enes Kanter, Iman Shumpert.

RS: Eric Bledsoe, Omer Asik, Patrick Patterson, Kemba Walker, Goran Dragic

Joe: Rondo, Eric Bledsoe, MKG, Avery Bradley

MP: I don’t know what kind of packages would be needed, but Rondo, MKG, Tobias Harris, and Eric Bledsoe are some young veterans that I really like. I am a huge fan of Jonas Valanciunas and I would put together a realllly nice trade package to grab him.

JG: I think Rondo (because of Celtics rebuild), Bledsoe, Derrick Williams, Jonas Valanciunas

MG: Rondo, Thaddeus Young, Boogie Cousins (can’t resist the upside), Bledsoe

JM: The key to this question is realistic. I think that Bledsoe and Rondo are out of the Pelican’s reach so I’m not listing them. I’d be happy with Omer Asik, Patrick Patterson and Thaddeus Young.

4. Two days away. What is your prediction?

MM: With the 6th pick, the New Orleans Pelicans select: Otto Porter. I only think there are two or three guys Dell would love to see there at #6. Of those guys, Porter is the only one I think has a chance to make it to #6. Since the ping pong balls came up, Porter has been linked to Washingon, but I still think they pass. When they do, he will fall right into our laps.

RS: I seriously believe the pick will be traded, but if the Pelicans make the selection, they take Alex Len.

Joe: Smoke and mirrors! I’m blind!

MP: I predict that I will be wrong. Last year, Waiters went several spots ahead of where he was on the board, and this draft is even more of a crapshoot. With that in mind, I try to think about which guys GMs will fall in love with, and Oladipo, Noel, and McLemore are exceptional athletes, so I think they are less likely to fall than someone like Porter. If Porter drops, it’s hard to believe that we pass on him. Again, there are so many assumptions in play here, and considering how fluid mock drafts have been, it is easy to believe that we will all feel bamboozled on draft night. So for my pick? Let’s say Porter.

JG: The New Orleans Pelicans select: Ben McLemore SG, Kansas. I think this is on the proviso that the Pelicans move Eric Gordon. I think McLemore falls in the draft and New Orleans wraps him up. The reason I think he falls is the draft plays out like this: Cleveland – Nerlens Noel, Orlando – Victor Oladipo, Washington – Otto Porter, Charlotte – Alex Len, Phoenix – CJ McCollum (They saw what happened with Damian Lillard, try to replicate).

MG: With the 6th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select Trey Burke. There’s a rumor floating around that the Magic have committed to Burke, but I just can’t see the justification for picking him before both McLemore and Oladipo, both of whom have considerably higher ceilings. That being said, put Burke in the right situation and he has the skills to shine. New Orleans is the right situation for him.

JM: The New Orleans Pelicans select Trey Burke. The top two picks will basically decide how the lottery plays out. But I don’t see any other names jumping into the top 5 which would push someone like Porter or Len down to

5.  I would trade Anthony Davis for the top __ picks in this year’s draft.

RS: Nothing. Stop being stupid.
Joe: 7. That’s the difference between this year and last.
MP: I would trade you for asking this question.
JG: A first-overall this year, top-five this year and a first-overall in 2014 and a second-overall in 2014. (Really didn’t want to answer this).
MG: Andrew Wiggins. Oh, he’s not in this year’s draft? Then forget about it.
JM: LeBron James. That’s about it.

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