All the writers of Hornets247.com unveil their final Big Boards and we arrive at a consensus.
The rules and scoring are simple. Each writer was asked to unveil their Big Board, numbers 1-15. For this exercise, we all assumed we were Dell Demps, and therefore arranged our board specifically for the Hornets. A player ranked first on our board got 15 points, ranked second got 14 points and so on and so forth. Here is our Lottery Board, (and others receiving votes below) followed by our individual boards and some back and forth on some of the draft’s most burning questions.
| Rank | Name | Points |
| 1 | Anthony Davis | 90 |
| 2 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 82 |
| 3 | Thomas Robinson | 77 |
| 4 | Bradley Beal | 73 |
| 5 | Harrison Barnes | 68 |
| 6 | Andre Drummond | 52 |
| 7 | Kendall Marshall | 42 |
| 8 | Dion Waiters | 39 |
| 9 | Damian Lillard | 31 |
| 10 | John Henson | 25 |
| 11 (Tie) | Jeremy Lamb, Tyler Zeller | 23 |
| 13 | Austin Rivers | 20 |
| 14 | Terrence Jones | 19 |
Also receiving votes: Jared Sullinger (16 points), Perry Jones III (11 points), Royce White (8 points), Meyers Leonard (5 points), & Marquis Teague (2 points)
Individual Boards:
| McNamara | Gerrity | Ginsberg | Calmes | Madison | Schwan |
| 1. Anthony Davis | 1. Anthony Davis | 1. Anthony Davis | 1. Anthony Davis | 1. Anthony Davis | 1. Anthony Davis |
| 2. MKG | 2. Bradley Beal | 2. Thomas Robinson | 2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 2. Bradley Beal | 2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist |
| 3. Bradley Beal | 3. Thomas Robinson | 3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 3. Thomas Robinson | 3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 3. Thomas Robinson |
| 4. Thomas Robinson | 4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 4. Bradley Beal | 4. Harrison Barnes | 4. Thomas Robinson | 4. Harrison Barnes |
| 5. Harrison Barnes | 5. Harrison Barnes | 5. Harrison Barnes | 5. Bradley Beal | 5. Harrison Barnes | 5. Dion Waiters |
| 6. Kendall Marshall | 6. Dion Waiters | 6. Andre Drummond | 6. Andre Drummond | 6. Andre Drummond | 6. Jared Sullinger |
| 7. Andre Drummond | 7. Damian Lillard | 7. Damian Lillard | 7. Kendall Marshall | 7. Meyers Leonard | 7. Bradley Beal |
| 8. Austin Rivers | 8. Andre Drummond | 8. Dion Waiters | 8. Meyers Leonard | 8. Kendall Marshall | 8. John Henson |
| 9. Jeremy Lamb | 9. Kendall Marshall | 9. Tyler Zeller | 9. Austin Rivers | 9. Damian Lillard | 9. Kendall Marshall |
| 10. John Henson | 10. Jeremy Lamb | 10. Terrence Jones | 10. Tyler Zeller | 10. Perry Jones III | 10. Royce White |
| 11. Dion Waiters | 11. Austin Rivers | 11. Meyers Leonard | 11. Perry Jones III | 11. Jeremy Lamb | 11. Andre Drummond |
| 12. Tyler Zeller | 12. John Henson | 12. John Henson | 12. Terrence Jones | 12. Tyler Zeller | 12. Quincy Miller |
| 13. Damian Lillard | 13. Perry Jones III | 13. Perry Jones III | 13. Dion Waiters | 13. John Henson | 13. Damian Lillard |
| 14. Jared Sullinger | 14. Tyler Zeller | 14. Jeremy Lamb | 14. Jeremy Lamb | 14. Dion Waiters | 14. Marquis Teague |
| 15. Terrence Jones | 15. Jared Sullinger | 15. Royce White | 15. Royce White | 15. Royce White | 15. Lamb |
1. Of the players projected to go late in the lottery, who would disappoint you most if the Hornets took them at #10?
McNamara: I would be disappointed if the Hornets took Jared Sullinger because I think there are simply too many red flags. If they traded back or could sneak back into the first round, maybe you take him and roll the dice. But who knows if the Hornets will be picking this high again anytime soon- you can’t take a gamble like that in my opinion.
Gerrity: Zeller. He just won’t ever be anything more than one of the worst starting centers in the league. Even at 10 there will be picks that are just as safe with a much higher upside.
Calmes: Sullinger. The guy has issues you know about to take him out of contention at 10 for me. Take the fun way out and find out someone else’s problems.
Ginsberg: Before all of the medical red flags associated with Sullinger, I was all ready to put Rivers here; however, Sullinger would clearly be worse at this point. Too many question marks between the translation of his game to the NBA level along with his back problems.
Schwan: Meyers Leonard. He is the classic late lottery big man reach who is where he is because of nice workout numbers and measurements. Do you remember anyone putting Leonard in the lottery before the workout circuit? He’s not there because of his basketball skill.
Madison: Sullinger. There are just too many red flags associated with him. I’m all for taking risks with the 10th pick, just not on a player with medical issues..
2. Give me a player not on your board that you would target if the Hornets traded back in to the end of the first round
McNamara: If the Hornets went big with the 10th pick, or traded for a veteran big man, I would love to see them target Marquis Teague at the end of the first round. In weaker drafts, I think he would be a lotto pick. He is a better prospect than Eric Bledsoe coming out of UK, for instance. Jack plays next year, then Teague and Vasquez battle it out for the future starting PG position.
Gerrity: Evan Fournier. I’d have a party if the Hornets could add him with a late first rounder, assuming he’s OK with staying in Europe for a couple more years. Once he’s ready to contribute to a winning team we could bring him over–developed and on a rookie deal. Just as Anthony Davis is really starting to enter his prime, the Hornets could potentially add a Manu Ginobili type player making a fraction of his on-court worth. I’d also be happy adding Sullinger if he falls past 20 or so.
Calmes: Henson. Henson will be a fine ball-player. He’s redundant here, and he’s not good enough to net value for the 10th pick in trade, but he’d be fine for a trade later on with a late round pick. This, of course, is ignoring the price of the trade to get him.
Ginsberg: Quincy Miller. He’s projected by most to go between 20-30 as many teams have concerns about his knee (he was on my big board until these worries arose as well), but I love his game and size (6’10”) and think he could be a great addition to the Hornets at small forward.
Schwan: Miller has to be the guy, unless Royce White plummets. Those are my two late first-round sleepers who will be much better than people think.
Madison: I kind of like Fab Melo. He has great size and the tools to be a strong defensive big man. He’d also allow Davis to roam around on defense like he did at Kentucky.
3. Without knowing who will still be on the board at #10, would you trade the pick today for any of the following players: Evan Turner, Paul Millsap, Josh Smith, Darren Collison. If so, which one(s)?
McNamara: I would say yes to Millsap and Millsap only. The goal would be to solidify the frontline and put myself in position to get an elite point guard next summer, then re-sign Millsap to a four year deal.
Gerrity: Nope. Millsap and Smith had my interest, but I just don’t really dig their two-year deals. Smith just gets paid too much. Millsap’s contract is solid, but I don’t love the idea of pairing him next to Davis in the short term. He’s a bit small, and he’s not a guy who really creates that much for himself on the offensive end.
Calmes: Millsap. It’s all about Davis, and bringing him along at the right pace while adding in a change-of-pace guy should Davis win the starting job is a plus. After being here for a year, we may have a guy that we can sign using a Bird exception next offseason, or perhaps a guy worth something in a sign-and-trade.
Ginsberg: Turner and Collison are immediate rejections, and unless Smith or Millsap were going to agree to an extension, then I would say no to them as well. Both are only signed through the end of the upcoming season, and while I would actually love the possibilities that would be created by putting Josh Smith at SF with Davis at PF (with the versatility to move to PF and C against smaller lineups), it wouldn’t be worth it without knowing either of them would be tied down long-term.
Schwan: I’d take any of them other than Collison. Millsap and Smith would take the pressure off Davis to be awesome and let him develop this year, while Turner still has the potential to be a wonderful swiss-army knife defender. Oh, and if you are still terrified of his shooting issues, I’ll point out he was essentially Trevor Ariza as a shooter – but actually turned in great passing and rebounding numbers along with good defense.
Madison: Maybe Millsap. But unless he agrees to an extension, I’d rather keep the pick. Smith is also interesting, but it’s the same problem with his contract.
4. Your draft day prediction for the New Orleans Hornets…
McNamara: I believe they take Austin Rivers at number ten and then grab a guy to stash in Europe at number 46. No trading for Dealer Dell, which is a surprise of sorts, but patience is the name of the game.
Gerrity: Fans in the arena will be sloppy drunk. They’re essentially going to the Arena to watch TV. I firmly believe that we’ll be seeing the highest average BAC from Hornets fans since that game that didn’t happen in the 2009 playoffs. This time the tears will be due to joy. Optimistically I hope that Lillard or Waiters will fall and the Hornets will pounce! Realistically I think I’m going to wind up disappointed in that regard.
Calmes: . . . is that they draft Davis and trade the other picks.
Ginsberg: I’m on board with every part of Mr. Gerrity’s response, from the drunk fans to who I hope that we grab with the 10th pick. I also agree with McNamara about the usage of our second round pick.
Schwan: I predict they draft Anthony Davis, trade 10 for a veteran and a late first rounder, draft Evan Fournier with the late pick, and then grab another euro-stash player with the 46th pick.
Madison: I agree with Ryan. Draft Davis, trade the 10th pick and stash a euro player with the 46th.
39 responses to “Hornets247 Consensus Big Board”
I perfer Waiters at 10 if we don’t trade the pick
1st pick: ANTHONY DAVIS
10th pick: TYLER ZELLER
46th pick: SCOTT MACHADO
1st: Skynet
10th: want Lillard realistically Marshall or Rivers will be available, but I think we take Marshall.
46th: Kostas Papanikolaou
All in all Tomorrow is the first steps to a Hornets Dynasty!
have to disagree with joe on zeller being a disappointing pick. he’s quick and has good instincts on d, making it very possible his floor would be nick collison (valuable piece who should have been playing most of the minutes in the finals)
he has post moves and a j, and has improved every year. not staying he will be a stud, but I think he will be very solid.
anyone see roy hibbert play much in college? his ceiling looked very low too
I would perfer Leonard over Zeller
Hibbert was a beast at Georgetown real tough good scorer,can rebound on both sides but not a solid blocker as he is now as a pro.
And Zeller was one of the best centers in college too.
Could be. I’m open to being wrong, especially if we wind up with him.
Hey I’m goin to the arena and I don’t plan on drinking. That’s offensive haha.
Seconded.
Riot.
Are you gonna be there
1st-Crescent city connection
5th-MKG
46th-tyshwan Taylor.
#wecanhope
Anybody else going to New Jersey to see it live?
Barring trades, I’d like
#1 Davis
#10 Marshall (or Lillard)
#46 Any Euro Stash
Trew.
Hahaha I read that as euro trash… Sorry
Davis,Waiter and Justin Hamilton.Don’t trip on this but i seen the Hamilton pre draft workout this guy is good on the offensive end,he can shoot the 3 and his inside scoring is good.I like Waiter because he’s a tough defensive SG that can draw fouls on the offensive end.
I really, really want Lillard or Waiters. Lillard is Tony Parker w/ a knockdown 3 ball and Waiters is a moer athletic Harden without the consistent 3 ball.
I agree but but DL wont make it to the tenth pick.But Waiters have more upside than Rivers because Rivers can’t play defense and plays hero too much.
I just saw Gottlieb break down Drummond vs. Leonard. Leonard showed some nice touch with the left hand. I didn’t realize he had as much low post game as Gottlieb said he did.
Drummond is a true bust i mean Michael Olowkandi bust
Drummond will start his career like Edd Curry – how he handles it when it comes to the crossroads will determain if he goes on and succeeds or not.
I believe the best move is to move the 46th and Aminu for a late first to go after Fourner but the move I would make at 10 would be Kendall Marshall. If you want a poor mans version of Chris Paul, who has just as much potential. HE SET THE ALL TIME ASSIST RECORD IN THE ACC!!!Chris Paul didn’t do that. and another thing that everyone is missing….THE NBA GAME DOESN’T HAVE MUCH ZONE DEFENSE which= A FEW MORE ASSISTS!!! Wake up fans…Also if Perry Jones can play the 3 which I believe he can..If He falls may need to be the pick!
#1. }
#10. Lillard
#46. Hamilton
Who down-voted this? I’m digging the uni-bracket.
There is an error in summing up the results. Meyers Leonard should have 22 points and move to 13th spot, pushing Austin Rivers to 14th spot and moving Terrence Jones out of lottery.
They are jealous of my board.
This may be a little unrealistic, but it’s more realistic now that the Hornets have traded Ariza and Okafor. The Hornets draft Anthony Davis and a wing player with their first two picks. And with the 2nd round pick, draft Scott Machado, and during free agency, go after Steve Nash to mentor him. The Hornets have some space to sign him, after all, but it might just be a matter of if he wants to play here or not.
Ummmmmmmmmm he doesn’t want to play here. Never will Steve Nash play in New Orleans.
It seems like he wouldn’t want to play here.
I still don’t understand why everyone complains about the ‘red flags’ on sullinger but they are willing to rank Mr. Red-Flag-Himself-Drummond so highly. Makes no sense. Sullinger actually knows how to play basketball (kind of important) while Drummond has no clue about the game. Watch him play and you are confused how he finds himself so far away from the ball when there is a rebound available. I’m actually suprised at how ‘good’ his stats are considering what I saw in the 10+ games I watched him play.
My point is, if you red flag sullinger, you cant give drummond a free pass.
The red flags on Sullinger are largely physical. Guy is expected by some to have back problems.
1. Anthony Davis, Obviously the only choice
10. Perry Jones III, Surprising but good prospect from Baylor
46. Tyshawn Taylor, fills void at PG and best value that late in the draft
I thought we were trading the pick for Darren Collison in your mock draft with Simmons… why PJIII now?
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8100861/ford-vs-simmons
My gosh, I hate when people boil players down to “good” and “bad” without being able to explain what about them makes them good or bad. I was listening to the Simmons Podcast and nearly yelling at my computer. Collison is great for an up tempo system. Guess what we don’t and will never have under Monty? Would you rather Jack start or Collison? Which PG is better for our system? Now tell me why we trade our future for him.
BTW that was directed more at Simmons than you, fake Chad Ford
Not Chad, by the way.
Sorry guys onr of my friends thought it would be funny to do that , obviously not though, but honestly I wouldnt mind taking PJIII at 10, feedback?
It’s cool. I thought it was clear. You know my feedback . . . up there!
Chad Ford’s comments about Rivers and our 10th pick on 6/27/12 are below. They also discuss a PG like Marshall indirectly.
“Scott (New Orleans)
Please tell me that the Hornets won’t take Austin Rivers with #10! Don’t we have more pressing needs (like a center) or the ability to gamble (on say, PJ3).
Chad Ford (2:22 PM)
I think Rivers goes 8 or 10. Outside chance he could go 6, but I doubt it. Not sure I understand the Hornets’ reasoning here. Not only does he not fit a need (unless they aren’t going to re-sign Eric Gordon) but why would you draft someone like Davis and then a blackhole guard who averages more turnovers than assists. Seems like you’d want guards who were great at getting the big fella the ball.”
So . . . Marshall?
This was typed in a very supercilious tone (not at you, 504).