Knee Jerk Mock Draft

I think Atlanta is gonna take mike conley jr. since they need a PG badly. they have too many PF and SF

We need to find the Dwayne Wade of this years draft

or chris bosh

I know everybody and their brother (especially on these boards) thinks Yi is going to be a bust, a soft player who we should avoid like the plague, but he’s my favorite player in this draft not named Oden or Durant. Huge athleticism, a nice shooting stroke, an already polished fadeaway, full court skills, an underrated post game and a good basketball IQ (unlike Gerald). Oh, and he’s 7 feet tall. It’s gotta be Yi for the C’s if a trade isn’t consummated. He’ll compliment Jefferson nicely. Failing that, I like another CelticsBlog whipping-boy, Julian Wright. No Horford, Brandan Wright or Hibbert.

corey brewer will be rookie of the year…trade gerald, draft brewwer

I’ve got to say, if we take Yi Jianlan at number five and Brandan Wright is still out there, I’m gonna be p— – mightily annoyed (self-censored for possibly inappropriate language)

I’m thinking there’s going to be a trade — Conley at three is way to high. It would be interesting if BOS and ATL swapped picks, so the Celtics can pick up Horford and than ATL could take Conley.

My first thoughts are that Atlanta is more likely to choose Conley. Horford seems like a good fit for Memphis no matter what they do with Gasol. Yi makes sense.

I never want to see another “God is a Celtic’s fan” commercial again.

Unless Ainge has identified a play he thinks will have immediate impact (not a project or someone with ‘upside’ or ’potential’), this pick is going to be traded.

Celts still have too many needs and too much youth. Any player short of a ROY candidate won’t help this team much.

 does anyone feel Zach Randolph is up for grabs now?

In response to Chief: ABN, i.e., ANYBODY BUT NOAH. Danny drafting that overrated pre-op tranny would be the last straw, truly.

I’ll be on the Brandan Wright, Conley, Yi draft pick in that order depending which one comes our way. Wright has the “goods” although not a Durant/Oden level. Conley will solve the point question for 10 years, and yes, I roll the dice with Yi. If he plays like Dirk, he’s the steal of the draft and Danny can thank me for being a genius. If he’s a bust (which I don’t think he will be) then we are right in the lottery again next year. I will take my chances with Yi though over the likes of Horford, Noah, KU’s Wright, etc.

Horfords stalk may drop if he measures 6’8" or under.

I think Yi is a worth the risk at five. At five everyone available has a good amount of risk and Yi could be great. I do like brewer a lot, especially if we look to trade GG.

Little D, Zach Randolph did his share of ball hogging the last few years, but in his defense the Trailblazers were not that wippy of a team. I think the Trailblazers keep him and see how he plays with the young core. If he can blend his game with the youngsters, Portland can do some damage in a few years or less.

I think Randolph really becomes expendable when Roy, Aldridge, Oden get to the end of their contracts and they will have to part ways due to salary issues. Randolph has game and he would help us, no reason for Portland to part with him at this point- nothing they get in return will help them more.

Remember Aldridge can play all 3 front court positions, one reason why I was begging Danny to do whatever to get him. Had I known Aldrdige/Roy were the lucky charms to get Oden, I would have begged even more for Danny to make the move.

Awesome from line: Oden/Randolph/Adridge
Plus Roy and whoever at the #5.
And the kicker: they didn’t tank, just made smart trades, play hard and let the chips fall where they may. A blueprint for Celtic management to follow in the future.

Chief, I respectively disagree on getting Noah. I said last year, if he came into the draft, it would be a killer picking him. I was hoping he would have gone in and been gone by the time we got our pick.

There were many games when we couldn’t throw the ball into the harbor. On many nights we were a poor shooting team. On top of that, we don’t have the defense to keep us in games when we can’t score. I don’t think Noah’s game will translate as well on the NBA scene as it does on the college level, just my opinion.

I love the kids enthusiasm, energy, will to win, etc; but I don’t think he’s a good fit for us and at the #5, I have to think Brandan Wright, Conley or Yi are the superior picks.

If you were disappointed with the lottery just wait until Yi is absolutely nothing in the NBA and just another bust foreigner. Conley, Wright, Green, or BUST.

bceltfan said:
no reason for Portland to part with him at this point- nothing they get in return will help them more.

The Portland community is tired of his act (Wallace, Miles, Patterson and now Randolph). His latest, was a gun going off in a public setting, not his, but he and Miles were present. To many stories about the strip clubs, they may not want him around anymore.
His trade value may be higher now, before his next episode. And yes, he is a player. Oh, by the way, straight up for Wally works.

bceltfan ,
 all good points.
Don’t forget Sergio, he’s a player.

Lucky #7, if Danny trades this pick (#5) I think he needs to be darn sure that he has the team to make a championship run. It would have to be for a Gasol, KG, Jermaine O’N. type player and even then it has to be one that is “favored” to be in no less than the Eastern finals. I don’t see that type of trade and I don’t want to mortgage the future for a 550 winning precentage and out by the first or second round of the playoffs.

I truly believe both Doc and Danny will be gone by this time next year. The least they can do is to leave us with talented young building blocks for the future. We have that in Big Al, we can probably get a second young star for Pierce, we should get “good value” with the #7, and there is still hope that Rondo takes his game a few more notches the next few years.

Trading #5 to appease Pierce or to try to save a failed legacy will just put us further in the whole long term and as of now we are the 2nd worst team in the league record wise.

Little D, good points on Randolph’s conduct. Yes, Portland is trying to clean house and I heard they were shopping him last year before the trade deadline. The thing is though, now with Oden, if Randolph gets his act together, that’s a starting line up that’s going to give many team fits next year.

Portland would never to Randolph for Wally, they are way too smart for that. I think they would entertain Pierce/Randolph trade talks but my hunch is they stick with Randolph unitl he implodes. I will not be surprised if the Blazers go deep into the playoffs, like Utah, next year, or play for the championship in two years. A lot of lottery luck, plus organizational “smarts” translates into championship contender.

DinoRadjaLives, Your right, let it soak.

I hope Danny’s online, he came across as almost panicking. Gasol, Garnett or Oneil other than that, I would be reluctant to deal the pick. Good thing the draft isn’t tomorrow.

Maybe they’ll take Bassy and Theo for Roy and the #1 (or for a paperclip and a bag of peanuts. Whichever…)

bceltfan,
They want him out of town. Four more years left on his contract, has never been a good company guy, bad public relations, addition by subtraction, major knee surgery, bad back and last year was the first time he came to camp in some kind of shape. Your right, they would never do Wally, clean cut two years left and an outside shooter. Although, they did give Wallace away.

It may not be Boston, but it would not surprise me if he was dealt on draft day. I’m not sure I would take him for Wally. A leopard doesn’t change his spots. For more years!

Four. It’s late.

Yada freakin’ yada.
We’re so skee-rewed.
Pick Conley. Only thing that makes sense, if Wright’s gone.

Dino, I’m with you as far as my head is hanging pretty low tonight. I watched ESPN and they showed the Celtic dude in a “coma” after the pick was announced. That summed it up.

On Yi, let me just say this. We probably aren’t going to learn too much more new about the kid that we don’t already know tonight. You know as well as I do, these NBA team execs will be “spinnig” worse than politicians. Look at all the pre draft workouts Danny had last year, probably more than any other team and what did we do with our pick, we traded for Telfair.

Bottom line is going to be, do you pull the trigger on this Yi kid or not with the #5 and to me you absolutely do when Oden, Durrant, and possibly B. Wright and Connely are gone.

It is a “ballsy” move and it is high time Ainge did something ballsy. Yi has the most upside of any other after these four in my opinion and if his game can mirror Dirk’s in any fashion at the NBA level, we will have a good young core with he and big Al. If it craps out, then it craps out. I’m tired of stay the course though.

I don’t think management gives a hoot what the fans think, if they did, I can guarantee we would have won many more than the 24W we did. It just seems like many moves Danny makes in recent years (Wally trade, Telfair trade, keeping Doc, trying to win with Pierce/vets and very young youth instead of going one direction, saying we were going to be a running team last year when we didn’t have the personel to be that type of team, etc) comes back and bites our rear.

As a fan, I see what Ainge says and does, criticize it, and then watch us get our butts beat like a drum all year long because of it. Knowledgable fans know the misery that will happen and are predicting it before it even happens.

I am a celtics fan living in Hong Kong, China and I watched YI playing in CBA for the last 2, 3 years. Believe me, CBA is a league of very low standard and Yi’s dominance in the league doesn’t mean anything. Besides, it is very common in China to understate the age and IMO YI looked more like 22, 23. I have grave doubt on his potential to become even a starter, not to mention a greater player, in an NBA team. As I don’t have much chance to watch NCAA games, I don’t have much knowledge of other potential picks like Horford, Conley, etc but please, please don’t take the risk to pick YI.

portland is looking to trade randolph for a SF, but believe me, we don’t want him for a myriad of reasons. let him be seattle’s or chicago’s headache.

Atlanta should take Conley, but Billy Knight is an idiot and will probably take a big player. Unfortunately, the Grizz need a point guard, and Jerry West is not an idiot.

Probably at #5 the most NBA ready player who fills a need will be Corey Brewer.

Dino, I agree with what your saying but Randolph played 68 games last year (Wally for example played only 32, even Pierce played only 47). Randolph also averaged 23/10, and shot a very respectable 46% from the field. Another team has to give up an “all star” to get him or the deal won’t happen.

Bottom line is, if they can’t get what they perceive as equal or close to equal value, they will hold onto him until these youngsters resign for big bucks. I just don’t see a Gasol, Jermaine, or KG type trade and they won’t get suckered into a Ricky/Blount/Banks for Wally/Kandi trade like we did. Portland will put up with one last misfit child in Randolph if it means a step or two away from the ring.

ugh. we have to settle for the second tier players. good thing it’s a pretty good bunch. but it still makes me want to puke.

conley, b wright, yi are definitely the next tier, but i’d add corey brewer to the mix. the fifth pick seems awful high to take him, and it’s not really a need, but he’s got a great game. believe it or not, chad ford has brewer going 4th to the griz.

seriously, who would you rather have, gerald or brewer? it’s not really even a question in my mind.

i know, i know, it would be tough to pass on a big though…

Trade Ratliff back for Raef? Just kidding. not the best first post ;D

Yi is totally a bust IMO

You can forget about a running game with Randolph. The Celtics will walk it up the floor, pass it to Eandolph, watch him shoot, walk back on defense and give up 120 points per game.

The good news is that Smith & Wesson may join Crown Royal as a marketing partner.

This is a no brainer, really. Look at the impact that Chris Paul, Deron Williams and (after his surgery) TJ Ford have had on their respective teams. Rondo is not at that level. The silver lining here is that Ainge may finally get his franchise point guard on the third try.

there are many worekout to hold and the predraft camp in orlando as well thus i hthink we should not rule anyone out just yet. However we do need the biggest and best center avaiable when we ar on the clock. Good interier defense will make other players defense better. so who is the best rebounding shot blocker on the board. too we need to match the teams in our division who are playing two bigs at the same time like orlando- howard milic or torono with bosh and bargonia chicago with wallace and p j this year but they are going big again in this draft as well. so lets keep an open minde to yi hibbert and Hawes plus Noah. finally perk and all need help on the front line desperatly gomes and powe will not cut it no matter how much they know and how they huslte and bang. I am not saying get rid of them but add some beef up front as job one for this summer

I am not necessarily wanting Randolph. I was originally answering your question Dino if anyone thought he was “available” and my answer still remains probably not. I agree with you he’s not a good influence and he’s not the “trade” that puts us over the top. I was just saying from Portland’s perspective, they aren’t going to give up a 23/10 bad character player unless they get close to equal value, especially with Oden/Roy and Aldridge. Randolph has the “perfect fit” right now in Portland and they can use a veteran leader. He can produce on the court in the same manner as Rasheed W does for the Pistons, baggage and all.

I’m on board for going the youth movement and I don’t want Randolph and think we should be moving Pierce for younger talent. We need to build this franchise from the ground up.

Well you can cross off Hibbert: he’s pulling out of the draft.

If we’re not trading the pick for immediate veteran help, it’s time to trade Pierce.

Yes, it’s been time to trade Pierce for awhile now, but they won’t do it unless Pierce forces their hand.

I’ll say this last bit about Yi and then I’ll give it a rest. I like the fact that in two games against team USA, Yi averaged 13 points, 8.5 rebounds per game and he was matched up against Dwight Howard, Elton Brand and Chris Bosh. If this kid is allowed 30 mintues a game, he will average 12/8 his rookie year by the last half of the season, and he will only improve IMO.

I know he plays in an inferior league but he has dominated it and won numerous championships in those lower leagues so I don’t think you can fault him too much for that.

Athletically, the kid has skills. He has a great first step just like Dirk and like Dirk at 7’0" he’s capable of getting his shot off and draining it consistently. He can dribble like Dirk and do many of the things that 7 footers aren’t supposed to be able to do. He almost has 3 point range on his jumpers and I expect him to have that down too in a few years. Up until almost mid-way this past year with Big Al coming on, you could not count on any Celtic to be a consistent scorer besides Pierce. West, Green, Gomes, Rondo, Telefair, etc are all capable of 14 points one night followed by 4 the next. There were more than several games when we shot in the 30 to 40% range. Yi will be a decent defender, especially when he bulks up, just because of his athleticism alone.

There were many predictions of Yao being a bust when he was drafted and it took him a few years to get that mental toughness. Yi is a different player, but I see good things for him in the NBA in 2 to 3 years.

Bargani is this type of player too and he’s a lot better player than most of our fans realize; next year you will see that kid having a break out year. I don’t care about Yi’s age and whatever it is it will take him a few years to put meat on his bones. I see a good tandem with him and Big Al, and he can force defenses to play him honestly respecting his outside shot.

Yi can give us “fluidity” and that is one major thing we lack.

We lack an all-star point guard who can do it all.

Tom Heinson can’t see his shadow!

So here’s how the draft went down for me. I’m watching and they are showing all the representitives for each team standing around before being seated for the draft.

Tommy H. shuffles in and watch the replay if you don’t believe me. He’s looking up at the lights, then down to the floor, up at the lights, down to the floor and then he gets a real panic look on his face.

I sitting there and I get that same sudden panic feeling. Both Tommy and I realize at the same time, like Puxatony Phil on Groundhog Day, Tommy doesn’t see his shadow. He’s spinning around in circles and I’m yelling “cripes, the guy can’t see his shadow”.

At that point I sit through the inevitable and watch the #5 card being opened. I yelled out at the T.V. like Larry David of Curb your Enthusiasm with his Korean bookie Song- “CELTICS”.

Brick is right, I’m taking Conley hands-down if he’s available.

Stern has and always will hate the C’s, dating back to him screwing us over when Reggie died.
A typical, stubborn New Yorker who loathed Red.
This organization is now TOTALLY in the hands of one Danny Ainge…and I’m not too confident.
Even as an unabashed Ainge backer, I’m petrified.

I dont have time to read all the above and I don’t care — this is all about blowing off steam — at this point I dont want Yi, and no number of canned “workouts” is going to change my mind on that. I am much more interested in B. Wright, Brewer, Noah, Horford, Conley. At this point I would take any of those five over Yi.

Now, that said, I think Danny has been helping to whip up a storm (getting some help from Chad Ford?) to promote Yi and get him to move up draft boards? I think it is possible that Conley goes #3 to Atlanta and Yi goes #4 to Memphis leaving Cs to pick up B. Wright (or Brewer or Horford or Noah; frankly I would be okay with any four of these at this point)— Now, Wright won’t help the Cs right away, but we can keep our fingers crossed…. The key thing that has to happen between now and draft day is that Yi especially, and perhaps also Conley (and maybe Hawes as a dark horse?) need to have great work outs to move up in the draft so that DA still has the pick of a nice litter….

Jeff — btw way I think you are wrong about Memphis needing a PG — Kyle Lowry was looking dynamite for Memphis early in the year….

I agree, I take Conley over Yi and I also take Brandan Wright over Conley and trade Pierce while I’m at it.

It is a given that Oden and Durant are gone. I think both Brandan Wright and Conley will be gone too by the time #5 comes our way. I also think if the teams picking above us aren’t as high on B Wright and Conley, there will be teams behind us trading up to get them. One way or the other, I think all 4 will probably be gone come our pick.

So, although I’m pushing Yi, I’m presuming these 4 players are off the board which IMO at this point there is a strong liklihood they will be.

Unlike last year where there was so much play on who would go where in the top half dozen or so picks, I think as time goes on, the top 4 will be solidified and out of our grasps come draft day.

C’mon Conley!!!! Highly overated!!! If he didn’t play with Oden, no one would even know who he was. Please, coming out of high school he wasn’t event the best point guard in his class. It was Javaris Critteton, Tywon Lawson, then Mike Conley. C’mon man!!! Think about it like this, if Conley went to lets say to ….Michigan, is he even coming out this year? Is he possibly a third pick?
Hell no? He is just taking advantage of the position he’s in. For some reason people think that if you win on a good team in college then your suddenly better than guys that were thought to be better than you. Tywon lawson of North Carolina is a way better player than Conley; And I bet you Javaris Crittenton will be an All-Star. He is A bigger and more unselfish Steve Francis. Why are some of you guys talking about Conley in the first place when Rajon Rondo is solid, and has unique triple double-like potential. Rondo over Conley anyday!!!!C’mon man!!!!

P.S- When I last Checked we have a beast at the PF position"Al Jefferson" who is arguably the NBA’s future in terms of post-play. Outside of Duncan and Garnett, no big man in the league has better post moves than Jefferson;and there in the west. Yi, Hell no. Al Horford at 6’8, Hells no. Brandan Wright, talented, but thats’ just not what this is looking for. The PF position is filled on the celtics and there are no job openings. The 5th pick should of been traded instantly. Zach Randolph will probably be dealt, and if conley is available at 5, the celtics should trade it away along with theo ratliff for zach randolph. It could definitely work out like that.

PG Rondo
SG Green (If ready)
SF Pierce
PF Jefferson
PF Randolph

Yeah I know, But we’re in the east. Plus perkins can come off the bench and help down low if the adjustment is needed. Hey only three teams have legitimate centers the Heat, Rockets, and yes the Blazers.

In my mind really if Gerald Green turn into what people think he can be, the Celtics will be in good shape. If not, see ya Danny, see ya Doc.

Time to trade Pierce. Whoever they take at #5 will either be a project (Wright, Yi, Conley) or someone at a duplicate position (Horford, Noah). There is no one they can take that will make them instantly better with the possible exception of Brewer…but he’s only going to make them marginally better.

Here’s my point: they are still a few years away from contending under ANY scenario. If you believe that, then why hold onto Pierce? What good is he going to do us when he’s 33 and bitter? None – gotta trade him now.

What a let down.. this puts us in no mans land…

Time to let Pierce go in my opinion .. im sure he wont be upset either.

The Celtics have Jefferson, wtf do they need Randolph (same exact position) for?

If Ainge passes on Green, Conley Jr. or Brewer than we should storm the Garden and tar and feather Wyc, Danny and Doc before sending them down the Mass Pike in a wheel barrell.

This is extremely disappointing…depressing…

now danny has to work for his hay. i like brewer in the spot and he will be there. conley is very good. i worry if they take conley, they will be in a 2 quarterback situation and i don’t trust doc to maneuver it well.

No one said trade for Randolph. The question was, does anyone think Zach Randoplh is up for grabs now?

I’ve got a bad feeling about Conley. I suspect he’s not quite 6’ tall, and he’s listed at 170 lbs. That’s rather slight by NBA standards.

 Conley will probably go to Atlanta, since they also have the 11 pick, and can get a serviceable big man there. They came up big last night as well.
   This is going to be a huge trading season, with a lot of restless fans, players and mgmt. Especially in Boston, where fans are thinking Celtics championships won’t be in Paul Pierce’s lifetime.

1. and players to Atlanta for filler and 3&11

1. Zach Randolph is most certainly up for grabs. But I doubt if there will be alot of interest. He’s slow, he’s expensive and he has major character issues. It’s not just the felonies, the guns and the strip clubs. It’s his complete unwillingness to hustle on defens or pass the ball.

2. Norvnice said: “C’mon Conley!!!! Highly overated!!! If he didn’t play with Oden, no one would even know who he was. Please, coming out of high school he wasn’t event the best point guard in his class. It was Javaris Critteton, Tywon Lawson, then Mike Conley.”

I don’t know who was rated where two years ago, but Conley proved on the court that he was the best pg in college basketball last year, and there was no close second. Barring injury he will be an NBA all star. Unlike Rondo, he is always under control. He has an instinctive feel for the game.

3. If they can’t get Conley (and I expect Memphis to take him at #4), I will once again say that Tiago Splitter is the most NBA-ready big man in this draft.

4. Obviously Ainge will try to trade the pick. I expect a desperation move to bring in a name veteran to keep Pierce happy and sell tickets. I think the chances of Alan Iverson finally becoming a Celtic jumped exponentially last night.

5. Trading for someone like Iverson would be a horrible move, of course. What they should do (sadly) is trade Pierce and go into full rebuilding mode around Jefferson. Maybe this bad luck will knock some sense into them.

6. The Celtics may need to tank again, which is probably inevitable anyway if Doc Rivers continues to coach the team. The 2008 draft isn’t that strong, but 2009 looks like it will be loaded, particularly with international players.

Last night was painful, but as my man Kurt Vonnegut once said “So it goes!”

1. Corey Brewer (would need to trade a swing man, not sure he fits the slow down Celtic model but he is the best player at five)
2. Mike Conley (huge team need, looks to be the best point in this years draft, not sold on BW)
3. Trade down for Jakim Noah (I know I am one of the few that like him, but he could help right away on defense and could help us become one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. Seems to me that we score plenty of points but struggle at D. Makes a good case for Splitter as well, who we could also get if we trade down)
4. Hibbert (if he is still in the draft)

I think Ainge is trying to smoke screen with Yi.

Last night sucked.

   The ray of hope here is that these kids are 19-20, and even with a 5 pick, some player may develop into a bonafide star. Horford may become Karl Malone 2007, Yi may be Dirk, Thornton could be Marion, Conley = Chris Paul.
   I don’t know what trading Pierce could yield, but I’d bet its lower than we think, and definitely not Bynum / Odom. Its worth exploring. Moving PP in multi-team deals could yield us Camby or Kirilenko, or a young big. That, along with drafting an athletic 3, might make us a little more exciting team at least. Its hard to imagine Celtics being too up tempo with PP and Wally both.

I want to draft Corey Brewer and ship out GG, Theo, Gomes, Delonte and Bassy’s guns

OK, where do I begin?

Zach Randolph = No thanks. He’s a black hole, a loser, and gives up 30 for every 20 he scores.

Mike Conley = Nice player, but overrated. Not on par with Paul or Williams.

Yi Jianlian = Very intriguing prospect. His age scares me. Certainly Dirk/Bargnani type skills. Saw him working out on TV, and is athletic. If he’s indeed 19, I take him hands down, if he is 22-23, I have to think about it.

Rest of draft = A multitude of possibilities. This is the most critical draft this franchise has faced in over a decade. There is a Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady, Amare S., Chris Bosh, etc. type player(s) in that 3-7-10 range. Whomever does there homework will reap the benefits, while someone else will end up with the Ron Mercer types. DA has to pick correctly to save the franchise. Brewer looks interesting, as does Wright. Al Thorton? Lots of skilled guys, some of whom will go late lottery.

Trades = I’m leaning towards keeping the pick since there is talent there, and because it would cost to much to aquire the needed talent. Would #5, Theo, GG be enough to snatch Gasol? It won’t get KG, and probably not JO. We can’t trade #5 just to win 42 games. In all honesty, we might be better suited to consider moving PP, than selling off #5 for another 10 years of mediocrity. Sux I know.

We have to take Conley if he’s available, althought I can’t see how Atlanta or Memphis can pass on him either. Tremendous speed, great handle, great poise, great defender, and he’s a winner.

Next is Brandan Wright. I’m a little worried he’s soft, but he’s a freak of nature and would provide the things that Al and Perk cannot. Third is Brewer. We are guaranteed to have one of those three, and we would be getting a major piece of the puzzle.

Would Atlanta swap 3 for 5 and either GG or Rondo?

 Brandan Wright

PREP/PERSONAL
Two-time Parade All-America selection • Second-team USA Today All-America selection • Played in McDonald’s All-Star Game, Jordan Classic and Nike Hoop Summit • Orlando Sentinel’s Southern Player of the Year • Named Tennessee’s Division II Mr. Basketball in 2004, 2005 and 2006 • First three-time recipient at any level of Tennessee high school basketball • Four-time Most Valuable Player of the Tennessee Division II private school state championship tournament • Led Brentwood Academy to four consecutive state titles, the first time in Tennessee high school basketball history that has been accomplished • Coached by George Pitts • Scored 2,662 career points, grabbed 1,200-plus rebounds and blocked nearly 600 shots • As a senior, averaged 22.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocks per game • Had four triple doubles (points, rebounds and blocks) • Scored 30 or more points four times with a high of 35 in the season opener vs. Shelbyville • Blocked 10 or more shots four times with a high of 16 • Had 23 points, 11 boards, 16 blocks and three assists vs. Lexington Catholic • Led Brentwood to a 34-2 record in 2006 • Had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocks in 2006 state championship game win over Evangelical Christian Academy • Averaged 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.4 blocks as a junior and 22.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocks in 2004.

Strengths: Very good scorer in the post – can score with both hands. Very smooth and poised for his age. Can get up and down the floor quicker than guys his height. Good shotblocker. Was a very consistent scorer on the college level playing in one of the countries best conferences. Shoots for a very high percentage. Incredibly long arms – he has a 7â€â"¢4.5” wingspan.

Weaknesses: Needs to put on some weight/muscle for the pros. Will have trouble guarding NBA power forwards until he bulks up more. Very inexperienced with only 1 season of college ball under his belt. Averaged less than 30 minutes per game his 1 season in Chapel Hill. Poor free throw shooter. Needs to develop an outside shot if he is going to play some small forward in the NBA.

Projected 2007 Draft Range: Top 4 pick.

Consensus: Wright is a player that would be considered as a #1 overall pick in most draft years – just not this year. After gaining some strength and experience Wright has the potential to be an all-star NBA player.

some of guys are concluding this if you reread what you wrote: Oden, Durant, Wright, Conley, Thornton, Horford and Hibbert will not be available by the time we are picking. Are we picking eighth now? Man are you guys depressed!

Look at who is at 3 and 4. Conley is going to be gone. Now its not 100%, but it is only sensible to assume he will be gone. So the question is who are the next two best fits for us or who might be the best playewr in a couple years. Screw worrying about immediate results if we only have a year or two to wait. I don’t know why its not clear that Wright is a good pick. Al will play center. Wright puts on 30 lbs and has a 7 4 wing span. that might be more than Oden or Durant. Wright is your guy. But heck maybe he is gone too.

1. Conley
2. YI
3. Trade down

Hundreds of scenarios for Celtics to choose from here are mine.

1. Do nothing except make our picks in the draft at 5 & 32

2. Trade our 2 draft picks with Charlotte if our choice falls to 8 and
   Charlotte’s pick is at 5. We take their 22 pick they take our 32 pick so
   we get two first rounders.

3. Trade for veteran players but I do not know if that will work.

I’ve said it before and I’ll mention it again. Julian Wright will be one of the best players out of this draft.

“Look at who is at 3 and 4. Conley is going to be gone. Now its not 100%, but it is only sensible to assume he will be gone. So the question is who are the next two best fits for us or who might be the best playewr in a couple years. Screw worrying about immediate results if we only have a year or two to wait. I don’t know why its not clear that Wright is a good pick. Al will play center. Wright puts on 30 lbs and has a 7 4 wing span. that might be more than Oden or Durant. Wright is your guy. But heck maybe he is gone too.”

Because 2 skinny 4’s don’t make a 5. I expect Danny will take either Brewer, Green or Thornton. Green and Thornton are the power 3’s Dannys been aching for. Brewer will likely be the best player available when we pick. Let’s face it this team needs defense and there’s no guarantee TA is gonna be the same when he comes back. If we choose Wright it’ll be for another team and then trade down.

Unfortunately B. Wright measured out to be only 6’8 and 200 lbs and could only manage 2 benchpresses. He also came out mediocre on the athleticism score with a 180ish tally.

Meanwhile guys like Horford and Noah helped themselves out by weighing in as heavy (246) and tall (6’10.5) respectively and racked up fairly good athleticism scores of 232.9 and 206.69 respectively.

IMO of the people tested, Horford has moved himself up to #3 in the draft.
Green is a full inch shorter than Horford and weighs 20 lbs less. He had a good athleticism score of 238.38 but the size does concern me.

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