Post by Sydney on Apr 19, 2013 18:21:02 GMT -6
Now that I'm back home and can finish these rankings, let's move on to the next 11-20 picks from yesterday's creation draft.
11. Tel Aviv - John Beckman: Tel Aviv could have gone a few different directions with this pick but grabbing John Beckman here means he is looking to win. Beckman is more of a shooting guard who is masking as a PG and even though he's 28, he still seems to have a great deal of potential along with current skill. Tel Aviv will need to add another ball handler in the backcourt to pair with Beckman but overall this was a solid pick, nothing fancy but will allow him to contend now if paired with a solid cast. Grade: B
12. Buenos Aires - Alex Groza: I am a pretty big fan of this pick as I think Groza will be able to hang with most of the big men previously drafted on the boards, if not excel. He may be a little undersized but with his girth and athleticism, he will definitely hold his own. Add in Groza's age, he is a good building block that should definitely see a few all-star games and all-abca teams in his time. I preferred Clyde Lovelette to Groza, therefore I am going to say this was a tad of an overdraft. Grade: A-
13. Moscow - Gennadi Volnov: Probably the most unheralded prospect in the draft and may end up having the best value due to where he was drafted. I had him rated pretty high and when he fell out of the top 10, I was praying he would get to my pick. Unfortunately, this did not occur and Moscow now has a younger John Beckman who I expect to blossom within the next year or two. He will need to be paired with another ball handler just like Beckman but given his youth and potential, there is a possibility he can hold his own in a few years. Grade: A
14. Washington - Clyde Lovelette: He was in my top 10 and I had thought he was going to get to me for sure. Lovelette is a young big man that has a ton of potential and already has the current skill to play with best big man out. He will be a force to be reckoned with and grabbing him here at 14 is an absolute steal. i preferred him over half the big men taken in front of him and given his age, size and current skills, plus future potential, Washington must have been jumping for joy when they saw the results today. Grade: A+
15: Sydney - Ray Felix: Well time to evaluate my own pick, which I'm probably biased towards. After being extremely disappointed that a few of my top 10 were within a few picks reach, I went with a back-up plan. Based on my teams strategy and the dearth of big man already taken, I thought it was imperative to get a big man that will anchor my defense and rebounding line for years to come. You may think I was drafting towards need but realistically Ray Felix was still the highest rated player on my board. I had him over a few people picked ahead of him but in the grand scheme of things, he's not the sexiest pick but is definitely someone I can build my team around. Grade: A-
16. Chicago (From Atlanta) - Neil Johnston: This is where the talent level to me fell into the next tier. I like the rebounding presence Neil Johnston brings to the table and adding a second round pick to move down definitely makes up for the talent level between Johnston and Bellamy. The added value definitely makes this pick more appealing but it certainly boils down to what Chicago is able to accomplish with their additional picks. I had a few players rated higher than Neil and although I like the trade, i'm not the biggest fan of this pick. Grade: B
17. Berlin - Al Bianci: Definitely the second best PG in the draft and absolutely loved this pick. He will be an instant contributor and also has the potential to become even better. I absolutely feel Berlin got great value obtaining a surefire starter at a key position. With very few big man left worthy of this pick, Berlin definitely made the right choice and may have struck gold. Grade: A+
18. KK Partizan - Radijov Korac: He was a beast in the old ABCA and I compare him to todays Ryan Anderson as a great rebounder who can light it up from downtown. KK is definitely building with youth and this is a great block to add at pick 18 based on his potential and history alone. I'm sure he was hoping for someone else to fall but he now has a good young piece to build around for a very long time. Grade: A-
19. Seattle - Joe Fulks: I personally had Fulks attributes rated pretty high as he brings a lot to the table but I had to discredit him for his age, position and lack of defensive ability. If Seattle is able to surround him with defensive players, he can certainly flourish. At pick 19, this is definitely worth the gamble and can certainly pay dividends this season. I'm skeptical on his potential and personally would have went for higher upside, but Seattle now figures to try and contend right away. Grade: B
20. Philadelphia - Richie Guerin: The same can be said for Guerin as Fulks, however, they are different types of scorers. I like Guerin's potential and rated him exactly where he was picked, although a few other people were still on my board. With that being said, he has greater potential then Fulks and plays a more scarce positon. Grade: B+
Part III to come soon!
11. Tel Aviv - John Beckman: Tel Aviv could have gone a few different directions with this pick but grabbing John Beckman here means he is looking to win. Beckman is more of a shooting guard who is masking as a PG and even though he's 28, he still seems to have a great deal of potential along with current skill. Tel Aviv will need to add another ball handler in the backcourt to pair with Beckman but overall this was a solid pick, nothing fancy but will allow him to contend now if paired with a solid cast. Grade: B
12. Buenos Aires - Alex Groza: I am a pretty big fan of this pick as I think Groza will be able to hang with most of the big men previously drafted on the boards, if not excel. He may be a little undersized but with his girth and athleticism, he will definitely hold his own. Add in Groza's age, he is a good building block that should definitely see a few all-star games and all-abca teams in his time. I preferred Clyde Lovelette to Groza, therefore I am going to say this was a tad of an overdraft. Grade: A-
13. Moscow - Gennadi Volnov: Probably the most unheralded prospect in the draft and may end up having the best value due to where he was drafted. I had him rated pretty high and when he fell out of the top 10, I was praying he would get to my pick. Unfortunately, this did not occur and Moscow now has a younger John Beckman who I expect to blossom within the next year or two. He will need to be paired with another ball handler just like Beckman but given his youth and potential, there is a possibility he can hold his own in a few years. Grade: A
14. Washington - Clyde Lovelette: He was in my top 10 and I had thought he was going to get to me for sure. Lovelette is a young big man that has a ton of potential and already has the current skill to play with best big man out. He will be a force to be reckoned with and grabbing him here at 14 is an absolute steal. i preferred him over half the big men taken in front of him and given his age, size and current skills, plus future potential, Washington must have been jumping for joy when they saw the results today. Grade: A+
15: Sydney - Ray Felix: Well time to evaluate my own pick, which I'm probably biased towards. After being extremely disappointed that a few of my top 10 were within a few picks reach, I went with a back-up plan. Based on my teams strategy and the dearth of big man already taken, I thought it was imperative to get a big man that will anchor my defense and rebounding line for years to come. You may think I was drafting towards need but realistically Ray Felix was still the highest rated player on my board. I had him over a few people picked ahead of him but in the grand scheme of things, he's not the sexiest pick but is definitely someone I can build my team around. Grade: A-
16. Chicago (From Atlanta) - Neil Johnston: This is where the talent level to me fell into the next tier. I like the rebounding presence Neil Johnston brings to the table and adding a second round pick to move down definitely makes up for the talent level between Johnston and Bellamy. The added value definitely makes this pick more appealing but it certainly boils down to what Chicago is able to accomplish with their additional picks. I had a few players rated higher than Neil and although I like the trade, i'm not the biggest fan of this pick. Grade: B
17. Berlin - Al Bianci: Definitely the second best PG in the draft and absolutely loved this pick. He will be an instant contributor and also has the potential to become even better. I absolutely feel Berlin got great value obtaining a surefire starter at a key position. With very few big man left worthy of this pick, Berlin definitely made the right choice and may have struck gold. Grade: A+
18. KK Partizan - Radijov Korac: He was a beast in the old ABCA and I compare him to todays Ryan Anderson as a great rebounder who can light it up from downtown. KK is definitely building with youth and this is a great block to add at pick 18 based on his potential and history alone. I'm sure he was hoping for someone else to fall but he now has a good young piece to build around for a very long time. Grade: A-
19. Seattle - Joe Fulks: I personally had Fulks attributes rated pretty high as he brings a lot to the table but I had to discredit him for his age, position and lack of defensive ability. If Seattle is able to surround him with defensive players, he can certainly flourish. At pick 19, this is definitely worth the gamble and can certainly pay dividends this season. I'm skeptical on his potential and personally would have went for higher upside, but Seattle now figures to try and contend right away. Grade: B
20. Philadelphia - Richie Guerin: The same can be said for Guerin as Fulks, however, they are different types of scorers. I like Guerin's potential and rated him exactly where he was picked, although a few other people were still on my board. With that being said, he has greater potential then Fulks and plays a more scarce positon. Grade: B+
Part III to come soon!
Official Trader of ABCA
