2013 NBA draft thread

[Tugg Speedman]

Is anybody honestly surprised he went undrafted? Does not surprise me in the slightest.

I know of one person ... Vander Blue

[martyconlonontherun]

Poor guy got some bad advice, this could have been his year. I wish him well in Europe.

Yeah, he needs to stop listening to that Vander guy.

I actually don't blame him. He probably would have ended up in Europe either way but kind of disappointed he valued getting paid overseas compared to being part of a special MU, graduating and getting some fall back plans for post-career. It's his choice, but I am a selfish fan and hoped he would've came back instead.

[flash]

I was a part of the optimistic "Blue will get drafted" group.  I was wrong, and now it looks like a European career is the most likely path for him at this point.  It's sad to see him not get picked, but he still has a small shot if he turns some heads for a summer league team. 

[Blackhat]

Oladipo's gonna be the flop of the draft.

[wadesworld]

Been saying this for a while now...in a league where 7 foot centers routinely knock down jumpers from outside of the college 3 point range, there is no room for a shooting guard that can't shoot.

Selfishly wanted him back but spending 4 years in college was never in his plans since entering high school. His choice, he has to live with it. I hope it works out for the best for him.

We won't be better without him next year, but at least our shooting guard will be able to stretch the defense and open up the lane a bit by being able to at least be a SMALL threat from beyond the arc.

[Dawson Rental]

Blue was not even close to getting drafted. Would be a stretch even if the draft was 75 picks. A lot more international players selected than I anticipated.

Geez, but didn't an NBA source say that the Lakers would take Vander if he was still available at #48?

[Benny B]

Yeah, he needs to stop listening to that Vander guy.

I actually don't blame him. He probably would have ended up in Europe either way but kind of disappointed he valued getting paid overseas compared to being part of a special MU, graduating and getting some fall back plans for post-career. It's his choice, but I am a selfish fan and hoped he would've came back instead.

If he was going to end up in EU anyway, why not come back for one more year and hope to catch lightning in a bottle?

I hope this would serve as a lesson to kids who listen only to what they want to hear, but it won't.

[TomW1365]

I was upset to see him declare out of selfish reasons, but to see him go undrafted is a real dissapointment. I thought he gave himself a shot w a great showing in the combine... I wonder how his shot looked in individual workouts?  I hope he finds a home through great summer league play.  

[martyconlonontherun]

I was upset to see him declare out of selfish reasons, but to see him go undrafted is a real dissapointment. I thought he gave himself a shot w a great showing in the combine... I wonder how his shot looked in individual workouts?  I hope he finds a home through great we league play. 

I thought the general consensus was that Blue did nothing to dispel rumors he can't shoot.

[Benny B]

I thought the general consensus was that Blue did nothing to dispel rumors he can't shoot.

Exactly.  The only people who thought Vander had a great combine performance were those in Vander's camp.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I honestly don't think Blue is surprised. The theme I got from his interviews was "I am sick of school and want to start making money." If you don't want to go to school anymore might as well take your chances in the draft. I fully expect him to tryout for teams and make the D-League. I don't know if he can pull a Wesely Matthews, but I see him having a career similar to Jerel McNeal

[hdog1017]

Since Mbakwe wasn't drafted, will he petition for an 8th year of eligibility? 

[JMcSteal]

The Bucks are irritating.

[MU82]

Blue was not even close to getting drafted. Would be a stretch even if the draft was 75 picks. A lot more international players selected than I anticipated.

At the end of ESPN's draft-a-thon, Bilas' top 10 undrafted players were listed. Vander's name wasn't there. He might not have been drafted even if there had been a third round. Draft Express said he wasn't even a top-100 player.

It's fun to rally behind "our" kids, but most of us -- present company included -- are not knowledgeable enough to actually make a prediction about second-round draft picks. Few if any of us have seen any of the scads of international players who get drafted every year.

So then it comes down to, "Vander will get drafted. I just have a feeling." Or "The NBA likes Marquette guys, so Vander will get drafted."

Vander Blue was a nice college player for one of his three seasons but he has not demonstrated a single signature skill that can translate to the NBA game. Not one. And don't say, "He's a great athlete." Almost all of them are great athletes. There are 6-11 guys in the NBA who are just as quick as Vander, some who have every bit as good a handle and dozens who can shoot better.

It's fine to hope he still can make it as Wes did, but that's a long, long, long shot -- and we all know that, unlike Wes, Vander can't hit long shots.

Vander still can have a lengthy pro basketball career. It simply will not be in the NBA unless he makes MAJOR improvements. I wish him the best of luck and thank him for all the great plays he made this past season.

[martyconlonontherun]

The Bucks are irritating.

What would you have like them to do? I really like picking the Greece kid. Would've preferred keeping Ledo, though. (That may have been prearranged, so he may have been Was's pick earlier)

The Bucks 3-5 position of the future now has wings spans of 7'3, 7'5, and 7'6. I disagree with 90% of their moves but a high-risk/high-reward with a tanking slant was a great pick for them.

[source?]

The Bucks are irritating.

Tell me about it. Two unproven commodities seems about par for the course with them.

[wadesworld]

The Bucks are irritating.

This first round pick is the one I have agreed with most in a LONG time by the Bucks. They are FINALLY, it seems, willing to tank for a year or two to get some true NBA talent on the roster. This kid won't make a difference in the next 2 years. The backcourt will be awful. So we'll get a top 5 pick in a great draft class next year and watch this guy and whoever we get develop for a couple years before hopefully competing. You can't keep hovering right on the bubble of being swept in the first round and being the best team not to make the Playoffs.

Also, this draft was awful. Very, very few players are going to have big impact careers, especially guys who went mid first round and down. I'd rather take my chances with a foreign 18 year old that has huge potential than someone who I know will be a role player throughout his career.

[martyconlonontherun]

Tell me about it. Two unproven commodities seems about par for the course with them.

Ummmmmmmmmm..... Do you consider Wolters unproven? Was the only guy with 20/5/5 the last 2 years.

ETA: And if you were talking about Ledo, he would've been a really solid pick that late. The guy was a top 20 recruit with NBA measurables. I take that over a Ryan Kelly 7 out of 7 times.

[thehammock]

I'm with Marty on this.  Love the swing-for-the-fences pick. Now, if they can resist blowing their cap room on free agents (I can dream), tank this upcoming season, get a high pick in next year's loaded draft and then fill in the pieces in free agency. Unfortunately, herb will want to be the 8 seed and they'll go all in for josh smith, jr smith, etc, be a 7/8 seed, pick in the middle of the first round and be stuck with no cap flexibility.

[JMcSteal]

Our first round pick has the highest ceiling but also the lowest bottom. Big time hit or major miss. I would have preferred a pg (had a man crush on Dennis Schroeder) but I see what you guys are saying. Hopefully we actually do tank so we can get a top 10, hopefully top 5 pick next year. And yes I really wanted Ledo... bad. A steal for our 2nd round pick, but hopefully Wolters game will translate into the NBA.

[MUHoopsFan2]

This first round pick is the one I have agreed with most in a LONG time by the Bucks. They are FINALLY, it seems, willing to tank for a year or two to get some true NBA talent on the roster. This kid won't make a difference in the next 2 years. The backcourt will be awful. So we'll get a top 5 pick in a great draft class next year and watch this guy and whoever we get develop for a couple years before hopefully competing. You can't keep hovering right on the bubble of being swept in the first round and being the best team not to make the Playoffs.

Also, this draft was awful. Very, very few players are going to have big impact careers, especially guys who went mid first round and down. I'd rather take my chances with a foreign 18 year old that has huge potential than someone who I know will be a role player throughout his career.

There isdifference between NBA talent and skill...

Oladipo's gonna be the flop of the draft.

I disagree he will be the one signature player of the draft for his team. His team will have his personality to it....and toughness. I think he is a game-changer and a culture changer with the way he competes.

Tom Crean taught he well just like he built a foundation here and Victor will take that with him to Orlando.

[MUHoopsFan2]

Our first round pick has the highest ceiling but also the lowest bottom. Big time hit or major miss. I would have preferred a pg (had a man crush on Dennis Schroeder) but I see what you guys are saying. Hopefully we actually do tank so we can get a top 10, hopefully top 5 pick next year. And yes I really wanted Ledo... bad. A steal for our 2nd round pick, but hopefully Wolters game will translate into the NBA.

It was a horrible ill timed pick. This was not the time nor the draft to take who the Bucks did with the free agfency situation they are in. The needed a safe sure pick for need, not a project in a weak draft year.

The draft to take a hit and miss would be next years draft not a weak draft if you want to build a good team and keep your job and credibility. I gave the Bucks and F grade.

And to get both Ricky Ledo and have Deshaun Thomas left to take and then trade them to get Wolthers who you could get anywhere was another horrendous move. But it explains why they Bucks are who they are and are the worse run franchise in the NBA.

[MUHoopsFan2]

It was a horrible ill timed pick. This was not the time nor the draft to take who the Bucks did with the free agfency situation they are in. The needed a safe sure pick for need, not a project in a weak draft year.

The draft to take a hit and miss would be next years draft not a weak draft if you want to build a good team and keep your job and credibility. I gave the Bucks and F grade.

And to get both Ricky Ledo and have Deshaun Thomas left to take and then trade them to get Wolthers who you could get anywhere was another horrendous move. But it explains why they Bucks are who they are and are the worse run franchise in the NBA.

No one else took the gambles the Bucks did. They wasted that pick and could have had Dallas'  and the Thunder's pick who were trying to give theirs away and got both guys if they wanted.

Fans who like this pick do not know what they are talking about but most of them like the pick because they want to tank anyways and dont care if it was a good pick or not. They want to lose so we get a lottry pick next year.

This generation of NBA lottery driven ESPN AAU hyped McDonald's fan is a trip. The lost art of building a title time wherever you are is lost on them and I have a tough time explaining it and putting up with it as a Bucks fan.

The Bucks did the worse of any team in the situation they are in...of all the teams in the NBA tonight imo.

[martyconlonontherun]

It was a horrible ill timed pick. This was not the time nor the draft to take who the Bucks did with the free agfency situation they are in. The needed a safe sure pick for need, not a project in a weak draft year.

The draft to take a hit and miss would be next years draft not a weak draft if you want to build a good team and keep your job and credibility. I gave the Bucks and F grade.

And to get both Ricky Ledo and have Deshaun Thomas left to take and then trade them to get Wolthers who you could get anywhere was another horrendous move. But it explains why they Bucks are who they are and are the worse run franchise in the NBA.

There was a sure pick at 15? What are suggesting a guy like Larkin? You would think you would want to go high-risk in a weak draft, tank and get a great pick in the following year's draft.

Miami, Chicago, NJ, and Ind have the Top 4 locked up in the East. We need to tank this year and not get swept in the opening round.

[Sunbelt15]

Foreign draft picks is so aggravating because you never really know their skill level til the season, and it leaves you wonder if it was a wasted pick.

Blue's situation is a damn shame!