Eye on the Draft 1 - Bigs Problem

First off, my knowledge of the NBA Draft is nowhere close to my NFL Draft IQ. Not even close. I don’t follow college basketball until the NCAA Tournament and I have zero familiarity with foreign players, whether they are European or South American.

What I strongly believe in is my knowledge of the Celtics and the team needs. And what should be on the top of their list are big men. I’m not talking Glen “Big Baby” Davis wide big. I’m talking 6’10” neighborhood.

Let’s look at the facts: Centers Kendrick Perkins and Semih Erden were moved at the trade deadline. Shaquille O’Neal retired and Nenad Krstic signed with a Russian team.

Boston is down to Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, and restricted free agent Jeff Green. None of them are long term fixtures at PF or C. And the options for free agents are either out of the Celtics’ price range or just aren’t very good players when sifting through the bargain bin of free agents.

The NBA Draft is less than a week away and it is the first step towards finding a player or two to groom into an eventual starter.

I’ve had enough of people saying this is a weak draft class. If a team’s scouting department is good, they can find the great players in a weak draft. Danny Ainge and his staff found gems year after year in the second round. If they can find players that late, they can find two drafting late in the first and second round.

Not much is known about Ainge’s research. The Celtics announce some of the players they bring in for workouts (click the links for the workout updates from Celtics.com: Workouts 1 Workouts 2), but that doesn’t cover scouting trips. Beyond that is mock draft watching and taking mental notes of the changes following updates.

Initially I was in favor or Perdue’s JaJuan Johnson because I wanted a traditional power forward: An athletic banger that rebounds, defends, primarily plays in the post with his back to the basket, and has a midrange jumper.

As I learned more about the possible options available at the 25^th pick, I’ve shifted towards Richmond’s Justin Harper.

He’s projected as a PF but doesn’t have a power game. Harper is a straight scorer. A 6’9” player with his handle and jumper all the way out to three point range is a find. I like that he can create for himself and spot up. For comparisons sake, Harper is a Kevin Durant wanna-be.

Questions? Comments? Send to talktome@randolphc.com