2011 NBA Mock Draft Thread

[Earl]

I really like the look of Jonas Valanciunas. Runs the floor well and can finish, as well as being around 6'10" 240lbs and still growing.

 

[Mike Manifesto]

I heard something about Kyrie trying to come back in time for the first UNC/Duke game in February.

 

[Silky Smooth]

[video=youtube;5WcbIPgU38Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WcbIPgU38Q[/video]

 

[davedugan43]

Remember the last guy the Cavs past up in a draft due to fear of past injuries....

DeJuan Blair, starter for San Antonio.

Don't let one injury prevent you from selecting your PG of the future...

There are some Yao Mings and Greg Odens, but majority are not.

 

[Adam]

I just realised that perry jones might be what darius miles was supposed to be.

 

[Jezzar]

I just realised that perry jones might be what darius miles was supposed to be.

What was Miles supposed to be again?

:chuckles:

 

[tedginnjr]

I just realised that perry jones might be what darius miles was supposed to be.

Reminds me more of Anthony Randolph.

 

[Silky Smooth]

Quincy Miller "This is the best thing that's happened to me"
by: Joey Whelan - Features Editor
January 5, 2011
It was never a case of Quincy Miller not taking the game of basketball seriously – he did. But like so many gifted youngsters with the world at their feet, standing on the cusp of greatness, he simply didn't know how good he had it. He didn't understand how quickly it could all be taken away. Few ever do.


Ross Davis / San Antonio Sports


A native of Chicago, Miller may have been the poster child of his class for this character dynamic. Having burst onto the scene as a junior and continued his assault on the class rankings well into last summer, the 18-year-old made almost as many waves for his confident, bordering on brash nature, as he did for his exceptional play on the court. But then harsh reality reared its ugly head.

For Miller – a consensus top-5 player in the class of 2011 who has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant for his combination of size and skill – his moment of clarity came less than a month ago. On December 10th, playing in just his fifth game with his new school Westchester Country Day (NC), the 6-foot-9 small forward felt a pop in his left knee. Though player and team remained hopeful for the best, the final diagnosis was in stark contrast to the otherwise optimistic expectations: torn ACL.

Not surprisingly, despite his oft described tough exterior, Miller became emotional upon learning the extent of his injury. No McDonald's All-American game. No Jordan Classic. No Nike Hoop Summit. No more high school basketball. Nothing but time and an arduous seven-month long rehabilitation process that has tested many athletes, far more experienced in the injustices of life than a teenager.

It was then that Neeton Morgan, Miller's AAU coach with D-One Sports, sat down with the broken star and painted a very black and white picture. Morgan didn't pull any punches, he didn't cut corners and sugar coat things for the youngster. He spoke to Miller man to man and the response has been striking.

“This is probably the best thing that's happened to me, even though it is kind of a negative,” Miller says in an explicit tone, almost saturated with perspective. “It's going to give me time to watch what other high school guys do, what I was doing, how I can change and get ready for college. It's going to enhance my work ethic to be even greater than it was before.”

“I think he's developed a sense of humility so to speak about the talent he has,” adds Morgan. “He knows not to take it for granted because it can be taken away so quickly.”

Following a successful surgery, Miller began physical therapy within days of the procedure, regaining a full range of motion within the first week, he says. From there, and with his newfound dedication to his craft, the focus turned to improving as a basketball player by any means necessary, without stepping onto the court.

In preparation for the rugged, physical play of the Big 12 he is set to face next year as a freshman at Baylor, Miller is working to gain strength in his upper body. He is watching tape and attending his team's games, observing closely the happenings on the court and in practice. In short, he's becoming a student of the game.

“With him having to sit out and view things through a different lens, he sees the things he could have done on the court and he sees the mistakes that other guys make,” says Morgan. “He's become almost more of a coach in many ways.”

While there's no substitute for consistently playing a high level of competition, certainly a player of Miller's talent stands to gain a considerable edge by observing under proper tutelage and developing into a more cerebral athlete.

Few freshmen enter the college game having spent considerable time studying the game in the manner that Miller now has the opportunity to do. Few have the time to work on their bodies, to get stronger and improve their physical limitations. It's an opportunity the blue chip recruit isn't taking lightly.


Ross Davis / San Antonio Sports



Brian Clifton – CEO of D-One Sports – has watched Miller blossom from obscure prospect to projected future pro and has seen the developmental process as close as anyone. The change in the young star's mindset, Clifton says, was almost instantaneous once he came to grips with the reality of his injury.

“It's his level of maturity and his desire to prepare that has changed. It's all starting to make sense to him,” he says. “It's giving him a greater appreciation for [basketball] and making him take a more business minded approach to the game. He's not sitting around being down about things, he's looking at what he needs to do and he's doing it.”

Just in case the counseling and advice he is receiving from the coaches around him isn't enough, Miller is assuredly heeding the words of a former teammate with a similar meteoric rise in the basketball world: John Wall.

Wall and Miller were teammates on D-One two years ago, the same year the current Washington Wizards rookie exploded onto the national scene, elevating himself from relative unknown to the #1 recruit in the country.

The two players formed a close friendship, one that continues today and one that has been fruitful for the younger Miller, manifesting itself into a mentor-student relationship in the last year. Wall has provided a constant stream of guidance since departing for the University of Kentucky last year, preaching to Miller the importance of viewing the game through the lens of a professional, years before he begins being paid as one. Not surprisingly, Miller's realization of his own potential coincided with the rise of Wall's stardom.

“I think when Quincy was able to go on a couple of trips and compete against guys playing at a high level and see them changing their lives through basketball, I think those guys had something in common that maybe he didn't have at that time,” says Clifton. “Most kids grow up idolizing big time basketball players, but they don't get the luxury of those guys walking into the gym and saying ‘hey, this is how it's done.' Quincy was able to see it living and breathing in front of him.”

Miller's tunnel focus has extended beyond improving physically in the wake of his injury, but to his ultimate goal of the NBA. It can wait.

Faced with the possibility that he could be forced to spend two seasons at the college level before entering the draft as part of the new NBA collective bargaining agreement negotiations, Miller doesn't seem to be fazed. Rather than focusing on the potential of being locked out of pro basketball a year longer than he may intend to be – something he does say isn't fair to those select players who are ready to make the jump – Miller maintains his only concern right now is ensuring he is ready to contribute at Baylor.

“If the NBA comes, it comes, but right now I'm just worried about being a great college player and helping my team win games,” he says. “I want to be one of the best defensive players in college. I want to be a go-to guy at Baylor. I want to be one of the best.”

There will be more questions than anticipation when Miller arrives on Baylor's campus for the 2011-12 season. The limitless expectations will be replaced by the hopes of an entire community for a clean bill of health. There in the center of it all will be a college freshman, hardened by experience, refined by dedication, but not without his trademark swagger. Think Miller is concerned with people writing him off?

“I definitely think people are going to sleep on me, but they're going to wake up.”

LINK

I know this doesn't have anything to do with the 2011 draft but if we don't get a really good SF in this up coming draft I really, really want this dude. This guy could very well be the next superstar in the NBA.

 

[Rist77]

Quincy Miller is unreal, well was unreal, I hope he makes a full recovery from his ACL injury. He could be something really special. Here's a video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7GC94q1VzM&feature=player_detailpage

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The Cavs have to draft whoever they feel is the BPA for this upcoming 2011 draft. But they should keep in mind that the two best players Quincy Miller and Austin Rivers are both franchise-changing wings coming out in the 2012. I really hope Quincy Miller has a full recovery and is able to play next year, as I think he will more than likely be the #1 pick. There are a lot of comparisons to KD, but I see him more as a young Grant Hill. His ability to be able to do everything on the court is very impressive.

 

[czvo]

Remember the last guy the Cavs past up in a draft due to fear of past injuries....

DeJuan Blair, starter for San Antonio.

Don't let one injury prevent you from selecting your PG of the future...

There are some Yao Mings and Greg Odens, but majority are not.

In 4-5 years, DeJuan Blair will either be out of the league, or struggling to stay in it, because of his knees. Of course, with the Spurs' aging core, that's not really a concern to them.

(And shouldn't have been a concern to the Cavs at the time either, I might add... still, given all that's happened since then, probably for the best that they didn't draft him. Unless, of course, they would have drafted him and traded him when his value was the highest. Either way, I wouldn't be too concerned with Irving's injury, as long as it really is just turf toe.)

 

[czvo]

LINK

I know this doesn't have anything to do with the 2011 draft but if we don't get a really good SF in this up coming draft I really, really want this dude. This guy could very well be the next superstar in the NBA.

I don't know... when was the last time an player suffered a serious knee injury in high school and became an NBA superstar? If they're looking for a guy to be their best player, do they really want to take the guy with a major red flag like that? Just seems irresponsible.

 

[Rist77]

I don't know... when was the last time an player suffered a serious knee injury in high school and became an NBA superstar? If they're looking for a guy to be their best player, do they really want to take the guy with a major red flag like that? Just seems irresponsible.

Well that's why teams will wait and see...
1.How fast is he able to recover from the injury.
2.What he is/isn't able to do at Baylor next year.

It's not like teams are drafting him right now, they get to see a year of what he can do in college. No team will draft him high if they see him hobbling around the court next year.

An injury can happen to anybody, it's a red flag, but not a major red flag. It in no way shape or form means that Quincy Miller is injury prone. If he recovers fully, or even if he just gets to 85-90%, he will still be amazing and a future all-star and possible superstar.

I saw the injury, he was doing a crossover and his foot slipped. The floor could've been wet, idk. He made those types of cuts all the time. That can happen to anybody. If a player's going to get injured, it's better he get injured now than say, right before the draft, or even after the Cavs or another team draft him.

 

[BuddyCowley]

Remember the last guy the Cavs past up in a draft due to fear of past injuries....

DeJuan Blair, starter for San Antonio.

Don't let one injury prevent you from selecting your PG of the future...

There are some Yao Mings and Greg Odens, but majority are not.

Past up? Really?

Blair wasn't PASSED up due to injury concerns, he was PASSED up because he's a PF that measured in at just over 6'5" and 277 pounds.

Oh, and he's averaging all of 20:00 per game, so let's not start fellating the guy because he's a "starter." Remember, Eric Snow was a starter too.

I'd also like to know how exactly the Cavaliers PASSED up on him, seeing as they didn't have a pick in the 2nd round in the first place.

 

[Silky Smooth]

I don't know... when was the last time an player suffered a serious knee injury in high school and became an NBA superstar? If they're looking for a guy to be their best player, do they really want to take the guy with a major red flag like that? Just seems irresponsible.

Hasn't there been many players who have torn their ACL and made a full recovery?

 

[davedugan43]

Past up? Really?

Blair wasn't PASSED up due to injury concerns, he was PASSED up because he's a PF that measured in at just over 6'5" and 277 pounds.

Oh, and he's averaging all of 20:00 per game, so let's not start fellating the guy because he's a "starter." Remember, Eric Snow was a starter too.

I'd also like to know how exactly the Cavaliers PASSED up on him, seeing as they didn't have a pick in the 2nd round in the first place.

Well...at least your posts match your avatar.