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2021 Draft Lottery

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Not only is he a legit 7 footer, but he looks to be about 7’2” when comparing him to Steven Adams who is a true 7’0
Steven Adams measured 7’0 on shoes prior to the 2013 NBA draft:


Mobley looks a couple of inches taller, so I’d put him at 7’2”. He’s obviously a lot thinner and his physique reminds me of Kristaps Porzingis. You wonder if the guy will be able to put weight on?
 
Another thing Ford mentioned was a potential trade where the Cavs send #3 to OKC for the #6 and future assets. Ford emphasized he has heard nothing about this, but he thinks it could work for both teams based on these factors:

1. Ford loves Scottie Barnes to the point where if he were the Cavs' GM he would take Barnes at #3. He thinks Barnes fits perfectly.
2. He said OKC was bitterly disappointed by their draft slot as they were hoping to be picking much higher.
3. OKC has a shitload of future picks they have accumulated after stripping their roster of talent. They have tons of ammo to move up.

I can't see it because OKC already has Shai, who is one hell of a shooting guard. Why would they want to add Green? And I can't see the Cavs trading the pick if Mobley is there.

But I could see a trade down for Barnes, maybe with Orlando.

Here's the case for Barnes from The Athletic's David Aldridge, who anonymously quoted basketball people whose opinion he respects.

USA Basketball member: Scottie’s got some flaws to him, but the one flaw he doesn’t have is that he is a frickin’ winner. If you want to win … you’re going to draft Scottie Barnes. When he came to us, before his freshman year in high school, I knew then he was going to be something special. He has taken coaching. He has really worked on his shot. He has really worked on his form shooting, just to get better. He’s certainly not a great shooter by any means, but he’s a scorer. He can score. But he didn’t look to score a lot of times. But he knows he can impact the game doing everything else.

(Sounds like a description of Giannis, or maybe Draymond Green, or Ben Simmons)

College head coach 1 (his team played Florida State last season): He does a lot of things very, very good. He’ll defend. He’ll rebound. He can guard almost anybody. Long arms and an NBA body. Not a shooter. You have to concern yourself on how you’d guard him and how effective he’ll be. He’s not a jump shooter. You’re not going to run him off of screens, maybe spot up once in a while. He’s probably a Ben Simmons right now.

Western Conference Executive 1: I think Scottie Barnes is a big-timer, man. I don’t care about the shooting or anything; there’s ways around that. There are just guys that grab you. This kid, first of all, he’s got big size. He’s listed at 6-foot-9 but he’s probably 6-foot-8 ½ in sneakers, three-quarters. That’s good enough. His length is big-time. It’s like 7-foot-2 or something, 7-foot-3.

(Editor’s Note: Barnes’ wingspan was measured at 7-foot-2.75 at the Chicago Combine.)

Got huge hands. Defensively, he’s one of the elite guys in the draft. All this switching, that’s no problem at all for him. He gets out in passing lanes; he gets his hands on the ball; he gets the ball back for his team. That’s all great. But his passing, at that size, is really elite. And his vision and his ability in the open court. He’s so long-legged, long striding, they outlet the ball to him off a defensive rebound, well inside his backcourt. Two, maybe at the most three dribbles, he’s way down deep in the lane, and really rolling.
And there’s all sorts of things he can do along the way — the pass ahead, scoring himself.

....There’s big energy that’s at play all the time. He’s said this in interviews, and I believe it when I watched him, he really takes joy in other’s success. It’s not just about him – me, my brand, my numbers. They’re up 25 or 30 on Miami and his center (Balsa Koprivica) takes a charge, and Scottie’s going berserk, going down there on the floor and picking him up and hugging him, pumping. When they come off the floor, the walk-ons are gravitating to him, and the managers are coming over and he’s hugging those. That’s huge, man. … Me, personally, and I may have some bias, but I’m taking him over Kuminga.

Eastern Conference Executive 1: Jonathan’s [Kuminga] more talented offensively. Scottie gives you something completely different. He could be a backup point guard, he could play some five, he can start, he can come off the bench. He’s an incredible role guy. Kind of like Draymond (Green), a little bit, but bigger and more physical, if that’s even possible. I do worry about his scoring. I worry about his shooting. But by all accounts, an incredible prospect. Unbelievable kid. I think people trust him a little bit more. But very, very close in everybody’s rankings. … Scottie was the fake sixth man (last year); he still played like a starter. They all don’t play more than 30 minutes a game (at Florida State); they’re all at 28. It’s really hard to evaluate. Chicago saw beyond that; they saw the size, the sheer size of Patrick Williams, and his skill set, and disregarded the production. So you have to take that with a grain of salt, because (FSU coach Leonard Hamilton’s) going to have a 10- to 12-man rotation. If Scottie was playing 35 minutes a night, that production would have been far up.


Final thought: The Cavs are huge on "culture" and wanting players who are completely unselfish and just want to win. They like workaholics. Barnes seems to be everything they value from a personal standpoint. They want more length and athleticism on the wings. If they are convinced Barnes is going to keep working on his shot until he gets it (Larry Nance Jr turned himself into a decent 3-point shooter and also Sexton, who had serious questions about his outside shooting when he was drafted) they might look to trade that #3 pick, if it's Green, to a team that drafts Barnes, probably Orlando.

Barnes actually sounds like a taller version of Okoro, or a Larry Nance, Jr clone. The conventional wisdom is that the Cavs, who were near the bottom in scoring last year, need to get a scorer to take the pressure off Sexton and Garland. They already have all these guys who can't create their own shot, especially in the half-court offense; Nance, Love, Allen, Cedi, Okoro, Wade. They could use either a power forward (Love is running on fumes and Nance is a 3) or a shot creator (like Green). One of them will be there. But if it's Green and the opportunity is there to exchange him for a better fit in Barnes plus multiple future assets, I could see it happening.
 
Steven Adams measured 7’0 on shoes prior to the 2013 NBA draft:


Mobley looks a couple of inches taller, so I’d put him at 7’2”. He’s obviously a lot thinner and his physique reminds me of Kristaps Porzingis. You wonder if the guy will be able to put weight on?
Maybe if he asks Giannis how he did it?

Or will Mobley be another Nerlens Noel - he is what he is?
 
Huge.

To me, the corrolary for that is to seek out guys with intangibles suggesting drive/motor/improvement. Character guys with some brains. I'd prefer a guy whose biggest need is to improve his skills over a guy whose biggest need is to get his head screwed on straight.
AND physical durability... Injury is the NBA star killer. Consider Tristan Thompson. He had the traits you describe, plus he was an absolute Iron Man. Kyrie was gifted, but his injuries limited him, and his ego led him to hurt the team..

If all of our first round picks were as consistently good as TT, we would be San Antonio.. I think Altman has made three picks in the category of Durable, steady personality, high work ethic and character, and three picks based on gifts and upside.. on the Durable side we have Sexton , Okoro, and ( signed not picked) Stevens... On the gifts side, it was Garland, Porter and Wyndler..Garland is working out for us, and perhaps his ceiling justifies the gamble. But I would argue that Sexton, Okoro, and Stevens have exceeded expectation for thier draft positions..

What does that say about this year? I think they would really have to love the talent to pick a player with injury risk. I think Mobley is that injury risk.. Think about Giannis knee.. Mobley and his frame will be banging at the same level.. that same event would have ended his season at a minimum.. If they perceive Mobley as elite talent, like they did Garland, they pick Mobley, but use him lightly in year one.. and bring him along physically..

Looked a film all morning..Mobley has really quick feet .. not just for his size, but for any size.. he is too weak today to play defense inside, guys like KAT or Randall will bully him all day. IF he survives a couple of years without a serious knee injury, he will be OK.. but a knee injury would take away his superpower, IMO..

Sengun has similar size and mobility. Not as quick but stronger and excellent quick moves inside. I see why people prefer Mobley, but I think Sengun could be Dirk level good..IF you like Mobley in the top three I think you have to objectively put sengun in there with him.. Sengun is arguably playing against stiffer competition..

I see Barnes as a taller Okoro, with a completely broken shot.. I think he will be better than say DeAndre Hunter, but we are looking at three years to average outside shooting if we are lucky.. But he is very good inside, and defensively monstrous.

It may not be popular, but I really like Cunningham.. he has a little Tre, and a lot of Sexton in him.. watching film, he was playing 1 on 5 is most games, as the defense focused on him. If you are hating on Sexton because he is short, Cunningham fixes that. Cade is clueless defensively.. If you combined him with Barnes you get Lebron..
 
Another thing Ford mentioned was a potential trade where the Cavs send #3 to OKC for the #6 and future assets. Ford emphasized he has heard nothing about this, but he thinks it could work for both teams based on these factors:

1. Ford loves Scottie Barnes to the point where if he were the Cavs' GM he would take Barnes at #3. He thinks Barnes fits perfectly.
2. He said OKC was bitterly disappointed by their draft slot as they were hoping to be picking much higher.
3. OKC has a shitload of future picks they have accumulated after stripping their roster of talent. They have tons of ammo to move up.

I can't see it because OKC already has Shai, who is one hell of a shooting guard. Why would they want to add Green? And I can't see the Cavs trading the pick if Mobley is there.

But I could see a trade down for Barnes, maybe with Orlando.

Here's the case for Barnes from The Athletic's David Aldridge, who anonymously quoted basketball people whose opinion he respects.

USA Basketball member: Scottie’s got some flaws to him, but the one flaw he doesn’t have is that he is a frickin’ winner. If you want to win … you’re going to draft Scottie Barnes. When he came to us, before his freshman year in high school, I knew then he was going to be something special. He has taken coaching. He has really worked on his shot. He has really worked on his form shooting, just to get better. He’s certainly not a great shooter by any means, but he’s a scorer. He can score. But he didn’t look to score a lot of times. But he knows he can impact the game doing everything else.

(Sounds like a description of Giannis, or maybe Draymond Green, or Ben Simmons)

College head coach 1 (his team played Florida State last season): He does a lot of things very, very good. He’ll defend. He’ll rebound. He can guard almost anybody. Long arms and an NBA body. Not a shooter. You have to concern yourself on how you’d guard him and how effective he’ll be. He’s not a jump shooter. You’re not going to run him off of screens, maybe spot up once in a while. He’s probably a Ben Simmons right now.

Western Conference Executive 1: I think Scottie Barnes is a big-timer, man. I don’t care about the shooting or anything; there’s ways around that. There are just guys that grab you. This kid, first of all, he’s got big size. He’s listed at 6-foot-9 but he’s probably 6-foot-8 ½ in sneakers, three-quarters. That’s good enough. His length is big-time. It’s like 7-foot-2 or something, 7-foot-3.

(Editor’s Note: Barnes’ wingspan was measured at 7-foot-2.75 at the Chicago Combine.)

Got huge hands. Defensively, he’s one of the elite guys in the draft. All this switching, that’s no problem at all for him. He gets out in passing lanes; he gets his hands on the ball; he gets the ball back for his team. That’s all great. But his passing, at that size, is really elite. And his vision and his ability in the open court. He’s so long-legged, long striding, they outlet the ball to him off a defensive rebound, well inside his backcourt. Two, maybe at the most three dribbles, he’s way down deep in the lane, and really rolling.
And there’s all sorts of things he can do along the way — the pass ahead, scoring himself.

....There’s big energy that’s at play all the time. He’s said this in interviews, and I believe it when I watched him, he really takes joy in other’s success. It’s not just about him – me, my brand, my numbers. They’re up 25 or 30 on Miami and his center (Balsa Koprivica) takes a charge, and Scottie’s going berserk, going down there on the floor and picking him up and hugging him, pumping. When they come off the floor, the walk-ons are gravitating to him, and the managers are coming over and he’s hugging those. That’s huge, man. … Me, personally, and I may have some bias, but I’m taking him over Kuminga.

Eastern Conference Executive 1: Jonathan’s [Kuminga] more talented offensively. Scottie gives you something completely different. He could be a backup point guard, he could play some five, he can start, he can come off the bench. He’s an incredible role guy. Kind of like Draymond (Green), a little bit, but bigger and more physical, if that’s even possible. I do worry about his scoring. I worry about his shooting. But by all accounts, an incredible prospect. Unbelievable kid. I think people trust him a little bit more. But very, very close in everybody’s rankings. … Scottie was the fake sixth man (last year); he still played like a starter. They all don’t play more than 30 minutes a game (at Florida State); they’re all at 28. It’s really hard to evaluate. Chicago saw beyond that; they saw the size, the sheer size of Patrick Williams, and his skill set, and disregarded the production. So you have to take that with a grain of salt, because (FSU coach Leonard Hamilton’s) going to have a 10- to 12-man rotation. If Scottie was playing 35 minutes a night, that production would have been far up.


Final thought: The Cavs are huge on "culture" and wanting players who are completely unselfish and just want to win. They like workaholics. Barnes seems to be everything they value from a personal standpoint. They want more length and athleticism on the wings. If they are convinced Barnes is going to keep working on his shot until he gets it (Larry Nance Jr turned himself into a decent 3-point shooter and also Sexton, who had serious questions about his outside shooting when he was drafted) they might look to trade that #3 pick, if it's Green, to a team that drafts Barnes, probably Orlando.

Barnes actually sounds like a taller version of Okoro, or a Larry Nance, Jr clone. The conventional wisdom is that the Cavs, who were near the bottom in scoring last year, need to get a scorer to take the pressure off Sexton and Garland. They already have all these guys who can't create their own shot, especially in the half-court offense; Nance, Love, Allen, Cedi, Okoro, Wade. They could use either a power forward (Love is running on fumes and Nance is a 3) or a shot creator (like Green). One of them will be there. But if it's Green and the opportunity is there to exchange him for a better fit in Barnes plus multiple future assets, I could see it happening.
Barnes’ shot looks pretty darn good in this combine workout:


I’m REALLY intrigued by Barnes. The kid is a winner, he gets after it defensively like few can, and he’s a leader. He’s crazy long (7’3”+ wingspan) and a good athlete (39.5” vertical), who has positional versatility in spades. He can literally play the 1-5 and wants to guard the opponent’s best offensive player.

I’d have no qualms with the Cavs picking Barnes. The smart play, if they want him, is to trade down 1-2 spots, as Mobley is likely to go 3rd regardless and Suggs is still the leader to go 4th.
 
Durant was in another stratosphere as a prospect. One of the best prospects ever and there was no question that he would be a perimeter oriented player.
 
Barnes’ shot looks pretty darn good in this combine workout:


I’m REALLY intrigued by Barnes. The kid is a winner, he gets after it defensively like few can, and he’s a leader. He’s crazy long (7’3”+ wingspan) and a good athlete (39.5” vertical), who has positional versatility in spades. He can literally play the 1-5 and wants to guard the opponent’s best offensive player.

I’d have no qualms with the Cavs picking Barnes. The smart play, if they want him, is to trade down 1-2 spots, as Mobley is likely to go 3rd regardless and Suggs is still the leader to go 4th.
The form looks good and you get the sense he would work on it 16/7 until he became a good outside shooter.

However, Mobley has been described as a "unicorn", a 7-footer with rare movement skills and a huge upside. I would not select Barnes over Mobley but I would be open to trading the #3 pick (Mobley or Green) if I could get Barnes and a couple of future first round picks, especially if we could lock up Allen to a long term deal.

If Mobley goes to Houston and we're looking at Green then I would really be trying to move that pick for Barnes and future assets.
 
THE Thing was they said the same thing about Kevin and he was picked second .
 
The form looks good and you get the sense he would work on it 16/7 until he became a good outside shooter.

However, Mobley has been described as a "unicorn", a 7-footer with rare movement skills and a huge upside. I would not select Barnes over Mobley but I would be open to trading the #3 pick (Mobley or Green) if I could get Barnes and a couple of future first round picks, especially if we could lock up Allen to a long term deal.

If Mobley goes to Houston and we're looking at Green then I would really be trying to move that pick for Barnes and future assets.
I try not to fall in love with a particular prospect and, in a year like this, that’s relatively easy to do. There’s things I love about all the top guys. At the same time, none of them are perfect prospects either.

Barnes is growing on me, as his personality reminds me of Draymond Green, without being so annoying, but he’s a lot longer & more athletic. Guys like that are culture builders who drive winning.
 
Barnes has been compared to Draymond Green, only Barnes is bigger.

There are a lot of directions the Cavaliers can go and it will be fascinating to see what they do.

1. Stand pat, take whoever is there between Mobley or Green (most likely, I think)
2. Trade up for Cade (they don't have anything Detroit wants)
3. Trade down because they like Barnes or Kuminga as much as Green/Mobley and they can get a big haul of future assets.
4. Trade Sexton, either in a package with the #3 pick for a star like Siakam and a lower pick, or by himself.

There might even be something nobody has thought of.

If Mobley gets past Houston I think the Cavs will take him and go with a starting lineup of Garland, Sexton, Okoro, Mobley, and Allen this season and then decide after the season if it's all coming together beautifully or anybody needs to be traded because the pieces don't fit.

If Mobley is taken at #2 I think the Cavs will take Green and redouble their efforts to move Sexton just like they had to move Drummond after they added Allen last year.

I don't see any way they get out from under Love's contract. They're stuck with him and just have to make the best of it.
 
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Durant was in another stratosphere as a prospect. One of the best prospects ever and there was no question that he would be a perimeter oriented player.
Yep, two totally different players. KD was comfortable on the perimeter while Mobley really played down low in college. We don’t know if Mobley can play out on the perimeter. Mobley is alot like Chris Bosh was coming out of Georgia Tech.
 
Yep, two totally different players. KD was comfortable on the perimeter while Mobley really played down low in college. We don’t know if Mobley can play out on the perimeter. Mobley is alot like Chris Bosh was coming out of Georgia Tech.
Mobley did most of his scoring in college by facing up. He hardly played on the block at all.
 

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