-|[ BALTIMORE CLAWS ]| -

[Valor]

Good Job bringing back McCants, lets hope that his 20ppg isnt a one season thing and he can live up to the contract

[J@3]

This is possibly the most important off-season of the Baltimore Claws short lifetime. Despite initially not looking like a very strong draft, it appears to be more misleading than weak, with plenty of good NBA quality players but not LeBron type over the top stars. After finishing 7-22 and landing the most lottery balls, the Claws have many avenues to look at when approaching this draft.

WHAT THE TEAM NEEDS
With the emergence of Rashad McCants, Mickael Gelabale and Dwayne Jones, the Baltimore lineup looks fairly solid in spots 2, 4 and 5. The point guard position was a weak point for the entire season and Darius Miles struggled to make any offensive impact at small forward. That being said, if a player is too good to miss at the 2, 4 or 5 you probably have to take him. Here is an urgency ranking, i.e the positions most needing attention from 1 to 5:


Gabe Pruitt was weak all season and while Salim Stoudamire had his moments, he is far too inconsistent to be trusted to fill this spot.

PROSPECTS

Brett Cross | 6'2 200LBS | 21 years old | Seton Hall
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Jason Kidd
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Chris Duhon
Cross has leadership qualities far beyond his years, and his build physically makes him as NBA ready as they come especially on the defensive end. His athletisism is an issue and his outside shot can at times be sketchy, but he is someone you could build a franchise around.

Cameron Bishop | 6'2 190LBS | 22 years old | Colorado State
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Russell Westbrook
WORST CASE SCENARIO: TJ Ford
Decent athletisism and handles, Bishop gets to the rim with ease and can take almost anyone off the dribble. His outside shot is an issue and he struggles with consistency offensively, he also has a reputation for a poor attitude on and off the court. His potential is huge though.

OJ Hodges | 6'2 205LBS | 21 years old | Oklahoma
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Baron Davis
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Stephon Marbury
A distant third in almost every mock draft, but absolutely has the potential to be the best point guard of the group. His outside shot is accurate and quick, he can get to the hoop and is big enough to make an impact on the boards. He is inconsistent though and his basketball IQ isn't as high as Cross or Bishop.

DARK HORSE

Sebestyen Bajza | 6'3 205LBS | 20 years old | Poland
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Aaron McKie with a jump shot
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Alvin Williams
The prototype European point guard, Bajza has a good outside shot and is an extremely sound defender from a technical/fundamental side of things. His court vision is also impressive, but his athletitism is below par and will hold him back in the NBA.


While James White offered decent scoring off the bench, he lacks a jump shot which hurts his chances of replacing Darius Miles, who struggled all season on the offensive side of things.

PROSPECTS

Corie Nicholson | 6'9 227LBS | 21 years old | Kansas State
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Rashard Lewis
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Hedo Turkoglu
Good size and potential for the small forward position, Nicholson can hit the mid-range J with regularity and is strong on the low post. His vertical is impressive but his ball handling and overall speed could definitely improve. Probably the best immediate prospect at the 3 spot in the draft.

Kevin Garner | 6'9 220LBS | 19 years old | Georgetown
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Gerald Wallace
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Darius Miles
Possibly the player with the most potential in the entire draft, Garner didn't make a huge impact at Georgetown but his immense upside and great athletisism put him high on the draft radar. Needs to work on his shot and ball handling, but definitely looks a long term prospect that could turn into something spectacular.

Stacey Todd | 6'8 230LBS | 23 years old | Arizona
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Lamar Odom
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Clarence Weatherspoon (late career)
Definitely an intriguing player, Todd looks enormous out on the court and could probably play PF quite easily. His jump shot is decent in catch and shoot situations but it is streaky. His rebounding is impressive and can handle the ball as well. His age works against him however.

DARK HORSE

Abe Ingram | 6'9 214LBS | 20 years old | Clemson
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Josh Smith
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Joey Graham
An incredible athlete, Ingram's vertical leap is off the charts. His shot blocking is unusual for his age and position and he can definitely get the crowd into the game with his dunking. He struggles with his shot though and turns the ball over far too often. Could easily be a lottery pick.


Dwayne Jones' play drastically fell off as the season progressed, this coupled with the fact that he is not exactly young is cause for concern.

PROSPECTS

Predrag Olic | 7'0 255LBS | 22 years old | Croatia
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Zeljko Rebraca
In what is an extremely weak class at the C position, Olic is possibly the best of the lot. He has a solid mid-range jumper and looks very comfortable with the ball offensively in any situation. Defensively he is a bit lead footed and may struggle to keep up with the pace of the NBA game.

Oleg Kozlov | 7'1 250LBS | 21 years old | Russia
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Brendan Haywood
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Jason Collins
Extremely long and tough defensively, Kozlov can block shots and takes up a lot of room in the paint which leads to quite a lot of rebounds. Offensively he lives off put-backs and close range feeds. His athletisism is decent but overall speed again is an issue.

Tudor Paven | 7'0 270LBS | 22 years old | Romania
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Kendrick Perkins
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Jamaal Magloire (now)
Absolutely enormous individual, Paven is definitely easy to see on the court and uses his size to grab loads of rebounds and keep people off the low block. His offensive game is inconsistent and he suffers from SES (Slow-Ass Euro Syndrome) as well. Could be a better value pick than Olic or Kozlov.

DARK HORSE

Isaac Morrison | 7'2 | 289LBS | 23 years old | Pepperdine
BEST CASE SCENARIO:Jamaal Magloire (early career)
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Oliver Miller
A gigantic man, Morrison was the only player at the draft combine who managed to make Tudor Paven look small. His massive frame means blocking shots and rebounding comes easy, and his offensive touch isn't too bad. His fitness and athletisism are completely non existant. Will be a late first round or mid second round pick.


Mickael Gelabale was spectacular for three quarters of the season, but now teams are aware of who he is and he might struggle to repeat his success.

PROSPECTS

ROY WEAVER | 6'9 262LBS | 21 years old | Iowa
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Al Jefferson
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Kurt Thomas (now)
Probably the most NBA ready player outside of Ben Cross, Weaver has a nice mid-range J to add to his already impressive post game. His 262lb frame makes him tough to move in the low block and he uses it to good effect to score inside. There are question marks about his potential and his overall athletisism though.

KRIS NANCE | 6'10 240LBS | 21 years old | North Carolina
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Udonis Haslem
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Nick Collison
There's a lack of talent at power forward after Weaver, but quite a lot of potential and Kris Nance is probably the best of that group. Great size and a decent face-up game, he is some time away from really developing his game but would definitely be worth the wait for whoever picks him.

NWANKWO LAWAL | 6'9 230LBS | 20 years old | Nigeria
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Kenyon Martin
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Hakim Warrick
A fantastic athlete with a decent mid-range jumper, Lawal has been playing professionally in france for the last three years where NBA scouts spotted his potential when he was 18. His defensive abilities are lacking and he sometimes looks lost on the court, but is still quite young and may correct those.

DARK HORSE

DAN CHAPMAN | 6'8 240LBS | 23 years old | Cincinatti
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Ben Wallace
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Amir Johnson
Has no offensive skills whatsoever but can block virtually anyones shot. What Chapman lacks in speed and shooting ability he makes up for defensively, his timing and judgement is second to none in this draft and if he can come to grips with the speed of the NBA could be a force for whoever picks him.


The best scorer on the team and unquestionably its leader, unless Kobe Bryant part two is on the board it is safe to say a SG won't be drafted early.

PROSPECTS

ROBBIE OSTROVSKY | 6'6 217LBS | 21 years old | Russia
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Jason Richardson
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Shannon Brown
A surprisingly good athlete for a European, Ostrovsky is a fairly polished player with quite a lot of upside which is attracting NBA scouts from all over. He has range on his jump shot like most Europeans but his athletisism sets him apart. Defensively he seems disinterested but his potential is huge.

PERRY WOODSON | 6'5 217LBS | 23 years old | George Washington
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Rip Hamilton
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Jodie Meeks
Could very well be Richard Hamilton's clone. He spends his entire game running around screens and knocking down an impressive mid-range J that extends to beyond the three point line. Defensively he is tough but finds himself out of position often, and his athletisism is just average.

JASON CHRISTIE | 6'7 218LBS | 21 years old | North Carolina
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Joe Johnson
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Antoine Wright
Definitely has the best frame out of all other shooting guards in the draft, Christia has a nice mid range jumper and is a decent defender who has a basketball IQ that defies his age. Athletically he falls behind slightly and he does disappear for stretches but is young enough to correct those things.

DARK HORSE

ANTOINE GARDNER | 6'5 220LBS | 20 years old | UNLV
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Kevin Martin
WORST CASE SCENARIO: JJ Redick
A lights out shooter with possibly the fastest release of anybody in the draft. Gardner is still young, but if he ever figures out how to create his own shot he would be borderline unguardable. Good athletisism and ok size, but is not the smartest player in the World.

NBA READY OR UNLIMITED UPSIDE?
The Claws obviously need someone who can step in and play right now, and whoever they draft will get big minutes but is it worth taking a sure thing over someone who could develop into a superstar? With a five year plan including a late play-off seed by season 3 I would lean more towards picking an NBA-ready player over someone who could develop. That being said, if there is a can't-miss prospect available who will take 2 or 3 years to come into his own it would be tough to overlook like. Guys like Ben Cross and Roy Weaver are definitely the most NBA ready players in the draft, but how limited is their upside? On the other side of the coin, Kevin Garner and OJ Hodges look like future all-stars at times, especially Hodges who may end up being the best player of this draft class in 5 years time.

Whatever we do early in the draft will dictate our late draft moves. If we pick an NBA-ready player in the first round, our second round pick will more than likely be a senior who can come in and play immediately and visa versa.

THE SECOND ROUND
With players draft values constantly changing it can be difficult to lock down any guaranteed second round prospects, but one that stands out above most others is Charles Beasley; a 6'5 shooting guard who is possibly the best outside shooter in the draft. He is a 23 year old senior, but every team needs a guy who can knock down outside shots with consistency. There is also a decent amount of solid point guards in the second round, while the team may not get a chance to work them all out with the glaring weakness at the 1 spot that might be an area we look at if we pick a player at a different position in the first round.

THE PICK ITSELF
Despite having the best chance to grab the number 1 pick, we've all seen before these things can go haywire. Seeing as though the 4th overall pick is about the worst we can do, it wouldn't be a huge disaster to fall there but it definitely would not be ideal. With no absolute standout players in the draft one option would be to trade down in order to acquire a second pick. Houston has two lottery picks, and if Baltimore winds up with the #1 overall pick could definitely trade for both of them. This would be the ideal situation, but it would depend solely on where the lotto balls fall.

PRE-WORKOUT PLAYER RANKINGS

POINT GUARD
1 - Ben Cross
2 - Cameron Bishop
3 - OJ Hodges
4 - Sebestyen Bazja
5 - Jess Givens
6 - Dennis Garnett
7 - Joel Craig
8 - Junior Hardaway
9 - Doyle Marion
10 - Lamar Ford

SHOOTING GUARD
1 - Robbie Ostrovsky
2 - Perry Woodson
3 - Jason Christie
4 - Antoine Gardner
5 - Corey Hoffman
6 - Ed Braxton
7 - Horace Bush
8 - Charles Beasley
9 - Calbert Sharpe
10 - Dino Rancic

SMALL FORWARDS
1 - Corie Nicholson
2 - Kevin Garner
3 - Stacey Todd
4 - Abe Ingram
5 - Shane Schneider
6 - Vince Nicholson
7 - Tienchung Lue
8 - Herbert Black
9 - Floyd Sherman
10 - Rickey Hollins

POWER FORWARDS
1 - Roy Weaver
2 - Kris Nance
3 - Nwankwo Lawal
4 - Dan Chapman
5 - Gus Mullins
6 - Cameron Hopkins
7 - Hugh Bush
8 - Doug McMillan
9 - Brandon Wolfe
10 - Jerome Dawkins

CENTERS
1 - Predrag Olic
2 - Oleg Kozlov
3 - Tudor Paven
4 - Isaac Morrison
5 - Al Stanley
6 - Mirko Petrovic
7 - Scott Rowe
8 - Armando Herrera

[Fresh8]

I like Cross but hope you draft an exciting player like Garner!

Awesome read btw.

[kibaxx7]

I'm gonna go with generated rookies too. Can't find a good draft class. Great analysis Jae!

[Alpha_]

Cross will going to be an awesome player!

good analysis on the prospects..

[The X]

I think you definitely need a starting PG. I see you ending up with 3rd pick so probably Cameron Bishop will be your guy

[Valor]

Lets hope the balls bounce your way and allow you to draft Cross

[J@3]

Alot of Cross fans huh... I'm not going to post work-out details because that'll give away what I'm looking to do, the lottery will come probably later tonight. I've got something cool planned for it.

BALTIMORE CLAWS POST-WORKOUT BIG BOARD RANKINGS

*- brackets = pre-workout rankings

POINT GUARD
1 - Ben Cross (1)
2 - OJ Hodges (3)
3 - Sebestyen Bazja (4)
4 - Cameron Bishop (2)
5 - Jess Givens (5)

SHOOTING GUARD
1 - Antoine Gardner (4)
2 - Robbie Ostrovsky (2)
3 - Corey Hoffman (5)
4 - Jason Christie (3)
5 - Perry Woodson (2)

SMALL FORWARDS
1 - Kevin Garner (2)
2 - Abe Ingram (4)
3 - Corie Nicholson (1)
4 - Stacey Todd (3)
5 - Shane Schneider (5)

POWER FORWARD
1 - Roy Weaver (1)
2 - Dan Chapman (4)
3 - Kris Nance (2)
4 - Nwankwo Lawal (3)
5 - Gus Mullins (5)

CENTER
1 - Predrag Olic (1)
2 - Isaac Morrison (4)
3 - Tudor Paven (3)
4 - Oleg Kozlov (2)
5 - Mirko Petrovic (6)

OVERALL
Will be posted after the draft.

[The X]

It's looking like either Cross, Weaver or Hodges. I'm thinking Hodges

[Alpha_]

yea.. 2nd option is OJ Hodges.

[J@3]

NBA DRAFT LOTTERY



For some reason when I shrunk it it put all of the logos out of whack, you get the point though.

[buzzy]

Sick animation, too bad lady luck wasn't on your side.

[el stevo]

Wow, what an animation
Bad luck for you, though

[Martti.]

Damn, I closed my porn and you only got the 4th pick? Bad luck. Although one hell of an animation.

[JaoSming]

that's how it should be done, great job (shitty luck) but great job

[Cartar]

Agreed with the rest as the animation is amazing. Somehow I always end up voting as the first person on the polls here (I voted right after you made the poll, for Kevin Garner). Also great to see Philly taking up the 1st pick.

[J@3]

Thanks guys, I'll probably do something similar for the draft... the first 5 picks or so anyway. There was like 500 frames in that 4gb of ram couldn't handle it.

[kibaxx7]

Damn, I closed my porn and you only got the 4th pick? Bad luck. Although one hell of an animation.

Yeah, not worthy

Great animation Jae What software did you use?

[J@3]

Photoshop... probably would've taken 1/4 the time on Flash

[Alpha_]

pretty cool animation!

O.J. Hodges is an option

[Valor]

Wow nice animation there man, sucks that you only got the 4th pick despite having the highest chance....

[shadowgrin]

Hell yeah 76ers!!! Tough break on going down to 4th btw.

[J@3]

I was devastated about the 4th pick I had my draft completely planned out then that happened.



BALTIMORE, LA CLIPPERS ANNOUNCE DEAL
The Baltimore Claws today announced they have traded their 2011 first round draft pick and their 2011 second round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the 18th pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

Tough giving up both picks next season but it's worth taking the risk if I can pull off what I'm trying to do... would've been a lot fucking easier if I hadn't ended up with the 4th pick

[Alpha_]

risky move.. uhm so 2 first round picks. i wish u good luck..

[J@3]

FIRST ROUND THOUGHTS

I know, I know, why didn't I draft Brett Cross? In work-outs, specifically the 5 on 5 game I found Cross was pretty sketchy with his shooting. He was great defensively and passed well etc but to me he came across as a rich man's Gabe Pruitt. Weaver on the other hand was dominant, he is like a white Tim Duncan. He has an incredible low post game and a pretty good mid-range jump shot, he's also pretty big even though he's 6'9 he weighs 262lbs which is more than Pregrag Olic, the highest C drafted. I'll probably play Weaver at C if he can handle it because I think Gelabale deserves to be starting.

I traded for a second pick because I really wanted either OJ Hodges or Antoine Gardner. Hodges was so good that I considered drafting him at 4, but he was projected to go mid-first round so I thought if I got another pick I could pick him up. I thought he was better than Cross and Bishop, I was devastated when Phoenix picked him at 10. I thought that's ok, Gardner's still around... in work-outs he was amazing, I played him 1 on 1 against Tracy McGrady. I didn't take a shot inside 15 feet and he literally missed once, probably the quickest release of any player I've come across in the game. And of course Charlotte pick him at 17, while I'm sitting there at 18. I went with Abe Ingram because he's insane athletically, his dunks are great, and he's young so he has time to grow/improve. I think he could be really spectacular considering his height and athletic ability. He is a better shooter than Garner too, who the Bulls picked at 7.

As far as the rest of the first round goes, I think Houston screwed up their draft hugely. They could've finished with Weaver and Hodges, or Weaver and Gardner yet they took Bishop and Christie. Bishop was ok, but I'd say the third best PG in the draft. Christie sucked though, I didn't even consider taking him though he was the only SG over 6'5. Everyone expected Ostrovsky to go number one, I didn't expect Cross to fall to 5 though.

I think Corie Nicholson was a bad pick for Toronto at 6. He was the highest rated small forward but he isn't as good as Garner who went one pick later to Chicago. They could've also taken OJ Hodges, they really need a PG. Even though I didn't rate him too highly Perry Woodson was probably a good pick for New York, fills a need and aside from Weaver and Cross there's no one worth taking at 3 that they really missed out on. I think Indiana might've got a steal with Bajza at 16 and the Mavericks with Predrag Olic at 20 but definitely the biggest steal of the first round for me was Corey Hoffman at 23 to the Cavs. I think he was the 2nd best SG behind Gardner, and really the only difference was their ball handling. Hoffman was really good in work-outs, I considered picking him at 18.

Most confusing by far though was the Lakers taking Mirko Petrovic at 22. Firstly he was nowhere near as good as Tudor Paven, Oleg Kozlov or Isaac Morrison at C and those guys were all taken after him. Not to mention the fact that they overlooked Corey Hoffman, Gus Mullins and Cameron Hopkins to take him. He was a mid second rounder at best, really really confusing pick for me.

BIGGEST STEAL:
1 - Corey Hoffman @ 23 to the Cavaliers
2 - Predrag Olic @ 20 to the Mavericks
3 - Antoine Gardner @ 17 to the Bobcats

WORST PICKS:
1 - Mirko Petrovic @ 22 to the Lakers
2 - Corie Nicholson @ 6 to the Raptors
3 - Shane Schneider @ 11 to the Thunder (don't they already have a SF lol)

Second round later.