Inside the Hornets: NBAdraft.net’s Aran Smith
May 17, 2006
With the NBA draft scheduled for June 28, Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer interviewed NBAdraft.net founder Aran Smith, to get the expert’s opinions on next month’s event. Smith discussed which prospects may be available in the middle of the first round, examined some of the latest NBA draft trends and addressed a range of other topics.
Eichenhofer: What do you see as the Hornets’ biggest needs?
Smith: The Hornets need to add some size to their roster. With two likely mid-first rounders at 12 and 15, they are in great position to address their need for size with one or both picks.
Eichenhofer: Do you believe this is a good draft class to try to fill those needs?
Smith: Actually for their needs it is a good draft and a decent position to be in. This draft lacks franchise-type talents but has pretty good depth and some players that should be able to come in and fill a role.
Eichenhofer: Barring some luck in draft lottery, the Hornets will pick 12th, and are guaranteed to have the No. 15 pick from a trade with Milwaukee. Which players who may be available in the early teens might be a good fit for the Hornets?
Smith: Players who they will be looking at with those selections include (Bradley center) Patrick O’Bryant, (Duke forward) Shelden Williams, (Connecticut center) Hilton Armstrong, (N.C. State forward/center) Cedric Simmons, (Ukrainian forward) Oleksiy Pecherov and (Brazilian forward) Tiago Splitter. If they look to grab a two-guard, possibilities include (Temple’s) Mardy Collins, (Duke’s) J.J. Redick and (Arkansas’) Ronnie Brewer.
Eichenhofer: Which players could fall out of the top 10 that the Hornets may potentially be pleased are available in the middle of the first round?
Smith: Some players who could potentially slip to them are (Memphis forward) Rodney Carney, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams and Patrick O’Bryant.
Eichenhofer: How do you foresee trade activity during this draft? Do you anticipate teams trying to trade out of the top 10 due to a shortage of “can’t miss” prospects?
Smith: Yeah there will surely be some deals made. Teams who want to grab veterans or move down will have some options, with a number of teams possessing two first-round picks. The number of trades is difficult to project, but as with last year there are sure to be a number of teams looking to make deals.
Eichenhofer: Is there anyone in this draft who has a chance to make a Chris Paul-type impact on a team in 2006-07?
Smith: I don’t think anyone from this draft class comes in and has the impact that Chris Paul had in his rookie year. Paul is essentially a franchise-changing type player. And while there are a few players with tremendous upside, they are likely to take longer to reach their potential.
Eichenhofer: Are there any trends you’ve noticed in teams’ evaluations of players in recent years? For example, are teams looking more at “character” or off-the-court issues than they were, say, five years ago? Are teams emphasizing pre-draft workouts more or less than they were five years ago?
Smith: Interesting question. Teams definitely look at trends and which schools have had success at developing certain positions and types of players. With (Bulls guard) Chris Duhon and (Clippers guard) Daniel Ewing’s success in the league after being second-round picks coming from Duke, a player like Sean Dockery has more intrigue. Dockery failed to stand out at Duke, but the question is how much of that was due to the system? I think as opposed to five years ago when high school players were all the rage, teams are looking more for the instant-impact type player. Many GMs don’t have the job security to take a future-type pick, which hurts the team in the long run. So players such as a Brandon Roy (a Washington Huskies guard), who has less upside but more NBA ready skills, becomes a sought after pick.
Eichenhofer: What do you think will be the biggest impact of the age-minimum rule?
Smith: The biggest impact is that the players are entering the NBA more ready, and teams have a better chance to draft the right players. There was too much uncertainty and unknown with so many high school-age players who came into the league with great raw talent, but limited skills. For instance (Minnesota Timberwolves bust) Ndudi Ebi was selected over (current Dallas Mavericks starter) Josh Howard. Now the Ndudi Ebi-type player has to prove himself in college before getting a guaranteed deal.
Eichenhofer: Are there any deep sleepers out there? Some unknown player who could vault into the first round or become a solid NBA player despite unheralded status?
Smith: (Chinese guard) Sun Yue is one very interesting player who some international scouts are very high on. He is pretty unknown due to having only played in China and the ABA. Another big sleeper is (Serbian forward) Nemanja Aleksandrov. After being projected as a potential top-five pick for last year’s draft a year beforehand, he has been saddled with injuries and basically did not play this year. He lacks great toughness, but has immense talent if he ever applies himself. One more sleeper is Ryan Hollins, who came alive in the NCAA tournament. Some scouts have called him a first-round talent, but he never was able to fully maximize his great athleticism and potential at UCLA.
With the NBA draft scheduled for June 28, Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer interviewed NBAdraft.net founder Aran Smith, to get the expert’s opinions on next month’s event. Smith discussed which prospects may be available in the middle of the first round, examined some of the latest NBA draft trends and addressed a range of other topics.
Eichenhofer: What do you see as the Hornets’ biggest needs?
Smith: The Hornets need to add some size to their roster. With two likely mid-first rounders at 12 and 15, they are in great position to address their need for size with one or both picks.
Eichenhofer: Do you believe this is a good draft class to try to fill those needs?
Smith: Actually for their needs it is a good draft and a decent position to be in. This draft lacks franchise-type talents but has pretty good depth and some players that should be able to come in and fill a role.
Eichenhofer: Barring some luck in draft lottery, the Hornets will pick 12th, and are guaranteed to have the No. 15 pick from a trade with Milwaukee. Which players who may be available in the early teens might be a good fit for the Hornets?
Smith: Players who they will be looking at with those selections include (Bradley center) Patrick O’Bryant, (Duke forward) Shelden Williams, (Connecticut center) Hilton Armstrong, (N.C. State forward/center) Cedric Simmons, (Ukrainian forward) Oleksiy Pecherov and (Brazilian forward) Tiago Splitter. If they look to grab a two-guard, possibilities include (Temple’s) Mardy Collins, (Duke’s) J.J. Redick and (Arkansas’) Ronnie Brewer.
Eichenhofer: Which players could fall out of the top 10 that the Hornets may potentially be pleased are available in the middle of the first round?
Smith: Some players who could potentially slip to them are (Memphis forward) Rodney Carney, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams and Patrick O’Bryant.
Eichenhofer: How do you foresee trade activity during this draft? Do you anticipate teams trying to trade out of the top 10 due to a shortage of “can’t miss” prospects?
Smith: Yeah there will surely be some deals made. Teams who want to grab veterans or move down will have some options, with a number of teams possessing two first-round picks. The number of trades is difficult to project, but as with last year there are sure to be a number of teams looking to make deals.
Eichenhofer: Is there anyone in this draft who has a chance to make a Chris Paul-type impact on a team in 2006-07?
Smith: I don’t think anyone from this draft class comes in and has the impact that Chris Paul had in his rookie year. Paul is essentially a franchise-changing type player. And while there are a few players with tremendous upside, they are likely to take longer to reach their potential.
Eichenhofer: Are there any trends you’ve noticed in teams’ evaluations of players in recent years? For example, are teams looking more at “character” or off-the-court issues than they were, say, five years ago? Are teams emphasizing pre-draft workouts more or less than they were five years ago?
Smith: Interesting question. Teams definitely look at trends and which schools have had success at developing certain positions and types of players. With (Bulls guard) Chris Duhon and (Clippers guard) Daniel Ewing’s success in the league after being second-round picks coming from Duke, a player like Sean Dockery has more intrigue. Dockery failed to stand out at Duke, but the question is how much of that was due to the system? I think as opposed to five years ago when high school players were all the rage, teams are looking more for the instant-impact type player. Many GMs don’t have the job security to take a future-type pick, which hurts the team in the long run. So players such as a Brandon Roy (a Washington Huskies guard), who has less upside but more NBA ready skills, becomes a sought after pick.
Eichenhofer: What do you think will be the biggest impact of the age-minimum rule?
Smith: The biggest impact is that the players are entering the NBA more ready, and teams have a better chance to draft the right players. There was too much uncertainty and unknown with so many high school-age players who came into the league with great raw talent, but limited skills. For instance (Minnesota Timberwolves bust) Ndudi Ebi was selected over (current Dallas Mavericks starter) Josh Howard. Now the Ndudi Ebi-type player has to prove himself in college before getting a guaranteed deal.
Eichenhofer: Are there any deep sleepers out there? Some unknown player who could vault into the first round or become a solid NBA player despite unheralded status?
Smith: (Chinese guard) Sun Yue is one very interesting player who some international scouts are very high on. He is pretty unknown due to having only played in China and the ABA. Another big sleeper is (Serbian forward) Nemanja Aleksandrov. After being projected as a potential top-five pick for last year’s draft a year beforehand, he has been saddled with injuries and basically did not play this year. He lacks great toughness, but has immense talent if he ever applies himself. One more sleeper is Ryan Hollins, who came alive in the NCAA tournament. Some scouts have called him a first-round talent, but he never was able to fully maximize his great athleticism and potential at UCLA.
