Full Court Press: 6/9/05 NBA Draft Preview Part II: Guard-edly Optomistic
By Jon Duke
June 5, 2005
Welcome back for Part II of the Full Court Press look at the 2005 NBA Draft and precisely whom Danny Ainge may be looking at tapping with the Celtics 18th overall selection. In Part I, attention was paid to the proverbial Big 3 that some Celtics have been clamoring for since Eric Williams and his one good eye were patrolling the The Jungle. Part II is a look at the prospects available in the backcourt, and while it may seem that the team is sufficiently stocked with Marcus Banks, Delonte West, Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, and Ricky Davis; in Ainges world this doesnt matter.
Each positions rotation includes at least one player drafted by Danny Ainge, so bolstering one position over another doesnt seem to be critical at this point in the Celtics maturation. Rather, the key is to increase the overall talent level on the roster, and in this vein, selecting a guard in the June draft doesnt seem nearly as absurd. Particularly given the weaknesses evidenced in the Indiana series. It would seem that moving the basketball and moving without the ball are critical tenets of Doc Rivers system, something that should be done by everyone, from Paul Pierce to Al Jefferson to even Mark Im so funky Blount. Then again, plugging the right backcourt combination into the game often can trigger this type of unselfish play without an entire roster overhaul. Can any of the guards available at 18 fill this bill? Well, lets take a look
Roko Leni-Ukic: This kid, desperately in need of a nickname as soon as he comes stateside, is a 21 year old pure point guard with the potential to be the in the same company of other great non-American points. Ukic is 6-5 183 lbs. and with more than enough quickness to be able to get to the basket at will, but a year ago this was not enough for him to be considered a lock first round pick. Roko pulled out of the 2004 draft largely because of what NBA scouts felt was a highly inconsistent jumper, and despite dominant performances against many of the prospects in that draft. Sebastian Telfair, in particular, was unable to do anything against Ukics defense. Rokos 6-9 wingspan is part of the reason for this, as he is easily able to poach the passing lanes for steals, when combining his reach and quickness. After the 2004 draft process, Ukic worked hard on his jump shot, and now his shot is consistent as far as the NBA 3 point circle.
An outstanding decision maker, Ukic likes to push the tempo and seems to have a knack for creating solid scoring opportunities for his teammates. It would seem that if Ainge is supportive of utilizing a pair of combo guards in the backcourt, not unlike his own experience playing with Dennis Johnson, a West-Ukic tandem would certainly move the ball and keep up the pace of the game. The downside to that is that Ukic is still quite skinny and could be completely abused in the post if he were matched up with shooting guards on the defensive end.
Rudy Fernandez: When Tom Gugliotta was signed, Bill Simmons broke word of the signing (using his SOSH decoder ring) on the Sons of Sam Horn message board, by teasing the readers in saying that the new signings nickname was similar to that of a popular player from the 80s. Unfortunately for the Cs, Tom Gugliotta wasnt 1/12th the player Duerod was for the Bird Celtics, and that says something. But, with this 20 year old Spaniard, the TD Banknorth Boston Garden denizens might be able to fill the building with chants of Ru-u-u-u-u-dy! for years.
In many ways, Rudy Fernandezs resume reads very similar to that of Roko Leni-Ukic, but while Ukic is much more of a traditional point guard, Rudy has been used in many more positions on the court. Fernandez projects to be a shooting guard, but his court vision and passing abilities lend themselves to a spot at the point. That said, currently, Rudy is serving as the small forward for his team in Europe because his rebounding is so exceptional for his size. Like Ukic, Rudy is 6-5 185 lbs, and will therefore need to spend some time in the weight room to adequately defend shooting guards. But as with Roko, Rudy is a tireless worker who has shown great work ethic and incredible maturity for his age. While Roko-Leni attempts to make the spectacular no-look pass, Rudy would rather make a simple bounce pass to get the basket.
Jarrett Jack: Jack is a very interesting player, one whose stock has been rated as anywhere from the mid-lottery to the end of the first round. Some scouts seem to like Jacks leadership and ability to bring his Georgia Tech squad to the national championship game in 2004. Other scouts see Jarrett Jack as a fairly ordinary player who has very little upside who would succeed best in a half court game. Quite the physical specimen at 6-3 202 lbs of chiseled muscle mass, Jack can take weaker opponents (like Dukes J.J. Reddick, for example) to the post and have his way with them. Defensively, Jack can be a menace and his ability to create turnovers was certainly the catalyst for numerous Is mail Muhammad highlight reel dunks on SportsCenter. Jacks passing ability was somewhat overlooked this year as Will Bynum split time with Jack at the point guard spot and left Jack to do more scoring with B.J. Elder out for much of the season. The other reason Jacks passing abilities arent credited is due largely the number of turnovers he creates. Jack averaged 4.5 assists per game, while producing nearly 3.5 turnovers per game, though I believe that has much more to do with Jacks increased scoring responsibilities than poor decision making. Jack doesnt seem to have the ability to improve much beyond the level he has reached, similar to how scouts viewed Jamaal Tinsley prior to the 2001 NBA Draft. Take that statement for what its worth
Monta Ellis: Al Jefferson Justin Reed Monta Ellis? If Danny Ainge wants to create his own Mississippi Mafia in the Hub then he may want to select Ellis to be his capo. As this drafts resident Mississippian with absurd stats, Ellis is slightly shorter than the above mentioned foreign players, but built similarly (6-3 175 lbs.). Ellis has not developed the same court vision or innate point guard skills as his European competition, but this kid can score. Blessed with incredible quickness, Elliss real skill is his shooting stroke. With range beyond the NBA 3 point line, Monta Ellis could show the same threat from long distance as his distant relative Dale did Dale Ellis. Of course, Montas slashing ability seems to be light years beyond his cousins, and Monta is actually quite adept at taking contact to draw a foul. Nbadraft.net calls Ellis the best high school scorer since Dajuan Wagner which certainly not the best legacy to follow given Wagners thus far disappointing NBA career. Jeffersons debut in Boston is reason enough to give prospects from back water Mississippi towns a strong look, but it is unknown how open Ainge would be to bringing in a player who appears to want to dominate the ball in his young career. Then again, if the Celtics brass feels this kid is raw enough to be molded into an NBA body, a solid passer, and someone willing to move the ball and move to receive the ball then he could be a steal at #18. Potentially the greatest of the risk/reward kids in this draft.
Francisco Garcia: Im not sure it is still noteworthy to see a Pitino coached player drafted by the Boston Celtics anymore, but Garcia was the absolute heart and soul of Rick Pitinos Louisville Cardinals club the past two seasons. Garcia could do a bit of everything, but, in particular, he was responsible for getting the big baskets when Louisville needed it. One heck of a shooter, Garcia has great range on his jumper and should have no problems with the transition from the college 3 point line to the deeper NBA mark. Francisco seems destined to be one of those doesnt do one thing exceptionally well but can do a bit of everything type of players. Scouts knock Garcia for being too weak, too slow, a below average defender, and little athleticism. However, Francisco Garcia is a very smart player with as much desire and determination as any player in this draft. Two areas that Danny Ainge is desperately looking at when determining needs for this draft.
Rashad McCants: Tell me if youve heard this one before There is an undersized shooting guard coming out of the University of North Carolina who can score, but doesnt appear to have any natural point guard instincts. With Rashad McCants entering his name into the draft after his junior year, the Joe Forte parallels are striking. If McCants shows up to his workout with the Celtics in a Magic Johnson throwback, then Im not sure we have to worry about McCants becoming the 18th selection in the 2005 draft. However, assuming that McCants does not take after Fortes nearly non-existent common sense, then Rashads abilities may be taken into account. McCants is much more athletic than Forte, and appears to be a more well rounded scorer than the former 2001 NBA Draft pick. McCants is only 6-3 207 lbs., so it appears he will need to improve his point guard skills somewhat or transform himself into the type of defender who can disrupt the game of shooting guards 3 to 4 inches taller than himself. A tall order indeed.
With that ends a somewhat brief look at the guards who may be of interest to the Celtics with the 18th selection. After the lottery, the number of quality guards available drops significantly. Other players may receive consideration, including Julius Hodge, C.J. Miles, and Kennedy Winston. However Im not sure than anyone other than Ukic and Fernandez would be a better selection amongst the guards on this list, but we will save the overall value judgments for later this month. Next time, in Part III, the Full Court Press will examine the prospects available at the center and power forward positions. Unlike the comparisons amongst the guards, the post players have draft stock that varies widely week to week. Hopefully the closer we get to draft day, the clearer the picture will be of who may be available at 18.
