Gino's Jungle

Rumors, rumors, and more rumors have filled this morning's headlines on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else you could imagine going for Celtics news. Yesterday the rumors were that the C's wanted to trade the pick away. Today the rumors are that they might trade away Kendrick Perkins to move up in the draft; pretty silly if you ask me. Like I said before, the C's currently hold the 19th pick and I'm going to finish up our draft coverage that way.

You've seen previews to five different prospects, you've seen an overall preview to the draft, and you've gotten picks from Celtics experts. You're probably asking, now what's left? Well, in my opinion, the most important prediction of all. MINE.

Okay... Okay... I'm kidding. My prediction really means absoloutely nothing when it comes down to it. I watch about 5% of college basketball games and I really didn't start to zone into the potential picks until a few days ago. Do you think that's going to stop me from making my prediction on who the C's should draft? Uh-uh.

After spending a few days really getting to know a few guys the C's can draft I narrowed it down to two guys. Dominque Jones form South Florida and James Anderson from Oklahoma State. Both of these guys are athletic animals. They could both bring (if they live up to their potential) instant offense of the Celtics bench and relief minutes for Paul Pierce.

The one thing that is huge for me in deciding who the Celtics should draft is the players ability to come in and help the team as soon as possible. For that reason I decided I was sold on James Anderson. He is experienced and efficent running the pick and roll, and he is second amongst all players in points per possesion.

What hurt Anderson's draft stock is his defensive skills. Coming into a team that prides itself on defense I believe with hard work that Anderson can fix this hiccup in his game. If he can do this and live up to his hype on the offensive end of things he could be a huge part of the Celtics future.

 

Dominique Jones

School: South Florida

Position: Guard

Height: 6'5"

Year: Junior

So far we have checked off James Anderson, Damion James, and Soloman Alabi. Now we have come to Dominique Jones from University of South Florida. When it comes to scoring and instant offense this guy is the cream of the crop. He can completely take over games offensively and may be just what the C's need to back up another guy whose pretty good at scoring the ball, Paul Pierce.

Here is Draft Express' scouting report on Jones:

One of the biggest risers of this year’s draft season, Dominique Jones’ explosive scoring ability ranks him highly in certain metrics, though he doesn’t excel in any one given situation.

The most impressive aspect of Jones’ resume is his 46.5% scoring ratio, indicating that he scores at least a point on nearly half of his extremely high 21.6 possessions per-game. The level of efficiency ranks first in this group, and his .976 PPP and 11% shots fouled are well above average as well. Jones is both a high usage and high efficiency scorer, which is a rare combination to find.

A lot of people are really drooling over this guy's offensive skills. This guy could be great for the C's future and provide tons of excitement for the C's and their fans. The only setback for Jones is his long-range shooting ability; however, he makes up for this with his ability to score in many differenty ways.

If Jones can come in and perform well on a rookie contract that will definetely help eliminate the stress of having to worry about resigning either Tony Allen or Marquis Daniels. There are no reports of the C's working out Jones, but his athletic ability can not go without being seen.

 

Soloman Alabi

School: Florida State

Position: Center

Height: 7'1"

Year: Redshirt Freshmen

There are reports out today that Danny Ainge may be looking to shop away the Celtics 19th pick in the draft, but that isn't stopping us from continuing our draft coverage. At this current moment the C's still hold the 19th pick and we are going to preview the draft that way. The next player we are taking a look at is Soloman Alabi, a big man from Florida State.

With Rasheed Wallace on the brink of retiring and Kendrick Perkins' injury up in the air the Celtics will need to acquire a big man, whether it be through the draft or free agency. The chances that Danny Ainge would rely on a big man to come in and help instantly are very slim, but the opportunity is available so you never know.

Soloman Alabi will be one of the big men most likely available when pick 19 rolls around. He did deny a private workout with the C's, but there are rumors the team has shown interest in him. He is 7'1" center that could give this team much needed relief at the center position. His potential seemed to continually increase over his three years at Florida State, but many are still unsure of whether he has the skillset to succeed in the NBA.

Here is the scouting report on Alabi from Yahoo Sports:

Having made huge strides as a player over the past year, Alibi can consistently score with a reliable jump hook. Getting more aggressive on the defensive end, he is begining to really impact the game as a rebounder and shot blocker. he still needs more strength and his hands still have room for improvement, but Alibi is progressing towards being a NBA prospect.

I guess maybe he could be comparred to Hasheem Thabeet and I'm not too sure if that's what the Celtics want at this position. Alabi seems like he may have a lot of question marks surrounding his game and that's not what the C's need at this point in time. This isn't the time to rely on potential in the NBA Draft, especially when that potential relies on a guy whose rated seventh in the draft at his position. The C's my be better off using free agency to fill this position and relying on the draft to bring in an athletic swingman.

 

 Damion James

Height: 6-7

Position: Guard/ Forward

School: Texas

Year: Senior

Damion Jones has recently worked his way onto the Boston Celtics radar in the past few days. In a lot of mock drafts he is predicted to go around pick 15, but there is a chance he will slip to the C's at 19. According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, the Celtics had James in for a workout today.

With Texas not really being a powerhouse this past year in the NCAA I am not too familiar with James. I know he is no John Wall or Evan Turner, but my findings show he is a very hard worker and a great guy to have on your time. Because I'm no NCAA expert I will let the guys at Draft Express do the hard work. 

Via Draft Express:

 "Damion James looks solid, but unspectacular across the board. At 1.0 PPP overall and drawing fouls on 10.2% of his shots, James is a solid offensive player, but considering his lack of ball handling ability, he’ll need to improve on his 42.9% shooting on unguarded jumpers if he wants to see consistent minutes at the three on the next level. The hustle numbers are there (1.25 finishing PPP, 2 Pos from offensive rebounds, 2.3 Pos from cuts), but James is a questionable one-on-one player (0.672) and may need to be more than serviceable in spot-up situations to be successful in the long-term."

I'm not sure that this guy gets me as excited as James Anderson, but I do like the hustle numbers. Anderson, unlike many in this year's draft, has experienced four years of college and seems to have a very good basketball IQ. He is rated by Draft Express as the second best senior in the 2010 NBA Draft.

If the C's had him come in for a private workout they must have some interest in James. To my best of knowledge I would assume this guy would be less of a project than a guy like Anderson, but his potential isn't as great. I guess it all depends on what Danny Ainge has down on his blueprint for next year's team. Does he want a guy that can come right in and give spot minutes or a guy who has tons of athletic potential?