Knicks · Imagine the odds ... DraftExpress has us taking Donatas Motiejunas PF/C from Italy. Gallo part 2? (page 1)

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-dra...

They updated their mock today. I think these guys have the best read on the draft.

1	Cavaliers 	Kyrie Irving  PG
2	Timberwolves	Derrick Williams  PF
3	Jazz		Brandon Knight  PG
4	Cavaliers	Jonas Valanciunas  C
5	Raptors		Kemba Walker  PG
6	Wizards		Enes Kanter  C
7	Kings		Kawhi Leonard  SF
8	Pistons		Bismack Biyombo  PF/C
9	Bobcats		Marcus Morris  PF
10	Bucks		Jan Vesely  SF
11	Warriors	Klay Thompson  SG/SF
12	Jazz		Alec Burks  SG
13	Suns		Tristan Thompson  PF
14	Rockets		Jordan Hamilton  SF
15	Pacers		Jimmer Fredette  PG
16	76ers		Markieff Morris  PF
17	Knicks		Donatas Motiejunas  PF/C
18	Wizards		Tobias Harris  SF/PF
19	Bobcats		Chris Singleton  SF
20	Timberwolves	Kenneth Faried  PF
21	Trailblazers	Nikola Vucevic  PF/C
22	Nuggets		Iman Shumpert  PG/SG
23	Rockets		Tyler Honeycutt  SF
24	Thunder		Kyle Singler  SF/PF
25	Celtics		Marshon Brooks  SG
26	Mavericks	Lucas Nogueira  C
27	Nets		Josh Selby  SG
28	Bulls		Charles Jenkins  PG/SG
29	Spurs		Davis Bertans  SF
30	Bulls		Travis Leslie  SF

we can only hope.. would love to draft this kid based on what i've seen and read about him

edit: oh and i definitely agree with you about draftexpress, i think they do the best job with their mocks year in and out.

Draft Express always has the best Mock Drafts.

I'd be happy to have Donatas Motiejunas. Too bad he wont be around at 17 though.

This guy and the highlights shown seem talented

What bugs me is I dont see anything on the shotblocker or defender end

the pick has D'Antoni inputs written all over it. A scorer first before ANY other facet.

He is talented but what can Knicks expect ? with one sole #17 pick
we'll see

AnubisADL wrote:Draft Express always has the best Mock Drafts.

Im be happy to have Donatas Motiejunas. Too bad he wont be around at 17 though.

Have to agree with you.(Although, i'm in deep prayer to the basketball gods to make it so)

I then go into immediate UK mode and want to know what's wrong with him if he does.

Correction - Donatas Motiejunas is from Kaunas, Lithuania, not Italy. He played for Benetton Treviso, which is based in Italy.

The Answer Man had him on the radar screen last year.

(nbadraft.net) Strengths: Versatile lefty bigman with a high ceiling ... Has a lot of potential due to his size, agility and offensive development ... A finesse 4-man with excellent versatility, but shows the toughness to play inside with contact ... Shows a strong ability to run the floor and change directions, start and stop ... Has great legs (strong) and feet (quick) ... Has inside/outside ability with the ability to defend inside and play with his back to the basket, as well as knock down shots on the perimeter ... His outside shot has both range and consistency, and he has begun to develop some excellent moves including a jump hook, a turnaround fadeaway as well as fakes to draw opponents off their feet and excellent footwork ... Shows a competitive fire. He has a strong desire to win and improve, he just needs to show that at all times ... Gets off the floor quickly and has solid explosiveness ... A solid shot blocker ... Comfortable handling the ball when necessary to break the press and has solid vision and passing ability ... Has a very good body and appears that he will be able to add upperbody strength and become a solid rebounder and interior post player at the NBA level ...

Weaknesses: Is extremely talented and he knows it. At times he doesn't keep the pedal to the metal, exhibiting some lapses in focus and intensity (laziness) in practices ... Sometimes appears content to be better than others without dominating them the way he's capable ... That's the type of thing that he'll need to mature out of, learning to work hard at all times in order to reach the stature of a Gasol or Nowitzki ... Still needs to add polish on his moves on the perimeter but has excellent potential to do so ... Has thin arms and upperbody, although he has solid strength. He'll need to get stronger to contend with NBA bigs ... Solid length (6-11 wingspan) but nothing extraordinary ... Not as experienced or established as other European talents (such as Gasol or Nowitzki) were when they entered the NBA.

If he is there Donnie will think about it.

Hey man I loved the soundtrack on those videos What language was that?

The kid looks good, tho it would be hard to see Donnie going for him. We don't really have need of a kid like him right now. Tho I can understand going BPA and taking him for that reason. He's already a better post player than Gallo. He looks far more comfortable inside.

Sangfroid wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Draft Express always has the best Mock Drafts.

Im be happy to have Donatas Motiejunas. Too bad he wont be around at 17 though.

Have to agree with you.(Although, i'm in deep prayer to the basketball gods to make it so)

I then go into immediate UK mode and want to know what's wrong with him if he does.

First we compare him to Lampe, then his soft Euro style play, then either his soft Defense or his thin arms.

Then when he is out of the dog house, add him as a throw in for any trade for Chris Paul.

He looks talented, but three things that legitly scare me. 1) Since he's a good 3 point shooter, it would suck ars if he got stuck behind the line all the time, since Melo and Amar'e are taking most of the shots. 2) Lapses in concentration = No bueno. 3) When's he getting the ball?

Let's face it no kid that is perfect is gonna last til 17! There would have to be some questions or else he'd be a higher pick. The magic of drafting is doing your homework and taking a calculated risk. The kid is in need of bulking up and gaining strength. Who knows if he'll be able to put on the needed strength, but he has a ton of ability and skill. Love that he has such great passing skills for a big.

Allanfan20 wrote:He looks talented, but three things that legitly scare me. 1) Since he's a good 3 point shooter, it would suck ars if he got stuck behind the line all the time, since Melo and Amar'e are taking most of the shots. 2) Lapses in concentration = No bueno. 3) When's he getting the ball?

I don't see many future starters sitting at 17. His #1 issue seems to be his small frame. I don't see him packing on the pounds.

AnubisADL wrote:

Allanfan20 wrote:He looks talented, but three things that legitly scare me. 1) Since he's a good 3 point shooter, it would suck ars if he got stuck behind the line all the time, since Melo and Amar'e are taking most of the shots. 2) Lapses in concentration = No bueno. 3) When's he getting the ball?

I don't see many future starters sitting at 17. His #1 issue seems to be his small frame. I don't see him packing on the pounds.

I'd rather take a chance on a kid like Jeremy Tyler. He's got C size and length and the athletic ability to go with it. His job would be to hang around the boards and he's built to do that. If this was a team that already had a banger inside then i'd see taking a high upside kid like Donatas. Tyler would actually have a chance to play at C.

I say you take him if he is available at 17. But we need more picks. This draft has too much potential for us to only be picking once.

ATrain wrote:I say you take him if he is available at 17. But we need more picks. This draft has too much potential for us to only be picking once.

We don't need more picks. This draft is filled with alot of scrubs.

From the highlights I like this guy.

And Anubis, you always get more picks if you can, rookie deals are the best deal in basketball.

ok so a team devoid of defensive stoppers, shot blockers or rebounding should draft a kid who is poor in all of those areas? i really dont get it. if you want to go tall and long with good skills and shooting for a big u go for Jajuan johnson who imo will be one of tje best kids to come out of the draft. he can rebiund is super athletic and he blocks shots. or keith benson.

misterearl wrote:Correction - Donatas Motiejunas is from Kaunas, Lithuania, not Italy. He played for Benetton Treviso, which is based in Italy.

The Answer Man had him on the radar screen last year.

(nbadraft.net) Strengths: Versatile lefty bigman with a high ceiling ... Has a lot of potential due to his size, agility and offensive development ... A finesse 4-man with excellent versatility, but shows the toughness to play inside with contact ... Shows a strong ability to run the floor and change directions, start and stop ... Has great legs (strong) and feet (quick) ... Has inside/outside ability with the ability to defend inside and play with his back to the basket, as well as knock down shots on the perimeter ... His outside shot has both range and consistency, and he has begun to develop some excellent moves including a jump hook, a turnaround fadeaway as well as fakes to draw opponents off their feet and excellent footwork ... Shows a competitive fire. He has a strong desire to win and improve, he just needs to show that at all times ... Gets off the floor quickly and has solid explosiveness ... A solid shot blocker ... Comfortable handling the ball when necessary to break the press and has solid vision and passing ability ... Has a very good body and appears that he will be able to add upperbody strength and become a solid rebounder and interior post player at the NBA level ...

Weaknesses: Is extremely talented and he knows it. At times he doesn't keep the pedal to the metal, exhibiting some lapses in focus and intensity (laziness) in practices ... Sometimes appears content to be better than others without dominating them the way he's capable ... That's the type of thing that he'll need to mature out of, learning to work hard at all times in order to reach the stature of a Gasol or Nowitzki ... Still needs to add polish on his moves on the perimeter but has excellent potential to do so ... Has thin arms and upperbody, although he has solid strength. He'll need to get stronger to contend with NBA bigs ... Solid length (6-11 wingspan) but nothing extraordinary ... Not as experienced or established as other European talents (such as Gasol or Nowitzki) were when they entered the NBA.

If he is there Donnie will think about it.

dammit man, you ruined the possibility of so many thread bemoaning the influence MDA would have had on the pick and why his connections back to his second country sucked. Plus you ruined my thread-title mojo

Killa4luv wrote:ok so a team devoid of defensive stoppers, shot blockers or rebounding should draft a kid who is poor in all of those areas? i really dont get it. if you want to go tall and long with good skills and shooting for a big u go for Jajuan johnson who imo will be one of tje best kids to come out of the draft. he can rebiund is super athletic and he blocks shots. or keith benson.

Did you see the first few seconds of the highlights? It's all him blocking shots.

I'm a little worried about the fact that this kid's stock keeps dropping. He was a top 5 pick two years ago. That said, he has nice bounce in his legs and he seems confident. I like his game, but we don't anymore wings at this point. That said, we would probably be the best player available if he's there at 17.

BigDaddyG wrote:I'm a little worried about the fact that this kid's stock keeps dropping. He was a top 5 pick two years ago. That said, he has nice bounce in his legs and he seems confident. I like his game, but we don't anymore wings at this point. That said, we would probably be the best player available if he's there at 17.

His stock keeps dropping because he doesn't have the "potential" label. Everyone always overvalues the unknown. I don't think it is a knock on his skillset

Also, I notice they dropped Darius Morris out of the first round and bumped Jordan Hamilton into the lottery. A little interesting since both tested subpar in the combine. I like Hamilton and think whoever gets him is going to be happy.