With the 2nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft ......

by Man of Pace on May 20, 2009 9:51 AM EDT

The Pacers have a great opperotunity to continue their development this year. The second pick is going to be crucial. I keep hearing weak draft, worst in years, etc and so on. We will have roster spots available so the player taken needs to stick.

Is there a diamond in the rough that can be found in the second round.

Here are some possible second rounders.

Jeff Adrian UCONN PF - http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jeff-adrien

Dante Cunningham Villa. SF/PFhttp://www.nbadraft.net/players/dante-cunningham

This guy is my 1st choice

Jeff Pendergraph ASU PF - http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jeff-pendergraph

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Yeah, I think that for as weak as this draft may seem in terms of 1st round talent, there are a lot of players that should be available in Round 2 who are good values in that round.

I might add Heytvelt to your solid list, Mr. Pace.

by MagicianJobFoster on May 20, 2009 10:55 AM EDT reply actions

However,

I have to remind myself that he has that drug charge.

by MagicianJobFoster on May 20, 2009 10:57 AM EDT reply actions

Good Scouting

Good scouting, Mr. Pace.
I like both the Jeffs on your list.
That Adrien seems like a solid choice.

by MagicianJobFoster on May 20, 2009 11:52 AM EDT reply actions

Heytvelt ....

He looks the part but you called it he has some question marks … bad feet / drugs not a good combo here in Indiana.

by Man of Pace on May 20, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions

As a Zag...I really don't think anything was made of how he did everything right after the arrest.

Seriously, everyone grew to love him because he worked so hard and appreciated all the support everyone gave him. He literally broke down and started to cry while thanking the fans on senior night. He legitimately feels remorse for what he did. I’d be shocked to see him f’ up again.

"Based on his size and strength, I bet the Predator monster would make a pretty good ball player. I mean, the fear would be that he would kill all the other players.."

by SethGrandpa on May 21, 2009 2:30 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree seth, whenever i saw him he was always the one keeping his cool on the court this last year.

as well as keeping teamates calm, i think once he got into trouble, he grew up, and matured.

"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde

by cfizzle on May 26, 2009 1:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Honestly

I have doubts about Jeff Pendergraph and James Harden as pros. With these two guys on the team ASU seriously underperformed for two years. If I’m going to roll the dice on a PF with the second pick I’d rather it be someone who is a proven winner in college.

by ThirtyOne on May 20, 2009 1:46 PM EDT reply actions

Pendergraph

I have never seen an ASU game. I have been following these guys since the season ended. Early on Pendergraph was projected in the 1st round. For reasons mentioned my 31 he has fallen to the 2nd round. I am no scout I’m just intrested in workable possiblities for the Pacers in the 2nd round. I hate seeing the pick be a waste. Is there anyone out there that Pacer nation can see helping us.

by Man of Pace on May 20, 2009 4:32 PM EDT reply actions

I’d rather it be someone who is a proven winner in college.

Dante Cunningham Villa – WINNER

by Man of Pace on May 20, 2009 5:09 PM EDT reply actions

winners.

I agree to an extent about finding guys who were winners, but I’m not sure I would pick a guy based on his win/loss record in college. I mean who would you rather have Charles Barkley or John Salley?

by shep31 on May 21, 2009 12:50 PM EDT reply actions

Dante Cunningham;

he’s my pick, you are getting a guy with the most polished offensive game of those three, an athletic guy who is very under the radar because he improved so much from i think his junior to senior year.

Obviously i saw a lot of Villinova games last year because the big east was on TV 24/7 and i always liked dante, he looks like a guy who can come off the bench and you can run the pick and pop with and he can knock it down or drive it. He needs to put on weight so he can tussle with the other bigs down low but other than that hes got good length, and i my first pick.

Second pick is Jeff Adrien simply because he goes out there and outworks people on the glass and on the court, third is pendergraph, he is overrated and seems to me to be very lackadaisical on the court, although he has nice size, and limited to back to the basket offense really.

In short;

1. Dante
2. Adrien
3. Pendergraph

I think Adrien is a less skilled Dejuan Blair. But more of an athlete.

"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde

by cfizzle on May 26, 2009 1:08 AM EDT reply actions

I've been MIA for a while getting married, but now that I'm back

I like the idea here. I second the idea that Adrien is a poor man’s Blair, especially when you consider the height and wingspan combination. Not sure why, but Dante’s size concerns me a bit, probably because he’s not the kind of guy who makes up for it with wingspan or brute force like Adrien. I guess I’ve got a bit of tunnel vision in that I really want a PF who will be mean, get a hundred rebounds, and give the team some toughness. It’s interesting evaluating Dante because he’s an undersized guy on an undersized team.

One thing about all these guys is that they all seem like they have a good head on their shoulders, which is obviously a must. While we are still in need of a solid second fiddle/star for Granger, we definitely need role players that know what they need to do and these guys seem like they can fit in well.

"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."

by psvirsky on May 26, 2009 7:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Congrats!

Indy Cornrows

by Tom Lewis on May 26, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I would like to see Adrien if they don't take Blair in Round 1 like they should

We need a solid rebounder for the Pacers immediately.

"I saw a commercial on late night TV, it said,'Forget everything you know about slipcovers.' So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were."
-Mitch Hedberg

by Colts Homer on May 26, 2009 6:54 PM EDT reply actions