National Draft

#10 – Phil Davis
#28 – Shaun McKernan
#44 – Rory Sloane
#60 – Thomas Lee
#72 – William Young

Rookie Draft

#10 – Ricky Henderson
#26 – Christopher Schmidt

As the 2008 draft approached, it looked likely that Adelaide would be targeting a key position prospect with its first pick.  Many – particularly Adelaide supporters who voice their opinions on forums – believed that Jackson Trengove was the name that would be read out at #10, however when draft day was upon us the Phil Davis bandwagon gained some momentum and it was the local lad who eventually got the nod.

Davis suffered a shoulder injury which hindered his football in 2008.  Despite being tipped to slide to the second round, Adelaide obviously liked what they had previously seen and look to have a gem on their hands.  With the retirement of Bassett and Adelaide’s struggles to find an adequate key forward; Davis shapes as a possible answer at either end of the ground.

In the second round Adelaide selected Shaun McKernan, the younger brother of former AFL premiership player Corey.  Shaun McKernan stands at 196cm in height and there have been some questions over what position he would play at AFL level.  Despite being undersized for a ruckman, McKernan possesses a lot of athleticism, namely the second best vertical leap at this year’s draft camp as well as finishing sixth in the agility test.

McKernan will be an interesting one to watch.  The questions regarding his long-term position are likely to continue for a time well beyond his debut; but regardless of where he ends up Adelaide have done well to secure a player with his skill set and pedigree in the second round.  On the other side of the coin, McKernan’s attributes may allow Adelaide some versatility, providing a swingable solution in various positions depending on how a match is unfolding.

At pick #44 Adelaide selected another Victorian in Rory Sloane, a 182cm midfielder who can also be swung back or forward.  From all reports, Sloane is a very personable kid who exudes leadership potential and has the mental application to succeed at the highest level.

After taking two key position players in the first two rounds, Adelaide’s bolstered its already impressive midfield prospects with Sloane; who will provide some added assurance heading forward.  Sloane will join the likes of Dangerfield, Mackay and the already established Knights as players who Adelaide fans will be hoping to form the basis for their future midfield.

Rounding out the national draft for Adelaide were Thomas Lee (Pick  #60) and William Young (Pick #72).  Both are key forwards who have shown varying degrees of promise in junior football.  Thomas Lee hails from the same hometown as Lance “Buddy” Franklin and the Crows would be hoping that he can emulate some of Franklin’s AFL form; since even a smidgen would be enough to qualify him as a player.  Will Young spent nearly two years out of the game before returning to play some solid football for North Ballarat whilst also representing Vic Country in three matches in the U18 Championships.

Between Davis, McKernan, Lee and Young – whilst also having talented NSW Scholarship acquisition Taylor Walker in the works – Adelaide would be hoping to find a quality key forward or two from this promising bunch.  Adelaide were dealt a cruel blow this year when they lost both Porplyzia and Burton, yet still managed to work their way into September.  It will be interesting and perhaps a little scary for opposition supporters – myself included – to see how Adelaide shapes up if some of these young prospects emerge as genuine forwards.

To finish up the silly season, Adelaide took two rookies in Chris Schmidt and Ricky Henderson.  Schmidt was delisted by the Brisbane Lions after spending two years on their senior list.  Originally drafted in the second round of the 2006 super draft, Schmidt is a tall midfielder/utility who may just prove to be a late bloomer.  Henderson is a 20 year old basketball player who hadn’t touched a football in four years, despite playing in his earlier days.  Whilst being something of a project, Henderson is a good size at 190cm and 82kgs and it’s always good to see some creative thinking with the rookie list.

Adelaide loaded up predominantly with key position prospects in this year’s drafting period, which given their needs and the strength of the draft was a wise strategy.  Traditionally, it’s best to build a spine of key position players in stronger drafts, as it’s easier to build around that sort of rare quality with midfielders and utilities who are generally the majority in any given draft.

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but Cody Hodgson somehow dropped a place or two down the rankings in the draft and fell into the Canucks’ lap. Everyone was expecting them to draft Kyle Beach, a BC boy who is big and gritty and fights but who has had concussion problems and could be a bit of a risk due to his attitude and character. He could be brilliant in two years time, or he could have no NHL career at all.

The Canucks went with the seemingly safe option, but actually they did what they haven’t done in years – draft the best player available to them. Cody Hodgson appears to have the character and determination we need for our team in the future – he has captained the under-18 Canadian squad to a Gold medal while being the top scorer in the tournament, and is used on the power play and penalty kill. Although not huge and a fighter, he is a great all-round player and is described by many in the know to be the smartest player out of the OHL this year, and that includes the first overall selection Steve Stamkos (who Cody has been good friends and teammates with for years). If developed properly, he should easily become our no.2 center, if not our no.1 in the next 2-3 years. I don’t know why exactly, but I just have a great feeling about him and I think he will become a franchise player for years to come.

Welcome to the team, Cody!

“People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Chicago Bulls. La franquicia de la ciudad del viento será el primero en elegir en el próximo Draft 08 tras el sorteo realizado anoche, donde tuvieron menos suerte Miami Heat y Minnesota Timberwolves, segundos y terceros en elegir respectivamente. Ahora es momento de sacar a la luz cuales serán las posibles elecciones de los seis primeros equipos.
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Chicago Bulls buscará otro pívot tras la elección de Joakim Noah (9º posición) en el pasado Draft. Esta vez parece que están decididos por el jugador de Kansas State, Michael Beasley, cuyos promedios esta temporada han sido: 26.2 puntos, 12.4 rebotes y 1.6 tapones. Podrá formar un buen juego interior junto a Drew Gooden.

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Miami Heat parece que optará por un seguro. Es decir, elegir al base estrella de Memphis, Derrick Rose. Esta elección incrementa los rumores de salida del equipo de Jason Williams. Rose promedió esta temporada: 14.9 puntos, 4.7 asistencias y 4.5 rebotes.

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Minnesota Timberwolves tiene sus ojos dirigidos en el eléctrico Jerryd Bayless, jugador de la Universidad de Arizona. Capaz de jugar de base o escolta muchos lo comparan con el Warriors Monta Ellis. Esta elección para más que lógica para unos Timberwolves huérfanos de escoltas. Bayless hizo la pasada temporada: 19.7 puntos, 4.0 asistencias y 2.7 rebotes.

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Seattle Supersonics parece que eligirán en su cuarta elección un center que le haga la vida más fácil a su estrella Kevin Durant. Se trata de Brook Lopez de la Universidad de Stanford. Su acreditación es la siguiente: 19.3 puntos, 8.2 rebotes y 2.1 tapones.

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Los Memphis Grizzlies podrían protagonizar el robo de este Draft al elegir a OJ Mayo en sexta posición. El excelente base de la University of Southern California (USC) podría formar una interesante pareja de bases junto a Mike Conley. Muchos en EE.UU lo tienen como uno de los mejores jugadores del país. Sus números parecen no mentir: 20.7 puntos, 4.5 rebotes y 3.3 asistencias.

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Los New York Knicks con Mike D’Antoni a la cabeza inciarán la próxima temporada una nueva época llena de ilusión. Para reforzar al equipo parece que optarán por elegir a la promesa italiana (y compatriota de Mike) Danilo Gallinari, al que muchos comparan con el turco Hedo Turkoglu o dicen que es el nuevo y mejorado Bargnani. Gallinari jugó la pasada temporada en el Armani Jeans Milano cuajando un buen año: 14.9 puntos, 4.2 rebotes y 1.7 asistencias.

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Como todos los años el Draft dará inicio a los primeros traspasos entre equipos. Los New Jersey Nets parece ser el equipo más activo en la actualidad buscando posibles traspasos estando interesados en jugadores como Andrea Bargnani, Carmelo Anthony, Boris Diaw o Leandrinho Barbosa. A cambio parece que los Nets se desprenderían en primera opción de Richard Jefferson (que también ha soando un intercambio con los Lakers por Lamar Odom) y en segunda opción Vince Carter. Por último cabe destacar que los Knicks con el fin de buscar un estable vestuario quieren desprenderse del pívot Zach Randolph en cuyos servicios están muy interesados los Philadelphia 76ers.

I wanted to write my honest opinion about what I think the 2008 season will be like now that the number one mystery has been answered, namely, who would the new draftees be. So now that I have that crucial and long-awaited info, here goes.

First off, its hard not to say that every team got better after the draft. Didn’t every team add some rookie stud or two, or three? Didn’t the Bills do this last year and the year before? Where did that get them? Well this years different. The draft went about as well as I could have hoped for. The real difference from this and the last two drafts were A. we didn’t have nearly the holes to fill as in the other seasons, and B. with Poz coming back, it’s likely the Bills will have 4 proven new staters on defense and 1 hot rookie in Mckelvin. That’s 5 players or nearly 50% of the defense and all have proven to be good to great players, save the untested Mckelvin. He was however was considered a slam dunk being the highest rated cb in the draft so I’m thinking stud and not dud. And even if he can’t catch, I don’t care. I think he can by the way, or he couldn’t do punt returns so well but that being said, Thomas Smith couldn’t catch either and he was very effective. Winfield could catch and so could Clements but how many Int’s did they really get? Not that many and did they change many games? Not to put that statistic down but I’d take an excellent cover guy and tackler to a guy that gambles and gives up a big play for every pick he gets-ala Clements.

Back to the rest of the defense. With Stroud, Mitchell, Poz, McKelvin and Simpson in the lineup, how can this defense not be better? Throw in experienced back-ups that were developed last year and you’ve got the making of a deep, young, fast and experienced group. Usually you trade young and fast for experienced but not with this group, you get both! The real x-factor will be McCargo. If he can just play like a second round talent. The Bill’s running game woes would be over. The pass rush should be better as well with Johnson and Ellis if at minimum the could provide fresh bodies to throw at opposing offenses. Yes! Finally a real defense and not a patchwork of tired-out, undersized back-ups. ( No offense to the undersized, back ups )

Offense. Can one man, receiver at that, make a real difference? The answer- a definitive yes. You see, having that second go-to guy is like having a second arm. How many fights would you win with one arm? The Bills had the legs with Lynch ( his 2 count for our analogous 2) They’ve got their jab and cross with Evans on the left. And now they’ve got the uppercut in the right with Hardy. ( Trent would be the head by the way and Schonert the Brain in that head ) But really without all of these pieces- a defense can easily cheat and make a decent group look really bad. It’s all about the other team never knowing what you’ll use against them on third down. Will it be a run up the gut or a toss outside, a fade or a slant to big Hardy, a pump and go to Evans or a circle route to Marshawn across the middle. Every piece will be there this year. Even at Tight end where I am confidant that Robert Royal can do the job if just given the chance. (See my article about receivers) Last year the Bills or ahem, the offensive moron known as Fairchild, stupidly called shotgun on nearly every third down, thinking the pass protection and vision offered by this formation would make up for the defenses playing all out pass. Well we all saw how that worked out. In the rare event that a play action was called, It seemed to work every time. And if a play action roll-out was called ( I think I saw 5 all year) I am pretty sure they completed every one. Will Schonert see the obvious and use more play action? Will he dare to throw to the backs over the middle? If he just does the obvious the Bills will be much improved. And with Hardy’s talent how can we not be looking for a much improved 2008? After two years o f saying to myself, “why are they getting rid of him and who’s going to play there?” I find myself saying. ” wow, we’ve got a team this year, I can’t wait to see this guy play” From Stroud to Hardy or Mitchell to Mckelvin, look for a much more exciting 2008.