Friday Bolts – 6.29.12
Chad Ford of ESPN.com: “Jones slid on the draft board because of a concern about a knee issue. Teams were also concerned about his motor. But at this point in the draft he’s a no-brainer pick and a great get for the Thunder. He’s long and athletic and he should thrive in their system. Great pick at 28.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Jones fell even harder than expected, to the very precipice of the first round. And all of a sudden, what would have been a terrible pick in the low teens is a great pick for Presti at 28. That’s how it goes. Jones gives the Thunder exactly what they need in the frontcourt, an athletic scorer, Serge Ibaka through the looking glass. Great pickup for OKC at such a low risk with this pick.”
Perry Jones is @Perry_jones1 and he tweeted this: “The best part about today. I ended up with a great team and even better fans! THUNDER UP! #thunder #okc”
Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports: “One NBA executive said Jones has the athleticism, skills and versatility to challenge Kentucky’s Anthony Davis as the most talented player in this year’s draft. But NBA teams grade prospects on more than talent, and that’s why Davis was taken first overall by the New Orleans Hornets and Jones – once considered a top-five candidate – fell all the way to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 28. No player suffered a more disappointing drop in the 2012 draft, and scouts point to two big reasons why: Jones’ inconsistent play during his sophomore season and a reported knee condition that might have scared teams. Some talent evaluators also think Jones did himself a disservice by working out for teams primarily as a small forward instead of showing his strength at his more natural power forward position.”
Chris Mannix of SI.com has PJIII as a loser: “An uberathlete with the height (6-foot-11) to play power forward and the quickness and ball-handling skills to play small forward, Jones slipped to the bottom of the draft due to inconsistent play last season at Baylor and late concerns about a possible long term knee injury. The downside: Jones loses a lot of money slipping all the way to No. 28. The upside: He’s with Oklahoma City, one of the best developmental franchises in the NBA, which will give him the freedom to mature in practices rather than games.”
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com has Presti as a winner: “As if he needed it, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti got another perfect opportunity to look like a genius after Baylor forward Perry Jones III, a potential Lottery talent, slid all the way to No. 28 after concerns over the state of the meniscus in his knee. Jones can take his sweet time getting healthy and the Thunder get to develop his game and personality in their ideal environment. It almost doesn’t seem fair.”
Sam Presti on James Harden: “James Harden is a coveted player. But I don’t think anyone covets him as much as we do.”
Presti on PJIII: “We didn’t enter this draft thinking that Perry Jones would be there at 28 for us.”
Berry Tramel on the Harden rumors: “How could the Thunder trade Harden the week after he stood on the sidelines of American Airlines Arena, in the final minutes of the NBA Finals, arm-in-arm with Durant and Westbrook, watching Miami in victory celebration. It was a clear show of solidarity for the Thunder future. A declaration that the Thunder planned to change the outcome next season and that Harden was clearly seen as part of the OKC trinity.”
Eric Freeman of BDL on Perry Jones: “There’s no disappointment here, just acknowledgment of an opportunity. In many ways, the Thunder are the perfect team for Jones. They’re a young, talent-driven group that values versatility, and their management has shown enough willingness to change that a rookie like Jones can carve out a role for himself based on merit. The draft might not have gone how Jones expected when he decided to forgo his final two seasons of NCAA eligibility, but NBA careers rarely go exactly has planned. If he continues to search for the positives in this new situation, and his medical issues turn out to be overblown, then Jones might find himself in a better situation than selection in the lottery ever could have given him.”