Poll: How do you like the Johnson pick?

[The_Irony]

Two things i say regarding the two are:

Id like to see how stanley would do @ duke and Id like to see winslow in duke without okafor.

If Winslow was the exact same player and at Stanford, would there be so much crying? doubt it.

This is about Duke and public perception more than anything.

[irishfury6]

I know some people that know the kid being from Orange County. If he isn't great it won't be from a lack of trying. People here say he is the hardest working kid they have ever seen. Hits the gym in the a.m. Say he has the drive to be great and progress he has made every year is amazing. Plus he is good friends with Drummond and Jackson.

[joedumars1]

Detroit was not the only team excited about Johnson. Van Gundy said the phone rang most of the evening, even after the Pistons selected Johnson. Some teams offered future and current draft picks for Johnson. The Pistons even had an opportunity to trade up.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2015/06/25/pistons-grab-arizonas-stanley-johnson-in-first-round/29305669/

[whitehops]

I love how SVG mentions that Johnson has won everywhere he went, and how that's something that was taken into account, then says "the reason Justice is in this conversation is because Duke won the national title". Well, SVG, does team success matter or doesn't it? I don't think it should be all that important, but at least be consistent.

Hey, if Johnson ends up being a great player and/or SVG goes on to have a great offseason that sets us up for future greatness, I'll be happy to eat crow, and frankly be disappointed if I don't get lampooned for some of the posts I've had today.

How I feel is how I feel, though. The right pick was there and he didn't make it. Sounds like he didn't even consider it. That lowers my opinion of him. People might think that's too extreme, and that's fine. I post as part of this community, and I don't do it because I need my opinion to be validated by others.

about that comment SVG made about Stanley being a winner, he meant it that Johnson has had a positive impact everywhere he went. he won four state championships in high school and then went to a college team that made it to the elite 8 the year before, returned four starters and he led them in scoring as a freshman. winslow was perceived to be a late-lottery pick before the tournament when he got hot. duke won a national championship so he was naturally in the spotlight, but he had likely the second-best player in the draft on his team and he had a legendary coach. how a player contributes to team success is important, but so is context.

about this 'wrong pick' statement, SVG stated very clearly his thought process behind drafting Johnson and if you want to disagree with him, that's fine. just know that early on Johnson was projected to be a top 3-5 for a reason.

and saying this pick is bringing SVG's other 'bad moves' to light is just a knee-jerk reaction, imo. the way you 'feel how you feel' is absolutely your right as a fan but I hope you see the more sensible side too. meeks' contract (while perceived to be overpaid) is really not that outrageous, he is barely overpaid, if that. he was one of the better shooters in the league before we signed him (and we were DESPARATE for shooting) and got sidetracked by his back injury last season. he shot the worst he has in years after consistently improving from 3, which I like to think isn't simply a fluke. he was still bothered by his injury in January, despite playing for a while before then. anyways, overpaying meeks by $1-2 million a year is not a 'mistake' that will set back the franchise or anything. I personally see that as a good signing, especially when you consider how big a need outside shooting was for us at the time.

not getting anything out of Monroe's situation is a little unfair to pin on SVG. he came in the offseason that Monroe was set to hit restricted free agency, despite not even having seen him play in his system. SVG said from the get-go that keeping flexibility going forward was a very high priority for them, and anything they would have gotten in return for Monroe (who didn't have a lot of trade value) would have likely sacrificed that flexibility. that's the same reason we cut smith out-right.


at the end of the day, SVG watched every single minute of both Johnson and winslow's college years, interviewed them and worked them out personally. if you think he made the wrong pick because you saw some cutups on youtube, read an article or two and maybe even caught a couple tournament games that is absolutely your right as a fan. it's also completely irrational, and that's how I feel.

[kurtis48239]

Love the kid,been singing the same tune since the begining,constantly correcting guys who say he cant shoot,cant handle the ball,isnt athletic,etc.Just glad its over and we can look forward to seeing him grow on OUR TEAM.

[Hooplah]

at the end of the day, SVG watched every single minute of both Johnson and winslow's college years, interviewed them and worked them out personally. if you think he made the wrong pick because you saw some cutups on youtube, read an article or two and maybe even caught a couple tournament games that is absolutely your right as a fan. it's also completely irrational, and that's how I feel.

I read a few articles and watched some youtube highlights and a few tourney games, and I still wanted Johnson over Winslow. So he has no excuse.

[DeKroit]

I love this pick. As I said in the other thread:

I don't understand the hate for this pick. I always thought Stanley Johnson would become the better player than Winslow. He has good size, can play defense, and has a relatively respective jump shot. And he can create space for himself. What's there to hate? All this talk about "losing faith in SVG" is completely unwarranted. In his first year of taking over the FO, SVG has done a great job. One pick (and not even a bad one), and everyone is overreacting and throwing their chairs around. Ridiculous.

If anything, I trust SVG more than GM posters.

[Sheedpocalypse]

I love it, but I'm a grade A sucker for all things new, so what the hell do I know lol

That being said:
- I love the kid's attitude
- his defense
- his work ethic
- his demeanor and confidence
- his haircut

At this point in time, it's not like choosing between Johnson and Winslow was a clear cut thing where one had ALL the upside over the other. Or am I missing something here?

I like our defense next year, I really do.

[Laimbeer]

I expected the poll results to be the opposite of what they are.

[vic]

Two things i say regarding the two are:

Id like to see how stanley would do @ duke and Id like to see winslow in duke without okafor.

If Winslow was the exact same player and at Stanford, would there be so much crying? doubt it.

This is about Duke and public perception more than anything.

Spot on

[E-Z]

If SVG is sold on the kid's desire to work hard, I'm sold. SVG doesn't seem like a man that's easily impressed.

[DETermination]

The thing I love most about the pick is he already knows Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond very well. Their chemistry should be great.

[hoophabit]

If you're looking for that modern, versatile forward, what's wrong with SJ? Kid does everything and fairly well. He doesn't win every possible comparison, who would? There is every indication that he'll be another physical presence in team defense. KCP defends hard on the perimeter but is overmatched against a lot of SFs. It's a much smaller list of players who can overpower SJ. He just turned 19, and will get better. SJ is reported to be very serious about his craft. A good influence on the team in general.

[Ghost]

If you're looking for that modern, versatile forward, what's wrong with SJ? Kid does everything and fairly well. He doesn't win every possible comparison, who would? There is every indication that he'll be another physical presence in team defense. KCP defends hard on the perimeter but is overmatched against a lot of SFs. It's a much smaller list of players who can overpower SJ. He just turned 19, and will get better. SJ is reported to be very serious about his craft. A good influence on the team in general.

Agree. Looking at the type of character guys SVG hs acquired ... that must say something about how he feels when it comes to Johnson.

[DETermination]

Love his confidence

[ImHeisenberg]

Chose "like it".

I don't believe talent disparity between Winslow and Johnson is more than marginal. If there is legitimacy to Winslow having a bad attitude, it cements Johnson over Winslow for me, as there's zero personality questions with SJ. The player I worry we'll regret passing Devin Booker, moreso than Winslow.

[Hotmayo]

Chose "like it".

I don't believe talent disparity between Winslow and Johnson is more than marginal. If there is legitimacy to Winslow having a bad attitude, it cements Johnson over Winslow for me, as there's zero personality questions with SJ. The player I worry we'll regret passing Devin Booker, moreso than Winslow.

if devin booker has stanley johnsons work ethic and amazing attitude then ooohh yea booker can be a better talent.

i dont know that of booker, but that is clearly the case with stanley johnson. at this point, what separates best players in the nba is attitude, work ethic, drive, etc, etc, etc.

just look at draymond green. attitude is everything. and justise winslow proved to be a stinker in that area.

i think we got a very special player. players who have that type of personality become leaders. we lack a leader and he will cause the environment in the loker room to be a hard working group and team chemistry will shoot up. this is exactly the type if player we needed this year and he happens to be a SF who can fill all the holes we had at that position. im ecstatic now.

i voted "love it"

[The_Irony]

StanJo is the hardest working player in the draft . He's a socal boy who embodies and wants to be in Detroit. Chip on his shoulder and always improving.

I think Winslow will be very good for Miami ..he fits their overall scheme as well.

Both teams got their fit.

Both teams win. I hope this will be a rivalry for years. (well i guess im fine with Winslow being a bust too)

[rmfc]

haha

What happened in this thread?

[princeofpalace]

Boston offered up the farm for a pick to land Winslow including UNPROTECTED picks. Wow.