Post#709 » by Suka Bongcic » Sun May 21, 2017 1:40 pm
Landing Dennis Smith at #9 is a pipe dream imo. I don't see any way he falls to us. Philly and Phoenix are the wild cards in the draft. Philly had stated that Ben Simmons would play the point for them for them last year. If that's still their plans they could go Tatum or Jackson at 3. Phoenix has Bledsoe, but is he in their future plans? Jackson or Tatum seem to be perfect fits if they value Bledsoe. Or they could take fox (if he's still on the board) and pair him and booker in the backcourt. They could be special together. My belief is, if philly and Phoenix jumps on Tatum and Jackson, there's a slight chance we can land ntilikina, smith is too explosive for the nyks to pass on, if he somehow falls to them (which is doubtful imo) Orlando, NY and Sacramento all need PGs imo.
After the top 5 is finished, Fultz, Ball, Fox, Tatum and Jackson will all be off the board, unless one of these teams is really that stupid. That leaves Isaac, Smith, Ntilikina, Monk, Collins and Markkanan. Orlando, Minnesota and NY picking ahead of us. Orlando moved Payton to the bench for half of last season. When they started him towards the end of the year, he played better. They are the wild card 6-8 imo. They have hezonjia and Fournier at the 2. Not much at the 3 unless They think Gordon could make the transition. Personally, I'd take Smith if I was them, but they could opt for Isaac as he's such an intriguing talent. For a man with his height and length, he's an extremely good shooter and has the handles to get an open look, he just needs to get much stronger. Minnesota drafted Dunn last year so I don't think they go the PG route again. They only have one good shooter in LaVine. If the magic take Isaac, they could go Monk imo, but if Isaacs on the board, I think he's the pick there, with Markkanan as a wild card (although unlikely due to his limited defensive prowess). The wolves need 3 point shooters. The NYKS will take a Pg. I don't think there's any question. Ntilikina fits the triangle, while Smith is the better player. They will take one of them imo. So the biggest pick in the draft will be Orlando. If they choose to bypass a PG, then we have an outside shot at landing Smith (if the nyks prefer ntilikina over him). That being said, if philly or the suns take Fox, then smith has a good chance to bypass Tatum or Jackson in the top 5 and be the pick in Sacramento.
In summary, there's a very slim chance Dennis Smith Jr will be on the board when the Mavs pick. So slim, that no one here should even have hope that he falls. It's just THAT unlikely. Collins or Monk at 9 if ntilikina is off the board is my prediction. Please say no to markkanan. He's not that good