Official #2 Pick Thread - Ford #7: Parker

[JimmyTheKid]

Less than 3 weeks out, its still Wiggins or Embiid for me. If the pick is Parker or Exum I hope the Bucks get creative and move #2 to Philly or Orlando.

[Badgerlander]

I think if we did trade Sanders for #7+Nash I might keep Knight until the deadline and see if Nash can make a PG out of him. If we get Embiid I'm all over Saric at #7. Trade Ersan to get Hood or Fat Harden. Trade Henson to OKC for #21+Abrines and draft Kristaps or Kyle Anderson. Draft Bogdan at 31, Thanasis at 36, and Alec Brown at #48. Try to give away Zaza by the end of training camp and try to give away Delfino or just cut him by the end of camp. Could also leave Abrines in europe for another year depending on his contract situation. I think we'd have one of the best passing lineups around.

Knight/Nash/Wolters(Bogdan after Nash leaves)
Hood/Mayo/Bogdan/Abrines
Giannis/Middleton/Thanasis
Saric/Kristaps/Giannis(Gallon after the Nash buyout)
Embiid/Miroslav/Brown

[Treebeard]

Off on a tanget - What does Nash do whenever he does retire? Does he go into coaching, GM, buying a soccer team?

[SpottedBadger]

Off on a tanget - What does Nash do whenever he does retire? Does he go into coaching, GM, buying a soccer team?

He has his own production company and i thnk that's the avenue he will go down once he retires.

[chonestown]

I heard about Andrew Wiggins from an article when he was being recruited by Florida State. Anytime talk of him afterward had my attention, "who is this guy?" I wondered. I kept hearing about his crazy athleticism. Coming into this season, I tried to watch every video I could, "man, that kid can jump" I thought to myself. I also thought, "what a cool name!"

NCAA season takes starts, I tune in intently. Meanwhile I am curious about these other kids Julius Randle and Jabari Parker, so I tune into their games eagerly as well. The first Kansas game I watch is against a nobody. I watch Wiggins every move, waiting ... however, there is this tall dude named Joel Embiid that keeps distracting me. "Holy crap who is this guy?" I start saying to myself. I continue to tune into all Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky games. Parker looks like a pro, Randle looks like a pro, but still I focus mainly on Kansas, because this Wiggins guy can jump high and they tell me he is the next big time player.

In December, it becomes obvious the Bucks might be front runners for the lottery. My focus intensifies. The order of my nightly viewing becomes centered around the Bucks, followed by Kansas (I mean, boy, can this Wiggins kid jump, and they tell me he is amazing) then either Duke or Kentucky with a little splash of Wisconsin, Arizona and Oklahoma State, then all other things NBA. Really though, I was watching Kansas for this Embiid kid, "my goodness" I think to myself, even on his bad plays. I watch, trying to remind myself that there is guy in the game with the cool name and can really jump high. "This Wiggins kid plays such good defense" I think to myself. "Soon ... he is going to show he is a force to be reckoned with ... soon" I kept hoping. Meanwhile, I saw that the other players named Parker and Randle could really bring it. The Randle kid looks pro-ready, but a little sloppy. The Parker kid is obviously the best player on the floor in every game. Still though, that Wiggins guy, he has to be great, they told me so, and boy can he jump and now I know he can play D too! Yippie!

I realized some time ago that defense is an important part of the game, thus, this makes me a basketball genius and therefore I'm going teach the basketball world that defense is important and all will acknowledge me as a great basketball mind, "you mean there is more than scoring points?" they will shout in exclamation as I am the first person ever to notice this part of the game.

As the season goes on, I realize the Bucks have an almost certain shot at landing one of these guys. I watch every Giannis minute I can while checking out the players that might play along side him when Drew takes him out. There was crucial moment in all this. Kansas was playing a full 2.5 hours before the Bucks. Embiid was out with a knee injury. I was going to see Andrew Wiggins completely do something, I don't know what something, but I'm waiting, its going to happen. Midway through the first half I wished Embiid was playing. I was bored. However, I realized Giannis was coming up, and he was like Wiggins, a very athletic tall and long 2/3 player. That was so much more exciting than laboring through this Wiggins game. Still I did .. and I was so thankful to hear the FSN theme song as I flipped between the two games. If I recall, Perry Ellis was kick ass that night and I think I saw Wiggins jump a few times.

I keep watching, absorbing everything I can, about every single prospect who may go in the top five, rooting for the Bucks to lose, waiting for Wiggins to do something. "He has to do something right? He is still projected top 3," I tell myself. He has one, exactly one, spectacular game in an early Saturday afternoon loss. "This is it!" I tell myself, "that amazing guy from Cameroon is out. I'm certain that now Andrew Wiggins will not only jump really high and play solid D, but this is where we see the future." A few more games of watching, anticipating, dying for this kid from Canada who can jump so high to actually play basketball not deliver and suddenly KU is done. That part of the fun is over.

The Bucks finish with the worst record and I suffered through at least 70 of those games. I focus heavily on every interview, highlight real and article regarding one of these kids. Embiid and Parker are obvious ballers, this Exum kid may be the next big thing, but still, they tell me this Wiggins kid is something special and I'm still waiting, "it really could be true," I tell myself and "boy, can that kid jump."

Lottery night comes, the Bucks end up with number 2 ...

We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. "Give me five bees for a quarter," you'd say.

Now where were we? Oh yeah: the important thing was I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...

[Badgerlander]

Off on a tanget - What does Nash do whenever he does retire? Does he go into coaching, GM, buying a soccer team?

Coach the Bucks

[Treebeard]

Off on a tanget - What does Nash do whenever he does retire? Does he go into coaching, GM, buying a soccer team?

He has his own production company and i thnk that's the avenue he will go down once he retires.

Coach the Bucks

Nash seems to be a Renaisance man I bet he does well at whatever he puts his hand to.

He sure does seem to have a coaches mind, so it wouild be neat if that is the route he chooses.

[Badgerlander]

Chad Ford writes this week that Elfrid Payton's draft stock has risen to the point that his ceiling may now be the Sacramento Kings at No. 8. Who would have forecast that for the Louisiana-Lafayette point guard even a month ago?

While the athletic point guard has led some to draw comparisons to the likes of Gary Payton and Rajon Rondo, one major question remains.

That question? You'll have to continue reading to find out.

ESPN's college basketball and NBA draft analyst Fran Fraschilla touched on it on Wednesday:
"I like UL-L's Elfrid Payton. One of first to find him but he MUST improve J to be effective in NBA unless he's Rondo--and he MIGHT be!" he tweeted.

Indeed, Payton has a long ways to go as a jump shooter. After finishing his freshman season without a made 3-pointer, he shot 32 percent from long range as a sophomore and 25.9 percent as a junior.

Synergy Sports allows us to take a deeper look, and the advanced stats aren't pretty:
His .619 Points Per Play on jump shots ranked in the 14th percentile among all NCAA players last season
His .618 PPP on shot attempts off the dribble ranked in the 28th percentile
His .592 PPP in spot-up situations ranked in the 11th percentile

[Wonka]

I'll always be a huge Steve Nash fan, one of my favorite players ever. Never would want to see him in a Bucks uniform though at this stage in his career.

[Garbs_7]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muezq74LoS8&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVbtpCQHi_8[/youtube]

nice, about time Locke finished Jabari's, he's been working on it for weeks

That video didn't make Jabari look that great to be honest, makes me a little more worried if Embiid goes #1... I've been Wiggins all year, now with the owners rumoured preference of Parker I've been trying to get on board with Jabari but I'm not fully sold yet. Draft time is so confusing.

[Bernman]

Off on a tanget - What does Nash do whenever he does retire? Does he go into coaching, GM, buying a soccer team?

I think you may have hit it with the last one. He has a passion for football that hasn't been satisfied yet. He's always organizing offseason footy events. Maybe he'll end up founding Phoenix FC or the Calgary Ice's as MLS' 50th expansion team.

Otherwise he'll continue to rise in the player's union. He's one of the top player reps under Roger Mason right now.

If the Bucks did acquire him, I would hope he wouldn't retire, but instead became a little bit of a spectacle here for the locals, possibly helped the team win, and taught the pups in the process. I could see him getting something out of that with his leadership background, as well as the money lure. But then again a big reason he went to LA was to stay close to the family, so he may just end up retiring, which wouldn't be the end of the world for us.

[machu46]

Doesn't Nash already own an MLS team? I'm pretty sure he's one of the co-owners of the team in I believe Vancouver.

[On_Wisconsin]

If we do trade Sanders/Knight for #7 and take Parker and Smart couldn't we start Wolters/Smart/Giannis/Parker/Henson?

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[SpottedBadger]

Off on a tanget - What does Nash do whenever he does retire? Does he go into coaching, GM, buying a soccer team?

I think you may have hit it with the last one. He has a passion for football that hasn't been satisfied yet. He's always organizing offseason footy events. Maybe he'll end up founding Phoenix FC or the Calgary Ice's as MLS' 50th expansion team.

Otherwise he'll continue to rise in the player's union. He's one of the top player reps under Roger Mason right now.

If the Bucks did acquire him, I would hope he wouldn't retire, but instead became a little bit of a spectacle here for the locals, possibly helped the team win, and taught the pups in the process. I could see him getting something out of that with his leadership background, as well as the money lure. But then again a big reason he went to LA was to stay close to the family, so he may just end up retiring, which wouldn't be the end of the world for us.

He already has a stake in the Vancouver Whitecaps. When he retires, he'll go into film.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nba-star-steve-nash-will-345580

[Bernman]

That video didn't make Jabari look that great to be honest, makes me a little more worried if Embiid goes #1... I've been Wiggins all year, now with the owners rumoured preference of Parker I've been trying to get on board with Jabari but I'm not fully sold yet. Draft time is so confusing.

You gotta take those with a grain of salt. I think that guy disclosed he just takes a 5-game sample and draws conclusions from that. But it's a 35-game season. You could just have caught guys in cold streaks, hot streaks, good or bad match-ups.

I think Parker is being painted as a worse outside shooter and rebounder than he is by that video. IMO those are both strengths (and it's somewhat reflected in the stats) from watching him many more than 5 times, and at random points throughout the season. And whoever we draft, if their issues are weight making for cumbersome/stunted movement or shooting (these things are somewhat related), then I think our new owners are smart enough to invest in trainers who specialize in improving those areas, which can easily be addressed, to maximize the potential of our promising young prospects.

[emunney]

Chad Ford writes this week that Elfrid Payton's draft stock has risen to the point that his ceiling may now be the Sacramento Kings at No. 8. Who would have forecast that for the Louisiana-Lafayette point guard even a month ago?

While the athletic point guard has led some to draw comparisons to the likes of Gary Payton and Rajon Rondo, one major question remains.

That question? You'll have to continue reading to find out.

ESPN's college basketball and NBA draft analyst Fran Fraschilla touched on it on Wednesday:
"I like UL-L's Elfrid Payton. One of first to find him but he MUST improve J to be effective in NBA unless he's Rondo--and he MIGHT be!" he tweeted.

Indeed, Payton has a long ways to go as a jump shooter. After finishing his freshman season without a made 3-pointer, he shot 32 percent from long range as a sophomore and 25.9 percent as a junior.

Synergy Sports allows us to take a deeper look, and the advanced stats aren't pretty:
His .619 Points Per Play on jump shots ranked in the 14th percentile among all NCAA players last season
His .618 PPP on shot attempts off the dribble ranked in the 28th percentile
His .592 PPP in spot-up situations ranked in the 11th percentile

One of the least natural shooters as a guard I've ever seen. Obviously has no confidence. As a jumpshooter, he's got more in common with Bogut than Gary Payton. The defense is crazy good, though.

[LUKE23]

My general take on our pick as of right now is this:

1. Embiid is clearly the best prospect.
2. My board is Embiid/Wiggins/Parker/Exum.
3. If Embiid goes #1, and we take Parker, I will disagree with it but not really have a strong negative opinion on it, as I really like Parker in addition to Wiggins.
4. I like Exum, but I like the other three better at the moment, so I'd be somewhat displeased if he was the pick at #2.
5. If Embiid does not go #1, and we pass on him, there had better be a VERY good explanation for doing so (i.e. his back is a ticking time bomb), and not just because of fit, etc.

[Badgerlander]

That video didn't make Jabari look that great to be honest, makes me a little more worried if Embiid goes #1... I've been Wiggins all year, now with the owners rumoured preference of Parker I've been trying to get on board with Jabari but I'm not fully sold yet. Draft time is so confusing.

You gotta take those with a grain of salt. I think that guy disclosed he just takes a 5-game sample and draws conclusions from that. But it's a 35-game season. You could just have caught guys in cold streaks, hot streaks, good or bad match-ups.

I think Parker is being painted as a worse outside shooter and rebounder than he is by that video. IMO those are both strengths (and it's somewhat reflected in the stats) from watching him many more than 5 times, and at random points throughout the season. And whoever we draft, if their issues are weight making for cumbersome/stunted movement or shooting (these things are somewhat related), then I think our new owners are smart enough to invest in trainers who specialize in improving those areas, which can easily be addressed, to maximize the potential of our promising young prospects.

I like Locke, has does a good job at breaking down the strengths and weaknesses. He tends to concentrate on the bigger games where guys play against NBA caliber talent. I've always liked his stuff as much as Dx in the past and I think he is spot on in these, just my 2 cents. If you follow him on twitter he spends weeks on each one watching the games over and over breaking them down.

[Bernman]

He already has a stake in the Vancouver Whitecaps. When he retires, he'll go into film.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nba-star-steve-nash-will-345580

But he'll have more time, money, and flexibility to throw himself into an MLS franchise in a greater capacity once he retires ala Beckham w/ Miami. Right now he's just got a little monetary stake it appears.

Regardless, owning part of a sport's franchise doesn't take up all your time, or interest, usually. Neither does helping produce movies, usually. I wasn't aware of that involvement. He can do both in a part-time capacity.

[Bernman]

I like Locke, has does a good job at breaking down the strengths and weaknesses. He tends to concentrate on the bigger games where guys play against NBA caliber talent. I've always liked his stuff as much as Dx in the past and I think he is spot on in these, just my 2 cents. If you follow him on twitter he spends weeks on each one watching the games over and over breaking them down.

Oh, I think he does a good, fair job evaluating what he sees. It's still 5 games, though.

I think Schmitz is somewhat more accurate, probably because it's his job rather than a hobby, thus he commits to watching more games throughout the season. I find myself agreeing with his assessments, from what I've seen myself, a high majority of the time. That's just my 2 cents.