Official #2 Pick Thread - Ford #7: Parker

[SkilesTheLimit]

Parker.

He and Wiggins are super talented. Tough call but...

I vote for heart and passion.

[Bucksfan28]

1. Embiid - He's just too good a prospect to not take #1 IMO.
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2. Wiggins - Just love his potential. I think he'll be able to score 15 a game as a rookie while being a solid defender, and I still have faith in him that he can eventually take his offensive capabilities to slightly above where Paul George is right now.
3. Exum - Again, love the potential there. Elite first step, quickness, and speed already. Great finishing ability. I don't really care if he's a pure point or not because we have Giannis. PG or SG, I think he's going to be among the best at his position in the league when he's done developing.
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4. Jabari - He's tier below Wiggins and Exum for me. I think he'll be a poor defender his whole career, and I think he's a little overrated in terms of scoring. He is not on Syracuse Carmelo's level as a scorer. He just isn't. And he'll probably never get to Carmelo's level in the NBA either. He's not really much of a passer either. Having said that, I understand if management goes with him. He's a great fit next to Giannis and Larry, he should be a solid player from Day 1, and it will excite the casual fan.

Regardless, I'm going to be happy no matter which of these 4 we end up with. I'm more confident in the top 3 going forward than I am with Jabari, but he's a very good prospect in his own right.

That's still asking a lot and even if he fell a little short of PG on offense I'd still take that over potentially the next slightly lesser version of Melo.

[Badgerlander]

I think a better poll would have been who do you "think" the Bucks will take at pick #2. We already know who everyone prefers.

We just want to set straight that the majority of the people in the know on this board are voting for Wiggins with pick #2. The poll does that.

[DanoMac]

So who voted Randle? Paschke or Nick Monroe?

[sidney lanier]

Who would seriously take Randle or Vonleh at 2?

You are correct, sir. And I'm well aware that even Mallory Edens wearing nothing but a Kentucky #30 jersey couldn't convince most here to agree with me. But then I hear she's really a Knicks fan.

[MiltownHawkeye]

The Cavs picking Parker would be hilarious.

At any rate if they pass on Embiid I will throw a party.

[JayMKE]

I like Wiggins, he's an incredible athlete with incredible size and length but I'm going to go Parker. Parker has the skills, he has the size/length/and athleticism, he knows how to play the game, he has the mind and attitude of a truly great player. Wiggins' defense is nice but I don't think Parker is the defensive sieve certain people make him out to be, in the end it's a lot harder to find an alpha dog scorer than it is a guy to defend. We can get a guy that can defend anywhere, we aint getting anybody that can score besides the top of the draft. I think Parker fits perfectly between Giannis and Sanders, we'll be a piece away from having a REAL core going forward.

[europa]

I voted Wiggins. He's by far the No. 1 player on my board.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Bucks had Parker at the top of their list. They know better than anyone the value of an elite scorer and how difficult is to find that type of player. They also know better than anyone how crippling back injuries can be to a big man. So Parker makes a ton of sense in a lot of ways.

[Siefer]

Tier 1:

1. Embiid

And by a large margin. He's a potential top-10 overall player.

Tier 2:

2. Parker
3. Wiggins
4. Exum

For me, Parker has really come on strong of late. His measurements, and athleticism are better than I initially thought, and his skill level is tremendous. His handle and footwork are special at his size, and he can create offense from anywhere on the floor. His defense is a big concern, but I think he's more than capable of becoming decent on that end. Right now, Parker is my pick if Embiid is off the board.

Wiggins still has all the potential in the world. The defense is going to be elite, and if he puts it together on offense, he'll be a stud. But right now his skill level on offense is low, and I'm not convinced he's ever going to be able to regularly create offense for himself or others. He'll be a monster in transition, and a solid shooter, but if he can't create it'll put a hard cap on his ability to carry a team.

Exum is still a big unknown in a lot of respects. He's got an elite first step, elite size, a good handle, good finishing ability, and looks to create. Will he be a good defender? Will he learn to shoot? Will he really be able to run an offense at a high level? I don't know, but I won't be upset if we take the leap.

[paulpressey25]

I voted Wiggins. He's by far the No. 1 player on my board..

In my opinion, he's the safest pick. No injury issues (and I'm not excited about Parker's foot fracture last year - shades of Grant Hill). Nor do you issues like you have with Parker maybe being a one-dimensional Carmelo/Big Dog guy who is nice to have but ultimately doesn't substantially elevate the players around him or the team.

Plus, given that for the past year this was the "Riggin for Wiggins" draft, I think any GM who passes on him is going to get an earful from their fanbase if Wiggins explodes on the NBA scene next year.

Fans will completely forget that he had a few bad games at Kansas or the like. They'll just know their GM passed on Wiggins on what was billed the "Wiggins Draft"

[theFireBlanket]

If Hammond's team has Exum as their highest prospect available when selecting, then this piece from Alex Boeder could be a green light for Marc & Wes(when it comes to getting fans interested in the Bucks):

http://www.nba.com/bucks/features/boede ... nd-globing

Australians still follow the Bucks despite Bogut's departure, as we've learned from our own contingent of them on the board. Throw in picking Thanis Antipoko in the second would probably send the Greek following of the team soaring, along with the local advertisement possibilities. My support of each of these picks coming true wasn't based in those aspects but the on the court factor, considering it in hindsight makes them even more favorable. [This isn't an Yi situation].

The Embiid(?), Wiggins, Parker & Exum work outs can't come soon enough.

[europa]

I voted Wiggins. He's by far the No. 1 player on my board..

In my opinion, he's the safest pick. No injury issues (and I'm not excited about Parker's foot fracture last year - shades of Grant Hill). Nor do you issues like you have with Parker maybe being a one-dimensional Carmelo/Big Dog guy who is nice to have but ultimately doesn't substantially elevate the players around him or the team.

Plus, given that for the past year this was the "Riggin for Wiggins" draft, I think any GM who passes on him is going to get an earful from their fanbase if Wiggins explodes on the NBA scene next year.

Fans will completely forget that he had a few bad games at Kansas or the like. They'll just know their GM passed on Wiggins on what was billed the "Wiggins Draft"

You're fond of talking about how Bogut overtook Paul the year they came out when Paul for so long was expected to be the top pick. Wiggins didn't punch anyone in the nuts but like you said this has been the Wiggins Draft for a long time only recently did Embiid enter the fray. I'm not comparing these players in terms of talent or potential; just saying that the NBA has a long-standing adoration of skilled big men, sometimes to their detriment as the smaller guys end up being the superior players and often by a considerable margin.

[ajb905]

Tough call, I think Embiid is definitely on a tier by himself, the other 3 are all interesting options and while I had Exum before starting to lean towards going pure upside with Wiggins (also pg talent is deeper and makes it harder for Exum to be a difference maker) with the qualifier of hiring the best player development people around to help him and Giannis use the gifts they were blessed with.

[paulpressey25]

it's a lot harder to find an alpha dog scorer than it is a guy to defend.

Who here thinks Wiggins WON"T average at least 20ppg next year or at worst by year two? Do we really think Wiggins won't be a 20ppg scorer?

Brandon Knight was a 20ppg scorer in the second half of the year. Scoring at a high clip is not going to be an issue for Wiggins.

To me the only reason you'd take Jabari over Wiggins is if you think Jabari is going to be the next LeBron. i.e. a guy so freakishly talented and driven that he will elevate everyone around him. He may be that, I just don't know.

But there is no way I'm passing on Wiggins just because Jabari has a more diverse offensive game and might average 24ppg versus Wiggins 21ppg.

[Chapter29]

After all that Parker talk the vote still isn't close? Interesting, perhaps that will change.

I voted Wiggins. Can't pass up that ultra athlete and defense.

I am no expert on this. I've watched quite a bit of video's of course, but haven't seen a ton of full games. I just hope that Hammond, Morway and our new owners are far more educated and get it right...get lucky....or whatever. Just give me the best or perhaps 2nd best talent in this draft a couple/few years from now.

[Chapter29]

Tier 1:
1 - Embiid - Potential top five overall player, true franchise changer. Hoping Cleveland overthinks this and they take a running mate for Irving.

Tier 2:
2 - Wiggins - I don't love his game as it is right now, but I'll gamble on the otherworld athleticism.
3 - Exum - I think he's next season's ROY. Maybe adds the most wins to Milwaukee.

4 - Parker - I like him more since the measurements came out. Legit PF size.

I'm with this.

[paulpressey25]

You're fond of talking about how Bogut overtook Paul the year they came out when Paul for so long was expected to be the top pick. .

I'm glad you remember that. In November of 2004, that was the "Chris Paul" draft. I remember getting into it on the ESPN boards with some Pistons fans taunting us about losing TJ Ford for the year. Everyone was saying that if the Bucks tanked it and got lucky, they'd replace TJ with Chris Paul.

Well, as the season went on, people got fascinated with shiny new toys like Bogut, Marvin and eventually even Deron Williams. Chris Paul was the old story from six-months earlier. However, the initial gut read of those scouts was right. Paul was the Man that year and we saw that clearly in year one.

I do think Embiid can be a much bigger factor and I don't discount Jabari being great. But I can't believe that 100 scouts who watched Wiggins the past two years are now suddenly wrong because he flamed out in his last NCAA game.

[JayMKE]

Having a player from a certain country doesn't make them anymore popular there, it might sway some die hards to sign up here on RealGM but if you polled Australia while Bogut was here you'd probably still find that the Lakers, Celtics, and Lebrons are far and away the most popular. There isn't any huge contingent of German fans of the Mavericks AFAIK.

It would be interesting to see what the windfall if any there was from drafting Yi.

[europa]

I can't believe that 100 scouts who watched Wiggins the past two years are now suddenly wrong because he flamed out in his last NCAA game.

I agree. What I saw from Wiggins was enough to convince me he's a special talent. One bad game isn't going to change that opinion.

[ReasonablySober]

it's a lot harder to find an alpha dog scorer than it is a guy to defend.

Who here thinks Wiggins WON"T average at least 20ppg next year or at worst by year two? Do we really think Wiggins won't be a 20ppg scorer?

Brandon Knight was a 20ppg scorer in the second half of the year. Scoring at a high clip is not going to be an issue for Wiggins.

To me the only reason you'd take Jabari over Wiggins is if you think Jabari is going to be the next LeBron. i.e. a guy so freakishly talented and driven that he will elevate everyone around him. He may be that, I just don't know.

But there is no way I'm passing on Wiggins just because Jabari has a more diverse offensive game and might average 24ppg versus Wiggins 21ppg.

Honestly, I have absolutely no clue where the confidence in Wiggins being a 20 ppg scorer comes from. None.

Like, I think he could be that guy someday. If I'm drafting him #2 it's with the belief that his skill level improves to the point where he could be the next McGrady.

But nothing I saw last season led me to believe he's going to be an effective scorer outside of transition buckets early in his NBA career.