SF88 wrote:NavLDO wrote:Exactly. Just because your chances are better of getting all-star talent, doesn't mean you actually draft the better talent. My point was, that I'd hate to go through another season of winning only 20 some-odd games--that season was BRUTAL. I'd much rather take my chances at 13 or 14 and field a competitive team throughout the season.
We drafted top 5 already, and got our talent in Len. Philly has drafted in the top 6 over the last 4 years, is it? How good are they? The lack of faith in McD and Horny is unbelievable--they've been here through 2 seasons, and overall have posted more wins than losses--in the WESTERN conference, no less. Give these guys a chance before going total tank mode. So far they have drafted Len, Warren, and Booker. Anyone have issues with these three? Bad picks? Poor talent? No? Than why all the whining about where we pick? They didn't draft Morris, or Marshall, or Clark. Be upset with the previous regime all you want, but those guys are gone.
And saying "the fact that Russel, Okafor, Towns all have higher ceilings than him"--really? Where is this magical 'ceiling meter' you speak of? I've never seen it myself. No, those guys went higher because they demonstrated perceived higher talent ability. Saying that these guys went higher than Booker because they have 'higher ceilings' doesn't make any sense--considering he's the youngest of everyone in the draft. He went lower due to his perceived weaknesses of defense and athleticism (which he debunked at the combine. But there is no 'magic 8 ball', or magic mathematical formula that says the guy picked at 3 will be better than the guy picked at 13. Is it likely? Sure, but not guaranteed.
Of course just because you have the chance of drafting the better talent doesn't mean you draft it. That's why some teams with terrible GMs continue drafting in the top 5 for a long time. The question is, do you trust McD to make the right pick with a top 10 pick or do you expect him to Kahn it or something? I think I'd trust with him it until I'm proven wrong. I don't count the worst draft in sports history as a way to judge his drafting skills.
I do have one question though, you said you would hate to go through another brutal season of winning 20 games and would rather be competitive and miss playoffs and take home the #13-#14 pick....did you not find last season brutal? I have yet to meet anyone who actually enjoyed last season. Even McD himself said in an interview with Gambo towards end of the season that this season was not good for them (he went on to say that's why he expects some pretty big changes in the off season).
I found this last season pretty damn brutal even though Suns won 39 games.
Oh, absolutely did I find the last 20 or so games 'brutal'--at least before they started some of the young guns that last couple of games. No, we were not competitive, but we also had a major overhaul of our roster, and our best 'return' got injured the last 20 games, so essentially we lost Dragic and IT, and got back future picks and Knight. Well, when Knight went down, we were essentially down a starter and our '6th man'--then Len didn't play in half of those last 20 games either--so we were down 2 starters. So, hard to competitive under those situations.
But, yes, I trust McD to make the right choice were we to find ourselves with a top 5 pick again. But I personally, am not 'willing' to suffer through another 20 games win season to get it. I understand those that do, but that's a slippery slope you go down to get that pick. First off, the lottery could ed up not in our favor, and we could potentially drop a couple of slots, and then, FA comes around. What are our chances of getting a premium FA to sign here? How long do you think it would have taken LMA to decide on the Spurs if we were a 20 win team last year? Oh, about 5 seconds, because it's likely Tyson wouldn't have signed on as quick as he did, thus not being there for the initial meeting. Sure, I'm speculating here, but I think you get the point--not many Tier 1 or 2 FAs want to sign with a 'rebuilding' team.
