The Draft Thread: Ayton Vs Doncic 1

[sunskerr]

My problem with Ayton is that he's a center. We don't even know if it's possible to win a championship anymore with a center taking up a massive portion of your cap. I think he has to become like Anthony Davis for it to be possible.

With Doncic, well, he doesn't really look "passable" or average athletically for the NBA (like Klay or Harden's level). He may get to that level, or near it, or he may not. But right now it doesn't look like he's going to be taking opponents off the dribble, since he doesn't handle the ball at an absolutely elite level (Curry, Irving, Paul etc - all of whom are not the fastest guys on the court).

[BobbieL]

Towns is eligible for the 188 mil Supermax after making third team according to Gambo and that may be why Minnesota would trade him.

With Towns getting that -- I think I like the idea of drafting Ayton to be your "4" and signing Dedmon or Looney to be your defensive 5. Looney - has made a lot of money in these playoffs but not all teams have a lot of money. And see if you can still find a PG or a a guard opposite Booker to start.

Suns still need defense.

[TeamTragic]

Towns is eligible for the 188 mil Supermax after making third team according to Gambo and that may be why Minnesota would trade him.

Do we want to pay Towns $188M when he only made the third team? Clearly him and Thibodeau don't get along. Perhaps this is more about his attitude.

[saintEscaton]

Towns is eligible for the 188 mil Supermax after making third team according to Gambo and that may be why Minnesota would trade him.

Do we want to pay Towns $188M when he only made the All-NBA Third Team? I think maybe he reached his ceiling.

What about his attitude? Clearly him and Thibodeau don't get along.

If KAT finds a way to even become a below average defender( which he did second half of this regular season) and not remain the worst at his position he will be a Top 5 player/MVP candidate, you can take that to the bank . Also Thibs is trying to shove an archaic system down his player's throats with mind numbing rotation and doesn't make half time adjustments while also making the offense run through Butler.

[sunskerr]

With Ayton I'm thinking the best scenario is that we end up with offense and defensive schemes that are akin to the hypothetical "what if Anthony Davis played for Brad Stevens?". That, of course, assumes Igor is an elite coach and Ayton pans out well defensively.

[BlueSan]

[saintEscaton]

Towns is eligible for the 188 mil Supermax after making third team according to Gambo and that may be why Minnesota would trade him.

Do we want to pay Towns $188M when he only made the third team? Clearly him and Thibodeau don't get along. Perhaps this is more about his attitude.

Cap might rise in in 2021 with the influx of gambling money. But Minny is going to hold on to him and won't settle for anything less than a godfather offer

[WeekapaugGroove]

Towns is eligible for the 188 mil Supermax after making third team according to Gambo and that may be why Minnesota would trade him.

Do we want to pay Towns $188M when he only made the third team? Clearly him and Thibodeau don't get along. Perhaps this is more about his attitude.

Sure I'd pay Towns that; it's the going rate for an All NBA guy. Thibs is an **** so while I can't say for sure I tend to side with Towns in that spat.

[Jdiddy701]

I know some of you guys hate gambo but a lot of times his info is correct

I agree with this.


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[jcsunsfan]

Ayton will be better than Towns. Yes. Better. And for a while, cheaper. Don't do it.

[kennydorglas]

Here is another big board, though I'm sure everyone will disagree with the top....

https://deanondraft.com/2018/05/05/2018-big-board/

Dean Demakis is the king of the hot take, but a tl east he puts some thought on his reasonings.
He's REALLY low on Mikal and super high on triple J/Zhaire.

Did you see his tweet today talking about his "elite" logic regarding Trae? He's quite full of himself.

He drives those Stepien's guys crazy sometimes lol
Yeah, he's really cocky... once he gets some prospect right, he never stops talking about him.

[kayath]

I know some of you guys hate gambo but a lot of times his info is correct

I agree with this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well if you are a real reporter/journalist then shouldn't your reports be correct all the time?

[Mjee]

I know some of you guys hate gambo but a lot of times his info is correct

I agree with this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well if you are a real reporter/journalist then shouldn't your reports be correct all the time?

A lot of things change last minute in the NBA or teams change direction on the fly. Gambo does have a lot of friends in high places, don't discount that. For a reporter/sports radio guy he is dialed in with the best of them. One of his old buddies from back in the day is Danny Ainge

[saintEscaton]

Ayton will be better than Towns. Yes. Better. And for a while, cheaper. Don't do it.

I'll take the under on that wager. If Ayton can ever put together a 20/10/2 season with the second best True Shooting % in the league all while stroking anywhere near 42.1 % from three on close to 4 attempts from deep a game with a 4.21 RPM I'll eat my socks. He could be even worse on the other end than KAT so its no foregone conclusion.

[Villalobos]

always fun to look through the old analysis of those analytic draft bloggers

Demakis was incredibly high on Winslow. Thought Hezonja was the far better prospect than Porzingis (thought Porzingis should go #18). Wasn't high on Okafor at least.

[J_T]

My problem with Ayton is that he's a center. We don't even know if it's possible to win a championship anymore with a center taking up a massive portion of your cap. I think he has to become like Anthony Davis for it to be possible.

With Doncic, well, he doesn't really look "passable" or average athletically for the NBA (like Klay or Harden's level). He may get to that level, or near it, or he may not. But right now it doesn't look like he's going to be taking opponents off the dribble, since he doesn't handle the ball at an absolutely elite level (Curry, Irving, Paul etc - all of whom are not the fastest guys on the court).

He wants to be a PF, though, that's the way he sees himself. Ayton and Doncic have one thing in common. They see themselves as PG and PF but "experts" are expecting them to be SG/SF and C.

[saintEscaton]

My problem with Ayton is that he's a center. We don't even know if it's possible to win a championship anymore with a center taking up a massive portion of your cap. I think he has to become like Anthony Davis for it to be possible.

With Doncic, well, he doesn't really look "passable" or average athletically for the NBA (like Klay or Harden's level). He may get to that level, or near it, or he may not. But right now it doesn't look like he's going to be taking opponents off the dribble, since he doesn't handle the ball at an absolutely elite level (Curry, Irving, Paul etc - all of whom are not the fastest guys on the court).

He wants to be a PF, though, that's the way he sees himself. Ayton and Doncic have one thing in common. They see themselves as PG and PF but "experts" are expecting them to be SG/SF and C.

He is significantly less of an offensive mismatch at the 4 and would be drawn away from the basket more

[Djedefre]

If Ayton is better than Towns, we talk all-time great and HOF player

[thamadkant]

Regarding Doncic's lack of athleticism , I just picked this post from reddit:

Honestly, many, many guys who had "athletic concerns" going into the draft turned out fine -- Harden, Jamal Murray, Reddick, Gordon Hayward, Jabari, Khris Middleton. I think the number of guys who succeeded because they were good at basketball is at least equal to the number of great athletes who who were not good at basketball and never learned.
I've saved this to reuse, because people insist that this was not the conventional wisdom about James Harden, but let's look at some of the scouting about him going into his draft:

His leaping ability and quickness are only marginal, which forces him into tough and contested drives and makes it hard for him to get by people …

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/james-harden

And despite how good he was at Arizona State the last two seasons, he does have some flaws as a prospect. The biggest issue for most scouts will be his athleticism, or relative lack thereof. Harden will not be entering the dunk contest, and he lacks an explosive first step.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/179386-nba-draft-prospects-james-harden-arizona-state

A lot of Harden's efficiency comes from an area that most probably wouldn't expect it to. In spite of his perceived athletic limitations, Harden was a terrific finisher around the basket this season. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/James-Harden-1241/ ©DraftExpress

He also had problems finishing around the basket, which is not surprising considering that he’s not terribly explosive. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/James-Harden-1241/ ©DraftExpress

The first thing that stands out about Harden is the fact that he is likely to be considered a below average athlete for the NBA level. His first step and pure explosiveness are nothing to write home about, meaning he has to find other ways to make his presence felt. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/James-Harden-1241/ ©DraftExpress

Suns already have their Harden... Or mini Harden anyways and he's got proven agility and shooting ability create space.... Booker.


Doncic taking the ball away from Booker will hamper his development and this is one reason I don't think Booker will endorse Doncic over Ayton.

Jackson already endorsed Ayton as well...


Suns NEED a star potential big man who can give the perimeter scorers extra room by attracting defenses inside.

D'Angelo Russel can do most of the stuff Doncic can minus the elite IQ... But IQ can be improved with the correct coach and mentor on the team.

[thamadkant]

Ayton will be better than Towns. Yes. Better. And for a while, cheaper. Don't do it.

I'll take the under on that wager. If Ayton can ever put together a 20/10/2 season with the second best True Shooting % in the league all while stroking anywhere near 42.1 % from three on close to 4 attempts from deep a game with a 4.21 RPM I'll eat my socks. He could be even worse on the other end than KAT so its no foregone conclusion.

The issue is Wolves will ask for more than Pick 1 and May gut the Suns asset trunk