Draft Discussion Part 3

[ray ray]

I'm starting to favor Monk if the big three (Fullertz, Ball and Jackson) aren't there.. his explosiveness is amazing and he would thrive with Booker. He can even be a 6th man coming off the bench the first year

[JMac1]

I'm starting to favor Monk if the big three (Fullertz, Ball and Jackson) aren't there.. his explosiveness is amazing and he would thrive with Booker. He can even be a 6th man coming off the bench the first year

Feel me!

[JMac1]

Side note....all of this defense talk is garbage. Defense in the NBA is reputation....see Klay and Curry. Once you are allowed to grab, hold, push, and flop.....then your defense improves. If Monk can't be a better defender than Curry, then we have serious problems.

Lol

Tell that to Kawhi, Green and even Durant... all 3 very good to elite defenders in the NBA... clear game changers in the playoffs and in the finals.

You can lol all you want, if you don't think reputation plays into what you can and cannot do and who can and cannot do it......I lol!!!

[jredsaz]

I'm starting to favor Monk if the big three (Fullertz, Ball and Jackson) aren't there.. his explosiveness is amazing and he would thrive with Booker. He can even be a 6th man coming off the bench the first year

Feel me!

Man. Monk reminds me of a young Brandon Knight. And it scares the hell out of me.

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[DirtyDez]

Not sold on Fox...

He will struggle to get that 3pt shot in the NBA, maybe as a spot up 3pter with time... ala Bledsoe level 3pter... and teams will give him that shot more than open lanes.


Monk could be a stud player in the mold of Gordon or even McCollum, 17ppg as a rookie and maybe 20ppg as early as next season given he gets minutes.

Jackson, Isaac and Smith intrigues me the most...

Fox's very mediocre vision scares me more than his jumper. He's not a good passer at all vs good defenses.

We complain about Bledsoe not being a "pure PG" yet draft his 170 lb equivalent with an even more questionable jumper? Gonna pass on that one.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I don't question his shooting or athleticism but man i wish monk would have contributed in more ways at Kentucky.

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[LV-Suns]

If Watson wants Booker to play the Harden role more, Monk could be his perfect PG compliment.

[MrMiyagi]

If Watson wants Booker to play the Harden role more, Monk could be his perfect PG compliment.

pls no

[SarcasticSun]

1. DSJ
2. Fox
I've warmed on Fox, his shot seems like it could actually be fixed if he works at it. I've cooled on Isaac, his small hands have me worried and apparently he bobbles the ball a lot. It's unfortunate that the best prospects in this draft seem to be the guards.

[thamadkant]

Side note....all of this defense talk is garbage. Defense in the NBA is reputation....see Klay and Curry. Once you are allowed to grab, hold, push, and flop.....then your defense improves. If Monk can't be a better defender than Curry, then we have serious problems.

Lol

Tell that to Kawhi, Green and even Durant... all 3 very good to elite defenders in the NBA... clear game changers in the playoffs and in the finals.

You can lol all you want, if you don't think reputation plays into what you can and cannot do and who can and cannot do it......I lol!!!

I will lol ALL I Want... because I can and you sound ridiculous.

Of course refs make calls based on reputation. Many players won't get the same calls like Harden does when he attempts a drive in traffic. But to shrug defense as if its just reputation is BULL CRAP. Go watch another team with good defenders and watch the Suns, the defensive intensity, strategy and IQ not to mention skills arent there.

[SarcasticSun]

I do not see Smith nor Fultz as Westrbrook type triple double guys. Smith is much more similar to Bledsoe/Francis, and Fultz is a good athlete, but he's not a freak. The chances of seeing another Westbrook athlete that can harness it and use it to its full advantage is very very slim.

I agree. I think he is much more likely to be like Francis. I didn't mention Fultz initially because he isn't a freak...but since I was mentioning triple doubles, I added him in just to acknowledge that I could see him getting some...but I don't think he's like Westbrook at all.

But I think Smith is the guy in this draft that could be closest to that type of guy that is explosive and can get triple doubles. I said "could" but I don't think he is quite the athlete Westbrook was, but I don't know all the details of how good/athletic each were at the same specific age either.

Most of the game is between the ears. Greatness requires consistency, tenacity, dedication. I don't like what I hear or see from DSJ. I don't consider him an option.

People said the same thing to knock on Chriss as a prospect last year. The reality is, we really don't know what goes on in any of these guys minds. People can say cliches like that but there is no way to truly measure the ability of something like dedication. For example look at Kevin Durant's weaknesses at the time he was draft: http://www.nbadraft.net/players/kevin-durant. They question his effort, intensity, and dedication. Now look at Beasley's scouting report http://www.nbadraft.net/players/michael-beasley. Notice the notes at the end of the weaknesses stating that Beasley has matured on and off the court and that all of the attitude issues that followed him in high school seem to have dissipated in his year of college. In reality, some of these players just do not care about their one and done season (ie Ben Simmons), yet that has no reflection on their ability to compete in the NBA.

So DSJ is playing with sub-par talent surrounding him, his coach gets fired, the season is lost, and not to mention he's only one year removed from an ACL tear. It's very possible he mailed it in and figured he would start over fresh in a year anyways. Immature? Yeah, but nothing he can't bounce back from. I think it's pretty clear he at least has some semblance of a work ethic too. He tore his ACL his senior year of high school and came back the next year just as explosive, you don't do that without some serious rehab work and freak athleticism.

[thamadkant]

If Watson wants Booker to play the Harden role more, Monk could be his perfect PG compliment.

Harden is a way better play maker than Booker. Booker may improve, but Harden has been a good passer since his rookie year.
Dribbling ability wise, Harden also better than Booker.

Booker playing PG will be like when Kobe dominated the play making for Lakers....

[Saberestar]

If Watson wants Booker to play the Harden role more, Monk could be his perfect PG compliment.

Harden is a way better play maker than Booker. Booker may improve, but Harden has been a good passer since his rookie year.
Dribbling ability wise, Harden also better than Booker.

Booker playing PG will be like when Kobe dominated the play making for Lakers....

In his latest interview, posted yesterday, Jared Dudley said that he thinks that the next step for Booker is to pass the ball more and be a willing passer.

He said that Booker probably never will be a great defender, but he can be a great passer because he sees the floor really well. He can average 7 assists per game in words from Dudley, so it is not crazy to compare him to Harden if he improves a little bit his handle/strength.

[No-Man]

Not sold on Fox...

He will struggle to get that 3pt shot in the NBA, maybe as a spot up 3pter with time... ala Bledsoe level 3pter... and teams will give him that shot more than open lanes.


Monk could be a stud player in the mold of Gordon or even McCollum, 17ppg as a rookie and maybe 20ppg as early as next season given he gets minutes.

Jackson, Isaac and Smith intrigues me the most...

Fox's very mediocre vision scares me more than his jumper. He's not a good passer at all vs good defenses.

We complain about Bledsoe not being a "pure PG" yet draft his 170 lb equivalent with an even more questionable jumper? Gonna pass on that one.

Unless he is playing in open space he is trash at creating anything, part of it is defenses playing off him and shutting down passing lines, part of it is his limited vision, he got a ton of assists out of just moving the ball towards his shooters, Monk and Willis mainly.

I'd not feel good with him as my main ball-handler and if he doesnt have the ball in his hands he is useless so.... yeah

As a back-up PG to groom, like Bledsoe was drafted for by LA, sure, draft him somewhere in the teens outside of the lotto, as a top3-5? heck even top10 pick? no way.

[Qwigglez]

I have tried hard to like Fox, but I just don't see anything very special besides his uber athleticism. I'd actually prefer Ball over Fox, and I'm not a huge fan of Ball either.

[Saberestar]

Not sold on Fox...

He will struggle to get that 3pt shot in the NBA, maybe as a spot up 3pter with time... ala Bledsoe level 3pter... and teams will give him that shot more than open lanes.


Monk could be a stud player in the mold of Gordon or even McCollum, 17ppg as a rookie and maybe 20ppg as early as next season given he gets minutes.

Jackson, Isaac and Smith intrigues me the most...

Fox's very mediocre vision scares me more than his jumper. He's not a good passer at all vs good defenses.

We complain about Bledsoe not being a "pure PG" yet draft his 170 lb equivalent with an even more questionable jumper? Gonna pass on that one.

Unless he is playing in open space he is trash at creating anything, part of it is defenses playing off him and shutting down passing lines, part of it is his limited vision, he got a ton of assists out of just moving the ball towards his shooters, Monk and Willis mainly.

I'd not feel good with him as my main ball-handler and if he doesnt have the ball in his hands he is useless so.... yeah

As a back-up PG to groom, like Bledsoe was drafted for by LA, sure, draft him somewhere in the teens outside of the lotto, as a top3-5? heck even top10 pick? no way.

I think he is just so good creating his own shot getting to the rim that he will create opportunities for his teammates when defense collapse trying to stop him.He has a good floater and he knows how to finish in traffic... only with these two skills he is gonna create constant problems defending him. He is a good passer, not as good as Ball or Fultz, bad good enough.

He is a good defender and good mid range shooter, and his three point shoot is not that bad...defense can not give him too much space.

I think he is perfect at #5 for the Kings. If any team can get him around #10 he would be a great steal in the draft. No way he is available that late in the draft.

[thamadkant]

If Watson wants Booker to play the Harden role more, Monk could be his perfect PG compliment.

Harden is a way better play maker than Booker. Booker may improve, but Harden has been a good passer since his rookie year.
Dribbling ability wise, Harden also better than Booker.

Booker playing PG will be like when Kobe dominated the play making for Lakers....

In his latest interview, posted yesterday, Jared Dudley said that he thinks that the next step for Booker is to pass the ball more and be a willing passer.

He said that Booker probably never will be a great defender, but he can be a great passer because he sees the floor really well. He can average 7 assists per game in words from Dudley, so it is not crazy to compare him to Harden if he improves a little bit his
handle/strength.

Harden is probably my 2nd favorite player behind Kawhi so I watch tons of Rocket games and his dribble is very low and his body posture is low too, very good in changing direction and keeping the ball away from PGs with quicker hands. Booker dribbles high... is more of a straight line dribble most of the time..... BUT, still a decent ball handler for sure.

Passing wise, Harden gets about 3-4 assists simply because the Rockets shoot so many 3s and he drives and kicks out... but his other passes and assists comes from lobs and adjacent passes to open men. Booker is decent to good in regards to moving the ball around, he also tend to drive and dish to the elbow or the corners after drawing his man in, sign of good IQ.... but in regards to making PG-like passes, he is adept but not reliable most nights as he turns it over due to a combination of things one being his passes are slow and predictable. But still... he is a good passer. Harden is similar to Ginobili, that both are crafty ball handlers and uses angles to out dribble smaller quicker players and get their passes through hesitations and again... craftiness...


I want Booker to become similar to Ginobili, but he needs to cut out the bad shots and he needs to become craftier... he is 20-21, Im not sure if he can get craftier but I accept him being a Kobe level passer... which is adept level.

[No-Man]

defenses can give Fox all the space in the world, UK had to set picks for him like in the paint almost for defenses to respect him.
as for him been a good defender, 1st PG defense is what it is, and second he is not, he plays hard which aint the same, he has no strength in his lower body, dies in every pick and press way too much gets beaten a ton.

Fox gets to the paint to be sure, but that's his only skill and honeslty his finishing numbers with his physique and the way teams are gonna defend him, go under i nevery pick, aren't gonna be sustainable.
I just can't see it.

[thamadkant]

I have tried hard to like Fox, but I just don't see anything very special besides his uber athleticism. I'd actually prefer Ball over Fox, and I'm not a huge fan of Ball either.

I think Fox can become Parker-like if he was coached by some hard-ass coach who can discipline him and turn him to a low-risk high execution-type player... Watson aint it lol.

I see Barbosa crossed with Knight when I see Fox.... except Fox is worse shooter than both from the arc. His hair cut also annoys me... we have enough annoying hair cuts on the team with Chriss, Booker and DJJ, someone get these guys a razor and just get a clean buzz cut already.... maybe as they mature.


Monk, can be an super athletic version of Lou Williams... or a more athletic Ben Gordon/Eric Gordon... or even a more athletic McCollum... which means he's Ray Allen V2.0. And whats with his wingspan? 6'3.5.. down from 6'6 from previous years... did he chop off his finger or he started gaining muscle on his trapezoids which can bring his shoulder height higher but in turn reduce his wingspan.
Either way he is intriguing... just need him to be a plus defender and I'll be sold.

[Ghost of Kleine]

As for us, I think we either:

Take a SF and call it a day, or

Take a PG and flip Bled and Warren for Butler.

I see the suns having some sort of draft day trade for Bledsoe in the works. Take it for what you will in that McD has sais Bledsoe is more or less their guy, But "actions speak louder than words" and given that both he(McD) and pat Connelly were seen at Foxs' shooting workout, I would more than somewhat believe that they have him as a primary target of interest on draft day.

It just makes too much sense for the many reasons that we have discussed for awhile now. Moving Bledsoe as we aren't realistically competing before his contract up anyhow, Fox is garnering increasing interest as a potential franchise point guard with many N.B.A. gms, Alleviating any potential contract dispute(Rich Paul) before it happens. And replacing the injury risk of Bledsoe with the high upside potential of a younger, high potential franchise point guard. And although for my part, I don't see a trade for a player of butlers' caliber using Bledsoe currently in the works, I do see Bledsoe on the move on draft night!