sunsbum wrote:NavLDO wrote:cosmofizzo wrote:I have my final answer. At #4, I want Sabonis. Preferably, I'd trade down to get him, but not so low that he slips past us. Perfect trade partner is Denver.
I don't trust Chriss's lack of motor, defense, BBIQ and rebounding. He's an athlete and he shoots threes. When I think about the player who would fit perfectly with Booker and Warren, I don't think Chriss - and I think Sabonis will be the better NBA PF.
I don't trust Bender's awkwardness. Yes, he's fluid, but he's also stuck to the floor. Hands don't look great, he may never be abe to mix it up inside. And if that's the case, what position does he play? People talk about his ability to switch, but what about his lack of ability to stick his own man as a PF? The awkwardness could lead to injury - I simply don't think his ceiling is so high that it's worth taking the risk.
Sabonis has the motor, the smarts, the rebounding, he's quite big (though he is a bit of a T Rex), but I think his skills and his passing and energy are the things we need going forward. No worries about him making it on the next level, no worries about injury - I think he's the guy. If necessary, yes, I'd take him at 4. But I hope all the Chriss/Bender stuff is our playing the game, trying to get the most out of a trade with Denver. Even if it's just 4 + 28 for 7 and 19.
Sabonis. Final answer.
I +1'd you for the trade. IF we 'reach' for Sabonis, who I like, I could live with the lack of value at 7. But not at 4. I also think Chriss and Bender will both be fine. Posters seem to keep forgetting that he hasn't played basketball very long, so yeah, his instincts are crap. But I don't believe it's a lack of motor; to me, he looks more like guy who doesn't quite know what he should be doing when/where he's on the court, not someone who is 'lazy'. He's aggressive, and outstand, when he's comfortable; he looks like a 'poor motor' guy when he's unsure of himself. He just looks like a guy with a lot of talent, who needs a lot of coaching. And from his interviews I've seen, he appears to be open to that.
But if he's 'too raw', and we take Sabonis, I just hope it's later than 4. Ultimately, I think his lack of 'upside' will result in him being available at 13.
But similar to what JMac said about Hield (though different timeframe), I'll say about Chriss/Bender--I think in two years, we'll be crying like saint does about Gobert for not taking one of those two, if available, at 4.
You act like Chriss never picked up a basketball before 13. I mean really, in 5th and 6th grade they teach you like 5 plays and basic fundamentals. I highly doubt missing a few years of gradeschool ball really set him back THAT far. How do we know he didnt attend a bunch of basketball camps over summer when he was younger like most kids do?
I think its a bad argument personally.
Understood, but it's been reported many times that he's fairly new to the game, where a lot of these guys have been 'bred' since age 5 or 6 to learn the game, so to me, he is at a disadvantage to a lot of other prospects, and I do not believe that is a meaningless point. But if you do, then that's fair. I can't change your thought process on that, and won't even try. As hey say, we'll just have to agree to disagree.
Chriss likely has the lowest floor of any lotto prospect, but he does not have the 'highest ceiling' either, so I can see the trepidation in spending the 4th overall on him. I do personally think his Offensive Rebounding should not be as discounted as much as it is; he had one of the higher rates per 40 amongst the PF prospects; I believe if he can keep that aspect, while applying some much needed coaching on DReb, he may surprise a few folks. And the fact that we need spacing from our PF, well, Chriss can provide that more than someone like Sabonis or Davis will, IMO.
