Draft Thread: Who do you want with the 13th pick? Stanley Johnson and WCS added..change votes if you want

[drewsprocket]

I'm cool with gambling on this pick in taking Kaminsky or Porzingis. I don't have a strong opinion this year as to who's coming out and we have enough youth to burn. Essentially what I really don't want is to miss out on a Kawhi Leonard.
I'm encouraged by our organization's desire to see players grow given how youthful our team is and how both Len, the Morrii, Warren, and Goodwin have all seen some run this past year. I just hope we can find some even temperedness and mentorship to go along with the youth brigade.

[DirtyDez]

Pistons are another ideal team to trade with.

Morris + Morris + Tucker
for
Pick 8 + Caldwell Pope


Pistons need a scoring PF when Monroe leaves (as rumored).
They also lack a defensive SF and depth at that position.
SVG is not the type to wait it out and "hope" for a stud rookie, when Jennings come back, they have Jackson, Jennings, Drummond... add Morris twins and Tucker and you have a Playoff Eastern Team.

Suns get back Caldwell-Pope who can play SG/SF.

Pick 8, Suns use to draft Myles Turner
Pick 13, Suns use to draft Cauley-Stein

Sign Danny Green to a 10 million a year contract (4 years, worth it IMO)

C: Len / Cauley Stein / *Alec Brown
PF: Wright / Turner / *Alec Brown
SF: Warren / Caldwell-Pope
SG: Knight / **Green
PG: Bledsoe / Goodwin

They go traditional size up front.... and let Knight, Caldwell-Pope, Green to bomb 3s and spread the floor.

Love it but take Booker at #13 and re-sign Wright.

[SunsFanSSOL]

NO NO NO to Kaminsky, Kaminsky is such a Lance Blanks pick. I'd rather trade our pick for cash then have Kaminsky on the roster. I don't have much faith in our scouts, they're terrible and leftovers from the Blanks regime, namely John Treloar who was responsible for drafting Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall. And don't say "no one knew Kawhi would be this good" because I did and I can remember that many others felt the same. I thought he was going to be the second coming of Shawn Marion or Gerald Wallace and I expected him to go in the top 5, when he dropped to us and we passed I was appalled.

Luckily, Treloar was hired away by LSU, but he will remain with the Suns until the conclusion of the 2015 draft. I sincerely hope he doesn't mess this up. I can't believe McD hasn't fired this guy yet. He freaking drafted Markieff over Leonard, planned to trade a future first for Marcus on draft night, and drafted Kendall Marshall.

[saintEscaton]

Yeah I really question our FO's talent evaluation capabilities. Mining for gold in the late lotto is out of the question, we don't have the track record with international scouting or the developmental system like the Spurs, etc (Dragic was the one outlier). We'll need a top 5 pick in a strong no-brainer draft class to not screw it up and acquire a franchise player

[bwgood77]

The draft is a crapshoot. I like McD's picks so far, and I'm not even nearly as high of a Goodwin fan as most. But I love the Len and Warren picks. I don't think he is going to defer to scouts because he is basically a scout himself. He will take who he wants. I think he will likely take a 1 or 2 year PF/C or possibly a sharpshooter, but he has to see the need for a young PF backup, especially if he is entertaining trading either Morris or both...but even if we keep them both, we need another PF.

There are a handful of good PFs in our range, so we are actually in a pretty good spot for what we really need....but I am guessing one or maybe two of the 5 or 6 will be solid NBA players, so hopefully he picks the right one. He could take a shooter, but I don't know that one is worth it in that range. I can't see taking Booker or Hunter over one of those bigs.

[Mr-Al]

Why do people want this string bean so much?

Probably because he is Dirk like. Kaminsky is a string bean too.

Dirk has a much better body. Wider shoulders. Porzingis has Kevin Durant shoulders. To me, he does not have the same agility as Kaminsky. He (Porzingis) jumps higher and is probably faster up the court.

Porzingis is still a dead-eye shooter, a legit 7-footer, and athletic as hell.

I still want him. Regardless of his shoulders

You don't have to have to have genetically large shoulders to build shoulder muscle/mass either. It's hard, but it's more than possible

[Mr-Al]

Pistons are another ideal team to trade with.

Morris + Morris + Tucker
for
Pick 8 + Caldwell Pope


Pistons need a scoring PF when Monroe leaves (as rumored).
They also lack a defensive SF and depth at that position.
SVG is not the type to wait it out and "hope" for a stud rookie, when Jennings come back, they have Jackson, Jennings, Drummond... add Morris twins and Tucker and you have a Playoff Eastern Team.

Suns get back Caldwell-Pope who can play SG/SF.

Pick 8, Suns use to draft Myles Turner
Pick 13, Suns use to draft Cauley-Stein

Sign Danny Green to a 10 million a year contract (4 years, worth it IMO)

C: Len / Cauley Stein / *Alec Brown
PF: Wright / Turner / *Alec Brown
SF: Warren / Caldwell-Pope
SG: Knight / **Green
PG: Bledsoe / Goodwin

They go traditional size up front.... and let Knight, Caldwell-Pope, Green to bomb 3s and spread the floor.

I'm pretty sure that Stein at 8 and Turner at 13 is much more realistic. And I doubt that Stein even falls to 8.

the 8th pick is also a little low, imo the top talent in this draft is between 1-8 and at 8th, you get the worst of that crop probably (it's close to fair value for 8th too, Pope not included)

and I'm not sure why we waste a pick and draft Stein at all since Len is our long term starter at that position

I think we're better off trading Bled + whatever to get into the Top 5 or 6

and that's very much possible considering that Jrue **** Holiday was worth 6th and a future 1st

I see Knight as much more of a manufactured Bledsoe replacement at PG than I do as a viable SG in a Bled/Knight backcourt

I'm not against trading Tucker/Morri to move up a couple picks at all though

It's just that most of the really high ceiling guys will be gone by 8th if that's all we do

[Mr-Al]

The Morrii and #13 for Landry and #6 would be a good trade for both sides. Markieff can compliment Cousins and we would get Porzingis to pair him with Len.
Landry is a good backup PF when healthy, he would be useful.

I highly doubt Morri/13 get you 6/Landry

Didn't Sactown try trading IT + 8th for Bledsoe last June?

My dream is that Sactown falls to #3 and Vivek has a moment of insanity and decides to trade it for Bledsoe because he's crazy

Bledsoe/#13/2016 Cav's pick for Landry/#3

Of course the same can happen with their 6th pick but that's not as much fun

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

The draft is a crapshoot. I like McD's picks so far, and I'm not even nearly as high of a Goodwin fan as most. But I love the Len and Warren picks. I don't think he is going to defer to scouts because he is basically a scout himself. He will take who he wants. I think he will likely take a 1 or 2 year PF/C or possibly a sharpshooter, but he has to see the need for a young PF backup, especially if he is entertaining trading either Morris or both...but even if we keep them both, we need another PF.

There are a handful of good PFs in our range, so we are actually in a pretty good spot for what we really need....but I am guessing one or maybe two of the 5 or 6 will be solid NBA players, so hopefully he picks the right one. He could take a shooter, but I don't know that one is worth it in that range. I can't see taking Booker or Hunter over one of those bigs.

See, I have a hard time seeing us take a big because, though there are a lot of PFs coming out, I don't think any of the bigs in our range project to be starters in this league. What's the point of having another guy on the roster who isn't quite starter material?

We've always been about BPA, and I don't see that changing. We'll address positional need through free agency and trade.

The more I look at this draft, the less likely I think it is that Booker falls to us. Stauskas went #8 last year, and Booker compares favorably in some respects (younger, bigger). I think he'd be a great pick for the Hornets, Heat or Pacers, all of whom could use a deadeye.

I think Cam Payne has a better shot at being a starter than Portis. Lyles and Kaminsky both have a shot at being NBA starters. So if Lyles or Kaminsky fall to us, maybe we'll go big. But we won't draft for need, so if we're picking between Booker and Turner, there's no question, in my mind, who we'll take.

Oubre looks like a real possibility to slip to us. The 3 is also not a positional need, but we'd take him over the mediocre slate of 4's if he's there. We'd snatch Lyles up, too, I'd bet. Lyles = Kieff + rebounds.

Edit: Turner's an interesting prospect, though definitely a center. He needs to bulk up. But if he's available where we pick, I bet we take him. Really, it's whomever drops - Oubre, Booker, Lyles, Turner, Kaminsky. Who will be there?

[bwgood77]

The draft is a crapshoot. I like McD's picks so far, and I'm not even nearly as high of a Goodwin fan as most. But I love the Len and Warren picks. I don't think he is going to defer to scouts because he is basically a scout himself. He will take who he wants. I think he will likely take a 1 or 2 year PF/C or possibly a sharpshooter, but he has to see the need for a young PF backup, especially if he is entertaining trading either Morris or both...but even if we keep them both, we need another PF.

There are a handful of good PFs in our range, so we are actually in a pretty good spot for what we really need....but I am guessing one or maybe two of the 5 or 6 will be solid NBA players, so hopefully he picks the right one. He could take a shooter, but I don't know that one is worth it in that range. I can't see taking Booker or Hunter over one of those bigs.

See, I have a hard time seeing us take a big because, though there are a lot of PFs coming out, I don't think any of the bigs in our range project to be starters in this league. What's the point of having another guy on the roster who isn't quite starter material?

We've always been about BPA, and I don't see that changing. We'll address positional need through free agency and trade.

The more I look at this draft, the less likely I think it is that Booker falls to us. Stauskas went #8 last year, and Booker compares favorably in some respects (younger, bigger). I think he'd be a great pick for the Hornets, Heat or Pacers, all of whom could use a deadeye.

I think Cam Payne has a better shot at being a starter than Portis. Lyles and Kaminsky both have a shot at being NBA starters. So if Lyles or Kaminsky fall to us, maybe we'll go big. But we won't draft for need, so if we're picking between Booker and Turner, there's no question, in my mind, who we'll take.

Oubre looks like a real possibility to slip to us. The 3 is also not a positional need, but we'd take him over the mediocre slate of 4's if he's there. We'd snatch Lyles up, too, I'd bet. Lyles = Kieff + rebounds.

Edit: Turner's an interesting prospect, though definitely a center. He needs to bulk up. But if he's available where we pick, I bet we take him. Really, it's whomever drops - Oubre, Booker, Lyles, Turner, Kaminsky. Who will be there?

No one knows for sure who will end up being a starter. I think Turner can play PF, as he has range. It would be great to have a PF that big. Plus, if you look at the discussion of him on the draft board they say he isn't great inside, and floats around the perimeter quite a bit. (He is good inside, but I'm thinking of a thread comparing him to Towns...a thread which I started there).

I like Lyles and Kaminsky. Portis may be more of a career backup, but I think he is less boom or bust and may have the highest floor of all those guys.

I love shooters, so I wouldn't totally mind a SG, but unless we can sign a good PF in free agency or trade, we will then be stuck with the twins. I like Kieff though, so I don't totally mind keeping him. I don't know if the majority of people here feel that way though (at least the majority of people who are currently posting).

[TheBledShow]

Hopefully the pick is traded in a bundle for a superstar... If not go after bigs who can shoot! With our backcourt having raw handling skills and being as turnover prone as they are we need spacing.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

The problem with Turner is mobility. He has big feet and "awkward strides" - they're just saying he moves like a center. He's a stretch 5 all the way.

We're not trading for a superstar, because no superstar is available. It's pretty much that simple.

Interesting thing, if you look at the draft board: a lot of the teams in front of us are probably not interested in projects. If I'm Charlotte, I'm taking Booker. If I'm Miami, Indy or Utah, I'm looking at Kaminsky. Which of these teams wants a guy like Oubre or Turner?

[JMac1]

NO NO NO to Kaminsky, Kaminsky is such a Lance Blanks pick. I'd rather trade our pick for cash then have Kaminsky on the roster. I don't have much faith in our scouts, they're terrible and leftovers from the Blanks regime, namely John Treloar who was responsible for drafting Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall. And don't say "no one knew Kawhi would be this good" because I did and I can remember that many others felt the same. I thought he was going to be the second coming of Shawn Marion or Gerald Wallace and I expected him to go in the top 5, when he dropped to us and we passed I was appalled.

Luckily, Treloar was hired away by LSU, but he will remain with the Suns until the conclusion of the 2015 draft. I sincerely hope he doesn't mess this up. I can't believe McD hasn't fired this guy yet. He freaking drafted Markieff over Leonard, planned to trade a future first for Marcus on draft night, and drafted Kendall Marshall.

That is soo weak. If you don't like Kaminsky please address his basket skills and not associate him to Lance Blanks to descredit him as a basketball player.

[bwgood77]

The problem with Turner is mobility. He has big feet and "awkward strides" - they're just saying he moves like a center. He's a stretch 5 all the way.

We're not trading for a superstar, because no superstar is available. It's pretty much that simple.

Interesting thing, if you look at the draft board: a lot of the teams in front of us are probably not interested in projects. If I'm Charlotte, I'm taking Booker. If I'm Miami, Indy or Utah, I'm looking at Kaminsky. Which of these teams wants a guy like Oubre or Turner?

I agree about the superstar and people not wanting projects. But what makes you think Booker is ready to step in and contribute as an 18 year old? That's extremely rare, and just because you can shoot well in college, it doesn't always mean it necessarily will translate to the pros, especially immediately.

[tdjm]

I hate to make sweeping generalizations about players before they've played NBA basketball...

...but there is fundamentally no way Turner can play the NBA 4. Casual fans think rim protection == defense and want their centers and power forwards to be rim protectors, but PF defensive responsibilities in the modern NBA include things like hard hedging and recovering away from the basket. If your 4 is a slow footed rim protector alongside another rim protector you have to run some super duper conservative schemes that drop back on the pick and roll - not a fan. Turner is in no way, shape, or form athletic enough to defend anything other than the basket. Rim protection is nice, but you need to defend more than just the rim on defense if you're not playing as the premier rim protecting center. Turner is a center, through and through.

If you could find a center who was like...Miles Plumlee with a brain to understand defensive rotations who could cover multiple areas on the floor, then you could get away with it, but that is damn near impossible (maybe WCS, or Noel perhaps). Any team playing him at the 4 is asking for trouble unless they have a really unique center who can assume standard PF responsibilities

[bwgood77]

Here is another shooter we could look at, possibly in the second round. DX has him at 48.

Tye (PDX)

I am confused why Tyler Harvey is still so low given his shooting skills. People seem to have similar concerns that they had with Curry (PG skills, Undersized, defensive abilities); look what happened. Harvey also has less talent on his college team than Curry had.

Chad Ford (1:12 PM)

Wait for workouts. I was speaking to several GMs about this in prep for Big Board 9.0. I'm not sure why he's so low either. Many GMs never saw him live. And often their scouts saw him once, twice at the most. If he didn't have a big game, they wrote him off. That will change when workouts come I think. Not only can he shoot, he knows how to get his own shot. I'm not sure why, exactly Devin Booker is a better prospect for example.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/ ... -chad-ford

From DX

Tyler Harvey is one of the best shooter-scorers you'll find, an absolutely lights out marksman who is liable to pull-up off the dribble from half-court if given even the slightest glimmer of daylight. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, and he isn't blessed with great size, but he is a better athlete and a more versatile shot-creator than most of the shoot-first gunners we see coming out of the low-major ranks. With a strong Tournament showing, he could very well put himself on the NBA Draft radar in a serious way, if he wasn't there already.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/#ixzz3ZIWzk4Zu

Harvey, a redshirt junior from Torrance, California, averaged 23.1 points a game and led the nation in made 3-point shots while leading the Eagles to a 26-9 record, the Big Sky Conference co-regular-season title and the school’s first NCAA appearance in 11 years.

Considered one of the best long-range shooters in the college ranks, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Harvey is projected to be drafted in the second round of the NBA draft, which is scheduled for June 25 in New York.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/a ... -turn-pro/

Then, about Hunter...

Aaron (Houston, TX)

Does RJ Hunter have a chance to be the next Klay Thompson? If he works out well, do you anticipate him rising?

Chad Ford (1:28 PM)

That's the comp most scouts made this summer after watching him play in summer camps. He really struggled with his 3 point shot this year which hurt his stock, but given that he often had 2 defenders draped on him with every possession, they think his shooting will revert back to form in the NBA. If he shoots the lights out in workouts, he'll go higher than where we have him now which is 21 ...

[Damkac]

I think we're better off trading Bled + whatever to get into the Top 5 or 6

and that's very much possible considering that Jrue **** Holiday was worth 6th and a future 1st

Or even better: trading Bledsoe for 6th and Morri+ for top 8th or 9th

Interesting thing, if you look at the draft board: a lot of the teams in front of us are probably not interested in projects. If I'm Charlotte, I'm taking Booker. If I'm Miami, Indy or Utah, I'm looking at Kaminsky. Which of these teams wants a guy like Oubre or Turner?

If they wants NBA ready players instead of projects mayby they will like Morri

[drewsprocket]

NO NO NO to Kaminsky, Kaminsky is such a Lance Blanks pick. I'd rather trade our pick for cash then have Kaminsky on the roster. I don't have much faith in our scouts, they're terrible and leftovers from the Blanks regime, namely John Treloar who was responsible for drafting Markieff Morris and Kendall Marshall. And don't say "no one knew Kawhi would be this good" because I did and I can remember that many others felt the same. I thought he was going to be the second coming of Shawn Marion or Gerald Wallace and I expected him to go in the top 5, when he dropped to us and we passed I was appalled.

Luckily, Treloar was hired away by LSU, but he will remain with the Suns until the conclusion of the 2015 draft. I sincerely hope he doesn't mess this up. I can't believe McD hasn't fired this guy yet. He freaking drafted Markieff over Leonard, planned to trade a future first for Marcus on draft night, and drafted Kendall Marshall.

Agreed on Kieff. Who ya got for this draft's must draft if he drops down?

[bwgood77]

I think we're better off trading Bled + whatever to get into the Top 5 or 6

and that's very much possible considering that Jrue **** Holiday was worth 6th and a future 1st

Or even better: trading Bledsoe for 6th and Morri+ for top 8th or 9th

Interesting thing, if you look at the draft board: a lot of the teams in front of us are probably not interested in projects. If I'm Charlotte, I'm taking Booker. If I'm Miami, Indy or Utah, I'm looking at Kaminsky. Which of these teams wants a guy like Oubre or Turner?

If they wants NBA ready players instead of projects mayby they will like Morri

C'mon guys, we don't need to trade up into the top 6. I am fully confident the lottery Gods will finally reward us with a top 3 pick.

[jcsunsfan]

Here is another shooter we could look at, possibly in the second round. DX has him at 48.

Tye (PDX)

I am confused why Tyler Harvey is still so low given his shooting skills. People seem to have similar concerns that they had with Curry (PG skills, Undersized, defensive abilities); look what happened. Harvey also has less talent on his college team than Curry had.

I will bite. Smallish in size, slow footed, small school, quirky shooting form. Reminds me of Casey Jacobsen--the type of player that can excel in college, especially as the best player on a small school roster, but will disappear in the pros.

Second round is a good place to take a flyer on him.