2019 Post draft, free agency, and trade speculation: ValleyBoyz are back!

[bwgood77]

The Athletic has an article on best young players in the NBA...Booker was listed in top 5.

Their top five is: Doncic, Zion Williamson, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker. Trae Young is seventh, Jaren Jackson Jr. is tied for eighth and Deandre Ayton fell to 12th. Donovan Mitchell just missed the deadline, as he turns 23 before the season begins.

I prefer Doncic, but the player you could really make a case for is Devin Booker. But, Tim, he does nothing but score! His numbers are inflated because his team is so bad! He couldn’t stop a broken-down microwave from scoring! He also scored nearly 27 points per game on 58 percent True Shooting and dished nearly seven assists. Holy hell, that’s an incredible season.

It seems like too many people have Booker intransigence, sticking to the belief that the Suns would be better if he was really this good. They’re saying that about a franchise with an owner that put goats in the general manager’s office, where they proceeded to poop everywhere. (Read that whole ESPN feature with more amazing anecdotes here.) Booker could average 70 points, and Phoenix would still limp to 33 wins. He eventually must prove he can fit into winning basketball, but this trainwreck ain’t on him.

https://theathletic.com/1113785/2019/08/07/the-catologue-is-luka-doncic-the-best-young-player-in-the-nba/

[WeekapaugGroove]

Blanks was a BAD GM so I can't believe I'm going to say this but I think theres a legit argument to be made that he did a little better job than McD considering the circumstances they both had. Blanks did acquire 2 first round picks for Nash in what looking back was a hell of a trade. He acquired a legit starting C in Gortat, found Tucker off the scrap heap, he never had a high lotto pick but did find a starting caliber guy in Markief, he also signed Goran (but traded him earlier so not sure how to quantify this) who is the only Suns player to make an All NBA team in the past decade.

McD had multiple high picks, more cap space, and more time and literally only left the team with Booker, Ayton, and Bridges two of which were draft picks the year he got fired. And Bridges was acquired using the assets of the Goran trade who McD inherited from Blanks (and the pick Bridges was selected with was a originally a pick McD inherited from Blanks and then gave away for Brandon **** Knight).

[Blonde]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

[bwgood77]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

The first one is tough. If his defense doesn't change much other than just getting a block, I would take the 3s, but if the blocks came with great interior defense and rim protection overall, I easily take that.

I easily take the free throws over the rebounds. Not worried about the rebounds as he will get those, but 2.7 attempted free throws a game doesn't cut it. He needs to be more aggressive in traffic so people are forced to foul him more..he's a solid FT shooter.

For Cam, again, this is tough...I was going to say 3s but I expect he will do well there or at least close to that anyway, so I'll take the defense. If otherwise he was shooting sub 35% from 3, I'd maybe take the 3s....hopefully he'd be passable on defense but we drafted him to be a shooter and maybe sometimes a playmaker.

Oubre lock down defender. It's far more important for a guy like him...but of course he has to be respectable shooting. Our defense will probably be what holds us back overall, if anything, so we need more of that all around.

I'd rather a rookie win rookie of the year. We know how good Booker is so an award to me is somewhat meaningless (though that likely would mean he improved quite a bit)....but if one of our rookies were to win rookie of the year, that would mean they VASTLY exceeded expectations, especially with guys like Zion and Ja out there......that would mean we have a premier player out of this draft that we were not expecting and super depth. I imagine if it was Cam he'd look like a Klay Thompson type player and if it was Ty it would mean he could potentially be a Nash type and the PG of the future.

38 games easily and I hope he'd rather win more than make it too.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

Thats a really good list:

1- Ayton blocks but like BW pointed out they have to be in the context of good D not some Hassan Whiteside chasing blocks like a cat chases a bird ****.

2 - FT attempts and it's not even close

3. Give me the defense with Cam, I have no worries about his shot even if it's under 40% this year. If he can D it up he's got a bright future.

4. Bridges - I guess the 2.5 steals but only because I have a hard time envisioning how an offense would look with him getting 5 assists, feel like that's way too much of him with the ball.

5. Oubre - I'll take the lock down defender which I think he does have in him if he can focus.

6. Booker ASG because it probably means the Suns are pretty good, bad teams rarely get anyone in

7. 38 games but as I said above those two things kind of go hand in hand

[cberry78]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

The first one is tough. If his defense doesn't change much other than just getting a block, I would take the 3s, but if the blocks came with great interior defense and rim protection overall, I easily take that.

I easily take the free throws over the rebounds. Not worried about the rebounds as he will get those, but 2.7 attempted free throws a game doesn't cut it. He needs to be more aggressive in traffic so people are forced to foul him more..he's a solid FT shooter.

For Cam, again, this is tough...I was going to say 3s but I expect he will do well there or at least close to that anyway, so I'll take the defense. If otherwise he was shooting sub 35% from 3, I'd maybe take the 3s....hopefully he'd be passable on defense but we drafted him to be a shooter and maybe sometimes a playmaker.

Oubre lock down defender. It's far more important for a guy like him...but of course he has to be respectable shooting. Our defense will probably be what holds us back overall, if anything, so we need more of that all around.

I'd rather a rookie win rookie of the year. We know how good Booker is so an award to me is somewhat meaningless (though that likely would mean he improved quite a bit)....but if one of our rookies were to win rookie of the year, that would mean they VASTLY exceeded expectations, especially with guys like Zion and Ja out there......that would mean we have a premier player out of this draft that we were not expecting and super depth. I imagine if it was Cam he'd look like a Klay Thompson type player and if it was Ty it would mean he could potentially be a Nash type and the PG of the future.

38 games easily and I hope he'd rather win more than make it too.

You missed Mikal, and I'm honestly curious as to your thoughts on which is more important for him.

[bwgood77]

I guess I didn't see the Bridges one. I'll take the assists.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

I guess I didn't see the Bridges one. I'll take the assists.

Ain't no way Mikal has the ball in his hands that much.

If Cam or Jerome is ROY I'll be over the moon.... Was watching some highlights from last season's LAL-MIL-GSW run. Couldn't help but notice Josh Jackson coming through with the three ball and how important that was to our offense. Imagine having a guy hitting 40% on greater volume from greater distance taking JJ's minutes all year. Or imagine Jerome coming in and stroking it like Shamet. How much more space would that open up for Book and Ayton?

If one of those two comes through, we'll also be a legit 11 deep when healthy. If both do, then 12.

I really overestimated us last season based on the assumptions that Anderson and Ariza would be serviceable, that JJ would continue to progress based where he left off at the end of his rookie year, that TJ and Booker would play, and that Melton would grow into a contributor. I don't see the potential for that degree of bad judgment looking at the quality of young vets our roster next season.

Cheers for hope.

[bwgood77]

I guess I didn't see the Bridges one. I'll take the assists.

Ain't no way Mikal has the ball in his hands that much.

If Cam or Jerome is ROY I'll be over the moon.... Was watching some highlights from last season's LAL-MIL-GSW run. Couldn't help but notice Josh Jackson coming through with the three ball and how important that was to our offense. Imagine having a guy hitting 40% on greater volume from greater distance taking JJ's minutes all year. Or imagine Jerome coming in and stroking it like Shamet. How much more space would that open up for Book and Ayton?

If one of those two comes through, we'll also be a legit 11 deep when healthy. If both do, then 12.

I really overestimated us last season based on the assumptions that Anderson and Ariza would be serviceable, that JJ would continue to progress based where he left off at the end of his rookie year, that TJ and Booker would play, and that Melton would grow into a contributor. I don't see the potential for that degree of bad judgment looking at the quality of young vets our roster next season.

Cheers for hope.

I don't think he will average that many assists, but if he did that would be phenomenal and mean that we have multiple great playmakers. He's already good. He doesn't have to dribble a lot to get assists. He usually can make good reads and passes to people in scoring position. As a rookie he was over 2 apg. I imagine he stays somewhere between 2 and 3 but 5 would be great. I know he'll get the steals and play great D.

[NTB]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

2 blocks
6 FTA
Defense
Steals
Shooting
All-NBA
38 wins

[NavLDO]

Wolves and Thunder are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2015: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2016: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2017: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2018: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.




Not attributing this to you or anyone in particular...just seems the same sentiment ever year about this time...but in all honesty, I do agree, if nothing else, because we have a real PG for the first time in 2 years...

[Jarlaxle0204]

Watching these old games on NBA tv is bittersweet. Great to see the good old days again but it really brings back those regrets. What could have been.

[lilfishi22]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%? I'd say the block numbers. Blocks aren't a great measurement for true defensive impact but I think at least there's that intimidation factor. The 3's would be helpful for his offense but I don't think it's vital for his offensive efficiency or impact to step up. He has the ability now to score more and score better but he hasn't shown the ability to be a true defensive impact so I'd go with the blocks

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds? Free throws without a doubt. Shows he's being more aggressive, he's lifting his efficiency even higher by scoring at the line and he's hurting defenses by putting them in foul trouble. Ayton had had an incredibly low free throw rate for a guy that plays that close to the basket and that's something I want him to improve on.

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level? Shooting above 40%. We drafted him to shoot and that's what I want from him this season

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals? 2.5 steals. This was a tough one but I don't think Bridges needs to average 5apg since we already have Booker and Rubio creating the majority of the plays. But I would certainly like to see Bridges continue to develop as an offensive player and defender.

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?) Defender. I think this team is lacking in true defensive players and on paper we already have far more shooting than defense. I think if he's shown consistent on the defensive end and become a lock down defender, it will go a long way towards outplaying his contract.

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year? Without a doubt All-NBA for Book

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way) 38 wins. I think if we show that kind of progression, Booker becoming an future all-star will be inevitable

[alamin330]

The Athletic has an article on best young players in the NBA...Booker was listed in top 5.

Their top five is: Doncic, Zion Williamson, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker. Trae Young is seventh, Jaren Jackson Jr. is tied for eighth and Deandre Ayton fell to 12th. Donovan Mitchell just missed the deadline, as he turns 23 before the season begins.

I prefer Doncic, but the player you could really make a case for is Devin Booker. But, Tim, he does nothing but score! His numbers are inflated because his team is so bad! He couldn’t stop a broken-down microwave from scoring! He also scored nearly 27 points per game on 58 percent True Shooting and dished nearly seven assists. Holy hell, that’s an incredible season.

It seems like too many people have Booker intransigence, sticking to the belief that the Suns would be better if he was really this good. They’re saying that about a franchise with an owner that put goats in the general manager’s office, where they proceeded to poop everywhere. (Read that whole ESPN feature with more amazing anecdotes here.) Booker could average 70 points, and Phoenix would still limp to 33 wins. He eventually must prove he can fit into winning basketball, but this trainwreck ain’t on him.

https://theathletic.com/1113785/2019/08/07/the-catologue-is-luka-doncic-the-best-young-player-in-the-nba/

People make no sense. People like to create narratives to support their hatred and also try to deny it. It makes no sense to me how someone’s numbers are inflated because they have a bad team. Players numbers are inflated on good teams not bad. Booker gets all the defensive attention every night and has no one else to help him hence his numbers are deflated and he is better than all those guys mentioned before him. People just don’t want to recognize or acknowledge great talent on bad teams because then they can’t explain why they didn’t make the all star team.
Jayson Tatum is severely overrated at this point. He’s a player who only scores and does absolutely nothing else. Doncic hasn’t 1 year how can he be better than booker. Lol. Zion hasn’t even put his jersey on yet. This is how media dictates who they want the masses to support. I hope no one falls for it. Ayton is top 5 also.

[Desertfox]

Our rookies are so far down the depth chart that if one of them wins Rookie of the Year something terrible must have happened.

[SlovenianDragon]

Our rookies are so far down the depth chart that if one of them wins Rookie of the Year something terrible must have happened.

idk why but this reminded me of this game

Watch on YouTube

[Blonde]

Playing a little offseason would you rather...

Would you rather Ayton block 2 shots per game, or make 2 threes per game at 38%?

Would you rather Ayton average 6 free throw attempts or 12 rebounds?

Would you rather Cam Johnson shoot above 40% on 3s or defend his position at a league average level?

Would you rather Mikal Bridges average 5 assists or 2.5 steals?

Would you rather Oubre become a lockdown defender or a knockdown shooter? (And what can he do to outplay his $15 million contract?)

Would you rather Booker make an All NBA team, or one of our rookies win Rookie of the Year?

Would you rather win 38 games, or 30 games but Booker makes the all star team? (Missing the playoffs either way)

My own answers:

1. Blocks; I’m not too concerned with Ayton shooting from range. I don’t think he needs it to be elite on offense. Of course blocks don’t automatically mean great defense, but it will at least force people to fear him at the rim. Nobody respects his interior D currently.

2. Free throw attempts; this is the easiest one for me because it’s the area I think Ayton needs to improve the most if he wants to be truly dominant.

3. Cam shooting over 40%; I value being one of the elite shooters in the game over average defense, and I’m not sure we can justify having him on the court if he isn’t an elite shooter.

4. Bridges assists; 5 is probably unrealistic as others pointed out due to the low usage. But I was picturing Bridges in a Joe Ingles role as the tertiary playmaker. That would open up our offensive possibilities a ton. I’m confident Bridges will be great on defense even if he isn’t getting a ton of steals.

5. Oubre defense, probably; this one was a bit of a tossup. What I most want for Oubre is to improve his decision making but I wasn’t sure how to quantify that in a statistic. Having another rangy wing who can lock down on defense against all the great wings in the west would be huge.

6. Rookie of the year; I don’t need to see an award to justify how good Booker is, he’s already approaching all nba level and will get there in time. If somehow Cam or Jerome won ROTY it would completely change the trajectory of the team and at the minimum give us a highly valuable trade asset. I could see a scenario where Jerome plays well enough to be the first guard off the bench, but I put the odds of either of them winning the award close to 0%

7. Complete tossup to me; though I said above that I don’t need to see an award to know how good Booker is, I do think “all star pedigree” matters around the league when it comes to free agents and other stars deciding they want to play here. Though 38 wins would mean that everyone is playing up to or above expectations so I’d probably lean toward that.

[Qwigglez]

Wolves and Thunder are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2015: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2016: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2017: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2018: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.




Not attributing this to you or anyone in particular...just seems the same sentiment ever year about this time...but in all honesty, I do agree, if nothing else, because we have a real PG for the first time in 2 years...

This is the year. Last year who was even our starting PG? Canaan? He’s not even in the league anymore. We don’t have two rookies starting, we don’t have a broken down Ryan Anderson not a washed Tyson Chandler. We actually have players in their prime. We don’t have a 2nd round pick rookie starting either.
Who’s our oldest player this year? Baynes? He’s not even that old and doesn’t have that much NBA mileage on him.

This is the first year we actually tried surrounding Booker with talented players, whether they mesh well is a different story. If we suck this year and show no progress then all hope is lost and we should probably just give up

[NavLDO]

Wolves and Thunder are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2015: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2016: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2017: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.

2018: X and X are definitely worse than us. Can’t wait for the season to start to show all the doubters how much of an improved team we are.




Not attributing this to you or anyone in particular...just seems the same sentiment ever year about this time...but in all honesty, I do agree, if nothing else, because we have a real PG for the first time in 2 years...

This is the year. Last year who was even our starting PG? Canaan? He’s not even in the league anymore. We don’t have two rookies starting, we don’t have a broken down Ryan Anderson not a washed Tyson Chandler. We actually have players in their prime. We don’t have a 2nd round pick rookie starting either.
Who’s our oldest player this year? Baynes? He’s not even that old and doesn’t have that much NBA mileage on him.

This is the first year we actually tried surrounding Booker with talented players, whether they mesh well is a different story. If we suck this year and show no progress then all hope is lost and we should probably just give up

All valid points, and I can appreciate the fervor, as well. All those years it was 'wash, rinse, repeat'--same basic approach; different pieces...young promising raw talent + a few 'has-beens' sprinkled in for good measure...Chandler, Ariza, Anderson, Dudley, Price?? And let's not forget the occasional 'experiment'...Fredette, among others...

Rubio is coming off two of his best scoring seasons (albeit, lower ASST production), and while not a top 10 PG, he's certainly not the 30th ranked starting PG, either...and no, I'm not counting the combo role that Booker played as being a 'legit' PG.

We struck 'gold' with Booker, but other than Warren, and Ayton, who fell into our laps, every other pick since 2012 as been a 'dud', either due to improper development (Len), stupid wishful thinking choices (Bender/Chriss/Marshall), or unfulfilled promises (Jackson).

Now, with another season under Ayton's/Bridges 'belt', a real distributor for Booker/Ayton, and the seemingly continued improvement of Oubre, we should have added at least 10 wins. Of course, any major injuries to more than one key player can erase all of that, but every team has that issue...

Heck...our completely revamped PF position (Saric/Kaminsky/Diallo) vs (Warren, and other 'PT', non-traditional PFs) alone should add 3-4 wins...assuming all three don't get injured at once...ugh...

[bwgood77]

It really might have benefited Booker to play on the USA team this summer. The team is really devoid of stars, so much so, that Pop was told he will be the most recognizable face to the international crowd. But just learning that system I think would help him...and if they needed that iso star, maybe he could rise up, though it's tougher without illegal defense calls. Bridges may make the team, the way the Select team is playing.

Without proven superstars, Team USA is probably going to have to be carried at times by a system. The Americans can't rely on the tremendous driving ability of LeBron James or world-class shot-creators such as Kevin Durant or James Harden in this cycle. The mega-stars are not here. They'll lean on a coach who believes in a style that tests players' aptitude, selflessness and sense of humor.

They will have to move the ball, because under FIBA rules, there is no illegal defense and teams just dare the U.S. to shoot. Fairly or not, there is no one on this roster that opponents will fear. Popovich's San Antonio teams have moved the ball better than anyone else over the past 20 years. But that's a process, one he now needs to rush.

"We've had guys in the past who are great isolation players, but we can't rely on that with this team," center Myles Turner said. "His emphasis is 0.5. You have half a second, shoot it, pass it and go. We're learning."

The team does have some budding stars. Donovan Mitchell has looked like the best player on the floor at times in scrimmages this week. De'Aaron Fox, who was promoted from the Select roster, has speed and the ability to break down defenses that is likely going to earn him one of the final 12 roster spots. Popovich is working his charms on them.

"We had a run where we played very well and he came in the huddle and talked about what we did wrong," Mitchell said. "I like playing for coaches like that. He does it in his own funky way. He can be sarcastic or serious, but he gets to the point where there's something more you can be doing."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27343815/what-gregg-popovich-doing-coaching-team-usa