First of all, i'd like to say that it would be great if the mods would sticky this one, as it's going to be a great thread and i just can't wait for the 20th of May(Lottery) to come.
djthesonicsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
That Suns pick is now either 24 or 25 as the Rockets also won 55 games. Don't they flip a coin to determine the order in the case of tie?
Anyway, I'm thinking R Lopez & H Thabeet aren't going to be anything more than a backup NBA centers. In a couple of years. With no offensive game. Jason Thompson, on the other hand, doesn't play defense and is as dumb as a box of rocks. Besides, for some insane reason I can't seem to walk away from the chance that R Swift returns to form after completely recovering from his knee injury. At least for any of these guys.
I admit JJ Hickson has freshman promise. And a low post game. And some shot blocking ability. But little man-man defensive presence & less court awareness.
Compared to those guys, DJ White & especially R Hendrix are way ahead. Both can score, defend, good bball IQs, block shots & are big tough in your face guys. Exactly the kind of friends a guy like K Durant is going to need as defenses get more desparate trying to figure out ways to "defend" him. Both those guys will play in the NBA a long time.
I was pretty high on J Dorsey, and I still think he's a player, but I think both DJ White & Richard Hendrix are just as tough with much better offensive games. I just would want to avoid another Reggie Evans situation.
I like your wings. J Alexander can play. Lots of upside. Too bad I think he'll be gone by pick 24. Brandon Rush would be a great pick, but so would Courtney Lee. It's close though. Either one would work. Both have the athleticism & skills to become starters. In the end I'd pick Courtney Lee based on his more agressive on court personna. Brandon Rush is a bit too much Derrick McKey.
I do not believe that we'll end up with that Suns pick being our 2nd first rounder. Presti should and will work the phones like hell and i fully expect him to trade up somewhere between 10 - 18. We've just got way too many trade chips that other teams might like for something like that not to happen.
I also strongly disagree with you on Robin Lopez. I think he'll be a very solid center in this league, when all is said and done, and even though he probably won't be a guy you can always throw it down low, he's got enough potential to score some down low. Right now he's a very solid defender, grabbing boards and blocking shots. So even if his offense doesn't comes around, he'd still be a guy we could plug into the middle and at least have an inside presence on the defensive end, which is something we're lacking for like for ever.
Hickson has got quite some upside, but he's a little like Wilcox in that his defense isn't all that great. Though, if we got a shot at him in the early 2nd round, we should take a real good look at him.
White and Hendrix are surley better offensive players then Dorsey, but they're only about 6'8 as well and i don't think that this will make them a real thread to block some shots in this league. Though, i'm not opposed to take them over Dorsey.
I really like Alexander as well and as i've said, i fully expect Presti to trade up, which should give us a shot at any of the guys i've listed.
Yes, Brandon Rush sometimes seems to be to laid back, but he wouldn't be required to be the aggressor with Durant and (hopefully)Rose around.
djthesonicsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
I'd like it if E Watson would stick around too. As a backup. But that's the problem. He won't do it. He'll pitch fits & cause problems. The good thing about E Watson is that he's a competitor who believes in himself and wants to play. The bad thing about E Watson is he's not shy about expressing his point of view if he's not playing as much as he thinks he should be playing. Which is a lot. I just can't see E Watson staying with the Sonics unless it's M Beasley. On the plus side, E Watson's trade value is pretty good right now. And there's only two years left on his contract making it more digestible.
You're right, it really looks like Watson won't be around anymore next year. He's very vocal about his playing time(if he's having a limited role), which could be disruptive for team chemistry. His solid season also makes him interesting to a couple of teams and with him clearly stating where he thinks the Sonics should play, he'll probably be used as trade bait as well.
djthesonicsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Wouldn't it be nice to get some stability going? Let the rookies sit on the bench & learn the game the old school way? Besides, if D Wilkins sticks to defending, finishing & shooting rhythm jumpers when he's open (as opposed to pretending to be his uncle in a one on everyone contest) he's a solid rotation guy at a reasonable salary.
But one guy I think would fit on the Sonics is Utah's CJ Miles. He's buried on the depth chart on that team. The fiscally conservative Jazz are close to the luxury tax. They might not even match a $2.5M - $3.0M offer.
Yes, if Damien would go back and play like he did during his rookie season, then there'd be no problem with him. Though, i doubt that he's ever going to concentrate that much on to the defensive end, cause he's not playing to keep a job in this league anymore.
Miles could be one of those players that needs a fresh start and could be the odd man out in Utah. He's also one of your favourites, as i've recognized. Though, i haven't seen enough of him to really have an opinion on this.
djthesonicsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
You're probably right. Still, the roster wants balance. No sense in having too many bigs. C Wilcox, N Collison, J Petro, Rookie... that's four. Add M Sene & R Swift... that's six. Not to mention waste of space D Marshall who'd be seven. So taking a shot at adding a SG/SF is probably the right ratio.
If Presti is able to get another really solid big then i doubt that Swift will come back. I also think that Mo Sene could be gone as well, with him not being given a chance at all this season and with the team not being able to send him to the D-League anymore. That should give Presti the possibility of adding another big or two.
