2025 Draft Thread - Part 3

PaulinVA · Post #1161 » by **PaulinVA** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:40 am

AFM wrote:I mean he's clearly extremely immature. But at 18 I was doing kegstands in frat basements. Running from the Baltimore police because we used to fill trash cans up with water and then throw them out the window at whoever was unlucky enough to be below us on the sidewalk.

The fact that his "agent" isn't actually an agent but a coke dealer with a dismissed murder charge, probably isn't helping either.

No offense, but I'm willing to bet that at 18 you weren't realistically hopeful of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 8 to 12 years. I imagine you'd have been more graceful if you had been.

payitforward · Post #1162 » by **payitforward** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:41 am

AFM wrote:I mean he's clearly extremely immature. But at 18 I was doing kegstands in frat basements. Running from the Baltimore police because we used to fill trash cans up with water and then throw them out the window at whoever was unlucky enough to be below us on the sidewalk. ...

Aha! So YOU were that guy!

PaulinVA · Post #1163 » by **PaulinVA** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:42 am

sorry, duplicate posts (I hit "quote" instead of "edit")

payitforward · Post #1164 » by **payitforward** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:42 am

PaulinVA wrote:
AFM wrote:I mean he's clearly extremely immature. But at 18 I was doing kegstands in frat basements. Running from the Baltimore police because we used to fill trash cans up with water and then throw them out the window at whoever was unlucky enough to be below us on the sidewalk.

The fact that his "agent" isn't actually an agent but a coke dealer with a dismissed murder charge, probably isn't helping either.

No offense, but I'm willing to bet that at 18 you weren't realistically hopeful of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 8 to 12 years. I imagine you'd have been more eloquent if you were.

I see you don't know my pal AFM!

PaulinVA · Post #1165 » by **PaulinVA** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:42 am

sorry, duplicate posts (I hit "quote" instead of "edit")

BMagic · Post #1166 » by **BMagic** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:49 am

Benjammin wrote:If the Nets with all their first round picks want Ace then so be it.

Sent from my MNP1095 using Tapatalk

Yeah, no way to outbid them with all those 1sts.

keynote · Post #1167 » by **keynote** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 12:55 am

Kanyewest wrote:
NatP4 wrote:Is this real???

Read on Twitter

Yup - full article here. Also notable that he had the asthma attack vs Maryland where he scored 4 points.

https://www-nj-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.nj.com/sports/2025/06/diamond-in-the-dirt.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&outputType=amp&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17507723859741&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nj.com%2Fsports%2F2025%2F06%2Fdiamond-in-the-dirt.html

"Decades into a personal rebrand" :laugh:

SUPERBALLMAN · Post #1168 » by **SUPERBALLMAN** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:09 am

Anyone seen this? I found this to be a very interesting watch. All these great prospects, including Ace! I gotta say though. all the French dudes just seem so nonchalant, aloof and overly laid back. I'm not sure if I'd draft any of them.

Watch on YouTube

NatP4 · Post #1169 » by **NatP4** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:09 am

payitforward wrote:This is my position as well. Except I would phrase it as Ace's maturity level rather than his character. There's a lot of seemingly childish decision-making out of his camp.

Not every 19 year old is mature enough to flourish in as demanding a context as professional sports.

I have no commentary on Ace as a person, but his camp situation would scare the hell out of me as a NBA GM picking in the top 10.

He needs to find a real agent and get some professional advising.

AFM · Post #1170 » by **AFM** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:15 am

SUPERBALLMAN wrote:Anyone seen this? I found this to be a very interesting watch. All these great prospects, including Ace! I gotta say though. all the French dudes just seem so nonchalant, aloof and overly laid back. I'm not sure if I'd draft any of them.

Watch on YouTube

This is anti French bigotry

DCZards · Post #1171 » by **DCZards** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:15 am

Been hoping that Ace drops to us at 6. I think he’d be a steal at that point with the potential to someday be a #1 option on a contending team.

There are legit questions about his personality but, given his age, I think it would be a mistake to let his immaturity—and shaky agent—stand in the way of drafting someone with his talent and upside.

For me, getting Ace would take a lot of the sting out of not getting one of the top two picks.

But I don’t want to get my hopes up, especially since I think the Nets are going to figure out a way to trade up for Ace.

If it’s not Bailey I can live with Johnson, Fears, Knueppel or Malauch.

dcPress · Post #1172 » by **dcPress** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:15 am

payitforward wrote:
dcPress wrote:I’d rather not trade up for anyone but Dylan, and would prefer Tre over Ace. His media stuff and shot selection are fine for a 6’10” Durant type but not at 6’7”. Johnson with the first pick and Essengue with a trade up would be a great draft.

Tre in particular?

What about Edgecombe, Maluach, Fears or Knueppel? Would you also take one of them over Ace?

I’d be happy w VJ but doubt he’d drop to 6. The others probably not. Maluach I’d be ok with, but would probably still go with Bailey. Maluachs rebounding numbers are concerning and I wonder if that’s related to his processing speed.

Fears would have been a definite yes 10 years ago but not with how positionless things are trending

And not knueppel with the current stage of the rebuild.

SUPERBALLMAN · Post #1173 » by **SUPERBALLMAN** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:17 am

This is also a very interesting discussion!

Neuroscience & Psychology can HACK the NBA Draft

Watch on YouTube

payitforward · Post #1174 » by **payitforward** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:21 am

BMagic wrote:
Benjammin wrote:If the Nets with all their first round picks want Ace then so be it.

Yeah, no way to outbid them with all those 1sts.

Why would we want to oubid them?

If they must must must must have Ace, trade our #6 & #18 to them for all 4 of their R1 picks (8, 19, 26 & 27).

DukeLecker · Post #1175 » by **DukeLecker** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:27 am

I’m getting a real weird 2002 draft vibe. Caron Butler was falling in mocks and he was the ideal player for the Wiz. They just suckered the hornets into trading the 17th for Courtney Alexander, and it looked for sure like Washington was gonna combine 11 & 17 to move up for the falling Caron. They stayed pat, Caron went one pick ahead of us, and they took Jeffries. Oh the humanity!

Bailey & Butler. Here’s to hoping Bailey doesn’t go one pick before Washington while we keep our powder dry. But hey, we may end up with Queen instead and he’ll sell tickets just like Dixon did!

tontoz · Post #1176 » by **tontoz** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:30 am

DCZards wrote:Been hoping that Ace drops to us at 6. I think he’d be a steal at that point with the potential to someday be a #1 option on a contending team.

There are legit questions about his personality but, given his age, I think it would be a mistake to let his immaturity—and shaky agent—stand in the way of drafting someone with his talent and upside.

For me, getting Ace would take a lot of the sting out of not getting one of the top two picks.

But I don’t want to get my hopes up, especially since I think the Nets are going to figure out a way to trade up for Ace.

If it’s not Bailey I can live with Johnson, Fears, Knueppel or Malauch.

I watched a lot of Rutgers games and I didn't see anything concerning, or hear anything concerning, about Ace's personality. To the contrary I heard a lot about him being very positive and energetic, both during games and in practice.

There were definitely legit questions about his game on offense but not about him personally.

payitforward · Post #1177 » by **payitforward** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:33 am

DukeLecker wrote:I’m getting a real weird 2002 draft vibe. Caron Butler was falling in mocks and he was the ideal player for the Wiz. They just suckered the hornets into trading the 17th for Courtney Alexander, and it looked for sure like Washington was gonna combine 11 & 17 to move up for the falling Caron. They stayed pat, Caron went one pick ahead of us, and they took Jeffries. Oh the humanity!

Bailey & Butler. Here’s to hoping Bailey doesn’t go one pick before Washington while we keep our powder dry. But hey, we may end up with Queen instead and he’ll sell tickets just like Dixon did!

Oh you cynic!

SUPERBALLMAN · Post #1178 » by **SUPERBALLMAN** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:35 am

Its amazing we've reached the Eve of the Draft! It seemed so far a way I can't believe its finally here! All these crazy trades going down, this is going to be exciting!

Losing 40 is a little bit of a bummer. I was hoping for Yang or Niederhauser there.

All this craziness going on with Ace is really adding all kinds of twists to all of this as well. I would certainly be pretty excited with a draft of Ace and Asa to form an exciting new young frontcourt to build on. 18 will be interesting, any of Asa, Queen, Beringer, Sorber at 18 would make me happy.

The trade of Poole could signal a couple of things. Could be they wanted to move him to clear the way for Fears , and remove his influence on a young PG new to the league. Or it could be they wanted to move him with Ace coming in, to remove Poole taking a bulk of the shots and again removing the gunner offensive mindset of a player as an influence. McCullum along with Smart and Middleton will be more in line with the Wizards philosophy of how they want to play and what kind of vets they want to set examples to follow.

doclinkin · Post #1179 » by **doclinkin** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:42 am

payitforward wrote:
BMagic wrote:
Benjammin wrote:If the Nets with all their first round picks want Ace then so be it.

Yeah, no way to outbid them with all those 1sts.

Why would we want to oubid them?

If they must must must must have Ace, trade our #6 & #18 to them for all 4 of their R1 picks (8, 19, 26 & 27).

And #25. They just got that one in the Porzingis deal that helped the Celts dodge the 2nd apron penalties.

The Nets are loading up for something. There’s going to be some crossfire of trades in the 2-5 zone.

I swear it’s not for Ace or Fears but Maluach. And possibly Harper. Like the Spurs want Khaman plus assets. The Jazz want a 3for1 deal. The Nets are trying to hop past us. And we are trying to get enough assets for Harper or may take Maluach ourselves to sell to the Spurs or keep.

Looks to me like there’s heavy shenanigans in play.

DCZards · Post #1180 » by **DCZards** » Wed Jun 25, 2025 1:44 am

tontoz wrote:
DCZards wrote:Been hoping that Ace drops to us at 6. I think he’d be a steal at that point with the potential to someday be a #1 option on a contending team.

There are legit questions about his personality but, given his age, I think it would be a mistake to let his immaturity—and shaky agent—stand in the way of drafting someone with his talent and upside.

For me, getting Ace would take a lot of the sting out of not getting one of the top two picks.

But I don’t want to get my hopes up, especially since I think the Nets are going to figure out a way to trade up for Ace.

If it’s not Bailey I can live with Johnson, Fears, Knueppel or Malauch.

I watched a lot of Rutgers games and I didn't see anything concerning, or hear anything concerning, about Ace's personality. To the contrary I heard a lot about him being very positive and energetic, both during games and in practice.

There were definitely legit questions about his game on offense but not about him personally.

Yeah…unfair for me to say there are “legit” questions about his personality. Really more questions about the advice/guidance he’s getting from his agent and, presumably, other adults in his camp.