Luka Doncic hints that he might stay in Europe next season

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

If you are Sacramento and Doncic doesn't want to play there, what's the best you can get in a trade (either for an established player or picks, or a combo of both)?

Do you think Aaron Gordon and the #6 for the #2 and some young player (Mason, Labissiere) could work? Gordon grew up about 2 hours from Sacramento and probably wants a big payday enough that he'd be happy with going to Sacramento. He could make a nice run and gun PF in an uptempot offense with Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, and the guy they take at #6 (say Michael Porter).

He wants to play there. He said it himself

[righterwriter]

If you are Sacramento and Doncic doesn't want to play there, what's the best you can get in a trade (either for an established player or picks, or a combo of both)?

Do you think Aaron Gordon and the #6 for the #2 and some young player (Mason, Labissiere) could work? Gordon grew up about 2 hours from Sacramento and probably wants a big payday enough that he'd be happy with going to Sacramento. He could make a nice run and gun PF in an uptempot offense with Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, and the guy they take at #6 (say Michael Porter).

He wants to play there. He said it himself

I didn't see that. Would you be so kind as to provide a link?

BTW, just saw this which said the Kings are telling teams they don't want Doncic. Grain of salt, as there's a lot of noise coming out of writers this time of year, but you can read it anyway.

https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-telling-teams-not-taking-luka-doncic/

[Adelheid]

If you are Sacramento and Doncic doesn't want to play there, what's the best you can get in a trade (either for an established player or picks, or a combo of both)?

Do you think Aaron Gordon and the #6 for the #2 and some young player (Mason, Labissiere) could work? Gordon grew up about 2 hours from Sacramento and probably wants a big payday enough that he'd be happy with going to Sacramento. He could make a nice run and gun PF in an uptempot offense with Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, and the guy they take at #6 (say Michael Porter).

He wants to play there. He said it himself

I didn't see that. Would you be so kind as to provide a link?

BTW, just saw this which said the Kings are telling teams they don't want Doncic. Grain of salt, as there's a lot of noise coming out of writers this time of year, but you can read it anyway.

https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-telling-teams-not-taking-luka-doncic/

If Joerger's scheme does not involve having multiple playmakers or ballhanders then getting Luka is just a waste aside from being trade bait. Phoenix has a much more need for Doncic.

[cloudXXI]

Sorry can someone please remind me how the hell Bargnani got that #1 pick 12 years ago?

For the same reasons Kwame Brown and Anthony Bennett got the #1 pick.

The GM thought they were going to be good. They were wrong.

[righterwriter]

Sorry can someone please remind me how the hell Bargnani got that #1 pick 12 years ago?

For the same reasons Kwame Brown and Anthony Bennett got the #1 pick.

The GM thought they were going to be good. They were wrong.

That 2006 draft was EPIC bad, as well. Bargnani actually had the 4th most productive career out of the top-20 players picked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_NBA_draft

[UcanUwill]

Sorry can someone please remind me how the hell Bargnani got that #1 pick 12 years ago?

For the same reasons Kwame Brown and Anthony Bennett got the #1 pick.

The GM thought they were going to be good. They were wrong.

That 2006 draft was EPIC bad, as well. Bargnani actually had the 4th most productive career out of the top-20 players picked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_NBA_draft

Bargnani looked very promising. He at age 19 at Benneton, was better than him couple of years ago at age 30. Dude completely fell apart, I mean he never was good, but he had some good qualities, but even that strangely faded away (ike his jumpshot). Weaknesses like rebounding and defense just got worse, dude is a strange case of getting worse instead of getting better.

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

If you are Sacramento and Doncic doesn't want to play there, what's the best you can get in a trade (either for an established player or picks, or a combo of both)?

Do you think Aaron Gordon and the #6 for the #2 and some young player (Mason, Labissiere) could work? Gordon grew up about 2 hours from Sacramento and probably wants a big payday enough that he'd be happy with going to Sacramento. He could make a nice run and gun PF in an uptempot offense with Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, and the guy they take at #6 (say Michael Porter).

He wants to play there. He said it himself

I didn't see that. Would you be so kind as to provide a link?

BTW, just saw this which said the Kings are telling teams they don't want Doncic. Grain of salt, as there's a lot of noise coming out of writers this time of year, but you can read it anyway.

https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-telling-teams-not-taking-luka-doncic/

http://www.telegraf.rs/sport/kosarka/2959817-da-li-ovaj-odgovor-luke-doncica-nagovestava-gde-ce-nastaviti-karijeru-igrao-bih-sa-bogdanovicem-video?utm_source=nove_povezane_vesti&utm_medium=najnovije&utm_campaign=nove_povezane_vesti&utm_content=2

Asked if he would like to play with Serbian coach or Serbian player (basically got asked Kokoškov or Bogdanović) and he said he'd like to play with Bogdanović cause they're good friends

[TimRobbins]

He's trying to force his way into a place he likes.

[jason bourne]

Interesting thread. I have to reconsider and say Doncic could go #1. He could be the best offensive player in the draft. It could be for trade purposes, too, since the Suns have said they're will to deal.

[laika]

Phoenix should take Doncic. Maybe Ayton has generational athletic ability that closes the gap.
But if the NBA has taught us anything over the last 15 years it's that you take the highly skilled forward over the unskilled center every single time.

[millslapper]

Doncic is european and in Europa pro sport athletes are used to choose their team themselves.

so it could be, that he starting his will now. it ist different to Dirk for example, because for him a dream came true even going into the NBA. Doncic ist already Euroleague MVP with 19 (!). Let that sink it. It is a veteran system-style driven league. For a team like Real Madrid it is all about success now, so there is no room for developing young talent. he simply is that good.

and he wants to learn, has a chip on his shoulders and because of his pro character and how the league has developed i will take him over Ayton all the time, who by the way has some tendencies to be lazy. i don't want my #1 pick to be lazy.

Doncic is no LeBron, no Kobe, and of course no Kukoc/Turkoglu mix as i read online.

he is more like a mixture of Ginobili and Ingles with far more athleticism & speed.

[batigol18]

Im not a fan of highly-heralded European/international guards... theyre always overrated. I think the NBA hype machine wants to internationalize itself, and hypes up International prospects.

No way id take Doncic over Ayton or Marvin Bagley. I actually like Gilgeous-Alexander from Kentucky a bit more than Doncic

Dude’s almost the size of Capela and he has skills like Harden. He’s not some small guard that’s gonna get bullied in the league. And did the “NBA hype machine” make him the MVP of the Euroleague? If anything I’d say he’s had surprisingly little hype for how successful he’s been.

Everywhere I’ve looked lists him at 6’6 to 6’8, Capela is 6’10. Tomas Satoransky in WAS is 6’7, but I wouldn’t use a lottery pick on him either.

Doncic is probably gonna be good, but I see him as a solid starter, not franchise building piece. If SAC takes him, I still see them in the lottery next year.

I’d still take Bagley and Ayton over him; they seem to have a lot more upside to me...

When we are talking about his height, check this photo. Guy next to him is 7’0...

[Mirotic12]

People talk about the likes of Anthony Randolph...a guy who put 16/9 on his single season on NCAA, as a teenager, do you have any doubts that a 29 year Anthony Randolph is 10x the player he were with 18y?

Not only that, but this idea that somehow Anthony Randolph is this great EuroLeague star and dominates or something is just comical. In reality - he's a solid player. He's good enough to be in a good team's rotation and contribute - that's it. He's far from being a top level player.

Like we are supposed to be impressed with a guy with his size and physical tools, and all the experience he has (NBA and Europe), by the production he has,

http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=005757&seasoncode=E2017

8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this year

He's a very physically talented player, but he plays uber soft. So the comments that bring him up in any EuroLeague discussion (as a way to discredit the league) are quite funny.

Actually his career NBA numbers are not much different from what he has done in EuroLeague:

EuroLeague career (77 games)

11.0 and 5.1 rebounds

NBA career (252 games)

7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds

And yes, he is a better player now than he was back when he was playing in NBA. EuroLeague isn't some joke minor rec league like so many people in the US seem to think for whatever reason. Guys like Anthony Randolph are decent players in EuroLeague, and nothing more than that.

Looking further back and wider Sabonis averaged 17.7 in Eurobasket before turning 19, 2 months older Drazen Petrovic averaged 13.4 in same championship and 17.5 in Olympic games next year. Modestas Paulauskas was Eurobasket MVP few months after turning 20 in 1965

With all due respect to those players of the past, that's not even remotely as impressive as what Doncic is doing right now at age 19 in EuroLeague.

The level of competition (current EuroLeague professional clubs) is miles above old FIBA national team tournaments from 30-50 years ago.

Doncic is definitely doing things that no European player ever came close to his age.

[LuDux1]

Looking further back and wider Sabonis averaged 17.7 in Eurobasket before turning 19, 2 months older Drazen Petrovic averaged 13.4 in same championship and 17.5 in Olympic games next year. Modestas Paulauskas was Eurobasket MVP few months after turning 20 in 1965

With all due respect to those players of the past, that's not even remotely as impressive as what Doncic is doing right now at age 19 in EuroLeague.

The level of competition (current EuroLeague) is miles above old FIBA tournaments from 30-50 years ago.

Doncic is definitely doing things that no European player ever came close to his age.

I don't think I compared them




Divac scored 19 in 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four semifinals and 31 in 3rd place game, 2 months after 20th birthday

[EricAnderson]

Phoenix should take Doncic. Maybe Ayton has generational athletic ability that closes the gap.
But if the NBA has taught us anything over the last 15 years it's that you take the highly skilled forward over the unskilled center every single time.

Have you ever actually seen Ayton play?Ayton has flaws but being “unskilled” is not one of them..

[Duke4life831]

Phoenix should take Doncic. Maybe Ayton has generational athletic ability that closes the gap.
But if the NBA has taught us anything over the last 15 years it's that you take the highly skilled forward over the unskilled center every single time.

Skill is far from the issue that Ayton has. Ayton is actually a very skilled big man. That's what makes him such a tremendous prospect. Huge guy, very athletic, skilled when it comes to his jumper and low post moves. The issue with Ayton is motor, not skill.

[papidulo]

Phoenix should take Doncic. Maybe Ayton has generational athletic ability that closes the gap.
But if the NBA has taught us anything over the last 15 years it's that you take the highly skilled forward over the unskilled center every single time.

Have you ever actually seen Ayton play?Ayton has flaws but being “unskilled” is not one of them..

Ayton is definitely not unskilled.. He may take a year to bulk up, but I think his game is more put together after his 1 year than Embiid was, and he’s lighter on his feet than Embiid was.

Phoenix has burned so many picks on bigs who’ve underwhelmed (Dragan Bender, Chriss, Alex Len), that they’d be foolish to pass on Ayton. It’s easier to find a capable pg than to find a modern big

[Mirotic12]

Divac scored 19 in 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four semifinals and 31 in 3rd place game, 2 months after 20th birthday

It's not comparable. Those teams couldn't even compete in current EuroLeague.

Here is the roster of the team that won EuroLeague in 1988.......

Mike D'Antoni (37)
Roberto Premier
Rickey Brown
Bob McAdoo (36)
Dino Meneghin (38)
Riccardo Pittis (19)

and then a bunch of average Italian League role players

Piero Montecchi
Massimiliano Aldi
Fausto Bargna
Mario Governa
Fabrizio Ambrassa
Alessandro Chiodini

Any team at the current EuroLeague Final Four would have crushed the champion team from 1988. The level just isn't remotely comparable. That 1988 champion team would have zero chance of even making the playoffs in today's EuroLeague.

[har13]

Looking further back and wider Sabonis averaged 17.7 in Eurobasket before turning 19, 2 months older Drazen Petrovic averaged 13.4 in same championship and 17.5 in Olympic games next year. Modestas Paulauskas was Eurobasket MVP few months after turning 20 in 1965

With all due respect to those players of the past, that's not even remotely as impressive as what Doncic is doing right now at age 19 in EuroLeague.

The level of competition (current EuroLeague) is miles above old FIBA tournaments from 30-50 years ago.

Doncic is definitely doing things that no European player ever came close to his age.

I don't think I compared them




Divac scored 19 in 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four semifinals and 31 in 3rd place game, 2 months after 20th birthday

After "Bosman rule" all changed and not only in Basketball, 50 years ago no foreigner could play, then 1 after 2 and then the Bosman rule happened, many young players were playing back then because teams couldn't do anything else, now they can bring 8 Americans players or who ever they want so you compare 2 diffrent things.

Also European Champions cup and Euroleague are not the same like its not the same Champions league in football with what it was 25 years ago. In Euroleague the best 16 teams are playing so they can play more than 1 team from same country(like Spain with 4 teams), back then only the champions were playing so only few teams were really good.

By that i'm not saying Divac was not great lol, he didn't play in Euroleague tho so what i said about Doncic is correct.

[Superhuman]

Phoenix should take Doncic. Maybe Ayton has generational athletic ability that closes the gap.
But if the NBA has taught us anything over the last 15 years it's that you take the highly skilled forward over the unskilled center every single time.

Watch this video and then come back and tell me that Ayton is unskilled. Thanks.

Watch on YouTube