Re drafting the 2018 draft.

[CobraCommander]

I mean you literally just listed KP who is a career loser (has only played in the POs with Mavs mind you) who can't even make the play in with Beal and Kuzma. Dinwiddie, I mean I think you're stretching it a bit far here. He isn't anything special and we're not talking about this season's Jalen Brunson, last seasons Brunson was at a whole 16ppg. Kyrie played all of 20 games with the Mavs. It would be like saying Fox should have made the POs last season because he had Sabonis.

Again, I would take playing next to Murray/Hunter/Collins/Capella/Bogadanovic with young guys like Okongwu, Johnson, Griffin and now Bey.
Even if you count Kyrie for the whole season.

Murray < Kyrie
Hunter > THJ
Collins > Bullock
Capela > Powell
Bogi > Green
Okongwu > Kleiber
Johnson > Hardy
Griffin > Wood
Bey > Bertans

Most of them aren't even close either. On either end of the floor.

Then you factor in coaching:
Snyder >>>> Kidd
Even when you factor in the lack of time Snyder has had with the team.

I have been far from a Luka apologist in the past. In fact far from it. I hate how much he whinges and generally, I don't like (hate) his style of play. But I can't deny how good he is. He isn't a typical PG, as what the original comment was about, there aren't many 6-7 PGs that are this good in the history of the sport.

We agree - Snyder is light years ahead of Kidd. Kidd may be the worse coach in the nba. I’m sure he hates his “bosses” and his “team” that he just watches but Luka is too damn good to get a pass.

Luka should be on the same level as Giannis, Jokic, Embiid and KD...but he isn’t.

Luka has too many self imposed negatives that prevent him from fulfilling his promise and missing the playoffs is the out put of him not playing well off the ball- He doesn’t move when Kyrie i has the ball- doesn’t play good defense - complains so much in game that he is leading the league in techs all while not getting back on defense - shows bad body language on the floor and isn’t in shape.

Thus he isn’t a good leader- Jokic, Giannis and Embiid are the leaders of their teams...KD just the perfect basketball player - but he has never been the leader of a winning team.

If Luka gonna be the leader of a winning team, he has crap he needs to clean up.

SGA is definitely a better leader than Luka or Trae... SGA might be that guy -

I can certainly agree with this. Luka should absolutely not get a pass all the time. I do think context should be taken into account.
The FO took a team that made the WC, had good chemistry and played D, and then decided to low ball a good young player which put in motion the current events.

Kidd should be gone - and Luka should watch every game and feel the pain. If he lucky he won’t make a all nba team and the pain of this year fuels him to be mvp level Luka during the regular season! I want to see the best version of Luka.

Is he a poor man’s harden or is he something more. - the jury out

[Courant]

1.) Sacramento (trade with Phoenix): Luka Doncic (actual draft position = No. 3). In this reality, Kings general manager Vlade Divac is so smitten with Doncic that Divac doesn't take the risk of Phoenix or another team selecting him. Divac trades the No. 2 pick and its 2021 first-round pick to move up one spot to select Doncic to pair with rookie De'Aaron Fox.

2.) Phoenix (trade with Sacramento): Jaren Jackson Jr. (actual draft position = No. 4). With a haul that includes a future first-round pick from Sacramento to go with Devin Booker, Jackson provides floor spacing and shot blocking to a Suns team that was one of the worst overall defensive teams in the NBA.

3.) Atlanta: Trae Young (actual draft position = No. 5). The Hawks are in full rebuild mode and need a young player with a marquee name to draw in fans. The former University of Oklahoma star becomes the focal point of the new-look Hawks.

4.) Memphis: Mikal Bridges (actual draft position = No. 10). The prototypical 3-and-D player who, along with 2017 second-round pick Dillon Brooks, becomes the perfect secondary player in a Grizzlies rebuild.

5.) Dallas: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (actual draft position = No. 11). Excellent size and herky-jerky style of play makes SGA a great, albeit less flashy long-term fit around whom Dallas should build a team. Dallas saw enough of 2017 lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. and decided quickly to trade him, DeAndre Jordan and two first-round picks for Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr.

6.) Orlando: Jalen Brunson (actual draft position = No. 33). With Brunson on board, Orlando would not have needed to spend first-round picks on Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony and trade for former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz. Brunson would be a good value pick on a team with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon.

7.) Chicago: DeAndre Ayton (actual draft position = No. 1). Chicago now has its long-term center to pair with rising star Zach Lavine and second-year player Lauri Markkanen. Ayton is a better scorer than the player Chicago originally took at this position (Wendell Carter Jr.), and likely will get more touches in the paint.

8.) Cleveland: Colin Sexton (actual draft position = No. 8). Sexton is one of the few players taken at or near his actual draft position. In the first year of the post-LeBron James 2.0 era, Sexton fills a scoring void left by Kyrie Irving’s departure after the 2016-17 season and later becomes a top sixth man behind Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

9.) New York: Robert Williams III (actual draft position = No. 27). Think a slightly better version of the Knicks’ 2018 second-round pick Mitchell Robinson. Williams will have one year to develop before free agent signing Julius Randle and lottery pick R.J. Barrett arrive in 2019.

10.) Phoenix (trade with Philadelphia): Michael Porter Jr. (actual draft position = No. 14). With Jackson on board, Phoenix moves back into the top 10 to take a shot at Porter, whom some people see as the best talent in the draft despite his back injury history. A core unit of Booker, Jackson and Porter would have the makings of a strong foundation.

In this do-over draft, Charlotte does not swap spots with the Los Angeles Clippers to get two extra second-round picks. Instead, Charlotte trades two second-round picks to get one of the Clippers’ first-round picks (see pick No. 13).

11.) Charlotte: Anfernee Simons (actual draft position = No. 24). Simons is an athletic scoring guard who would be a stash-and-grab player in Charlotte’s final year of the Kemba Walker era, then emerge as a dynamic backcourt mate for 2020 first-round pick LaMelo Ball.

12.) Los Angeles Clippers: Wendell Carter Jr. (actual draft position = No. 7). The solid, workmanlike Carter would be a good frontcourt complement to stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Carter also can move to power forward to form a big lineup with Ivica Zubac.

13.) Charlotte (trade with Los Angeles Clippers): Miles Bridges (actual draft position = No. 12). Bridges’ on-the-court career hasn’t been disappointing, as his explosiveness has shined on the open floor with Ball. A team of Bridges (assuming he comes back), Ball and Simons would be one of the most exciting fullcourt teams in the NBA.

14.) Denver: Kevin Heurter (actual draft position = No. 19). Red Velvet would be an ideal complement to Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Huerter is a career .385 shooter from 3-point range who also can provide some playmaking.

[Courant]

OTHER FIRST-ROUND PICKS:

15.) Washington: Mitchell Robinson (actual draft position = No. 36). Very similar in some respects to Robert Williams III (who also has outplayed his original draft position), Robinson is a solid starting center, one who thrives as a shot-blocker, a finisher out of the pick-and-roll and as a rebounder.

16.) Philadelphia (from Phoenix): Gary Trent Jr. (actual draft position = No. 37). Like Robinson, Trent significantly has outplayed his original draft position. Considering the emphasis teams place on shooting in the modern NBA, Trent's long-range shooting would be lethal for a 76ers squad based around the post play of center Joel Embiid.

17.) Milwaukee: Bruce Brown (actual draft position = No. 42). A very unusual player with a guard's size but who plays much bigger (including at times at power forward), Brown is a defensive specialist who has become a better offensive shooter. Brown is a much younger version of P.J. Tucker, who played a role in Milwaukee's 2021 title run.

18.) San Antonio: Donte DiVincenzo (actual draft position = No. 17). He likely goes a little higher than he should because of his 2018 national championship game performance vs. Michigan, but DiVincenzo becomes a serviceable reserve off the bench for the rebuilding Spurs.

19.) Atlanta: Marvin Bagley III (actual draft position = No. 2). Bagley reminds me of former Hawks forward Josh Smith -- an athletic big man who has the skills to be good but doesn't play smart or consistent. In this re-draft (and with much lower expectations), Bagley joins second-year power forward John Collins and fellow rookie Trae Young on a rebuilding Hawks roster.

20.) Minnesota: Duncan Robinson (actual draft position = undrafted). Before his shot disappeared on him, Robinson was arguably the best feel-good story of the draft: an undrafted player who briefly became one of the NBA's best shooters and a major contributor to Miami's 2020 Finals run. Having the 2019-21 version of Robinson opens up the floor for Karl-Anthony Towns.

21.) Utah: DeAnthony Melton (actual draft position = No. 46). Melton is a very solid role player, one who thrives on the defensive end with pesky effort and impactful steals. He also can score via spot-up three, as an off-ball slasher or in transition. Adding Melton to a Utah team that was second in defensive rating in 2018-19 makes the Jazz even tougher.

22.) Chicago: Grayson Allen (actual draft position = No. 21). Basically, Chicago drafts a more scoring-oriented version of Alex Caruso in Allen: a reserve contributor to his outside shooting, midrange game and being a pest on defense.

23.) Indiana: Mo Bamba (actual draft position = No. 6). A seven-foot center who wants to be a jump shooter, no player benefited more from pre-draft workouts in the 2018 class than Bamba. He hasn’t developed into much more than a decent backup big man, which can be fine on a team that has a much better version in Myles Turner.

24.) Portland: Shake Milton (actual draft position = No. 54). A rookie Milton would be a reserve guard on a Portland team that went to the Western Conference finals. Milton is a solid scorer who can create for other players and be an occasional starter.

25.) Los Angeles Lakers: Jarred Vanderbilt (actual draft position = No. 41). The current Laker moves up from the second round in this do-over draft. Vanderbilt is a top-level defender with a lot of versatility, quickness and toughness.

26.) Philadelphia: Jae'Sean Tate (actual draft position = undrafted). Another undrafted player who has exceed all expectations, Tate played overseas for three seasons overseas before coming to the NBA in the 2020-21 season. A slashing athlete, Tate would blend well as a starting small forward on a team featuring Embiid, Trent, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris.

27.) Boston: Landry Shamet (actual draft position = No. 29). Another rare player who went at or near his actual draft position, Shamet is a reliable outside shooter who can do a bit of scoring off the dribble.

28.) Golden State: Mo Wagner (actual draft position = No. 25). The defending champions don't need much, so Wagner fits as a solid backup frontcourt option. He can do the little things off the bench, such as rebound and space the floor.

29.) Brooklyn: Lonnie Walker (actual draft position = No. 18). A rebuilding Brooklyn takes a flyer on Walker, an upper-level athlete whose playmaking and shooting are suspect. A team that has had plenty of backcourt depth and star power over the past few years, Walker can develop into potentially a decent sixth man.

30.) Dallas (trade with Atlanta): Devonta Graham (actual draft position = No. 34). Graham's lack of size and athleticism were question marks at the start of the draft, but in this capacity he will be a backup to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Graham is also a good enough of an off-the-ball player to play with SGA in lineups (think another version of the Luka-Brunson pairing).