Draft Mindset: Go for the homerun or get the safe glue guy?

LUKE23 · Post #1 » by **LUKE23** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:11 pm

Wanted to start something separate from the draft thread, not necessarily talking about who to draft, but how the Bucks should approach this draft given their roster and their future outlook.

Do you want us to take a guy you know will be a solid defender, will play within his means, and will help the team, but his chances of being a star are very slim, or do you want us to go for a guy that is filled with question marks but definitely has the talent to become a star?

To me, if the Bucks draft someone like Collison or Augustin without trading down, they are basically conceding trying to become a contender in the near future and just going for what will help us win now, but with a smaller window of improvement.

Personally, I want us to go for the homerun. If the guy busts out, so be it, but this team needs another star player in the worst way.

If we are going to go the safe route, I'd like to see us trade down if at all possible, landing maybe one of the PG's and then Rush or Douglas-Roberts in the 20's.

I know it may not be this black and white, but if you're the GM, what kind of mindset do you go into the draft with?

Post #2 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:14 pm

LUKE23 wrote:
Personally, I want us to go for the homerun. If the guy busts out, so be it, but this team needs another star player in the worst way.

jerrod · Post #3 » by **jerrod** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:15 pm

no need to glue together crap

carmelbrownqueen · Post #4 » by **carmelbrownqueen** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:19 pm

Personally, I think the Bucks are still need of a player to build around. I don't think we have that guy yet, that's partly why I am still crossing my fingers that Kohl dishes out some huge dollars under the table (kidding) to get our hands on a guy like Derrick Rose. In my opinion he's the only star guy in this draft and the others could end up being pretty good depending on their work ethic and so forth but I'm not really sold on anyone else. I also don't know that this team has any stars yet either.. we have a few guys that look promising but nothing definitive yet.

In the draft, I want them to take the best player available at wherever we end up.. the odds aren't stacked in our favor to move up so I see a couple of places we could do with the 7th pick. I would like to see us perhaps go after a guy like Blake Griffin if he declares and roll the dice on him. If not him with the 7th, I'm not enthused about anyone else.. so I would probably look to trade it instead of going after Love, Gordon, Jordan, etc..

Maybe as the draft process goes along we will hear some things on a few of these other guys that changes that mindset, but in general I would say Rose or bust.. if Griffin looks good take him, if not trade the pick.

Post #5 » by **paulpressey25** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:20 pm

We did the homerun last year with Yi....

I guess given our slot, I'd see the homerun pick being Blake Griffin and actually the safe pick being Westbrook.....

I'd also see a homerun pick being Brook Lopez if he fell that far.

We need a direction from management as to what our philosophy is. If it is win now, I'd go safe here with Westbrook, because he could also blow up and be safe at the same time if that makes sense.

carmelbrownqueen · Post #6 » by **carmelbrownqueen** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:23 pm

I'm not sure that I see Brook Lopez as a homerun though.. I see solid but unspectacular whenever I look at him. Perhaps I will be wrong on that though.

REDDzone · Post #7 » by **REDDzone** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:24 pm

jerrod wrote:no need to glue together crap

I think we can worry about a glue guy once we have a good foundation to build around.

I don't think we have that foundation yet.

And anyways, I think a good glue guy is more likely to be a veteran player signed for a portion of the MLE in a few years, rather than some young player.

LISTEN2JAZZ · Post #8 » by **LISTEN2JAZZ** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:36 pm

I don't see any homerun/gamble players in this draft outside the top 2. I wish I did. Perhaps the Euros?

http://www.last.fm/user/DPF55 · Post #9 » by **Buck You** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:39 pm

LUKE23 wrote:
Personally, I want us to go for the homerun. If the guy busts out, so be it, but this team needs another star player in the worst way.

Which is why I say trade the pick for the best player you can get. We don't need more projects and rookies on this team. We need a guy who can take over and win games for us.

Post #10 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:43 pm

paulpressey25 wrote:We did the homerun last year with Yi....

I guess given our slot, I'd see the homerun pick being Blake Griffin and actually the safe pick being Westbrook.....

I'd also see a homerun pick being Brook Lopez if he fell that far.

We need a direction from management as to what our philosophy is. If it is win now, I'd go safe here with Westbrook, because he could also blow up and be safe at the same time if that makes sense.

Interesting. If anything, I'd view those two the exact opposite.

Lopez IMO would represent the safe pick. So would Griffin.

The two possible home run picks are Jordan and Randolph and to a slightly lesser extent Westbrook.

carmelbrownqueen · Post #11 » by **carmelbrownqueen** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:46 pm

Jordan and Randolph seem like huge risks and sometimes those pay off, I'm just not sure about either of them though to recommend picking them.

LUKE23 · Post #12 » by **LUKE23** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 5:58 pm

adamcz wrote:I don't see any homerun/gamble players in this draft outside the top 2. I wish I did. Perhaps the Euros?

I'd say Randolph and Jordan are two high risk high reward type players. There are definitely no sure fire studs in this draft after Rose though, so I agree there.

If we're looking at things from a pure talent standpoint, I think you're looking at guys like Mayo, Bayless, Gordon, Jordan, Randolph, Griffin, Greene.

If we're looking at things from a "you know what you're getting for the most part, but chances of being a stud are minimal" you're looking at guys like Collison, Love, Augustin, Lopez.

Westbrook is tough to call, IMO, same as the two Euros. I just think they need to take the guy they see as the most talented, regardless of any other factors.

DanoMac · Post #13 » by **DanoMac** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:02 pm

LUKE23 wrote:Personally, I want us to go for the homerun. If the guy busts out, so be it, but this team needs another star player in the worst way.

That's exactly how I feel. I'm always criticized for saying that if we were stuck at 7, I'd take Gordon over anyone else in a heartbeat, just in some slim chance he were to become a Wade like player. I'd easily take Gordon over someone like Love, Collison, Westbrook (although I'm a huge Westbrook backer as well), Jordan, Augustin, or others.

xTitan · Post #14 » by **xTitan** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:11 pm

DrugBust wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Interesting. If anything, I'd view those two the exact opposite.

Lopez IMO would represent the safe pick. So would Griffin.

The two possible home run picks are Jordan and Randolph and to a slightly lesser extent Westbrook.

Agree 100%, I have seen Blake Grffin play a handful of times and not all the impressed, he will most likely measure out to 6'8" and I see no sizzle. The Lopez Brothers are very slow and limited in there range, they will be no more than solid. I don't think Jordan is a home run, he has way to many question marks and I think he should stay in school. I would say that Westbrook, Mayo, Bayless, and Gordon would be closer to homerun shots or all could be hard singles....thats what gambling is about.

LUKE23 · Post #15 » by **LUKE23** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:13 pm

xTitan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Agree 100%, I have seen Blake Grffin play a handful of times and not all the impressed, he will most likely measure out to 6'8" and I see no sizzle. The Lopez Brothers are very slow and limited in there range, they will be no more than solid. I don't think Jordan is a home run, he has way to many question marks and I think he should stay in school. I would say that Westbrook, Mayo, Bayless, and Gordon would be closer to homerun shots or all could be hard singles....thats what gambling is about.

I pretty much agree with all of this. I think Jordan needs to stay in school. I do like Griffin though, he's a big time athlete with an aggressive nature, but if he is 6-8 like you say I might think otherwise just because his perimeter skills are very limited.

Gordon, man, the guy just has red flags all over him, but I agree that he is one of the homerun or strikeout type players. I don't think he's ready personally, especially mentally, but if we're talking BPA he will definitely be in the discussion.

I'd love to get Bayless. I see an Arenas type game there, but he won't fall to us.

I want nothing to do with Lopez. I pray he's gone before we pick.

smalls · Post #16 » by **smalls** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:14 pm

i think the answer to this question really depends on how big of a blow up our new gm has in mind. If he decides to try and dump everyone but Bogut then u definitely go for the home run. However if the new gm only tinkers and ditches 1 player and maybe a bad contract then u go for more of a glue type of player.

Me personally I trade everything available aside from bogut to try and get Rose and build the team from there, but in all liklihood with the way Rose has exploded in the tourney i think the only way we get him is thru some draft lotto magic.

I do find it strange that many people(not just in the forum i mean in general) are against the so called "glue" types of players. After watching the crapfest that has been the Milwaukee Bucks oncourt chemistry this season, I for one am praying for some more glue guys cuz some team play would be just super next season :pray:

LUKE23 · Post #17 » by **LUKE23** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:16 pm

[quote="smalls"]i think the answer to this question really depends on how big of a blow up our new gm has in mind. If he decides to try and dump everyone but Bogut then u definitely go for the home run. However if the new gm only tinkers and ditches 1 player and maybe a bad contract then u go for more of a glue type of player.

Me personally I trade everything available aside from bogut to try and get Rose and build the team from there, but in all liklihood with the way Rose has exploded in the tourney i think the only way we get him is thru some draft lotto magic.

I do find it strange that many people(not just in the forum i mean in general) are against the so called "glue" types of players. After watching the crapfest that has been the Milwaukee Bucks oncourt chemistry this season, I for one am praying for some more glue guys cuz some team play would be just super next season :pray:

[/quote]

So do you think this team can contend with either Bogut/Redd as the teams top guy? Because that is what we are facing. We will never be able to get that stud FA here, it's going to have to happen via the draft.

smalls · Post #18 » by **smalls** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:37 pm

with the right pieces around him I do think Bogut can be the top guy on a very good basketball team. I do understand us never getting a top tier freeagent here thats why i think all the trade scenarios that people r proposing with us getting expiring contracts are no good.

I guess the point i was tryin to make with that (glue guys) statement is that nothin we do will immediately turn us into a top 4 team in the east. The new GM is gonna have to take baby steps and i think the initial stages need to be just getting guys who can mesh on the court and play as a team then in a year or two once u have a solid core group of players that u know fit together then u can start going for potential type guys.
Too many Home run potential players was LH's downfall as a GM. I think that that is this teams problem, we have too many guys out there on the court that are more worried about fulfilling their potential and trying to be the man instead of working and trusting each other as a team.

smalls · Post #19 » by **smalls** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:44 pm

sry deleted that last post u guys dont need to listen to my fandom sob story as i am sure u all are livin the same nightmare :wink:

Post #20 » by **paulpressey25** » Mon Apr 7, 2008 6:54 pm

DrugBust wrote:-= Lopez IMO would represent the safe pick. So would Griffin.

The two possible home run picks are Jordan and Randolph and to a slightly lesser extent Westbrook.

I guess you are right....I never counted Jordan nor Randolph because I see them as guys I don't want to go near because they are such gambles. But they clearly fit the definition of boom or bust. I don't even see a hard single with them if they fail.

We'll need to compile a list of safe guys. I consider Collison, Westbrook, Gordon, and a bunch of others safe, simply because I think they'll fit somewhere in a 3-guard rotation eventually.