Draft Thread Part 2

[thamadkant]

I like Thon Maker at pick 28....

The highlight film showcases him as a Durant wannabe, but his interview and statement implies he kind of gets the concerns about him.... that he needs to play like a big man, use his advantages in quickness, skills and athleticism against slower players rather than against quicker and more skilled forwards who will give him trouble.

7'1, 7'3 wingspan, 9'3 standing reach...37 inch running verticals.... one of the best big man in agility tests... can dribble for his size.

Just picturing him with a developed body... he would be a pretty good PF, especially for a team who wants to run.

He's got a ton of potential on the offensive end as a faceup 4. I wouldn't mind taking him at #28.

It'll be good since he's Australian in a way, maybe they'll talk about Suns more in the media... and sell jerseys here... Exum and Delavedova I've seen jerseys floating around lol.

[Cactus Jack]

I like Thon Maker at pick 28....

The highlight film showcases him as a Durant wannabe, but his interview and statement implies he kind of gets the concerns about him.... that he needs to play like a big man, use his advantages in quickness, skills and athleticism against slower players rather than against quicker and more skilled forwards who will give him trouble.

7'1, 7'3 wingspan, 9'3 standing reach...37 inch running verticals.... one of the best big man in agility tests... can dribble for his size.

Just picturing him with a developed body... he would be a pretty good PF, especially for a team who wants to run.

He's got a ton of potential on the offensive end as a faceup 4. I wouldn't mind taking him at #28.

Maker at 28 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Bender at 4

[TASTIC]

I posted it already. Good read huh? But I stated how he seems to be interested in too many things not basketball. I want a basketball junkie in the Kobe mold, not Leonardo Davinci.

Yeah, I find him pretty fascinating but unless guys are 100% dedicated to basketball, they are going to have a tough time making it in the league, particularly when they have so many things to work on. It almost seems like he wants so badly to appear and be eccentric that his mind just might be all over the place. He's obviously smart, but hard work almost always trumps being smart.

Obviously if you put 20,000 hours into something and get up every morning at 5:30 am you are putting in hard work, so we will see if he really devotes that much time to improving (like guys like Hield and Murray most certainly seem to, even though they have more athletic limitations), but if he also devotes the time it would take to learn all these languages and things at the same time. It would be wiser to devote 100% of attention to basketball now and then to whatever else when those skills will be what you need to achieve whatever your goals are next.

I never seen this one before.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj_17K02PkY[/youtube]

Great vid.

Along with some other articles/vids I've come round to Brown.

To me though, he's not Wade or Kawhi as some have said, to me he looks a LOT like young Paul Pierce:

On my phone and friggin YouTube thing isn't working!

http://youtu.be/tEH24eprlGY

When he was at Kansas he was really chunky and played a lot of PF despite only being 6'6" - 6'7", but he was a load offensively. Like Brown, Pierce shot only 30.4% from 3 as a freshman and they averaged similarly 'average' PT/REB numbers too. Pierce was a demon on D though, averaging over a steal per and nearly 1 block also.

Their jump shot form looks similar, not a lot of lift but seemingly effective. The bull in a china shop approach to driving/slashing is also very similar - with Pierce only making 65% of his freebies, so well below average for someone who has a perimeter oriented skill set like Brown.

All in all I'm fine with Brown at 4. Ideally our board would look something like this for me (in order of preference)

4: Bender / Okafor trade / Brown
13: Baldwin / Criss / Luwawe
28: Brogdon / Maker (ironic these two are basically an antithesis, I know!)

I don't want anything to do with Murray at 4 or Skal, ANYWHERE. Skal to me is far too raw and even though his opportunity was limited, I think his upside just isn't that high. Too much Fab Melo vibe from him for my liking.

I would be ok with Dunn at 4, but Knight would have to be gone on draft day - not another PG ménage a tois please.

I honestly think McD is on thin ice with Sarver so this draft day could very well determine his career as Suns GM. If he whiffs and we miss the playoffs/show no improvement, he could be done as GM. Booker was a fantastic pick but can't help but think he got a little lucky - albeit every GM needs some luck I guess.

Bender looks like the ideal McD pick as he's so young and multi dimensional but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes Criss or Murray. Safe to say if Dunn was 19-20 he'd be taken at 4, but at 22 he's probably too old in McD's eyes.

Same for Valentine as for Dunn, nice skill set and would be a solid fit - but probably too 'old'. This isn't my thinking that a guy who is 21-22-23 is too old, if you look at McD's history and comments that's basically what he projects in every draft. Again, Valentine to me just looks a little too much like Evan Turner (though with a 3pt stroke) and John Salmons. That's not to say he won't be a good NBA player and we should look at him at 13, but I think TJ needs to get a serous look as starting SF and bringing another one in (as well as Bogdanovic who can play some small 3) probably just causes another logjam.

PF is our biggest issue and I don't see any real immediate help here unless Bender can contribute right away.

Criss is incredibly raw and as much Amare I see in him I see just as much Jeremy Evans too. The outside shot is solid and the hops are amazing, but as others have mentioned there are a LOT of red flags with him - not sure McD strikes gold twice with another youngster.

As an aside, I really hope we keep Teletovic - he was awesome last year, he loves it in Az and you can never have enough solid vets around, especially one who knows his role and does it well. Offer 3yrs $25m, bit of a lowball but see how we go from there. I'd pay him $10m per but only because this current climate is batsh*t crazy.

[DRK]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

[bwgood77]

Yeah, I find him pretty fascinating but unless guys are 100% dedicated to basketball, they are going to have a tough time making it in the league, particularly when they have so many things to work on. It almost seems like he wants so badly to appear and be eccentric that his mind just might be all over the place. He's obviously smart, but hard work almost always trumps being smart.

Obviously if you put 20,000 hours into something and get up every morning at 5:30 am you are putting in hard work, so we will see if he really devotes that much time to improving (like guys like Hield and Murray most certainly seem to, even though they have more athletic limitations), but if he also devotes the time it would take to learn all these languages and things at the same time. It would be wiser to devote 100% of attention to basketball now and then to whatever else when those skills will be what you need to achieve whatever your goals are next.

I never seen this one before.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj_17K02PkY[/youtube]

Great vid.

Along with some other articles/vids I've come round to Brown.

To me though, he's not Wade or Kawhi as some have said, to me he looks a LOT like young Paul Pierce:

On my phone and friggin YouTube thing isn't working!

http://youtu.be/tEH24eprlGY

When he was at Kansas he was really chunky and played a lot of PF despite only being 6'6" - 6'7", but he was a load offensively. Like Brown, Pierce shot only 30.4% from 3 as a freshman and they averaged similarly 'average' PT/REB numbers too. Pierce was a demon on D though, averaging over a steal per and nearly 1 block also.

Their jump shot form looks similar, not a lot of lift but seemingly effective. The bull in a china shop approach to driving/slashing is also very similar - with Pierce only making 65% of his freebies, so well below average for someone who has a perimeter oriented skill set like Brown.

All in all I'm fine with Brown at 4. Ideally our board would look something like this for me (in order of preference)

4: Bender / Okafor trade / Brown
13: Baldwin / Criss / Luwawe
28: Brogdon / Maker (ironic these two are basically an antithesis, I know!)

I don't want anything to do with Murray at 4 or Skal, ANYWHERE. Skal to me is far too raw and even though his opportunity was limited, I think his upside just isn't that high. Too much Fab Melo vibe from him for my liking.

I would be ok with Dunn at 4, but Knight would have to be gone on draft day - not another PG ménage a tois please.

I honestly think McD is on thin ice with Sarver so this draft day could very well determine his career as Suns GM. If he whiffs and we miss the playoffs/show no improvement, he could be done as GM. Booker was a fantastic pick but can't help but think he got a little lucky - albeit every GM needs some luck I guess.

Bender looks like the ideal McD pick as he's so young and multi dimensional but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes Criss or Murray. Safe to say if Dunn was 19-20 he'd be taken at 4, but at 22 he's probably too old in McD's eyes.

Same for Valentine as for Dunn, nice skill set and would be a solid fit - but probably too 'old'. This isn't my thinking that a guy who is 21-22-23 is too old, if you look at McD's history and comments that's basically what he projects in every draft. Again, Valentine to me just looks a little too much like Evan Turner (though with a 3pt stroke) and John Salmons. That's not to say he won't be a good NBA player and we should look at him at 13, but I think TJ needs to get a serous look as starting SF and bringing another one in (as well as Bogdanovic who can play some small 3) probably just causes another logjam.

PF is our biggest issue and I don't see any real immediate help here unless Bender can contribute right away.

Criss is incredibly raw and as much Amare I see in him I see just as much Jeremy Evans too. The outside shot is solid and the hops are amazing, but as others have mentioned there are a LOT of red flags with him - not sure McD strikes gold twice with another youngster.

As an aside, I really hope we keep Teletovic - he was awesome last year, he loves it in Az and you can never have enough solid vets around, especially one who knows his role and does it well. Offer 3yrs $25m, bit of a lowball but see how we go from there. I'd pay him $10m per but only because this current climate is batsh*t crazy.

I agree with most of what you say. Part of the reason I don't want Brown is because Warren is a much better prospect despite being ranked lower in the draft...Brown is still living on mostly hs hype and getting to the rim in college which is all he could do. Warren dominated in a much tougher conference...yes as a sophomore but he is a guy that is clearly a hard worker and improving all aspects he is weak in at all times.

As for McD wanting younger guys, I agree that typically that is the case, but what I fear is that BECAUSE he might lose his job after this year he goes for a more experienced guy because he feels he needs to win and doesn't take the best long term pick.

[lilfishi22]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

Size, great fluidity and guard skills for a 7 footer and had 3 PT range. Oh also young

That's what I get from the board.

[Krush32]

Anyone else seen the tape on this Joel Bolomboy guy? Amare type athleticism but more raw. He hurts the rim when he is anywhere near the hoop. He actually has a jumpshot too when he's open. Might be worth a look with a later pick.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czignjHtKFw[/youtube]

[bwgood77]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

[lilfishi22]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

I couldn't find any stats supporting this. Where did you see this?

[Cactus Jack]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

Meanwhile, DraftExpress put out a video on his weaknesses. His defense was listed. Decent perimeter defender. But, poor post defense however. Often found out of position. Needs to be coached up. Not a great rebounder for his size either. It mentioned he had an inconsistent jumpshot. A bad habit of poor shooting mechanic's. Mostly will stand out by the three point line. Cant really drive and get to the rim or Create his own shot. Subpar athleticism. Gets pushed around too much due to lack of strength. Very raw in the post. Some definite flaws.

[bwgood77]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

I couldn't find any stats supporting this. Where did you see this?

Most of it is reading about it, but there is this video which I posted long ago, viewtopic.php?f=27&t=139445
and Kevin Pelton says his raw stats rate him higher as a prospect based on NBA translated stats, than Porzingis and most others outside of Rubio, and I think Pelton is one of the best guys at doing this (I posted this quite a few pages back in the thread). The thing is, he is young, so it is more of a huge big hit potential guy than most, and what the Suns need is that. Those guards or Brown do little to move the team's potential. Brown and Murray have big potential upside but Brown, not being able to shoot in any regard, doesn't interest me. Chriss has weaknesses too, but I'd probably rather roll the dice on him too...the thing is, I like Warren as a SF because I think he works very hard on his weaknesses and he is a very good scorer and offensive rebounder who can now hit the 3. I think the team, in this draft, should swing hard for a high upside PF since it isn't a great draft anyway.

[bwgood77]

For the people who voted Bender, can I please get an explanation as to what you see in his game that makes him the overwhelming favorite in this poll? Because I just cant see it.

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

Meanwhile, DraftExpress put out a video on his weaknesses. His defense was listed. Decent perimeter defender. But, poor post defense however. Often found out of position. Needs to be coached up. Not a great rebounder for his size either. It mentioned he had an inconsistent jumpshot. A bad habit of poor shooting mechanic's. Mostly will stand out by the three point line. Cant really drive and get to the rim. Create his own shot. Subpar athleticism. Gets pushed around too much due to lack of strength. Some definite flaws.

Yeah, all 18 year olds have weaknesses, but he is highly rated for a reason.

[Cactus Jack]

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

Meanwhile, DraftExpress put out a video on his weaknesses. His defense was listed. Decent perimeter defender. But, poor post defense however. Often found out of position. Needs to be coached up. Not a great rebounder for his size either. It mentioned he had an inconsistent jumpshot. A bad habit of poor shooting mechanic's. Mostly will stand out by the three point line. Cant really drive and get to the rim. Create his own shot. Subpar athleticism. Gets pushed around too much due to lack of strength. Some definite flaws.

Yeah, all 18 year olds have weaknesses, but he is highly rated for a reason.

Arent they all? Sorry, gotta pass on Bender. A raw 7ft big with potential. Outside of say Dirk & Zinger there have been way too many flops. I lived through Robert Swift, Johan Petro & Mouhamed Sene. 7 footers with said potential. No thanks. His upside is maybe Bargnani. Darko 2.0 I'm not a fan.

[JMac1]

Yeah, I find him pretty fascinating but unless guys are 100% dedicated to basketball, they are going to have a tough time making it in the league, particularly when they have so many things to work on. It almost seems like he wants so badly to appear and be eccentric that his mind just might be all over the place. He's obviously smart, but hard work almost always trumps being smart.

Obviously if you put 20,000 hours into something and get up every morning at 5:30 am you are putting in hard work, so we will see if he really devotes that much time to improving (like guys like Hield and Murray most certainly seem to, even though they have more athletic limitations), but if he also devotes the time it would take to learn all these languages and things at the same time. It would be wiser to devote 100% of attention to basketball now and then to whatever else when those skills will be what you need to achieve whatever your goals are next.

I never seen this one before.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj_17K02PkY[/youtube]

Great vid.

Along with some other articles/vids I've come round to Brown.

To me though, he's not Wade or Kawhi as some have said, to me he looks a LOT like young Paul Pierce:

On my phone and friggin YouTube thing isn't working!

http://youtu.be/tEH24eprlGY

When he was at Kansas he was really chunky and played a lot of PF despite only being 6'6" - 6'7", but he was a load offensively. Like Brown, Pierce shot only 30.4% from 3 as a freshman and they averaged similarly 'average' PT/REB numbers too. Pierce was a demon on D though, averaging over a steal per and nearly 1 block also.

Their jump shot form looks similar, not a lot of lift but seemingly effective. The bull in a china shop approach to driving/slashing is also very similar - with Pierce only making 65% of his freebies, so well below average for someone who has a perimeter oriented skill set like Brown.

All in all I'm fine with Brown at 4. Ideally our board would look something like this for me (in order of preference)

4: Bender / Okafor trade / Brown
13: Baldwin / Criss / Luwawe
28: Brogdon / Maker (ironic these two are basically an antithesis, I know!)

I don't want anything to do with Murray at 4 or Skal, ANYWHERE. Skal to me is far too raw and even though his opportunity was limited, I think his upside just isn't that high. Too much Fab Melo vibe from him for my liking.

I would be ok with Dunn at 4, but Knight would have to be gone on draft day - not another PG ménage a tois please.

I honestly think McD is on thin ice with Sarver so this draft day could very well determine his career as Suns GM. If he whiffs and we miss the playoffs/show no improvement, he could be done as GM. Booker was a fantastic pick but can't help but think he got a little lucky - albeit every GM needs some luck I guess.

Bender looks like the ideal McD pick as he's so young and multi dimensional but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes Criss or Murray. Safe to say if Dunn was 19-20 he'd be taken at 4, but at 22 he's probably too old in McD's eyes.

Same for Valentine as for Dunn, nice skill set and would be a solid fit - but probably too 'old'. This isn't my thinking that a guy who is 21-22-23 is too old, if you look at McD's history and comments that's basically what he projects in every draft. Again, Valentine to me just looks a little too much like Evan Turner (though with a 3pt stroke) and John Salmons. That's not to say he won't be a good NBA player and we should look at him at 13, but I think TJ needs to get a serous look as starting SF and bringing another one in (as well as Bogdanovic who can play some small 3) probably just causes another logjam.

PF is our biggest issue and I don't see any real immediate help here unless Bender can contribute right away.

Criss is incredibly raw and as much Amare I see in him I see just as much Jeremy Evans too. The outside shot is solid and the hops are amazing, but as others have mentioned there are a LOT of red flags with him - not sure McD strikes gold twice with another youngster.

As an aside, I really hope we keep Teletovic - he was awesome last year, he loves it in Az and you can never have enough solid vets around, especially one who knows his role and does it well. Offer 3yrs $25m, bit of a lowball but see how we go from there. I'd pay him $10m per but only because this current climate is batsh*t crazy.

I am cool with that, even Brown ahead of Okafor, doesn't really matter. I am in the optimistic camp of Okafor becoming a better defender, Bender and Brown reaching their ceiling if we draft or trade for any of them.

If all reach their potential, I'd go Bender Okafor Brown

[Cactus Jack]

I never seen this one before.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj_17K02PkY[/youtube]

Great vid.

Along with some other articles/vids I've come round to Brown.

To me though, he's not Wade or Kawhi as some have said, to me he looks a LOT like young Paul Pierce:

On my phone and friggin YouTube thing isn't working!

http://youtu.be/tEH24eprlGY

When he was at Kansas he was really chunky and played a lot of PF despite only being 6'6" - 6'7", but he was a load offensively. Like Brown, Pierce shot only 30.4% from 3 as a freshman and they averaged similarly 'average' PT/REB numbers too. Pierce was a demon on D though, averaging over a steal per and nearly 1 block also.

Their jump shot form looks similar, not a lot of lift but seemingly effective. The bull in a china shop approach to driving/slashing is also very similar - with Pierce only making 65% of his freebies, so well below average for someone who has a perimeter oriented skill set like Brown.

All in all I'm fine with Brown at 4. Ideally our board would look something like this for me (in order of preference)

4: Bender / Okafor trade / Brown
13: Baldwin / Criss / Luwawe
28: Brogdon / Maker (ironic these two are basically an antithesis, I know!)

I don't want anything to do with Murray at 4 or Skal, ANYWHERE. Skal to me is far too raw and even though his opportunity was limited, I think his upside just isn't that high. Too much Fab Melo vibe from him for my liking.

I would be ok with Dunn at 4, but Knight would have to be gone on draft day - not another PG ménage a tois please.

I honestly think McD is on thin ice with Sarver so this draft day could very well determine his career as Suns GM. If he whiffs and we miss the playoffs/show no improvement, he could be done as GM. Booker was a fantastic pick but can't help but think he got a little lucky - albeit every GM needs some luck I guess.

Bender looks like the ideal McD pick as he's so young and multi dimensional but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes Criss or Murray. Safe to say if Dunn was 19-20 he'd be taken at 4, but at 22 he's probably too old in McD's eyes.

Same for Valentine as for Dunn, nice skill set and would be a solid fit - but probably too 'old'. This isn't my thinking that a guy who is 21-22-23 is too old, if you look at McD's history and comments that's basically what he projects in every draft. Again, Valentine to me just looks a little too much like Evan Turner (though with a 3pt stroke) and John Salmons. That's not to say he won't be a good NBA player and we should look at him at 13, but I think TJ needs to get a serous look as starting SF and bringing another one in (as well as Bogdanovic who can play some small 3) probably just causes another logjam.

PF is our biggest issue and I don't see any real immediate help here unless Bender can contribute right away.

Criss is incredibly raw and as much Amare I see in him I see just as much Jeremy Evans too. The outside shot is solid and the hops are amazing, but as others have mentioned there are a LOT of red flags with him - not sure McD strikes gold twice with another youngster.

As an aside, I really hope we keep Teletovic - he was awesome last year, he loves it in Az and you can never have enough solid vets around, especially one who knows his role and does it well. Offer 3yrs $25m, bit of a lowball but see how we go from there. I'd pay him $10m per but only because this current climate is batsh*t crazy.

I am cool with that, even Brown ahead of Okafor, doesn't really matter. I am in the optimistic camp of Okafor becoming a better defender, Bender and Brown reaching their ceiling if we draft or trade for any of them.

If all reach their potential, I'd go Bender Okafor Brown

Bender over Ok4? What is Benders potential in your eyes?

[JMac1]

Great vid.

Along with some other articles/vids I've come round to Brown.

To me though, he's not Wade or Kawhi as some have said, to me he looks a LOT like young Paul Pierce:

On my phone and friggin YouTube thing isn't working!

http://youtu.be/tEH24eprlGY

When he was at Kansas he was really chunky and played a lot of PF despite only being 6'6" - 6'7", but he was a load offensively. Like Brown, Pierce shot only 30.4% from 3 as a freshman and they averaged similarly 'average' PT/REB numbers too. Pierce was a demon on D though, averaging over a steal per and nearly 1 block also.

Their jump shot form looks similar, not a lot of lift but seemingly effective. The bull in a china shop approach to driving/slashing is also very similar - with Pierce only making 65% of his freebies, so well below average for someone who has a perimeter oriented skill set like Brown.

All in all I'm fine with Brown at 4. Ideally our board would look something like this for me (in order of preference)

4: Bender / Okafor trade / Brown
13: Baldwin / Criss / Luwawe
28: Brogdon / Maker (ironic these two are basically an antithesis, I know!)

I don't want anything to do with Murray at 4 or Skal, ANYWHERE. Skal to me is far too raw and even though his opportunity was limited, I think his upside just isn't that high. Too much Fab Melo vibe from him for my liking.

I would be ok with Dunn at 4, but Knight would have to be gone on draft day - not another PG ménage a tois please.

I honestly think McD is on thin ice with Sarver so this draft day could very well determine his career as Suns GM. If he whiffs and we miss the playoffs/show no improvement, he could be done as GM. Booker was a fantastic pick but can't help but think he got a little lucky - albeit every GM needs some luck I guess.

Bender looks like the ideal McD pick as he's so young and multi dimensional but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes Criss or Murray. Safe to say if Dunn was 19-20 he'd be taken at 4, but at 22 he's probably too old in McD's eyes.

Same for Valentine as for Dunn, nice skill set and would be a solid fit - but probably too 'old'. This isn't my thinking that a guy who is 21-22-23 is too old, if you look at McD's history and comments that's basically what he projects in every draft. Again, Valentine to me just looks a little too much like Evan Turner (though with a 3pt stroke) and John Salmons. That's not to say he won't be a good NBA player and we should look at him at 13, but I think TJ needs to get a serous look as starting SF and bringing another one in (as well as Bogdanovic who can play some small 3) probably just causes another logjam.

PF is our biggest issue and I don't see any real immediate help here unless Bender can contribute right away.

Criss is incredibly raw and as much Amare I see in him I see just as much Jeremy Evans too. The outside shot is solid and the hops are amazing, but as others have mentioned there are a LOT of red flags with him - not sure McD strikes gold twice with another youngster.

As an aside, I really hope we keep Teletovic - he was awesome last year, he loves it in Az and you can never have enough solid vets around, especially one who knows his role and does it well. Offer 3yrs $25m, bit of a lowball but see how we go from there. I'd pay him $10m per but only because this current climate is batsh*t crazy.

I am cool with that, even Brown ahead of Okafor, doesn't really matter. I am in the optimistic camp of Okafor becoming a better defender, Bender and Brown reaching their ceiling if we draft or trade for any of them.

If all reach their potential, I'd go Bender Okafor Brown

Bender over Ok4? What is Benders potential in your eyes?

7'1 skill laced player who will be able to defend 1-4 and play up-tempo. At least that's what they say, and who am I to say no when I have never seen him play. Okafor will not be able to defend like Bender. Againa, at least that's what they say.

[Cactus Jack]

I am cool with that, even Brown ahead of Okafor, doesn't really matter. I am in the optimistic camp of Okafor becoming a better defender, Bender and Brown reaching their ceiling if we draft or trade for any of them.

If all reach their potential, I'd go Bender Okafor Brown

Bender over Ok4? What is Benders potential in your eyes?

7'1 skill laced player who will be able to defend 1-4 and play up-tempo. At least that's what they say, and who am I to say no when I have never seen him play. Okafor will not be able to defend like Bender. Againa, at least that's what they say.

Who's they? People are either really overrating Benders defensive impact or underate Okafor & his potential defensively.

[Bogyo]

Great vid.

Along with some other articles/vids I've come round to Brown.

To me though, he's not Wade or Kawhi as some have said, to me he looks a LOT like young Paul Pierce:

On my phone and friggin YouTube thing isn't working!

http://youtu.be/tEH24eprlGY

When he was at Kansas he was really chunky and played a lot of PF despite only being 6'6" - 6'7", but he was a load offensively. Like Brown, Pierce shot only 30.4% from 3 as a freshman and they averaged similarly 'average' PT/REB numbers too. Pierce was a demon on D though, averaging over a steal per and nearly 1 block also.

Their jump shot form looks similar, not a lot of lift but seemingly effective. The bull in a china shop approach to driving/slashing is also very similar - with Pierce only making 65% of his freebies, so well below average for someone who has a perimeter oriented skill set like Brown.

All in all I'm fine with Brown at 4. Ideally our board would look something like this for me (in order of preference)

4: Bender / Okafor trade / Brown
13: Baldwin / Criss / Luwawe
28: Brogdon / Maker (ironic these two are basically an antithesis, I know!)

I don't want anything to do with Murray at 4 or Skal, ANYWHERE. Skal to me is far too raw and even though his opportunity was limited, I think his upside just isn't that high. Too much Fab Melo vibe from him for my liking.

I would be ok with Dunn at 4, but Knight would have to be gone on draft day - not another PG ménage a tois please.

I honestly think McD is on thin ice with Sarver so this draft day could very well determine his career as Suns GM. If he whiffs and we miss the playoffs/show no improvement, he could be done as GM. Booker was a fantastic pick but can't help but think he got a little lucky - albeit every GM needs some luck I guess.

Bender looks like the ideal McD pick as he's so young and multi dimensional but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes Criss or Murray. Safe to say if Dunn was 19-20 he'd be taken at 4, but at 22 he's probably too old in McD's eyes.

Same for Valentine as for Dunn, nice skill set and would be a solid fit - but probably too 'old'. This isn't my thinking that a guy who is 21-22-23 is too old, if you look at McD's history and comments that's basically what he projects in every draft. Again, Valentine to me just looks a little too much like Evan Turner (though with a 3pt stroke) and John Salmons. That's not to say he won't be a good NBA player and we should look at him at 13, but I think TJ needs to get a serous look as starting SF and bringing another one in (as well as Bogdanovic who can play some small 3) probably just causes another logjam.

PF is our biggest issue and I don't see any real immediate help here unless Bender can contribute right away.

Criss is incredibly raw and as much Amare I see in him I see just as much Jeremy Evans too. The outside shot is solid and the hops are amazing, but as others have mentioned there are a LOT of red flags with him - not sure McD strikes gold twice with another youngster.

As an aside, I really hope we keep Teletovic - he was awesome last year, he loves it in Az and you can never have enough solid vets around, especially one who knows his role and does it well. Offer 3yrs $25m, bit of a lowball but see how we go from there. I'd pay him $10m per but only because this current climate is batsh*t crazy.

I am cool with that, even Brown ahead of Okafor, doesn't really matter. I am in the optimistic camp of Okafor becoming a better defender, Bender and Brown reaching their ceiling if we draft or trade for any of them.

If all reach their potential, I'd go Bender Okafor Brown

Bender over Ok4? What is Benders potential in your eyes?

Well, I wasn't the one who you asked, but I see Benders potential somewhere around Dirk and Porzingis. While not neccesarily better than Okafor's, he is suited better to the modern day NBA than Okafor. With that said, Okafor is a lot more of a "sure thing" with a decent chance of improvig (overall game, defense, and even the offense). Maybe less baggage (off court trouble) with Bender than Okafor - but even that might have been a one-time issue, I havent followed that closely at all.
I'd be really in trouble if I was the one who had to choose between these 2 on draft day with our 4th pick.

*Edit: although the more I think about it the more I see McD being in a "comfortable" position on draft day. Either Boston takes Bender at 3 and we will be in the drivers seat for an Okafor trade. or Boston makes the Okafor trade and Bender will be there at 4, where you "have" to pick him, as he has as much chance of succeeding as Dunn, Brown, Murray, Hield, and he has a better chance of becoming a special player than all of those guys. With a bigger bust factor as well, but then that's why you have the 13th, 28th and 34th and Knight -take some hit or miss projects like Maker/Bentil, or make a trade for another PF.

[Damkac]

From what I have seen is great D and blocks, running the floor, a great passer and a guy that can hit the 3. Dominated leagues as a youngster being two years younger. Has great size. He is the youngest guy in the draft, so I wouldn't expect things quickly, but he shows a hell of a lot more skills than Brown other than raw athleticisim and finishing at the rim.

And fits a position of need.

Meanwhile, DraftExpress put out a video on his weaknesses. His defense was listed. Decent perimeter defender. But, poor post defense however. Often found out of position. Needs to be coached up. Not a great rebounder for his size either. It mentioned he had an inconsistent jumpshot. A bad habit of poor shooting mechanic's. Mostly will stand out by the three point line. Cant really drive and get to the rim. Create his own shot. Subpar athleticism. Gets pushed around too much due to lack of strength. Some definite flaws.

Yeah, all 18 year olds have weaknesses, but he is highly rated for a reason.

I think many of his weaknesses will vanish when he will add some muscles. He is risky of course but I don't think he is more risky than for example Brown or Chriss. I would rather take the risk than draft Dunn who will most likely be solid pg that you got dozens.

I wouldn't compare Bender to Nowitzki. I don't think he will ever be half of the scorer that Dirk is. More like a tall, skinny version of Green.

[sunsbg]

Style-wise there is a much better chance Bender turns into Gasol than Nowitzki with added strength. IMO if the Sixers offer Okafor for #4(+filler) take him and don't look back. Bender has not proved anything in Europe playing against real competition. I remember Darko Milicic playing meaningful minutes in some euro cup tournament with seniors and not doing too bad. You know the rest of the story.