Draft Discussion Part 3

[JMac1]

Ball, Jackson, Tatum and Markkanen - IMO, the teams that draft one of those 4 will likely be very happy down the road. Smith, Fox, Ntilikina, Monk - IMO, the teams that draft one of those 4 are will likely be disappointed. Isaac is a wild card to me, kind of like Chriss this past season. Lots of reasons to be worried, lots of reasons to be hopeful.

Pretty blanketed statement there. Why would these teams will be happy and disappointed? What do you think they are looking for in these players and why do you think they are not going to achieve what the teams are looking for? And the other are going to achieve?

[ATTL]

I've wanted Josh Jackson on the suns for years. I trust MCD to make the right choice and make a trade if necessary to get his guy.
Jackson fits the profile of highly athletic player that has that fire Watson loves.

[Zelaznyrules]

Ball, Jackson, Tatum and Markkanen - IMO, the teams that draft one of those 4 will likely be very happy down the road. Smith, Fox, Ntilikina, Monk - IMO, the teams that draft one of those 4 are will likely be disappointed. Isaac is a wild card to me, kind of like Chriss this past season. Lots of reasons to be worried, lots of reasons to be hopeful.

Pretty blanketed statement there. Why would these teams will be happy and disappointed? What do you think they are looking for in these players and why do you think they are not going to achieve what the teams are looking for? And the other are going to achieve?

Hmmm, well, I'm not trying to set myself up as an authority on the teams drafting in the lottery. That's just my opinion of the players that are generally considered to be high selections. With the exception of Ntilikina it's just based on what I've seen from watching college basketball all season rather than from knowing anything specifically about NBA teams. I watch a lot of college basketball but, other than Suns games, I probably don't watch more than a hundred NBA games all year (including postseason). And I really know nothing about Frank, I put him in the 'disappointing group' simply because of the second hand information I've read about him and admittedly I'm probably a little biased too given the historical success rate of players like him.

[carey]

No one is concerned by the number of contested jumpers for Ball? That's his red flag to me. Almost 5 X as many as Fox and almost double the other guys. That's against college defenses too. It's going to get much harder at the next level for him.

[JMac1]

No one is concerned by the number of contested jumpers for Ball? That's his red flag to me. Almost 5 X as many as Fox and almost double the other guys. That's against college defenses too. It's going to get much harder at the next level for him.

True.....but he is making them.

[thamadkant]

No one is concerned by the number of contested jumpers for Ball? That's his red flag to me. Almost 5 X as many as Fox and almost double the other guys. That's against college defenses too. It's going to get much harder at the next level for him.

Put NBA players around him and he will get open if not.. He will set players up.

[Years90Suns]

I think the player for us to pick is Tatum.
We need a SF, plus he is the BPA when we select, probably.

Obviously, as explianed before by another member of this post, it makes no sense to make a trade with the Kings from their point of view. They can wait until we make our pick and then only ifwe select the player they wanted, offer a trade. Even at this point I doubt they would offer two picks for one.

From our side, I believe we should learn from last year's experience. We selected two good players, but that was because we were unable to decide who was better for our purposes. I do not think it would be a good idea to end up in this draft with two players, of which one or both would play in the same position than our picks of last year.

We shouldn't get Isaac in this draft (although I love the guy) because he is a PF and we already have Chriss, Bender, Williams...

[NTB]

Even if I'm not keen on Tatum, Tatum-Bell combo is mouth-watering.

[sunwillrise0304]

tatum please!!!!!

i really like his games as opposed to tj warren and he can develop to be a solid 3-4 defender.

[sunwillrise0304]

I think the player for us to pick is Tatum.
We need a SF, plus he is the BPA when we select, probably.

Obviously, as explianed before by another member of this post, it makes no sense to make a trade with the Kings from their point of view. They can wait until we make our pick and then only ifwe select the player they wanted, offer a trade. Even at this point I doubt they would offer two picks for one.

From our side, I believe we should learn from last year's experience. We selected two good players, but that was because we were unable to decide who was better for our purposes. I do not think it would be a good idea to end up in this draft with two players, of which one or both would play in the same position than our picks of last year.

We shouldn't get Isaac in this draft (although I love the guy) because he is a PF and we already have Chriss, Bender, Williams...

refer to last year decision, i don't think we get two picks since we don't know which is a better player.
In fact , we like the versatility of both chriss and bender as the league is getting positionless.
But this year, we do need help on wing and shooting.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I don't hate any of the projected top 10 but I have to admit tatum would be the pick I would be least excited about.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

[JMac1]

I don't hate any of the projected top 10 but I have to admit tatum would be the pick I would be least excited about.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

I am going to be excited about whomever we draft, I mean if there is a time to get excited about a player, it is right after he is drafted; that's when you can actually envision him reaching his potential. Why would you not envision a player reaching his potential? Sure he couldn't not reach it, but let that happen before you let yourself lose out on the only thing that matter to fans of horrible teams......hoping the next player you draft if going to be that guy. You have plenty of opportunities the be less excited during the season if the guy is stinking,then it's warranted.

If we draft Issac, I will be excited. I will tell myself McD knows better than I; Issac will become the player some people here expect him to be. Why not think that way? If I'm wrong, I'll deal with the actually disappointment when it's a reality, not the disappointment that I conjured up in my head. You can be hopeful and realistic at the same time.

[Zelaznyrules]

I don't hate any of the projected top 10 but I have to admit tatum would be the pick I would be least excited about.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

I am going to be excited about whomever we draft, I mean if there is a time to get excited about a player, it is right after he is drafted; that's when you can actually envision him reaching his potential. Why would you not envision a player reaching his potential? Sure he couldn't not reach it, but let that happen before you let yourself lose out on the only thing that matter to fans of horrible teams......hoping the next player you draft if going to be that guy. You have plenty of opportunities the be less excited during the season if the guy is stinking,then it's warranted.

If we draft Issac, I will be excited. I will tell myself McD knows better than I; Issac will become the player some people here expect him to be. Why not think that way? If I'm wrong, I'll deal with the actually disappointment when it's a reality, not the disappointment that I conjured up in my head. You can be hopeful and realistic at the same time.

Yeah, I try to look at most things this same way. Life is going to knock you down occasionally, why crawl around in that dirt before it happens. I don't turn a blind eye to everything but when you're looking at something that really could go either way, life is a lot better if you look forward to it with hope. It's not just better for your emotional well-being, it is often critical for your physical well-being too.

[Zelaznyrules]

I don't hate any of the projected top 10 but I have to admit tatum would be the pick I would be least excited about.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

I have concerns about each of the projected top picks but Smith is the only one I'd be adamantly opposed to. And I'd feel that way even if there were no cause for concern regarding his knees, but the knees take him out of the picture completely IMO.

Most of my concerns for the top players will be alleviated by the simple fact we chose whichever one (or two) we draft. I'm comfortable relying on the FO to determine whether Tatum's quick enough for the NBA or whether JJ is a liability off the court and so on. But with Smith? Even if the doctors pronounce him healthy today, from everything I've read, knees like that are almost always a time bomb and I don't want to go through another Bledsoe situation.

[batsmasher]

I don't hate any of the projected top 10 but I have to admit tatum would be the pick I would be least excited about.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

I am going to be excited about whomever we draft, I mean if there is a time to get excited about a player, it is right after he is drafted; that's when you can actually envision him reaching his potential. Why would you not envision a player reaching his potential? Sure he couldn't not reach it, but let that happen before you let yourself lose out on the only thing that matter to fans of horrible teams......hoping the next player you draft if going to be that guy. You have plenty of opportunities the be less excited during the season if the guy is stinking,then it's warranted.

If we draft Issac, I will be excited. I will tell myself McD knows better than I; Issac will become the player some people here expect him to be. Why not think that way? If I'm wrong, I'll deal with the actually disappointment when it's a reality, not the disappointment that I conjured up in my head. You can be hopeful and realistic at the same time.

ye olde echo chamber. It works both ways though - conjuring up false optimism can leave you so far from reality that you refuse to face it.

I used to be an adopter of the 'McD is smarter than me' club but really- I've come to learn that it's all a bit of a crap shoot and his FO probably has a slightly better chance of avoiding the crap. There's no magic to drafting- unless you've figured out how to get the basketball gods on your side.

But yeah, on the original point- from what I know of Tatum he certainly isn't a sexy pick when you're looking long term.

[Zelaznyrules]

I don't hate any of the projected top 10 but I have to admit tatum would be the pick I would be least excited about.

Sent from my SM-G930V using RealGM mobile app

I am going to be excited about whomever we draft, I mean if there is a time to get excited about a player, it is right after he is drafted; that's when you can actually envision him reaching his potential. Why would you not envision a player reaching his potential? Sure he couldn't not reach it, but let that happen before you let yourself lose out on the only thing that matter to fans of horrible teams......hoping the next player you draft if going to be that guy. You have plenty of opportunities the be less excited during the season if the guy is stinking,then it's warranted.

If we draft Issac, I will be excited. I will tell myself McD knows better than I; Issac will become the player some people here expect him to be. Why not think that way? If I'm wrong, I'll deal with the actually disappointment when it's a reality, not the disappointment that I conjured up in my head. You can be hopeful and realistic at the same time.

ye olde echo chamber. It works both ways though - conjuring up false optimism can leave you so far from reality that you refuse to face it.

I used to be an adopter of the 'McD is smarter than me' club but really- I've come to learn that it's all a bit of a crap shoot and his FO probably has a slightly better chance of avoiding the crap. There's no magic to drafting- unless you've figured out how to get the basketball gods on your side.

But yeah, on the original point- from what I know of Tatum he certainly isn't a sexy pick when you're looking long term.

I didn't take it that way at all? Just that when you're looking at a future event that could easily go either way, positive thinking beats the heck out of negative thinking. Neither way of thinking will likely impact the event itself but why choose misery over hope when both are still viable? Obviously, there comes a point where the reality of the situation starts to take shape but we're clearly not there yet when we're talking about players that haven't even played a moment of NBA ball.

For me it's not just that I expect Ryan to be better at it, I know quite well that he has access to everything we do plus much, much more. I'd like to think I'd be a much better gauge of talent if I actually interviewed and tested the player, worked him out, reviewed his background investigation and so on. The experts miss often too but I'd bet if it were tracked, their record of success would dwarf that of any of us that are limited to long distance scouting. Knowledge triumphs guesswork and we have to do a lot more guessing than the professionals do.

[JMac1]

I am going to be excited about whomever we draft, I mean if there is a time to get excited about a player, it is right after he is drafted; that's when you can actually envision him reaching his potential. Why would you not envision a player reaching his potential? Sure he couldn't not reach it, but let that happen before you let yourself lose out on the only thing that matter to fans of horrible teams......hoping the next player you draft if going to be that guy. You have plenty of opportunities the be less excited during the season if the guy is stinking,then it's warranted.

If we draft Issac, I will be excited. I will tell myself McD knows better than I; Issac will become the player some people here expect him to be. Why not think that way? If I'm wrong, I'll deal with the actually disappointment when it's a reality, not the disappointment that I conjured up in my head. You can be hopeful and realistic at the same time.

ye olde echo chamber. It works both ways though - conjuring up false optimism can leave you so far from reality that you refuse to face it.

I used to be an adopter of the 'McD is smarter than me' club but really- I've come to learn that it's all a bit of a crap shoot and his FO probably has a slightly better chance of avoiding the crap. There's no magic to drafting- unless you've figured out how to get the basketball gods on your side.

But yeah, on the original point- from what I know of Tatum he certainly isn't a sexy pick when you're looking long term.

I didn't take it that way at all? Just that when you're looking at a future event that could easily go either way, positive thinking beats the heck out of negative thinking. Neither way of thinking will likely impact the event itself but why choose misery over hope when both are still viable? Obviously, there comes a point where the reality of the situation starts to take shape but we're clearly not there yet when we're talking about players that haven't even played a moment of NBA ball.

For me it's not just that I expect Ryan to be better at it, I know quite well that he has access to everything we do plus much, much more. I'd like to think I'd be a much better gauge of talent if I actually interviewed and tested the player, worked him out, reviewed his background investigation and so on. The experts miss often too but I'd bet if it were tracked, their record of success would dwarf that of any of us that are limited to long distance scouting. Knowledge triumphs guesswork and we have to do a lot more guessing than the professionals do.

That's exactly what I was saying, especially the Mc'D being better than me.

[Saberestar]

http://www.scout.com/nba/mavericks/story/1784016-breakfast-club-mavs-in-italy-with-ntilikina

It seems that Ntilikina at #9 for Dallas is a real possibility.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

http://www.scout.com/nba/mavericks/story/1784016-breakfast-club-mavs-in-italy-with-ntilikina

It seems that Ntilikina at #9 for Dallas is a real possibility.

Unless the scouting reports have missed some significant hole in Ntilikina's game... why is Fox ahead of him, exactly? Fox has had his D called into question by advanced stats and some scouts, his J is questionable at best and no one claims that he is an elite floor general. Is speed so much more valuable than everything Ntilikina is supposed to bring to the table?

[LukasBMW]

Not sure who this guy is but supposedly it's good info on many prospects

https://sethsdrafthouse.com/finch-returns-to-dish-on-nba-prospects-fa57b7c494ef

Confirms a lot of my impressions - that Jordan Bell should go mid-first (not that he will), that DSJ is a terrifying selection, that Josh Jackson could be Corey Brewer, and that Tatum should go no lower than #4.

I've been moving back toward Tatum as BPA. My concern has been and remains TJ - I don't think you can fit Tatum and TJ on this roster without killing DJJ's and Bender's development.

What an interesting article that really puts things into perspective. All this hype about a strong draft, yet maybe only 2 all stars will come out. That's typical.

The other interesting thing is that you can tell that the writer got input from different scouts and opinions among scouts differ A LOT.

Example - Jason Tatum: "Love him love him love him. He’s the next Carmelo Anthony." but also "I wonder how he’ll be as defenders jam him up. I’m not sure he has the foot speed to get around those guys."

An even better Example - Isiah Briscone: "The dude can pass." but also "He’s not a great passer but he’s adequate." LOL