2018 Draft Thread #6

[nomorezorro]

I bet he doesn't even play. He would be stupid to. He's basically guaranteed to go top 7 if he just sits. He can only hurt his stock, not help it. Expectations are set so high for him that he cannot improve his lot at this point even if he looks great. He has benefited from NOT playing. The mystery is still there. If he looks mediocre or even bad, his stock will plummet.

one, he could definitely help his stock if he came back looking good, and he probably wouldn't hurt it too much if he played ~5 unremarkable games after rejoining his team at the very end of the season

two, he's a 19 year old kid who has one shot to play for an ncaa title, on the same team as his brother and coached by his father

i wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't play, but those aren't bad reasons!

[Ccwatercraft]

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I bet he doesn't even play. He would be stupid to. He's basically guaranteed to go top 7 if he just sits. He can only hurt his stock, not help it. Expectations are set so high for him that he cannot improve his lot at this point even if he looks great. He has benefited from NOT playing. The mystery is still there. If he looks mediocre or even bad, his stock will plummet.

If he's cleared to play and doesn't, because of draft positioning he will certainly drop out of the lottery. No team is going to see that only a business dicission, they'll look at as he wasn't competitive enough to challenge the guys a head in lottery order.

maybe thats a good thing for a team like us that has two picks? I doubt he falls past 16 but I can certainly understand if teams are reluctant buying into the "unknown".

[StunnerKO]

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[gobullschi]

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It would be a shame if the players get punished. These are kids and families that don't know any better.

[Leslie Forman]

It would be a shame if the players get punished.

Oh they will, and they should, if the NCAA is going to have any sort of legitimate authority as an "amateur" organization.

The NBA has a chance to really make the G-League something big, they need to start putting serious resources into it over the next few years. It's time for the NCAA to die.

[gobullschi]

It would be a shame if the players get punished.

Oh they will, and they should, if the NCAA is going to have any sort of legitimate authority as an "amateur" organization.

The NBA has a chance to really make the G-League something big, they need to start putting serious resources into it over the next few years. It's time for the NCAA to die.

I wish the G-League was used like the MLB uses A, AA, & AAA. I wonder if that would help tanking. If the bottom teams had 2 shots at young players it might turn franchises around quicker.

[fleet]

Bamba looked like he was laboring with a big toe injury a couple days ago. Not good.

[fleet]

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I bet he doesn't even play. He would be stupid to. He's basically guaranteed to go top 7 if he just sits. He can only hurt his stock, not help it. Expectations are set so high for him that he cannot improve his lot at this point even if he looks great. He has benefited from NOT playing. The mystery is still there. If he looks mediocre or even bad, his stock will plummet.

On the other hand, if he doesn't play, there will be a stink to his case, as Ashy' put it. A mystery surrounded by a riddle. Cleared for contact, no play. Funky. Once medically cleared for contact, I think he has to get out there or the questions might sink him down further.

[Axolotl]

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I bet he doesn't even play. He would be stupid to. He's basically guaranteed to go top 7 if he just sits. He can only hurt his stock, not help it. Expectations are set so high for him that he cannot improve his lot at this point even if he looks great. He has benefited from NOT playing. The mystery is still there. If he looks mediocre or even bad, his stock will plummet.

On the other hand, if he doesn't play, there will be a stink to his case, as Ashy' put it. A mystery surrounded by a riddle. Cleared for contact, no play. Funky. Once medically cleared for contact, I think he has to get out there or the questions might sink him down further.

I'd view him as a bigger risk if he does not play. Going out and playing proves that he is in condition to play.

The kind of injury and subsequent surgery that Porter has had have a high success rate, and pro-athletes who return, return as good as they were before the injury and surgery.

But there is a portion, about 1/5 if memory serves, of pro-athletes for whom injury like Porter's is career ending.

Porter, IMO, needs to make it abundantly clear that he is not in that latter group.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

I mean, I think playing is riskier than not playing, so I wouldn’t begrudge him sitting out the season.

What stinks is that he’s been acting like he can’t wait to get on the court, and now that it’s go time, we’re getting these mixed reports. I don’t love it.

[DuckIII]

It would be a shame if the players get punished.

Oh they will, and they should, if the NCAA is going to have any sort of legitimate authority as an "amateur" organization.

The NBA has a chance to really make the G-League something big, they need to start putting serious resources into it over the next few years. It's time for the NCAA to die.

Punish them by just revoking the few remaining games of eligibility they have? Sure, they could do that. And I suppose they have to given their rules.

Completely agree with you about the NCAA and the G-League. I’d like to see the NFL do something similar.

But now way the NCAA gives up this cash cow. They’ll permit player payments of some kind first whether it’s stipends or permitting endorsements, etc.

[NewEra21]

I mean, I think playing is riskier than not playing, so I wouldn’t begrudge him sitting out the season.

What stinks is that he’s been acting like he can’t wait to get on the court, and now that it’s go time, we’re getting these mixed reports. I don’t love it.

That just seems like a 19 year old kid tweeting out what hes thinking and then everyone around him telling him to slow his roll afterward.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

I mean, I think playing is riskier than not playing, so I wouldn’t begrudge him sitting out the season.

What stinks is that he’s been acting like he can’t wait to get on the court, and now that it’s go time, we’re getting these mixed reports. I don’t love it.

That just seems like a 19 year old kid tweeting out what hes thinking and then everyone around him telling him to slow his roll afterward.

Let’s hope that’s exactly what it is.

[bigworld2017]

Our pick + Lauri to get better player in draft, in Bobby we trust.

Nobody is absolutely "un-tradable" on our roster, but Lauri is as close to it as you can be. He's 20 years old. He's a lock 20/10 "4" or "5" for the next 12 years (barring serious injury). He can score from anywhere. His defense is already much better than I ever expected. I see a potential perennial all star 2 or 3 years down the road. He'll add weight and strength with age. He'll put in the work. He always has. It's in his DNA. Just realize the trajectory he has had to get this far. He grew up in rural Finland. The odds of him making the NBA from where he started are beyond calculation. Yet here he is, playing with a high level of skill and maturity for his age. There are no LeBron's in this draft. I would not trade him straight up for any of the top draft choices this year. With Lauri I know what we have.

[poolshark52]

Our pick + Lauri to get better player in draft, in Bobby we trust.

Nobody is absolutely "un-tradable" on our roster, but Lauri is as close to it as you can be. He's 20 years old. He's a lock 20/10 "4" or "5" for the next 12 years (barring serious injury). He can score from anywhere. His defense is already much better than I ever expected. I see a potential perennial all star 2 or 3 years down the road. He'll add weight and strength with age. He'll put in the work. He always has. It's in his DNA. Just realize the trajectory he has had to get this far. He grew up in rural Finland. The odds of him making the NBA from where he started are beyond calculation. Yet here he is, playing with a high level of skill and maturity for his age. There are no LeBron's in this draft. I would not trade him straight up for any of the top draft choices this year. With Lauri I know what we have.

Agree with this. On the other hand, if we could package Portis with a pick (preferrable the NO one) to move up, that might be worth considering. All in all, it really depends where our picks wind up.

[Chitownbulls]

No way should Michael Porter Jr come back.

#1 reason- if he gets hurt again, his stock will plummet

[DASMACKDOWN]

I wish the G-League was used like the MLB uses A, AA, & AAA. I wonder if that would help tanking. If the bottom teams had 2 shots at young players it might turn franchises around quicker.

I actually think that is their next step. Someone just has to have the balls to turn their back on the NCAA. Its that simple.

This is how I would do it.

All the NBA has to do is operate the G League teams like NCAA programs. Instead of Zion Williamson electing to play at Duke next year, he decides to play for the Windy City Bulls for a contract.

He signs a normal contract to play for them 1-2 years whatever. Then make the new players in the G League have to play at least 1 season, before being eligible to be drafted by the NBA.

If a player plays 1 year and doesnt get drafted by the NBA, they still can continue their G League contract as normal.

They could easily do this.

All it would take is enough top prospects to go the the G League initially for it to work.

If Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Bol Bol were to play for the Windy City Bulls next year, those games would be on ESPN and TNT. It would be an official farm system for the league.

[kodo]

It's worth noting that there isn't much motivation for players to be drafted higher, so MPJ probably doesn't care if he goes 1, 5, or 12.

Steph Curry would have gone as high as #2 verified by the Memphis GM himself, but he simply refused workouts to tank his draft position. And it's common, even guys as mediocre as Channing Frye refused workouts from high teams.

As recently as last season both the #2 & #3 refused workouts for the team with the #1 pick. This left Ainge with the #4 guy, Tatum. That ended up being great for him because he was able to trade down. It shows how little these guys value going higher.

Agents mainly want their client to go to a team where they will get ample opportunity, touches, and role on the team so they can convey that into a max contract. Big market is also desirable. The financial benefit from being drafted #1 vs #5 is trivial.

MPJ's camp will probably try to steer MPJ to whatever team he thinks MPJ will immediately start and getting plenty of shots with no competing SFs, regardless of their draft position. So he many not want the Suns (tons of young forwads, incl. Josh Jackson), Orlando (both Gordon & Isaac as big forwards), Dallas (Harrison Barnes), etc..

[kodo]

I wish the G-League was used like the MLB uses A, AA, & AAA. I wonder if that would help tanking. If the bottom teams had 2 shots at young players it might turn franchises around quicker.

I actually think that is their next step. Someone just has to have the balls to turn their back on the NCAA. Its that simple.

This is how I would do it.

All the NBA has to do is operate the G League teams like NCAA programs. Instead of Zion Williamson electing to play at Duke next year, he decides to play for the Windy City Bulls for a contract.

I agree.

Mitchell Robinson tried to do this and was burned by the system, and couldn't play in college or the G-League.

The rules are for entering the G-League are set up to not take away players who could be in college...they need to get rid of these rules that help the NCAA.

Givony said the GMs also feel this way: "One anonymous general manager was quoted as saying, “Is it really the NBA’s place to tell players what they should or shouldn’t do with their lives before they enter the draft?”"

[nomorezorro]

if the ncaa is in genuine flux as a result of this investigation, a real power move would be moving all the gleague teams to places like chapel hill, lexington, austin, columbus etc

just try to accelerate the transition of college basketball from a formalized part of the university systems to a group of paid teams with loose affiliation with colleges. go ahead and set up the g-league playoffs as a single elimination tournament, while you're at it