Absurdly early 2018 NBA Draft Thread

Post #1741 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:15 pm

kg01 wrote:
Jamaaliver wrote:Meh. We get a solid, cheap, high ceiling core and make a single upper echelon signing of a Free Agent...it could open things up pretty well.

Travis said he has Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and D.

I believe there are other prospects than Doncic/Ayton worth having and other avenues to get to the mountaintop.

We're still in asset collection mode. Even if we just package these players in exchange for a star a few years from now a la Houston.

I think the plan is to try to get the 'main guy' this year whether via top pick or via trading our top pick(s) in a HOU-style package. Schlenk specifically cited that in his intro press conference. I want us to land a top2 pick just like most of us. However, I won't be too down if we don't. To me, that just opens more possibilities trade-wise.

IOW, no need to yank the tv off it's mountings if we land outside the top3 on lotto day. Well, you can do that if you like. Just don't do it because you think we're finished without a top2 pick.

Yeah.

I just also see lots of other talents in this draft outside the big 2. *We have a plethora of options at this point.

Post #1742 » by **ATL Boy** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:31 pm

HotelVitale wrote:
ATL Boy wrote:Getting a top 2 pick is absolutely imperative. We have no room to win another game.

Finishing 2nd worst still only gets less than 40% chance of a top-2 pick--and 3rd worst is about 32%, 4th 25%, etc. So if your mindset is top 2 or bust, you might want to start praying and stop sweating one game here and there. At most it's going to give you better odds by 10-15%, so one in ten to one in eight better at best. Them lotto gods are cruel, and they're fully in charge here.

It's all about the odds in the draft lottery but finishing with the 2nd or 1st worst record maximizes our odds. I'll do plenty of hoping for dumb luck but right now it's up to the team to maximize the opportunity for that dumb luck.

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

HotelVitale · Post #1743 » by **HotelVitale** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 5:37 pm

ATL Boy wrote:
HotelVitale wrote:
ATL Boy wrote:Getting a top 2 pick is absolutely imperative. We have no room to win another game.
Finishing 2nd worst still only gets less than 40% chance of a top-2 pick--and 3rd worst is about 32%, 4th 25%, etc. So if your mindset is top 2 or bust, you might want to start praying and stop sweating one game here and there. At most it's going to give you better odds by 10-15%, so one in ten to one in eight better at best. Them lotto gods are cruel, and they're fully in charge here.
It's all about the odds in the draft lottery but finishing with the 2nd or 1st worst record maximizes our odds. I'll do plenty of hoping for dumb luck but right now it's up to the team to maximize the opportunity for that dumb luck.

Just saying that the difference in odds to win the 3 lotto picks aren't as big as we sometimes think. If your ambition is to finish with a top 5 or 6 pick then you could get irate about winning a meaningless game here and there, but if you're really only interested in top 2 then an extra win or two is just losing you a few percentage points. Still worth sweating of course but the lotto is a full on lotto.

jayu70 · Post #1744 » by **jayu70** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:12 pm

HotelVitale wrote:
ATL Boy wrote:
HotelVitale wrote: Finishing 2nd worst still only gets less than 40% chance of a top-2 pick--and 3rd worst is about 32%, 4th 25%, etc. So if your mindset is top 2 or bust, you might want to start praying and stop sweating one game here and there. At most it's going to give you better odds by 10-15%, so one in ten to one in eight better at best. Them lotto gods are cruel, and they're fully in charge here.
It's all about the odds in the draft lottery but finishing with the 2nd or 1st worst record maximizes our odds. I'll do plenty of hoping for dumb luck but right now it's up to the team to maximize the opportunity for that dumb luck.

Just saying that the difference in odds to win the 3 lotto picks aren't as big as we sometimes think. If your ambition is to finish with a top 5 or 6 pick then you could get irate about winning a meaningless game here and there, but if you're really only interested in top 2 then an extra win or two is just losing you a few percentage points. Still worth sweating of course but the lotto is a full on lotto.

I get the odds, I just think it matters more this year simply because if the number of teams in the race to the bottom.
A team can go from #2 to #7 by winning one game.

Post #1745 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:30 pm

From USATODAY -- Bring me a championship core.

I love Khyri; Bagley as franchise savior leaves me conflicted...

2018 NBA mock draft: Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic headline loaded class

3. Atlanta Hawks - Marvin Bagley III

Duke | F | Fr. | 6-11, 234: Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski has called Bagley the most unique player he’s ever coached and said he thinks the lefty big man is cut from the same cloth as some of the NBA superstars he’s directed as Team USA’s coach. It’s because Bagley’s skillset and athleticism, at 6-11, make him comparable to Chris Bosh. Bagley, whose jumping ability is nearly as impressive as his scoring, averaged over 20 points and 11 rebounds and was Duke’s best player all season as a national player of the year finalist.

21. Atlanta Hawks (via Minnesota) - Khyri Thomas

Creighton | G | Jr. | 6-3, 200: Thomas plays with a veteran’s savvy and is adept at creating offense in isolation. He probably best projects as an off-ball guard at the next level, but his three-point stroke is NBA ready. He attacks with a steady balance though he’s not going to blow past you with his athleticism. Thomas has good size and could likely guard both backcourt spots with his 6’9’’ wingspan.

30. Atlanta Hawks (via Houston) - Grayson Allen

Duke | G | Sr. | 6-5, 205: Allen’s college journey has been well chronicled — from player of the year finalist as a sophomore to court-tripping troublemaker as a junior, to veteran captain as a senior. Whatever you think of Grayson Allen, at the end of the day, the kid can ball. He’s 6-5 and far from a true point guard (although he did average 4.5 assists this season) but can shoot with the best of them. His improved shot selection this year, while good for Duke, has probably hidden some of his athletic features that would make him higher on this list. Allen would fit well on a well-coached team, with an ability to hit the long ball and get to the rim. His defense will need to be improved.

kg01 · Post #1746 » by **kg01** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:44 pm

Grayson Allen is on my 'heyul nawl' list at this point. Just seems to be some mental or attitude deficiencies. I'm not overreacting to the whole 'tripping' phenomenon. I'm more-so reacting to the fact that these weird acts he keeps committing are just ... I just keep wanting to ask him, 'Why, dude?' Just silly.

He's been in college like 8 years yet is still this immature. And the sideline meltdown from last year, to me, was more egregious than the acts themselves. He's either that out of control mentally or he's a bad actor/liar trying to garner sympathy to excuse his behavior. Neither of which do I want on my team.

I'd like it better if he was flat-out DellavaDirty. That'd make more sense to me, so to speak.

macd-gm · Post #1747 » by **macd-gm** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:11 pm

kg01 wrote:Grayson Allen is on my 'heyul nawl' list at this point. Just seems to be some mental or attitude deficiencies. I'm not overreacting to the whole 'tripping' phenomenon. I'm more-so reacting to the fact that these weird acts he keeps committing are just ... I just keep wanting to ask him, 'Why, dude?' Just silly.

He's been in college like 8 years yet is still this immature. And the sideline meltdown from last year, to me, was more egregious than the acts themselves. He's either that out of control mentally or he's a bad actor/liar trying to garner sympathy to excuse his behavior. Neither of which do I want on my team.

I'd like it better if he was flat-out DellavaDirty. That'd make more sense to me, so to speak.

Agree 100%. Plus he's playing on a team stacked with talent and athletes so he feasts on open shots and bad defenders. Life is about to get much harder for him.

MaceCase · Post #1748 » by **MaceCase** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:12 pm

kg01 wrote:Grayson Allen is on my 'heyul nawl' list at this point. Just seems to be some mental or attitude deficiencies. I'm not overreacting to the whole 'tripping' phenomenon. I'm more-so reacting to the fact that these weird acts he keeps committing are just ... I just keep wanting to ask him, 'Why, dude?' Just silly.

He's been in college like 8 years yet is still this immature. And the sideline meltdown from last year, to me, was more egregious than the acts themselves. He's either that out of control mentally or he's a bad actor/liar trying to garner sympathy to excuse his behavior. Neither of which do I want on my team.

I'd like it better if he was flat-out DellavaDirty. That'd make more sense to me, so to speak.

Hey, it appears every championship team needs a 'dirty white guy' these days :wink:

No worries, I'll do it to myself:

1) that's racist.

2) they have to be imported 'dirty white guys', domestic just won't do.

DirtybirdGA · Post #1749 » by **DirtybirdGA** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:52 pm

He was backing that thing up vs the tar heels...

tbhawksfan1 · Post #1750 » by **tbhawksfan1** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 9:45 pm

Things are so up in the air with 7 teams within 3 spots from the top pick odds. Then there's the ping pong ball craziness. I'm wondering how the teams will actually draft. Ayton seems a sure #1, then I'm not so sure. Luka, JJJ, Bagley, Porter will be the next four picks with maybe Young or Bamba maybe sneaking in front of the mentioned. Carter kind of makes it a strong eight kind of draft for me.

5 of the eight are PF/C and Doncic (athleticism) and Trae (size) seem to be a bit scary.

I can't wait to see how all this shakes out in the draft. Am I just excited about the Hawks having a top pick or is this looking like a really interesting and hard to peg draft?

Spud2nique · Post #1751 » by **Spud2nique** » Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:59 pm

MaceCase wrote:
kg01 wrote:Grayson Allen is on my 'heyul nawl' list at this point. Just seems to be some mental or attitude deficiencies. I'm not overreacting to the whole 'tripping' phenomenon. I'm more-so reacting to the fact that these weird acts he keeps committing are just ... I just keep wanting to ask him, 'Why, dude?' Just silly.

He's been in college like 8 years yet is still this immature. And the sideline meltdown from last year, to me, was more egregious than the acts themselves. He's either that out of control mentally or he's a bad actor/liar trying to garner sympathy to excuse his behavior. Neither of which do I want on my team.

I'd like it better if he was flat-out DellavaDirty. That'd make more sense to me, so to speak.

Hey, it appears every championship team needs a 'dirty white guy' these days

No worries, I'll do it to myself:

1) that's racist.

2) they have to be imported 'dirty white guys', domestic just won't do.

Spud2nique · Post #1752 » by **Spud2nique** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:06 am

MaceCase wrote:
kg01 wrote:Grayson Allen is on my 'heyul nawl' list at this point. Just seems to be some mental or attitude deficiencies. I'm not overreacting to the whole 'tripping' phenomenon. I'm more-so reacting to the fact that these weird acts he keeps committing are just ... I just keep wanting to ask him, 'Why, dude?' Just silly.

He's been in college like 8 years yet is still this immature. And the sideline meltdown from last year, to me, was more egregious than the acts themselves. He's either that out of control mentally or he's a bad actor/liar trying to garner sympathy to excuse his behavior. Neither of which do I want on my team.

I'd like it better if he was flat-out DellavaDirty. That'd make more sense to me, so to speak.

Hey, it appears every championship team needs a 'dirty white guy' these days

No worries, I'll do it to myself:

1) that's racist.

2) they have to be imported 'dirty white guys', domestic just won't do.

The domestic guys learned a long time ago...sometimes when you’re a dirty lil b, a gang holds you down and you get yours...in this case, the aforementioned dirty domestic bird.

Post #1753 » by **ATL Boy** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 4:02 am

I may be in the minority but I'd be fine with getting Grayson Allen with either the Houston pick or with our second rounder. With his shooting ability and athleticism I expect him to be a fine role player at the next level.

I mean don't get me wrong, he's an idiot, but I don't mind it. I don't mind the baggage.

atlantabbq99 · Post #1754 » by **atlantabbq99** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:33 am

I'm defiantly ok with using a 2nd round pick on an idiot white boy. Any 2nd round pick that ends up having a +10 year career is a big win for an organization

Post #1755 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:22 am

Pivoting HARD from weirdly, unnecessarily, inflammatory racial comments...

Read on Twitter

I don't begrudge this kid's decision.

But this, IMHO, makes M Porter Jr.'s decision more impressive. Risking so much for the love of the game and the last chance to play alongside his brother (and under his father.)

Post #1756 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:38 am

kg01 wrote:ETA: How about another pointed question. Name someone not currently being considered for a top3 pick who could end up Donovan Mitchell'ing them all? My vote is Sexton.

A name that's only recently come onto my radar, but checks all the boxes for this type of unexpected emergence:

Aaron Holiday.

Upperclassman, from a Power-5 conference, consistent production, steps up in big moments, translatable skillset. (He shot over 40% from three every season in college.)

Spoiler:

kg01 · Post #1757 » by **kg01** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:09 pm

Not sure what ya'll are seeing in Grayson Allen. On top of being mentally unstable, he lacks the physical tools. JJ Reddick was a far superior player to him in college and it took him several years and an attitude change to become a fringe rotation guy.

What are y'all expecting Allen to be? He's a guy who should've come out as a So. while he still had folks fooled.

@jamallllliver, the only issue I had with Holiday is he looks a bit small. This one is a kg-special (aka they played GT so I actually saw him play). You could see the talent for sure. He's basically Jrue 2.0 but in a much smaller body which makes the difference.

Post #1758 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:15 pm

kg01 wrote:Not sure what ya'll are seeing in Grayson Allen. On top of being mentally unstable, he lacks the physical tools. JJ Reddick was a far superior player to him in college and it took him several years and an attitude change to become a fringe rotation guy.

What are y'all expecting Allen to be? He's a guy who should've come out as a So. while he still had folks fooled.

@jamallllliver, the only issue I had with Holiday is he looks a bit small. This one is a kg-special (aka they played GT so I actually saw him play). You could see the talent for sure. He's basically Jrue 2.0 but in a much smaller body which makes the difference.

JJ Redick is a fringe rotation player?!?! Wow!

Grayson seems like a decent role playing three point shooter off the bench.

Holiday's size seems the biggest knock on him. I've heard Darren Collison comparisons. I could also see som[e] Isaiah Thomas type of production off the bench. (The Sacramento/Phoenix/LA version, not the Celtics MVP version.)

atlantabbq99 · Post #1759 » by **atlantabbq99** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 1:01 pm

kg01 wrote:Not sure what ya'll are seeing in Grayson Allen. On top of being mentally unstable, he lacks the physical tools. JJ Reddick was a far superior player to him in college and it took him several years and an attitude change to become a fringe rotation guy.

What are y'all expecting Allen to be? He's a guy who should've come out as a So. while he still had folks fooled.

@jamallllliver, the only issue I had with Holiday is he looks a bit small. This one is a kg-special (aka they played GT so I actually saw him play). You could see the talent for sure. He's basically Jrue 2.0 but in a much smaller body which makes the difference.

JJ is a better shooter, but Grayson is a slightly better athlete. Grayson also has better PG skills, slightly better handles than JJ and is craftier.

JJ was a lottery pick, while Grayson is projected to be a late first or early second round pick, which seems to be right for me.

Manu, Gilbert Arenas, and Michael Redd had success in the NBA as second round picks, Grayson has flaw which is what pushed him down to the second round, but quality NBA wing players can still be found in the second round.

macd-gm · Post #1760 » by **macd-gm** » Wed Mar 14, 2018 1:31 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:
kg01 wrote:Not sure what ya'll are seeing in Grayson Allen. On top of being mentally unstable, he lacks the physical tools. JJ Reddick was a far superior player to him in college and it took him several years and an attitude change to become a fringe rotation guy.

What are y'all expecting Allen to be? He's a guy who should've come out as a So. while he still had folks fooled.

@jamallllliver, the only issue I had with Holiday is he looks a bit small. This one is a kg-special (aka they played GT so I actually saw him play). You could see the talent for sure. He's basically Jrue 2.0 but in a much smaller body which makes the difference.

JJ Redick is a fringe rotation player?!?! Wow!

Grayson seems like a decent role playing three point shooter off the bench.

Holiday's size seems the biggest knock on him. I've heard Darren Collison comparisons. I could also see som[e] Isaiah Thomas type of production off the bench. (The Sacramento/Phoenix/LA version, not the Celtics MVP version.)

Agree, that's a stretch calling JJ a fringe rotation player. He's been playing 30 minutes a night for about 8 years and is making 22 milllion this year.

Are you happy with the draft?