JLiv wrote:I might be in the minority here but I won’t be laying in bed nine years from now thinking we should’ve taken someone other than Cade or Green. This board would have been in shambles if we took Barnes or Mobley (although most people would have eventually gotten over it with Mobley). As long as Cade becomes the player we think he’ll be, there’s no need to feel like we drafted the wrong guy.
Think about the 2018 draft. The top 5 was:
Ayton
Bagley
Doncic
Jackson Jr
Young
Every team hopes they end up with the Luka of the draft, but the draft is nothing but a crapshoot. The Suns shouldn’t be blamed for passing on Doncic, even if they end up not retaining Ayton. Is he not the guy they, and plenty of other teams, believed was the #1 pick? You can’t call him a bust, he proved to be instrumental in a finals run and is a great player. He’s more or less what they hoped he’d be. Looking at the 2018 top 5, the only team that should feel bad about its pick is The Kings. Bagley is the only guy that’s not progressing and hasn’t shown anything.
Even if Josh Giddey turns into the freaking GOAT, and Scottie Barnes is the new Kawhi, Mobley is a healthy AD, and Cade Cunningham only turns into a Middleton type, that’s not on Troy Weaver or us for being ‘uninformed’ or ‘dumb’ regarding the other players! The draft is a crap shoot.
I was a frequent reader here in 2015 when we were split between Stanley J and Justise W. Both busted. There used to be arguments about KCP, McLemore, or Burke. In that situation we chose the right guy. Unless you wanna act like you had knowledge no one else had, and knew Giannis would be Giannis instead of a Bruno Caboclo.
Cade Cunningham missed training camp and all of preseason and has played in seven NBA games total. Boys thought Killian Hayes would never learn to shoot, now he’s shooting 43.3% from 3 over these 12 games. He’s blossoming right before our eyes, even though a majority of the fan base counted him out. He’s progressing even though the general board has called him out for being ‘trash’ multiple times. Cade will fix the turnover issue and take smarter shots soon enough. Just be patient. Admiring Mobley’s and Barnes’ first 1/7th of an NBA season is fine - we’re basketball fans. They could very well prove to be better players than Cade. But you’ll run yourself crazy feeling sad about players none of us wanted with the #1 pick.
I understand your perpsective and I actually agree with it. You and fellow Pistons fans should be happy if Cade Cunningham becomes All-NBA level
But me personally and I know decent amount of people in RGM as well, thought Luka Doncic was clear #1 overall pick and was generational prospect in terms of Zion 2019, AD 2012, KD & Oden 2007 (Oden coming out of Ohio State was Generational, injuries ruined him) 2007 and LeBron in 2003.
This is what Luka was doing in EuroLeague as a teenager
Dončić won the EuroLeague MVP award, being its youngest winner, after averaging 16 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game over 33 EuroLeague games and leading the league in PIR. He also repeated as the EuroLeague Rising Star, becoming the third back-to-back winner.
It was obvious to me & alot of people that Luka was generational and Phoenix and SacTown have no excuses making those picks, and Atlanta as well for that matter.
2021 Draft is def strong but to me, they're wasn't clear cut #1 guy, instead Tier 1 of prospects of Cade, Green, Mobley & Suggs. (And Barnes was tier 1 prospect to front offices, I believe Magic would of taken Barnes if Suggs went to the Raptors at 4.)