payitforward wrote:Yes, I recall that.Of course, you couldn't have known that Saddiq Bey would be there. Or Tillman for that matter -- though that would have seemed more likely.
In any case, neither of those guys looks like the bargain of the draft. Maxey (whom I didn't particularly like), Bane (30), Tre Jones (41), & above all Kenyon Martin Jr. (52) have looked to be steals. I expect Paul Reed to join that list -- &, of course, Skylar Mays as well.
Wouldn't have mattered. So long as they don't mind Halliburton as a consolation prize. The team selects Haliburton for Dallas then works for a deal, if the package they like are there then they make a trade. If not, then we had an ideal combo guard to spell Beal/Wall (at the time).
But yeah, I had KMart2 tabbed as likely to be better than where he'd be picked, liked Bane as well. But I have been startled by how good Deni is, this quickly. Defense is one of the hardest areas for young players to adjust. The rules changes have really helped him, where Euroballers in the past get stung by being too physical on defense and not quick enough.
It makes me wonder if there are European defenders we should be hunting down. Back when I was a madman and scouting Euro players I wondered if Romain Sato or The Octopus Dimitris Diamantidis would translate to the NBA. Sato I thought yes, the ODD not so much.