2018 NBA Draft - pick #7, #22

[D_GoLow]

Please GarPax don't even think about Carter, it'll be an absolute waste of a pick.

Why?

[Ugly Duckling]

Mock draft

1 - Suns: Ayton. Future superstar you can't deny.

2- Kings: Doncic. With Vlade/Peja in the front office now, I don't see them passing up a Euro phenom so easily

3 - Hawks: Bagley. In the America, it's been a two man race between Ayton and Bagley. Once Ayton and Doncic are gone, it's clear Bagley is next to go.

4 - Memphis: JJJ. With Conley in place, they won't draft a PG. Memphis historically love their big men. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol headlined their teams for the past decade almost. JJJ being the next big man on the board, he'll be their pick.

5 - Mavericks: Bamba. This is the tricky one. Dallas needs a lot of help in a lot of areas. Historically speaking, they've targeted elite big men in the past in FA and always failed, mainly Deandre Jordan and Dwight Howard. That said, if Bamba is on the board, he'll look real nice paired with Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes.

6. Magic: Trae Young. It's a toss up between Young and Sexton. Either way, after trading away Payton last season, they are in the market for a good young point guard.

7. Bulls: Michael Porter Jr. With Dunn, Lavine, and Lauri Markkanen headlining the young core, they're missing a SF. While his back might be an issue moving forward, you can't deny the talent. The Bulls will have a toss up between Bridges/MPJ, but I think talent wins out in this case.

This seems pretty likely except 1 and 2 will be switched. Suns coach was born in Europe and coached Doncic

[Red Larrivee]

What kind of argument is that? Knowing what we know now you take Deng over Melo every time.

You could definitely make a legitimate argument to take Deng over Melo in their primes. Melo is one of the greatest isolation players ever, but aside from the Chauncey Billups year in Denver, it was extremely tough building a great team around his style. There was too much standing and watching, didnt create for others and he brought no value defensively.

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[realEAST]

Mock draft

1 - Suns: Ayton. Future superstar you can't deny.

2- Kings: Doncic. With Vlade/Peja in the front office now, I don't see them passing up a Euro phenom so easily

3 - Hawks: Bagley. In the America, it's been a two man race between Ayton and Bagley. Once Ayton and Doncic are gone, it's clear Bagley is next to go.

4 - Memphis: JJJ. With Conley in place, they won't draft a PG. Memphis historically love their big men. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol headlined their teams for the past decade almost. JJJ being the next big man on the board, he'll be their pick.

5 - Mavericks: Bamba. This is the tricky one. Dallas needs a lot of help in a lot of areas. Historically speaking, they've targeted elite big men in the past in FA and always failed, mainly Deandre Jordan and Dwight Howard. That said, if Bamba is on the board, he'll look real nice paired with Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes.

6. Magic: Trae Young. It's a toss up between Young and Sexton. Either way, after trading away Payton last season, they are in the market for a good young point guard.

7. Bulls: Michael Porter Jr. With Dunn, Lavine, and Lauri Markkanen headlining the young core, they're missing a SF. While his back might be an issue moving forward, you can't deny the talent. The Bulls will have a toss up between Bridges/MPJ, but I think talent wins out in this case.

This seems pretty likely except 1 and 2 will be switched. Suns coach was born in Europe and coached Doncic

And they have stated interest in going after Capela in FA.

[mschmidt64]

If Atlanta wants to trade up, I would give them the #7 and any player on our roster, except Lauri. If they really insisted, I would throw in the #22 pick there. But I would pretend otherwise while negotiating.

I would if Ayton or Doncic is available.

I would also be calling the Suns and Kings. Who do you want? Anyone and everyone besides Markkanen is available for the first overall pick. You want 7, 22, and a first next year? Ok.

[bigworld2017]

I haven’t done any homework on Wendell Carter.

How do people feel about a Markkanen/Carter frontline?

RoLo is getting on in years. I'd feel a lot better with a Lauri-Carter frontline than a Lauri-Felicio front line. My preference would be Bamba and JJJ in that order, with Carter as a consolation prize. He's young. He will be a solid "5" for years to come. Maybe not all-star material but certainly better than average. Carter would have an advantage with us of not having to start immediately. He could learn under RoLo and gain experience and confidence playing with our more than decent bench group. If it came down to Carter, Young or Bridges I'd probably draft Carter even though I really like Bridges. The reason is more about the overall picture than what those players could do for us next year. We are more likely to get a decent developmental SF at 22 than a solid starter at the "5". And we could add a stop gap measure like UFA Joe Harris to play the "3" for the next couple years while we develop our 2nd pick. He won't be that expensive and he's become a very solid player, shooting over 40% from beyond the arc and almost 50% from the field. Moreover, next year's draft is deep in "3"s and very few legitimate "5"s. And after next year who knows what the Draft becomes with High Schoolers coming straight out again and the "G" League becoming a legitimate farm system like Baseball has.

[MrSparkle]

Please GarPax don't even think about Carter, it'll be an absolute waste of a pick.

Why?

He's a pretty skilled player. Basically has an Al Horford game, and he definitely wasn't helped by Bagley dominating the ball. I've got him probably as the surprise steal of the draft, because he'll probably drop to 9 or 10 due to concerns about his lack of hops and OK college stats, but reality is he can very well average 20/10 at center.

Not saying I want him at 7. I'd prefer to gamble on the other guys... But I'd still investigate Carter. Key with this group will be evaluating personality. Likability/work-ethic/leadership. They all have their pros and cons. Carter is really young (perhaps the youngest prospect in the draft), has untapped potential, solid standing reach and a good character report.

I really wish we had 1 more pick in the same range. Carter, Sexton or Mikal would be good "safe" pieces to compliment a risk like Bamba, Trae or Porter. I'd definitely have the 8-11 teams on the phone. They have bad contracts to shed and/or incentive to win now.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

What kind of argument is that? Knowing what we know now you take Deng over Melo every time.

You could definitely make a legitimate argument to take Deng over Melo in their primes. Melo is one of the greatest isolation players ever, but aside from the Chauncey Billups year in Denver, it was extremely tough building a great team around his style. There was too much standing and watching, didnt create for others and he brought no value defensively.

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Include the cost of having Melo over his career.
Include all the intangible and locker room stuff.
Include lead by example.
Include the fact that Deng is a great humanitarian, I guess this falls under intangibles but Deng has gone above and beyond with his off the court stuff.

[TheFinishSniper]

What kind of argument is that? Knowing what we know now you take Deng over Melo every time.

You could definitely make a legitimate argument to take Deng over Melo in their primes. Melo is one of the greatest isolation players ever, but aside from the Chauncey Billups year in Denver, it was extremely tough building a great team around his style. There was too much standing and watching, didnt create for others and he brought no value defensively.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Include the cost of having Melo over his career.
Include all the intangible and locker room stuff.
Include lead by example.
Include the fact that Deng is a great humanitarian, I guess this falls under intangibles but Deng has gone above and beyond with his off the court stuff.

But Melo will be HoFer and Deng is nobody in big picture. And this comes from Deng fan. Difference in talent is huge.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

You could definitely make a legitimate argument to take Deng over Melo in their primes. Melo is one of the greatest isolation players ever, but aside from the Chauncey Billups year in Denver, it was extremely tough building a great team around his style. There was too much standing and watching, didnt create for others and he brought no value defensively.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Include the cost of having Melo over his career.
Include all the intangible and locker room stuff.
Include lead by example.
Include the fact that Deng is a great humanitarian, I guess this falls under intangibles but Deng has gone above and beyond with his off the court stuff.

But Melo will be HoFer and Deng is nobody in big picture. And this comes from Deng fan. Difference in talent is huge.

What’s the goal? HOF or winning?

[The Force.]

Guys, we have a center, his name is Lauri Markkanen. Wendell Carter would be a fine pick.... in 1998. In 2018 Wendell Carter will be on the bench in the 4th quarter as teams go small and fast.

Lauri is 7ft tall, moves well, and is a very serviceable defender. Oh and he happens to be an excellent shooter. That's a prototypical NBA starting center in 2018. If you want a Rolo replacement you look for one at 22, but certainly not 7.

This draft is about a) MPJ or b) Mikal Bridges. You take a wing at 7, not a freaking center.

[TheFinishSniper]

What’s the goal? HOF or winning?

Well winning. But from personal accomplishment in basketball Melo did more. People also say Melo is a loser but when you look at Deng's basketball accomplishments at the end of day Melo still won more and had better milestones.

[ImSlower]

• The Kings made that jump only because they lost a "coin flip" (actually a separate drawing) in April with the Bulls. Had that coin flip gone the other way, Chicago owns the four-number combination in question and is picking No. 2. Atlanta similarly won Tuesday night by losing a coin flip with Dallas, which fell to No. 5.

!@#)%|*)@#$%^*)!@$*() ()#$%*() )(!*#@$)(* ^) ^)(*#!)(*

[bigworld2017]

Bridges offensive game consists of driving for dunks, and shooting 3s. Those are the limits. He's a junior. If he had more than that, he'd be showing it by now. He would have had a bright green light on that team.

Maybe you're right, I'll keep that in mind. I don't see why he wouldn't be able to develop his handles though. He's no stiff. That would be the next step to his elevation IMO

I'm not clear on what Jay Wright's philosophy is, balanced scoring seems to be some of it. However, tough to understand what would have been the holdup for Bridges to use, or work on tools.

Jay Wright's philosophy?.....Winning. His teams have won two NCAAs in recent years with less overall talent than Duke, Kentucky, and probably NC. This last team was a joy to watch, and while they might see 4 players get drafted 3 of them are likely to go either late 1st or in the 2nd round. With Nova different guys stepped up at different times, against different match-ups. None of the Nova players was a diva, determined to get "their" points so as to look better on Draft Day. They shared the ball, defended aggressively, and fed whoever had the hot hand or most exploitable matchup. Look at the Conference Finals right now. The teams that have 4-6 players in double figures are beating the teams that rely very heavily on their primary scorer. That's the formula that CAN work for us. No ball dominant isolation players. Just good two way players who can shoot and who like sharing the ball. We have quite a few players that can score. I'd rather have 5 starters getting 15 points a game on 30 minutes of playing time coupled with a better than average bench, than a $30 Million Dollar 30 year old getting 32 points a game on 25 shots. That's just my preference. Boston is becoming a prime example of this philosophy. They are becoming the Warriors East. It will be a very interesting Finals if they meet up.

[MrSparkle]

Ironic thing is I can totally see Ayton to Suns being a flop, despite the high-ceiling and irresistibility of the pick. They're gonna have the most centers (Len, Chandler, Chriss, Bender) and young players (rest of the roster) in the league, and still no playmaker. And they're basically adding another defensive liability (until he develops/fixes that side, anyway) to their long list of defenseless players. And unfortunately for them, I'm not sure Sacramento will want to trade up for Ayton since Kings will be happy taking Doncic.

Tricky choice. Looking at the Suns, they'd be pretty new-age and exciting with Booker/Doncic lighting up the arc.

[ChettheJet]

I know it's only one pick down from the expected #6 but at this point I think they have to stay at #7 and take whoever falls from the expected 1-6. I'm growing on the idea of taking Bamba if he's there. That might require starting today on finding a way to trade either Asik or Felicio on draft day. Take a second round pick, make them part of a deal, whatever, just start to find a way to move one or both of them. Having watched the Bulls' way of doing things if they go for a 3 it will be Mikal Bridges who is from a championship program and a junior.

The one thing people who want Bridges or Porter or the rest don't know is how they come across in interviews and what kind of research into their character comes out. Teams see the potential on the court but most teams put some weight on what kind of person the player is and how he conducts himself. And that is something fans have no way of knowing anything about some 19-21 year old kid,

Second I can see a benefit in moving either UP from 22, even 4-5 spots, by adding Valentine, Holiday, Grant or Payne. A team in rebuild mode or one that wants to take a slightly lower rookie deal at 22. The second choice would be giving up #22 plus maybe Asik, Felicio or Grant for a solid rotation player and a couple of seconds to a team with no pick at this time. Some team that has identified a guy they like and want to get into the 1st to get him.

If they take Bamba at #7 they really need to take a 3 with the #22 pick and I don't think they get a starter that late. If they take the 3 at #7 whatever big they could draft at #22 isn't going to be ready to step into the rotation from the start. They could take a backup PG at #22 but that means they would have to deal Grant and or Payne to thin the crowd.

So I'm not afraid to stay at #7 because it would cost too much to move up and I don't like staying at #22 because that guy isn't going to make a big impact.

[tunit213]

Just to add more salt to the wound lol....

Well before that televised moment, Joey Reinsdorf, Michael's college-aged son, the Bulls representative in the actual lottery drawing room, saw the first two numbers fall the Bulls' way to the No. 2 pick, before the third ping-pong ball knocked them out of a chance to move up.

https://theathletic.com/355928/2018/05/15/wave-goodbye-to-your-lottery-dreams-bulls-fans-and-think-about-lucky-no-7/

[biggestbullsfan]

If Atlanta wants to trade up, I would give them the #7 and any player on our roster, except Lauri. If they really insisted, I would throw in the #22 pick there. But I would pretend otherwise while negotiating.

I would if Ayton or Doncic is available.

I would also be calling the Suns and Kings. Who do you want? Anyone and everyone besides Markkanen is available for the first overall pick. You want 7, 22, and a first next year? Ok.

I doubt they trade down if Ayton or Doncic are available. I think they are only trading on the assumption that both are gone. 3-7 are somewhat interchangeable to an extent.

[realEAST]

Ironic thing is I can totally see Ayton to Suns being a flop, despite the high-ceiling and irresistibility of the pick. They're gonna have the most centers (Len, Chandler, Chriss, Bender) and young players (rest of the roster) in the league, and still no playmaker. And they're basically adding another defensive liability (until he develops/fixes that side, anyway) to their long list of defenseless players. And unfortunately for them, I'm not sure Sacramento will want to trade up for Ayton since Kings will be happy taking Doncic.

Tricky choice. Looking at the Suns, they'd be pretty new-age and exciting with Booker/Doncic lighting up the arc.

It might not seem at first, but Doncic is much better fit there than Ayton. He brings exactly what thay need, while Ayton doesn't help in any department they need it.

[Darius Miles Davis]

“We’ve tiered (players) and so we have a group. The worst we could have drafted was No. 9. The best we could have done was obviously No. 1. Six to nine, we have a tier of guys we’ll look at and dissect.” - Paxson yesterday

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-spt-bulls-nba-draft-lottery-20180515-story.html

Several players, if not all of those players, will be on the board when they pick at 7. This gives a bit of insight as to their draft board. There's a pretty strong consensus top 4 picks in this draft. I wonder who the Bulls have #5. And then #s 6-9. Did this get anyone else thinking?