2016 NBA Draft thread

[BC867]

I don't think Knight is a problem if the Suns realize he is primarily a SG and play him accordingly. Of course the Suns would have to get a pass first PG to play behind Bledsoe. My concern regarding Knight is the Suns do not seem to realize his limitations. When Booker takes on ball handling duties with Knight as a SG it seems to work. So I think keeping Knight would work if the Suns add a pass first PG when Bledsoe is not in the lineup.

I've read this over and over and every time it seems to cater to Bledsoe and Knight and relegate Booker to third out of three.

The Suns are past that point. Booker, as a Shooting Guard who can facilitate, is our future in the back court. No one should block him from that.

 

[Russ Smith]

Not according to Givoney ( Draftexpress), he blames it on Cals lineups and systems and playing Jaylen Brown without any shooters on the floor.

Kris Dunn was meh in a narrow win
Jamal Murray had a bad half and a good half
Skal Labissiere showed flashes
Ivan Rabb was good in a loss
Domatas Sabonis was good
Gary Payton II was good in a loss
Jaylen Brown was poor in a loss
Poetl was ok
Taurean Prince was good in a loss.
Valentine was meh in a loss
Deyonta Davis limited productive minutes in a loss.

Too bad we won't see more of Rabb, Davis, Brown, Prince, Valentine..

From Payton II I don't need to see more.

Cal was missing 2 starters but the biggest issue they had was brown, he was terrible when he was in and because of the 2 missing starters when he fouled out he completely let his team down.

Great athlete, but not yet a great player.

 

[Mainstreet]

I've read this over and over and every time it seems to cater to Bledsoe and Knight and relegate Booker to third out of three.

The Suns are past that point. Booker, as a Shooting Guard who can facilitate, is our future in the back court. No one should block him from that.

I've been very consistent in my posts that Booker should start at SG beside Bledsoe. Knight would have to accept coming off the bench as the third guard.

Only for purposes of illustration, Bledsoe would act like Westbrook and Booker would act like Harden. Maybe that makes it clearer.

 

[Russ Smith]

Jakob Poetl is not good, surprise.

he was both sick and playing on a sprained ankle but I blame the coach to be honest. The game was 6 when he got his 2nd foul. Larry pulled him and by halftime it was 15.

Don't save the guy for the 2nd half while the game gets away, play him with 2 fouls. If he was too sick or hobbled to play, he should have never played in the 2nd half.

It always drives me nuts when coaches get so concerned about fouls they sit a guy and watch the game get away.

 

[BC867]

I've been very consistent in my posts that Booker should start at SG beside Bledsoe. Knight would have to accept coming off the bench as the third guard.

But even if Knight agreed to that . . .

He would be competing with Booker for playing time.

He is an undersized and inconstant Shooting Guard.

Trying to fit Knight into the equation now that Booker has come into his own would do much more harm than good.

Somehow, the GM has to figure out how to move Knight before next season.

 

[Mainstreet]

Ben Simmons is moving to Phoenix.

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 1h1 hour ago

Ben Simmons has withdrawn from school officially and is moving to Phoenix until the NBA Draft, source tells @SNYtv

Could this mean anything?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Ben Simmons is moving to Phoenix.



Could this mean anything?

Doesn't his sister work in Scottsdale? But even if there's no familial reason for this relocation, I can't see how this would mean anything to us.

 

[Phrazbit]

It doesn't matter if he wants to play for us, all that matters is the draft order.

 

[Cheesebeef]

He hasn't bombed out of three places. He actually played very well for us early in the year when he played next to Bledsoe. He is just not a pg. He is an effective 2. We have a starting 2 in Booker which makes Knight redundant unless he comes off the bench. He might be more willing to come off the bench with a playoff level team.

he has bombed out of three places. We're already talking about moving him and the last two teams he's been on have shipped his ass out.

 

[Mainstreet]

Doesn't his sister work in Scottsdale? But even if there's no familial reason for this relocation, I can't see how this would mean anything to us.

This is why I was asking... if there was a possible reason for him to to Phoenix.

 

[SirStefan32]

This is why I was asking... if there was a possible reason for him to to Phoenix.

If I were to have a few months to hang out before I get really rich, I'd probably hang out in Arizona.

 

[Mainstreet]

If I were to have a few months to hang out before I get really rich, I'd probably hang out in Arizona.

Maybe he could get rich and play in Arizona.

I have seen players tell their agents where they want to play and I have seen draft time trades... just saying.

 

[Phrazbit]

he has bombed out of three places. We're already talking about moving him and the last two teams he's been on have shipped his ass out.

I wouldn't call his time in Milwaukee bombing out. He played well for them and they totally collapsed after shipping him out. I agree his time here has hurt him and his ability vs his contract makes him, at best, value neutral. But "bombing out" IMO is over the top, just because they let traded him does not mean he was a disaster for them. They shipped off a guy who was playing well for them, but taking touches away from guys they liked more and who was about to get paid. IMO its as simple as that.

But... we paid him, a lot and then he got hurt, a lot. Even so, I think we could still move him, just with virtually no return. A ton of teams are going to have a ton of space, so much so that I think teams will literally run out of guys to throw money at.

 

[Phrazbit]

Maybe he could get rich and play in Arizona.

I have seen players tell their agents where they want to play and I have seen draft time trades... just saying.

I think its extremely unlikely, like one in a million unlikely, that he would risk his status as the top pick to force his way here. I can't recall that ever happening in the NBA, especially seeing as you're going to have some storied franchises (like Boston or LA) likely ahead of us if we don't get #1. No player's agent is going let their client start their career by taking a dump their draft positioning and a potentially lucrative future destination.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think its extremely unlikely, like one in a million unlikely, that he would risk his status as the top pick to force his way here. I can't recall that ever happening in the NBA, especially seeing as you're going to have some storied franchises (like Boston or LA) likely ahead of us if we don't get #1. No player's agent is going let their client start their career by taking a dump their draft positioning and a potentially lucrative future destination.

Perhaps a team with the top 1 or 2 pick have made it known they would trade out of this position. It could happen.



__________________________

 

[Russ Smith]

Ben Simmons is moving to Phoenix.



Could this mean anything?

He's from Melbourne, looking to find a place in the US that's hot enough for him.

 

[Mainstreet]

He's from Melbourne, looking to find a place in the US that's hot enough for him.

Well Phoenix can certainly provide that.

 

[3rdside]

Melbourne is cold and windy for a good chunk of the year with hot, dry summers (Mediterranean climate). Heat waves can push it beyond 40 degs Celsius for days at a time but I doubt it's hot like Phoenix. I have a brother and sister who live there..


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[sunsfan88]

He hasn't bombed out of three places. He actually played very well for us early in the year when he played next to Bledsoe. He is just not a pg. He is an effective 2. We have a starting 2 in Booker which makes Knight redundant unless he comes off the bench. He might be more willing to come off the bench with a playoff level team.

You need to talk to Knight and tell him then because he himself has gone on record saying that he's a PG and that he would rather be a true PG of the team rather than having to split PG duties with Bledsoe.

His ego is bigger than his actual game.

And even with the rising cap, $15M/yr for another 5 years coming off the bench is insane.

 

[Catlover]

You need to talk to Knight and tell him then because he himself has gone on record saying that he's a PG and that he would rather be a true PG of the team rather than having to split PG duties with Bledsoe.

His ego is bigger than his actual game.

And even with the rising cap, $15M/yr for another 5 years coming off the bench is insane.

I don't remember him saying anything about not wanting to split PG duties with Bledsoe, do you have a link? I know Jason Kidd tried and failed to convince him to move to the shooting guard spot but I'd hoped that was behind him now. He knew what his responsibilities were going to be and he seemed to accept the move willingly when he signed his new contract.

I think he's only locked up for another 4 years and it's at 14 million per year. And if he's good at his job it won't be an overpay. He'd be backing up both guard positions and filling in as a starter. IOW not your typical bench player. If he's not good at his job that's going to be a problem, financially and on the court.

 

[sunsfan88]

I don't remember him saying anything about not wanting to split PG duties with Bledsoe, do you have a link? I know Jason Kidd tried and failed to convince him to move to the shooting guard spot but I'd hoped that was behind him now. He knew what his responsibilities were going to be and he seemed to accept the move willingly when he signed his new contract.

I think he's only locked up for another 4 years and it's at 14 million per year. And if he's good at his job it won't be an overpay. He'd be backing up both guard positions and filling in as a starter. IOW not your typical bench player. If he's not good at his job that's going to be a problem, financially and on the court.

He didn't directly say Bledsoe's name but he did say that he prefers to play as the lone 1 with a prototypical 2.

I don't think he would be that great of an option off the bench. I think a lesser version of prime Jamal Crawford and current Lou Williams. And those guys were sure as heck not making the kind of starting caliber salary that Knight's making today. I think a poor man's prime Barbosa may be the best comparison for Knight quite frankly.

 

[slinslin]

Simmons moving to Phoenix is definitely not a bad thing.

I still want him more than anyone else in the draft. He is the perfect fit in theory for the Suns at the 4 and his talents are tailor-made for the basketball that the Suns stand for.

 

[Russ Smith]

Melbourne is cold and windy for a good chunk of the year with hot, dry summers (Mediterranean climate). Heat waves can push it beyond 40 degs Celsius for days at a time but I doubt it's hot like Phoenix. I have a brother and sister who live there..


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I have cousins and other relatives who live there they've never described it as anything but hot as hell but you could be right. I was there for 3 days and it was in the high 80's to 90's every day and everyone was saying it was cool.

 

[slinslin]

I have cousins and other relatives who live there they've never described it as anything but hot as hell but you could be right. I was there for 3 days and it was in the high 80's to 90's every day and everyone was saying it was cool.

it is similiar to phoenix actually but about 4° Celsius cooler on average.

Winter months in Phoenix are between 12-24° and in Melbourne between 8-20° while Summer months in Phoenix peak at up to 48° and in Melbourne up to 44°

Plus it is on the coast but it is hotter in the Summer than San Diego.

 

[3rdside]

I have cousins and other relatives who live there they've never described it as anything but hot as hell but you could be right. I was there for 3 days and it was in the high 80's to 90's every day and everyone was saying it was cool.

Melbourne's a weird one as it's right on the border of two distinct weather patterns; a hot desert one from the north and frozen Antarctic one from the south. Never has the saying 4 seasons in one day been more appropriate. I was there last year and left the house in the morning in 6 degree sideways rain / sleet to finding myself in a pub later that day stripping down to a t-shirt cause it was over 30degs.

But it's generally a mild climate - not that cold in winter compared to Europe and only the occasional bout of 'extreme' heat to deal with in summer (where the average high temperature is about 26degs only).

Of course with climate change, these bouts are becoming more frequent, and your relatives aren't wrong; they can be unbearably hot.


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