2016 NBA Draft thread

[slinslin]

There isn't a game-changing PF in this draft, nor is there a real PG in this draft. Draft the BPA and look at trades and free agency to balance things out.

Ben Simmons is a PF.

Also this guy will declare or just declared

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Insta-lock at #12. He is a great athlete, good wingspan, surprising all-around tools for a forward he can shoot and handle some.

Biggest thing for him is maturity.

But yeah the interesting PFs are all potential players like Chriss and Davis.

Rabb is a pretty bad athlete, he reminds me of Channing Frye in college when I watch him. Sabonis like I said before is a really bad athlete and plays more like a center.

Ellenson is pretty ok I think.

Bender, Labissiere, Damian Jones will be centers in my opinion.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I am down for Hield if we end up third. Bring on the double SG backcourt.

Great shooting guards like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Michael Jordan never needed a PG except on defense. In fact they were not at their best with a dominant PG. Kobe and Nash did not work, Kobe and Payton did not work, Penny and Kidd did not work.

I agree. Both Hield and Booker have some PG skills and together could run the offense without a true PG to go with them. They would also form a backcourt with a lot of size and of course great shooting as well as versatile scoring ability. The key is that they can both play good team ball and distribute the ball where someone is open. That really could be a good tandem a year or 2 down the road.

 

[slinslin]

I actually think that the NBA is trending away from the old NBA style of ball dominant guards that dribble the ball.

If you watch European basketball there is not really that NBA style PG position.

I think the Spurs are a good example of a team that does not really need traditional PG play.

 

[SirStefan32]

Ben Simmons is a PF.

Also this guy will declare or just declared

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVdSqMQr-5k

Insta-lock at #12. He is a great athlete, good wingspan, surprising all-around tools for a forward he can shoot and handle some.

Biggest thing for him is maturity.

But yeah the interesting PFs are all potential players like Chriss and Davis.

Rabb is a pretty bad athlete, he reminds me of Channing Frye in college when I watch him. Sabonis like I said before is a really bad athlete and plays more like a center.

Ellenson is pretty ok I think.

Bender, Labissiere, Damian Jones will be centers in my opinion.

Simmons has "Michael Beasley" written all over him, but my comment was more geared towards what's going to be available when we pick (likely 3-5).

The rest of them are projects. The rest of them are either flawed or long-term projects that could go either way.

My point was that there is no Anthony Davis or Blake Griffin in this draft, so it's OK to draft the BPA even if he plays the same position as your current star.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I've seen several people make the Ben Simmons to Michael Beasley comparison and it's not really clear what they are saying. If they mean, we should have similar concerns now with Simmons as some draft people had about Beasley pre-draft, then yes, I agree. But it didn't take long for it to become obvious to most people that Beasley was never going to be even a starter and if that's the comparison they're making, I would strongly disagree.

Simmons should have value in the NBA, what's really at question is whether he'll become a star. He clearly has that potential but there are too many concerns to feel safe that he'll actually come close to that potential. So, he's a greater risk than you'd want to take at that first spot but he still has incredible potential. It's scary having to take him with the first pick but in a good draft year he'd go somewhere around 8th and the team taking him would be excited at having drafted a decent player that could become the next Giannis.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I've seen several people make the Ben Simmons to Michael Beasley comparison and it's not really clear what they are saying. If they mean, we should have similar concerns now with Simmons as some draft people had about Beasley pre-draft, then yes, I agree. But it didn't take long for it to become obvious to most people that Beasley was never going to be even a starter and if that's the comparison they're making, I would strongly disagree.

Simmons should have value in the NBA, what's really at question is whether he'll become a star. He clearly has that potential but there are too many concerns to feel safe that he'll actually come close to that potential. So, he's a greater risk than you'd want to take at that first spot but he still has incredible potential. It's scary having to take him with the first pick but in a good draft year he'd go somewhere around 8th and the team taking him would be excited at having drafted a decent player that could become the next Giannis.

he's going to be much more Lamar Odom then Beasley, IMO.

 

[slinslin]

People say Simmons is stupid because of his GPA but he does not come across stupid at all in his interviews that angle seems to be totally overplayed, he simply did not care for the fake classes that LSU set up.

Simmons reminds me of Boris Diaw with the Suns but he should be able to be more of a focal point.

 

[AzStevenCal]

People say Simmons is stupid because of his GPA but he does not come across stupid at all in his interviews that angle seems to be totally overplayed, he simply did not care for the fake classes that LSU set up.

Simmons reminds me of Boris Diaw with the Suns but he should be able to be more of a focal point.

I hadn't heard that but stupid and unmotivated aren't the same thing. He isn't stupid on the court that's for sure.

 

[Russ Smith]

Ben Simmons is a PF.

Also this guy will declare or just declared

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVdSqMQr-5k

Insta-lock at #12. He is a great athlete, good wingspan, surprising all-around tools for a forward he can shoot and handle some.

Biggest thing for him is maturity.

But yeah the interesting PFs are all potential players like Chriss and Davis.

Rabb is a pretty bad athlete, he reminds me of Channing Frye in college when I watch him. Sabonis like I said before is a really bad athlete and plays more like a center.

Ellenson is pretty ok I think.

Bender, Labissiere, Damian Jones will be centers in my opinion.

MArquese is a great athlete and he can shoot. He has very little in between game right now but that's common at that age, especially a kid like him who had a huge growth spurt in HS and went from being a guard to playing the 5 in HS in essentially one summer. As a guard he handled the ball and shot the 3, and then suddenly he was playing the post and catching lobs and dunking so he never learned the in between game.

Fascinating kid, saw him in HS before the growth spurt and people were talking abuot the kid next him at PG, now he's a lottery pick.

 

[sunsfan88]

As far as Hield goes, you can never have too many shooters. We have him locked in for four years- develop him, play him as Booker's backup, or even pair him up with Booker in a smaller lineup. Booker can play SF for a few minutes per game. If he turns into a solid player, trade him at some point in the next four years.

Yea but you don't draft a player top 3 to be a backup. You just don't.

Suns have ran into massive issues in recent years trying to stockpile players at one position, I hope they have learned their lesson from that.

 

[Mainstreet]

Yea but you don't draft a player top 3 to be a backup. You just don't.

Suns have ran into massive issues in recent years trying to stockpile players at one position, I hope they have learned their lesson from that.

The Suns problems involved signing veteran players like Bledsoe, Knight and IT who all wanted to start at PG. This created the havoc.

Especially in this draft, who is to say you get a starter in the first three picks. Every NBA team wants to draft a player that can start eventually. However, many rookies are not ready to start their first season. Other than Booker, the Suns need competition at the other four positions. The good thing about drafting a rookie is you have them on a rookie contract to evaluate for several years.

There is no need to start them unless they are really, really good or they fill a position of need.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Yea but you don't draft a player top 3 to be a backup. You just don't.

Suns have ran into massive issues in recent years trying to stockpile players at one position, I hope they have learned their lesson from that.

I disagree. Just look at OKC, they drafted Harden with the 3rd pick and he never started for them in 3 years. Then they turned around and traded him for a big return. Buddy would be fine at 3 or later as long as we can trade knight in the offseason. Otherwise there would be too many guards like you alluded to.

Also I'm not saying that we would need to trade him either as I think that both Hield and Booker could play on the court together quite effectively.

 

[GatorAZ]

The Suns aren't in position to draft for need. We need talent regardless of position. Keep stockpiling assets, overachieve to get star's attention and then strike. We could trade for a disgruntled star like Paul George in a year then attract a Westbrook or Griffin in FA. Remember McD worked for Ainge when they created the Celtic super team.

 

[Finito]

Yea but you don't draft a player top 3 to be a backup. You just don't.

Suns have ran into massive issues in recent years trying to stockpile players at one position, I hope they have learned their lesson from that.

Wrong. It's been proven time and time again when your drafting at the top you take the best player available.

The Trailblazers had Clyde Drexler at SG so they passed on Micheal Jordan cause they needed a big drafting Bowie.

The Pistons had a young Rip Hamilton so they passed on Carmelo to draft a big in Darko

You take the best player available.

If that's Buddy, Sabonis, Brice Johnson whoever it is

 

[sunsfan88]

The Suns problems involved signing veteran players like Bledsoe, Knight and IT who all wanted to start at PG. This created the havoc.

Especially in this draft, who is to say you get a starter in the first three picks. Every NBA team wants to draft a player that can start eventually. However, many rookies are not ready to start their first season. Other than Booker, the Suns need competition at the other four positions. The good thing about drafting a rookie is you have them on a rookie contract to evaluate for several years.

There is no need to start them unless they are really, really good or they fill a position of need.

But still, the point is that you want to draft someone who will be your starter at that position in a year or less.

I don't want our #3 pick to be starting over Booker. And I don't like the idea of moving Hield or Booker to PG or worse, SF.

I disagree. Just look at OKC, they drafted Harden with the 3rd pick and he never started for them in 3 years. Then they turned around and traded him for a big return. Buddy would be fine at 3 or later as long as we can trade knight in the offseason. Otherwise there would be too many guards like you alluded to.

Also I'm not saying that we would need to trade him either as I think that both Hield and Booker could play on the court together quite effectively.

One of the biggest reasons that Thunder fans hated Scott Brooks was because he never started Harden over Sefolosha. They have practically begged for that to happen there for years. And even in hindsight, they should have started him especially with his passing ability.

And even then, OKC desperately needed a defensive player because Durant and Westbrook were poor defenders at the time so they went with Sefolosha over Harden. Harden still ended up playing more minutes than Sefolosha on most nights.

Wrong. It's been proven time and time again when your drafting at the top you take the best player available.

The Trailblazers had Clyde Drexler at SG so they passed on Micheal Jordan cause they needed a big drafting Bowie.

The Pistons had a young Rip Hamilton so they passed on Carmelo to draft a big in Darko

You take the best player available.

If that's Buddy, Sabonis, Brice Johnson whoever it is

Yea I'm sure Babby told McD the same thing when they decided to sign draft Tyler Ennis despite having both Bledsoe, and Dragic. That sure turned out great right? Oh yea and then signing the "best available" free agent at the time in Isaiah Thomas....I don't wanna go through that mess again.

Either Booker or Hield will say something to the media about being unhappy and then the media and fans will predictably turn on whoever said it and make them out to be some whining baby.

If Hield was like some elite prospect like Jordan was, then I would say no screw it yea take Jordan.

Hield is just not that elite of a prospect. He may end up an elite player if he continues to develop and work hard and all that (which applies to basically all players) but as a prospect, he's not that special. He's not a "can't miss" prospect.

Other than Ingram and maybe Simmons, there are none of those in this draft in my opinion.

 

[sunsfan88]

I hadn't heard that but stupid and unmotivated aren't the same thing. He isn't stupid on the court that's for sure.

Yea I don't think one has much to do with the other anyway. It's been reported that Eric Bledsoe couldn't pas high school algebra and also perhaps cheated on his SAT test but that hasn't really shunned his game on the court.

On the contrary, Brandon Knight got great grades and was fantastic academically without cheating (by all accounts) and yet he's one of the dumbest players on the court in the NBA and he's 2nd all time in Shaqtin a Fool appearances behind Javale McGee. Constantly makes stupid decisions on the court.

So yea his grades don't worry me that much as to whether it will have a big impact on his basketball game.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yea I don't think one has much to do with the other anyway. It's been reported that Eric Bledsoe couldn't pas high school algebra and also perhaps cheated on his SAT test but that hasn't really shunned his game on the court.

On the contrary, Brandon Knight got great grades and was fantastic academically without cheating (by all accounts) and yet he's one of the dumbest players on the court in the NBA and he's 2nd all time in Shaqtin a Fool appearances behind Javale McGee. Constantly makes stupid decisions on the court.

So yea his grades don't worry me that much as to whether it will have a big impact on his basketball game.

Are you sure? I try to know as little about that stupid segment as possible but I would have thought that Kendrick Perkins was in the top 2.

 

[JCSunsfan]

But still, the point is that you want to draft someone who will be your starter at that position in a year or less.

I don't want our #3 pick to be starting over Booker. And I don't like the idea of moving Hield or Booker to PG or worse, SF.

One of the biggest reasons that Thunder fans hated Scott Brooks was because he never started Harden over Sefolosha. They have practically begged for that to happen there for years. And even in hindsight, they should have started him especially with his passing ability.

And even then, OKC desperately needed a defensive player because Durant and Westbrook were poor defenders at the time so they went with Sefolosha over Harden. Harden still ended up playing more minutes than Sefolosha on most nights.


Yea I'm sure Babby told McD the same thing when they decided to sign draft Tyler Ennis despite having both Bledsoe, and Dragic. That sure turned out great right? Oh yea and then signing the "best available" free agent at the time in Isaiah Thomas....I don't wanna go through that mess again.

Either Booker or Hield will say something to the media about being unhappy and then the media and fans will predictably turn on whoever said it and make them out to be some whining baby.

If Hield was like some elite prospect like Jordan was, then I would say no screw it yea take Jordan.

Hield is just not that elite of a prospect. He may end up an elite player if he continues to develop and work hard and all that (which applies to basically all players) but as a prospect, he's not that special. He's not a "can't miss" prospect.

Other than Ingram and maybe Simmons, there are none of those in this draft in my opinion.

If you take the best available and you are picking that high, AND its a already a position of strength on the team, you have to trade someone. You cannot convey the illusion that they will all play together.

In this draft, it might be better to trade the pick.

 

[Phrazbit]

Yea I'm sure Babby told McD the same thing when they decided to sign draft Tyler Ennis despite having both Bledsoe, and Dragic. That sure turned out great right?

What a straw man argument, even for you. Comparing hypothetical BPA options at 3rd or 4th to a dude who was taken 18th... that is a joke. I guarantee there will be quality to be had when the Suns pick, but finding the right guy is a different matter. Opposed to when Ennis was picked; late enough in the draft that finding anything decent is playing long odds.

Even with the benefit of retrospect, out of nearly 50 guys who went after Ennis, so far, ONE (Rodney Hood) is having a decent career. But you go on banging that drum. Troll.

 

[hcsilla]

Rabb is a pretty bad athlete, he reminds me of Channing Frye in college when I watch him.

No, Frye was a much better post-up player and shooter in college.

Rabb has a soft touch around the rim but he simply and solely uses only his length.

Otherwise I don't see the NBA-skills nor the potential in Rabb. He is young and knows how to use his length and that's it. I doubt that usually that nets you a lottery pick status.

Chriss is a tall SF and a breath-taking athlete even at NBA standards. He has a nice-looking jumpshot and is a surefire top10 pick, IMO and wouldn't be surprised if he goes top5.

 

[hcsilla]

There isn't a game-changing PF in this draft, nor is there a real PG in this draft.

There is a real PG: Kris Dunn.

 

[slinslin]

Kris Dunn is a lot like Bledsoe though and he is a 4th year junior, so basically a senior.

I don't think we need more than a backup PG. I like Dejounte Murray or as a 3rd string PG Payton II, Tyler Ulis or Kay Felder.

Wade Baldwin and Demetrius Jackson are also pretty decent prospects imo.

I am intrigued by the possibility of maybe trading Knight or maybe even Bledsoe to Sacramento for their pick (#7) if Dunn or Hield is still on the board. Or if the projections for Chriss are outside our range at #12.

 

[DWKB]

I am down for Hield if we end up third. Bring on the double SG backcourt.

Great shooting guards like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Michael Jordan never needed a PG except on defense. In fact they were not at their best with a dominant PG. Kobe and Nash did not work, Kobe and Payton did not work, Penny and Kidd did not work.

Buddy Hield excels because he has two other ball handlers that allow him to roam without the ball like Rip Hamilton. You put the ball in his hands too much and I think you risk minimizing his offensive ability. That and requiring him to guard on ball when he's not used to having that responsibility sounds risky.

 

[Mainstreet]

There is a real PG: Kris Dunn.

And I wouldn't hesitate to draft Dunn at #3 or later if he is considered the BPA. If he can improve his handle he could help the Suns a lot playing behind Bledsoe while he learns. I know a lot of posters do not want another guard but the Suns need need a backup PG in the worst way should Bledsoe get injured. Ronnie Price is not the answer. The erratic play by the Suns can often be attributed to poor play from the PG position.

 

[JCSunsfan]

And I wouldn't hesitate to draft Dunn at #3 or later if he is considered the BPA. If he can improve his handle he could help the Suns a lot playing behind Bledsoe while he learns. I know a lot of posters do not want another guard but the Suns need need a backup PG in the worst way should Bledsoe get injured. Ronnie Price is not the answer. The erratic play by the Suns can often be attributed to poor play from the PG position.

Do you really want a back up pg with the #3 pick? He has to be starter worthy, even if that demands trading another player.