Anyone here still believe in Alex Len?

[sunsfan88]

I think its only time to worry if Len is sidelined again this by that same injury and/or if he doesn't show much improvement by the end of the season.

Then if by the end of his 3rd season he hasn't proven enough to show he's a quality NBA starter, we can start calling him a bust.

McD better be ready to hear some heavy criticism from the media and fans if Noel starts ballin even if its on a 20 win 76ers team though.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think its only time to worry if Len is sidelined again this by that same injury and/or if he doesn't show much improvement by the end of the season.

Then if by the end of his 3rd season he hasn't proven enough to show he's a quality NBA starter, we can start calling him a bust.

McD better be ready to hear some heavy criticism from the media and fans if Noel starts ballin even if its on a 20 win 76ers team though.

Maybe but you won't hear it from me. I wanted Noel over Len at the time we picked but reports that Noel's knees did not check out is more than enough reason to pass him by. Also, good big men don't grow on trees and you're not always going to be in a position to grab the next sure thing. I have no problem with taking a gamble now and then in an effort to solve our center problem, as long as you're not skipping over big talent when you do it. By the time we picked, they were all pretty much question marks.

Steve

 

[sunsfan88]

Maybe but you won't hear it from me. I wanted Noel over Len at the time we picked but reports that Noel's knees did not check out is more than enough reason to pass him by. Also, good big men don't grow on trees and you're not always going to be in a position to grab the next sure thing. I have no problem with taking a gamble now and then in an effort to solve our center problem, as long as you're not skipping over big talent when you do it. By the time we picked, they were all pretty much question marks.

Steve

Yea I can't even say "I told you so" because I didn't want Noel at the time....I wanted McLemore who has been pretty disappointing for SAC thus far but like Len, may be much better with time.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yea I can't even say "I told you so" because I didn't want Noel at the time....I wanted McLemore who has been pretty disappointing for SAC thus far but like Len, may be much better with time.

I just meant Noel over Len, not necessarily Noel overall. By the time our pick had rolled around I had moved to McLemore too since my first option went number one. But the only reason I had moved from Noel to Bennett in the first place was his build and his injuries. Hearing the negative reports on his knees just solidified it for me. But silly me, I was convinced the rumors about Len going at or near the top of the draft were baseless. The few times I watched him play it never crossed my mind that he was even a lottery pick (high or low).

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

I wanted Oladipo. But Len was still considered by many to be the player in the draft with the highest upside. I can't see how that is out of the picture yet.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I wanted Oladipo. But Len was still considered by many to be the player in the draft with the highest upside. I can't see how that is out of the picture yet.

I don't remember people in the media saying Len was considered the player in the draft with the highest upside. Multiple links please?

 

[Griffin]

I don't remember people in the media saying Len was considered the player in the draft with the highest upside. Multiple links please?

I don't know about highest upside, but he was ranked number one overall on DraftExpress top 100 prospects going into the draft.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I don't know about highest upside, but he was ranked number one overall on DraftExpress top 100 prospects going into the draft.

The dx scouting video also said that he arguably had the best potential in the draft.

 

[Phrazbit]

What I recall going into the draft is that he was polarizing, some teams viewed him as a top 5 pick, some supposedly didn't like him at all. But despite what some may have thought pre-draft, looking at the way the draft panned out its not hard to imagine him sliding to 10th or farther had the Suns not taken him. But the same could be said for a number of guys in those early picks. It was a terrible draft class.

 

[elindholm]

I don't know about highest upside, but he was ranked number one overall on DraftExpress top 100 prospects going into the draft.

For a while, yes. But those sites change their rankings constantly; it's how they generate page loads. If there's a consensus #1, they put that player there, but otherwise they just shuffle things around every so often to keep it "interesting."

 

[JCSunsfan]

For a while, yes. But those sites change their rankings constantly; it's how they generate page loads. If there's a consensus #1, they put that player there, but otherwise they just shuffle things around every so often to keep it "interesting."

But there are only so many players that they can get away with putting in that top spot.

I am not sure what we are arguing about here. There were a number of people that considered him a potential #1 pick. Maybe not a majority. Maybe not all the time. But its still true.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I don't remember people in the media saying Len was considered the player in the draft with the highest upside. Multiple links please?

10 articles on Alex Len as the possible #1 pick. Hope this is enough.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-alex-len-could-be-the-no-1-pick-why-is-that/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1681552-alex-len-makes-sense-as-no-1-pick-for-cleveland-cavaliers
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Len-6156/ (Third video)
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...nds-alex-len-is-the-big-rumor-to-be-no-1-pick
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...n-draft-20121215_1_alex-len-jay-bilas-big-men
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/85659/could-alex-len-really-go-no-1
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/5/9/4313074/nba-draft-2013-alex-len-nerlens-noel
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/6/24/4459490/nba-mock-draft-2013-alex-len-cleveland-cavaliers
http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/0...x-len-no-1-orlando-likely-to-trade-no-2-pick/
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/06/18/NBA-Draft-News-and-Notes-Could-Alex-Len-go-1

 

[devilalum]

10 articles on Alex Len as the possible #1 pick. Hope this is enough.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-alex-len-could-be-the-no-1-pick-why-is-that/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1681552-alex-len-makes-sense-as-no-1-pick-for-cleveland-cavaliers
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Len-6156/ (Third video)
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...nds-alex-len-is-the-big-rumor-to-be-no-1-pick
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...n-draft-20121215_1_alex-len-jay-bilas-big-men
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/85659/could-alex-len-really-go-no-1
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/5/9/4313074/nba-draft-2013-alex-len-nerlens-noel
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/6/24/4459490/nba-mock-draft-2013-alex-len-cleveland-cavaliers
http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/0...x-len-no-1-orlando-likely-to-trade-no-2-pick/
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/06/18/NBA-Draft-News-and-Notes-Could-Alex-Len-go-1

From the first article:

When an NBA team drafts a guy it’s not what he can do for them this coming season that matters, it’s what he can do three years down the line. Five years down the line. Some GMs think Len could be better than Noel three years from now. So they are willing to roll the dice on him more than anyone else is this draft.

 

[Superbone]

10 articles on Alex Len as the possible #1 pick. Hope this is enough.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-alex-len-could-be-the-no-1-pick-why-is-that/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1681552-alex-len-makes-sense-as-no-1-pick-for-cleveland-cavaliers
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Len-6156/ (Third video)
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...nds-alex-len-is-the-big-rumor-to-be-no-1-pick
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...n-draft-20121215_1_alex-len-jay-bilas-big-men
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/85659/could-alex-len-really-go-no-1
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/5/9/4313074/nba-draft-2013-alex-len-nerlens-noel
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/6/24/4459490/nba-mock-draft-2013-alex-len-cleveland-cavaliers
http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/0...x-len-no-1-orlando-likely-to-trade-no-2-pick/
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/06/18/NBA-Draft-News-and-Notes-Could-Alex-Len-go-1

Ha ha!

 

[elindholm]

I am not sure what we are arguing about here. There were a number of people that considered him a potential #1 pick. Maybe not a majority. Maybe not all the time. But its still true.

My point is that you can make that claim for several other players too, and it is true for them too. So Len was not "the" top prospect in very many people's eyes; he was "a" top prospect, in the same mix as several other top prospects.

 

[Mainstreet]

From the first article:

I think the Suns and fans have learned something about not giving up on young big men too early when they traded Robin Lopez.

 

[Griffin]

For a while, yes. But those sites change their rankings constantly; it's how they generate page loads. If there's a consensus #1, they put that player there, but otherwise they just shuffle things around every so often to keep it "interesting."

Even if what you say is true, he was ranked #1 on draft night, meaning he was the last #1 they had for that draft class. I would imagine that if they were shuffling things around, then at least the final order would try to most accurately reflect scouting reports and predictions, otherwise the site would lose a lot of credibility. But it's true that there was no consensus as to who is better than whom among the top names. Still, Len was consistently ranked right up there with the top prospects going into the draft. The Suns certainly did not reach for him at #5.

 

[Mainstreet]

Even if what you say is true, he was ranked #1 on draft night, meaning he was the last #1 they had for that draft class. I would imagine that if they were shuffling things around, then at least the final order would try to most accurately reflect scouting reports and predictions, otherwise the site would lose a lot of credibility. But it's true that there was no consensus as to who is better than whom among the top names. Still, Len was consistently ranked right up there with the top prospects going into the draft. The Suns certainly did not reach for him at #5.

I believe Draft Net had Len going #1 and Draft Express had Len going #4 on draft night. As you note, certainly the Suns did not reach for Len.

Also, few if any had Bennett going number #1. Actually it was a shocker when he was drafted first.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think the Suns and fans have learned something about not giving up on young big men too early when they traded Robin Lopez.

I don't. Unless he plays lights out I suspect we'll hear a lot of anti-Len talk this year even if he shows decent improvement.

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't. Unless he plays lights out I suspect we'll hear a lot of anti-Len talk this year even if he shows decent improvement.

Steve

Perhaps you are right. At least Len runs the court with his head upright.

As I recall some fans criticized Robin on how he ran the court with his head down.

 

[elindholm]

As I recall some fans criticized Robin on how he ran the court with his head down.

Lopez's goofy appearance inspired a lot of posters to exaggerate his negatives.

 

[Mainstreet]

Lopez's goofy appearance inspired a lot of posters to exaggerate his negatives.

I think this is true. The Suns and fans (including myself) wanted too much from Robin too soon. Actually, as I recall, a lot of posters did not want the Suns to draft him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think this is true. The Suns and fans (including myself) wanted too much from Robin too soon. Actually, as I recall, a lot of posters did not want the Suns to draft him.

Me! IIRC, JCSunsfan was the leading cheerleader for the pick.

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

My point is that you can make that claim for several other players too, and it is true for them too. So Len was not "the" top prospect in very many people's eyes; he was "a" top prospect, in the same mix as several other top prospects.

I do not remember anyone here saying he was "the" top prospect--although some at the time considered him such. He was "a" top prospect going into draft day.

We're nit-picking here.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I don't. Unless he plays lights out I suspect we'll hear a lot of anti-Len talk this year even if he shows decent improvement.

Steve

Because (some) fans are impatient and love to make exaggerated negative characterizations. It sounds more intelligent to them I guess.

Lopez had back injuries for about a year and many had given up on him. The same thing happened with Tyson Chandler when he was with the Hornets.

To me, Len has more upside than RLopez ever did. He is just one that we have to hang on to.