Draft Pick Watch

[KloD]

Dallas beating us and the Lakers losing to OKC will make for a great Sunday.

I was at a bar last night quietly rooting for the Spurs to win. It feels so weird.

Agreed. At least I can still root for the Lakers to lose as I always have, but add the lotta bonus and it almost makes up for cheering the Suns to lose.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

I was at a bar last night quietly rooting for the Spurs to win. It feels so weird.

Ha, you're much more likely to be satisfied rooting against them this year, the best way to get enjoyment from the team.

 

[Folster]

Ugh LA just beat OKC. The Lakers are going to make the playoffs. I just know it.

 

[BC867]

Ugh LA just beat OKC. The Lakers are going to make the playoffs. I just know it.

If they get knocked out in the 1st round, is it much better than finishing 9th or 10th?

 

[Evil Ash]

If they get knocked out in the 1st round, is it much better than finishing 9th or 10th?

If the Lakers make the playoffs than the Suns get the Heats first rounder, so yeah it makes a big difference

 

[Phrazbit]

If they get knocked out in the 1st round, is it much better than finishing 9th or 10th?

As of right now the pick would be the 13th pick, if LA sneaks in and we get stuck with Miami's pick it would be ~29th.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Its a huge deal in the Suns rebuilding efforts.

 

[SirStefan32]

Ugh LA just beat OKC. The Lakers are going to make the playoffs. I just know it.

I think you are right- the Lakers seem to be clicking right now. They are old though, and it will be interesting to see how they play in a couple of months.

 

[BC867]

As of right now the pick would be the 13th pick, if LA sneaks in and we get stuck with Miami's pick it would be ~29th.

Oops, I forgot about that! It is really difficult to watch the games and think tanking at the same time.

Of course, as I am watching the 1st half vs. the Mavericks, we're not tanking and are out of it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Oops, I forgot about that! It is really difficult to watch the games and think tanking at the same time.

Of course, as I am watching the 1st half vs. the Mavericks, we're not tanking and are out of it.

Now we're only down 6, just inside 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. If you believe in jinxes, this is all on you.

Steve

 

[BC867]

Now we're only down 6, just inside 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. If you believe in jinxes, this is all on you.

Steve

And Dirk, Marion, Carter, Brand, Mayo and Collison, etc.

 

[sunsfan88]

No need to worry, we lost. And Dallas is now keeping up the Fakers

 

[Errntknght]

That was a huge win for the Lakers, just when they needed it, too. After the Pelicans at home they go on a seven game road trip. They're 5-15 on the road thus far so it would cement their turnaround if they go 4-3 or better. And they could well do it as their 3 toughest opponents are Miami, Brooklyn and Boston, with the rest being non-playoff teams. We could really help matters if we could beat them in the first of the seven games Wednesday. The league could have helped by giving them 4 games in 5 days but no, only two back-to-backs - us in the first game and Charlotte ten days later. Maybe the Peli's can surprise them Tuesday night...

I kind of like NO's new 'mascot'... lots of possibilities... the Pelicants, as someone already mentioned.

 

[Neo]

As of right now the pick would be the 13th pick, if LA sneaks in and we get stuck with Miami's pick it would be ~29th.

In other words, it is the diffence between getting a player like Markieff Morris or Kendall Marshall versus Big Jake or Casey Jacobsen.

 

[JCSunsfan]

In other words, it is the diffence between getting a player like Steve Nash or Dan Majerle versus Big Jake or Casey Jacobsen.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Neo]

Fixed that for you.

Although I do not share it; I appreciate your optimism.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Although I do not share it; I appreciate your optimism.

Its just that you mixed regimes. Its Nash/Majerle vs. Big Jake/Jacobsen or its Lopez/Morris/Marshall vs. sold pick.

So, to everyone else. It looks like Minny isnt going to the playoffs. So we don't get the Memphis pick this year.

That leaves us the possibility of the Minny pick next year (if they make the playoffs).

I think I would prefer the Minny pick next year. Is there anyone who would prefer the Memphis pick this year?

 

[slinslin]

We might be a bit harsh on Blanks.

At this point it is not like anyone picked after Marshall is seriously making you regret picking Marshall although I did love Tony Wroten.

You can argue that Kawhi Leonard is better than Markieff although not much and Faried most certainly but that may be it so picking one of the top 3 best players that were available at #14 or so is not that bad really.

Sarver pointed out that they do analyse the entire draft board in hindsight and evaluate their analysis of how it played out and said they were pretty close.

That does not excuse them from failing to move up maybe for a more special talent.

Overall their moves in trades have not been that bad. They got Gortat for virtually nothing while ditching Hedo.

Michael Beasley was a very good signing. It does not matter that he is failed so far. He was exactly the kind of gamble the Suns had to do in their situation and it won't really cost them much at all.

Eric Gordon was the most mind-boggling signing.

 

[Neo]

My point was not really about the Colangelo regime versus the current regime, but rather that there is not much hope of getting a great player with the 12th or 13th pick, although it is much harder to get a great player with a late first rounder. Sure, the Suns got two great players in Nash and Majerle with mid-first rounders. However, those are rare. Take a look at the 13th and 12th picks from this century. There are some solid players there, but most are mediocre to poor NBA players. Certainly there is not much chance of getting someone who is going to turn the franchise around.

13th picks
2012 Kendall Marshall
2011 Markieff Morris
2010 Ed Davis
2009 Tyler Hansbrough
2008 Brandon Rush
2007 Julian Wright
2006 Thabo Sefolosha
2005 Sean May
2004 Sebastian Telfair
2003 Marcus Banks
2002 Marcus Haislip
2001 Richard Jefferson
2000 Courtney Alexander

12th picks

2012 Jeremy Lamb
2011 Alec Burks
2010 Xavier Henry
2009 Gerald Henderson
2008 Jason Thompson
2007 Thaddeus Young
2006 Hilton Armstrong
2005 Yaroslav Korolev
2004 Robert Swift
2003 Nick Collison
2002 Melvin Ely
2001 Vladimir Radmanovic
2000 Etan Thomas
​

​

 

[elindholm]

My point was not really about the Colangelo regime versus the current regime, but rather that there is not much hope of getting a great player with the 12th or 13th pick, although it is much harder to get a great player with a late first rounder. Sure, the Suns got two great players in Nash and Majerle with mid-first rounders. However, those are rare.

You can make this argument until you're blue in the face (or fingers), but some people will never get it. They'll point to the one guy drafted in the 20s, or the one guy taken in the second round, who turned out to be a good player, and use that as proof that a team's talent evaluation is incompetent.

The information about players in the draft is simply too incomplete to make anything other than educated guesses. Sometimes one team's guess is better than another, but over the long term, almost every front office falls in the middle of the pack, with some good picks and some bad ones.

I don't know whether Babby and others are good talent evaluators or not, but citing Robin Lopez and Markieff Morris as evidence of drafting incompetence really doesn't make sense.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Michael Beasley was a very good signing.

this one goes in the Slin Hall of Shame right next to "Andrew Luck sucks and had very little to do with the Colts turnaround" and "Magic Johnson wasn't a PG".

 

[Phrazbit]

We might be a bit harsh on Blanks.

At this point it is not like anyone picked after Marshall is seriously making you regret picking Marshall although I did love Tony Wroten.

You can argue that Kawhi Leonard is better than Markieff although not much and Faried most certainly but that may be it so picking one of the top 3 best players that were available at #14 or so is not that bad really.

Sarver pointed out that they do analyse the entire draft board in hindsight and evaluate their analysis of how it played out and said they were pretty close.

That does not excuse them from failing to move up maybe for a more special talent.

Overall their moves in trades have not been that bad. They got Gortat for virtually nothing while ditching Hedo.

Michael Beasley was a very good signing. It does not matter that he is failed so far. He was exactly the kind of gamble the Suns had to do in their situation and it won't really cost them much at all.

Eric Gordon was the most mind-boggling signing.

Leonard is much better than Morris, as is Faried, Vucevic is unquestionably better, I'd gladly take Shumpert, or Brooks for Morris...

There are plenty of players picked after Morris that are better players. Mostly because Morris stinks.

I love the "Sarver hindsight" defense. It would be a thrill to go over the drafts since he bought the team and use his "hindsight" to show how "close" they were.

And please, tell me more about the great Beasley signing. Who cares if he is among the worst players in the league this year, who cares if he is 5 years into his career and has sucked throughout, who cares if we signed him to a 3 year deal for a rate that the wolves couldnt GIVE HIM AWAY at last season when he was expiring. Its a "great" signing. They at least have that feather in their hat. "We made it our top priority to ink a horrible player to a 3 year deal".

And if not for New Orleans matching Gordon's contract we would be royally screwed.

 

[slinslin]

this one goes in the Slin Hall of Shame right next to "Andrew Luck sucks and had very little to do with the Colts turnaround" and "Magic Johnson wasn't a PG".

Not surprised about this coming from someone who does not understand what context means.

 

[JCSunsfan]

My point was not really about the Colangelo regime versus the current regime, but rather that there is not much hope of getting a great player with the 12th or 13th pick, although it is much harder to get a great player with a late first rounder. Sure, the Suns got two great players in Nash and Majerle with mid-first rounders. However, those are rare. Take a look at the 13th and 12th picks from this century. There are some solid players there, but most are mediocre to poor NBA players. Certainly there is not much chance of getting someone who is going to turn the franchise around.

13th picks
2012 Kendall Marshall
2011 Markieff Morris
2010 Ed Davis
2009 Tyler Hansbrough
2008 Brandon Rush
2007 Julian Wright
2006 Thabo Sefolosha
2005 Sean May
2004 Sebastian Telfair
2003 Marcus Banks
2002 Marcus Haislip
2001 Richard Jefferson
2000 Courtney Alexander

12th picks

2012 Jeremy Lamb
2011 Alec Burks
2010 Xavier Henry
2009 Gerald Henderson
2008 Jason Thompson
2007 Thaddeus Young
2006 Hilton Armstrong
2005 Yaroslav Korolev
2004 Robert Swift
2003 Nick Collison
2002 Melvin Ely
2001 Vladimir Radmanovic
2000 Etan Thomas
​

​

My point was that drafting 12 or 13 is still better than 20-25. BTW, based on your chart, I would prefer to draft 13 over 12.

 

[Neo]

BTW, based on your chart, I would prefer to draft 13 over 12.

Which goes to Elindholm's point about how much luck is involved. All those players taken at 13 were available at 12, but that didn't keep Vladimir Radmanovic from being drafted before Richard Jefferson and Hilton Armstrong before Thabo Sefolosha. None of those players were ever anything you could build a championship team around, but those Jefferson and Sefolosha are better than some players picked before them.