Gambo Said this today about Doncic .........

[GatorAZ]

He said that he does not want the Suns to pick Doncic because he is a mental case. Talk about pot calling kettle! He just makes stuff up! What planet is Gambo from?

Hopefully he’s done using that source.

 

[Superbone]

No way should Doncic be an all-star over Booker.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think you're underselling him. He's having an incredible year for a rookie but he's having a good year for a player of any age. He's certainly over-hyped by the media but even still, the guy's incredible and impacts the game in so many different ways. The media is blowing it up and ignoring his faults, quite the opposite with other greats of the past such as Lebron but that doesn't mean he's not worthy of the attention he's given.

Nah. I am not. He is hyped how because he is the next big thing. As soon as Zion enters the league, the hype will be on Zion. I am not saying that Doncic will not continue to be a good player, even improve.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Nah. I am not. He is hyped how because he is the next big thing. As soon as Zion enters the league, the hype will be on Zion. I am not saying that Doncic will not continue to be a good player, even improve.

to say he's not having an incredible year is ridiculous. He's putting up numbers very few rookies have EVER put up with those numbers actually translating to a difference in W/Ls on the court. To say he's merely good... for a rookie right now is laughable and that's coming from someone who desperately wanted Ayton over him. He's having a fantastic season for a rookie and a very good year for anyone at this point. Saying otherwise just seems like sour grapes or an inability to admit they were wrong about what they thought he'd be coming into the league.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Nah. I am not. He is hyped how because he is the next big thing. As soon as Zion enters the league, the hype will be on Zion. I am not saying that Doncic will not continue to be a good player, even improve.

Seriously? Did the hype go away for Doogie Howser when he reached 30? I think not!

I think Zion will be a better player than Doncic but I expect Luka to be a top 10 player within a few years. I get that part of his mystique is his age but he'd be hyped at any age playing the way he does right now and there's no reason IMO to not expect him to continue to improve. And the improvement he's shown so far this season is already quite impressive.

 

[Superbone]

to say he's not having an incredible year is ridiculous. He's putting up numbers very few rookies have EVER put up with those numbers actually translating to a difference in W/Ls on the court. To say he's merely good... for a rookie right now is laughable and that's coming from someone who desperately wanted Ayton over him. He's having a fantastic season for a rookie and a very good year for anyone at this point. Saying otherwise just seems like sour grapes or an inability to admit they were wrong about what they thought he'd be coming into the league.

If you could go back in time, would you take him #1 over Ayton? I'm just curious as I remember you said you were going to lose your poo if the Suns didn't pick Ayton #1.

 

[AzStevenCal]

If you could go back in time, would you take him #1 over Ayton? I'm just curious as I remember you said you were going to lose your **** if the Suns didn't pick Ayton #1.

I know you weren't asking me but I wouldn't be upset if we had taken Doncic. But I still believe we drafted correctly this past season (Ayton AND Bridges).

 

[swagron]

No way should Doncic be an all-star over Booker.

I realize this is a Suns forum...but this is crazy talk

 

[Superbone]

I know you weren't asking me but I wouldn't be upset if we had taken Doncic. But I still believe we drafted correctly this past season (Ayton AND Bridges).

Agreed. I had Ayton and Doncic neck and neck before the draft with a slight edge to Ayton.

 

[AzStevenCal]

No way should Doncic be an all-star over Booker.

No, he shouldn't be but Booker had no business making the team either. I know why it's happened and it doesn't change my belief that he is a great player in the making but his efficiency and turnovers take away from the things he's done well for us this season.

 

[Superbone]

No, he shouldn't be but Booker had no business making the team either. I know why it's happened and it doesn't change my belief that he is a great player in the making but his efficiency and turnovers take away from the things he's done well for us this season.

I agree as both of them are on losing teams. Booker is being asked to do too much which has definitely decreased his efficiency and increased his turnovers. Once we get a competent point guard, I expect those numbers to return to normal.

 

[Hoop Head]

It'll be interesting to see how the Mavs do without Dennis Smith Jr, Wesley Matthews, and DeAndre Jordan, Jordan especially. I think Jordan was a much bigger part of their turn around than he received credit for. I suspect we'll see how much Doncic has helped them in the W/L column going forward.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It'll be interesting to see how the Mavs do without Dennis Smith Jr, Wesley Matthews, and DeAndre Jordan, Jordan especially. I think Jordan was a much bigger part of their turn around than he received credit for. I suspect we'll see how much Doncic has helped them in the W/L column going forward.

I didn't pay much attention to it but I know I saw an article or two a few months ago about the Mavs dissatisfaction with Jordan. I was surprised to read that too because I also thought he was filling his role for them.

 

[Mainstreet]

The Mavericks will continue to play hard but obviously their future is next season.

 

[Cheesebeef]

If you could go back in time, would you take him #1 over Ayton? I'm just curious as I remember you said you were going to lose your **** if the Suns didn't pick Ayton #1.

To be completely honest... maybe.

If you remember, my biggest fear with Ayton was that he had no dog in his fight. Those fears have only gained steamed inside my noodle watching him this season.

Meanwhile, with Doncic, I thought at the very PEAK of his powers, he'd be a 20/6/6 guy and to be honest, I was a little dubious of that. But getting to actually watch him play, there is an innate basketball... thing... about him that very very few players have. People can give all the credit they want to everyone on the Mavs BUT Doncic... but give me a break. Smith Jr. hasn't proven jack, Matthews was a terrible contract and role player, DeAndre Jordan has been given walking papers by two teams in less than 6 months and that team was almost as awful as we were last year. The guy fills up the stat sheet AND is a DIFFERENCE MAKER. Throw in the fact that he's definitely got dog in him and I have been 100% fine with admitting I was really wrong here.

Does that mean I'd make a switcheroo right now with Ayton? It's tough to say. Ayton is such a gifted athlete and I think he'd got a coach/team who has no idea how to use him on offense/can't use him on offense because they literally have no one to throw a simple entry pass, but that lack of dog in him isn't something can be taught, I fear. He's smooth as silk, but i fear Downy soft.

 

[Hoop Head]

I didn't pay much attention to it but I know I saw an article or two a few months ago about the Mavs dissatisfaction with Jordan. I was surprised to read that too because I also thought he was filling his role for them.

That is odd because his stats are very similar to what they were in LA last year and better than his career averages. His FT shooting was at an all time high as well with him shooting 68% from the FT line. Hack a Jordan wasn't even much of an issue. I'm not big on advanced stats but his PER was 18.2 which was a hair lower than his career average of 18.9 and his PER in LA was 20.2. So I'm not sure what they didn't like, I guess they realized a Center like Jordan in today's NBA isn't as valuable as he was 4-5 years ago when they almost signed him previously.

Here's a look at his stats though, his final year in LA, the 50 games in Dallas, and then his career averages. I'd be surprised if he wasn't waived by New York since he's expiring. He will help a contender a lot if he is let go.


https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordade01.html

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[SirStefan32]

If you could go back in time, would you take him #1 over Ayton? I'm just curious as I remember you said you were going to lose your **** if the Suns didn't pick Ayton #1.

Like Steve, I know you weren't asking me, but I'll chime in too. I would not have been upset had they drafted Doncic, but I still think they drafted right, and I would still draft the same way if I could go back in time and be in charge of the draft.

Doncic IS much better than even I expected him to be, and I was a big fan. I honestly though he'd have some trouble getting that step-back jumper off when defended by good NBA defenders, and I thought his shooting in his first season would be around 25-30% from the three-point line. As it turns out, he can get any shot he wants and he is shooting at 35%+ from three. I also though he would not be a decent defender. At best, I figured he'd be slightly below average, but he appears to hold his own defensively just fine. He\s not a great defender, but he is pretty average. Right now, he is a far better player than Ayton.

That said, any objective person who was not blinded by the Ayton hype or the dislike of "Slow, White Euros" knew two things:
1. Doncic was a professional player right then. He was good right then. He was by far the best player in Europe, and has played against people taller, stronger, quicker, older than him his whole life.
2. Ayton has gotten through his career so far by being the strongest, the tallest, the most athletic player on the court. He hadn't developed any work ethic, he had no idea how to play defense, and he was going to be a 19 or 20 year-old rookie Center. 19 or 20 year-old big men take years to develop.

Both are better than any objective person expected. Luka is.. well... Luka. He is a sensation, and probably the fourth best rookie in the modern, say LeBron and after) age. He is a legitimate all star candidate in his rookie year.

As for Ayton, for all the crap we give him, he is actually far more advanced than a typical rookie center at that age. Sure, he doesn't know how to get the position in the low post, he doesn't understand rotations, he is not aggressive, but he can score from the low post, he can hit a mid-range jumper, he can score facing up, he gets plenty of rebounds, he has outstanding footwork, he can hold his own defensively in one on one situations, and he just doesn't do stupid stuff most of the time.

I think it would be short-sighted to proclaim Luka the better of the two now. Ayton is a couple of years behind Luka in his development. In two or three years, I may give you a different answer, but for right now, I'm picking Ayton again.

 

[SirStefan32]

It'll be interesting to see how the Mavs do without Dennis Smith Jr, Wesley Matthews, and DeAndre Jordan, Jordan especially. I think Jordan was a much bigger part of their turn around than he received credit for. I suspect we'll see how much Doncic has helped them in the W/L column going forward.

I am not an advanced stat guy, but I have watched almost every Mavs game this year, so I'm just gonna give you my perception. DSJ is a decent player, but honestly, Mavs look better with Doncic running the point by himself. Now Barea and Doncic look good together because neither one of them is a ball-stopper like DSJ. I actually think DSJ and Luka could play very well together, but DSJ seems to have some Luka envy and he just wouldn't stop trying to prove something.

As for Matthews, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway will be able to do exactly what he did, and probably more.

As for DJ, it's kind of tricky. He was good at catching Luka's lobs and dunking the ball, he did an excellent job on the boards, but he did not look like the Clippers DJ defensively. He would rarely challenge shots. Honestly, he looked a lot like Ayton- just watching opposing players have a layup drill. Another thing is that I feel like he was the lest effective pick and roll partner for Luka. I am not really sure why, but it's my perception that Luka was just more effective with pretty much anyone else. It may be because others (Powell, Kleber, Barnes, etc) are a threat to roll or pop while Jordan just isn't a treat unless he rolls. Again, I'd love to see some advanced stats on this, but my perception is what it is- Jordan appears to be the least effective pick and roll partner for Luka. Theoretically, KP SHOULD be the perfect player to play alongside Doncic, but that hinges on his being healthy. I just can't remember a 7'3 player who was able to stay healthy somewhat consistently, and KP already has one really bad injury.

 

[SirStefan32]

Doncic has 28, 5, and 5 tonight...at halftime, in 18 minutes, 11/16 from the field. He is a bad, bad man.