Grade the Suns 2013 draft

[elindholm]

Lopez had no business being anywhere near the first round let alone being picked ahead of Roy Hibbert.

Huh? You saw that Lopez played really pretty well for the Hornets last year, right? Sure, he's less good than Hibbert, but if you redo that draft today, Lopez probably gets taken at about the same spot -- and in any case, there's no way he falls out of the first round.

 

[Mainstreet]

I gave the Suns a "B' on the draft even though I wanted the Suns to draft Bennett. I thought the Suns should go big at #5. I will trust the Suns did their homework on Len and Noel. In regard to Noel, maybe it was because of the knee thing, but I kept thinking of Amare. Anyway I'm cautiously happy about the Suns draft. If the Suns had gotten another mid first round pick I would have given them an "A."

 

[KloD]

I'm not thrilled with the Len pick, but I am happy they passed on Noel. Mclemore likely would have been my pick, but I'm wary of him too. I can live with the Len pick and really like the Goodwin pick that late in the 1st round. I know nothing about Oriakhi, but I like his size and toughness around the rim by the little bit of film I've watched since they took him. I'll give them a tentative B. Truth be told, I didn't expect anyone drafted this year to be someone the team can build around. I also don't buy the Gortat working with Len line. Of course they will say such things while he's still with the team, but I believe they already are working to exit him. It may not happen until the deadline, but it will happen. Overall, I'm ok with this draft. Time will tell.

 

[elindholm]

Even the optimistic assessments of Len don't have him ready to step in and be a starter right away. Gortat is still the Suns' center for now, and they'll need him to play well if they want to be remotely competitive.

 

[JS22]

I gave the Suns a "B' on the draft even though I wanted the Suns to draft Bennett. I thought the Suns should go big at #5. I will trust the Suns did their homework on Len and Noel. In regard to Noel, maybe it was because of the knee thing, but I kept thinking of Amare. Anyway I'm cautiously happy about the Suns draft. If the Suns had gotten another mid first round pick I would have given them an "A."

I would have liked to have seen Gortat traded for a mid 1st. Specifically, I was REALLY hoping that he'd get traded to Portland for McCollum.

But I'm not as disappointed since they were able to grab Goodwin. Who, I hope, will look like an early lottery pick in the next few years.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I would have liked to have seen Gortat traded for a mid 1st. Specifically, I was REALLY hoping that he'd get traded to Portland for McCollum.

But I'm not as disappointed since they were able to grab Goodwin. Who, I hope, will look like an early lottery pick in the next few years.

He certainly has the athleticism to do that but I'm not holding my breath. Archie is now in the NBA not because he was ready to leave college but because the writing was on the wall, the new batch of recruits would have quite probably relegated him to the bench. Not good enough to start for your college team is rarely a good thing for an aspiring basketball star. He's either a point guard who can't run an offense or a shooting guard that can't shoot - I'm not sure which concerns me more.

Steve

 

[Chaplin]

He certainly has the athleticism to do that but I'm not holding my breath. Archie is now in the NBA not because he was ready to leave college but because the writing was on the wall, the new batch of recruits would have quite probably relegated him to the bench. Not good enough to start for your college team is rarely a good thing for an aspiring basketball star. He's either a point guard who can't run an offense or a shooting guard that can't shoot - I'm not sure which concerns me more.

Steve

That's just speculation. You pigeon-holed the kid without even seeing him play in an NBA atmosphere.

 

[jagu]

I know people wanted to trade Gortat but was he worth a 8-15 pick? I don't think so. I don't see any standout talents beyond 5 (and that's being nice). This draft may come down to maybe 1-3 players who go on to have long careers.

 

[HooverDam]

Goodwin is fine, as long as they realize he's an awful PG and nothing more than a spot up shooter.

Solid D.

26% from the college 3 point line does not a shooter make.

 

[HooverDam]

if they want to be remotely competitive.

Why would they want that? That would be the worst thing.

 

[AzStevenCal]

That's just speculation. You pigeon-holed the kid without even seeing him play in an NBA atmosphere.

What? I mean, WHAT?

Steve

 

[Chaplin]

What? I mean, WHAT?

Steve

Calling him a bench player for his college team and using that unfounded opinion to determine he won't be a good player. If he actually WAS a bench player in college, then yes, you'd have a point.

 

[devilalum]

Giving draft grades for the NBA draft is kind of stupid. What you're really doing is telling us if you liked the player a team picked in the first round.

When you grade the NFL draft you're talking about 7+ picks that are going to be needed immediately.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Calling him a bench player for his college team and using that unfounded opinion to determine he won't be a good player. If he actually WAS a bench player in college, then yes, you'd have a point.

Yes, it's an opinion but it is hardly unfounded. Do some research, I'm merely one of several million college basketball fans that hold that opinion. We may all be wrong but it's not like I pulled it out of left field.

Steve

 

[SirStefan32]

That's just speculation. You pigeon-holed the kid without even seeing him play in an NBA atmosphere.

Actually Chap, there is no speculation there. Kentucky is getting some great wing prospects, and Goodwin was going to be on the bench had he stayed.
I think he is very young, and will get much better eventually (2-3 years), but everyone, including Goodwin, knows that he is not ready for the NBA. I still like the pick, and I think he has a lot of potential, but what Steve posted was not speculation.

 

[TJ]

26% from the college 3 point line does not a shooter make.

As I indicated before, Archie's skill set fits that of a 2 guard. He was forced to run point for UK in his one season, which took away from his shooting abilities. He reminds me of a taller Mark Lyons. Can score the ball from everywhere on the court, but needs to learn when to pass as opposed to shoot. While he shot 26% from 3, he still netted 44% overall. He can stroke it, no doubt. He has to improve upon his decision making and that % will go up. Fortunately, he's very young on a team in transition and Horny, a good shooter in his day, can help refine his skills.

 

[Neo]

I was feeling generous and gave B. I can't beleive that we passed on McLemore . I guess the stuff about his poor workout was not just a smokescreen. Len is a pretty safe pick, but I can't get excited about him.

I like Goodwin at 29. He probably won't pan out, but if he learns to shoot decently he could be great.

My guess is that Oraikhi becomes the next Alton Ford.

 

[devilalum]

If Goodwin doe stick in the league he'll probably be like Stephan Jackson and bounce around for a while until he finds his niche.

 

[elindholm]

If Goodwin doe stick in the league he'll probably be like Stephan Jackson

Who was drafted by the Suns, coincidentally.

 

[hcsilla]

He certainly has the athleticism to do that but I'm not holding my breath. Archie is now in the NBA not because he was ready to leave college but because the writing was on the wall, the new batch of recruits would have quite probably relegated him to the bench. Not good enough to start for your college team is rarely a good thing for an aspiring basketball star.

That's a bit too harsh on Goodwin.

First he had two top recruits to fight for the starting job if he stays at Kentucky. Since he was just a freshman, I don't really see why is it that embarrassing.

Secondly, I'm not so sure that he would have lost his starting spot against Aaron Harrison.

If someone from last year's Kentucky team would, it's Poythress, not Goodwin, IMO.

 

[Mainstreet]

Who was drafted by the Suns, coincidentally.

Stephen Jackson was the name I was trying to think of the other day when thinking about Goodwin.

 

[AzStevenCal]

That's a bit too harsh on Goodwin.

First he had two top recruits to fight for the starting job if he stays at Kentucky. Since he was just a freshman, I don't really see why is it that embarrassing.

Secondly, I'm not so sure that he would have lost his starting spot against Aaron Harrison.

If someone from last year's Kentucky team would, it's Poythress, not Goodwin, IMO.

I didn't offer it up because it was embarrassing but I think it is somewhat telling.

First off, as I've said several times, I did have interest in acquiring him. He'd have been a perfect gamble with our second round pick and after thinking about it, I'm even okay that we used our late first on him. Any player drafted that late is a long shot and at least Goodwin has some intriguing NBA qualities. But, look around this board at the hype this kid is getting - it's way over the top. I'm only trying to impress upon the posters that see stardom in this guy's future just how unlikely that proposition is. IMO, he was probably the second most disappointing player in college basketball last season (just behind Shabazz) and if he wasn't the second biggest disappointment he was pretty darned close. In reality, like most late draft picks, he is far more likely to be out of the NBA in 5 years than he is to be getting All Star buzz.

Steve

 

[Diamondback Jay]

For those debating the Len/Noel topic when grading:

The biggest question mark surrounding Noel isn't just his knee... It's a matter of whether he'll EVER develop an offensive game. While he has plenty of intangibles that every coach he'll ever have will love (he's a hustler, extremely coachable and works hard); the question marks about his offensive game and weighing just over 200 pounds soaking wet (which will do him no justice in the NBA as a center) scared quite a few teams off.

While Len is far from a finished product himself, it's generally believed he's going to DEVELOP that offensive game. Just for comparisons sake, when Maryland faced Kentucky in November in Brooklyn, When Maryland and Kentucky squared off in Brooklyn in November, Len went for 23 and 12... Noel went for 4 and 9. Adding, at 7'1, 255'; Len fills out the role body composition wise of a center. His big downside is the ankle issues that plagued him at Maryland and he's still in need of some polish.

I like the Goodwin pick on paper. He was highly recruited coming out of high school, was Kentucky's leading scorer last season and was called "one of the best athletes in college basketball" by Mike Krzyzewski after his Blue Devils faced Kentucky in November. He's got a pretty high ceiling, in my opinion. Granted, he also has a pretty low floor, and I feel he should have returned to UK at least for his sophomore year.

Oriakhi seems to be a what you see is what you get guy. He'll be big on defense, but I don't know if he will have the offensive game to be a starter in the NBA. Granted, never hurts to have a good defensive presence.

I'll give the draft a solid B. If these guys develop out, this will obviously be higher. However on the eye witness test, I think B is a fair grade.

 

[Errntknght]

I didn't offer it up because it was embarrassing but I think it is somewhat telling.

First off, as I've said several times, I did have interest in acquiring him. He'd have been a perfect gamble with our second round pick and after thinking about it, I'm even okay that we used our late first on him. Any player drafted that late is a long shot and at least Goodwin has some intriguing NBA qualities. But, look around this board at the hype this kid is getting - it's way over the top. I'm only trying to impress upon the posters that see stardom in this guy's future just how unlikely that proposition is. IMO, he was probably the second most disappointing player in college basketball last season (just behind Shabazz) and if he wasn't the second biggest disappointment he was pretty darned close. In reality, like most late draft picks, he is far more likely to be out of the NBA in 5 years than he is to be getting All Star buzz.

Steve

Hype... all I said was I'd rather have him than McLemore. I think he's come to perfect team for him to develop. He's got our training staff to keep him healthy and Horncek to work on his shot - not to mention, since the latter was a shooting guard he ought to be able to help with many aspects of his game. Having acquired Bledsoe we shouldn't have to play him more than he needs and he shouldn't be forced into becoming a point guard. If he naturally gravitates to that, that's a different story.
This is going to a refuge for him after the limelight of Kentucky, where he was a starter in his freshman year and just turned 18. It's not terribly surprising he didn't meet everyone's expectations in that setting. And we wouldn't have gotten him at #29 otherwise.
I'm not predicting he'll be an all star but I think he'll be a first rate SG who contributes at both ends of the floor.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

he was a starter in his freshman year and just turned 18. It's not terribly surprising he didn't meet everyone's expectations in that setting. And we wouldn't have gotten him at #29 otherwise.
I'm not predicting he'll be an all star but I think he'll be a first rate SG who contributes at both ends of the floor.

To be fair, he DID lead UK in scoring this season and came a one assist and one rebound shy of being only the second player in school history to net a triple double during a game. Also, after they faced Duke, Mike Krzyzewski called him one of the best athletes in college basketball. While he wasn't what everyone expected him to be, he also didn't stink up the joint either.

What he is right now is a project. He's not someone who's going to step in from Day 1 and make an impact. It may take him a season in the D League and some hours in the NBA Summer League for him to get that seasoning. However, he was worth the investment where the Suns got him.