Igor Kokoskov will be Suns new head coach

[SirStefan32]

Right, exactly! You guys are spot on. EVERY single prospect has some serious deficiencies and question marks. Somehow, Doncic is the only one whose issues get talked about and even exaggerated.

 

[Hoop Head]

Sarver is the worst owner in the league and a bottom 5 owner in all of North American Sports. He has killed basketball for me over the past 10 years and deserves to rot in hell for what he has done to this once proud franchise. And by association...... Jerry C lost a ton of credibility with me just by selling to this piece of crap.

Now on to Koskoskov: He knows what he is getting in to with the Suns..... And He wanted the job, we couldn't recruit better talent and now we are guaranteed Doncic if he is there. Whether Ayton is on the board or not. Doncic will be our pick. Nothing like telegraphing our moves so that the entire league can see.

What makes you so sure that Koskoskov will push for Doncic ahead of Ayton? There is nothing out there that suggests that is the case. Just because he coached him before doesn't mean he'll draft him. Ayton is the top prospect according to a number of analysts and NBA personnel, I don't see someone who knows basketball well enough that they're able to get a head coach job in the NBA choosing the player he's familiar with over the best player available. If he thinks Doncic is the best player available, maybe he is, we won't know until the season starts but we'll see what happens. There is no guarantee that Igor will have much say in who the team drafts anyways, so saying that we're picking Doncic strictly because we signed his former national league coach is a stretch. If he coached him in the actual Euroleague play, which coincides with the NBA season, then maybe you'd a stronger case but as is, it's nothing but guesses and assumptions on your part. Absolutely nothing was telegraphed about our draft decision with his signing though.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Right, exactly! You guys are spot on. EVERY single prospect has some serious deficiencies and question marks. Somehow, Doncic is the only one whose issues get talked about and even exaggerated.

It’s the euro thing. People are terrified of drafting darko in a Lebron, wade, Carmelo, bosh draft

 

[pokerface]

It’s the euro thing. People are terrified of drafting darko in a Lebron, wade, Carmelo, bosh draft

yup

 

[Hoop Head]

Which is why I don't think Doncic can help the Suns. We need a consistent post presence/defender/rebounder first and foremost. Then we need a skilled Point Guard.

This talk about positionless basketball on the Suns won't take us to the next step. 'Jack of all trades, master of none' has not helped us in the past.

And all the references I read here lately about "not as bad as" or "maybe he can change" also don't give hope for the future.

Step one in overcoming that is management giving us something to be hopeful about. And, if not, the massive inferiority complex about the Suns will continue.

You're saying because fans speak a certain way that is how our front office operates? That's absurd. Why are you knocking the Suns for how the fans talk? It's nothing but semantics, that's it, and you're putting way too much into it. Choose to look at it negatively though and that says more about you than the people who are saying those things, or the front office, who you are saying are operating poorly because fans speak a certain way about rebuilding.

There isn't 1 path to follow, there are many, but it's not something that is the same for every team. You need to build on the talent you have and we're doing that by building around Booker and Jackson. You need to select players that are available when you draft and last year, Jackson was the best player available. Should we have reached for a Center because we need one? Absolutely not. Jackson has shown why he's a special talent and it looks like he's a star in the making. He was the best talent available at #4 last year and the Suns made the right choice picking him. If he's capable of playing like he did throughout March and April next season then we'll be a better team than we were without adding anyone. However we will be adding talent from the draft and free agency. McD never said we're drafting a Center or Point Guard or any one position. He said we have holes at Center and Point Guard and the hole at Center is bigger but they'll evaluate the talent available and make the best pick possible. It would foolish to limit us to 1 position when there is only 1 Center projected to go in the top 5 this year.

I guess we should trade Jackson for a big though because we can't possibly win with Booker and Jackson, 2 wings, as our best players. Is that what you're saying? Because that's what you're implying. If we don't draft a Center with our top pick then we should, right? So we should pass on potential stars at PG and PF because we need a Center, it doesn't matter that we pass on the stars because we need a Center. We can add a Center in free agency. Centers are totally different in today's game, they're not nearly as important as they were. Having one like Ayton would make things easier but the only way we're getting him is if we pick #1 overall, so there's only a slim chance we'll fill our hole at Center through the draft.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Gonna be honest, what was the hype with Fizdale? If this story is true I'm almost kind of happy he turned them down.

What makes Fizdale such a better option than Igor? People talk about him like he's the second coming. What am I missing?

I never got the Fizdale love... and it doesn’t give me warm fuzzies that we offered him a deal.

Hopefully this is a case of sometimes the best deals are the ones that don’t happen.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Right, exactly! You guys are spot on. EVERY single prospect has some serious deficiencies and question marks. Somehow, Doncic is the only one whose issues get talked about and even exaggerated.

This is just not true.

Ayton universally gets questioned about if he’s got enough dog in him.

Young is universally understood to leak like a sieve defensively.

Bagley’s D and raptor arms are repeatedly brought up as concerns.

Bamba’s offensive game or lack thereof is acknowledged throughout the board.

JJJ... well, none of us even talk about him much.

The difference is when Doncic’s weakness are brought up his defenders come up with a raft of excuses (he’ll get more athletic/his shooting percentage isn’t really real because he takes end of quarter shots/he’m be the primary PG, even though he’s never actually been his team’s primary point) and then exaggerate his strengths (he’s by far the best passer... yet... how is he by far better than Young?).

 

[HeHasRosen]

I feel like the ppl who want Doncic are contradicting themselves with their own argument. If Igor is the ultimate developmental coach than shouldnt the pick be Ayton regardless? His ceiling is much higher. He could become absolutely dominant. Dude has great touch from all over the court. His passing is great for a big man and he has a high bball IQ. He just needs to get better defensively. We need a true center more than anything imo. I would even go bagley over doncic imo

 

[Hoop Head]

I feel like the ppl who want Doncic are contradicting themselves with their own argument. If Igor is the ultimate developmental coach than shouldnt the pick be Ayton regardless? His ceiling is much higher. He could become absolutely dominant. Dude has great touch from all over the court. His passing is great for a big man and he has a high bball IQ. He just needs to get better defensively. We need a true center more than anything imo. I would even go bagley over doncic imo

Ayton is considered the #1 pick by virtually everyone here, before Igor was signed or was even interviewed. I don't think there is one person here who would take Doncic over Ayton for the Suns at #1. Doncic is looked at as a fall back plan if the Suns don't get the #1 pick and end up picking #2 or #3. His supporters acknowledge he has holes in his game but how those holes are viewed between his supporters and his doubters are miles apart. That seems to be the issue when it comes to him.


Also, welcome to the board! Good to see new faces.

 

[SirStefan32]

I feel like the ppl who want Doncic are contradicting themselves with their own argument. If Igor is the ultimate developmental coach than shouldnt the pick be Ayton regardless? His ceiling is much higher. He could become absolutely dominant. Dude has great touch from all over the court. His passing is great for a big man and he has a high bball IQ. He just needs to get better defensively. We need a true center more than anything imo. I would even go bagley over doncic imo

I don't think many people would disagree with that. Few of us defend Doncic because he gets treated unfairly, but I would be surprised if anyone would take him over Ayton.

Welcome to the board, by the way!

 

[HeHasRosen]

Ayton is considered the #1 pick by virtually everyone here, before Igor was signed or was even interviewed. I don't think there is one person here who would take Doncic over Ayton for the Suns at #1. Doncic is looked at as a fall back plan if the Suns don't get the #1 pick and end up picking #2 or #3. His supporters acknowledge he has holes in his game but how those holes are viewed between his supporters and his doubters are miles apart. That seems to be the issue when it comes to him.


Also, welcome to the board! Good to see new faces.

Thanks glad to be here!

Ah got it. Seemed as if some would take Doncic over Ayton. In that case i would still take Bagley if hes there. Not because we need a center more but i just think hes a better prospect. I just dont trust the euro players as much. It seems to be either feast or famine with them for the most part.i just wouldn't take him that high, to many question marks. Especially the athleticism. I would even trade down and take young if Aytons gone. If im wrong tho ill own it

 

[Hoop Head]

Thanks glad to be here!

Ah got it. Seemed as if some would take Doncic over Ayton. In that case i would still take Bagley if hes there. Not because we need a center more but i just think hes a better prospect. I just dont trust the euro players as much. It seems to be either feast or famine with them for the most part.i just wouldn't take him that high, to many question marks. Especially the athleticism. I would even trade down and take young if Aytons gone. If im wrong tho ill own it

This is a little old now but we ran this poll back in March and it got a lot of activity. I think it was around early to mid March when the question of who the Suns take if Ayton isn't an option became something that would come up and hijack virtually every other thread. Most leaned towards Bagley but the Doncic fans have held firm with their support. It's tough to compare a Euro to an NCAA player, especially when you're comparing a big to a wing or guard. So if Doncic gets labeled a bust, his fans stick up for him and understandably so because no other top prospect has been called a bust so frequently up until this year with Doncic.

Here is that thread, it might answer some questions you may have about how most view and compare Doncic and Bagley, leaving Ayton out of it, with some talk about Young, Bamba, and Porter also. It's almost 3 to 1 Bagley though as far as who people think the Suns should take #2. I think it would be closer if done today but Bagley would still win, which is a little strange since we saw Bagley play well during the tournament while Doncic hasn't done much lately. Doncic is starting his postseason now though, which could bring people around to him as a selection for the Suns. Most people here really want a big though, because of the Suns history of always missing out on the truly impactful bigs.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/fo...-have-the-2-pick-who-should-they-pick.259901/

 

[Mainstreet]

Gonna be honest, what was the hype with Fizdale? If this story is true I'm almost kind of happy he turned them down.

What makes Fizdale such a better option than Igor? People talk about him like he's the second coming. What am I missing?

You didn't miss anything. I think most of us wanted Budenholzer because we knew more about him.

I like what I know about Igor a lot. He has a lot of coaching experience and knows how to communicate with players.

 

[GatorAZ]

Suns pick 4. Doncic denands to play in PHX and Suns trade up to 2. I think after Ayton the water gets muddied up so trading back two spots isn’t illogical for a team in the right circumstance.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Ayton is considered the #1 pick by virtually everyone here, before Igor was signed or was even interviewed. I don't think there is one person here who would take Doncic over Ayton for the Suns at #1. Doncic is looked at as a fall back plan if the Suns don't get the #1 pick and end up picking #2 or #3. His supporters acknowledge he has holes in his game but how those holes are viewed between his supporters and his doubters are miles apart. That seems to be the issue when it comes to him.

I wouldn't right now but if Igor pushed for him, I'd take him (if I were GM). Don't get me wrong, I want a dominant big man more than I want Doncic but I'm far from convinced that Ayton will be dominant. And I'd have no problems trusting Igor's judgement on this one.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't think Doncic would be a disaster at pg...just not ideal...or better yet he's not traditional. Besides, he seems to surpass expectations so I'm not overly worried about drafting him. No one is saying he doesn't know how to play the game...they're saying the opposite.

I think a lot of fans (right or wrong) are looking at Doncic as a one position player. If the Suns draft him I think we will see him as a multi position player. He should be able to play positions 1-3 which adds to his value. He should be able to play alongside Booker just fine and both players can distribute the ball.

Another way to look at it, Doncic should be able to add more offensive punch and versatility to the team without needing a pure PG. Booker and Doncic should be able to distribute the ball quite well.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think a lot of fans (right or wrong) are looking at Doncic as a one position player. If the Suns draft him I think we will see him as a multi position player. He should be able to play positions 1-3 which adds to his value. He should be able to play alongside Booker just fine and both players can distribute the ball.

Another way to look at it, Doncic should be able to add more offensive punch and versatility to the team without needing a pure PG. Booker and Doncic should be able to distribute the ball quite well.

Its not how many positions he plays. Its whether he can play the position we need at a superstar level. Make no mistake. We need a superstar from this draft, not a jack knife.

Now we have talked Doncic to death. I am willing to take a hard look at Ayton. Let's look at his strengths and weaknesses with eyes wide open.

 

[HeHasRosen]

I think a lot of fans (right or wrong) are looking at Doncic as a one position player. If the Suns draft him I think we will see him as a multi position player. He should be able to play positions 1-3 which adds to his value. He should be able to play alongside Booker just fine and both players can distribute the ball.

Another way to look at it, Doncic should be able to add more offensive punch and versatility to the team without needing a pure PG. Booker and Doncic should be able to distribute the ball quite well.

If thats the case then why not trade back and get young? He is a pure pg and a very underrated passer of the basketball. Doncic sounds like a good 6th man to me. Young, Booker, and Jackson could be lethal on O

 

[Mainstreet]

Its not how many positions he plays. Its whether he can play the position we need at a superstar level. Make no mistake. We need a superstar from this draft, not a jack knife.

I don't think Doncic' versatility should be a negative. If he can play positions 1-3 so much the better. I'm not sure any player in the draft can be labeled a superstar in the making. However, Doncic does have qualities that says he can take the next step because he can do so many things well.

 

[Mainstreet]

If thats the case then why not trade back and get young? He is a pure pg and a very underrated passer of the basketball. Doncic sounds like a good 6th man to me. Young, Booker, and Jackson could be lethal on O

I won't argue against Young because I like him as well. He is a good ball handler who can pass and shoot. There is a lot to like. He could end up being the best player in the draft although I like Ayton as #1.

The point I was trying to make, Doncic' versatility should not lessen his value. He should be able to play where a team needs him to play in positions 1-3. This should increase his value.

 

[Hoop Head]

If thats the case then why not trade back and get young? He is a pure pg and a very underrated passer of the basketball. Doncic sounds like a good 6th man to me. Young, Booker, and Jackson could be lethal on O

I like Young a lot, and before hiring Igor I wanted him more than anyone besides Ayton. I think he's the best fit for the Suns right now of any potential pick, Ayton included in that, but with Igor on board I think he knows whether Doncic can be a PG in the NBA. That's what worries me about him because if he's not a PG then we're stuck with 6th man because I highly doubt he'll be better than Booker or Jackson in 2-3 years. If Igor says he can be a PG, take him. He has a past with him so I'm fine with him making the call in that scenario.

I don't want to see the Suns get cute and try to trade down though. They should be able to drop to 4 and get Young still but the Suns have been burned too many times in the past for me to feel comfortable with trying to pull something to get the player they want and an additional asset. Getting the guy we want is more important than adding another asset to use later, whatever that might be. I doubt it would be anything we couldn't pass up.

New York did that with Porzingis a few years back and even though Knicks fans boo'd it when announced I don't think any of them would risk doing it over and trying to drop a few picks to get him and add something else, since he was not projected to go that high.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I wouldn't right now but if Igor pushed for him, I'd take him (if I were GM). Don't get me wrong, I want a dominant big man more than I want Doncic but I'm far from convinced that Ayton will be dominant. And I'd have no problems trusting Igor's judgement on this one.

I just don't think it is going to happen. Ayton, on day one, will have the best body in the NBA. The combination of size, strength, speed, and athleticism will be the best in the league. He also has incredible skills. He does not have the defensive skills that AD did, but his offensive skill set is almost unstoppable. He can work inside and out. People that nit pick him are doing the same thing people did with Tatum last year.

The only legit knock on Ayton is a bit of a question about motor. I just don't see it. Maybe he could be a little more active, but he plays within himself pretty well. He motor on the court reminds me a lot of Duncan, who competed but seemed like he was always holding a bit back.

The real question about Doncic is whether he should go #2 or not.

By the way. Kokoskov's greatest skill set is in developing guards (pg's in particular). Draft a star big. Coach up a point guard.

No one has even considered, for instance, what kind of difference he could make with a very willing Brandon Knight or Elfrid Payton.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I just don't think it is going to happen. Ayton, on day one, will have the best body in the NBA. The combination of size, strength, speed, and athleticism will be the best in the league. He also has incredible skills. He does not have the defensive skills that AD did, but his offensive skill set is almost unstoppable. He can work inside and out. People that nit pick him are doing the same thing people did with Tatum last year.

The only legit knock on Ayton is a bit of a question about motor. I just don't see it. Maybe he could be a little more active, but he plays within himself pretty well. He motor on the court reminds me a lot of Duncan, who competed but seemed like he was always holding a bit back.

The real question about Doncic is whether he should go #2 or not.

I don't think it's going to happen either. And Ayton does have a great body but I'm not sure it's as great of a basketball body as some think. I think he'll get moved around down low by other big bodies, even if they aren't as tall as him. But I'm not worried about his motor, I think it's fine from what I've seen.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

All this hand-wringing and yet it is pointless until May 15th. Let's wait until we have a chance at Ayton and draft someone else before we throw insults and leap from rooftops, eh?

 

[sunsfan88]

Which 3-5? Stop making stuff up to fit the narrative that Sarver is the devil.

LOL Sarver is the one person where you don't have to make stuff up to make him look bad. His resume speaks for itself.

Just off the top of my head there's Majerle, Budenholzer and Fizdale who all told him to go kick rocks. So there's your 3. Don't go around making accusations without doing some research yourself first.