Losing our 21st isn't the end of the world

[lancelet's cousin]

I think if we knew that we were losing our pick at the time of the annoucement of the Q/KT trade this draft wouldn't be so upsetting to many fans. Our goal is to get to the Finals next year. So chances are a 21st pick wouldn't help us next season. Its easy to hear all of these names and think, "man, look at who we are missing out on". But everyone in the draft is a project, espescially where we were drafting. It is called a deep draft but nobody knows that for sure.

If the trade+draft pick were taken as a whole it makes sense to me. We need what KT brings more than we need an easily obtainable spot-up shooter (Q on this team) and another project. IMO, there is a better chance that Barbs becomes an important part of this rotation than it is for a rookie to do so, regardless of pre-draft hype.

If we were relying on a 21st to help next year we aren't really championship contenders, are we?

Just looking at a brighter side...

21st pick last 10 years:


UTAPavel Podkolzine, Italy
ATLBoris Diaw, France
PORQyntel Woods, Northeast Mississippi CC
BOSJoseph Forte, North Carolina
TORMorris Peterson, Michigan State
GSWJeff Foster, Southwest Texas State
CHHRicky Davis, Iowa
NJNAnthony Parker, Bradley
NYKDontae Jones, Mississippi State
PHOMichael Finley, Wisconsin

There are maybe 2 people on this list that were true rookie contributors. And even they were very raw, and more exciting from a "potential" standpoint. That's not what we need. We need to get the vets. Especially a couple of waiver gems.

 

[nothin' but net]

I agree. But I still reserve the right to badmouth BC if they don't come up HUGE in the FA market.

Time to start packing for Amare, Nash, JJ and hopefully Marion to go on a 4 city whirlwind tour to recruit FAs.

 

[playstation]

this is good spin, but facts are facts, and i don't believe we won out on this trade with the knicks. however, since i don't work for the suns, i have no idea if this is only the start. because i've been wrong SO MANY times before i will give them the benefit of the doubt, but if kurt thomas is the only rotation player we acquire this summer, this is not a successful summer, simple as that.

HOWEVER, we may still be better next year, because Amare is just some rediculous unstoppable force. lets not forget about this.

 

[asudevil83]

i think your comparisons are TOTALLY off basis. think about it in terms of how many people picked 18-30 were contributors in their first or second seasons. there, you'll get a better idea of what we COULD be missing out on. the only true realization will come when we see just how good (or bad) these picks are.

if Petro becomes another Daly, i will **** a brick. if Robinson becomes another Boykins, then i will cry.

 

[tobiazz]

So the ~26th pick we get next year will be more useful?

 

[HooverDam]

Indeed you need to look at how picks around 21 have done, not just 21. Besides this years draft was considered to be very deep and getting a guy w/ a lot of college experience wouldve helped for sure.

Like everyone is saying, we better hope the Suns are pretty damned positive they are going to be able to sign some talented vets for cheap. Otherwise we are looking at this:

Amare
KT
Marion
JJ
Nash

LB
JJax
hunter probably gone
McCarty possibly gone
2 late first rounders
undrafter rookies filling out the bench. Yikes.

Im sure that wont happen, the Suns arent dumb. Maybe they just felt like drafting a player would take to long and they are gonna land a FA. Lets hope so

 

[Yuma]

So the ~26th pick we get next year will be more useful?

I agree with your overall take. We sidestepped a guaranteed contract this year, and have more money for veteran free agents. I feel we are definatly going this direction if we let NY take the pick this year. The 54 we got in return, Dijon Thompson, I really like for a second round guy. A 6'8" catch and shoot guy. He should be easy for Amare to find weak side off the post up!

 

[Mainstreet]

By lancelet's cousin

Losing our 21st isn't the end of the world

How come it feels like it? At least the Suns could have given us a clue instead of having draft parties.

 

[Yuma]

How come it feels like it? At least the Suns could have given us a clue instead of having draft parties.

Wait, attendees, we have a plan! Wink, wink, nod nod, say no more, say no more!

 

[lancelet's cousin]

I'm saying that we are now in it to win a title. I'm not happy about losing a 1st round pick in the trade anymore than the next fan. But if that was our option to get the inside player we so desperately needed than it was worth it.

Again, there will be players that we missed out on and regret years from now. But all that matters is that we build for a title this year. Nash's age dictates that.

How many rookies came up big in the ECF,WCF, or Finals?
Or last years' Finals, or the year before that, etc?

We missed a chance at a potentially great player (but odds are we didn't), but that's not the position we are in. We need vets, and I guess it cost us our 21st.

 

[Chaplin]

Now that we know what we gave up, does Kurt Thomas start?

 

[lancelet's cousin]

Now that we know what we gave up, does Kurt Thomas start?

I still hope not.

But I'm dying to know how the FA season will shape out. I think that is far more important to us for '05-'06 than this years' draft.

 

[HooverDam]

Now that we know what we gave up, does Kurt Thomas start?

I always thought he would. Depending on who we get in Free Agency will determine it for sure though. I wouldnt be against starting JJax though and playing run-n-gun, try to get out to early fast leads and then bringing in KT to contain it.

 

[George O'Brien]

How come it feels like it? At least the Suns could have given us a clue instead of having draft parties.

I'm not convinced that this was a done deal until tonight. The Q medical was just a smoke screen. The real issue was that the Suns would not complete the deal until they knew was available - something they should have done last season.

Obviously there were several guys we liked who fell below 21 and I'm sure there were some the Suns liked. But perhaps not enought to kill the deal.

For all the complaining, about the price, the Suns in KT still end up with a player who was tied for 6th in the NBA in rebounding at 10,4 a game and was in the top 20 in rebounds per minute. He plays tough, physical defense and is an excellant mid range shooter. You can complain about the price, but in the end he addresses some crying needs this team has.

BTW, one of the recurring problems I have with most trade proposals is that people seem to think it is easy to trade a good mid size guy for a good big guy. My guess is that even with Nate included, the Knicks fans are going to be pretty unhappy with this trade.

 

[Chaplin]

Kurt Thomas was also on the Knicks, a team not exactly known to run as much as the Phoenix Suns. And that worries me.

 

[TucsonDevil]

Yeah, I guess it isn't the end of the world... at least I don't see the Moon turning to blood (then again, I haven't gone outside tonight).

HOWEVA (ala Stephen A.), Phoenix's domination for years to come is now in serious doubt. You see, in order to be a dynasty, you have to continually add young talented players who will learn from the veterans how to win. Those players surround the stars (Amare, Nash, JJ) and give them breathers down the stretch, and provide a solid bench.

Let's look at our 'bench'

LB - Wow, he is not a winner - he is a head case already. When in pressure situations, he turned the ball over and made terrible passing decisions. Let's not even talk about his non-defense. Confidence is like quickness, you either have it, or you don't. LB lacks confidence.

Stephen Hunter - well, in stretches he played well, but not worth what he wants.

J Jackson - Has heart and game, but is getting long in the tooth.

The problem with this draft and us losing the #21 pick - There was HUGE confidence guys to choose from - Nate Robinson, Salim Stoudamire, Francisco Garcia - Each of them would carry their teams for long periods of time and came up big in the clutch. Now, we got nothing...

No, its not the end of the world, but the Suns future looks less attractive than it did this morning.

.

 

[BigDavis75]

Plus our bench could change dramatically with trades and FA, which willl most likely be improvement though.

 

[Yuma]

Kurt Thomas was also on the Knicks, a team not exactly known to run as much as the Phoenix Suns. And that worries me.

Kareem never raced down court during the Lakers ShowTime years, and that didn't stop their fast break. KT is WAY faster than Abdul Jabbar was or is!

 

[Joe Mama]

Here's the problem I have with the idea that doing the draft picks saves money for free agency. It only saves money because Sarver is cheaper than most other NBA owners. As far as the salary cap (generally the real bottom-line in the NBA along with the luxury tax limit) it makes no difference in free agency whether we had drafted and signed the #21 draft pick.

I'm watching one guy and one guy only to determine whether the trade was okay with regards to the #21 draft pick. That's Francisco Garcia. I believe wholeheartedly that he is the guy at the Phoenix Suns wanted if they were going to use that #21. I guess we could also keep an eye on Petro and Ukic since they were also rumored as real possibilities, but I think Garcia was their man if they kept the pick.

Joe Mama

 

[coloradosun]

So the ~26th pick we get next year will be more useful?

Once we get back to picking in the late 20's we need to adopt the SA model and take Euro's that stay on the other continent and develope. That is when and how you select Euro's. Not the Charbarkapa/Skita model.

 

[fordronken]

The way I see it, the reason we're all so upset about losing the pick is because it means we all wasted a large chunk of hours on figuring out who we were going to/should pick. Now it's time I'll never get back.

Whatever. I was gonna waste it on binge drinking anyway. My liver will thank me in twenty years.

 

[Joe Mama]

The way I see it, the reason we're all so upset about losing the pick is because it means we all wasted a large chunk of hours on figuring out who we were going to/should pick. Now it's time I'll never get back.

Whatever. I was gonna waste it on binge drinking anyway. My liver will thank me in twenty years.

LOL I believe that does have a lot to do with it. I said the same thing to my friend last night.

Of course the other reason everybody is disappointed/upset about losing the pick is that the original trade had the suns receiving a first-round draft pick. Then it was reported that the suns were giving the pick, but it was so conditional that New York was unlikely to get it any time soon. Now it ends up they actually gave this pick that many of us thought could turn into a good player from a deep draft. Regardless of how each of us liked or disliked the trade initially there's no arguing that it got worse and worse as it went on.

Joe

 

[elindholm]

I think the only problem with losing the #21 pick now is that the Suns have so few players in their rotation, and that pick was a decent candidate to be added. Right now they have the four survivors of last year's starting lineup, plus Thomas and Jackson, and that's it. Barbosa will not be in the regular rotation, and Voskuhl obviously won't. It sounds like they'll get Finley for the minimum and potentially use both exceptions, but that's still only nine rotation players, at most. I don't see any way that this team will be able to avoid a repeat of last year's depth problems.

 

[hafey2]

9 rotation players plus Barbosa and Voshkul? THat would be alot depper than last years team, IMO.

 

[sunsfn]

The way I see it, the reason we're all so upset about losing the pick is because it means we all wasted a large chunk of hours on figuring out who we were going to/should pick. Now it's time I'll never get back.

Whatever. I was gonna waste it on binge drinking anyway. My liver will thank me in twenty years.

You mean you were not drinking by the end of the round?

The 21st pick could have gone either way.

Maybe the suns wanted someone and if he was there they were going to give the Knicks next year pick.

Or, maybe the Knicks said if there is a player there we want, you get next years 1st pick.

The Knicks probably had the suns because of the ins. problem, which appears to be the truth that there was no ins. on Q's back.


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