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I think that was all McD but there’s no way to know for sure.
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Former Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough hints at Luka/Ayton decision
Many Phoenix Suns fans blame former GM Ryan McDonough for drafting Deandre Ayton over Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft. Recently, he talked about it.
McDonough can be as coy as he wants, but this is the way that quote reads to me:
“Robert Sarver was too cheap to send me to Europe to evaluate Luka because he already made up his mind he wanted Ayton. Had I gone, I probably would have made a more passionate argument to draft him over Ayton, but at the end of the day, Sarver is the one who makes all the decisions so I didn’t have much say in the matter anyway.”
Igor has said similar things. That he was hired to coach Doncic as he had in the past and we took Ayton instead.
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That's not quite the way I took it but it's certainly plausible. I just thought Ryan wanted Ayton and used the "didn't see Luka play" as an excuse for why he chose DA and then added another excuse to the pile. That being, since he was just part of a group that made the decisions, it wasn't all his fault no matter what.Former Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough hints at Luka/Ayton decision
Many Phoenix Suns fans blame former GM Ryan McDonough for drafting Deandre Ayton over Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft. Recently, he talked about it.valleyofthesuns.com
McDonough can be as coy as he wants, but this is the way that quote reads to me:
“Robert Sarver was too cheap to send me to Europe to evaluate Luka because he already made up his mind he wanted Ayton. Had I gone, I probably would have made a more passionate argument to draft him over Ayton, but at the end of the day, Sarver is the one who makes all the decisions so I didn’t have much say in the matter anyway.”
Anyway, I blame both of them. And no matter who pushed for DA, we know Sarver stuck his nose in any time he wanted so if Robert really preferred Luka or Ayton or anyone else, that's who we'd have drafted.
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There are also plenty of rumors which seem to indicate Ryan McDonough wanted to trade for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander instead of trading for Mikal Bridges in the 2018 draft.
I do think Ryan McDonough's power as the Suns GM was waning.
I do think Ryan McDonough's power as the Suns GM was waning.
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Rumors are that Robert Sarver made the decision to trade for Mikal Bridges which it turns out was a good choice, although the Suns needed a point guard more.
Typo? That was a great choice. I know we needed a PG but you add talent when you can and Mikal ultimately led to KD, Beal, Booker big 3 and now is the foundation for a rebuild on Brooklyn. I like Shai, a lot, but you can't fault someone for taking Mikal over Shai.
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As you can see, I edited it to read correctly.
Mikal Bridges was a great draft pick although I think Shai would have been a excellent selection as well.
I do think the Suns needed a point guard more.
Yuma
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I swear I remember Sarver flying over to see Doncic. I thought I read a blurb on it in the AZ Republic? Weird if he did and didn't take the GM.
I remember that as well. I want to say James Jones went too. I think that's when they decided to oust McD.
Yuma
Suns are my Kryptonite!
Yuma
Suns are my Kryptonite!
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"Owner Robert Sarver was also in attendance, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony."
All this. I remember a particular video just after we got the #1 overall and McDonough was beaming and mentioned getting Ayton. I don't remember the details exactly but he mentioned Ayton as "the guy."
Yes, I was going to reply that Bridges was a great pick but Shai would have probably been better for our team at the time. However, with the butterfly effect and all, then maybe we don't get Paul or go to the Finals. I think it has all worked out pretty well. Especially with the new owner.
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I don’t really trust anything Sarver or McDonough says tbh. Both were bad at their jobs and REALLY bad at dealing with people. In regards to the Sarver/UofA connection has always been overblown to me. It’s not a secret that Sarver doesn’t really care about sports at UA and has never been a donor to the athletics program. Also, if it was about hype and interest Doncic was the international phenom. As far as fans go at that time I think it was more about never having a legit center rather than Ayton being a truly great prospect.
JCSunsfan
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Many here wanted Ayton too. I did. Hindsight is 20-20.
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I knew about his problem with his hands and with his inconsistent effort and I believed the scouts that raved about Luka knew what they were talking about and I still wanted DA.
SirStefan32
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I was even more wrong. I had watched Doncic a lot, and I knew he was going to be a very good player. I still wanted Ayton. I thought Ayton was going to be better than he turned out to be, and I thought Luka was not going to be quite as good as he turned out to be.
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As good as Luka has been I don't think he is a player you can build around and win. He's too ball dominant. Maybe it will change, but I don't think it will. I see him as another James Harden type.
It's true he has a lot more trade value, but we would not have the team we have right now if he was selected, because he would still be the focus of it. As crazy as it sounds, I don't think we would necessarily be better off if we had taken him.
It's true he has a lot more trade value, but we would not have the team we have right now if he was selected, because he would still be the focus of it. As crazy as it sounds, I don't think we would necessarily be better off if we had taken him.
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Yeah plus I'd hate to have to follow a team built around him, incredible though he is. In hindsight, I'd trade the pick or take Luka with the intention of trading him once he'd elevated his status.
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I think few people thought Luka would be an elite player.
Yuma
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One of the things lost in the Luka and Ayton debate, is however bad you think Ayton is, he IS a way better two way player than Luka!
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I look at draft picks differently. I think of it more as upside and downside. I felt Doncic had huge upside but also huge downside. Ayton, to me, had a little bit lower ceiling but a much higher floor. In that sense I was not wrong. Ayton has hit his floor. Doncic his ceiling.
Not really. Ayton is rarely engaged and the gap offensively between the two is far greater than the gap between them defensively. So Luka is 3-4 times better than Ayton offensively while Ayton is a better defender than Luka is, sometimes, he's maybe twice as impactful at his best on defense.
Luka is almost as good of a rebounder despite being 5-6 inches shorter also. That shouldn't be as close as it is either but Ayton isn't a great rebounder. He gets the majority of his boards due to his height and playing inside on D but when others challenge for a rebound he often comes up lacking.
