Some Tough Decisions at 21

[George O'Brien]

Four weeks ago I thought that Joey Graham might end up being the Suns pick as a best player available. Since then, his stock has risen to the point where he seems like a sure lottery pick.

Channing Frye's stock has gone up even faster. In April he looked like he might fall to the late 20's. Now he is given a serious shot at top ten.

My guess is that some highly ranked players will fall equally dramatically. I'd feel more comfortable if I knew the Suns had seriously evaluated all the late lottery and mid round prospects. Several will be on the board at 21, although which is still pretty hard to figure.

One guy whose stock has been dropping like a rock is Chris Taft. Six months ago he was widely viewed as a top 5 pick. He's 6'10", 260, very athletic, and has decent offensive skills. His stats were much the same as they were his Freshman year, so he failed to live up to his high expectations. His workouts have not been outstanding either.

Do you gamble on a big guy with a huge amount of talent but doubtful attitude? Or do you take a smaller guy who is likely to be a career backup but will give you everything every night? This is hardly an academic question, because the future of the Suns franchise could depend on making the right decision.

 

[goldseraph]

Monta Ellis, Blatche, Simien, Diogu would all be great at this spot.

 

[overseascardfan]

Diogu, Villanueva, Hodge

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Diogu will be gone, do you guys not believe it or something?

 

[George O'Brien]

Diogu will be gone, do you guys not believe it or something?

We've all read the scouting reports but very few of the Mocks show Ike going much ahead of the Suns pick. The issue is that there are a lot of power forwards in a year where everyone wants centers and point guards.

The biggest knock on Ike is not so much his heigth (hardly a new issue), but his athleticism. The fact that Ike beats up on some big name guys in 2 on 2 games may not matter. They look at Ike and see Malik Rose, a pretty good player but never a starting quality guy.

 

[azsouthendzone]

Diogu will be there.

 

[Chaplin]

Well considering we're at #21 and just about every guy projected to go from 1-25 has been moving "up", I don't think it's a reach to say anybody outside the top 10 will be available.

 

[tobiazz]

Well considering we're at #21 and just about every guy projected to go from 1-25 has been moving "up", I don't think it's a reach to say anybody outside the top 10 will be available.

Exactly. Some players may be "rising" but it takes some of the higher picks dropping to really mean something. If Ike rises, which guys will be displaced?

 

[JCSunsfan]

Someone of quality will fall. We have to be ready. This is the type of draft where we could pick up a quality player.

There have been some in the past that have dropped this way. Nick VanExel, Michael Finley, Carlos Boozer.

The danger of making promises prior to the draft is that if someone drops, you end up drafting a lesser player. I think this is why we took Casey when Boozer and Tayshaun were both available.

But, if more players pull out of the draft, pickings will be slim.

 

[George O'Brien]

In another thread I said the Suns should be looking at everyone because anyone could drop. Time's a wasting.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

The danger of making promises prior to the draft is that if someone drops, you end up drafting a lesser player. I think this is why we took Casey when Boozer and Tayshaun were both available.

From talking with people, Casey was higher on the Suns board than both Boozer and Tayshaun. There were a few dessenters in the front office, but most of them wanted Casey ahead of everyone that was left.