Suns stuff in 4/20 Simmons' chat

[Arizona's Finest]

And if not Conley than I am all for Julian Wright. His passing ability and size would make him an instant stud at the three on this team....

 

[hafey]

Shot just fine in the final four. Not sure where people get that idea.

Yet a PG that can't shoot is the answer?

 

[Cheesebeef]

Brewer isn't more athletic than Prince but there is absolutely no way that Brewer is the better ballhandler between these two.

do you remember Prince's handles at Kentucky? They weren't on the level of Brewer.

I seriously think people completely forget how much better kids get as they continue to get older and their entire lives become about basketball as a job. It's like people think Prince and Pippen came out as we all remember them now and in their prime - guys, he's the real deal.

again, no one has answered this, but has Brandon Wright even declared yet? If so, whoever's there at 4 or 5, it should be one of those guys.

 

[Diawsome]

He also talked about how important it is for a player in this system to be able to play a few different positions and be interchangeable. Which on the one hand I agree with, but on the other, if you find the PG of the future (most pass first PGs dont really play another position), you have to take him.

Nobody like that exists in this draft outside Conley and possibly Law but the Suns aren't in a position to take either of them unless they were to trade down with the Atlanta pick.

 

[hcsilla]

do you remember Prince's handles at Kentucky? They weren't on the level of Brewer.

Yes, I do. They indeed weren't on the level of Brewer.

They were better.

Prince played point forward a lot for Kentucky. He was an excellent ballhandler.

 

[slinslin]

Nobody like that exists in this draft outside Conley and possibly Law but the Suns aren't in a position to take either of them unless they were to trade down with the Atlanta pick.

Disagree, Conley will be a top 8 pick come draft day and could go as high as #3.

People compare Conley to Chris Paul but say a worse version of Paul, but I am not sure how they get that Conley won't possibly be better than Paul.

It might be because Conley is a freshman and Paul already had 2 seasons under his belt.

Paul averaged Compiled in two seasons 948 points (15.0 ppg.), 245 rebounds (3.9 rpg.) , 395 assists (6.3 apg.), 160 steals (2.5 spg.), while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 47.0 percent from 3-point, and 83.8 percent from the foul line.

Conley averaged 11.4ppg 3.4rpg 6.1apg 2.2spg 52%FG 31%3s as a freshman and a stellar NCAA Tournament perfomance.

Anyone have Paul's freshman numbers? Most people had him as the best PG in the county at that point as well, just like Conley, just that Paul didn't come out.

 

[hcsilla]

I'm not saying that Paul was definitely a better prospect than Conley is right now but Paul before the draft was definitely a much more polished offensive player and a more smooth playmaker than Conley is right now.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I'm not saying that Paul was definitely a better prospect than Conley is right now but Paul before the draft was definitely a much more polished offensive player and a more smooth playmaker than Conley is right now.

Paul was a sophomore. Conley was a freshman

And despite what the hype machine will have you believe Conley was the single biggest reason his team advanced to the Finals. Paul couldn't get a talented WF team as far as Conley did his team.

For what its worth Conley is in the mold of Paul in that he has PG instincts that cannot be taught. Plus he is slick as hell handling the ball and running the offense.

Trust me on this and look back in five years. He at worst will be third best player to come out of this draft.

 

[Gaddabout]

Keep an eye on Nic Batum. Not at No. 4, but maybe if the Suns end up with the pick later in the Top 10.

I think Julian Wright will end up as the third best player in this draft after Oden and Durant, but it might take 3 years to realize it.

Conley is a drive-and-kick PG. He's KJ without the mid-range jumpshot.

 

[hafey]

Honestly with J. Wright, I just don't see it. The athleticism is nice. So is the court sense and passing, but no jump shot, bad handles, passivity. I'm not sold and as the Suns wouldn't bother in the top 10 with him.

 

[Muggum]

Something someone just said made me think the Suns might move DOWN in the draft if they land the #4, 5, or 6. I don't see D'Antoni taking Conley because he can't shoot from the outside. Remember, he passed on Rondo last year.

Put simply, the Suns lately seem to hate to draft at all. D'Antoni only wants a player who can star right now while Nash is still fresh. Thus the Banks move instead of Rondo or Marcus Williams. And Sarver doesn't want to take on any more salary, ever. The combo of the two just screams 'trade down' or 'we'd prefer no pick at all.'

Which is... of course... insane. The draft is the key to success. Period. Draft well, you win it all. Draft poorly, you doom yourself forever.

I'm not near a good enough judge of talent to figure out who the studs are from #4-#6. Just no clue whatsoever. We've just got to be smart and lucky.

 

[panfolk]

Man, if Brewer is comparable to Prince he'd be a good pick anywhere after Oden and Durant. I guess I'm a big fan of Tayshaun's game (last year's roommate was a Pistons fan so I saw as many of their games as the Suns) and don't see any glaring holes in it. He's not a shooter that'll catch fire but he's consistent and he always seems to make the right play at both ends of the court, and that's all just the mental aspects! The dude is freaky long and fast. If Brewer is comparable he'd be the BPA since Horford has size going against him.

 

[panfolk]

Keep an eye on Nic Batum. Not at No. 4, but maybe if the Suns end up with the pick later in the Top 10.

I think Julian Wright will end up as the third best player in this draft after Oden and Durant, but it might take 3 years to realize it.

Conley is a drive-and-kick PG. He's KJ without the mid-range jumpshot.

How does Conley do when defenders sag off on him?

 

[azirish]

How does Conley do when defenders sag off on him?

I am not so sure Conley will stay in the draft. He would benefit a lot from another year and it seems unlikely he would start immediately for most teams. Overall, I think he will turn out to be a very good NBA player, but I don't think comparisons to Paul are realistic. Even Deron Williams took a season to get minutes and Williams had a lot more college experience.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I am not so sure Conley will stay in the draft.

Cliff, what color is the sky in your world?

 

[azirish]

Every year there a guys who "test the waters" and then pull out. Until Conley signs with an agent, he could pull out.

The deciding point will be what the lottery teams say, not what public mocks say. We've seen guys drop tremendously from their mock projections, so I maintain a wait and see attitude. Until workouts begin and teams can talk to the prospects, it is hard to know what is really going on.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Every year there a guys who "test the waters" and then pull out. Until Conley signs with an agent, he could pull out.

The deciding point will be what the lottery teams say, not what public mocks say. We've seen guys drop tremendously from their mock projections, so I maintain a wait and see attitude. Until workouts begin and teams can talk to the prospects, it is hard to know what is really going on.

so, green I take it?

you're nuts if you think this kid ain't a late lotto pick.

 

[azirish]

so, green I take it?

you're nuts if you think this kid ain't a late lotto pick.

I think it is likely, but that's not the issue. In a year he could be top five. At the same time, for him to come out, he has be absolutely sure he won't get the Marcus Williams treatment. After talking to the teams, he should have a pretty good idea.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think it is likely, but that's not the issue. In a year he could be top five. At the same time, for him to come out, he has be absolutely sure he won't get the Marcus Williams treatment.

uh? First, IMO there is no issue between being late lotto and top five - if you're a lotto pick, regardless of where, you come out. It's not like this is the NFL draft where there's a huge difference between 5 and 10.

and second, what does Marcus Williams have to do with ANYTHING? That kid slipped because he a) had a relatively disappointing final season AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, he was deemed a kid with HUMUNGOUS attitude problems and charatcer question marks. How that has anything to do with Conley, who took a team to the Finals and by all accounts has never been a trouble maker anywhere, is beyond me. can you explain your logic there because you've got me completely clueless on that comparison.

 

[Jay Cardinal]

Did anyone here Griffin on KTAR the other day? There is a link to the audio on the Suns site. He mostly gave canned answers, but he did make one interesting comment. He mentioned that Golden State plays a similar style to the Suns, but they do it a bit better as far as athleticism goes. The Suns are better shooters, and more complete players, but the Warriors have better athletes, so he said the Suns will maybe try to improve their athleticism.

Good find. I watched a decent amount of GS this year and have to agree. GS has some crazy athletic guys. Monta Ellis is Barbosa-light, J-Rich a former slam dunk champion and Baron Davis who is always fun to watch. Their shooters are much less consistent and streakier than the Suns. Their offense gets some easy baskets from the fast break, but not nearly as many high-percentage open looks as the Suns do with Nash.

 

[hcsilla]

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, he was deemed a kid with HUMUNGOUS attitude problems and charatcer question marks.

I don't think that Williams had characted question marks. He was simply involved in the lap-top steal scandal and simply that was what scared teams away.

I agree with you that Conley doesn't have to be afraid that he will get a similar treatment to Marcus Williams.

I would be very, very surpised if he wouldn't be a top10 pick and if I'm not wrong that would be desirable enough for Conley to enter.

 

[jlove]

Paul: Freshman Year @ Wake Forest Stats:

.451 FG .474 3FG .834 Ft 4.5 RBS 6.63 Asst 2.78 TO 2.34 St 15.3 PTS

Conley: Freshman Year @ Ohio State Stats:

.518 FG .304 3FG .694 Ft 3.4 RBS 6.10 Asst 2.18 TO 2.23 St 11.3 PTS


As you can see Conley is better at FG% and thats about it. Conley is the closest to Paul in this draft. Paul would be better as Nash's replacement, but he isn't really available unless the Suns could pull off something like Marion, #4 pick, Cavs pick, Suns pick and Banks for Paul, Mason (S&T), Butler, and #13 pick.

 

[hcsilla]

Paul is totally and absolutely untouchable.

 

[Scot1]

Re Conley: We have to remember that he will not be the next Nash--nobody will. Last time I looked, Nash was .455 from 3. But Conley could still be a serviceable player in D'Antoni's scheme--but probably not worth the 4 pick. I've seen vast swings in his predicted position--probably not there for our current late picks, but if we could package them and trade up, maybe.

I keep thinking we should take Horford if we can at 4, and if he's really 6-9 or better. He's strong, has a mid-range jumper, defends fairly well--he might do what KT does now, but with more scoring potential and ability to run. Backup PG is one of our big problems, but rebounding and defending bigs is the other, and that will get much worse when KT goes. With Horford we've got a smallish but good front-court core, even if we must let Marion or Diaw go--not that I want either to happen.

Has anyone suggested trading Diaw to GS? If we like him, Nelson must love the point-forward potential....

 

[overseascardfan]

I don't like the Brewer pick. I would much rather go, Horford/Wright/Yi/Noah

Reminds me a whole lot of Stacey Augmon, the defensive specialist F on thise talented UNLV teams. Augmon was taken in the lottery by the Atlanta Hawks. Never was the player he was in college. I say pass on Brewer and go for Horford or Noah, get a PG like Law and a swingman like Nick Young and we're set.