This draft stinks

[Joe Mama]

I'm sorry, but this draft is going to stink. Every year people say that. I'm sure there will be a few players that excite teams in their private workouts. However if you look at the probable #1 draft pick, Okafor, he might not have gone in the top five in last year's draft.

The real problem is that many of the teams at the top of the draft will likely try to trade out of their spot if they don't get Okafor. Orlando, Chicago, and Washington, not to mention the Phoenix Suns are all likely to entertain the idea of trade their picks. Chicago or Washington would certainly take Okafor. Chicago probably would also. But there's only one of him. Most of these teams at the top of the draft has been in the lottery so long that they aren't looking for a project. And that's what most of these players will be.

This is the real problem with the draft getting younger and younger and less experienced. It's the teams in the lottery that generally really need immediate help. In

Joe Mama

 

[Freddie]

I think this draft is similar to the one where Kenyon Martin was the first pick and Stromile Swift was the second. I think Mike Miller ended up being ROY. I don't remember any great players from that draft?

 

[Gee!]

This draft does stink. I'm not excited about it one bit. It's like the hangover after a huge party. Last year was LeBron and Mello. This year is .... who?

 

[George O'Brien]

I'm guessing that the draft may look better to other teams than to the Suns because of where it is strong and where it is not.

For example, Gordon is likely to be a pretty good player right from the start. But his size and playing style is too similar to Barbasa and Vujanic to be interesting. Devin Harris and Jameer Nelson presents a similar problems. Deng is a very talented player who could get a lot of minutes on many teams, but the Suns do not need another athletic SF who lacks a reliable shot. Iggy (Iguodala) could be this year's version of Pietrus whose defense helps to win games, but without an outside shot he doesn't meet the Suns needs.

I'm not sure any of these guys will be "great". But all of them look to be solid and in a few cases, excellant, NBA players.

The guys with the most promise are also the guys who are the least likely to be much help for a few years: Howard, Livingston, Josh Smith, JR Smith,Telfair, Jefferson, and the Euros.

 

[F-Dog]

Last year's draft was one of the strongest ever, and the K-Mart draft was one of the weakest ever--I don't see the point in comparing this draft to either of those.

This year's draft reminds me of 2001's, except this year's draft has Okafor. There wasn't a lot of experience in that draft, especially at the top--the strength of that draft was in brutally raw big men (Kwame Brown, Chandler, Gasol, Curry). However, there were quite a few solid PG prospects taken at the end of the first round (Raul Lopez, Tinsley, and Tony Parker, with Arenas and Earl Watson getting pushed into the second round).


I guess I can see how you'd be depressed, since most of the teams at the top of that draft still haven't seen a decent return on their draft picks. (Part of the problem is that many of those teams still aren't set up to develop young players from scratch.) Still, you can't say there was no talent in that draft, and if the Suns wind up with a Kwame instead of a Diop, they will have filled their only remaining need position with a top talent, even if they won't see the results until three or four years from now.


I'm still hopeful for the Suns, myself. The real X-factor in this draft are the Euros, and none of the teams drafting ahead of the Suns have emphasized foreign scouting (with the possible exception of the Clippers, who need a PG in the worst way). It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Suns wind up with the best or second-best player from this draft, and my guess is that that will be a good thing.

 

[George O'Brien]

Last year's draft was one of the strongest ever, and the K-Mart draft was one of the weakest ever--I don't see the point in comparing this draft to either of those.

This year's draft reminds me of 2001's, except this year's draft has Okafor. There wasn't a lot of experience in that draft, especially at the top--the strength of that draft was in brutally raw big men (Kwame Brown, Chandler, Gasol, Curry). However, there were quite a few solid PG prospects taken at the end of the first round (Raul Lopez, Tinsley, and Tony Parker, with Arenas and Earl Watson getting pushed into the second round).


I guess I can see how you'd be depressed, since most of the teams at the top of that draft still haven't seen a decent return on their draft picks. (Part of the problem is that many of those teams still aren't set up to develop young players from scratch.) Still, you can't say there was no talent in that draft, and if the Suns wind up with a Kwame instead of a Diop, they will have filled their only remaining need position with a top talent, even if they won't see the results until three or four years from now.


I'm still hopeful for the Suns, myself. The real X-factor in this draft are the Euros, and none of the teams drafting ahead of the Suns have emphasized foreign scouting (with the possible exception of the Clippers, who need a PG in the worst way). It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Suns wind up with the best or second-best player from this draft, and my guess is that that will be a good thing.

In another thread, Chad Ford outlined his views of team needs and he did not show anyone ahead of the Suns taking any of the Euros. In another report he said that Andriuskevicius is pulling out of the draft (nbadraft.net no longer lists him in their mock draft).

 

[Yuma]

I know I will be in the minority here, but if we traded our draft pick to someone for a veteran who can help us I wouldn't be mad at that. Also, I know you guys hated us trading away picks for Googs, but actually if we traded out of this draft completly, assuming we don't get Howard or Okafor, and got NOTHING in return, it may help us better than getting saddled with some stiff in the draft that takes up a player spot and salary cap. Especially a top ten pick. I would trade with a team for a pick in NEXT year's draft in a heartbeat. Assuming we sign the guard from Europe to play here, and get 1-2 veteran free agents, a draft pick this year will be hard pressed to get ANY playing time, UNLESS he's a better center than what we have now, and I don't see that happening in this draft realistically.

 

[George O'Brien]

I know I will be in the minority here, but if we traded our draft pick to someone for a veteran who can help us I wouldn't be mad at that. Also, I know you guys hated us trading away picks for Googs, but actually if we traded out of this draft completly, assuming we don't get Howard or Okafor, and got NOTHING in return, it may help us better than getting saddled with some stiff in the draft that takes up a player spot and salary cap. Especially a top ten pick. I would trade with a team for a pick in NEXT year's draft in a heartbeat. Assuming we sign the guard from Europe to play here, and get 1-2 veteran free agents, a draft pick this year will be hard pressed to get ANY playing time, UNLESS he's a better center than what we have now, and I don't see that happening in this draft realistically.

I would not be shocked if the Suns traded for future picks. The #7 pick has a guaranteed salary of $1.821 million, which could be used for signing free agents, Vujanic and re-signing Dice.

However, if the Suns move White, they will need to add another big man.

 

[SweetD]

IMO the Suns will not try to move White unless they feel they can make a move for a top free agent. White has shown promise but his salary is a little high, since it is for one more year they may want to keep him around. The best scenario I can think of would be to use the Cavs future pick with Howard and cash to the Bobcats. The cats will not need the pick until next year or few years and might be willing to take the pick since the Hornets are moving out of the East and would realy help the Cavs make the playoffs next year.

 

[George O'Brien]

IMO the Suns will not try to move White unless they feel they can make a move for a top free agent. White has shown promise but his salary is a little high, since it is for one more year they may want to keep him around. The best scenario I can think of would be to use the Cavs future pick with Howard and cash to the Bobcats. The cats will not need the pick until next year or few years and might be willing to take the pick since the Hornets are moving out of the East and would realy help the Cavs make the playoffs next year.

If McInnis had stayed healthy, the Cavs would have made it this year. Still, I can't see the Cleveland pick being enough to move Eisley's contract. I am skeptical that even the lottery pick would be enough, but it depends on how much the Bobcats like some of these players.

 

[Joe Mama]

IMO after the draft lottery and some private workouts there will be several teams looking to trade down from the top of the draft. That will drive down the value of these top picks. I guess what I'm getting at is that it's going to take more than even the #7 draft pick to get rid of Howard Eiseley.

I'm thinking they're not going to trade pick. I think they will take the best player available with preference towards size.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

IMO after the draft lottery and some private workouts there will be several teams looking to trade down from the top of the draft. That will drive down the value of these top picks. I guess what I'm getting at is that it's going to take more than even the #7 draft pick to get rid of Howard Eiseley.

I'm thinking they're not going to trade pick. I think they will take the best player available with preference towards size.

Joe Mama

Quite possibly. I think the Suns would like to do a package deal with the pick, but I doubt the Suns can clear enough space or get a good enough player to make it worth while.

 

[Yuma]

Quite possibly. I think the Suns would like to do a package deal with the pick, but I doubt the Suns can clear enough space or get a good enough player to make it worth while.

You guys will be pissed, but if I was Bryan C., I would trade Eisley to the Bobcats for all our remaining picks in the draft, the Bobcats can cut Eisley without a hit to their cap, they pick up two picks to build with, the Suns cut a huge portion of cap space, they don't have to take on draft picks salaries, then IF they are in the Kobe hunt, they are in A-one position, aside from not having Shaq on their team!! If they don't get Kobe, then they have cap space to try and get TMac. I know you guys want to trade Marion because of salary, but Joe Johnson would be unneeded if we had TMac. Trade TMac for JJ and whoever else, like Cabarkapra and we may be able to get a deal done. We may have to throw in a Jake Vokshul or someone of that ilk, too.

 

[George O'Brien]

You guys will be pissed, but if I was Bryan C., I would trade Eisley to the Bobcats for all our remaining picks in the draft, the Bobcats can cut Eisley without a hit to their cap, they pick up two picks to build with, the Suns cut a huge portion of cap space, they don't have to take on draft picks salaries, then IF they are in the Kobe hunt, they are in A-one position, aside from not having Shaq on their team!! If they don't get Kobe, then they have cap space to try and get TMac. I know you guys want to trade Marion because of salary, but Joe Johnson would be unneeded if we had TMac. Trade TMac for JJ and whoever else, like Cabarkapra and we may be able to get a deal done. We may have to throw in a Jake Vokshul or someone of that ilk, too.

My understanding is that the MOST the Suns can offer is one draft pick and $3 million. I'm sure they would give both their lottery and Cleveland pick to get rid of Eisley's contract if they could (they couldn't offer any more if they wanted to due to limits set by trade for the Barbosa draft rights).