George O'Brien
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Can the Suns actually improve themselves next year through the draft? The four guys taken in the last two drafts have been solid acquisitions who are making immediate contributions. However, even if the Suns get a lottery pick, it may be hard to get someone who can help the way Amare and Zarko are expected to produce.
On the surface, the most likely direction they MIGHT be looking at would be an impact big man or a shooting guard that is both athletic and a consistent shooter.
It is curious how drafts go in cycles. 2002 was a great draft for big men with Yao, Amare, Nene, Gooden, and Dunleavy all proving to be very productive. Nikoloz Tskitishvili of the nuggets was the only real flop. This year the top big men are Chris Kaman of the Clippers and Chris Bosh of the Raptors (really more of an SF), but none of the others have shown much compared to the guards and small forwards: James, Anthony, Wade, Henrich, and Howard. (Zarko has not been healthy enough to be a contender for ROY).
In reviewing next year's draft, it does not appear there will be the quality of guards that this year had, but it will have a lot big men. The problem is that most of the highly rated ones are from overseas or HS guys, thus no one knows if this is going to be another 2002 or a 2003.
The early listing by Inside Hoops has the following listing:
1) Dwight Howard 6-10 225 PF Atlanta GA HS Sr.
2) Emeka Okafor 6-9 240 PF UConn Jr.
3) Pavel Podkolzine 7-5 300 C (Russia) 1985
4) Kosta Perovic 7-1 230 PF/C (Serbia-Montenegro) 1985
5) Tiago Splitter 7-0 235 PF (Brazil) 1985
6) Hakim Warrick 6-8 210 SF Syracuse Jr.
7) Ben Gordon 6-2 185 PG UConn Jr.
8 ) Andris Biedrins 7-0 240 PF/C (Latvia) 1986
9) Josh Smith 6-9 210 SF Smyrna, GA HS Sr.
10) Luol Deng 6-8 220 SF Duke Fr.
11) Paul Davis 6-11 255 PF/C Michigan St. So. (bump to 13 maybe)
12) Raymond Felton 6-0 194 PG North Carolina So.
13) Roko-Leni Ukic 6-6 185 PG (Croatia) 1984
14) Ha Seung-Jin 7-3 300 C (South Korea) 1985
15) Rickey Paulding 6-5 200 SG Missouri Sr.
Unless someone shows up that is not currently being evaluated, it seems unlikely the Suns would take a guard. In reviewing the guards they list, Gordon is very talented, but he is too short (6'1") to be of much help to the Suns. Paulding only shot 33% from the field last season (nbadraft.net has him at 31). Deng of Duke is not considered a very good outside shooter. Iguodala of UofA is another guy that is better at going to the basket than shooting from the outside.
The scouting reports on Howard is that he will be the next Stoudemire, but with LeBron type ball handling skills. He could be too good to pass up, but he is likely to be a SF the first few years he is in the NBA. Taking Howard would be like taking Gordon, great prospects in an area the team is already deep.
Okafor may be big enough to play some at center and contribute right away. It is doubtful that he would be a long term solution, but would be a safe pick with some immediate trade value.
Podkolzine is huge and is considered to be fairly athletic. He is really raw and there are doubts about hie durability. But he is really tall and could be a factor on defense.
Perovic is listed by nbadraft.net as 7'3" and 240. He is a good passer, decent shot blocker and is "nible on his feet". He lacks an offensive game and is pretty light for someone that tall (Trybanski?), but he has been improving.
Splitter is 7'0", but his skills are mostly those of a small forward. He is an excellent and ball handler, but lacks the strength to defend other big guys. He doe have a fair amount of international experience.
Biedrins is only 18 and has limited international experience, but is considered to be an excellent defender with some good low post moves.
Davis is considered to be a solid offensive threat, but is not that impressive on defense.
Ha Seung-Jin has only HS experience playing Korea. He is currently in the U.S. preparing for the draft, so more will be known about him in a few months.
Conclusion? There are a lot of question marks on the guys in this draft. The Suns may end up taking someone who is certain to be a solid NBA player and not worry about need or just trade the pick. Time will tell.
On the surface, the most likely direction they MIGHT be looking at would be an impact big man or a shooting guard that is both athletic and a consistent shooter.
It is curious how drafts go in cycles. 2002 was a great draft for big men with Yao, Amare, Nene, Gooden, and Dunleavy all proving to be very productive. Nikoloz Tskitishvili of the nuggets was the only real flop. This year the top big men are Chris Kaman of the Clippers and Chris Bosh of the Raptors (really more of an SF), but none of the others have shown much compared to the guards and small forwards: James, Anthony, Wade, Henrich, and Howard. (Zarko has not been healthy enough to be a contender for ROY).
In reviewing next year's draft, it does not appear there will be the quality of guards that this year had, but it will have a lot big men. The problem is that most of the highly rated ones are from overseas or HS guys, thus no one knows if this is going to be another 2002 or a 2003.
The early listing by Inside Hoops has the following listing:
1) Dwight Howard 6-10 225 PF Atlanta GA HS Sr.
2) Emeka Okafor 6-9 240 PF UConn Jr.
3) Pavel Podkolzine 7-5 300 C (Russia) 1985
4) Kosta Perovic 7-1 230 PF/C (Serbia-Montenegro) 1985
5) Tiago Splitter 7-0 235 PF (Brazil) 1985
6) Hakim Warrick 6-8 210 SF Syracuse Jr.
7) Ben Gordon 6-2 185 PG UConn Jr.
8 ) Andris Biedrins 7-0 240 PF/C (Latvia) 1986
9) Josh Smith 6-9 210 SF Smyrna, GA HS Sr.
10) Luol Deng 6-8 220 SF Duke Fr.
11) Paul Davis 6-11 255 PF/C Michigan St. So. (bump to 13 maybe)
12) Raymond Felton 6-0 194 PG North Carolina So.
13) Roko-Leni Ukic 6-6 185 PG (Croatia) 1984
14) Ha Seung-Jin 7-3 300 C (South Korea) 1985
15) Rickey Paulding 6-5 200 SG Missouri Sr.
Unless someone shows up that is not currently being evaluated, it seems unlikely the Suns would take a guard. In reviewing the guards they list, Gordon is very talented, but he is too short (6'1") to be of much help to the Suns. Paulding only shot 33% from the field last season (nbadraft.net has him at 31). Deng of Duke is not considered a very good outside shooter. Iguodala of UofA is another guy that is better at going to the basket than shooting from the outside.
The scouting reports on Howard is that he will be the next Stoudemire, but with LeBron type ball handling skills. He could be too good to pass up, but he is likely to be a SF the first few years he is in the NBA. Taking Howard would be like taking Gordon, great prospects in an area the team is already deep.
Okafor may be big enough to play some at center and contribute right away. It is doubtful that he would be a long term solution, but would be a safe pick with some immediate trade value.
Podkolzine is huge and is considered to be fairly athletic. He is really raw and there are doubts about hie durability. But he is really tall and could be a factor on defense.
Perovic is listed by nbadraft.net as 7'3" and 240. He is a good passer, decent shot blocker and is "nible on his feet". He lacks an offensive game and is pretty light for someone that tall (Trybanski?), but he has been improving.
Splitter is 7'0", but his skills are mostly those of a small forward. He is an excellent and ball handler, but lacks the strength to defend other big guys. He doe have a fair amount of international experience.
Biedrins is only 18 and has limited international experience, but is considered to be an excellent defender with some good low post moves.
Davis is considered to be a solid offensive threat, but is not that impressive on defense.
Ha Seung-Jin has only HS experience playing Korea. He is currently in the U.S. preparing for the draft, so more will be known about him in a few months.
Conclusion? There are a lot of question marks on the guys in this draft. The Suns may end up taking someone who is certain to be a solid NBA player and not worry about need or just trade the pick. Time will tell.
