With the 4th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

[Praxis]

Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma

 

[Sunburst]

Next year's headline --- BREAKING NEWS: Suns allow 160 in blow out loss

Trae Young doesn't play defense. Hope for Ayton or Bagley.

 

[Hoop Head]

Next year's headline --- BREAKING NEWS: Suns allow 160 in blow out loss

Trae Young doesn't play defense. Hope for Ayton or Bagley.

Because the Suns routinely gave up 160 points when Nash was the PG here, or when we had the 3 headed PG mess that was IT, Bledsoe, and Dragic.

People get way too caught up in whether a player is a good defensive player or not. Right now the Suns don't have the talent across the board to turn a player away because they're not a good defender. There are plenty of contenders who rely on players that aren't good defenders. Look at the Warriors, Curry is not a good defender and they've won 2 titles in 3 years. I know Klay is a quality defender but they have a 6'7 rim protector also. He's efficient but that isn't ideal. No one is limiting the Rockets chances of getting past Golden State because of their defense. They're talked about as if their defense won't be an issue because their high powered offense is just too good for teams to outscore them in a series.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Next year's headline --- BREAKING NEWS: Suns allow 160 in blow out loss

Trae Young doesn't play defense. Hope for Ayton or Bagley.

Not if your hope is better defense. Neither of them are any good on that end either. If defense is what you want than really no one in the top 3-4 of this draft is for you. Though it’s arguable that JJJ is in the top 4.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Because the Suns routinely gave up 160 points when Nash was the PG here, or when we had the 3 headed PG mess that was IT, Bledsoe, and Dragic.

People get way too caught up in whether a player is a good defensive player or not. Right now the Suns don't have the talent across the board to turn a player away because they're not a good defender. There are plenty of contenders who rely on players that aren't good defenders. Look at the Warriors, Curry is not a good defender and they've won 2 titles in 3 years. I know Klay is a quality defender but they have a 6'7 rim protector also. He's efficient but that isn't ideal. No one is limiting the Rockets chances of getting past Golden State because of their defense. They're talked about as if their defense won't be an issue because their high powered offense is just too good for teams to outscore them in a series.

Everything I’ve heard, read and watched says the Warriors are favorites if healthy because when push comes to shove they can make stops and Houston can’t.

And I firmly believe the same.

 

[Praxis]

Because the Suns routinely gave up 160 points when Nash was the PG here, or when we had the 3 headed PG mess that was IT, Bledsoe, and Dragic.

People get way too caught up in whether a player is a good defensive player or not. Right now the Suns don't have the talent across the board to turn a player away because they're not a good defender. There are plenty of contenders who rely on players that aren't good defenders. Look at the Warriors, Curry is not a good defender and they've won 2 titles in 3 years. I know Klay is a quality defender but they have a 6'7 rim protector also. He's efficient but that isn't ideal. No one is limiting the Rockets chances of getting past Golden State because of their defense. They're talked about as if their defense won't be an issue because their high powered offense is just too good for teams to outscore them in a series.

Curry still isn't great on the defensive end but he has improved over the years. Young will be fine as long as we have other solid perimeter defenders.

 

[Hoop Head]

Everything I’ve heard, read and watched says the Warriors are favorites if healthy because when push comes to shove they can make stops and Houston can’t.

And I firmly believe the same.

I've seen probably a 70/30 split favoring the Warriors. The "experts" and analysts generally pick the Warriors but I think the majority of fans discussing the NBA on various platforms are touting this as the Rocket's year. I think Suns fans might notice people hyping the Rocket's more because we're familiar with D'Antoni's 50 wins and fade style. At least the Rocket's don't have a defensive juggernaut like the Spurs to get past but if they don't meet the Warriors in the 2nd round they won't stand a chance against them in the WCF. They'll be too worn out by then. I can't help but notice people hyping the Rockets up because we lived through similar discussions with the Suns in that position from 2005-08 with D'Antoni.

The Rockets are a good story right now and the Warriors are still a villainous super team because they signed Durant last year. People want them to beat the Warriors more than they believe they can. People wanted the fun 7 Seconds or Less Suns to beat the grit and grind Spurs also, that didn't make a difference in the end though. It would be a fun series but it would be painful to see the Rockets win a title with D'Antoni at the helm and a few former Suns on the roster, like PJ Tucker, Gerald Green, and Joe Johnson. It hurt some seeing D'Antoni come out and say that Joe Johnson cost him a few titles in Phoenix when the Rockets signed him earlier this season. The Suns would probably have a championship banner had he stuck around so seeing them celebrate one in Houston would not be fun. Especially since Houston stopped the Suns during their best chance at a title outside of the Nash years in 94 and 95.

 

[Praxis]

I'm not opposed to trading up or down from #4. It depends on cost/benefit. Young would add another cornerstone and that is what we need at that position.

 

[Raze]

Because the Suns routinely gave up 160 points when Nash was the PG here, or when we had the 3 headed PG mess that was IT, Bledsoe, and Dragic.

People get way too caught up in whether a player is a good defensive player or not. Right now the Suns don't have the talent across the board to turn a player away because they're not a good defender. There are plenty of contenders who rely on players that aren't good defenders. Look at the Warriors, Curry is not a good defender and they've won 2 titles in 3 years. I know Klay is a quality defender but they have a 6'7 rim protector also. He's efficient but that isn't ideal. No one is limiting the Rockets chances of getting past Golden State because of their defense. They're talked about as if their defense won't be an issue because their high powered offense is just too good for teams to outscore them in a series.

True, Curry is not a good defender. However, he's also surrounded by good to great defensive players: KD, Green, Klay, Iggy... They hide Steph's shortcomings on defense.

I wholeheartedly disagree that people shouldn't get caught up in if a prospect is a good defensive player. Literally 50% of the game is defense. Why in the world would you NOT make that a major portion of a guy's portfolio? I mean that's Golden State's secret to success: playing great team D. (Well, that and adding KD and getting to play Lebron with the Cleveland Browns as his supporting cast).

I still consider Josh Jackson the best prospect in last year's draft because he plays both ends. I don't get the fascination with guys that are one dimensional when they HAVE to play a two dimensional sport.

When we already have one of the worst defenders in the league, we would be fools to surround him with other guys who don't play D.

 

[Raze]

I've seen probably a 70/30 split favoring the Warriors. The "experts" and analysts generally pick the Warriors but I think the majority of fans discussing the NBA on various platforms are touting this as the Rocket's year. I think Suns fans might notice people hyping the Rocket's more because we're familiar with D'Antoni's 50 wins and fade style. At least the Rocket's don't have a defensive juggernaut like the Spurs to get past but if they don't meet the Warriors in the 2nd round they won't stand a chance against them in the WCF. They'll be too worn out by then. I can't help but notice people hyping the Rockets up because we lived through similar discussions with the Suns in that position from 2005-08 with D'Antoni.

The Rockets are a good story right now and the Warriors are still a villainous super team because they signed Durant last year. People want them to beat the Warriors more than they believe they can. People wanted the fun 7 Seconds or Less Suns to beat the grit and grind Spurs also, that didn't make a difference in the end though. It would be a fun series but it would be painful to see the Rockets win a title with D'Antoni at the helm and a few former Suns on the roster, like PJ Tucker, Gerald Green, and Joe Johnson. It hurt some seeing D'Antoni come out and say that Joe Johnson cost him a few titles in Phoenix when the Rockets signed him earlier this season. The Suns would probably have a championship banner had he stuck around so seeing them celebrate one in Houston would not be fun. Especially since Houston stopped the Suns during their best chance at a title outside of the Nash years in 94 and 95.

Joe Johnson didn't cost the Suns a title. David Stern did. 100%. However, once Donaghy was outted, the league had to sing a different tune and call games fairly. Shortly thereafter in 2011, Dallas won effectively ending Stern's deliberate attempt at stopping full court teams from winning (Suns, Kings, Mavs) It's a totally different era of basketball than when the Suns were robbed game 3 of the Spurs series.

D'Antoni has just as much of a shot as ever this year. I still don't think he'll beat a healthy GS or Cleveland team. But he'll have a fair shot... finally.

 

[Praxis]

So he compares to Curry, therefore we should pass on him??? All of the top prospects are either raw or unproven on defense because they are all freshmen.

Bamba is raw but should be an elite rim protector at the very least. Ayton is unproven but has all of the tools to be a two-way beast. Keep in mind, Young, Bamba, and Ayton played on bad teams. They didn't get much help on either end.

 

[Hoop Head]

Joe Johnson didn't cost the Suns a title. David Stern did. 100%. However, once Donaghy was outted, the league had to sing a different tune and call games fairly. Shortly thereafter in 2011, Dallas won effectively ending Stern's deliberate attempt at stopping full court teams from winning (Suns, Kings, Mavs) It's a totally different era of basketball than when the Suns were robbed game 3 of the Spurs series.

D'Antoni has just as much of a shot as ever this year. I still don't think he'll beat a healthy GS or Cleveland team. But he'll have a fair shot... finally.

If Johnson had stayed I think the Suns would have won a title. That can't be proven but they were damn good the first year where he broke his face in the playoffs. D'Antoni only said that Johnson cost him a title by leaving the Suns, so it's not something I came up with on my own. Here is a link to it, he actually said he cost him at least 2 championships. I know Stern was an issue also but as far as things within the Suns control, retaining Johnson would have been huge.

Back to Young, a backcourt of he and Booker should outscore virtually any backcourt in the league for the next decade. Thompson and Curry is the only one that is close and only one of them is a good defender. With the 4th pick we could do worse than Trae Young. He's also a great playmaker, which the Suns need. I know that team might not contend for a title but before we worry about contending for championships let's get a playoff team. Once they're in the playoffs then we can talk about building a team for a championship run. The Suns have 3 players that are worth keeping right now, Booker, Jackson, and Warren. They can use help at PG, PF, and Center. Young fills a need and would make the Suns fun to watch again.

 

[GatorAZ]

Joe Johnson didn't cost the Suns a title. David Stern did. 100%. However, once Donaghy was outted, the league had to sing a different tune and call games fairly. Shortly thereafter in 2011, Dallas won effectively ending Stern's deliberate attempt at stopping full court teams from winning (Suns, Kings, Mavs) It's a totally different era of basketball than when the Suns were robbed game 3 of the Spurs series.

D'Antoni has just as much of a shot as ever this year. I still don't think he'll beat a healthy GS or Cleveland team. But he'll have a fair shot... finally.

You think the league wanted boring finals matchups between San Antonio and Detroit?? LOL

 

[Cheesebeef]

You think the league wanted boring finals matchups between San Antonio and Detroit?? LOL

And All-Time low ratings! Def. that’s definitely what they wanted.

 

[GatorAZ]

If Johnson had stayed I think the Suns would have won a title. That can't be proven but they were damn good the first year where he broke his face in the playoffs. D'Antoni only said that Johnson cost him a title by leaving the Suns, so it's not something I came up with on my own. Here is a link to it, he actually said he cost him at least 2 championships. I know Stern was an issue also but as far as things within the Suns control, retaining Johnson would have been huge.

Back to Young, a backcourt of he and Booker should outscore virtually any backcourt in the league for the next decade. Thompson and Curry is the only one that is close and only one of them is a good defender. With the 4th pick we could do worse than Trae Young. He's also a great playmaker, which the Suns need. I know that team might not contend for a title but before we worry about contending for championships let's get a playoff team. Once they're in the playoffs then we can talk about building a team for a championship run. The Suns have 3 players that are worth keeping right now, Booker, Jackson, and Warren. They can use help at PG, PF, and Center. Young fills a need and would make the Suns fun to watch again.

Depends on what else they did with the roster. Diaw would’ve been more important than Joe the year Amare was out but 07’ would’ve had a team with four stars. We don’t know if they still would’ve signed Raja and traded for KT.

 

[Raze]

You think the league wanted boring finals matchups between San Antonio and Detroit?? LOL

Quite frankly, I have no idea what Stern was thinking. I think he got a massive head after his incredible run in the 80's and 90's. Power got to him for sure. Ask Dan Patrick.

However I do know this. There is no doubt that Game 6 of Sacramento/Lakers was bogus. No doubt Dallas got royally screwed in the Miami Finals. No doubt game 3 of Suns/Spurs was one of the most poorly officiated games ever (One of Donaghy's last) (And if memory serves, we still don't have access to that game(?). I remember Bill Simmons making a stink about it.) No doubt that the playoffs were called VASTLY different than the regular season.

Maybe Stern wasn't intentionally holding back the full court teams, but that sure was the result.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and as you can tell, I'm STILL bitter about him taking a Finals away from us.

 

[Raze]

If Johnson had stayed I think the Suns would have won a title. That can't be proven but they were damn good the first year where he broke his face in the playoffs. D'Antoni only said that Johnson cost him a title by leaving the Suns, so it's not something I came up with on my own. Here is a link to it, he actually said he cost him at least 2 championships. I know Stern was an issue also but as far as things within the Suns control, retaining Johnson would have been huge.

Back to Young, a backcourt of he and Booker should outscore virtually any backcourt in the league for the next decade. Thompson and Curry is the only one that is close and only one of them is a good defender. With the 4th pick we could do worse than Trae Young. He's also a great playmaker, which the Suns need. I know that team might not contend for a title but before we worry about contending for championships let's get a playoff team. Once they're in the playoffs then we can talk about building a team for a championship run. The Suns have 3 players that are worth keeping right now, Booker, Jackson, and Warren. They can use help at PG, PF, and Center. Young fills a need and would make the Suns fun to watch again.

I agree for the large part. I just hate taking anything away from that Suns team that deserved a championship.

Back to young, it would be awfully tough to pass on another Devin Booker even though you already have one. I actually like Young. It's just a hard sell to me that you can win a championship with NO back court D.

 

[Phrazbit]

After seeing the Celtics defensive dominance with Irving, who a year prior was an unmitigated disaster on defense, I am more and more convinced that defense is a product of team work and coaching. You can have some of the best defenders in the league and still be terrible on D (as the Suns did with guys like Raja Bell and PJ Tucker) and you can have terrible defenders playing heavy minutes like the Celtics do with Irving or the old school Spurs with Parker (who suuuucked on D) and still be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

If Ayton, Bagley and Doncic are gone, I'd take Young without any hesitation. To be honest... the only guy I'd take, for certain, over Young would be Ayton.

 

[Finito]

With the 4th pick in the 2018 NBA the Phoenix Suns select Mo Bamba from Texas.

I think Ayton, Doncic and Bagley go 1-2-3.

I like Bamba he's raw on offense but so was Amare.

 

[Mainstreet]

With the 4th pick in the 2018 NBA the Phoenix Suns select Mo Bamba from Texas.

I think Ayton, Doncic and Bagley go 1-2-3.

I like Bamba he's raw on offense but so was Amare.

I do not think Bamba is anywhere near ready like Amare entering the NBA.

However, I think Bamba projects more like Gobert... which is a really special in it's own right.

 

[DevonCardsFan]

I Wouldnt mind Porter , JJ3, Young or Bamba

Ayton
Doncic
Bagley.

I think Suns should do all in there power , to trade up and get 2 of these guys.


I am team JJ3/Porter and Young. Even coming around on Doncic.

 

[Finito]

I flat out don't see it in Trae Young. The second half of the season was much different than the first half. I see more Jimmer than Steph

 

[GatorAZ]

I flat out don't see it in Trae Young. The second half of the season was much different than the first half. I see more Jimmer than Steph

I don’t dislike him but I think he’s a poor fit for the Suns. I could see Orlando being the only team in the top-5 drafting him.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I don’t dislike him but I think he’s a poor fit for the Suns. I could see Orlando being the only team in the top-5 drafting him.

Not sure I would say he is a poor fit as he brings two things the Suns REALLY need and that is shooting and facilitating. Sure he is a bad defender, but we just aren't going to get a PG that can fill all of the needs that we have. Besides I think rim protection and coaching are the main things holding us back from being respectable on defense.

I am very skeptical about picking him in the top 4-5 though. He is certainly a gamble and I would feel much better taking him if we were somehow out of the top 5 in the draft.

 

[GatorAZ]

Not sure I would say he is a poor fit as he brings two things the Suns REALLY need and that is shooting and facilitating. Sure he is a bad defender, but we just aren't going to get a PG that can fill all of the needs that we have. Besides I think rim protection and coaching are the main things holding us back from being respectable on defense.

I am very skeptical about picking him in the top 4-5 though. He is certainly a gamble and I would feel much better taking him if we were somehow out of the top 5 in the draft.

He’s a weak PG that struggles against length. He shot really well against poor competition in their non-conference schedule and then tanked pretty hard in the B12. I don’t project him to be a strong shooter/scorer in the NBA.