With the 4th pick, the Phoenix Suns Select

[overseascardfan]

All of Bledsoes knee injuries were minor with a more than full recovery expectation and they were on different knees. If they chose agressive treatment he could have been back in 3 weeks each time but they wisely chose conservative treatment that would be beneficial for the long term.

All in all Bledsoe is just about as likely as anyone else to get injured.

Not sure where you're getting the info or how reliable it is but he missed 51 games this year and 39 his first year in PHX. That does not sound minor or that they wanted to be conservative, sounds like it was more serious than they made people believe. You are partly correct in that anyone else can get injured but Bledsoe's chances of reaggravating an injury are a little better. His knees are more than likely to only get worse especially with how physical he plays and the punishment his body takes.

 

[overseascardfan]

That's true, but because of that we can't get another star for him. So I guess the question is why does that matter in this argument? We have to ride our best player for as long as we can, and right now, that player is Bledsoe. Putting him in as a backup PG has nothing to do with his injury history.

I agree he can't be a back up with the amount of money he makes but chances are he will miss games to where we're gonna need a capable back up.

 

[Errntknght]

That's true, but because of that we can't get another star for him. So I guess the question is why does that matter in this argument? We have to ride our best player for as long as we can, and right now, that player is Bledsoe. Putting him in as a backup PG has nothing to do with his injury history.

Bad thinking! You don't ride your best players to their limit until you get into the playoffs. Popovich knows that but D'Antoni never figured it out - among lots of other people. You plan your whole regular season so that the team is peaking when the playoffs come and so your best players have plenty of gas in the tank. Bledsoe cannot play starters minute without coasting on defense, which makes him much less valuable. Heck, watch how hard he plays D when he's matched up against Westbrook and you'll realize how much he normally coasts. Playing him fewer minutes, particularly fewer minutes when he's tired, will lessen the chance of an injury keeping him out of the playoffs.

I rather think we are seeing a demonstration of a coach whose first priority was getting his team ready for the playoffs vs. a coach whose first priority was breaking the regular season WL record. Of course, its exciting to break the record so its not hard to see how Kerr got caught up in it but its killing his team now. I'd give odds that we hear Kerr admit that chasing the record hurt his teams chances at the title. (This is not taking anything away from the job Donovan has done - his team would have given the best version of GSW a fierce battle and may well have come out on top.)

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Bad thinking! You don't ride your best players to their limit until you get into the playoffs. Popovich knows that but D'Antoni never figured it out - among lots of other people. You plan your whole regular season so that the team is peaking when the playoffs come and so your best players have plenty of gas in the tank. Bledsoe cannot play starters minute without coasting on defense, which makes him much less valuable. Heck, watch how hard he plays D when he's matched up against Westbrook and you'll realize how much he normally coasts. Playing him fewer minutes, particularly fewer minutes when he's tired, will lessen the chance of an injury keeping him out of the playoffs.

I rather think we are seeing a demonstration of a coach whose first priority was getting his team ready for the playoffs vs. a coach whose first priority was breaking the regular season WL record. Of course, its exciting to break the record so its not hard to see how Kerr got caught up in it but its killing his team now. I'd give odds that we hear Kerr admit that chasing the record hurt his teams chances at the title. (This is not taking anything away from the job Donovan has done - his team would have given the best version of GSW a fierce battle and may well have come out on top.)

I dont buy that. Unless your bench is equally talented as the starting five, you run your horses till the end. GSW problems wasnt caused by wanting to break the record. Its because their star player Curry slipped and sprained his MCL in which he hasnt fully recovered. If Curry was playing up to his standards this wouldnt be a topic.

 

[slinslin]

Not sure where you're getting the info or how reliable it is but he missed 51 games this year and 39 his first year in PHX. That does not sound minor or that they wanted to be conservative, sounds like it was more serious than they made people believe. You are partly correct in that anyone else can get injured but Bledsoe's chances of reaggravating an injury are a little better. His knees are more than likely to only get worse especially with how physical he plays and the punishment his body takes.

No they are not, read up on his injuries.

He had his meniscus repaired that is why it was a long recovery. The alternative would have been to remove it simply in which case he could have come back quickly. The repair is the better long term option as a full recovery is expected that in fact repairs stronger than the knee was before.

I am so scared of drafting Bender, I pray it won't happen because he is a total boom or bust guy who honestly might just be ranked so highly because of limited exposure to media scouting.
Besides that Bender will ultimately be a center so I don't even know how Suns fans can claim that he fills a need for us.

Murray, Brown or Dunn it is unless Marquese Chriss or Deyonta Davis have a meteoric rise following workouts. But then we could probably still move up from 13 to secure the PF we like (Chriss, Davis, Skal, Ellenson etc).

 

[Sunburn]

Who is a better player, Jahlil Okafor or whoever we can pick at #4? I say Okafor. I'd make this trade if the 76ers were willing.

 

[slinslin]

If Thon Maker played in Europe and Bender played in Canada we would have Maker slotted as a lottery pick and Bender as a late first round gamble.

By all reports Maker is having very impressive workouts and nailing interviews.

 

[Sunburn]

If Thon Maker played in Europe and Bender played in Canada we would have Maker slotted as a lottery pick and Bender as a late first round gamble.

By all reports Maker is having very impressive workouts and nailing interviews.

After 1 and 2 this class is underwhelming to say the least. Exactly why I say take Okafor if given the chance.

 

[slinslin]

Chad Ford is reporting that the Suns will consider Marquese Chriss at #4.

YAY!

Also one of the Draftexpress guys tweeted that he would not be surprised if Marquese Chriss goes top 5.
Chriss is impressing in workouts and scouts say it is hard not to like his bounce, shooting ability and overall skills.

https://twitter.com/InsiderSuns/status/736383236079685633

https://twitter.com/Mike_Schmitz/status/736355010057904128

 

[slinslin]

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[Sunshooter]

I don't mind this pick for Jahlil Okafor.

 

[JCSunsfan]

The more I watch, the more confused I get. I am certainly not sold on Chriss. We have had just so many years of poor rebounding Suns teams, I think rebounding is an essential skill for a pf.

 

[GatorAZ]

Okafor outplayed Towns in their two meeting but it's hard being motivated playing for the 76ers. I'd love for him to work with Tyson.

 

[Mainstreet]

The more I watch, the more confused I get. I am certainly not sold on Chriss. We have had just so many years of poor rebounding Suns teams, I think rebounding is an essential skill for a pf.

The same here. It gets confusing.

Somehow the Suns need to find a starting PF for next season. This changes the complexity of the draft for the Suns. Perhaps trading the #4 pick might be the best option, however, I can see the Celtics trading #3 for Okafor. Expecting Chriss to be a starting PF out of the gate is asking too much or any other PF in the draft.

 

[overseascardfan]

The more I watch, the more confused I get. I am certainly not sold on Chriss. We have had just so many years of poor rebounding Suns teams, I think rebounding is an essential skill for a pf.

The same here. It gets confusing.

Somehow the Suns need to find a starting PF for next season. This changes the complexity of the draft for the Suns. Perhaps trading the #4 pick might be the best option, however, I can see the Celtics trading #3 for Okafor. Expecting Chriss to be a starting PF out of the gate is asking too much or any other PF in the draft.

I agree with you both that our starting PF next year needs to be able to rebound. A guy like Marquese Chriss is not going to help with that next year. Chriss is an athletic project that will take a few years to develop as he lacks basic offensive and defensive fundamentals. He is probably the best athlete in the draft but is extremely raw.

I know everyone is going to bash but I am for drafting Ellenson and/or Sabonis depending on whether PHX can swing a deal for a legit PF or sign one. If PHX can't deal for one or sign one, I would consider taking both and adding offensively skilled, rebounding machines and leave the rim protecting to Len & Chandler. Both Ellenson have the size and rebounding chops to contribute right away. Both need to hone their jump shot but both have shown the ability (Sabonis: 35% 3 pt & 76% FT / Ellenson 29% 3pt & 75% FT). Neither are fast twitch athletes that play above the rim but they are agile and mobile (Ellenson was a PG in HS) and aren't as raw as some of the top athletes in the draft.

My only thing is I really like Wade Baldwin IV as well and I think PHX would have to take him at #13 because he won't be there at #28. If PHX drafts 2 PF's that gives them the option of looking at using cap space to sign a big FA at another position, maybe a SF or Mike Conley (who has reportedly drawn interest from PHX) if they are considering dealing Eric Bledsoe.

 

[Errntknght]

I haven't seen one person mention Alan Williams since I pointed out his amazing rebounding stats a month or so back. It''s possible that he wasn't played more (92 total minutes) because the Suns didn't want any other teams paying attention to him - he's listed on our roster currently but since his salary is a mere 83K, I imagine he's actually not under contract to us. Heck, the first time I saw him play I wondered why Watson din't give him more burn since we were in a mode of playing our young guys. And here he was gobbling up rebounds at both ends of the court as soon as he got on the floor.

If they're just half convinced it's not a fluke - it didn't like a fluke to me - I can see why they'd keep him under wraps until he's under contract. Anyway, we may see them making some strange moves during the draft - I could see them moving Len to PF, for example, to make room at C for Williams. That still doesn't give us a solid PF but I'm still hoping that Len can start consistently nailing midrange jumpers which would solidify him a good bit. In any case he's not more of a risk at PF than anyone we might draft this year. In that scenario I'd expect them to be evaluating PF candidates mainly on their 3 pt shooting since there's a good chance Teletovic will not return. I'm not even sure Leuer is going to return.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

They actually signed Alan Williams to a multi-year contract on March 18th.

I like Alan Williams. At worst, he makes our Summer League team better and has the perfect attitude for an end-of-the-bench guy. At best, he could be a plus rebounder as a rotation big.

 

[Errntknght]

They actually signed Alan Williams to a multi-year contract on March 18th.

I like Alan Williams. At worst, he makes our Summer League team better and has the perfect attitude for an end-of-the-bench guy. At best, he could be a plus rebounder as a rotation big.

Glad to hear he's under contract.

I like his attitude on the floor - he doesn't like to share rebounds! He's not a highly mobile defender but, sheesh, all he has to do is shift weight to keep someone from getting around him. He could turn out to have a fairly high ceiling - with his bulk, a little footwork development and he'd be hard to keep from scoring around the basket. He's not earthbound either... he blocked a fair number of shots in his 92 minutes.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Even if he's not ready right away, I think I'm leaning to Chriss. Ideally, we can move down several picks and still get him.

 

[Sunburn]

Even if he's not ready right away, I think I'm leaning to Chriss. Ideally, we can move down several picks and still get him.

Moving down with the expectation he'll be there is playing with fire.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Even if he's not ready right away, I think I'm leaning to Chriss. Ideally, we can move down several picks and still get him.

This is such a screwy draft that if I had decided he was our guy, I'd take him at 4 and not risk losing him. I'm sure it will clear up some by the 23rd of June but I think other than the top 2 spots the drafting order will remain very foggy. Regardless, unless something crops up in the background and medical checks, I doubt Chriss falls below 7th.

I see a lot of people jumping on his bandwagon, many of them the same people that frequently complained about weak rebounding from Markieff and Channing. I can't wait to hear the complaints when they get a look at Chriss on the boards. I'm okay with the pick, he has a lot going for him. But if there's a big man in this class with a problem blocking out or grabbing defensive rebounds, he's the one.

 

[slinslin]

Chriss is one of the best offensive rebounders in college.

I see no reason why Chriss should not be in the next tier of prospects with Murray, Bender, Hield, Dunn and Brown.

If not us at #4 I could easily see him going to Minnesota at #5, New Orleans at #6, Denver at #7 or Sacramento at #8 and worst Toronto at #9.

 

[Sunburn]

Chriss is one of the best offensive rebounders in college.

I see no reason why Chriss should not be in the next tier of prospects with Murray, Bender, Hield, Dunn and Brown.

If not us at #4 I could easily see him going to Minnesota at #5, New Orleans at #6, Denver at #7 or Sacramento at #8 and worst Toronto at #9.

Yes, he definitely could be picked by those teams. So if we really wanted him, we'd have to take him at 4. Ugh. If his defensive awareness was not Amare-level bad, I maybe would feel better, but ugh, just ugh. Geez, this draft class sucks.

 

[leclerc]

Not being able to guard a chair and boxing out is pathetic, but it worked out pretty well for Amaré, and he didn't learn how to shoot until his knees got busted.

The problem with guys like this is that they can learn how to shoot but they seldom improve their fundamentals, so when they get injured/age and loose their freak athletic ability they're not much good.

It's a tough spot to be in. I'd rather grab Murray and a more sound PF like Ellenson (at #13) than pick Chriss. If he develops into Amaré (or the Mario Elie to his Jordan -- Garnett) then I (the Suns) look pretty stupid but as soon as he goes down we look good again.

I mean Murray looks to be the real deal. A great replacement for Knight (as 6th man).

Should we try to trade Knight for #8 and gamble on getting Chriss there?

I don't know. Guess they do what they want and don't ask my advice.

 

[slinslin]

Not being able to guard a chair and boxing out is pathetic, but it worked out pretty well for Amaré, and he didn't learn how to shoot until his knees got busted.

The problem with guys like this is that they can learn how to shoot but they seldom improve their fundamentals, so when they get injured/age and loose their freak athletic ability they're not much good.

It's a tough spot to be in. I'd rather grab Murray and a more sound PF like Ellenson (at #13) than pick Chriss. If he develops into Amaré (or the Mario Elie to his Jordan -- Garnett) then I (the Suns) look pretty stupid but as soon as he goes down we look good again.

I mean Murray looks to be the real deal. A great replacement for Knight (as 6th man).

Should we try to trade Knight for #8 and gamble on getting Chriss there?

I don't know. Guess they do what they want and don't ask my advice.

What non-sense.

Amare learned to shoot form his rookie season to his sophomore season.

Ellenson is more sound than Chriss? Maybe you could explain that because the only thing Ellenson does better is defensive rebounding. Chriss is a better shooter than Ellenson already.