2014 NBA Draft

[TOO]

I disagree, Dragic was never known for his D, and I think this year especially he was pretty bad at defending 1's. He's just not quick enough to stick with most of them, especially the smaller ones.

[Wally_West]

I don't think Dragic is a bad defender but it was clear that he had trouble with some of the faster guards in the league.

[Superbone]

I don't think Dragic is a bad defender but it was clear that he had trouble with some of the faster guards in the league.

Yep, it's somewhere in between these two arguments.

[SwingMan]

I disagree, Dragic was never known for his D, and I think this year especially he was pretty bad at defending 1's. He's just not quick enough to stick with most of them, especially the smaller ones.

He's never been stellar or lock-down, but he's always been more than capable - especially on team defense, where he can funnel 1's (and 2's) into double teams. Just that he slowed in every aspect the last month or so because of fatigue and the nagging ankles.

[Ring_Wanted]

Dragic can defend PGs.

He couldn't this season.

Not true - he couldn't down the stretch because his ankles (and his body in general) were ground into hamburger. Before that and fatigue set in, he was more than capable.

Same with Plumlee, who hit a wall of his own the last couple of months.

Nope. It was not reduced to games late in the season. Early on too. For instance against Isaiah Thomas. And around the allstar break at worst. I'd have to look back to know for instance how many PGs produced better than their average against Dragic, but I know it's been a common theme this season. Miles' suffered a clear dropoff once he hit the rookie wall, but Dragic's defense has just not been there this season, and the player himself has said somthing to that effect.

[Ring_Wanted]

I disagree, Dragic was never known for his D, and I think this year especially he was pretty bad at defending 1's. He's just not quick enough to stick with most of them, especially the smaller ones.

The funny part is that he was drafted in no small part because they wanted to make a Parker stopper out of him.

[In2ition]

Gambo was reporting that the Suns favorite at 14 is Stauskas, with Harris being second. They are aware that they most likely will be gone, and if McDermott is there, they would most likely pick him. I don't know if that is news worthy, but I thought it was interesting.

[carey]

McBucketts is one of the only guys in that range that hasn't visited us yet.

[INFORMER]

I'd like to keep the thing I know that works

Your using "works" very liberally. That "thing" was around for only 40 games.

Having two offensive threats at the same time who are also capable of creating for others is not a mere luxury.

It is when both of them play the same position.

but one of them has showed no problem playing at SG and is on the record saying that having a guy like Bledsoe helps him by taking some of the pressure off.

That's an admission that he enjoys having the talent around, not that he needs to be unburdened from playing the position he excels at the most.

I want to keep this, instead of getting worse first on purpose with the hopes that I'll be able to get as good

It's not getting worse on purpose. It's avoiding going down a path that has a low ceiling. We lower the team's ceiling by investing a huge contract in Bledsoe. You're looking one move ahead; I'm looking 3 moves ahead. It's short-term thinking. And all it leads to is getting stuck, much like the Pacers are now. Sure, the Bledsoe-Dragic combo looks like it can net us 50-win seasons perennially. And many franchises would kill for that. But we've had that. It's time to put a championship team together. And I don't think that happens when you tie up $30 million in a point guard combo that reduces the effectiveness of our best player, and commits a substantial deal to a player that has had two major knee injuries in just his first four years.

[INFORMER]

Gambo was reporting that the Suns favorite at 14 is Stauskas, with Harris being second. They are aware that they most likely will be gone, and if McDermott is there, they would most likely pick him. I don't know if that is news worthy, but I thought it was interesting.

Stauskas is my 5th choice for #14.

1. Zach LaVine
2. Gary Harris (only if they don't plan to retain Bledsoe, which is unlikely)
3. Doug McDermott
4. T.J. Warren
5. Nik Stauskas

I may be wrong about this, but I really think Mcdermott is going to succeed in the NBA, and succeed big time. He may not be an All-Star, but I don't think he's just a Kyle Korver clone either. I think he averages 16-18 ppg.

[INFORMER]

McBucketts is one of the only guys in that range that hasn't visited us yet.

I thought I heard that Ryan had no interest in him.

[Sunsfan4life]

Who's for or against an Aaron Affalo for #14 or #18 swap?

Saw something on Hoopshype that said if the Magic take Exum or Smart at 4 he becomes expendable with Oladipo sliding into the 2.

[INFORMER]

I prefer Iman Shumpert.

[SwingMan]

I prefer we just keep Green if we're talking about wasting picks.....

[INFORMER]

Huh?

[SwingMan]

Huh?

See SF4L's Afflalo post above.....

[Ring_Wanted]

Your using "works" very liberally. That "thing" was around for only 40 games.

I'm not. It did work. The team was absolutely at its best when they were together. Small sample? Perhaps, but not so small that you can't draw any conclusions. They have played more than 700 minutes together and they were comfortable with each other, there were no noticeable issues and above all the team was winning.

It is when both of them play the same position.

Yeah. You might want to check the style of play, skills, physical tools etc before making it look like their are replicants doing the same function.

That's an admission that he enjoys having the talent around, not that he needs to be unburdened from playing the position he excels at the most.

That's an statement that reveals that he likes to play with Bledsoe, not about talent in general.

It's not getting worse on purpose.

It is. The purpose could very well avoiding a mid term future that you think has a low ceiling, as you say, but first that's an opinion and thus debatable because there can be internal growth and there's also a lot of ammo to improve in moves. And second, you are banking on being able to create a better mid term future with alternative options whose chances of actually happen are unknown. See? Everything is a gamble. You prefer to draw a new card and I'd like to keep my Queen. Maybe not an ace, but a pretty high card after all, and we all know that there is a limited number of those in the deck. Hopefully it is not marked.

We lower the team's ceiling by investing a huge contract in Bledsoe.

I could agree with this only if Bledsoe was indeed damaged goods. Other than that, you have a 24 PG with a lot of tools to become better, and even if he didn't you still have very good production. And if he is not Eric Gordon, he is movable if needed.

It's short-term thinking.

You know that focusing just on the future can be as harmful as being stuck in the past, right? The Suns started a rebuilding process. They sucked, got a high pick, extra picks, cap space and cheap youth. At some point you need to pass through the asset gathering phase and actually stablish a core. A core you deem worthy, of course. I happen to believe that Bledsoe-Goran can be that. Again, because I've seen it work.

And all it leads to is getting stuck, much like the Pacers are now. It's time to put a championship team together.

You need to become a contender before you win a title. And before that you need to become a consolidated playoff team. And before that, a simple playoff team. You need to not only see those three steps ahead, but also walk them. And you need to start somewhere.

And I don't think that happens when you tie up $30 million in a point guard combo that reduces the effectiveness of our best player, and commits a substantial deal to a player that has had two major knee injuries in just his first four years.

He. Here we are again. Fit with Dragic and health concerns. Amare Stoudemire was also a problem but they said he'd hold up for the lenght of his first max contract, which he did. Maybe this is the same, I don't know. But despite you Xavier-esque ability to think three steps forward, I'll trust my own eyes on the first issue and will go with whatever the doctors say about the second one.

[Ring_Wanted]

Who's for or against an Aaron Affalo for #14 or #18 swap?

Saw something on Hoopshype that said if the Magic take Exum or Smart at 4 he becomes expendable with Oladipo sliding into the 2.

I like Afflalo, but I'd rather use the picks. In this case I think the long term needs to weight more than the present, and Afflalo is due a new contract at the same time as Dragic. And if Bledsoe is kept, I don't really like him as a SF, which probably would be where he'd spend most of his minutes.

[In2ition]

McBucketts is one of the only guys in that range that hasn't visited us yet.

I thought I heard that Ryan had no interest in him.

I don't think that Gambo is giving us Ryan's thoughts, and we know that he gets information from Sarver directly. Perhaps, Sarver has learned the art of misdirection as it comes to informing Gambo of their plans. We'll see how it goes. I also think that McDermott will end up being a very productive player in the league in the vein of Wally Szczerbiak, but not entirely like him.

[In2ition]

Who's for or against an Aaron Affalo for #14 or #18 swap?

Saw something on Hoopshype that said if the Magic take Exum or Smart at 4 he becomes expendable with Oladipo sliding into the 2.

I like Afflalo, but I'd rather use the picks. In this case I think the long term needs to weight more than the present, and Afflalo is due a new contract at the same time as Dragic. And if Bledsoe is kept, I don't really like him as a SF, which probably would be where he'd spend most of his minutes.

I'd rather use the picks too. I think that McDaniels can be every bit as good as Afflalo, if not better eventually. Even GRIII has that potential too, and it's possible one of them could be had with the 27 pick. If Nick Johnson could learn how to become a consistent shooter, he has a little Joe Dumars type potential.