2016 NBA DRAFT

[INFORMER]

I love the size and athleticism we added.

And size and athleticism are so easy to find these days. And so many prospects fail that check those two boxes off. I think it has to be more nuanced than that. It has to be a distinct balance and combination of physical measurables and skills, while avoid glaring weaknesses that could undermine whatever attributes the prospect brings to the table.

I'm even excited about Ulis, just because of his IQ.

That he does have. Just felt better prospects were available, he'll be a liability on defense, and he'll struggle to shoot/score efficiently.

[ShelC]

Allow me to clarify...when I say I love the size and athleticism we added, I mean it to include the skillsets and potential. There are always going to be weaknesses with 18 year olds, but I don't think Bender's will make him a bust. I'm warming to Chriss, but I also think his success may aslo be determined by who he's put on the floor with.

[DrSublime]

Under the no-trade rules I posted before, I presume you'd have take Hield at 4 and Skal at 13? Whom would you have taken at 28 and 34?

4: Hield
13: Valentine
28: Diallo*
34: Joel Bolomboy

*#28 is a very difficult decision for me. I could have gone with either Skal or Diallo. I probably would have tried to purchase another second rounder to nab Zipser or Cornelie.

dude that draft deserved an 'F' Rating

[Gladiator]

Allow me to clarify...when I say I love the size and athleticism we added, I mean it to include the skillsets and potential. There are always going to be weaknesses with 18 year olds, but I don't think Bender's will make him a bust. I'm warming to Chriss, but I also think his success may aslo be determined by who he's put on the floor with.

Chriss is definitely going to need to play with a good rebounding big man to make up for his lack of defensive rebounding - Chandler or Len could fill that role.
He's also going to need a good distributing guard to take advantage of his athletic talents - that's a bit of a problem for us.

[Superbone]

Allow me to clarify...when I say I love the size and athleticism we added, I mean it to include the skillsets and potential. There are always going to be weaknesses with 18 year olds, but I don't think Bender's will make him a bust. I'm warming to Chriss, but I also think his success may aslo be determined by who he's put on the floor with.

Chriss is definitely going to need to play with a good rebounding big man to make up for his lack of defensive rebounding - Chandler or Len could fill that role.
He's also going to need a good distributing guard to take advantage of his athletic talents - that's a bit of a problem for us.

How about he also learns to rebound? He's only been playing 5 years. He can still learn.

[Gladiator]

Allow me to clarify...when I say I love the size and athleticism we added, I mean it to include the skillsets and potential. There are always going to be weaknesses with 18 year olds, but I don't think Bender's will make him a bust. I'm warming to Chriss, but I also think his success may aslo be determined by who he's put on the floor with.

Chriss is definitely going to need to play with a good rebounding big man to make up for his lack of defensive rebounding - Chandler or Len could fill that role.
He's also going to need a good distributing guard to take advantage of his athletic talents - that's a bit of a problem for us.

How about he also learns to rebound? He's only been playing 5 years. He can still learn.

That would be the best outcome, clearly. History suggests it's less likely than more likely that he does, but he certainly has the physical tools to be a lot better than he has shown. I wasn't that keen on drafting him, especially at 4, but I'm intrigued by what he will become - my best bet is that he'll dazzle and infuriate in equal measure, at least to begin with.

[TOO]

Opinions are fun.

[DrSublime]

I love the size and athleticism we added.

And size and athleticism are so easy to find these days. And so many prospects fail that check those two boxes off. I think it has to be more nuanced than that. It has to be a distinct balance and combination of physical measurables and skills, while avoid glaring weaknesses that could undermine whatever attributes the prospect brings to the table.

I'm even excited about Ulis, just because of his IQ.

That he does have. Just felt better prospects were available, he'll be a liability on defense, and he'll struggle to shoot/score efficiently.

dude,
Ulis won DPOY even though he's tiny
http://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-colu ... 63057.html

[INFORMER]

dude,
Ulis won DPOY even though he's tiny
http://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-colu ... 63057.html

And Alando Tucker won Big East Player of the Year.

[da_suns_fan]

Teams spend millions of dollars figuring out who to pick and five years later we look back and say almost everyone got it wrong, including the "graders".

I know you firmly believe this, because you repeat about every year. I could care less about the graders; I think it is a gross exaggeration to say that almost everyone gets it wrong if by everyone you mean the teams drafting.

Pick ANY draft. I'll go off the top of my head an say "five years ago":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NBA_draft

Who go it "right"? The best players were taken at 1 (Kyrie Irving), 11 (Klay Thompson), 15 (Kawhi Leonard) and 30 (Jimmy Butler).

Look at the list of players taken before Klay Thompson at 11. Bismack Biyombo, Derick Williams, JIMMER FREDETTE and half a dozen "busts" was take before Klay Thompson in the lottery! And all said players and The Morrii were taken before Kawhi Leonard.

This isnt some 80s draft. This is 2011 with youtube, combines, advanced metrics (and phx-suns.net) and 4 out of 30 teams didnt get it wrong.

The teams that didnt screw it up...they were lucky.

Im not saying I didnt like the Suns picks or that MOST of the time the best players go in the lottery, but we wont know FOR YEARS who was right and who was wrong. So draft day "grades" the morning after are silly click-bait and we should put ZERO stock in them. Theyre just for fun.

[da_suns_fan]

Opinions are fun.

I agree. Its just for fun. I would rather have the "grades" etc then not have them.

[INFORMER]

What is your definition of getting it right? My definition is drafting someone that helps improve your team. And by that definition, more than 4 teams got it right in that draft.

[Cap]

Opinions are fun.

Especially when they disagree, which is why I did this with my sig.

[da_suns_fan]

What is your definition of getting it right? My definition is drafting someone that helps improve your team. And by that definition, more than 4 teams got it right in that draft.

If a team looks back and said "boy did we screw up" then I would say they got it wrong.

Even when they got it right, they probably got lucky. The Suns got it right last year, but they were trying to trade up to get Kaminsky but Jordan wasnt having it.

[INFORMER]

What is your definition of getting it right? My definition is drafting someone that helps improve your team. And by that definition, more than 4 teams got it right in that draft.

If a team looks back and said "boy did we screw up" then I would say they got it wrong.

I don't think Utah, Toronto, Cleveland, and Charlotte are saying "boy did we screw up." Would those teams like to have Klay Thompson. Sure. But those teams did quite well for themselves, and the guy Cleveland drafted played a significant role in beating Klay Thompson's team to win a championship. I don't think Denver, Chicago, or OKC feel bad about who they got either. Philadelphia wishes they had kept Vucevic instead of dealing him for Andrew Bynum.

I really think you're adopting a flawed outlook on the draft, dsf.

[JustWinBaby]

Under the no-trade rules I posted before, I presume you'd have take Hield at 4 and Skal at 13? Whom would you have taken at 28 and 34?

4: Hield
13: Valentine
28: Diallo*
34: Joel Bolomboy

*#28 is a very difficult decision for me. I could have gone with either Skal or Diallo. I probably would have tried to purchase another second rounder to nab Zipser or Cornelie.

You are probably right but I am a dumb ass sucker and actually like what we did for the first time in a long time. That means it probably will turn out awful. I have supported this front office in the off season to a fault but have always been disappointed in the end.

You always seem to have great insight on players coming in from college. However while I like the players you suggest I am skeptical on both Hield and Valentine. That means they probably will be all pros. The problem is that somehow we had to shore up the PF position and we not only got one but two. Surely they both could turn out to be busts but I would rather that we go that route than overpay on the free agent market. I also think we are stuck with both Bledsoe and Knight so I am not sure what impact Hield would have had and am concerned about Valentines health. I know you want both Bledsoe and Knight gone but I just do not see that happening.

I would love to see a recap of your suggested top 5 or 10 picks, right before the draft, in the last several drafts and see how they actually have done. You always seem to do your homework.

[ShelC]

Chriss is definitely going to need to play with a good rebounding big man to make up for his lack of defensive rebounding - Chandler or Len could fill that role.
He's also going to need a good distributing guard to take advantage of his athletic talents - that's a bit of a problem for us.

Exactly what I was thinking. I think not having a pass-first PG who makes others better could make it harder for him to get on the floor initially. In terms of rebounding, I never subscribe to the "he can learn to rebound" school of thought. Bigs almost never "learn to rebound". It's a mentality and instinct. It's why for all of his athletic gifts and his work ethic, Amar'e never turned into Andre Drummond. Could Chriss improve upon certain things like focus and effort? Sure, but I doubt he'll ever be a double digit rebounder.

And let's not forget, Cliff Robinson never averaged 5 boards a game for us. Put that in your pipe and smoke it

[Superbone]

Yeah, but I think this is a little different because of the fact that he didn't switch to basketball until 5 years ago. Somebody needs to teach him how to box out.

[Ring_Wanted]

And let's not forget, Cliff Robinson never averaged 5 boards a game for us. Put that in your pipe and smoke it

Give me Cliff Robinson with elite athleticism any day out of a #8. I'm just saying.

[Ring_Wanted]

Yeah, but I think this is a little different because of the fact that he didn't switch to basketball until 5 years ago. Somebody needs to teach him how to box out.

Is he supposed to be a fast learner?