Superbone wrote:I think I'm starting to waver back to Ayton over Doncic. Ayton is just more of the sure thing. He would probably mesh better with Booker too.
Ayton has the best NBA body to be in the draft since AD. He is 7-1, 240, with a 7-5 wingspan and a 44 inch vertical. He has not even been challenged in college ball. He moves like a guard. He has a sweet jumper that is compact and NOT broken in any way. He has no injury history. He has all the post moves and a great face up game. He is a very good rebounder with translates.
Would love to see more blocks and better defense, but he played pf on defense for UofA and ended up defending on the perimeter a lot.
Ayton is above all the rest. Picks 2-4 are about equal to me. Doncic/Young/Bagley/JJJ. Take your pick.
In2ition wrote:I saw an OKC fan propose a trade last night that would reset and rebuild the Thunder if George leaves. They would trade Westbrook and Adams for the Suns '18 pick, Josh Jackson and contracts.
I love Adams, but I think Russ 100% alienates Booker, thus I turn it down without much hesitation. Russ is incredible, I am just not sure you can win with him.
Crazy, I remember from 2003-2008, people used to say the same thing about Kobe (win with him as main option).
Kobe never had to walk onto someone elses team. Also, what exactly did Kobe win without Shaq or Pau around..?
Superbone wrote:I think I'm starting to waver back to Ayton over Doncic. Ayton is just more of the sure thing. He would probably mesh better with Booker too.
Ayton has the best NBA body to be in the draft since AD. He is 7-1, 240, with a 7-5 wingspan and a 44 inch vertical. He has not even been challenged in college ball. He moves like a guard. He has a sweet jumper that is compact and NOT broken in any way. He has no injury history. He has all the post moves and a great face up game. He is a very good rebounder with translates.
Would love to see more blocks and better defense, but he played pf on defense for UofA and ended up defending on the perimeter a lot.
Ayton is above all the rest. Picks 2-4 are about equal to me. Doncic/Young/Bagley/JJJ. Take your pick.
Vertical leap is kind of an overrated stat, though it does make for some exciting action.
“Are you crazy?! You think I’m going to go for seven years and try to get there? You enjoy the 2030 draft picks that we have holding? I want to try to see the game today.” — Ish 3/13/25
As much as I hate on Westbrook: If they would give him (and Adams!) to us for that package of #1 pick + Josh Jackson + salary ballast, you HAVE to do that trade. Westbrook, flaws and all, is one of the ten best players in the NBA. Pairing him with Booker would instantly supercharge our backcourt. And if he didn't work well here, he has huge trade value and could net us better assets than the ones we paid to get him.
If OKC is offering you Westbrook and you don't have to give up Booker, you do that deal, 100%.
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:As much as I hate on Westbrook: If they would give him (and Adams!) to us for that package of #1 pick + Josh Jackson + salary ballast, you HAVE to do that trade. Westbrook, flaws and all, is one of the ten best players in the NBA. Pairing him with Booker would instantly supercharge our backcourt. And if he didn't work well here, he has huge trade value and could net us better assets than the ones we paid to get him.
If OKC is offering you Westbrook and you don't have to give up Booker, you do that deal, 100%.
If westbrook can be convinced to play in Igor's system, then sure I'd do it. He's a fantastic talent, but I don't want the Westbrook of the last two years on this team.
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:As much as I hate on Westbrook: If they would give him (and Adams!) to us for that package of #1 pick + Josh Jackson + salary ballast, you HAVE to do that trade. Westbrook, flaws and all, is one of the ten best players in the NBA. Pairing him with Booker would instantly supercharge our backcourt. And if he didn't work well here, he has huge trade value and could net us better assets than the ones we paid to get him.
If OKC is offering you Westbrook and you don't have to give up Booker, you do that deal, 100%.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MARTY?
He's too valuable both as a player and as an asset.
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:As much as I hate on Westbrook: If they would give him (and Adams!) to us for that package of #1 pick + Josh Jackson + salary ballast, you HAVE to do that trade. Westbrook, flaws and all, is one of the ten best players in the NBA. Pairing him with Booker would instantly supercharge our backcourt. And if he didn't work well here, he has huge trade value and could net us better assets than the ones we paid to get him.
If OKC is offering you Westbrook and you don't have to give up Booker, you do that deal, 100%.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MARTY?
He's too valuable both as a player and as an asset.
McDo doesn't have any experience in turning assets into anything but more assets. I don't want the Westbrook that thinks it's OK to take 40 shots a game.
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"Just like Neal Armstrong I went to space and now I'm back..."
It doesn't matter who the coach is with Westbrook - he is the system. He does nothing off the ball or on defense (at least until the playoffs where he shuts down Rubio) so his fit with Booker is as bad as it gets. I'd rather wait a year and see where the team is with the pick, Jackson, Booker and the new coach.
The problem with giving up Jackson and in theory Ayton for Kahwi is that they will continue to have holes at both pg and c.
Even the OKC fan thinks that the Suns have really good assets and are very close and should probably stay the course.
"There are 3 rules I live by: never get less than 12 hours sleep, never play cards with a guy with the same first name as a city & never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Everything else is cream cheese."
If Kawhi checks out medically and commits to staying, then I'd be fine going all in on him. I would be much more cautious with Westbrook, he'd have to be willing to play within a system and not be the system.
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:I think Kawhi wants to go to a big media/endorsement market, like LA or NY.
That is what eveyone keeps saying but he appears shy and not very outgoing. Those markets are great when eveything is going great but can be downright brutal when they go wrong.
What was the reason to get rid of Monty again? Oh yeah, that guy we drafted rather than Doncic.
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:I think Kawhi wants to go to a big media/endorsement market, like LA or NY.
That is what eveyone keeps saying but he appears shy and not very outgoing. Those markets are great when eveything is going great but can be downright brutal when they go wrong.
Yeah I don’t think that’s what he is looking into.
And I wouldn’t trade for him without a long term agreement
I do find it interesting that other teams are looking at our assets and thinking they would be useful on their teams. Half of our fan base underestimates what we’ve got and the other half overestimates.
I’d keep the top 2 pick along with Booker & Jackson. The trades I’d be looking at are more along the 16 & other players to possibly move up or trade for more experienced help in whichever gap we have left after the first pick.
Pick Ayton- fill the hole with trading up for Young if you can or trade for a more experienced pg.
Pick Donic- trade up to pick the best Big available, or go after who you can get.
I’m not for trading 3/4 pieces for one star when we have so many other gaps we need filling.
Value proposition: Kokoskov relationship + Devin Booker
Backcourt mate: Booker, Tyler Ulis
Two-way wing: Josh Jackson, TJ Warren
Modern forward/big: Dragan Bender
Roller: Marquese Chriss, Tyson Chandler
The hiring of Igor Kokoskov as head coach is a home run for Doncic and his development if he lands in Phoenix. Kokoskov is a creative offensive mind who knows how to unlock Doncic's strengths, as he showed coaching Slovenia to the EuroBasket gold medal.
Playing next to a shot creator like Booker would bode well in some respects. However, Doncic would benefit from having a bit more experience and point-guard savvy in that spot. While accomplished, the 21-year-old Booker is still developing his on-ball game and is much more of a shot-making scorer at this stage. Defensively, Doncic and Booker will have their challenges.
Phoenix lacks a degree of spacing with Jackson (26.3 percent from 3 this season), Warren (22.2 percent) and Chriss (29.5 percent) on the perimeter, but Jackson and Warren could run with Doncic in transition. Bender is also an interesting fit, should the Croatian continue to make strides as a shooter. With Alex Len hitting free agency and Chandler toward the end of his career, the Suns don't quite have that dynamic lob-catcher.
A young trio of Doncic, Booker and Jackson (and potentially Bender, pending improvement) is intriguing, but Phoenix would have to work on acquiring more veteran ballhandling, shooting and athleticism up front over the next few years. And entering a rebuild would be an adjustment after all of his European success.
He's too valuable both as a player and as an asset.
