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I really like Bridges. The media as a whole seems to think we overpaid for him by giving up the Miami pick. But I really like the kind of player he is and think he's a great pickup. Won't be able to fully judge that one until we see where that pick falls in the 2021 draft.

Basically if Ayton ends up being a stud, we had a phenomenal draft. If Doncic or JJJ or somebody has a monster rookie season and Ayton ends up mediocre, I'll have a lot of heartache about this draft. But Ayton is our guy, and I really really want him to succeed and be awesome for us. It's great to have so many exciting young players on the roster; next season is going to be very interesting.

Like always, only time will tell. It sounds like we added some serious young talent to the team. I think next year is going to be fun to watch.

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:15 am

I really like Bridges. The media as a whole seems to think we overpaid for him by giving up the Miami pick. But I really like the kind of player he is and think he's a great pickup. Won't be able to fully judge that one until we see where that pick falls in the 2021 draft.

Basically if Ayton ends up being a stud, we had a phenomenal draft. If Doncic or JJJ or somebody has a monster rookie season and Ayton ends up mediocre, I'll have a lot of heartache about this draft. But Ayton is our guy, and I really really want him to succeed and be awesome for us. It's great to have so many exciting young players on the roster; next season is going to be very interesting.

Who in this media as a whole said that? I am not sure I saw anything really saying we overpaid for him.

TheOriginalOriginal wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:45 pm

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:15 am

I really like Bridges. The media as a whole seems to think we overpaid for him by giving up the Miami pick. ...

Who in this media as a whole said that? I am not sure I saw anything really saying we overpaid for him.

SI: "... sacrificing a highly valuable 2021 Heat pick may end up looking like a costly mistake should Miami’s current makeup topple at the conclusion of its current roster’s set of contracts."

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/06/21/nba-d ... ard-grades

ArizonaSports.com summarizes others' draft grades: "ESPN’s Kevin Pelton
Trade to acquire Bridges from the Sixers – D

A completely fair trade up, then, would also send something like the 36th overall pick. Even if we discount the 2021 pick to some extent because it’s three years away, Miami would have to be championship contenders to make this look like a fair trade from that standpoint.

…

I am a fan of Mikal Bridges, the player the Suns moved up to get. I considered him the seventh-best prospect in this year’s draft, and if you value Phoenix as trading up from No. 16 to No. 7, the deal gets a little more even. (In that case, fair value would be giving up the 16th and 28th picks this year in return.) To justify this trade, Bridges had better become an important contributor.

While the player is solid, giving up that pick despite being in full rebuild mode wasn’t the most sensible choice for Phoenix."

http://arizonasports.com/story/1570291/ ... l-bridges/

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 10:40 pm

TheOriginalOriginal wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:45 pm

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:15 am

I really like Bridges. The media as a whole seems to think we overpaid for him by giving up the Miami pick. ...

Who in this media as a whole said that? I am not sure I saw anything really saying we overpaid for him.

SI: "... sacrificing a highly valuable 2021 Heat pick may end up looking like a costly mistake should Miami’s current makeup topple at the conclusion of its current roster’s set of contracts."

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/06/21/nba-d ... ard-grades

ArizonaSports.com summarizes others' draft grades: "ESPN’s Kevin Pelton
Trade to acquire Bridges from the Sixers – D

A completely fair trade up, then, would also send something like the 36th overall pick. Even if we discount the 2021 pick to some extent because it’s three years away, Miami would have to be championship contenders to make this look like a fair trade from that standpoint.

…

I am a fan of Mikal Bridges, the player the Suns moved up to get. I considered him the seventh-best prospect in this year’s draft, and if you value Phoenix as trading up from No. 16 to No. 7, the deal gets a little more even. (In that case, fair value would be giving up the 16th and 28th picks this year in return.) To justify this trade, Bridges had better become an important contributor.

While the player is solid, giving up that pick despite being in full rebuild mode wasn’t the most sensible choice for Phoenix."

http://arizonasports.com/story/1570291/ ... l-bridges/

Pelton's take seems really stupid. If you are in full rebuild mode, you need players. What are we going to do, a six year rebuild? That's a 2021 pick! Who wants to still be rebuilding 3 years from now. We need to be competing then. Getting the #7 value player in loaded draft is just fine.

Miami would have to be a championship contender to make this trade fair? Stupid.

But thanks for the links, as silly as I might find them.

TheOriginalOriginal wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:45 pm

Who in this media as a whole said that? I am not sure I saw anything really saying we overpaid for him.

Don't listen to Simmons post-draft podcast then. Him, Tjarks and then his dad hammered us for it.

As others have said, no one gave one fuck about that pick until the 2nd we traded it.

Wait. What did Kevin Pelton give the Mavericks for moving up 2 whole spots and giving up another 1st for it then? That pick is going to convey next year in the 10-15 range.

I kinda think its fun for them to bash the Suns, they've been doing it for years, we had a helluva draft so they had to find something to bash. Ho hum, I'm happy with how it turned out. Positivity is fun.

A- for me. I’m absolutely thrilled with this draft. It has been awhile since I’ve been this excited for the damn summer league.

carey wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:03 am

We addressed every single team need we had. C, 3&D wing, PG. What more could you ask for?

Choosing the player that is going to elevate this team the most, which of course is subject to debate.

In2ition wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:40 am

I thought the Suns won the draft.

Having the #1 pick and multiple picks gave them the advantage, but Dallas and Philadelphia used their resources better than the Suns did, so I would give those two teams the nod ahead of the Suns.

Come on, INF. You've had more than enough time to formulate our draft score. Let's hear it. You're obviously not a fan of the trade.

It was a really weird draft night for the Suns.

Pick 1
Grade: B-

I like Ayton. He has the drive that you want in a star-to-be, I just hope that drive is more for on-court excellence than it is for brand-enhancement off the court. I'd be surprised if he isn't a 20-10 pro, and I'd be mildly surprised if he isn't very productive in year one. I hope he doesn't just amass individual stats and that his performance equates to team success. Picking him over Doncic still stings and is frustrating, but the nonsense at pick 16 helped to take my mind off of it. The fake top 5 "options" Ryan put out there all had value at #1, so regardless of who they picked, the player was going to improve the team to some extent.

Pick 16
Grade: D

What a roller coaster of emotions this was. When I heard the pick was DiVincenzo, I was mildly disappointed. DiVincenzo has good athleticism, a good shooting touch, and can play D. So he definitely has value. I'm just not that impressed with him, nor that optimistic that he can have a significant impact at the pro level. I also thought there were better options available (Zhaire Smith).

Then I saw the pick was Zhaire Smith and was absolutely ecstatic. I couldn't believe Ryan would make that smart of a choice. Smith has a elite level athleticism, tremendous wingspan, incredible defensive potential, and developing proficiency shooting the deep ball. And to get him at 16?! Wow. Draft night was taking an unexpected positive turn. And then I read the news about the trade.

Mikal Bridges is a good prospect and has two very important skills: a great 3-point shot and strong defensive skills. But to trade a prospect for him that could very easily be as good as, if not better than, him PLUS the Miami pick?! It is the same stupidity that drove the Brandon Knight trade. Additionally, it doesn't make any sense to pay that high of a price for a player that plays the same position as 2 of your 3 best players. That limits his utility. He doesn't have the ball-handling or playmaking skills to balance out a lineup that features him playing with Booker and Jackson. Nor does he have the size, strength, or rebounding ability to contribute as a small ball 4. And it is further infuriating that in discussing Bridges value, Ryan referenced how basketball is becoming "positionless." Well if you freaking subscribe to that thinking, why on earth did you pass on Luka Doncic?!

This was really close to an F for me. But Bridges does offer some value to the team, so that salvages this move to a small extent.


Pick 31
Grade: A

I love this pick. As soon as I saw it, I was convinced Ryan was going to sell it or trade it for a future second rounder. Like drafting Smith, it seemed too good to be true. I am really shocked at the discipline Ryan showed here. There a number of really good options: Mitchell Robinson was still there and I could see an argument for taking him. There was Keita Bates-Diop, who probably offers more value to this team the way that it is structured than Mikal Bridges does. There was also Khyri Thomas, who, although not a point guard, has very nice 3&D potential. But Ryan went with the best player available. Okobo has incredible upside, good measurables, and a VERY nice shooting touch. I think he could be the steal of the draft, easily.


Pick 59
Grade: C+

I mean, it is pick #59, so there is not much that can be done here. There is a lot to like about George King. Hustles. Can shoot from deep. Seems strong with a good wingspan. Has some small ball 4 potential. I think the only miss here is passing on Kostas Antetokounmpo. I think we may regret that.

Overall, the Suns walked away with a tremendous amount of talent. But passing on Doncic and overpaying for Bridges are two huge misses for me. So I would probably give the draft a C+.

I think you’re wrong about Bridges not being able to play PF. I think with Ayton there we can afford to go smaller at the other positions of Bridges or Jackson put on a little bit of weight. Booker-Jackson-Bridges-Ayton will be a great lineup IMO. I’d much rather play Bridges at the 4 than bring in Aaron Gordon to play the 4.

I'm a big Bridges fan, I think he's going to fit in well with the wing rotation. I'm ok with the "overpay", as I felt he brings a lot more value to this team than Smith would. I like Smith, but I'm not convinced of his shooting ability. At this time and place, the Bridges trade was the right move. I was very disappointed in the Knight trade, but the Suns were in a different position and I wasn't enamored with Knight.

specialsauce wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:00 pm

I think you’re wrong about Bridges not being able to play PF. I think with Ayton there we can afford to go smaller at the other positions of Bridges or Jackson put on a little bit of weight. Booker-Jackson-Bridges-Ayton will be a great lineup IMO. I’d much rather play Bridges at the 4 than bring in Aaron Gordon to play the 4.

I really don't think either of those are good options to have. Gordon is a 3/4 tweener that plays a lot of 4, but not well. Bridges is smaller and lighter.

I really hope Ryan is smarter than throwing money at Gordon when he doesn't shoot well from anywhere on the court, doesn't provide any rim protection, and should be rebounding better for a guy that plays +30 a night.

Ayton A+, Inside paint presence was the biggest need. He can play back to the basket, face up, hit the open jumper, and play pick & roll.

Bridges A, Good defender, college champion, good scorer right now. Yeah, losing the Miami pick hurts but in order to take Bridges something had to give.

Okobo B-, Only saw footage of him. He loves to drive and use his left, and play pick and roll.

King B-, Also based on footage he's a very active defender and knock down the open shot.

Overall A-, I love the Ayton pick cause the Suns needed an inside presence bad. To the Doncic lovers, yes the Suns needed a PG and he was EuroLeague MVP. However, the bigger priority was at the power position C/PF. I really like was the Suns did. It seems like Ryan McD really put a priority on getting guys that play defense. I just wonder if TJ Warren ends up being the odd man out.