I agree with everything you say. Emphasis for me though, is on the IF we are willing to trade McLemore. I have nothing against Stauskas, I actually like him as a prospect. Not crazy on him, but I like him. He's a true shooter who has legit skills, and deceptive athleticism, offensively. The reason I find it hard to believe it is simply because of Ben. Everything I read/hear is that the FO loves Ben. I can't imagine they give up on him this early. That's my reservation about the info. As for Stauskas, don't dislike him as a prospect. Don't LOVE him, but can see what he has to offer. Personally I'd rather we get someone who is a proven defensive player, but who knows. Would like him but only makes sense, IMO of course, if we move Ben. That's all. Nothing against Nik Per Se. As it is, I think Randle is going to drop to us. Not the best fit, but God damn, take him at 8 and go home happy. He's not T-Rob. This is a hugely talented physical beast who is highly skilled offensively.
Not my first choice, but if Embiid/Parker/Wiggins/Exum/Smart/Vonleh/Gordon go top 7, I think you have to take Randle. He's being seriously under-rated here.
On Randle we certainly agree. I think Randle is going to be a better pro than he was a college player. For starters, he's better than any PF we currently have on the team, the moment he sets foot on the floor. I think he's going to be a better defender than people realize. He'll never be a prolific shotblocker, but then, there aren't that many in the league to begin with, so I'm not going to turn down a good player simply because he doesn't fit the perfect image of what I want. The same applies to Stauskas. Too many people get so obsessed with defense, that they turn their backs on very good basketball players. I don't disagree that our defense has to improve, but I'm a huge believer in team defense, and I think Stauskas is savy enough and athletic enough to be a part of a good team defensive team.
The Spurs are on the brink of winning the championship. Tell me who on that team is an all world defender. Perhaps Leonad! Duncan was at one time, but he's not the player he used to be. The play outstanding team defense, and they just keep plugging in new players. Granted, they try and pick two way players in the draft like Leonard, but they also pick players with other special talents, and blend them into the team concept. Not saying its easy, but its much easier than waiting until you can put together a team made up of Wade, Lebron, and Bosh. I realize that we still have McLemore, and I'm still very high on him. But sometimes you have to give up someone your high on as part of a deal in order to acquire a superior player. Of course I'm referring to Love, but he's just an example at the moment. Plus, lets remember that the only SG we have on the roster right now is McLemore. Personally, I think in a head to head battle, Stauskas would win. But who knows, McLemore may be the better player in 3 or 4 years. Point is, we need consistent outside shooting, and Stauskas can give us that, and much more. He can actually play a little PG if needed, and he can play a little SF if needed. So even if we kept starting McLemore, I can easily see Stauskas getting 24 to 28 minutes a game just backing up three positions.
Hey, its all good and it should be fun to see how it plays out. Not to bore you, but I was listening to an NBA scout, whose name excapes me, it wasn't Ryan Blake, but he was talking about how at the combine they should measure shoulder height as well as overall height. He said some players have longer necks or bigger and longer heads, which makes them taller, but when standing next to a shorter player, their shoulders are lower, which mean they can have a shorter standing reach if the wingspans are similar. Bottom line is, a players standing reach is the true indicator of his true height as far as basketball is concerned. Elton Brand springs to mind. Dude is around 6'8 or so, but he has no neck and a small head, but has something like a 7'4"wingspan. So to call him undersized is a misnomer.
