2016 NBA Draft Discussion

[funkykingston]

I believe Chriss does not go in top 8. I think it was early hype. Right now Baldwin has helium but I think his ceiling is 8. Kyler only posts when he has clear knowledge. The guys he talks to has Brown at 3. With Baldwin in the mix I feel good about our pick whomever it is

Honestly I'll be happy if Brown goes before the Kings pick. Lots of potential and he already has an NBA body with upper tier athleticism but (1) he scares me in terms of not having an immediately translatable NBA skill (2) he has a long way to go in terms of addressing his weaknesses, particularly shooting (3) he doesn't show great feel for the game and (4) even if he develops I'm not sure he's a good compliment to Cousins as a guy who attacks the rim but can't really create his own shot or be a knockdown outside shooter.

 

[biltalent]

When I first saw the Chriss hype machine start my thought was "great - that will push a real prospect to us". But now I'm wondering if he is maybe legit and we should be happy to get him at 8.

I'm about the 98th most smart guy on here when it comes to college prospects - no inside knowledge. But from what I've read, the draft is a good 8+ deep and we stand to get a real good player there with Chriss being the worst of them... unless Vlade decides to promote Baldwin above all the mocks and grab him at 8. And I won't kill him if he does that but he will get killed in the press probably.

A mock I read today had us with Dunn but that just sounds too good to be true for us I'm not counting on it

I hope Vlade doesn't give a **** what the press writes about us. Just pick the guy you evaluated and feel the most comfortable with. If you did your evaluation carefully and with an open mind and came to the conclusion Wade Baldwin is your guy, fine, draft him - even if no mock draft has him heigher than 12. It doesn't matter. Mock drafts are fiction mostly done by journalists who probably haven't watched most prospects more than once or only went to draftexpress.com and copied and pasted what they read. Best example is Marquese Chriss. Even after the season ended no mock had him higher than 15. The consensus was that this draft is a 7 player draft. Suddenly, DX hears that Boston likes Chriss at #3. And all of a sudden every mock in the country calls it a 8 player draft and Chriss is the next big thing.
One of the worst things you can do is draft a prospect that slid down and you have no information on because he didn't workout for you or you didn't watch him enough film on him. Well, There is probably a reason why he slid. It happened with T-Rob and it happened with Mclemore. I don't want it to happen again.

 

[John Galt]

Vlade has pretty well shown that he is a giver of no effs so.... I can't wait to see what happens.

 

[Folsomkingsfan]

When I first saw the Chriss hype machine start my thought was "great - that will push a real prospect to us". But now I'm wondering if he is maybe legit and we should be happy to get him at 8.

I'm about the 98th most smart guy on here when it comes to college prospects - no inside knowledge. But from what I've read, the draft is a good 8+ deep and we stand to get a real good player there with Chriss being the worst of them... unless Vlade decides to promote Baldwin above all the mocks and grab him at 8. And I won't kill him if he does that but he will get killed in the press probably.

A mock I read today had us with Dunn but that just sounds too good to be true for us I'm not counting on it

Yeah I wouldn't put too much stock into Dunn at 8, but on the other hand you never know. The Pelicans and the Wolves are really the only two teams that are guard needy. Unless a team reaches for one there is a chance one of the 3 falls to 8. But I'm with you Chriss. I thought Chriss rising was a smokescreen by a couple of teams, but the guy has serious potential. 35% from 3 while having other worldly hops has my interest. Not sure what type of ceiling he has, but he has all the tools necessary to be a stud.

 

[King Baller]

In recent memory the Kings did get Cousins and Tyreke (Could have had Rubio also) when the odds were against it. It could happen this year with Dunn, Hield or Murray. That said if Baldwin is there at #8 and Vlade picks him I am OK with him also.

 

[funkykingston]

I hope Vlade doesn't give a **** what the press writes about us. Just pick the guy you evaluated and feel the most comfortable with. If you did your evaluation carefully and with an open mind and came to the conclusion Wade Baldwin is your guy, fine, draft him - even if no mock draft has him heigher than 12. It doesn't matter. Mock drafts are fiction mostly done by journalists who probably haven't watched most prospects more than once or only went to draftexpress.com and copied and pasted what they read. Best example is Marquese Chriss. Even after the season ended no mock had him higher than 15. The consensus was that this draft is a 7 player draft. Suddenly, DX hears that Boston likes Chriss at #3. And all of a sudden every mock in the country calls it a 8 player draft and Chriss is the next big thing.
One of the worst things you can do is draft a prospect that slid down and you have no information on because he didn't workout for you or you didn't watch him enough film on him. Well, There is probably a reason why he slid. It happened with T-Rob and it happened with Mclemore. I don't want it to happen again.

I was just thinking this exact same thing. Bill Simmons even had a tweet about how this was a 7 player draft (Simmons, Ingram, Bender, Chriss, Dunn, Murray & Hield) and that the Kings were screwed.

First off I saw a relatively reputable mock that had Chriss as a 2nd rounder a month ago. And secondly, odds are that 2-3 of that group listed will be NBA busts and I could see scenarios where Simmons or Ingram are one of them.

Some player taken outside the lottery will be better than a couple guys taken in the top 5.

And I remember Jason Williams being predicted to go in the 14-16 range before the Kings drafted him. Identify your player and draft him.

 

[hrdboild]

I was just thinking this exact same thing. Bill Simmons even had a tweet about how this was a 7 player draft (Simmons, Ingram, Bender, Chriss, Dunn, Murray & Hield) and that the Kings were screwed.

First off I saw a relatively reputable mock that had Chriss as a 2nd rounder a month ago. And secondly, odds are that 2-3 of that group listed will be NBA busts and I could see scenarios where Simmons or Ingram are one of them.

Some player taken outside the lottery will be better than a couple guys taken in the top 5.

And I remember Jason Williams being predicted to go in the 14-16 range before the Kings drafted him. Identify your player and draft him.

A month ago it was supposedly a 7 player draft with Simmons, Ingram, Bender, Hield, Murray, Dunn and Brown. Now it's a 7 player draft with Simmons, Ingram, Bender, Chriss, Dunn, Murray and Hield? Right...

It was never a 7 player draft anyway. People just make this stuff up about tiers. If we're including Chriss in the top tier now, than I think you have to include Brown, Luwawu, Labissiere, and Poeltl in the top tier too. Here's 5 more names that are very close: Dejounte Murray, Henry Ellenson, Denzel Valentine, Deyonta Davis, Wade Baldwin. There's probably even a few more that I left out. There's more parity in the top half of this draft than any other year I can remember. The proof of that is how wide-ranging some of these projections are. Draftexpress has Baldwin going #13 and nbadraft.net has him going #34. Luwawu is at #14 on DE and at #27 on nbadraft. Nobody knows how to rank these players. The guy going #14 isn't going to be significantly worse than the guy going #3. So it's more about which player is the best fit for your organization or which player has the best work ethic or which long-term project you believe in the most. It's a little concerning that Baldwin is the only first round prospect we've worked out so far, but let's wait until after the draft to pass judgement. The good thing about the lack of information coming out of the front office this year is that websites have no idea what we're going to do for a change and neither do other teams.

 

[dude12]

Honestly I'll be happy if Brown goes before the Kings pick. Lots of potential and he already has an NBA body with upper tier athleticism but (1) he scares me in terms of not having an immediately translatable NBA skill (2) he has a long way to go in terms of addressing his weaknesses, particularly shooting (3) he doesn't show great feel for the game and (4) even if he develops I'm not sure he's a good compliment to Cousins as a guy who attacks the rim but can't really create his own shot or be a knockdown outside shooter.

What about Brown as a defensive player?

 

[upinsmoke]

On Bill Simmons latest podcast Jimmy Butler was praising Jaylen Brown.

 

[dude12]

Hmmm, on Kyler's latest mock which he just dropped he has Jamal Murray going 3, Chriss going 4, Jaylen Brown going to Sac at 8, Baldwin going 14 to Chicago. Valentines stock has dropped down to end of first due to red flag on his knee.

 

[funkykingston]

What about Brown as a defensive player?

When he's engaged he's pretty good but he's very reliant on his athleticism and not always fundamentally sound. He has the quickness to guard faster players and the strength to body up more physical opponents but he sometimes lost focus on that end of the floor. Still, I think with a bit of focus on becoming a defensive player Brown could become an Al-Farouq Aminu type player. Could he be more than that in the NBA? Sure, but it would mean a LOT of work on his handle, his shooting, his rebounding, his decision making, his fouling, his passing/reducing turnovers etc.

In some ways Brown is a bit like Kawhi Leonard in college though he lacks Leonard's massive hands and isn't the same level in terms of rebounding. But he's better at attacking the basket than Leonard was coming out of San Diego State and he played against a higher level of competition. The question is, does he have a work ethic and desire like Kawhi. Leonard was the guy I liked in that draft but he's become more than I imagined he would and his improvement with his shooting has been extraordinary. Two things that concern me with Brown that didn't with Leonard are his steals rate, which is pretty low for a guy people are looking at to be a high level defender and his turnovers were too high.

I can't get a great feel for Brown. He can seem distant but sometimes he's very engaging. He can seem focused but sometimes he seems arrogant. I don't know. But that's the risk with him. He's almost all potential right now. How good does he want to be and how hard will he work to get there?

 

[bajaden]

A month ago it was supposedly a 7 player draft with Simmons, Ingram, Bender, Hield, Murray, Dunn and Brown. Now it's a 7 player draft with Simmons, Ingram, Bender, Chriss, Dunn, Murray and Hield? Right...

It was never a 7 player draft anyway. People just make this stuff up about tiers. If we're including Chriss in the top tier now, than I think you have to include Brown, Luwawu, Labissiere, and Poeltl in the top tier too. Here's 5 more names that are very close: Dejounte Murray, Henry Ellenson, Denzel Valentine, Deyonta Davis, Wade Baldwin. There's probably even a few more that I left out. There's more parity in the top half of this draft than any other year I can remember. The proof of that is how wide-ranging some of these projections are. Draftexpress has Baldwin going #13 and nbadraft.net has him going #34. Luwawu is at #14 on DE and at #27 on nbadraft. Nobody knows how to rank these players. The guy going #14 isn't going to be significantly worse than the guy going #3. So it's more about which player is the best fit for your organization or which player has the best work ethic or which long-term project you believe in the most. It's a little concerning that Baldwin is the only first round prospect we've worked out so far, but let's wait until after the draft to pass judgement. The good thing about the lack of information coming out of the front office this year is that websites have no idea what we're going to do for a change and neither do other teams.

Right now, the GM's and agents have muddied the water so much that you can no longer see the bottom. But your right about the equality of talent. Depending on how you evaluate, the talent level from the third pick in the draft to the 25th pick in the draft is fairly equal. By that I mean, how much value do you put on current skill level versus future potential. Most of these players are very good at something, and they're also lacking at something. So if your picking at eight, and you find a player that fits what your looking for, but he's projected to go at 14 or so, you go ahead and take him. You either trust your own judgement and your scouting staff, or you don't. But you don't let a bunch of pundits decide who you should take.

One option I can see for the Kings, if this team has it's eye's on a player that will be available at eight, is to trade down with the Sun's. The Sun's have the 13th, 28th, and 34th picks in the draft to go along with the 4th pick. So I'd trade the 8th pick to the Sun's for the 13th pick, with which I'd grab Wade Baldwin, and then if they'll agree, the 28th pick. If they won't give up the 28th pick then I'd ask for the 34th pick in the draft. We still get the player we want, and get an additional draft pick.

 

[dude12]

Right now, the GM's and agents have muddied the water so much that you can no longer see the bottom. But your right about the equality of talent. Depending on how you evaluate, the talent level from the third pick in the draft to the 25th pick in the draft is fairly equal. By that I mean, how much value do you put on current skill level versus future potential. Most of these players are very good at something, and they're also lacking at something. So if your picking at eight, and you find a player that fits what your looking for, but he's projected to go at 14 or so, you go ahead and take him. You either trust your own judgement and your scouting staff, or you don't. But you don't let a bunch of pundits decide who you should take.

One option I can see for the Kings, if this team has it's eye's on a player that will be available at eight, is to trade down with the Sun's. The Sun's have the 13th, 28th, and 34th picks in the draft to go along with the 4th pick. So I'd trade the 8th pick to the Sun's for the 13th pick, with which I'd grab Wade Baldwin, and then if they'll agree, the 28th pick. If they won't give up the 28th pick then I'd ask for the 34th pick in the draft. We still get the player we want, and get an additional draft pick.

How can you know though that he will be there? Not enough depth in the draft at that position to take that chance. I think you just take him at 8 if that's your guy.

 

[206Fan]

I feel like if we wanted to draft Brown, we could just drat Baldwin instead. Both are raw and have huge upsides. However, 1 of them fills a real need...Baldwin.

I'm warming up to the idea of Baldwin. I don't think we should trade back for him. His stock has risen according to the top draft guys.

If he's our guy at 8, I think we take him. Guys right behind us could very well be interested in drafting him. Bucks need someone to replace MCW....Baldwin would be perfect. Jazz still need a PG, and I don't know if they're sold on Exum as a PG. Suns could decide to rebuild and draft Baldwin...6years younger than Bledsoe.

 

[bajaden]

When he's engaged he's pretty good but he's very reliant on his athleticism and not always fundamentally sound. He has the quickness to guard faster players and the strength to body up more physical opponents but he sometimes lost focus on that end of the floor. Still, I think with a bit of focus on becoming a defensive player Brown could become an Al-Farouq Aminu type player. Could he be more than that in the NBA? Sure, but it would mean a LOT of work on his handle, his shooting, his rebounding, his decision making, his fouling, his passing/reducing turnovers etc.

In some ways Brown is a bit like Kawhi Leonard in college though he lacks Leonard's massive hands and isn't the same level in terms of rebounding. But he's better at attacking the basket than Leonard was coming out of San Diego State and he played against a higher level of competition. The question is, does he have a work ethic and desire like Kawhi. Leonard was the guy I liked in that draft but he's become more than I imagined he would and his improvement with his shooting has been extraordinary. Two things that concern me with Brown that didn't with Leonard are his steals rate, which is pretty low for a guy people are looking at to be a high level defender and his turnovers were too high.

I can't get a great feel for Brown. He can seem distant but sometimes he's very engaging. He can seem focused but sometimes he seems arrogant. I don't know. But that's the risk with him. He's almost all potential right now. How good does he want to be and how hard will he work to get there?

Brown reminds me more of Stanley Johnson than Leonard. Leonard was a very good defender at SDSU and had a good mid-range jumpshot. The question was whether he could extend it out to the three. Overall, I think Leonard was more skilled than Brown. To that end, I think Johnson's perimeter shot was further along than Browns. What bothers me about Brown is that he did flat out stupid things on the floor. I seriously question his BBIQ and decision making. Not saying he's not a bright guy, but being smart doesn't mean your basketball smart. I think he's a scary choice. Of course if he ends up being what you think he can be, then you have a star on your hands. Just like we had the next Ray Allen when we drafted McLemore.

Here's the thing with Brown. Other than being able to run and jump, what is it that he does really really well? At least with Marquese Chriss, you can say he handles the ball well for a big man, he can block some shots, and he has the makings of a three point shot.

 

[bajaden]

How can you know though that he will be there? Not enough depth in the draft at that position to take that chance. I think you just take him at 8 if that's your guy.

Good point, you can't be sure he'll be there. You'd be taking a gamble and hopefully you'd be gambling on some information you've obtained from those teams drafting behind you. But if your worried about that, you don't make the deal.

 

[funkykingston]

Right now, the GM's and agents have muddied the water so much that you can no longer see the bottom. But your right about the equality of talent. Depending on how you evaluate, the talent level from the third pick in the draft to the 25th pick in the draft is fairly equal. By that I mean, how much value do you put on current skill level versus future potential. Most of these players are very good at something, and they're also lacking at something. So if your picking at eight, and you find a player that fits what your looking for, but he's projected to go at 14 or so, you go ahead and take him. You either trust your own judgement and your scouting staff, or you don't. But you don't let a bunch of pundits decide who you should take.

One option I can see for the Kings, if this team has it's eye's on a player that will be available at eight, is to trade down with the Sun's. The Sun's have the 13th, 28th, and 34th picks in the draft to go along with the 4th pick. So I'd trade the 8th pick to the Sun's for the 13th pick, with which I'd grab Wade Baldwin, and then if they'll agree, the 28th pick. If they won't give up the 28th pick then I'd ask for the 34th pick in the draft. We still get the player we want, and get an additional draft pick.

Having been on the Baldwin bandwagon from the beginning that was my original hope. I think I floated the idea that the Kings trade #8 to the Celtics for #16 and #23 and take Baldwin and Luwawu but now it's very doubtful those guys will be on the board at those slots.

For Baldwin I could see Milwaukee and Utah being interested. PG Giannis is fun and unless they get a better option than MCW I think the experiment will continue. Baldwin makes a lot of sense for them because he could still allow Antetokounmpo to be the primary ball handler/playmaker while being a 3&D PG. For Utah I know they love Exum but they saw the disaster that happens when he goes down. Baldwin would be insurance, though I wonder if they'd rather have Demetrius Jackson.

If those two teams don't take him I think Chicago does - but only if they don't deal Butler. Wade Baldwin makes sense for the Bulls for the same reason he makes sense for the Bucks. Butler can be the ball dominant, playmaking SG and Baldwin can act as a 3&D PG. So the Kings could take a guy like Brown, Bender or Chriss try to trade down with Phoenix with the deal being contingent on Baldwin being there at #13 and otherwise they keep the guy they picked.

But if the Kings got the 28th and 34th picks there are a number of guys I like from down in that range, especially Bembry and Beasley.

 

[bajaden]

I feel like if we wanted to draft Brown, we could just drat Baldwin instead. Both are raw and have huge upsides. However, 1 of them fills a real need...Baldwin.

I'm warming up to the idea of Baldwin. I don't think we should trade back for him. His stock has risen according to the top draft guys.

If he's our guy at 8, I think we take him. Guys right behind us could very well be interested in drafting him. Bucks need someone to replace MCW....Baldwin would be perfect. Jazz still need a PG, and I don't know if they're sold on Exum as a PG. Suns could decide to rebuild and draft Baldwin...6years younger than Bledsoe.

Make no mistake, Brown is far more raw than Baldwin. Baldwin is better at just about everything compared to Brown. About the only place Brown trumps Baldwin is in size, and athleticism, and I'm not sure about the athleticism part. While Baldwin needs to tighten his handle, he's a far better ball handler than Brown. He's a better perimeter shooter than Brown. He's a better passer than Brown. Brown, when he can get to the basket, is a better finisher. And while I question some of the on court decisions of Baldwin, he's a freaking genius compared to Brown.

 

[funkykingston]

Brown reminds me more of Stanley Johnson than Leonard. Leonard was a very good defender at SDSU and had a good mid-range jumpshot. The question was whether he could extend it out to the three. Overall, I think Leonard was more skilled than Brown. To that end, I think Johnson's perimeter shot was further along than Browns. What bothers me about Brown is that he did flat out stupid things on the floor. I seriously question his BBIQ and decision making. Not saying he's not a bright guy, but being smart doesn't mean your basketball smart. I think he's a scary choice. Of course if he ends up being what you think he can be, then you have a star on your hands. Just like we had the next Ray Allen when we drafted McLemore.

Here's the thing with Brown. Other than being able to run and jump, what is it that he does really really well? At least with Marquese Chriss, you can say he handles the ball well for a big man, he can block some shots, and he has the makings of a three point shot.

You and I are on the same page with regards to Brown. I don't think he'll be a Kawhi Leonard type player, just that he's a somewhat ballpark comp for Brown's top end projection. I've heard the Stanley Johnson comp a lot too but to me Johnson was a better defender and a better ballhandler.

I also agree with Brown being a scary choice and IQ not always translating to the court. I remember my freshman basketball coach once yelling at me in practice that, "your teachers all tell me how smart you are but you must be the dumbest smart kid I've ever coached!" I always want to see SOMETHING from a prospective draft pick that I know he'll be able to hang his hat on in the NBA. Shooting. Ballhandling. Rebounding (which almost always translates). Even NCAA level defense (which almost never translates right away) is a reasonable calling card. I don't see that one thing with Brown. He's a big ball of potential and questions.

 

[bajaden]

Having been on the Baldwin bandwagon from the beginning that was my original hope. I think I floated the idea that the Kings trade #8 to the Celtics for #16 and #23 and take Baldwin and Luwawu but now it's very doubtful those guys will be on the board at those slots.

For Baldwin I could see Milwaukee and Utah being interested. PG Giannis is fun and unless they get a better option than MCW I think the experiment will continue. Baldwin makes a lot of sense for them because he could still allow Antetokounmpo to be the primary ball handler/playmaker while being a 3&D PG. For Utah I know they love Exum but they saw the disaster that happens when he goes down. Baldwin would be insurance, though I wonder if they'd rather have Demetrius Jackson.

If those two teams don't take him I think Chicago does - but only if they don't deal Butler. Wade Baldwin makes sense for the Bulls for the same reason he makes sense for the Bucks. Butler can be the ball dominant, playmaking SG and Baldwin can act as a 3&D PG. So the Kings could take a guy like Brown, Bender or Chriss try to trade down with Phoenix with the deal being contingent on Baldwin being there at #13 and otherwise they keep the guy they picked.

But if the Kings got the 28th and 34th picks there are a number of guys I like from down in that range, especially Bembry and Beasley.

Yeah, the safe way to make the deal is to make it contingent on Baldwin being there. I love Bembry, but not as big a fan of Beasley. One option would be for the Kings to draft a player like Hernangomez or Cornelie and let them stay over in Europe for another year or so.

 

[funkykingston]

Make no mistake, Brown is far more raw than Baldwin. Baldwin is better at just about everything compared to Brown. About the only place Brown trumps Baldwin is in size, and athleticism, and I'm not sure about the athleticism part. While Baldwin needs to tighten his handle, he's a far better ball handler than Brown. He's a better perimeter shooter than Brown. He's a better passer than Brown. Brown, when he can get to the basket, is a better finisher. And while I question some of the on court decisions of Baldwin, he's a freaking genius compared to Brown.

One thing that concerns me with Baldwin is that while he often seems very competitive there are also times when he floats. He doesn't stick his nose in for rebounds the way I'd like and there will be stretches where I forget he's on the floor. But when he's locked in he has very solid fundamentals on defense. Gets in his stance, moves his feet well, fights through screens, closes out hard and challenges shots without fouling due to his go-go-gadget arms. I do think Baldwin would be best served with a ballhandling SG. On those old Kings teams with all the ball movement and Christie often acting as the playmaker/initiator I think he'd thrive. But if McLemore is still the starting SG that would be an issue. If Baldwin is the pick hopefully Rudy could be traded for a playmaking 2 guard.

 

[bajaden]

You and I are on the same page with regards to Brown. I don't think he'll be a Kawhi Leonard type player, just that he's a somewhat ballpark comp for Brown's top end projection. I've heard the Stanley Johnson comp a lot too but to me Johnson was a better defender and a better ballhandler.

I also agree with Brown being a scary choice and IQ not always translating to the court. I remember my freshman basketball coach once yelling at me in practice that, "your teachers all tell me how smart you are but you must be the dumbest smart kid I've ever coached!" I always want to see SOMETHING from a prospective draft pick that I know he'll be able to hang his hat on in the NBA. Shooting. Ballhandling. Rebounding (which almost always translates). Even NCAA level defense (which almost never translates right away) is a reasonable calling card. I don't see that one thing with Brown. He's a big ball of potential and questions.

Yeah, I think of all the so called top choices, Brown may have the biggest gap between his ceiling and floor. That's what makes him scary.

 

[funkykingston]

Yeah, the safe way to make the deal is to make it contingent on Baldwin being there. I love Bembry, but not as big a fan of Beasley. One option would be for the Kings to draft a player like Hernangomez or Cornelie and let them stay over in Europe for another year or so.

I think Beasley could become an Anthony Morrow type shooter off the bench. They had similar freshman year stats though Beasley has a shorter wingspan and he shot 81% from the line where Morrow shot nearly 90%. I think Bembry has a chance to be a guy that develops into a real contributor in a number of ways and maybe even more than that. I think Beasley has a chance to be a designated bench shooter but not a lot more.

 

[bajaden]

One thing that concerns me with Baldwin is that while he often seems very competitive there are also times when he floats. He doesn't stick his nose in for rebounds the way I'd like and there will be stretches where I forget he's on the floor. But when he's locked in he has very solid fundamentals on defense. Gets in his stance, moves his feet well, fights through screens, closes out hard and challenges shots without fouling due to his go-go-gadget arms. I do think Baldwin would be best served with a ballhandling SG. On those old Kings teams with all the ball movement and Christie often acting as the playmaker/initiator I think he'd thrive. But if McLemore is still the starting SG that would be an issue. If Baldwin is the pick hopefully Rudy could be traded for a playmaking 2 guard.

Well, Jamal Crawford is a freeagent, and he's a terrific ballhandler. Of course he's a 100 years old as well. The question is, do you think he has one more good year left in him. Sign him to a two year deal with the second year a team option. He still has a wicked crossover, and he can shoot the three. I think he averaged around 25 or so minutes a game last season.

 

[bajaden]

I think Beasley could become an Anthony Morrow type shooter off the bench. They had similar freshman year stats though Beasley has a shorter wingspan and he shot 81% from the line where Morrow shot nearly 90%. I think Bembry has a chance to be a guy that develops into a real contributor in a number of ways and maybe even more than that. I think Beasley has a chance to be a designated bench shooter but not a lot more.

I know some will take this wrong way, and I hesitate to say it, but Bembry reminds me of a young John Salmons. Salmons was the perfect complimentry player. He only got in trouble when teams expected him to be more than that.

 

[One and Done]

Agree on Brown being a scary prospect - currently he's an "athlete who happens to play basketball" and didn't get much better throughout the season. Those guys can always come back to haunt you though, but I'm not sold.

With Utah needing a surefire PG (with Exum not proven at the position), perhaps they'd consider: Collison + Bellinelli for the #12 and Alec Burks. Burks is somewhat unnecessary with the rise of Rodney Hood, and Exum potentially filling Alec's role. Collison is much more of a sure thing in year 1 vs. Wade Baldwin, and I think they want some stability at the 1 to help with their playoff push. Marco gives them another shooter, and I think he'll rebound in the right system. Burks, while I'm not crazy about, gives the team a solid penetrator and secondary ballhandler, hopefully off the bench as he's not a great shooter. He's also coming off a couple injuries to the same leg, so who knows how he'll come back.

Regardless, this allows us to dump Marco, get Baldwin at the right spot, and get some value in return. The problem is: who starts at the 1? I wouldn't give Baldwin the keys just yet, prefer to develop him for a year or two...perhaps the ESPN-suggested Teague/Sefolosha swap for Kanter/BMac/#8 could come into play. All of this reflects the org's win-now mentality...which I'm not 100% on board with, but this would be a way to do it. Thoughts?

 

[Gilles]

Agree on Brown being a scary prospect - currently he's an "athlete who happens to play basketball" and didn't get much better throughout the season. Those guys can always come back to haunt you though, but I'm not sold.

With Utah needing a surefire PG (with Exum not proven at the position), perhaps they'd consider: Collison + Bellinelli for the #12 and Alec Burks. Burks is somewhat unnecessary with the rise of Rodney Hood, and Exum potentially filling Alec's role. Collison is much more of a sure thing in year 1 vs. Wade Baldwin, and I think they want some stability at the 1 to help with their playoff push. Marco gives them another shooter, and I think he'll rebound in the right system. Burks, while I'm not crazy about, gives the team a solid penetrator and secondary ballhandler, hopefully off the bench as he's not a great shooter. He's also coming off a couple injuries to the same leg, so who knows how he'll come back.

Regardless, this allows us to dump Marco, get Baldwin at the right spot, and get some value in return. The problem is: who starts at the 1? I wouldn't give Baldwin the keys just yet, prefer to develop him for a year or two...perhaps the ESPN-suggested Teague/Sefolosha swap for Kanter/BMac/#8 could come into play. All of this reflects the org's win-now mentality...which I'm not 100% on board with, but this would be a way to do it. Thoughts?

Burks just had 2 surgeries simultaneously. No more thoughts needed.

I actually softened my anti-Brown stance a bit, since I finally found a guy, who was just as awful as a freshman, and that was Paul Pierce, though he made a huge jump as a sophomore and with Brown we will never know, if he's capable of that.

Doesn't mean, he knows more than anyone, just willing to throw it out there and see, if it sticks, Kyler posted couple more nuggets:
Toronto might have promised Sabonis at #9, and Bulls - to Baldwin at #14.

 

[ParniValjak]

I've posted a few scenarios where Kris Dunn falls to the Kings but in all reality I think he's off the board well before the 8th pick. In fact, I think Minnesota is set to draft him but my feeling is that the Celtics will trade the 3rd pick to Philadelphia for Okafor and the Sixers will draft Dunn.

Ingram looks like he will grow into an ideal modern NBA small forward with shooting, length and defense and he's much more plug and play (or will be when he fills out some and adjusts to the NBA game) but Simmons is just such an interesting talent that he's probably worth reshaping the roster around, especially for a 10 win team with a bunch of draft picks and tons of caproom.

If they like Simmons I'd move Okafor (I don't see those two working well together at all - the ball dominant, non-shooting post big who thrives in the half court and the ball-dominant, non shooting forward who really needs to play uptempo to be effective) and Simmons is a better fit for Brett Brown's fast moving offensive principles.

Dunn at 3 would be good value though a shooter like Murray actually makes a bit more sense. Either way, there would be additional wing players that would help still on the board at #24 & #26 with guys like Prince, Beasley, Bembry, Levert, McCaw and even possibly Valentine or Dejounte Murray.

Point being - I don't see Boston taking Bender or Chriss. I see a trade of that pick, likely to grab Dunn, likely from Philadelphia but possibly from another team - maybe Chicago if they really are looking to move Butler.

PHI - Simmons
LAL - Ingram
??? - Dunn
PHX - Bender? Chriss? Brown? Trade?
MIN - Murray
NOP - Hield
DEN - Bender or Brown?
SAC - ???

Maybe they go Chriss or Baldwin. Or perhaps it's Brown that slips. He scares me but he would also open up the option of dealing Rudy for a SG and/or a draft pick, letting Omri start and developing Brown behind him.

It will be interesting to see how things shake out.

I know that there has been a few rumblings about Philly trading Okafor for pick 3 and drafting Dunn but I don't see Simmons and Dunn as being good fits. Simmons is a ball dominant point PF if you like and Dunn is a ball dominant PG. Its as good a mix as oil and water. Murray and even Hield would be better fits!

 

[dude12]

Burks just had 2 surgeries simultaneously. No more thoughts needed.

I actually softened my anti-Brown stance a bit, since I finally found a guy, who was just as awful as a freshman, and that was Paul Pierce, though he made a huge jump as a sophomore and with Brown we will never know, if he's capable of that.

Doesn't mean, he knows more than anyone, just willing to throw it out there and see, if it sticks, Kyler posted couple more nuggets:
Toronto might have promised Sabonis at #9, and Bulls - to Baldwin at #14.

Hard telling regarding the info with Kyler although he tries to be accurate but he was saying that Brown was going to be Celtics guy at 3 from what he was hearing and then in his new mock draft he puts Murray at 3. The other guys he's with as part of the Bsketball Insiders are all over the place on the mock drafts....same guys in top8-9 but rearranged and with an occasional Skal Labbierriese(sp) in top8. Very interesting draft this year.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

doesn't look like any of the guards dunn, hield will be there... what do you think about poeltl at 8?