Who do you want at #2

[ParniValjak]

I agree with your take here. No one on here knows who Vlade will end up drafting and just because Luka is a consensus top 3 pick doesn't always mean it will pan out that way...for all we know Vlade and co. might have more interest in a player like Bagley, Porter or Bamba. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't have "his" guy until he sees them in individual workouts and team workouts and then makes further assessment and gets more input from his staff on the best player to take for the team. He's Euro and he's flying out to Euro to watch him play so therefore he must be 100 percent invested in Luka....he's doing what any GM in his position would do, nothing more, nothing less.

Vlade was one of 30 NBA front office representatives that where in Belgrade to watch the Euroleague Final 4. Every team has a European scout and I am willing to bet that every GM in the NBA has at some stage this season gone to Europe to watch Luka play. Does that mean Luka is their guy?

Suns owner and their assistant GM were in Belgrade for the final 4 too, does that mean Doncic is also Phoenix's owner's guy when all the reports suggest that it might be Ayton?

I think Doncic is Vlade's pick because he fits the mold of what he wants to build. He is a smart player who has all the skills and fits perfectly into a motion offense where everyone passes.

A lot of players in the draft would fit into a motion offense and some of the better players on our current roster that fans are proclaiming as untouchable are not the greatest fits for motion offense. Does that mean Vlade got the picks wrong for his vision or does I actually mean that we are still in the process of accumulating talent and are far from settled in terms of how we want to play?

 

[Telemachus]

Vlade was one of 30 NBA front office representatives that where in Belgrade to watch the Euroleague Final 4. Every team has a European scout and I am willing to bet that every GM in the NBA has at some stage this season gone to Europe to watch Luka play. Does that mean Luka is their guy?

Suns owner and their assistant GM were in Belgrade for the final 4 too, does that mean Doncic is also Phoenix's owner's guy when all the reports suggest that it might be Ayton?

A lot of players in the draft would fit into a motion offense and some of the better players on our current roster that fans are proclaiming as untouchable are not the greatest fits for motion offense. Does that mean Vlade got the picks wrong for his vision or does I actually mean that we are still in the process of accumulating talent and are far from settled in terms of how we want to play?

I think you missed my point. I think Vlade likes Doncic based on what he has said about what he likes in players before. The fact that he is from Europe has NOTHING to do with it. If he had played for some college team instead, I would feel the same way.

 

[Reverend]

Why do you possibly think that Luka is Vlade's guy? Is it because he is European?

There is absolutely ZERO evidence that Luka is Vlade's guy. Absolutely none except people drawing onto the European link and to be quite frank that is pretty disrespectful to Vlade, Luka and anyone of European background.

It’s a gut feeling, no need to make it more than just that at this point but let’s revisit this a month from now...

 

[ESP47]

https://kenpom.com/index.php?s=RankSOS

It looks like Arizona had the 68th toughest strength of schedule and Michigan St. had the 62nd toughest. The other teams with some of the main prospects are all in the top 15. This may have a hand in scouting some of these players. I knew Ayton was playing against a lot of nobodies but I didn't realize Michigan State had such an easy schedule in comparison to Villanova and some of the other top teams.

 

[206Fan]

https://kenpom.com/index.php?s=RankSOS

It looks like Arizona had the 68th toughest strength of schedule and Michigan St. had the 62nd toughest. The other teams with some of the main prospects are all in the top 15. This may have a hand in scouting some of these players. I knew Ayton was playing against a lot of nobodies but I didn't realize Michigan State had such an easy schedule in comparison to Villanova and some of the other top teams.

Are you discrediting Ayton because he played against "a bunch of nobodies"? I guess you have to discredit JJJ too. Maybe Doncic since the ACB/Euroleague is full of busts and their starters and best players wouldn't even crack NBA rosters.

 

[ESP47]

Are you discrediting Ayton because he played against "a bunch of nobodies"? I guess you have to discredit JJJ too. Maybe Doncic since the ACB/Euroleague is full of busts and their starters and best players wouldn't even crack NBA rosters.

Why are you so ticked off? I said it may have a hand in scouting some of these players. I don't know how you got me discrediting anyone from that.

If you don't think that a players level of competition has nothing to do with their achievements or how they are scouted, I don't know what to tell you. If Ayton was in the Big 12 instead of the Pac 12 and put up the same numbers, he would be an even higher rated prospect. Is this not true? I'm not saying he isn't a good prospect or he sucks because he played against a lower level of competition. I'm just saying that it's something you have to consider when scouting a player.

 

[206Fan]

Why are you so ticked off? I said it may have a hand in scouting some of these players. I don't know how you got me discrediting anyone from that.

If you don't think that a players level of competition has nothing to do with their achievements or how they are scouted, I don't know what to tell you. If Ayton was in the Big 12 instead of the Pac 12 and put up the same numbers, he would be an even higher rated prospect. Is this not true? I'm not saying he isn't a good prospect or he sucks because he played against a lower level of competition. I'm just saying that it's something you have to consider when scouting a player.

I'm not ticked, but this is the 2nd time it's been brought up. He's a big man, SOS should not matter as much as individual matchups do. He's playing in the PAC 12 which isn't the ACC, but it's not the worst conference out there. It's just a down year for them due to all the talents that left schools like Oregon(Brooks, Bell, Dorsey), UCLA(Lonzo, Leaf, Hamilton, Alford), Utah(Kuzma), Cal(Bird, Rabb).

Now, if he played in the MWC, that's an entirely different story. See how a bust like Rashad Vaughn dominated MVC play a few years ago as a 18yearold only to never crack an NBA rotation. Or how overwhelmed the Martin twins were at the draft combine scrimmages.

Who do you suppose would've made a difference guarding Ayton? Aside from maybe Wendall Carter Jr and Robert Williams(he played against him), there is no other big in the entire college world that would've been able to matchup against him. He's got legitimate NBA strength and size. He has a reported 43.5" vertical. Against all these so called cupcake teams, they double and even triple team him... and he still averaged 20ppg on an absurd 61% FG. Who on Kansas, Kansas St, Oklahoma, Iowa, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, or WVU be able to guard him? How many players on any of those teams would even have size to check Ayton? Only one is Bamba who's 225lbs. Any other Cs?

I'm going to go on a not-so-long limb, and say that he'll dominate the NBA day 1.

 

[King Baller]

Well once again I think this pick is simple. The Suns will choose Ayton and then the Kings should pick Doncic. Doncic fills a need and is the BPA at #2. I realize there is only one ball and Fox, Bogi and Doncic need it in their hands. I say that is a good problem to have in 2018 in the NBA.

 

[ESP47]

I'm not ticked, but this is the 2nd time it's been brought up. He's a big man, SOS should not matter as much as individual matchups do. He's playing in the PAC 12 which isn't the ACC, but it's not the worst conference out there. It's just a down year for them due to all the talents that left schools like Oregon(Brooks, Bell, Dorsey), UCLA(Lonzo, Leaf, Hamilton, Alford), Utah(Kuzma), Cal(Bird, Rabb).

Now, if he played in the MWC, that's an entirely different story. See how a bust like Rashad Vaughn dominated MVC play a few years ago as a 18yearold only to never crack an NBA rotation. Or how overwhelmed the Martin twins were at the draft combine scrimmages.

Who do you suppose would've made a difference guarding Ayton? Aside from maybe Wendall Carter Jr and Robert Williams(he played against him), there is no other big in the entire college world that would've been able to matchup against him. He's got legitimate NBA strength and size. He has a reported 43.5" vertical. Against all these so called cupcake teams, they double and even triple team him... and he still averaged 20ppg on an absurd 61% FG. Who on Kansas, Kansas St, Oklahoma, Iowa, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, or WVU be able to guard him? How many players on any of those teams would even have size to check Ayton? Only one is Bamba who's 225lbs. Any other Cs?

I'm going to go on a not-so-long limb, and say that he'll dominate the NBA day 1.

Better players, bigger players, better defenders, better team defense. If he's in the Big 12 he probably doesn't have that absurd 61% FG percentage. It's probably still going to be high but maybe he would be viewed a bit differently. I'm not saying he's not worth the #1 pick but you have to take level of competition into consideration. I remember that game against Texas A&M and if I remember right, he had an off game against a good defender. I would have just liked to see him play against a higher level of competition to really gauge his skill set.

It's like watching a highlight video of someone. The highlights of them dunking all over high school kids mean nothing. Show me your real basketball skills. If Ayton matched up against Bamba and scored 16 and 10, that means more to me than if he dominates a SF sized scrub to the tune of 25 and 12.

 

[funkykingston]

Well once again I think this pick is simple. The Suns will choose Ayton and then the Kings should pick Doncic. Doncic fills a need and is the BPA at #2. I realize there is only one ball and Fox, Bogi and Doncic need it in their hands. I say that is a good problem to have in 2018 in the NBA.

I don't know. I am starting to get the feeling (mostly just my own suspicion but it also follows from a few different reports) that Divac & co (Catanella, Williams, Stojakovic, maybe Bornn) were starting to hone in on Michael Porter Jr before the lottery.

 

[jiimbob]

The latest nbadraft.net has Donic going at 5 to Dallas and the Kings taking Bagley. There last mock was Donic going at two.

I'm very aware to take such information with a grain of salt, and have been vocal about not assuming this to be a two man draft, still wonder whats driving the change of opinion.

 

[funkykingston]

The latest nbadraft.net has Donic going at 5 to Dallas and the Kings taking Bagley. There last mock was Donic going at two.

I'm very aware to take such information with a grain of salt, and have been vocal about not assuming this to be a two man draft, still wonder whats driving the change of opinion.

nbadraft.net has not had a great track record of either (a) accurately predicting the real draft or (b) correctly identifying the better players in a given draft. That said, they have routinely had Doncic in the 4-7 range and only moved them to #2 after the lottery I believe. They haven't been as high on Doncic as most sites for most of the year. Take that for what it's worth.

On the other hand The Ringer updated their mock draft earlier this week and moved Doncic to #1 and moved Michael Porter Jr up to #5.

At this point in the process it's all conjecture.

 

[Warhawk]

At this point in the process it's all conjecture.

Just like our draft position was all conjecture before the lottery and look at all the venom and discussion thrown about before that happened. It is what it is! Everyone wants to get their $0.02 in early, instead of letting things play out until right before the draft. With nothing else "Kings" going on and the Kings having a high draft pick, I can understand it though.

 

[ParniValjak]

Well once again I think this pick is simple. The Suns will choose Ayton and then the Kings should pick Doncic. Doncic fills a need and is the BPA at #2. I realize there is only one ball and Fox, Bogi and Doncic need it in their hands. I say that is a good problem to have in 2018 in the NBA.

I think there is a bit of a misconception about this point. Doncic and Bogdanovic do not need the ball in their hands to be effective. Their off the ball games are pretty good. One thing about European players is that majority of them know how to play off the ball. That is how they get incorporated into a team when they start getting minutes and then add the ability to create for others with ball in their hands.

My concerns with Doncic has absolutely nothing to do with hsi ability to be productive off the ball.

 

[The Hammer]

Not even close!

You must be new around here. I have this tradition...

 

[VF21]

You must be new around here. I have this tradition...

You have seniority by 7 ... days.

 

[The Hammer]

You have seniority by 7 ... days.

A lot was done once in seven days. lol

 

[Joshoua]

A lot was done once in seven days. lol

Haha that was good

 

[Telemachus]

A lot was done once in seven days. lol

If you had that kind of power I think the Kings would be getting ready to win their 20+ championship in a row.

 

[burekijogurt]

If you had that kind of power I think the Kings would be getting ready to win their 20+ championship in a row.

some miracles are beyond even that kind of power

 

[The Hammer]

some miracles are beyond even that kind of power

You win!!

 

[Gary]

It's going to be Doncic or Ayton. One of those two will be a King (barring trades). There is a 0% chance we take a rebounding big who cannot block a shot. We could just sign or trade for Julius Randle if we wanted that.

 

[gunks]

It's going to be Doncic or Ayton. One of those two will be a King (barring trades). There is a 0% chance we take a rebounding big who cannot block a shot. We could just sign or trade for Julius Randle if we wanted that.

I hope you're right! A lot of us had a first reaction of "don't get cute, Vlade" upon learning we landed 2, and now it seems our FO has an immense interest in someone we could probably get at 7 or 8 in a "cute" draft day move.

I just want Doncic or Ayton.

Edit: Not that I'm totally against Vlade exploring options! If a top 5 team falls in love with Luka and is willing to sell the farm to move up a few spots, you have to consider it. Especially with so many high ceiling kids in the top of the draft...

...but again, I really think Vlade should play it safe and pick one of Luka, Ayton or Bagley. If he tries to pull an Ainge, only to draft a bust at pick 5 or whatever, he's going to be as reviled as PDA, and rightfully so.

 

[Mike]

It's going to be Doncic or Ayton. One of those two will be a King (barring trades). There is a 0% chance we take a rebounding big who cannot block a shot. We could just sign or trade for Julius Randle if we wanted that.

I would say there is a chance we could draft someone other than Ayton and Doncic. In Bagley's case he's shown ability to be a 20 a night guy, plus his elite motor and competitiveness has some people excited about him and makes him worthy of consideration.

The blocking part is obviously a concern if we pair Bagley and Willie, but we can worry about shot blocking later on if we move on from Willie.

 

[Ozymandias]

Bamba!!!

 

[dude12]

If Sac trades down because they like several guys, I would not trade down past 4 so that I can be assured of Ayton, Doncic, Bagley or Porter.....and if they really like Jackson as much then no further than 5.

That being said, I would want a youngish vet AND the pick.......for example, Harrison Barnes and the Dallas pick for 1.2 and a contract such as Shumpert or such.

 

[roasthawg]

If Sac trades down because they like several guys, I would not trade down past 4 so that I can be assured of Ayton, Doncic, Bagley or Porter.....and if they really like Jackson as much then no further than 5.

That being said, I would want a youngish vet AND the pick.......for example, Harrison Barnes and the Dallas pick for 1.2 and a contract such as Shumpert or such.

For me the spot is #6. I'd be excited about any of Ayton, Doncic, jjj, mpj, Bamba, or Bagley.

 

[The Hammer]

There is zero chance we are trading down. I repeat: ZERO.

I mean, feel free to discuss hypotheticals, that's half of sports anyways. Just know that you are talking about something that will never happen.

Next Kings player will be Doncic or Ayton. I put it at 80% chance it's Ayton.

 

[Folsomkingsfan]

There should be zero chance that we trade down. We were given a gift from the basketball gods. You don't trade down. Take the most NBA ready guy with the highest ceiling and make your team better. Don't give that away for a project or unknown and a slightly good asset.

 

[KingsSelecao]

I think it's Ayton or Porter. Kings like Doncic. But, I wouldn't be surprised to see them pass.