Merged: The Draft Thread For Stuff About The Draft Including Thoughts About The Draft

That's all they were doing. It must be nice for prospects to be exposed to a modern, pro style offense.

 

I could honestly see the top 10 playing out like this:
1.) Sixers trade up to take Fultz
2.) Lakers shock everyone and take Fox
3.) Celtics take Jackson
4.) The Suns gave Isaac a promise pre-draft and take him (which is why he's only working out for top 4 teams)
5.) Ball falls to the Kings at 5.
6.) Tatum falls to Orlando.
7.) Timberwolves take another PG in Smith
8.) Knicks add more international flavor with Ntilikina
9.) Dallas takes Monk
10.) Sacremento takes Markkanen

Ball would have Hield and Markkanen to pass the ball to as shooters. It'd be interesting.

 

Absolutely terrible. Writer is an idiot.

Trade 1: Kilpatrick is worthless. We wouldn't give up #15 in a loaded draft to get rid of $9M a year when we're $30M over the cap with one of, if not the richest owner in the league.

Trade 2: Give up 2 first round picks to shed $9M in salary? Booker is slightly more valuable than E.T. but isn't really an upgrade at PF over the 3 guys we already have (Davis, Aminu, Vonleh). That would leave a hole at the wing, and only save us $9M in salary ($18M if Booker left after next year, but then what's the point in acquiring him?). So basically it's a cap dump of a contract we signed last summer and attaching 2 picks to it. Fucking horrible.

 

I think this board understands and agrees with your point. BlazersEdge and folks at RealGM don't understand it. They suggest we should dump Crabbe by trading #15, then draft guys like Thornwell and Bradley at #20 and #26. Stupid.

I've advocated for a salary dump if we could dump Turner, Crabbe, Davis, Aminu, and Leonard while keeping #15. That'd save us about $60M in salary, meaning we'd have apx. $35M in cap space while still having a starting lineup (Lillard, CJ, Harkless, Vonleh, Nurkic) and #15. If we couldn't save that much, then there's absolutely no point to shed any salary for the reasons you stated.

 

It's crazy to me P.J. Dozier isn't talked about more as a 1st rounder. I understand I'm a huge fan and there's biases that come with that, but in a draft starved for quality wings w/ 2-way potential, you have a smooth athlete that's a top 6 perimeter defender with plus tools, a developing handle/feel with workable shot mechanics--he shot 44.5% from 3 during the first 20 games of the year.

It honestly blows my mind.

 

He's not a good ball handler or passer, he's outside shooting is average at best, and he doesn't have any mid range game. Gonna be hard for him to score at the next level whether it be catch and shoot or off the dribble. He's not gonna create shots for others either.

 

How much of Dozier have you watched?

I've seen every single minute available on youtube and I understand that his %'s don't paint a pretty picture in this area (I'm 100% positive your assertion of "no mid range game" is coming from his DX breakdown) but the tape shows an ability to find shots in that area at a high rate due to size, craft, handle and high release--which is a valuable skill even if the mid range J in a vacuum isn't an efficient shot.

And yes, he's not immune to mishandles or missed reads in the pnr, but he's an unselfish player who's played his whole career as a PG. I feel pretty comfortable projecting him as a guy who'll be able to handle and make a play in some capacity.

 

I've watched some. He didn't shoot any midrange jumpers.

 

How bout this for draft day?

Portland trades #15 and Harkless to DET for #12.
POR takes Donovan Mitchell 12th
DET takes Luke Kennard 15th

Portland trades #20, #26 to MIA for #14
POR takes Zach Collins 14th
MIA takes T.J Leaf 20th

Maybe get both by trading #20, #26, and Harkless for #12?

 

This video might explain it:

 

I mean, sure. If that is the outcome of the draft, I'd be bloody stoked. Can't see it happening but it would be brilliant.

 

Saw the video a few months back and originally thought he still had no ACL after surgery--the video doesn't make it very clear--which obviously would've been a huge issue. But he did have the ACL and MCL repaired in 2013 and hasn't any major issues since.

 

45% of his shots last year were 2pt jumpers and he was assisted on just 12.9%.
https://hoop-math.com/SouthCarolina2017.php

That's really all you need to know.

 

Mostly low to the ground floaters, not jumpers.

 

What are you basing this on? 1-2 games and a DX breakdown? I honestly want to know.

 

The could of games I've watched him. Maybe he does and didn't show it during the games I watched.

 

Sabonis got booed! Not surprising - foreign picks always get booed.

 

Yes.....by people who don't know basketball. There will always be those boisterous one making a lot of noise making up for the fact that they know very little.

 

He should be booed (not really, but I'd have booed if I were old enough and realized he would use us for so long before coming over - we were genuinely robbed of seeing him in his prime. And he'd kill it in today's NBA).

 

He wasn't allowed to play in the NBA by the Soviet Union. When he was finally cleared to play, he was coming off multiple devastating injuries and didn't feel ready physically yet to make the jump. When he and Portland finally decided to have him come over, Whitsitt had Portland's physician look him over. The doctor told Whitsitt that Sabonis could have qualified for a handicapped parking spot based on his X-rays alone.

I don't think I'd have booed him.