Pick cycling seems like cancer when teams like the Warriors already exist. I think it's going to be hard to shake up the current format. Imagine if Jordan's Bulls were slated the top pick during Tim's Duncan's 1997 Draft? The Bulls would have become an 82-0 team.
i mean i love the lottery and the tanking shit myself so i'm fine as it is lol
but i understand it really distorts how one watches sports. there really is just no perfect solution.
how about multiple tiers with relegation & promotion so maybe Sioux Falls or Reno can have a chance the next time Philly opts to tank for a decade
we could seriously fill several 20-team leagues with decent pro hoops talent
sorry nevermind
Remember when teams were compensated for departing FAs to keep them competitive? That's how the Lakers ended up with Magic the same year they got Kareem.
They got James Worthy off some old lottery rule that no longer exists as well.
I think compensatory draft picks could be good
A lot of Suns fans believe once they get Doncic or Ayton that their woes will go away and start playoff contention....
I don't think they have been watching Suns Basketball. They aren't trying to tank...they are just that fucking bad.
I mean...you got Dudley out on the court with full dad bod and such.
Booker is 100% legit, and Jackson and Payton have both been playing well since the break, and they're all still young.
The rest of the roster is pretty much complete garbage tho. If those 3 plus whoever they draft keep developing, they could be quite good in a few years. But next year? Lord no
Jackson has been good, Payton has been meh
That's one silver lining with Hawks, we're still pretty feisty with the shitty record and I still like our coaching and development.
Give us Doncic, lottery gods, we promise not to waste him!
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next year? God no. but Booker is a 25-5-5 star on offense who is only 21 (still needs a ton of work on D), Jackson (only 21) has been balling out the last couple months, TJ Warren can throw up 20 a game, and Dragan Bender (only 20) i think is promising. already an above-average 3-point shooter, a skilled passer, and moves his feet well on defense.
i like Payton but neither Warren nor Jackson can shoot 3's, Booker has gravity-bending range and Dragan can stroke it as well but it just isn't enough shooting on the court. you cannot run a lineup where there is only a single 3-point shooter among your starting guards and small forward.
draft-wise we desperately need a center. Chandler is too old, Len is out. Doncic is brilliant but do you really want to give up on last year's lottery pick in Jackson so soon? especially as Jackson is projected to be the much better defender which is needed on a Booker-led team.
you throw out a kiddie lineup of
(insert free agent point guard)
Booker
Jackson
Bender
Ayton
+ 6th man microwave Warren
and i think that has the potential to be a fine fine team for many years going forward given they're all pups and already showing flashes of serious talent.
Why can't Jackson and Doncic play together? I would go:
Booker
Doncic
Jackson
Warren
Bender
+FA/draft/trade C to play against teams with big Centers
I'm terrified Ayton will never bring enough on defense to be the best player on a contender.
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that's fair, would involve playing some dudes out of position but Booker has nice playmaking chops and Bender is 7′ 1″ (will need about 20-30 lbs to be a starting center tho). when it comes to Doncic v Ayton it's one of those good problems. really not sure who i'd take at #1.
Yeah it's a question of team-building philosophy. With the Doncic lineup you have Bender as a small ball 5 and Warren/Jackson/Doncic defending 4s. I think Warren and Jackson especially can defend most wings, yeah?
Of course Ayton can theoretically shoot 3s too so could bring a KAT type presence that can stay on the floor against small ball teams and still dominate offensively. Pros and Cons to each.
I just don't want to get fucked by the lottery
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think you take ayton at 1 if you're the suns. i mean you can't really go wrong with either.
btw just because you have super talented youth cores doesn't really mean a thing. i saw it for years with the baby clippers. it takes strong leadership and a different kind of culture to change things. and as cliche as it sounds, you need players who know how to win. i wouldn't worry about them, though. once they start spreading their wings they just need a couple solid vets to fill in the gaps.
Wanted to comment on this before it gets buried. There are cons to every draft format, including the cycling. If the stars align, and the Bulls get Duncan or the Warriors get KAT or some shit, yeah, it's not ideal. They could add some rule like the top 4 records can't pick top 3 or something (I.e. Warriors 1st pick gets pushed back to 4 and they instead get the first pick the next time they can claim it). They would also need to have it alternate for each team, each year between top 15 and bottom 15 picks so a team doesn't have crappy picks for 10 years straight
The pros though... there is absolutely no benefit to losing. Crappy teams have incentive to fill out their roster with solid veterans to help win games. Games would be more competitive. I don't have to root against my own team!
0.000001% chance it ever happens but it's fun to think about.
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I really want to like Bender...but majority time he just seems so passive. The guy is so huge, but rarely uses that in the paint. If he put on a little more bulk I could see him being
a forced to be reckoned with at the rim.
Booker I can see rising real fast, as Jackson onto being top players eventually.
Grade 2 MCL sprain for Curry, to be reevaluated after 3 weeks.
Caused by JaVale making the most JaVale move ever (terribly biting on a pump fake to jump as high as possible in an unknown direction)
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