Third best is probably Kris Dunn the Providence PG or maybe Jaylen Brown. I'm not at all impressed with Skal Labisierre and I know almost nothing about Dragan Bender except his awesome name.
Have you seen Dunn? I like him. Fascinated by his fit next to Russell. I like Simmons, but I am hoping Randle develops so well that he proves he's worth more of a longer term investment. If not, I'll take Simmons if the Lakers think he is a better player.
Good chance we end up with the worst record by seasons end as well. Increases our odds by 9 percent of keeping our pick. Historically, teams who have finished with worst record haven't fell outside the top 3 since 09.
I've only seen highlights of Dunn, but I like what I've seen. I can't lie, I'm all aboard the Simmons train. I think he will be really good and I couldn't pass him up if we got the number one pick. That said, I'd be good with us getting Ingram and matching him up with Randle, Russell, and Clarkson.
I honestly think we will end up with the worse record. I think things with Byron and the young guys may come to a head before the end of the season.
Russell has tuned him out. So have I. I am not criticizing him (Scott) anymore. I have given up. 76ers are playing well by their standards and hopefully pass us by this season in the tank standings. Keeping this pick has become my number 1 goal. I'll go down with the ship if we lose it. For now, tank on!
I like Kris Dunn as well. NBAdraft.net compares him to John Wall. While it would be rather ambitious to hope he reaches Wall's level, you can't deny the speed, athleticism, and strength for his position. Simmons/Ingram/Dunn seem like the true game changers in this draft. Pretty sweet since we're only top 3 protected anyways.
The prize this summer is Simmons and that's not really all that debatable at this point. The kid has incredible talent. Even if he's Lamar Odom and not LeBron James, that's a hell of a pick. That said, I'd gladly settle for Ingram. All-in-all he's maybe the better fit for the team. He's a good catch-and-shoot player, athletic, surprisingly strong and I haven't seen a lot of worrisome biomechanics in his movement despite his how thin he is. I could see similar foot issues down the road as Durant, but I'd absolutely take him 2nd. After that... I probably trade the pick. I'm not interested in the big men and Dunn is redundant with Clarkson, Lou, and Russell aboard already. We need size or a wing or next level talent like Simmons. I also don't think it's impossible for Simmons/Randle to coexist. I'm not sure why there's become a narrative where we can't keep both. If it's the shooting thing, well the same can be said of Derozan who most people have come around to wanting now this summer. What's the difference?
I am also in the camp that says Simmons/Randle can coexist as well. I don't think Ben Simmons jumpshot is beyond repair to the point where he can't play SF next to Julius. As far as trading the pick, I think that it should only be done dependant upon the talent you are receiving in return. Unless you are bringing back an allstar quality big man in the trade (Cousins), I don't think you ship out Kris Dunn purely due to redundancy. He seems pretty talented and is clearly athletically gifted, and will come at a very cap friendly price. But in the end, I'd trust our FO to make that evaluation, since scouting seems to be the only thing we've been competent in the past few years.
I agree we shouldn't trade just to trade, but my point is that while I don't subscribe to the "fit over talent" idea, I don't think Dunn is talented enough to be one of those guys you pick regardless of fit. Simmons is the kind of talent you take regardless of fit because he's just that talented. To me, Dunn might be or he might just be another guard in the league. If we could get back a decent return for him, I pull that trigger.
Oh, I think they can potentially co-exist. I'm just anticipating us making a lot of moves this summer and if we draft Simmons I can see a Randle trade being one of those.
I don't think so. I think if we get Simmons we're now going full youth movement. At least I would. The young talent we'd have would be staggering and we'd have potential to be GSW level dynasty type building if our four big young'ns keep working hard. I could see us still going after Derozan and/or Whiteside or Barnes. Russell/Clarkson Derozan/Williams Simmons Randle/Nance Jr. Whiteside/Hibbert Something like that maybe. Young, dynamic, deep, and very very talented.
Draft Simmons. Trade Randle + Hibbert + Lou/Nick for Cousins. Sign Durant and some other guys. Simple .
No idea. Magic wand or something. Maybe cousins will "blake" George or demand a trade. Shaq should hook us up after all. We made him rich .
I don't think we can go wrong with either Simmons or Ingram. Ingram fits in better with our existing 3 young kids, but if you land the top pick there is no way you can pass up Simmons. He is and will be THAT good. Game comes easy to him and he can put up impressive stats while sleepwalking at the NCAA level. I see a bigger problem with Simmons coexisting with Russell and JC than I do with him coexisting with Randle. Simmons needs to be the point forward (maybe not right away) to maximize his talents, the ball needs to be in his hands and you let him create. We are already heavy on kids who need the ball in their hands in order to see results. It would/will take a smart, creative coach to get these kids to work together without wasting any of their talents. That clearly isn't Scott. Having 4 playmakers isn't necessarily a bad thing. You become extremely versatile and tough; coaching and scheming against you becoming increasingly difficult. BUT like I said, it's all on the coach. Could be a make or break summer for us with so many franchise changing adventures ahead -- draft, FA, coaching change (God willing), and life after Kobe. Mitch gets this right, he's a god and can build his own statue outside of Staples. He f***s it up and he is done in LA.
There's not going to be great shooting whether you like it or not. Derozan is the guy we have the "best" shot at getting this season. He's not a shooter. Batum and Barnes are hit or miss shooters, but we're not even likely to get to them. I'd rather flood the floor with dynamic talent than worry about having as many shooters as the Warriors. Of course you'd need a decent coach, but oh well. I'd prefer that to what's likely: Russell Clarkson/Williams Evan Turner Randle/Nance Jr. Hibbert.
