Mike1989

I currently have Ayton/Doncic going 1st and 2nd to the Suns and Kings, Jackson going third to the Hawks, Bagley going fourth to the Grizzlies, and either Bamba/Porter to the Mavericks. If that happens it leaves us with a choice between Bamba, Porter, and Young from the usual top seven mocked prospects to choose from. Of those players I'd take Trae Young because of his scoring, shooting and play making ability. Could we look outside the usual top seven? I think we could. Mikal Bridges projects to be a very good 3 and D player, and if he improves offensively there's all star potential there. Wendell Carter is a solid all round player often compared to Al Horford. Some do like Collin Sexton, but I'm not convinced we should take another point guard that needs to develop as a shooter otherwise we could have Payton II. Of this trio I prefer Carter because he should complete our front court with Gordon and Isaac.

The chance is small this year, but if they get lucky and the Lakers move up to 2 or 3 that's another premier talent heading their way, and if it doesn't convey this year, they'll get the more favorable of the Kings or 76ers first round pick next year. Also the Grizzlies top eight pick as well to look forward too. The Celtics are going to be stacked with talent and have assets to acquire more. Green with envy ....

If you take Mack's per 36 stats he would have averaged 7 per game to DJ's 6 per game. So had they swapped roles and minutes I suspect Mack could have averaged 6 per like Payton was doing before the trade.

Part of the decision on JJJ and Ayton would depend on what our aim for next season is. If we want to compete and start to win games, then I think Ayton is the better pick because he should be able to impact the game more as a rookie than JJJ. However, if we are going to be patient with our team's development and perhaps tank for another top pick, then I think JJJ might be the better pick because of that defensive potential and if he develops offensively he can be special in his own right. Either way I think both players can be really good at the next level, however I would draft Ayton over JJJ because of his polish and my concerns over JJJ being another raw player like Isaac. With that said, I do agree with you about Doncic. If we land the top pick it might make sense to draft him over anyone else because he does have tremendous upside and looks fairly polished and ready to make an impact from the get go. As for trading back that might be avenue to consider. If the Clippers stay at 12 and 13, NBAdraft.net has them taking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Knox, though Lonnie Walker (SG, Miami), Mitchell Robinson (C), Robert Williams (PF/C Texas A&M), Zhaire Smith (SG) and co are all available at that point in the draft. I think if we could come away from the first round with SGA and Walker I'd be pretty happy with that outcome. Though if Collin Sexton is available then I would take him and Walker. I really like the potential and upside of some of the just outside the top ten picks. It certainly will be a fun place if we do land the top pick and it would be a pleasant change to be able to have our pick of the litter rather than seeing the guy we really want go the pick before and having to select from what's left.

That is one issue I have with the interview process in any line of work. I've been on both ends of it as the interviewed and the interviewer. Sometimes you'll get a really confident and enthusiastic person with an infectious personality that can sell themselves in an interview, but put them in the job and they don't always end up being the best person for the job. Sometimes you need to look past the interview and look at a candidates track record and what they bring to the table. If the person ticks the boxes but doesn't wow you in the interview, don't discount them based on a lackluster interview because maybe their strength isn't selling themselves in an interview, but put them on the practise court and they'll develop players, and put them on the sidelines and they'll get a team winning. At the end of the day if a candidate fits what you want and has a good track record, I wouldn't discount them on an interview because sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture to get the right person for the job.

First thing to consider here is the difference Kevin Love made in the Toronto series. In four games he scored 7, 31, 21, and 23 points which is an average of 20.5 per game. In the series against Indiana he scored 9 (L), 15 (W), 19 (L), 5 (W), 11 (W), 7 (L), 14 (W) which is an average of 11.4 per game. He scored 82 points in four games against Toronto compared to 80 points in seven games against Indiana. Now perhaps that backs your point up that the Toronto Raptors were pathetic in this series, however the flip side of that argument is that Kevin Love was not very good against Indiana and perhaps the Pacers were better suited to shutting him down. Had Kevin Love turned up against Indiana then I don't think the series would have gone to seven games, the Cavaliers would arguably have won it in less. Second thing to consider here is that the Cavaliers are still led by two all star caliber players, one of whom is still playing like the best player in the league. People call the guy but LeBron is still the best in the league as far as I'm concerned. LeBron averaged 34 per game against the Raptors. You can see what Love scored above, add LeBron's 26, 43, 38, and 29 points, and that means those two players put up 33, 74, 59, and 52 points combined in that series against Toronto. That duo would cause problems for the majority of teams in this league. The only reason the Warriors would probably sweep them or win in five games is because they have Curry, Thompson, Durrant, and Green in their line up. The Cavaliers don't have that quartet they have a star duo. The other thing to consider here is that I don't think anyone would legitimately take Lowry and DeRozan over LeBron and Love. With that said this is still a talented Cavaliers team. Kyle Korver and JR Smith are knocking down over 40% of their three point attempts. George Hill and Jeff Green are playing decent all round basketball for them, much to the chagrin of Kings and Magic supporters after witnessing what those two did for them. Their bench unit has some athleticism and energy when they come onto the court via Larry Nance Jr, Tristan Thompson, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson. Now I won't dispute they are weaker after losing Kyrie Irving, but he's realistically the only loss from this year's team from previous years. Who else have they lost that would make them stronger? No one really. Iman Shumpert (average bench player), Deron Williams (past it), Richard Jefferson (past it), Derrick Williams (never really had it), and James Jones (barely played and picked a salary due to being close to LeBron). I suppose an argument could be made about Channing Frye because he was a useful stretch four off the bench, but if his subtraction makes this the worst Cavaliers team in years then boy did they underplay him! Now perhaps you meant that this is the worst Cavaliers team because they finished fourth in the eastern standings, but here's something to remember they have only finished top of the eastern conference in one of their four seasons (15-16 when they won the title). In 14-15 and 16-17 they finished second. This year they finished fourth. You might argue that makes them the weakest Cavaliers team yet, but they have faced more competition in this year's eastern conference than in previous years because the 76ers have arrived on the scene, the Celtics have played brilliantly without Hayward and Irving leading the way, and the Raptors to their credit played really well in the regular season. So call the Cavaliers out if you want to, but the Cavaliers are still a very good basketball team that managed to reinvent themselves mid season and now look on course for a fourth finals appearance unless the Cetlics/76ers can stop them. So it really doesn't matter how well they compare to previous Cavaliers teams because they are still a very good team led by one of the greatest players of all time still playing like the best player in the league, supported by a proven all star in Kevin Love. Again, I'd say there's no shame in losing to the Cavaliers because no one would take the Raptors team on paper over the Cavaliers team. Sure you can be angry and embarrassed that you didn't take a game off them, but they nearly did in game one and three that they lost at the death. Had they won those games the series could have looked very different. They didn't and they got swept. Fine. It happens. However, I would caution them blowing that team up in pursuit of building something better because if you aren't lucky you get stuck like we have and the Kings have in the lottery for many, many years, with no sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it is better to appreciate what you have and enjoy it, then blow it up in the pursuit of a fantasy that doesn't happen for the majority of teams. I wish we could turn back the clock to before the Dwight Howard trade happened. Granted that split was for different reasons but had they been able to patch things up and move forwards together, I would happily take more seasons of competing in the east even if we didn't win a title over starting a rebuild in the pursuit of building something better on a whim. Now I guess you don't know unless you try, but if rebuilding was easy we would have done it by now, instead we haven't and we are arguably looking at a reboot this off season (we are now 6 seasons without play off basketball). Other teams haven't managed to rebuild successfully either, so there is no easy way to do it, and most of time it takes a bit of luck. If you aren't lucky, you end up stuck. So if the Raptors blow it up and decide to gamble, that's up to them, but there is no guarantee that they will rebuild successfully or rebuild anything better.

I'd have to disagree with blowing up the Raptors... First, they have been eliminated by LeBron James' Cavs team, no shame in that. The guy is one of the best of all time and his supporting cast has generally been pretty decent. Had they been beaten three times in the play offs by also fans, fair enough blow it up, but they have been beaten twice by the eventual finals team. Second, if LeBron heads west that does change the outlook in the east and opens things up. I think he stays in Cleveland, but if he does go to the Lakers it leaves the east open for the taking. Third, blowing it up brings no guarantee they will rebuild successfully. They could end up being stuck at the bottom like us or Sacramento (what's it been, a decade or more since they last made the play offs?). Even if they do rebuild and make it back to the play offs, there's no guarantee they'll be any better off. What if they get swept again by another title contender, blow it up and try again? The thing that the Raptors have going right now is that they are one of the best teams in the east making the play offs on a yearly basis. They will be there again next year. There's nothing wrong with being a perennial play off team. Sure you play to win and want that title but they've been beaten by the Cavs three times. That's like being in the western conference with the Warriors, they've beaten the Blazers, Rockets and Spurs twice within the last few seasons. They could end up beating the Rockets three times. What do those teams do, blow it up and start again because they can't beat the Warriors? I doubt it. They'll stick with what they've got, qualify for the play offs, and try again next year just like the Raptors. Teams don't generally blow up teams like the Raptors.

Or they don't think AG is a franchise changing talent and all star, instead they view him as another Tobias Harris caliber player. We traded him away at 23 years old, so it wouldn't be a surprise if we did the same to AG if we don't want to pay him a max and think he's more Harris than future all star. It all comes down to how you evaluate and view AG. As for the no room for a 22 year old, there might be a case for that if the team goes for Jaren Jackson or Bamba. Both players are likely to take a few seasons to develop like AG did, and we have Isaac who will probably take another couple of seasons before putting it all together. If we plan to pair them and tank to add another piece next year and perhaps the year after if we are really starting from the ground up, will we want a 22 year old heading into his prime years on an expensive contract who will want to win rather than tank? AG has already said before he wants to win games and compete. If our front office think we need to tank next year and maybe another year, AG and other veterans might need to be traded in order to bottom out. However if we intend to compete keeping AG is a must.

My point is that if we draft Bagley or Porter, one of them can pair with Isaac at the forward spots and we can then look at a sign and trade with Gordon. Try and acquire another pick or talent at another position, for example see what Sacramento are willing to offer because they've got no reason to be bad next year (they owe their 1st to Philly). The issue with drafting a forward and extending Gordon is that none of that trio (Isaac, Gordon, Bagley/Porter) are ideal fits to play center other than short spells in small ball line ups. As such it means playing Isaac or the rookie off the bench. Not a major issue, but if we can fill another need by moving Gordon that might be beneficial. Also if we plan to tank having two rookies and sending away one of our better players could help. However if we plan to compete keeping Gordon is better. With that said, I do think we'll extend him and draft either a big or a guard.

I think a lot will depend on how the draft falls. If we stay at five and let's say Ayton, Jackson, Doncic, Bamba/Young are taken in the top four. It could be argued that the best player available is Michael Porter or Marvin Bagley. At that point it leaves with a choice: 1. Draft Porter or Bagley to pair with Isaac, then look to sign and trade Gordon 2. Draft Bamba or Young and match any offer Gordon receives It all depends on whether our front office think Gordon can get better and be a franchise cornerstone. If they don't, in this scenario it makes sense to add someone on a timeline like Isaac because that can allow us another season to tank. If they do, then it makes sense to draft a PG or C to help Gordon and this team make strides towards the play offs, since I doubt Gordon will be on board with another season of tanking and wasting his prime years.

Good appointment by the Knicks. He was harshly fired by the Grizzlies last season. I think he'll do a good job for them if they are patient.

I'm not motivated enough to go through win-loss records with a fine toothcomb, but during Miami's run if memory serves the West had a strong OKC and Spurs teams, then the likes of the Clippers, Grizzlies, Rockets, Mavericks and Trail Blazers that were play off teams, and the Warriors were starting to put it together. Win loss wise I'd venture a guess that last title for Miami would likely have seen more wins west than east, but does that matter if the team that wins is in the east? Not really. Most would seem to suggest that the Rockets and Warriors is the true final if it happens, but what if the 76ers win the finals against a so-called stronger opponent from a stronger conference? At the end of the day it doesn't matter that the West had ten winning records to the east's eight if the team that wins comes from the east. This isn't the English Premier League or Spanish La Liga where champions are crowned on total points gained from wins and draws. It's a league that has two conferences, which run separate play off tournaments, resulting in a winner takes all best of seven series. Sure we can sit here and analyse how many wins the West has compared to the east, but what really matters is which team wins the final. If the champ is from east, all those extra regular season wins for the West are irrelevant. The 76ers have started to put it together and if Simmons, Embiid and co stay healthy and develop they'll be a force for many years. The Celtics are competing without their best two players (Irving and Hayward). They've seen substantial growth from Jaylen Brown this season and Jayson Tatum has been impressive. There two new kids on the block with three all stars. One of them could represent the east. Both of these teams are future title contenders when fully healthy. That's discarding a talented underachieving Wizards team, an improving Bucks team, and two hard working culture driven teams in Miami and Indiana. Maybe we'll see at least one of the rebuilding teams make it. By no means is the east perfect, and frankly the all star snubs out west would likely be all stars in the east, but teams are improving and developing in the east so closing the gap in the future is possible.

In the past decade the east have won four titles to the wests six titles. The East have won 26 games in those finals to the West's 30 wins. That's hardly domination in the finals. Sure there have probably been more stronger teams out west than east, but in a sense that doesn't matter because what ultimately matters is who wins the NBA title. If you take it back to the new millennium, then that does show that the West have won twelve titles to the east's six titles, but these sorts of runs happen in most decades. The 1990s saw seven titles go east compared to three titles going West. The 1980s saw five titles go both ways. The 1970s was six to the east, four to the west. So since 1970 that's 24 eastern champions to 24 western champions. This year will see one side go ahead, it wouldn't surprise me if it's a team from the West, but we've seen the power swap conferences before and there's no reason why it can't or won't happen again.

I can see the appeal of putting together a deal for Kawhi Leonard as long as he committed to signing for them long term. They would have a quartet of all star caliber players in Irving, Hayward, Leonard and Horford. They certainly have the assets to do a deal because they own three first round picks next year as well as their own, they'll be getting one from the Clippers, Grizzlies, 76ers or Kings. As long as they don't have to give up too much in the trade in terms of future picks and young talent, it could make sense for them to do a deal. Plus their main players would still only be 26 years old (Irving), 26 years old (Leonard), 28 years old (Hayward) and 31 years old (Horford). So they feasibly have a good window of opportunity to work with as long as those players stay healthy. However, they would need to strongly consider how wise it is to build a team around two stars that have never played a full season in their career to date and seem prone to injuries in Irving and Leonard. There's no doubting their talent and capability to make them perennial contenders, but they would need to be confident that they can stay healthy and lead them to titles otherwise they will be in a situation like they are now but without that young talent to rely on and carry them because they'll be gone. In some ways it might be wiser for them to stick with their young core talent. Jaylen Brown has made significant strides from his rookie season this year. He's averaging 14.5 points per game and hitting nearly 40% of his three point shots. He's a good defensive player as well and fits nicely in that shooting guard role. Jayson Tatum has had a decent rookie season and is averaging 17 points per game in the play offs. His three point shooting percentage has dipped in the play offs, but in regular season he was hitting over 40% of his attempts from distance. So these are two young players with a lot of upside and have all star potential that fit nicely alongside Irving, Hayward and Horford. There's no need for them to make a trade this off season and give up those two talents and future picks. I'd say hold onto those players and keep those picks. Realistically the Grizzlies and Kings pick should convey to the Celtics next season, and the Kings pick could be very valuable if they are terrible. The Clippers need to make the play offs for the pick to head to Boston, so that might be more difficult to attain if the Clippers decide to go into rebuild mode. So if I was the GM in Boston I wouldn't be panicking over trying to trade Rozier because he is a fine backup point guard. He has proven he can step in and start when Irving misses games, and based on Irving's career to date he has missed a fair number of games through injury. For them keeping hold of a good backup and decent enough starter is arguably more valuable to them right now than what they might get in return for Rozier. However, if a team was willing to send them a future first round pick for him and perhaps someone in exchange that adds to their bench depth, then that might appeal to the Celtics because it adds to their stockpile of picks.

If I'm not mistaken he signed his extension before the 2016-17 season. His stats in his two prior seasons were: - 2014-15: 23.8 MPG, 10 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 11.8 PPG - 2015-16: 29.1 MPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.7 BPG, 14.2 PPG [regular season] - 2015-16: 29.1 MPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 12.9 PPG So he had made an impact playing for Miami and considering they lost a closely fought battle in the conference semi finals, Miami wanted to keep on winning and paid the price required to bring him back. They also tried to get Kevin Durant to sign for them and failed. Problem for them is they combined Whiteside's extension with a questionable decision to match the Net's offer sheet for Tyler Johnson (he's down to earn $19 million the next two seasons!) and letting Wade leave. Fast forward an off season and they decide to give pay days to Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, and extend Josh Richardson (he's going to net roughly $10 million a season from now on). So Miami have made some questionable decisions based on their win now philosophy. But what is more relevant in this case is that Miami have started to make changes to their offense which makes Whiteside less appealing to them, so that makes him expendable if they continue to pursue a more modern offense and why they are probably willing to give up on him if the price is right.

@ROCK LEGENDS PHOTOGRAPHERS Me too, but that is a risk you take with a prospect like Isaac. Teams get excited when they see players with these measurements, but tall slender athletes can be prone to injuries because even if they boost their size to become physically more imposing, their joints, tendons and ligaments stay the same. The human body can only manage to sustain so much before those joints, tendons and ligaments give. For example, the ACL connects the femur to the tibia, that ligament is stretched significantly in taller athletes. When you consider how some of these bigs fly around the court these days at high speed, changing directions (etc), it is no surprise to see bigs like Porzingis suffer an injury like he did. It is only a matter of time before something gives. So to bring this back to Isaac. It would be nice for him to add weight to his frame and possibly play at that 230lb mark like @Magicfan1987 suggested, but with his slender frame and troublesome ankles it might not be in his best interest to add too much weight to that frame and push it further than it really needs to go. Granted he does need to add some size in order to better deal with certain match ups, but the flip side of that is add too much weight and it can cause problems injury wise. The people best in the know will be the training staff and hopefully they make the right decision.

Washington John Wall isn't going to come cheap, both in regards to the cost of the trade to acquire him and the cost of his contract. He has one more season on a "reasonable" $19 million, before his deal shoots up to $37.8m, $40.8m, $43.8m and $46.8m - this is excluding this 15% trade kicker. If we did a deal for Wall it would likely include multiple first round picks, at least one young talent (Isaac or Gordon), and possibly one of our better veterans (Fournier or Simmons). Milwaukee I suppose we could offer them Biz, he's got two seasons left on a $17 million deal the second of which is a player option, but I don't see a deal that works for both parties. We'd probably have to take some combination of John Henson, Tony Snell, and Mattew Dellavedova, which is not very appealing. Miami If a team like Miami have cut his minutes and his role like they have, and their head coach Erik Spoelstra has apparently had issues with him, then that is enough for me to not want Whiteside here in Orlando. Their head coach is well respected around the league and not known for butting heads with players, whereas Whiteside is known to have a questionable attitude. I don't want a player like that here unless they are special and Whiteside isn't special. Miami started to adopt a more modern style and that led to a reduction in Whiteside's minutes. If we want a modern style basketball team, Whiteside isn't the guy to bring on board. OKC This team could be in a tough situation if Melo and PG opt out and leave town. The deal would need to be centered around them removing protection from their 2020 first round pick and possibly including another pick since they are fairly light on ascending talent. I wouldn't mind adding Adams, but his deal is fairly costly and we should ideally be taking on expiring contracts and trying to rid ourselves of burdensome multi year contracts to maximize cap space. Portland The issue in Portland is that Lillard and McCollum's contracts are feature hefty cap hits for the next three years. I would prefer adding Lillard because he could be our point guard but it would be a costly acquisition. Much like any deal for John Wall, it would need to include multiple first round picks and some talent. I don't see a deal working out well for us. Spurs I could see us trying to do a deal for Leonard, but we would arguably need to send Isaac or Gordon to the Spurs (this isn't a major issue since Leonard and whoever is left can start at the forward positions) and at least this year's first round pick. It is likely we would need to send another first round pick and possibly another talent like Fournier to even up salaries and give them someone that can help them remain competitive. One issue here is whether Leonard would want to come here and stay here, and the other issue is whether we believe he can stay healthy enough to build a contender around. ~~~ For me, I do think there are potential trades to be made this off season but I suspect we are more likely to be looking at salary dumps for draft picks than making significant moves to reshape our roster.

They are similar prospects in terms of size, athleticism, and the idea that they can space the floor. The main thing that Jackson brings to the table that they didn't do is better defense and shot blocking, but the dominance he showed in college will only be replicated in the NBA if he adds more weight and muscle to his frame to become strong enough to deal with the bigger and stronger centers in the league. Otherwise he will end up being a similar player to Chriss or Vonleh, a lengthy and athletic player that is better suited to stretch four or center in certain lines up and match ups. Some have said that Jaren Jackson is Rudy Gobert with a 3 point shot. If he can become that caliber of player that is great news, but that still doesn't fix our problem that we don't have a go to scorer. Sure it gives us a potentially really good front court at the defensive end, but as important as defense is, we do need to find that go to scoring option because we don't currently possess one. Gordon and Fournier are more second options than first options. I guess we can go to a scoring by committee approach, or try to acquire a scoring point guard through trade or free agency (e.g. Isaiah Thomas is a free agent, Kemba Walker could be available), but I suspect our best route to getting a go to scorer is through the draft and that's why I prefer Ayton, Bagley, Doncic, Porter and Young to Jackson and Bamba. That's not to say I would complain if we pick them, but they currently sit 6th and 7th on my board.

There are similarities between the prospects. For instance, they have similar measurements and frames to JJJ, not exactly, but close enough to draw a comparison. Both Chriss and Vonleh were deemed stretch four prospects when they came out of college with potential to play small ball center, in fact Chriss has started as a center this season at times. Currently JJJ is listed as a PF/C prospect. I think he currently is listed around 240lbs, which is pretty similar to Chriss (235lbs) and Vonleh (247lbs). So there are comparisons between the prospects even though I would rate JJJ as a better prospect. Now I do agree that JJJ was better on the defensive end and was a superior shot blocker, but Vonleh out rebounded JJJ and Chriss was only .4 less on his TRB average than JJJ. On the offensive end they could all be pretty similar which is a concern because we don't need another work in progress at that end. Do I think JJJ can be special? Sure he can, but he is a work in progress. As exciting a prospect as he is when he knocks down those treys or blocks those shots, he is also a frustrating prospect because he is apt to disappear and has done that as recently as the NCAA tournament and regularly gets into foul trouble. If he can put everything together he can be special, but he's a project that is going to take a few seasons to realize his potential (if he does at all). If we are okay with continuing to be bad for another couple of seasons, then we can afford to be patient as JJJ (and Isaac) develop, but it could mean moving on from Gordon since he'll want to start competing for play off basketball as he enters his prime years, and other players might need to be moved as well to ensure we can get another top pick or two to add to the mix. He strikes me as another Isaac like pick. Both players have tremendous upside if they can put everything together, however both appear more likely to be third or fourth options on good teams at the offensive end rather than go to options. I honestly do not expect Isaac to be a 20+ a night guy, nor do I expect JJJ to become a 20+ a night guy. I think both players are likely to settle in the dozen to mid-teen points per game mark, which is okay as third and fourth options, and when you factor in their potential defensive contributors it can make them important pieces of the puzzle. But we really do need to find a first option to help us improve because Gordon is more of a second option, and the last thing we need is another project pick that won't solve our existing problem. For me, I would prefer to stay clear of JJJ and Bamba, but I can understand why both players are appealing to this team and do fit what this front office look for. My preference at five is for Trae Young because I think he can be a potential 20 a night guy and rack up assists if his game translates. Obviously if it doesn't he could end up in the Lou Williams category, but by that same notion if JJJ doesn't put everything together he will be a bit part player, so there's a risk either way. I would also rate Porter and Bagley ahead of those two bigs, but their selection would create an issue with Gordon and Isaac both being forwards, so the fit is not ideal but if they offer a significant upgrade that could be a way to go. So currently I lean more towards the offensive impact players than the defensive ones with a lot of work to do on the offensive end, but I suspect our pick is going to be Bamba or JJJ if they are there at five.

Not really. I prefer Bamba to JJJ. I think Bamba offers a higher floor and still has a fairly high ceiling, and if he develops at the offensive end he could be special. JJJ might have more upside according to some and is a better shooter, but he has a lower floor from what I've seen to Bamba. For me I'd rather take Bamba because he offers a higger floor and the difference between them ceiling wise isn't significant enough for me to prefer JJJ. I see JJJ as another Chriss or Vonleh.

Some players just need the right environment to succeed. Trey Burke ended up in the g-league and is now on the Knicks and did very well for them. Exum's per 36 are actually pretty good. If be came here on a reasonable deal and was given an opportunity, maybe he could come good on his potential. If not, move on from him because the deal would be structured to protect us if he failed (ie a team option in the second or third season).

I think it is possible that the Jazz will use their first round pick in the coming draft on another guard for their bench unit. Depending on where they pick they could have a fee options around the 20 mark like Duval or Troy Brown, since they've got Alec Burks and Sefolosha under contract for next season to man the shooting guard spot off the bench. With that said, I think Exum could be someone they could hold on to if the price isn't too high because they might bet on him developing. But as buy low candidate there is appeal.

I'm not sold on Smart at the offensive end but he's a really good defensive player and leader. So there's appeal there but I'd like to think we wouldn't overpay to get him. Another young guard worth taking a punt on could be Dante Exum. He's still only 22 and if he puts his injuries behind him he could still develop. Alternatively we could always see if Isaiah Thomas wanted to come here. Rotate him and Augustin at the point guard. Then focus on developing our young players at the other four spots? I like your choices and the coach.

Simmons and a pick. If it's a first, lottery protect it, knowing our luck and their luck it will be a top pick and star talent!

I suppose it comes down to which position they think they can get by with. Do they think they need a premier point guard to run their system and are happy with a so-so center (ie Warriors)? Someone like Trae can score and rack up assists. We've got Biz and Birch, plus whoever else we draft, sign or acquire to play a supporting role grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. Or do they think they want a dominant center to complete their front court with Gordon and Isaac, while utilizing a so-so point guard like Augustin? This season Augustin's per 36 was nearly 16 and 6, which is acceptable. If we got veteran play out of him and perhaps added a guard prospect to develop that could be an alternative. I personally think we need to land the stud point guard, but I can see the appeal in getting that stud center.