If we draft 5th...

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Originally Posted by Eman5805

Trying for a quick fix is just as liable to lose their jobs.

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They've came out and said this will be a slow process time and time again. I don't see why they would suddenly change directions. It might affect the way the team drafts but I highly doubt they'd just trade away a top 5 pick this year in favor for a veteran.

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Originally Posted by Eman5805

Trying for a quick fix is just as liable to lose their jobs.

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Monty is in no danger of losing his job, suicide from banging his head against the wall is more likely.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Ideally I would like to ship Gordon for another pick and draft both Burke and Oladipo.

They are my two highest rated players this year.

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Agreed, shipping out Gordon for pieces/high pick would be ideal, and leave you flexible, financially and otherwise.

Oladipo + player(s) from Gordon deal, Oladipo + pick (Noel, Burke, Porter, etc.).

would it be crazy to play Dipo at the 3 in the NBA? in general positions are less static now in the league and Monty seems comfortable going small. could actually see a Dipo/Aminu situational pairing at SF, with playing time depending on circumstances and match ups. they'd compliment each other, assuming we want to keep aminu in the fold.

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Originally Posted by new city champ

would it be crazy to play Dipo at the 3 in the NBA? in general positions are less static now in the league and Monty seems comfortable going small. could actually see a Dipo/Aminu situational pairing at SF, with playing time depending on circumstances and match ups. they'd compliment each other, assuming we want to keep aminu in the fold.

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It depends on how he measure out. Some people think he isn't a true 6'5 guy. We'll find out when he measures out. The key is to see how long he measure out. He will have trouble against the tallers SFs in the league. George, Gallinari, Anthony, James, MWP, Durant, Gay, Batum, Parsons, Deng, and etc... It's going to be hard to project him as a Sf in the league.

anybody know what oladipo's wingspan is? if he is 6"5 and has a great wingspan ontop of his awesome jumping ability he could guard small forwards

would be awesome if we could find a way to get another top 4 pick and draft mclemore and oladipo and have rivers at pg

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Originally Posted by Soundwave

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Just stuff like this. I just think the youth and losing combined is starting to wear on him, but I digress. Didn't mean to thread jack. Carry on.....

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Guys like Oladipo and Burke are seasoned and can play at their current build. Burke showed exceptional leadership this year leading the youngest team to the title game. We can still draft mature quality this draft. Giving away all the advantages that come with a rookie contract is foolish IMO.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Guys like Oladipo and Burke are seasoned and can play at their current build. Burke showed exceptional leadership this year leading the youngest team to the title game. We can still draft mature quality this draft. Giving away all the advantages that come with a rookie contract is foolish IMO.

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Especially when you're still in development and isn't expected to be a playoff caliber team just yet.

Ya i agree with daThrone, why gets people who are ready to win now and cost money? rookies are cheap and we have to build a team that compliments Davis well, no need to rush.

Burke. Burke and then Burke

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Originally Posted by Pelicans78

I'm the opposite. If we keep Gordon, I would draft Burke. If we trade Gordon, I would go with Smart and Oladipo over Burke. Smart over both.

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I just don't see two undersized ball dominate guards being a good fit together.

If Gordon is your SG then you need a PG who's got good size and doesn't need the ball to contribute. It's why I'm on the Bledsoe bandwagon, even though he doesn't really fit the size aspect of it.

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Originally Posted by Coughka

Agreed, shipping out Gordon for pieces/high pick would be ideal, and leave you flexible, financially and otherwise.

Oladipo + player(s) from Gordon deal, Oladipo + pick (Noel, Burke, Porter, etc.).

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Let's just go raid AAU now and plan on a championship I'm 2024.

Really dont think we will draft a PG though, too many other options. We have Rivers and GV, if Gordon is traded we will go after a SG like mclemore or oladipo, if gordon is kept we will either have rivers at PG or sign one free agency and then draft Noel or Porter, if all these guys are gone when we pick then I see us taking Burke.

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Originally Posted by luckyman

Let's just go raid AAU now and plan on a championship I'm 2024.

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Your 2024? thats old...

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Originally Posted by HornetGuru

Ya i agree with daThrone, why gets people who are ready to win now and cost money? rookies are cheap and we have to build a team that compliments Davis well, no need to rush.

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Actually yeah, there is a bit of a rush. That's why you hear this team talk about having young vets like Anderson and Gordon. Trying to be rookie happy is just as awful as building your team around 30 year olds. There has to be a balance because the clock is indeed ticking on Dell, Monty, and Bensoms financials.

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Originally Posted by HornetGuru

Your 2024? thats old...

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Agressive auto correct and not even an iPhone. Ha!

We don't have a team full of rookies. People act like we are the Cavs. The problem is the lack of talent and health.

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Originally Posted by Nola Hornet

We don't have a team full of rookies. People act like we are the Cavs. The problem is the lack of talent and health.

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We have 4 rookies.

i say we draft this CJ McCallhoun guy I keep hearing about.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

We have 4 rookies.

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That's out of necessity. We were at the cap ceiling. Only two guys are considered part of the core.

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Originally Posted by Inner_GI

We have 4 rookies.

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Brian Roberts is 27 with a wife and kids. While he was officially a rookie he was well seasoned. Darius Miller was a senior when he left UK.

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Originally Posted by HornetGuru

i say we draft this CJ McCallhoun guy I keep hearing about.

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U mean cj Calhoun?

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Originally Posted by bojangles837

U mean cj Calhoun?

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Underrated player. Here's his bio page.

CJ Calhoun

I think my big board would be all in on Burke, VO and Mclemore. If I cant get one of these guys I would trade the pick. I think these are the elites in this draft. I like Porter and I like Bazz but these guys to me are the must haves. I think this could be a playoff team next year.

Here what I would do:

Draft VO
Trade Gordon and Roberts for Granger (why?, One year left of his deal, throw in a future first round pick.)
Sign Bynum for cheap. I think you could get him for about 7-8mil per year. OR sign Jefferson away from Utah
Trade Gravy and Lance Thomas to LAC for Bledsoe and a second round pick.
With their second round pick # 55 take Peyton Siva or Seth Curry
Sign Brandon Rush
Resign Aminu

Bledsoe, Rivers, (Siva or Curry)
Olidipo, Rush
Granger, Aminu, Miller
Davis, Anderson
Jefferson, Lopez, Smith

Lol he is going to rock the NBA.

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Originally Posted by wuggie

Lol he is going to rock the NBA.

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ROY imo

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Originally Posted by AD23forMVP

I just don't see two undersized ball dominate guards being a good fit together.

If Gordon is your SG then you need a PG who's got good size and doesn't need the ball to contribute. It's why I'm on the Bledsoe bandwagon, even though he doesn't really fit the size aspect of it.

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I'm not singling you out, because a lot of people have said this, but I never understood this logic. 2 things:

1) So because our SG is 6'3, we need a big PG? How does that help? It's not like Gordon is going to guard the opposing PG and vice versa. Our PG will be guarding their PG, and our SG will be guarding their SG. Don't forget that Gordon is one of the strongest SGs in the league, and he has a 6'7 wingspan. He has never had any trouble guarding opposing SGs, so the point is irrelevant IMO.

2) For me, it's more about complementary skill sets than complimentary body sizes. I don't know where people get this notion that Gordon is a ball dominant guard. He isn't. Vasquez is. Gordon can play with out the ball, he spaces the floor, and he is great on the break. He is probably better on the ball, sure, but that doesn't mean he is a ball dominant guard. Moreover, Burke is a great shooter off the ball, so I don't know how he can be labeled a ball dominant guard as well. Sure, he handles the rock a lot, but that's because he is a PG. He is also great on the break, in transition, he can hit the 3, and he has great vision. They compliment each other perfectly in terms of skill set.

Smart, on the other hand, is a horrible pairing with Gordon because he can't shoot a lick, he is a ball dominant guard, and the spacing would be horrible. Burke is the opposite. He is a floor spacer who can take pressure off Gordon by running the offense, but he is a great passer who can drive and dish to Gordon, and Burke can also lead the break which would let Gordon run along side of him and finish at the rim.

Olandipo is and will be role player. There is no need to invest such a high pick for that. Burke is the way to go.

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Originally Posted by aas3452

Olandipo is and will be role player. There is no need to invest such a high pick for that. Burke is the way to go.

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Define role player.

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Originally Posted by nolaslim213

I'm not singling you out, because a lot of people have said this, but I never understood this logic. 2 things:

1) So because our SG is 6'3, we need a big PG? How does that help? It's not like Gordon is going to guard the opposing PG and vice versa. Our PG will be guarding their PG, and our SG will be guarding their SG. Don't forget that Gordon is one of the strongest SGs in the league, and he has a 6'7 wingspan. He has never had any trouble guarding opposing SGs, so the point is irrelevant IMO.

2) For me, it's more about complementary skill sets than complimentary body sizes. I don't know where people get this notion that Gordon is a ball dominant guard. He isn't. Vasquez is. Gordon can play with out the ball, he spaces the floor, and he is great on the break. He is probably better on the ball, sure, but that doesn't mean he is a ball dominant guard. Moreover, Burke is a great shooter off the ball, so I don't know how he can be labeled a ball dominant guard as well. Sure, he handles the rock a lot, but that's because he is a PG. He is also great on the break, in transition, he can hit the 3, and he has great vision. They compliment each other perfectly in terms of skill set.

Smart, on the other hand, is a horrible pairing with Gordon because he can't shoot a lick, he is a ball dominant guard, and the spacing would be horrible. Burke is the opposite. He is a floor spacer who can take pressure off Gordon by running the offense, but he is a great passer who can drive and dish to Gordon, and Burke can also lead the break which would let Gordon run along side of him and finish at the rim.

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While I largely agree with you, I would respond to your number 1 by stating yes size does matter. We see it over and over in the playoffs, the most successful teams are those that can play solid half court offense. And when in this slow tempo offense you either have phenomenal ball movement. Or capitalize on mismatches by making defenders switch then taking advantage. It doesn't always work out to a pg guarding a pg or sg a sg. Even further you want guards that rebound well - we already know Gordon does not.

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Originally Posted by Nola Hornet

Define role player.

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You could call the Spurs a team filled with role players. Seems to work well for them. Hell, how often does a "role player" wind up winning the game for you?

Burke or Oladipo, either one works if both are available. But I doubt that'll happen unless we vault two spots or more in the lotto.

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Originally Posted by goat gorilla

While I largely agree with you, I would respond to your number 1 by stating yes size does matter. We see it over and over in the playoffs, the most successful teams are those that can play solid half court offense. And when in this slow tempo offense you either have phenomenal ball movement. Or capitalize on mismatches by making defenders switch then taking advantage. It doesn't always work out to a pg guarding a pg or sg a sg. Even further you want guards that rebound well - we already know Gordon does not.

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Good counterpoints. Size does matter, but to what extent? If you have a 6'0 PG and a 6'4 PG with the same exact skillsets, then you would surely go with the bigger guard. However, that isn't the case between Burke and Smart. Burke is proven and he carried a very young team to the championship. His game is way more advanced than Smart's is, and he is only a year older. It's the same argument that occurred between Deron Williams and CP. Now, I'm not trying to turn this into a Trey Burke = CP3 argument. That's not the point. The point is that I'd take a smaller guy who is more skilled and a better basketball player than the bigger guy who has more potential just because he is bigger.

Even though both Gordon and Burke are high usage players and do dominant the ball, they can still play off of each other. I'm not concerned about the height either.

The question is whether Gordon will be here long-term or not. If not, I would draft Smart and Oladipo over Burke because they are better talents overall and will fill a need. If however Gordon is around, then you have to draft guys who will fit long-term and Burke fits that bill since he can start at the point and we can still use Rivers as a combo guard and he has enough size to compensate the other two guards.

Basically, our needs are a SF, point guard, and a big center who can defend and rebound.

Smart is almost two years younger than both Oladipo and Burke.

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Originally Posted by Pelicans78

Smart is almost two years younger than both Oladipo and Burke.

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He's about a year and a half younger than Burke, but only 1 season younger. I guess I'm just not as high on Smart as other are. I like that he fills up the stat sheet, I love his defense, but I'm not sure he can run a team. He is TO prone, and he makes a lot of passes that are off the mark. His shot is dreadful, and I'm afraid his game is based on bullying people around, and I'm not sure he does that in the NBA - especially if he is playing SG.

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Originally Posted by Imnos 2

I think my big board would be all in on Burke, VO and Mclemore. If I cant get one of these guys I would trade the pick. I think these are the elites in this draft. I like Porter and I like Bazz but these guys to me are the must haves. I think this could be a playoff team next year.

Here what I would do:

Draft VO
Trade Gordon and Roberts for Granger (why?, One year left of his deal, throw in a future first round pick.)
Sign Bynum for cheap. I think you could get him for about 7-8mil per year. OR sign Jefferson away from Utah
Trade Gravy and Lance Thomas to LAC for Bledsoe and a second round pick.
With their second round pick # 55 take Peyton Siva or Seth Curry
Sign Brandon Rush
Resign Aminu

Bledsoe, Rivers, (Siva or Curry)
Olidipo, Rush
Granger, Aminu, Miller
Davis, Anderson
Jefferson, Lopez, Smith

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Completely agree with this. But instead of taking Siva or Curry, I'd try to trade the pick to Miami for LeBron and then wait the rest of the year and flip Lopez for the first pick and take Wiggins.

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Originally Posted by nolaslim213

He's about a year and a half younger than Burke, but only 1 season younger. I guess I'm just not as high on Smart as other are. I like that he fills up the stat sheet, I love his defense, but I'm not sure he can run a team. He is TO prone, and he makes a lot of passes that are off the mark. His shot is dreadful, and I'm afraid his game is based on bullying people around, and I'm not sure he does that in the NBA - especially if he is playing SG.

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He's more of a SG than PG in my opinion. I don't see him being a full-time point guard. But his freshmen season was much better than Burke's, at least looking at the advanced metrics so I think he has more overall ability as a player especially with his size, athleticism, and defense. I would definitely rather have Burke run a team at the point.

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Originally Posted by nolaslim213

He's about a year and a half younger than Burke, but only 1 season younger. I guess I'm just not as high on Smart as other are. I like that he fills up the stat sheet, I love his defense, but I'm not sure he can run a team. He is TO prone, and he makes a lot of passes that are off the mark. His shot is dreadful, and I'm afraid his game is based on bullying people around, and I'm not sure he does that in the NBA - especially if he is playing SG.

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I don't mean to be facetious at all and I feel like I have to state that bc tone can't be stated on here; but I'm a bit shocked you like Burke over Smart considering you've been the catalyst of the Eric Gordon is a going to blow it up next year campaign (hope you're right).

The reason I say this as a prelude is because is if Eric Gordon turns into what he was, his usage goes up and somewhat nullifies what Burke does best which is control the offense. With that being said, that's why I would think Smarts a better fit since he does so many other things, and if his defense translates to the NBA you can give Gordon a rest on defense since he's the catalyst to our offense. Which again is why size would matter IMO.

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Originally Posted by Nola3

Completely agree with this. But instead of taking Siva or Curry, I'd try to trade the pick to Miami for LeBron and then wait the rest of the year and flip Lopez for the first pick and take Wiggins.

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:hihi:

Like quite a few people say here on the board, shooting can be and should be improved as a young player's career progresses. Burke has range and proved it during the tournament a few times behind the line like 5 feet away (ridiculous), but Smart is a tough vocal leader and has been one of his strengths since he was in high school. Always a leader and came in as a true freshman and took control of a fairly untalented team(besides Nash who is VERY inconsistent) from Day 1.

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Originally Posted by Nola3

Completely agree with this. But instead of taking Siva or Curry, I'd try to trade the pick to Miami for LeBron and then wait the rest of the year and flip Lopez for the first pick and take Wiggins.

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You made my day with this lol. Id take Smart for his defensive abilities, but i doubt we have a chance for him. Im really starting to hate this draft bc there is no obvious pick. Im going to assume we grab Burke Bazz or possibly Porter with the 5th pick (if thats where we end up).

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Originally Posted by Nola3

Completely agree with this. But instead of taking Siva or Curry, I'd try to trade the pick to Miami for LeBron and then wait the rest of the year and flip Lopez for the first pick and take Wiggins.

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Lolollol

Burke, Porter, Oladipo in that order. Maybe Shabazz. Count me in the group that has Burke a class above Smart as far as running a team as a lead guard.

At the least I hope whoever it is can come in and help off the bench first.

I have Porter above Burke.

Well if we luck up and get #1 again won't have to worry about none of this mess. Nerlens it is. :D

Wouldn't surprise me if Anthony Bennett ends up being the best player in the draft. Like Unibrow last season, he has the best advanced metrics when compared to the same age as the other top prospects.

Edit: Bennett is a year older than I thought he was.

I really dislike Bennett's mentality defensively. His defense is atrocious.

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Originally Posted by luckyman

Well if we luck up and get #1 again won't have to worry about none of this mess. Nerlens it is. :D

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SOMEBODY FIND MR. LOTTERY BALL!!!! LAST TIME I CHECKED HE STILL LIVES AT THE BUS STATION! HURRY- BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!