I just caught the podcast this morning. Always fun to see other viewpoints.
I just happened across this from CBS Sports earlier. Some interesting ideas for several teams / players - especially the ones that are Warriors-related.
Golden State Warriors acquire Aaron Gordon
Yes, the Warriors will likely seek out a big man to throw at Davis in a potential matchup with the Lakers, but that's more than doable on the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Their real chip, the No. 2 overall pick, needs to go to a two-way force that will benefit from their offensive infrastructure. That is Gordon, who will fit right into Golden State's switch-heavy defense, has flashed a league-average shot on an Orlando team with no spacing whatsoever, and has at least enough on-ball chops to make defenses sweat as a fourth option. Such versatile forwards are rare. Gordon may not be the star Golden State is hoping for, but he's the player that makes the most sense on the trade market given what they have to offer. The deal will be agreed to in advance but held officially until after the Warriors sign the No. 2 overall pick so that his salary can count in the trade. That allows them to keep both Andrew Wiggins and the hefty trade exception they acquired for Andre Iguodala, which they could then use in a separate deal.
[I can imagine Klay and Gordon and whoever from the bench doing major damage against 2nd teams league-wide.]
Orlando Magic trade Aaron Gordon to Golden State
The Magic would have obviously preferred to have a healthy Jonathan Isaac next season, but his torn ACL presents an opportunity. It is an exit ramp off of the highway of mediocrity they've been driving on for the past several seasons. They now have an excuse to trade off veterans. Dealing Gordon to Golden State not only gets them a valuable piece at No. 2 overall, but with Isaac out, it hurts their 2020-21 prospects. That improves their 2021 draft pick, potentially creating two valuable young players for the price of one.
Toronto Raptors trade Norman Powell
This is something of a hedge on the VanVleet prediction. If he stays, the Raptors may look to move Powell (a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate) in the name of opening up more 2021 cap space. Even if he goes, that flexibility is valuable, and if the Raptors can get off of his contract and maybe get an asset back, it's something they'd consider. Golden State stands out as a trade partner. The Warriors can fit him neatly into the Iguodala trade exception, and would love his combination of shooting and defense.
I had never thought of the possibility of adding Powell, who is a very good player.
I knew that Baynes never played in the bubble for Phx and discovered he first had covid and then a knee issue so never got off the bench. But I discovered that he had a couple of his best games offensively before the league shut down the regular season.
"Baynes put up 24 points (8-16 FG, 4-11 3 Pt, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 33 minutes during Sunday's 140-131 victory over the Bucks.
In his last outing, Baynes took advantage of DeAndre Ayton (ankle) sitting out, exploding for a career-high 37 points to go with his 16 boards and two blocks in a triumph over the Trail Blazers, tying a franchise-record with nine threes in one game along the way. This performance, while not quite as extravagant, was still impressive for the 33-year old, making that two strong games in a row in Ayton's absence. The bad news is that Ayton is only day-to-day, and he could return soon."
I meant to add that the first year salary for the #2 pick is currently $7,275,200 - but may well be lower for the upcoming season.
I also meant to say that I thought all four of the possibilities for the Mid Level exception mentioned were terrible. I would gladly take back GRIII over ALL of those mentioned. My hope is that it's Aaron Baynes who can bang with the bigger centers during the season.
Baynes is older than I thought. 33 now. I was thinking about 30. Boston traded him to Phx because they didn't want to pay him. So he may be ready to take less $$ for a chance to win a championship.
He wants to make amends. He was talking to Kerr, apologizing as soon as Steph left the court. It's not like he did it intentionally - he was already falling. Steph's hand just ended up in the same spot where he landed. ;-)
Another great pod, EvanZ is always very interesting and thought-provoking.
At the risk of getting typecast, I am predictably going to respond on the Obi Toppin/ David Lee comps. It is an interesting comp, but to my eye a more athletic Warriors-era David Lee is more like the reasonable floor for Toppin.
At this point, I should say I grew up following the Knicks as well as the Warriors. That means
I watched David Lee almost all his career. I saw him grow into the player the Warriors ended up with, but he started as basically a double-double garbage man when he came into the league with the Knicks. It took around 3-4 seasons, but in Mike D'Antoni's system he developed an outside shot and unlocked some of his playmaking. The version the Warriors ended up with was that, but it was not what David Lee started out as. Toppin already has that skill and versatility on the offensive end, as well as being a lot more athletic than early-David Lee.
Statistically in Lee's senior year of college he scored 13 ppg on 52.5% shooting, with a TS% of 57% and eFG% of 52.5%. He's a better rebounder than Toppin, but those marks are well below Toppin's averages in his sophomore year, who put up 20 ppg on 63% shooting (39% from 3 on 2.6 attempts per game), a TS% of 68.4% and eFG% of 67.4%. Those advanced stats %s are off the charts.
For comparison, in his sophomore year Griffin averaged 22.7 points on 65.4% (but basically no threes), with a TS% of 64.8% and an eFG% of 65.7%. Again, Griffin was a much better rebounder, and obviously Toppin's older but offensively he's much closer to Griffin than Lee.
All three posted similar assist totals and assist rates, so the comp holds up reasonably there and what separates Toppin from another more obvious upside comp in Amare Stoudemire.
The interesting one is the block % which does translate relatively well where, although you'd obviously want more from Toppin, he did average a block % of 4.1, more than double Lee's 2.0 and significantly higher than Griffin's 2.6. That speaks to Toppin's vertical athleticism vs Lee.
I don't think Toppin is a flawless prospect at all, and the defensive issues will require work. But I do think generally, compared to this draft class at least, what he did at Dayton this year is getting seriously underrated.
Finally, just to be clear for my good friend Mr Dubs' benefit I did watch a lot of full games and tape of the top prospects. James Wiseman obviously was easy, but in particular I saw a lot of Deni Avdija in the Euroleague (who I really like as a good fit but am not sure about the upside for 2), and Anthony Edwards, who was my favourite early on. For me it really comes down to risk appetite. But we went through all that in the last pod.
Thanks for giving the times for relevant questions in this pod. I could never listen to this without it. I disagreed with so much that I don't know where to begin. Maybe the statement that this draft is a bad one is far from the truth. There are many quality players and it will be up to the evaluators to pick them out. That is always the case in any draft.
The only thing I could agree with is that Ball is the top choice for the Warriors. Supremely talented and many reject him for the Warriors because he is a floor leader like Curry and they feel it is a kind of duplication. Ball is much more than a PG. With mentors like Kerr & Curry, this guy could be a star and should be a big consideration for Myers. I guess I was hoping for more advanced stats to back up whatever those 3 were discussing but this pod is far from that. Mostly personal opinion about this draft and Warrior status.
yeah, Evan is so knowledgeable, really good insights and you know he's got something backing up his opinions.
His quick hit answers at the end were some of my favorites we've gotten too. Funny dude.
Sadly, this concludes the run of these (I have one more solo one that will record next week), so let us know if you have any requests for additional guests in the future.
Sorry for spamming, this is my last post since I had to walk away from the pod. Length is not an advanced stat.
And Wesley Matthews would be a horrible fit for the Warriors offense. He doesn’t seem to know what a screen is, or have any idea how to use one. He would be worse than Nick Young for this team. I’m envisioning a giant turd clogging the toilet bowl turning all that movement into a stagnant smelly mess.
Peace, I think I’d better try to grab a nap and get this grumpy spamming out of my system before work.
Gotta say, thanks for putting out more great content on your podcast!
Dang I had to pause again because of the silly agism comments.
Two word rebuttal to the silly notion that younger is better: Tim Duncan!
Now a lot more words:
You want a player that is going to be better on his third or fourth contract (that probably won’t be with your team) then value that baby 19 year old for their age, although Duncan seemed to play for a while even though he was so decrepit coming out of college. winning now isn’t serviced in any way by a draftees age, it’s about literally everything else first.
As long as we have a youth fetish: Tyrell Terry (Yes I think the Warriors should value Steph type players instead of ignore them, so I’m bringing up Terry’s name whenever I can) is not only young chronologically, he’s also still growing so he’s probably got a longer potential shelf life than a physically mature 19 year old (which seems completely irrelevant when drafting in today’s NBA to me, but hey, youth!)
The Blazers could have avoided a lot of problems if they correctly used Greg Oden's face age of 65 more prominently in their pre-draft analysis.
I've been talking to Patrick Murray on Slack a lot and he is a staunch Obi Toppin guy. But this point does hit on one of the best arguments for trading back (if possible) - there just isn't a guy who is CLEARLY standing out as the no doubt #1... much less clear #2 or #3. I'm just trusting the FO to know what the hell they're doing.
> Gotta say, thanks for putting out more great content on your podcast!
Thanks for being here for it! Really appreciate the positive feedback on these because I know Daniel breaks himself doing all the graphics and editing
Working on 3 hrs of sleep a night this week so we’ll see how this idea goes: posting my thoughts after each segment of the podcast:
Never much looked at advanced stats, I figure guys that put the ball in the basket at a high %, move off ball, and pass to teammates on time, all while playing fundamental D are generally winners; & those who do all that with flair are transcendent. I was watching all college and no NBA until the Warriors drafted Curry. To me, every second Monte had the ball instead of Curry was another sign the Warriors had no F’ing clue what leads to winning basketball. When people were debating who to keep I was completely floored that there was even a debate (aside from injury concerns) but I could only assume Warriors fans were suffering from some form of Stockholm syndrome at the time.
My first thought from the podcast is that I’m really curious how these top guys stack up to Tyrell Terry in the advanced stats. I haven’t seen a more impactful college guard on the court since Curry. I think he came out too early, but it’s not because he can’t succeed immediately if given a chance; rather because next year he would surely have been drafted much higher if there is a ‘21 college season.
Last thought before diving back in: The NBA great that should probably be drafted first in today’s NBA is probably Larry Bird. Magic will probably always be my favorite player and I Hated the Celtics, but c’mon if you’re looking for ideal modern skillsets Bird has to be at the top of that list. Just think of what the Durant Warriors teams would have looked like with Bird on them instead, running off ball, hitting guys on time and not insisting on 10 isolation plays a game while still being an every level shooter like Steph. And if you’re really going to do a player draft to determine who the best ever is based on today’s game; I’m taking peak Steph over them all.
I like Hali, but no need to take him at #2. No chance he goes higher than #4, so at least try to get more value out of the pick if that's your guy. If it's Chicago on the other side, 2 second rounders will still be a very cheap trade down, but better than nothing.
You’re not worried if they go that far against the grain and it doesn’t work (say some late 1st/early 2nd round PG like Terry has a better career) that it might lead to Lightyears becoming an ironic title?
Not hitting on this pick won't make or break the next few years for this team. In my opinion. But hitting on a guy that is a great fit, super smart, undervalued, a hard worker, subtle-savvy, etc.. could greatly extend this teams viability for many more years. Just listening to him conduct interviews and I am sold on him, especially the one he did with Mike Schmitz of ESPN. He would be lethal on the Warriors. I just hope they don't try to get too fancy with the selection.
I agree, I think he’d be a way better contributor to winning than the names we are hearing being floated out there. However, i think he’ll actually contribute more to winning (Less pressure) if the Warriors can trade down and get him. But that’s very dependent upon a team wanting to trade up.
I am just terrified of trading back and having someone else swoop in and pick him. I see brilliance in him. I would love to get extra picks/assets, but I am not sure what we would get back would be worth it. Then again, I am not much of a risk taker. Tepid bath water flows in my veins...
I agree. He and Okongwu are my two favorite guys and if they get sold on either one, I fear them trying to get too cute with a trade down.
Back to Haliburton, I think he can fill a lot of the void left by S.Dot and Iggy’s departure and while he might not be as strong as Iggy, his e-pointing shooting should make him a more potent weapon.
@Hardee and team: new footage of Hali scrimmage with some other prospects (I see Tyler Bey there, can't identify anyone else). Might be worth an insta/youtube edit and repost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co1P-zdj__s Seems like he's improved his off the dribble jumper a bit and added a bit to his frame, which is nice to see. As I said above, taking him at #2 is leaving money on the table, but trade down to grab him would be nice.
I kind of noticed that too from the video. Like Rusty says below, he does not seem exceptionally explosive with either hand. It is hard to tell what skills were being focused on in these workout videos, but I did notice he favors his right hand a lot. Even when he finishes on the left side he tends to lay it up with his right. Not a huge concern, the kid seems like a hard worker and could easily fix that. Chris Mullin was one of the best layup finishers I ever saw and he layed it up like someones Dad on a 8 foot high rim. Pure craftiness- no athleticism.
Did we watch the same video? Has quite a few left handed drives, pull-up and passes. He's not Killian Hayes. Bigger issue is that he isn't particularly explosive or dynamic on his dribble, with either hand, and is still pretty skinny, so getting to the rim will likely be an issue until he improves on that.
Like Five Alarm said above, I’m not sure what we were being shown here... it seems like they were drilling the pass out of the high pick and roll with the clear intent to pass. But even assuming he was just drilling that and not trying to finish strong, his dribble left didn’t look like something that was going to send the defense scrambling to help off the corner or wing... especially if you bail your on-ball defender out by going back to the right hand and giving him a much better chance of sending into the club seats. That all being said, he seems like a good dude, and I’d be on board with his handling and his defensive potential. Even his molasses slow jump at least goes in at a decent rate. Imagine if SDot could’ve pulled out a 35% long shot.
Wasn’t Haliburton our Warriors Fan choice from this draft? Length, playmaker, theoretically a multi-position defender. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you do check out his YouTube stuff. I could see him as a winning player and a huge and necessary upgrade over Poole and Lee (who I personally think are best used as blowout victory cigars.)
I just caught the podcast this morning. Always fun to see other viewpoints.
I just happened across this from CBS Sports earlier. Some interesting ideas for several teams / players - especially the ones that are Warriors-related.
Golden State Warriors acquire Aaron Gordon
Yes, the Warriors will likely seek out a big man to throw at Davis in a potential matchup with the Lakers, but that's more than doable on the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Their real chip, the No. 2 overall pick, needs to go to a two-way force that will benefit from their offensive infrastructure. That is Gordon, who will fit right into Golden State's switch-heavy defense, has flashed a league-average shot on an Orlando team with no spacing whatsoever, and has at least enough on-ball chops to make defenses sweat as a fourth option. Such versatile forwards are rare. Gordon may not be the star Golden State is hoping for, but he's the player that makes the most sense on the trade market given what they have to offer. The deal will be agreed to in advance but held officially until after the Warriors sign the No. 2 overall pick so that his salary can count in the trade. That allows them to keep both Andrew Wiggins and the hefty trade exception they acquired for Andre Iguodala, which they could then use in a separate deal.
[I can imagine Klay and Gordon and whoever from the bench doing major damage against 2nd teams league-wide.]
Orlando Magic trade Aaron Gordon to Golden State
The Magic would have obviously preferred to have a healthy Jonathan Isaac next season, but his torn ACL presents an opportunity. It is an exit ramp off of the highway of mediocrity they've been driving on for the past several seasons. They now have an excuse to trade off veterans. Dealing Gordon to Golden State not only gets them a valuable piece at No. 2 overall, but with Isaac out, it hurts their 2020-21 prospects. That improves their 2021 draft pick, potentially creating two valuable young players for the price of one.
Toronto Raptors trade Norman Powell
This is something of a hedge on the VanVleet prediction. If he stays, the Raptors may look to move Powell (a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate) in the name of opening up more 2021 cap space. Even if he goes, that flexibility is valuable, and if the Raptors can get off of his contract and maybe get an asset back, it's something they'd consider. Golden State stands out as a trade partner. The Warriors can fit him neatly into the Iguodala trade exception, and would love his combination of shooting and defense.
I had never thought of the possibility of adding Powell, who is a very good player.
Here is the link to the entire article:
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bold-nba-offseason-predictions-for-all-30-teams-lakers-add-third-scorer-76ers-trade-for-chris-paul/
I knew that Baynes never played in the bubble for Phx and discovered he first had covid and then a knee issue so never got off the bench. But I discovered that he had a couple of his best games offensively before the league shut down the regular season.
"Baynes put up 24 points (8-16 FG, 4-11 3 Pt, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 33 minutes during Sunday's 140-131 victory over the Bucks.
In his last outing, Baynes took advantage of DeAndre Ayton (ankle) sitting out, exploding for a career-high 37 points to go with his 16 boards and two blocks in a triumph over the Trail Blazers, tying a franchise-record with nine threes in one game along the way. This performance, while not quite as extravagant, was still impressive for the 33-year old, making that two strong games in a row in Ayton's absence. The bad news is that Ayton is only day-to-day, and he could return soon."
I meant to add that the first year salary for the #2 pick is currently $7,275,200 - but may well be lower for the upcoming season.
I also meant to say that I thought all four of the possibilities for the Mid Level exception mentioned were terrible. I would gladly take back GRIII over ALL of those mentioned. My hope is that it's Aaron Baynes who can bang with the bigger centers during the season.
Lots of good options in here!
Baynes would be great, Gordon would be fantastic too... but I don't know how to make either of those happen.
And the thing about MLE is that it's going to be a flawed player. The sonner we accept what sort of players are at our price point , the better
Baynes is older than I thought. 33 now. I was thinking about 30. Boston traded him to Phx because they didn't want to pay him. So he may be ready to take less $$ for a chance to win a championship.
IDK if I can forgive Baynes for being involved in the collision that broke Steph's hand lol jk
He wants to make amends. He was talking to Kerr, apologizing as soon as Steph left the court. It's not like he did it intentionally - he was already falling. Steph's hand just ended up in the same spot where he landed. ;-)
IT'S HARD TO FORGIVE, DILLY! lmao
Do not want Lamelo, the dad baggage isn't worth it. The Warriors are a culture driven team, and he could disrupt that.
That should not be a problem any longer.
Another great pod, EvanZ is always very interesting and thought-provoking.
At the risk of getting typecast, I am predictably going to respond on the Obi Toppin/ David Lee comps. It is an interesting comp, but to my eye a more athletic Warriors-era David Lee is more like the reasonable floor for Toppin.
At this point, I should say I grew up following the Knicks as well as the Warriors. That means
I watched David Lee almost all his career. I saw him grow into the player the Warriors ended up with, but he started as basically a double-double garbage man when he came into the league with the Knicks. It took around 3-4 seasons, but in Mike D'Antoni's system he developed an outside shot and unlocked some of his playmaking. The version the Warriors ended up with was that, but it was not what David Lee started out as. Toppin already has that skill and versatility on the offensive end, as well as being a lot more athletic than early-David Lee.
Statistically in Lee's senior year of college he scored 13 ppg on 52.5% shooting, with a TS% of 57% and eFG% of 52.5%. He's a better rebounder than Toppin, but those marks are well below Toppin's averages in his sophomore year, who put up 20 ppg on 63% shooting (39% from 3 on 2.6 attempts per game), a TS% of 68.4% and eFG% of 67.4%. Those advanced stats %s are off the charts.
For comparison, in his sophomore year Griffin averaged 22.7 points on 65.4% (but basically no threes), with a TS% of 64.8% and an eFG% of 65.7%. Again, Griffin was a much better rebounder, and obviously Toppin's older but offensively he's much closer to Griffin than Lee.
All three posted similar assist totals and assist rates, so the comp holds up reasonably there and what separates Toppin from another more obvious upside comp in Amare Stoudemire.
The interesting one is the block % which does translate relatively well where, although you'd obviously want more from Toppin, he did average a block % of 4.1, more than double Lee's 2.0 and significantly higher than Griffin's 2.6. That speaks to Toppin's vertical athleticism vs Lee.
I don't think Toppin is a flawless prospect at all, and the defensive issues will require work. But I do think generally, compared to this draft class at least, what he did at Dayton this year is getting seriously underrated.
Finally, just to be clear for my good friend Mr Dubs' benefit I did watch a lot of full games and tape of the top prospects. James Wiseman obviously was easy, but in particular I saw a lot of Deni Avdija in the Euroleague (who I really like as a good fit but am not sure about the upside for 2), and Anthony Edwards, who was my favourite early on. For me it really comes down to risk appetite. But we went through all that in the last pod.
All that said, Marcus Smart unites us all lol.
haha I'm sorry Duby slandered you behind your back
lol all good
Thanks for giving the times for relevant questions in this pod. I could never listen to this without it. I disagreed with so much that I don't know where to begin. Maybe the statement that this draft is a bad one is far from the truth. There are many quality players and it will be up to the evaluators to pick them out. That is always the case in any draft.
The only thing I could agree with is that Ball is the top choice for the Warriors. Supremely talented and many reject him for the Warriors because he is a floor leader like Curry and they feel it is a kind of duplication. Ball is much more than a PG. With mentors like Kerr & Curry, this guy could be a star and should be a big consideration for Myers. I guess I was hoping for more advanced stats to back up whatever those 3 were discussing but this pod is far from that. Mostly personal opinion about this draft and Warrior status.
Good guest
thanks!
yeah, Evan is so knowledgeable, really good insights and you know he's got something backing up his opinions.
His quick hit answers at the end were some of my favorites we've gotten too. Funny dude.
Sadly, this concludes the run of these (I have one more solo one that will record next week), so let us know if you have any requests for additional guests in the future.
Sorry for spamming, this is my last post since I had to walk away from the pod. Length is not an advanced stat.
And Wesley Matthews would be a horrible fit for the Warriors offense. He doesn’t seem to know what a screen is, or have any idea how to use one. He would be worse than Nick Young for this team. I’m envisioning a giant turd clogging the toilet bowl turning all that movement into a stagnant smelly mess.
Peace, I think I’d better try to grab a nap and get this grumpy spamming out of my system before work.
Gotta say, thanks for putting out more great content on your podcast!
Dang I had to pause again because of the silly agism comments.
Two word rebuttal to the silly notion that younger is better: Tim Duncan!
Now a lot more words:
You want a player that is going to be better on his third or fourth contract (that probably won’t be with your team) then value that baby 19 year old for their age, although Duncan seemed to play for a while even though he was so decrepit coming out of college. winning now isn’t serviced in any way by a draftees age, it’s about literally everything else first.
As long as we have a youth fetish: Tyrell Terry (Yes I think the Warriors should value Steph type players instead of ignore them, so I’m bringing up Terry’s name whenever I can) is not only young chronologically, he’s also still growing so he’s probably got a longer potential shelf life than a physically mature 19 year old (which seems completely irrelevant when drafting in today’s NBA to me, but hey, youth!)
FT% is a great idea for evaluating shooting: How’s 89% sound? What if I he also has a super young looking face too?
The Blazers could have avoided a lot of problems if they correctly used Greg Oden's face age of 65 more prominently in their pre-draft analysis.
I've been talking to Patrick Murray on Slack a lot and he is a staunch Obi Toppin guy. But this point does hit on one of the best arguments for trading back (if possible) - there just isn't a guy who is CLEARLY standing out as the no doubt #1... much less clear #2 or #3. I'm just trusting the FO to know what the hell they're doing.
> Gotta say, thanks for putting out more great content on your podcast!
Thanks for being here for it! Really appreciate the positive feedback on these because I know Daniel breaks himself doing all the graphics and editing
A big thank you to Daniel for making it all flow!
Thanks for your enthusiasm! This is a big draft
Working on 3 hrs of sleep a night this week so we’ll see how this idea goes: posting my thoughts after each segment of the podcast:
Never much looked at advanced stats, I figure guys that put the ball in the basket at a high %, move off ball, and pass to teammates on time, all while playing fundamental D are generally winners; & those who do all that with flair are transcendent. I was watching all college and no NBA until the Warriors drafted Curry. To me, every second Monte had the ball instead of Curry was another sign the Warriors had no F’ing clue what leads to winning basketball. When people were debating who to keep I was completely floored that there was even a debate (aside from injury concerns) but I could only assume Warriors fans were suffering from some form of Stockholm syndrome at the time.
My first thought from the podcast is that I’m really curious how these top guys stack up to Tyrell Terry in the advanced stats. I haven’t seen a more impactful college guard on the court since Curry. I think he came out too early, but it’s not because he can’t succeed immediately if given a chance; rather because next year he would surely have been drafted much higher if there is a ‘21 college season.
Last thought before diving back in: The NBA great that should probably be drafted first in today’s NBA is probably Larry Bird. Magic will probably always be my favorite player and I Hated the Celtics, but c’mon if you’re looking for ideal modern skillsets Bird has to be at the top of that list. Just think of what the Durant Warriors teams would have looked like with Bird on them instead, running off ball, hitting guys on time and not insisting on 10 isolation plays a game while still being an every level shooter like Steph. And if you’re really going to do a player draft to determine who the best ever is based on today’s game; I’m taking peak Steph over them all.
Damn that took a lot of probablys to be able to type Bird’s name.
Just draft Haliburton at 2 and be done with it. The guy is the best fit for this team on and off the court.
I like Hali, but no need to take him at #2. No chance he goes higher than #4, so at least try to get more value out of the pick if that's your guy. If it's Chicago on the other side, 2 second rounders will still be a very cheap trade down, but better than nothing.
You’re not worried if they go that far against the grain and it doesn’t work (say some late 1st/early 2nd round PG like Terry has a better career) that it might lead to Lightyears becoming an ironic title?
Not hitting on this pick won't make or break the next few years for this team. In my opinion. But hitting on a guy that is a great fit, super smart, undervalued, a hard worker, subtle-savvy, etc.. could greatly extend this teams viability for many more years. Just listening to him conduct interviews and I am sold on him, especially the one he did with Mike Schmitz of ESPN. He would be lethal on the Warriors. I just hope they don't try to get too fancy with the selection.
I agree, I think he’d be a way better contributor to winning than the names we are hearing being floated out there. However, i think he’ll actually contribute more to winning (Less pressure) if the Warriors can trade down and get him. But that’s very dependent upon a team wanting to trade up.
I am just terrified of trading back and having someone else swoop in and pick him. I see brilliance in him. I would love to get extra picks/assets, but I am not sure what we would get back would be worth it. Then again, I am not much of a risk taker. Tepid bath water flows in my veins...
I agree. He and Okongwu are my two favorite guys and if they get sold on either one, I fear them trying to get too cute with a trade down.
Back to Haliburton, I think he can fill a lot of the void left by S.Dot and Iggy’s departure and while he might not be as strong as Iggy, his e-pointing shooting should make him a more potent weapon.
hmmm time to do some Youtubing on this Haliburton
@Hardee and team: new footage of Hali scrimmage with some other prospects (I see Tyler Bey there, can't identify anyone else). Might be worth an insta/youtube edit and repost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co1P-zdj__s Seems like he's improved his off the dribble jumper a bit and added a bit to his frame, which is nice to see. As I said above, taking him at #2 is leaving money on the table, but trade down to grab him would be nice.
Doesn’t look like he has a left hand, which I imaginecould be a problem if asked to be a primary handler in the NBA.
I kind of noticed that too from the video. Like Rusty says below, he does not seem exceptionally explosive with either hand. It is hard to tell what skills were being focused on in these workout videos, but I did notice he favors his right hand a lot. Even when he finishes on the left side he tends to lay it up with his right. Not a huge concern, the kid seems like a hard worker and could easily fix that. Chris Mullin was one of the best layup finishers I ever saw and he layed it up like someones Dad on a 8 foot high rim. Pure craftiness- no athleticism.
Did we watch the same video? Has quite a few left handed drives, pull-up and passes. He's not Killian Hayes. Bigger issue is that he isn't particularly explosive or dynamic on his dribble, with either hand, and is still pretty skinny, so getting to the rim will likely be an issue until he improves on that.
Like Five Alarm said above, I’m not sure what we were being shown here... it seems like they were drilling the pass out of the high pick and roll with the clear intent to pass. But even assuming he was just drilling that and not trying to finish strong, his dribble left didn’t look like something that was going to send the defense scrambling to help off the corner or wing... especially if you bail your on-ball defender out by going back to the right hand and giving him a much better chance of sending into the club seats. That all being said, he seems like a good dude, and I’d be on board with his handling and his defensive potential. Even his molasses slow jump at least goes in at a decent rate. Imagine if SDot could’ve pulled out a 35% long shot.
Just remember, you heard it from me first!
Wasn’t Haliburton our Warriors Fan choice from this draft? Length, playmaker, theoretically a multi-position defender. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you do check out his YouTube stuff. I could see him as a winning player and a huge and necessary upgrade over Poole and Lee (who I personally think are best used as blowout victory cigars.)
Agree with all that, but I’m convinced Poole is gonna breakout and surprise people.
I haven't watched much recent college ball outside of Zion's dunkfests so I have some catching up to do
wow good recall!
Yeah, Halliburton won the fan choice draft exercise that Apricot did
https://www.letsgowarriors.com/p/2020-draft-pick-tournament-final