NBA draft/Bucks-Yi discussion

[aracko]

Brewer Green or Conley baby!

[burniebrewer]

Of course, you don't have to squint very hard to also see some Marcus Haislip there.

 

Ouch. You had to drop that name I'd almost forgotten.

[lukevan]

That mock draft now has Boston taking Brewer at 5, and Milwaukee taking Conley at 6, which I am SO cool with.

 

I am not on the resign-Mo-to-a-four-year-deal bandwagon, he's a decent player, he just isn't going to lead anybody anywhere anytime soon and the Bucks have a good enough nucleus to be contenders. We need a guy to make them all look good instead of all of them struggling to make themselves look good.

[Roscoe Chill]

Replacing Mo Williams with Mike Conley = spinning wheels. Basically if Mike Conley can score 17 points, dish out 6 assists, and pull down 5 rebounds a game at age 24, he'd be labelled a success....why wait for Conley to get to the level Mo Williams has already risen to?

 

That said, if you want to ADD Mike Conley to Mo Williams and Michael Redd at the guard position, that's something entirely different.

 

I guess my point is they should definitely resign Mo Williams.

[trwi7]

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That said, if you want to ADD Mike Conley to Mo Williams and Michael Redd at the guard position, that's something entirely different.

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Well that doesn't make any sense at all either. Conley won't solve our rebounding or issues at the small forward.

 

Why not re-sign Mo and trade him later if need be?

 

And no, we're not even close to being a contender with our nucleus right now. Unless CV learns how to play passable defense, Bogut doesn't whine or quit on the team or Redd learns how to pass we'll be a team that may make the playoffs but will only be 1st round fodder.

[Roscoe Chill]

Well that doesn't make any sense at all either.

 

You're right it doesn't make any sense if you totally dismiss the depth aspect of the team, but a poor man's Isiah-Dumars-Microwave is not something to just dismiss. If Conley is the best player available, draft him...just don't base your decision on what to do with Mo Williams on Conley.

[Baldkin]

I've never liked Mo as a starting PG... he always seemed like a 6th man to me. He is too much shoot-first.

 

I would love for them to get Conley, every interview I've seen the kid give has been amazing, and he knows how to throw the ball into the post as well as any PG I've seen in awhile.

 

As for the Bucks problems at SF, isn't that what a healthy Bobby Simmons is supposed to alleviate?

[bjkrautk]

Just to talk about something other than the Bucks....anyone hear any rumors / predictions about where Alando Tucker is going to wind up? (I'm guessing one of the Texas teams, around the bottom of the first round.)

[bbrauch2000]

ive seen him projected as high as 25th to the Jazz. That would be amazing for him to be taken that high. I think a team like the spurs with the pick they got for Markota would be a great fit for him

[trwi7]

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You're right it doesn't make any sense if you totally dismiss the depth aspect of the team

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Yes I agree depth is a major issue. So re-sign Mo and Bell to play PG.

 

And then what do you have backing up Redd? Noel?

 

And Simmons? Ilyasova? Simmons isn't even healthy yet.

 

And Villanueva? Do you pick up Skinner's $6 million option?

 

And Bogut? Gadzuric?

 

Yeah we have much more glaring needs other than point guard.

[Baldkin]

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2125

 

I pretty nice writeup of the Bucks and what they have/are looking for.

 

They really are in the position to draft the best player available, and then use that to decide what free agents to persue.

 

I'm actually excited about this off season (not nearly as excited as if we'd gotten the #2 pick though)

[patrickgpe]

bucks high on yi

[trwi7]

Ah yes the ole we're high on every player that could possibly fall to us so it drives up the price of others trying to trade up to the top 6.

[lukevan]

Replacing Mo Williams with Mike Conley = spinning wheels. Basically if Mike Conley can score 17 points, dish out 6 assists, and pull down 5 rebounds a game at age 24, he'd be labelled a success....why wait for Conley to get to the level Mo Williams has already risen to?

 

I disagree with this. I see Conley's ceiling closer to Nash than Mo Williams. A guy that is quicker than everyone else in the league can dominate in today's NBA (Nash, Parker), plus he adds a nice outside shot. I'd like to see him drop to us, but would be satisfied with a few others.

[trwi7]

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I see Conley's ceiling closer to Nash than Mo Williams.

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So you see Conley more like a 2 time MVP rather than a slightly above average PG with room to improve?

 

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A guy that is quicker than everyone else in the league can dominate in today's NBA (Nash, Parker)

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Nash isn't quick. He just has exceptional vision and two dynamic scorers to pass the ball to.

 

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plus he adds a nice outside shot.

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Conley doesn't have a good outside shot. He shot only 30.4% from 3 and 69.4% from the free throw line. He only shot 51.8% this year because he could get into the lane which is going to be much harder without Oden and going up against bigger, tougher defenders.

 

Lets also not forget that this is the last year of Harris' contract. Do you really think he's going to downgrade from Mo to Conley (and yes it will be a downgrade, maybe not in the future but in the first year) when there are other players such as Jeff Green who can make an immediate impact especially with the questions surrounding Bobby Simmons and if he'll be able to come back healthy?

 

I can't believe some people think PG is a problem on this team. Mo and Bell are fine. Redd will get most of the minutes at SG with Bell most likely backing him up there. Then you have Simmons and Ilyasova at SF, are you really comfortable with that? Villanueva and who at PF? Skinner won't be back for $6 million.

[bbrauch2000]

With the scorers on the roster, especially if Bobby Simmons can come back relatively healthy, Conley would be a definite upgrade over Mo Williams. He's truly a pass first point guard who has the ability to turn it up a notch in the final minutes when the team needs a score to do it himself. What he showed last year at Ohio State as a freshman was incredible. There were more than a handful of games where Conley was the most valuable player on that team.

 

The bucks getting him would be a dream scenario for me

[Roscoe Chill]

I don't think PG is a problem with the Bucks, I just think it would be dumb for the Bucks to pass on a player just because of the position he plays...if that player is the best on the board (especially when Mo Williams can play both guard positions).

 

Also, Mike Conley wasn't the MVP for Ohio State in some of the games...he was their MVP PERIOD, in a landslide actually.

 

Jeff Green? I've seen that movie before. I'd love for the Bucks to get Yi, but the Chinese government won't have him land in Milwaukee.

[greeg35]

I'm leaning toward Conley as well, although I'd be happy with Wright, Green, or Brewer. Mo just doens't make his teammates around him better. Conley would not be a downgrade this year (or not much of one), and is a much better prospect IMO.

[don1481]

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I don't think PG is a problem with the Bucks

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As I've mentioned elsewhere, Mo Williams is a huge problem at PG for the Bucks. His overall inability to run an offense is appalling. He's an undersized 2-guard impersonating a 1. Compare his stats to, say, Jason Kidd or Steve Nash... or, if you want to compare him to other "young" PGs, Deron Williams or Chris Paul. Look also at how many more shots/game he took than any of those guys:

 

Mo, for example, had to hoist up 15.4 shots/game to get his 17.3 PPG, with a wonderful shooting percentage of 44.6% and an assist:turnover ratio of just over 2:1.

 

Nash, to get his 18.6 PPG, took just 12.8 shots/game with a shooting percentage of 53.2% and an assist: turnover ratio of just over 3:1.

 

Kidd, to get his 13 PPG, took 11.3 shots/game with a shooting percentage of 40.6% and an assist:turnover ratio of 3.4:1.

 

Paul, to get his 17.3 PPG, took 13.6 shots/game with a shooting percentage of 43.7% (but DID get to the free throw line over twice as often per game - 2.7 versus 5.6) and an assist:turnover ratio of over 3.5:1.

 

Deron Williams, to get his 16.2 PPG, took 13.5 shots/game with a shooting percentage of 45.6% and an assist:turnover ratio of 3:1.

 

Theme #1: 3 of the 4 point guards compared to Mo had very similar PPG lines... but on several fewer shots per game.

 

Theme #2: All 4 of those point guards had at least an assist more per turnover than Mo.

 

Theme #1 is often countered by Mo supporters with statements such as "Mo had no one to pass to all season long. He had to carry the offense." False. Chris Paul, for example, lost Peja Stojakovic and his 17+ PPG after just 13 games and didn't have David West around for 30 games. Which leaves Desmond Mason and his 13.7 PPG as the only "consistently available" offensive threat for Paul to pass to. At least the Bucks still had Charlie Bell and Ruben Patterson; granted, neither is a great offensive option but... Mo DID have options, especially compared to what Paul had to work with. And yet, Paul was more efficient - especially with getting to the FT line.

 

Theme #2 is responded to in much the same way by Mo supporters; however, once again, note that Chris Paul, who had the worst ensemble to work with among the four, had the highest assist:turnover ratio. Mo's putrid assist:turnover ratio ranked 36th of 42 PGs in the NBA last season. Unacceptable from the PG spot.

[princeginterhallhelms04]

Conley would be my choice. I would love to have him on the team and then resign Mo Williams.. That way Conley would not have to be pushed in to a starting role and have some depth. I think Conley is going to be awesome.

[trwi7]

Williams wouldn't want to be here and drafting Conley and re-signing Mo solves none neither the SF issue or the defensive frontcourt issues.

[don1481]

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drafting Conley and re-signing Mo solves none neither the SF issue or the defensive frontcourt issues.

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No, but it does address the complete ineptitude at the PG position that Mo Williams brought to the table. Who's available at PF in FA?

[foamboy1]

I was going to ask the same question.

 

I'd rather draft someone like Horford.....we need defense, toughness and rebounding....but he'll be gone. If Conley slips to us...he's an upgrade over Williams. Williams is a number two player to me. He doesn't make the others on the court better...I thought TJ Ford was much better at that than Williams. I like Mo...just at the two or as the sixth man. I'd be okay with Conley, but I was hoping to improve the four position.

 

If we draft Conley, who might we be able to pursue in FA?

[aracko]

Mo Williams seems like a nice man but I dont like his game at all. I dont know exactly what it is abotu him. I say trade for Garnett. Redd and Sign and trade Mo.

 

Sign Chauncy Billups, Allan Houston

 

Bogut

Garnett

Paterson

Houston

Billups

 

Bench

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Charlie Villianueva

Illyasova

Charlie Bell

David Noel

Dan Gadzuric

Bobby Simmons

1st round draft choice

 

 

To me thats the cream of the crop in the east. Granted we dont know for sure yet that allan houston is makign a comeback but it sure looks that way.

[greeg35]

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I'd rather draft someone like Horford

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I think most of us think he'll be gone...at least I am.

 

As I research players further, my big board is shaping up like this:

 

Oden

Durant

Horford

Conley

Green

Yi

Wright

Brewer

 

The last 4 are really close if not equal in my mind.