Know it’s early, but noteworthy that neither of Bryant or Coward have worked out yet. Interesting the Demin has tho.
I would definitely pick Queen over Essengue. Queen’s offensive skill right now, Essengue will never get too. I’d rather take skillful basketball players. Queen’s touch around the rim and soft hands are great. Of Course he has to be better defensively but he can be a 20 & 10 guy in the league with the right environment.
How’s he going to be a 20/10 guy on THIS team? We need guys around Wemby/Castle/Fox/Harper that can hit shots when needed, and defend at a high level. He does neither.
The games are not to dissimilar but Jokic is a lot bigger. Jokic can bully people more so not sure if he will get to that level. I’m thinking more like a Sengun or Sabonis. There is a theory that his athleticism will get better because he is still reshaping his body from when he was very fat. He has come along way. Minimal strides in athleticism will go a long way because it looked pretty bad at the combine. It is also said he did not try at the combine so that’s a whole different problem. The kid can Ball though. I think he cares more about being good at basketball than actually being a great athlete.
He can post up, he can be the offensive engine and create for others and he can get to his spots and make any shot from mid range in. Has extremely great and skilled feet. Very quick. Fundamentally sound. Great hands too! Will grab the ball when it’s in his vicinity. Has rare ability to put the ball on the ground. Good not great handles but I could see it getting better. Very good passer with high IQ. Processed the game faster than most prospects in this class. Think Al Jefferson or Zach Randolph but with Jokic point Center skills. Definitely has a ways to go with his 3-pt shot but when they needed him to make 3’s they went in. He was very Clutch in late game moments all season.
Defensively when he puts in the effort he shows the ability to play decent defense even on the perimeter. At the very least he is an elite rebounder. Won’t ever bring much as a shot blocker though. If he can actually improve his athleticism I think he can play the 4 and be able to switch on the perimeter. The problem is the effort in training and on the court is not always there. He needs to keep shedding the fat and add muscle while also improving his athleticism. Kid loves basketball so I believe in him. Keep him away from fast food and in the gym and he will be great.
How’s he going to be a 20/10 guy on THIS team? We need guys around Wemby/Castle/Fox/Harper that can hit shots when needed, and defend at a high level. He does neither.
I will say though Queen doesn’t make sense anymore on the Spurs. To many mouths to feed. I wouldn’t complain if the Spurs got him but it wouldn’t make much sense. He would help with rebounding but he won’t get the ball so his skillset would not be used properly. He needs to be a foundational piece on offense for it to pan out. On the Spurs he would be 5th in line at best for getting the ball. Unless they pick him at 2. I’m probably the only one that wouldn’t be mad it lmao
I don't care too much about all out athleticism or combine numbers. With big men, I care more about feel for the game and skills. Sounds like this kid has got it, and anyone that drafts him, he could end up being a big time player for them down the line. It sounds like with the improvements he'll make athletically with further training, it could unlock his game even more. Darn, very intriguing prospect. Wish I watched him play, but didn't bother as I didn't think he'd be anyone the Spurs would draft. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think Cooper had stand out numbers at the combine, but that didn't mean anything to me. His skill and feel for the game have more than convinced me. I don't need to see any jump off the page numbers at the combine for me to believe he will be great.
You guys could be right. Sounds like the Spurs aren't the right fit for him, but from what you guys have said, if he were still on the board, you've made him sound very, very interesting prospect to draft.
Last edited by Ice009; 06-15-2025 at 09:34 AM.
Hmmm are the grizzlies gonna use that ammunition to go get KD or they hitting the reset button?
That's another Bridges trade right there.
There goes one of the rare Devin destinations.
Thats alot of picks wtf
Orlando snorting bath salts apparently
What the F@#k. That is a lot of picks. What is Orlando doing? I would have rather have kept those picks.
I get the logic: The East has a relative void at the top through at least next season and Bane fills a longstanding need as a shooter/creator combo without being the defensive liability of a Simons or someone of that ilk, but he doesn't offer enough creation and is in that nebulous range between low end star and high end role player.
The Magic just blew their load and still don't profile as true contenders going forward.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are now loaded with draft capital to make a big splash on the big wing they've long needed.
Including that Phoenix pick is crazy
Incredible trade for Memphis. Orlando doesn’t realize yet that Paolo-Franz is not a good long term solution. That 2026 suns pick on its own is worth its weight in gold
How the is Bane worth 4 UNPROTECTED FRPs (and a swap)?!?!
Damn it, this is why i wanted Devin to Orlando. They're just giving away FRPs like candy on Halloween. Jeez
Good call. I do remember someone pushing a Devin trade to Orlando (if that was you, great call). I didn't know you'd get this kind of return. Obviously Devin wouldn't get anywhere near as much, but darn, might have gotten at least one good pick out of it.
Last edited by Ice009; 06-15-2025 at 11:00 AM.
Insanity level overpay.
It's not exactly Phoenix's pick outright - it's a swap on a swap, where Memphis had already had yet another swap in there :
More favorable of (i) ORL and (ii) less favorable of PHX and WAS 1-8 [or (ii) PHX if WAS not conveyable]; more favorable of (i) MEM and (ii) least / less favorable of ORL, PHX and WAS 1-8 to MEM; least favorable of ORL, PHX, WAS 1-8 and MEM to CHA
I mean, that's still a pretty damn good pick.
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