I'm Claiming Credit For All Those First Round Picks!! :lol

[Russ]

Yes, I’m claiming credit for all those picks.

I like this trade. And if I can like this trade, anyone can.

Way back in 2016 I was the first to say the Spurs should draft some 19 year old kid named Dejuonte Murray:

First in.

This is the guy -- Spurs need to try everything to get him.

https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/sho...=1#post8588316

(The thread is called “Current Spur: Dejuonte Murray” -- but it was called “Draft Prospect: Dejuonte Murray” at the time.)

Then later on re “Who would you try for at #29?”:

The Spurs need to draft Dejounte Murray of Washington.



Height: 6-5
Weight: 170 lbs
Date of Birth: 09/19/1996
School: Washington

DraftExpress

NBADraft.net

NBADraft.net gives him a 94. The only categories below 8 are strength (he's 19 & will get stronger), leadership (he's 19), NBA ready (he's 19) and jump shot (Chip can fix).

In other words all of his weaknesses will go away.

He has the potential to play great D, he can get to the rack (moves are incredible), he can pass like Manu and he's athletic as . (See the videos on NBADraft.net for some ungodly fakes.)

He's the prototypical "new" NBA guard that all great teams must now have.

Need to move up to about 14-15 to do it -- just like they did with Kawhi.

Then bring over Bertans.

https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/sho...=1#post8596768


Lest you think hindsight is 20-20 (it is), don’t forget that we also (ironically) try to rewrite events to make the unlikely look obvious, or even inevitable, in retrospect. Such is history.

In context, in that thread, mine was post #42. But post #42 was the very first to mention Dejuonte Murray at all. Before that, the previous 41 posters mentioned the following names they wished the Spurs to draft (other than Dejuonte):

Thon Maker (multiple times), Wayne Baldwin, Patrick McCaw, Petr Cornelie, Skitevillious Marlakovish, Wooden Woodenovich, Bembrey, somebody named Jones, Michael Gbinije, Cheick Diallo, Ivica Zubac, Ante Zizic, Stephen Zimmerman, and Malcolm Brogdan.

No one mentioned Dejuonte until post #42 (you can check it out).

After they drafted hm, I watched Dejuonte grow with special interest, proprietary you might say. He worked hard and made a lot of those weaknesses go away (or at least go into hiding). He even eventually became an All Star.

Then after all that, welcome to now. After all that growing, he’s suddenly gone.

But that’s going to turn out for the best I believe. The Spurs transformed pick #29 into all those first round picks – just like they always do. This organization will make good use of those picks and Dejuonte will get to play on the contender (or eventually contenders) that he deserves. It’s a journey (you know, “believing “matters).

So keep the faith. Things are looking up.

Like I said, if I can like this trade, anyone can.

[John B]

It’s nice to get that all out brotha