Would you trade Smart for the 2016 Suns pick?

[Dino Pitino]

Nah. I really like D'Angelo Russell.  I think he has a higher ceiling than Smart.  I like shooters.

Do you think Smart's recent shooting has been a fluke? 42.9% from three the last 11 games on 5 attempts a game. Do you really think he's going to revert to shooting under 30%? If Smart winds up shooting the three as well as Russell going forward, how does that change the comparison for you?

[LarBrd33]

Nah. I really like D'Angelo Russell.  I think he has a higher ceiling than Smart.  I like shooters.

Do you think Smart's recent shooting has been a fluke? 42.9% from three the last 11 games on 5 attempts a game. Do you really think he's going to revert to shooting under 30%? If Smart winds up shooting the three as well as Russell going forward, how does that change the comparison for you?

I think Russell is going to be a phenomenal offensive player.  If Smart developed into a 42% three point shooter it would be pretty extraordinary given his career thus far.   Smarts recent streak is pretty encouraging.  I hope he keeps it up.

[Casperian]

Ok.  So does anyone see the hypocrisy in 76% of fans saying they wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for the Suns unprotected pick (3rd best odds)...

... while the majority of fans seem to say they wouldn't trade the Nets unprotected pick (4th best odds) for Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor (two prospects that would likely be seen as superior to Smart outside of a Boston-centric Forum). 

I mean, ultimately it doesn't matter... since none of those trades would actually happen.  It's just interesting.  It's the epitome of homerism.

No, Beppo, there's no hypocrisy here, at all. People just have different opinions on different players. What you call "superior prospects", I call busts.

More importantly, trading our one chance at a top pick for an underachieving prospect is completely different than trading a prospect who's clearly improving for a second pick.

While a second pick may improve our chances at a top pick, it also ensures that one of our picks will not win the lottery, and it's not an unreasonable opinion that pretty much every player after the top 2 is an inferior prospect to Smart.

It is perfectly reasonable to prefer a strong talent like Smart to a second high pick.

[LarBrd33]

Ok.  So does anyone see the hypocrisy in 76% of fans saying they wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for the Suns unprotected pick (3rd best odds)...

... while the majority of fans seem to say they wouldn't trade the Nets unprotected pick (4th best odds) for Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor (two prospects that would likely be seen as superior to Smart outside of a Boston-centric Forum). 

I mean, ultimately it doesn't matter... since none of those trades would actually happen.  It's just interesting.  It's the epitome of homerism.

No, Beppo, there's no hypocrisy here, at all. People just have different opinions on different players. What you call "superior prospects", I call busts.

More importantly, trading our one chance at a top pick for an underachieving prospect is completely different than trading a prospect who's clearly improving for a second pick.

Bizarre how Marcus smart is "clearly improving" (since he's risen his field goal percentage close to the dismal 36% it was last year), while Jahlil Okafor (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks today) is a "bust" half way through a pretty solid rookie season. 

K

[Casperian]

Ok.  So does anyone see the hypocrisy in 76% of fans saying they wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for the Suns unprotected pick (3rd best odds)...

... while the majority of fans seem to say they wouldn't trade the Nets unprotected pick (4th best odds) for Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor (two prospects that would likely be seen as superior to Smart outside of a Boston-centric Forum). 

I mean, ultimately it doesn't matter... since none of those trades would actually happen.  It's just interesting.  It's the epitome of homerism.

No, Beppo, there's no hypocrisy here, at all. People just have different opinions on different players. What you call "superior prospects", I call busts.

More importantly, trading our one chance at a top pick for an underachieving prospect is completely different than trading a prospect who's clearly improving for a second pick.

Bizarre how Marcus smart is "clearly improving" while Jahlil Okafor (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks today) is a "bust". 

K

Is that supposed to address my argument, or do just like to throw random stats around?

[LarBrd33]

Ok.  So does anyone see the hypocrisy in 76% of fans saying they wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for the Suns unprotected pick (3rd best odds)...

... while the majority of fans seem to say they wouldn't trade the Nets unprotected pick (4th best odds) for Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor (two prospects that would likely be seen as superior to Smart outside of a Boston-centric Forum). 

I mean, ultimately it doesn't matter... since none of those trades would actually happen.  It's just interesting.  It's the epitome of homerism.

No, Beppo, there's no hypocrisy here, at all. People just have different opinions on different players. What you call "superior prospects", I call busts.

More importantly, trading our one chance at a top pick for an underachieving prospect is completely different than trading a prospect who's clearly improving for a second pick.

Bizarre how Marcus smart is "clearly improving" while Jahlil Okafor (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks today) is a "bust". 

K

Is that supposed to address my argument, or do just like to throw random stats around?

Sorry bingo, I like what smart is doing too, but to call him clearly improving and Okafor a bust is pretty hypocritical if not completely asinine.

[Casperian]

Ok.  So does anyone see the hypocrisy in 76% of fans saying they wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for the Suns unprotected pick (3rd best odds)...

... while the majority of fans seem to say they wouldn't trade the Nets unprotected pick (4th best odds) for Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor (two prospects that would likely be seen as superior to Smart outside of a Boston-centric Forum). 

I mean, ultimately it doesn't matter... since none of those trades would actually happen.  It's just interesting.  It's the epitome of homerism.

No, Beppo, there's no hypocrisy here, at all. People just have different opinions on different players. What you call "superior prospects", I call busts.

More importantly, trading our one chance at a top pick for an underachieving prospect is completely different than trading a prospect who's clearly improving for a second pick.

Bizarre how Marcus smart is "clearly improving" while Jahlil Okafor (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks today) is a "bust". 

K

Is that supposed to address my argument, or do just like to throw random stats around?

Sorry bingo, I like what smart is doing too, but to call him clearly improving and Okafor a bust is pretty hypocritical if not completely asinine.

So, I take that as a no. I'm not surprised.

[LarBrd33]

Ok.  So does anyone see the hypocrisy in 76% of fans saying they wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for the Suns unprotected pick (3rd best odds)...

... while the majority of fans seem to say they wouldn't trade the Nets unprotected pick (4th best odds) for Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor (two prospects that would likely be seen as superior to Smart outside of a Boston-centric Forum). 

I mean, ultimately it doesn't matter... since none of those trades would actually happen.  It's just interesting.  It's the epitome of homerism.

No, Beppo, there's no hypocrisy here, at all. People just have different opinions on different players. What you call "superior prospects", I call busts.

More importantly, trading our one chance at a top pick for an underachieving prospect is completely different than trading a prospect who's clearly improving for a second pick.

Bizarre how Marcus smart is "clearly improving" while Jahlil Okafor (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks today) is a "bust". 

K

Is that supposed to address my argument, or do just like to throw random stats around?

Sorry bingo, I like what smart is doing too, but to call him clearly improving and Okafor a bust is pretty hypocritical if not completely asinine.

So, I take that as a no. I'm not surprised.

You and I basically agree with each other.  I wouldn't trade smart for the Suns pick either. What I don't understand is how someone can have the opinion that every player outside the top 2 is going to be inferior to Smart while at the same time telling me the Brooklyn pick is more valuable than someone like Okafor.  Are you guys trying to tell me that Smart would go 3rd in this draft and Okafor (who is apparently a bust despite having a pretty impressive rookie season) would go outside the top 5? 

[vjcsmoke]

I wouldn't trade Marcus Smart for lottery balls.
The only way I would trade him is if we could get a superstar prospect in return.

Who would that be in the 2016 draft?

Are any of these players guaranteed, can't-miss Superstars?  And won't we end up with one of them anyways since we already own a high lottery pick.  Thanks Brooklyn!!

Ben Simmons
6-10
240
SF/PF
LSU
Fr.
2

Brandon Ingram
6-9
195
SF
Duke
Fr.
3

Dragan Bender
7-0
220
PF
Croatia
Intl.
4

Kris Dunn
6-4
220
PG
Providence
Jr.
5

Jaylen Brown
6-7
225
SG/SF
California
Fr.
6

Buddy Hield
6-4
215
SG
Oklahoma
Sr.
7

Jakob Poeltl
7-1
240
C
Utah
So.
8

Deyonta Davis
6-10
240
PF
Michigan St.
Fr.
9

Ivan Rabb
6-10
220
PF
California
Fr.
10

Dejounte Murray
6-5
170
PG/SG
Washington

[Casperian]

You and I basically agree with each other.  I wouldn't trade smart for the Suns pick either. What I don't understand is how someone can have the opinion that every player outside the top 2 is going to be inferior to Smart while at the same time telling me the Brooklyn pick is more valuable than someone like Okafor. 

No, I'm pretty sure that when all is said and done, there will be 2-3 guys in this draft outside of the top 2 who will be as good or better than Smart, but why take the risk? We agree it's non-sensical to trade Smart for a pick. So, no hypocrisy there.

Okafor is putting up nice stats on a terrible, terrible team. He's basically their only servicable offensive option. Of course his stats will look a lot better than Smart's, a defense-first player on the third seed in the East.

But the comparison is not Smart to Okafor, the comparison is the BRK pick to Okafor. We know the warts Okafor has. He's a nice offensive post-player with questionable defense. This was his profile before he entered the NBA, but now we have confirmation. What we don't know is how Simmons or Ingram will fare against NBA competition. It may be subjective, but it's a perfectly viable opinion if people want to keep our shot at a possibly franchise-altering talent over a nice offensive player with questionable defense and attitude. So, no hypocrisy there, either.