Poll: If we pick at 3, who you taking and why? Brown/Bender/Hield/Dunn/Murray

[Rida]

If there was no way Danny could get value for the #3 pick via trade.

Who would you draft and why?

The consensus 3-8 Picks seem to be:

Bender
Brown
Hield
Dunn
Murray

Who do you want and why?

After looking around the draft boards and studying video, I have fallen in love with Brown. He seems like his ceiling could be a hybrid of Crowder's physicalness with Harden's ability to get to the basket. I see a ton of upside with him.

Bender could be a top prospect but its going to be 3 years and I don't know if we should give away the 3rd pick for such an unknown who isn't playing in Europe or getting consistent mins.

Hield to me seems to have a cieling of JJ Reddick which is a solid 4th option on a good team but is he worth the 3rd pick?

Dunn as well looks and has a game and numbers extremely similar to Wall.

All are options for Danny, who do you pick and why with the 3rd pick assuming we don't move up or move down?

[Rida]

Bender leading the way so far.

Celtics fans seem happy to stay the course and pick the guy who could be the best player in 3 years time.

Which I guess is what Ainge should do unless we can trade for a star

[BornReady]

Tie between Dunn and bender

I think Murray is limited in athleticism and creating offensively

I don't like Hield

Brown seems to be a good pick if he was like 6th, he's more about potential as he has the physical tools and athleticism and intelligence but didn't seem to stand out in any one area during college

Bender just because of his potential of what he could become is higher than the other guys even though the bust potential is also higher

I think Dunn is the best guard in the draft, he reminds me a lot of wall
He's got good defensive and playmaking, nice size and athleticism
Only problem is those 2 shoulder injury seasons

[dreamgreen]

Honestly I have no idea I keep hoping Fakers do something strange and leave Ingram on the table for us. But with the choices you have give me I went with Bender because:

1. he's young with big upside
2. we need bigs
3. he's a perfect modern NBA big
4. I don't think we will get a star in a trade or free agency this year so we should keep building for the future

[Rida]

Seems that Stevens shares my love for Brown.

This has been posted in another thread already

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=84799.0

Bender still the overwhelming favorite so far

[vjcsmoke]

Bender at #3. 
Then package 16+23 and whatever to land Deyonta Davis at #9 or #10. 
Be set at the 4/5 for the next 10 years.

[Rida]

Bender at #3. 
Then package 16+23 and whatever to land Deyonta Davis at #9 or #10. 
Be set at the 4/5 for the next 10 years.

I'm actually quite surprised that the majority of votes seem to be with Bender.

No one is scared off by how long it may take for him to become a serviceable NBA player

[MJohnnyboy]

I take Bender. Even though I know he's a risk, he has the highest potential. If Danny takes him, he thinks Bender's worth the risk. If he doesn't, then he thinks Bender's not worth the risk.

[LGC88]

Jaylen Brown because he has even more upside than Bender.
BPA at #3, potential superstar. Lower risk compare to Bender.

[alldaboston]

3 way tie between Murray/Bender/Hield

But I voted for the guy I've been rooting for since the lottery: Murray.

[LarBrd33]

56% want Bender.

It seems Bender is the Yi Jianlian of this draft for us.  Just like 2007, it's seen as a 2-player draft and we're drafting outside of the top 2.   Back in 2007, the options available to us were less than ideal, but there was one guy we perceived to be high risk/high reward.   That was Yi Jianlian.   Most of this forum wanted Yi Jianlian just because he was the unknown and we equated "unknown" with "high ceiling".  Had we kept the #5 pick, it sounds like we would have taken a gamble on Jianlian. 

From what I understand, Bender doesn't actually have star potential (I've seen this disputed, though).  It's just that some of the more known options (the Browns and Hields of the world) have a clearer ceiling.   We couldn't clearly see Jianlian's ceiling.  We can't clearly see Bender's ceiling.  So since we can't clearly see that it's a low ceiling, we like to think it's a high ceiling.  That's why most of us wanted Jianlian and that's why most of us want Bender.

That said, in retrospect we know that 2007 actually produced some decent players outside the top 2.  So who knows... maybe someone like Kris Dunn will be the Mike Conley of this draft.   But I do think the reason a lot of people are gravitating towards Bender right now is the same reason people hit "no deal" when given a decent offer on "Deal or No Deal".  The unknown is too appealing.

[colincb]

Dunn who plays both sides of the ball as BPA despite crowded backcourt. Could easily be our best guard in a couple of years. Trade Smart or AB.

Bender close behind depending on what Danny sees in him and depending what Danny sees as our time to contention.

Behind these two, Hield over Murray. Think he'll get his shot off easier. Quicker release and better range.

Not interested in Brown,

[LGC88]

Dunn who plays both sides of the ball as BPA despite crowded backcourt. Could easily be our best guard in a couple of years. Trade Smart or AB.

Bender close behind depending on what Danny sees in him and depending what Danny sees as our time to contention.

Behind these two, Hield over Murray. Think he'll get his shot off easier. Quicker release and better range.

Not interested in Brown,

Agree about Dunn, but honestly how are you going to draft him given his/his agent attitudes?

[libermaniac]

Every day my opinion changes. Glad Ainge is making the pick and not me. Given that there's no clear cut favorite for me I hope he trades down and somehow manages to get two top 10 picks.

[Granath]

Every day my opinion changes. Glad Ainge is making the pick and not me.

TP for this part of your post.

I've gone back and forth between Hield, Murray and Bender. I probably will between now and the time of the draft. But then again I'm not Danny Ainge and I'm not going to see those guys in pre-draft workouts. If I were, I'm sure that I would develop a clear-cut preference for one guy over another.

For instance, Murray may show he's more athletic that people think. Bender may show more refined skills. Or Hield may show that his game is continuing to grow. But someone will separate themselves from the pack during these workouts.