Blazers/Nuggets

[WichitaSooner]

All the people who complain about the NBA, without having actually watched it for probably 20 years, should be required to watch this series. Amazing stuff. Multiple superstars and a ridiculously high level of play. Someone forgot to tell these guys that NBA players don't care, don't play defense, don't do anything but dunk, etc.

 

[thebigabd]

Nikola Jokic is my favorite player in the league.... and Denver got a total steal with Jamal Murray at #7.

Great series, but of course I am a Nuggets fan.

 

[tmeyer3307]

Give me Buddy of Murray!

 

[WaymanFan]

Back in June of 2016, there was a lot of debate whether New Orleans should have taken Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray with the 6th pick. As it turned out, it made no difference since that pick would have been packaged for Demarcus Cousins no matter who the Pelicans picked. Although Buddy has had a higher P.E.R. all three years in the League, Murray has really stepped it up in the postseason this year. The thing is, in a "hindsight 2016" draft, Murray and Hield would long be off the Board before New Orleans picked at #6. My guess is Simmons would go first, Murray second, and Hield third.

 

[thebigabd]

Give me Buddy of Murray!

Murray all day... Murray is still only 22, Hield is already 26.

Denver got the better end of that.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Back in June of 2016, there was a lot of debate whether New Orleans should have taken Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray with the 6th pick. As it turned out, it made no difference since that pick would have been packaged for Demarcus Cousins no matter who the Pelicans picked. Although Buddy has had a higher P.E.R. all three years in the League, Murray has really stepped it up in the postseason this year. The thing is, in a "hindsight 2016" draft, Murray and Hield would long be off the Board before New Orleans picked at #6. My guess is Simmons would go first, Murray second, and Hield third.

ingram would still go very high (he is still 21) as would jaylen brown and domas Sabonis and Caris Levert

 

[Eielson]

ingram would still go very high (he is still 21) as would jaylen brown and domas Sabonis and Caris Levert

I'd take Ingram. Another guy from that class that surprises me is Siakam.

 

[WaymanFan]

ingram would still go very high (he is still 21) as would jaylen brown and domas Sabonis and Caris Levert

As a lifelong Lakers fan, I'll take Buddy over Ingram at this moment (and definitely over the other two who really aren't that close to him in productivity). That said, hindsight drafts do change over the years. If they did one in 2012 for the 2009 draft, Blake would still go #1. However, if they did it now or even a few years ago, Curry would go #1, Harden #2, and Blake #3. For a 2016 re-draft in 2019, I still believe Buddy goes #3...we'll see how it pans out over the long haul.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Buddy certainly had a better season than Murray by almost every measure, and I can only imagine how much it would help him if he played with a brilliant player like Jokic. Yeah, Buddy is older, but that's the same criticism he got when he was drafted. People acted like there wasn't much room for growth because he was already a finished product. Obviously that wasn't close to accurate. I think Buddy will keep findings ways to improve. Murray is really good, by the way. Don't mean to suggest otherwise.

 

[Eielson]

In terms of overall career, the 4 year age gap makes Murray the easy pick. 8-10 years from now I'd much rather have Murray than Hield. That isn't a big deal for the Kings or Nuggets, though, as I doubt either player will be on their current teams that long from now. If they are, they're likely getting paid near-max money that makes them a non-bargain. Some guys like Lebron and KD are absolute bargains at max deals, but other guys like Klay Thompson are less of a steal once you lose contract leverage. Klay has been a huge part of the Warriors' success, but GS will hesitate to pay him 40M/year for obvious reasons. Ultimately, I think GS will pay him and eat the luxury tax, but I don't see Sac or Denver developing super teams that warrant owners eating boatloads of luxury tax.

They were drafted in the same year, so the teams will have contract leverage for the same amount of time, regardless of age. That doesn't completely negate the age advantage, but it minimizes it quite a bit.

 

[thebigabd]

18 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 0 turnovers for Jamal Murray last night. Jokic with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Quite the duo.

Too bad Portland isn't playing with Jusuf Nurkic, who is kind of a beast in his own right. Was averaging 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.2 assists when he got hurt. And he used to be a Nugget.

 

[NMSooner'80]

OU grads Stotts and McCullough are off to the NBA Finals.

 

[deejay1]

OU grads Stotts and McCullough are off to the NBA Finals.

You're saying it's a given that Portland will beat Golden State in the Western Conference finals?

 

[NMSooner'80]

Accidental typo. I meant to say Western Conference finals. But I hope the typo winds up being prophetic.