Recap of this Week’s Podcast

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Published: May 29, 2012

The bad news is that the audio in this week’s podcast taping was compromised, but the good news is that we will be doing a Live Video Chat tomorrow night before the lottery, discussing many of the same questions. In the meantime, here is a brief recap of what Ryan and I discussed:

Playoff Basketball. I maintained that the game is being played outside-in, and therefore the best way to build your team is with perimeter scorers and agile big men who can hedge on screens and even switch on pick and rolls if they have to. Ryan maintains that you still want a dominant post presence. I agree on the offensive end, but not at the expense of the defensive side of the ball. When Indiana got to the final three minutes of their season, they pulled Roy Hibbert off the floor because he could not move well enough laterally. If I could only have one, I would rather have a big who was limited offensively but was an agile, long defender (John Henson) than a semi-dominant offensive big who will get killed in the pick and roll (Sullinger).

– We also talked briefly about the Western Conference and whether or not the Hornets should build their team to specifically match up with anyone in particular. Ryan says that you should disregard the teams in your conference and build your team in a vacuum, making sure the pieces fit together, with no regard for who you will be facing. I say you have to at least consider it and use it as a tiebreaker. For instance, we all think OKC will be the team we have to chase in the Western Conference this decade. Well, if you have to decide between MKG and Thomas Robinson, and they are that close in your mind- doesn’t MKG’s skills help you more against OKC? He can guard any of their big three, while Robinson’s biggest strength- his rebounding and down low scoring- will be somewhat negated by Ibaka and Perkins.

Anthony Davis. I threw a list of guys out at Ryan and asked him whether or not, when it was all said and done, Davis would have a better career than these guys. Ryan and I agreed that he would have a better career than Marcus Camby, Alonzo Mourning, and Dirk Nowtzki. Ryan went back and forth for a minute before finally saying that Davis would have a better career than David Robinson- mostly because he will play more seasons. I agree. But Ryan drew the line at KG because he does not believe Davis will be as well-rounded. I disagree. I think Davis will be a slightly better defender and more willing to stay in the post throughout his career. I drew the line at Hakeem and Duncan. Bottom line, is we both see a Hall of Fame career.

– Despite our glorious reviews, I still had some “What if…” trade proposals for Ryan in the event that we do get the #1 pick, and shockingly he said he would do both of them! (I, of course, passed because I love the Unibrow.) Trade #1 was the first pick for Dwight Howard in a scenario where he agreed to extend his deal for five years and declared that he loved the city of New Orleans. Trade #2 was a scenario in which the Hornets got the first pick and the Blazers got the second pick and offered us #2 and Aldridge for the first pick.

– We flipped it around and discussed what we would offer for the #1 pick. The consensus; Anything. Even if we got picks 2 and 3, we would give them up for Davis. Here is my logic.  Who would you rather of had for the past 15 years, Tim Duncan or Chauncey Billups and T-Mac? Now, Billups and T-Mac are borderline Hall of Famers, and the two best guys other than Duncan to come out of the 1997 draft class, but Tim Duncan is an all-timer. You take an all-timer over two All-Stars any day of the week.

– Speaking of the #2 pick, we discussed another trade for a vet scenario if we got that pick. This was a three-way trade that essentially moved Ariza and the #2 pick for an extend and traded Andrew Bynum. Ryan said he would do it because bigs are hard to get and he is the second best center in the league. I said no because of his immaturity, injury issues, and how easily he can be taken away in big games.

– Ryan and I agreed that if we get the #2 pick, we take MKG. My stance is that, unless you have an established star at a position, you do not draft based on needs. Remember when Portland traded out of the #3 spot and passed on Deron Williams and Chris Paul because they had a young guy they like named Sebastian Telfair? The Hornets should not pass on the guy who is clearly the second best prospect because Aminu didn’t embarrass himself in six or seven games down the stretch.

– Thomas Robinson was the clear #3 for both of us, and I liked Bradley Beal far more than Ryan did. If Drummond, Robinson, MKG, and Davis were off the board when we picked, I would take Beal and either pair him with Gordon or trade Gordon. Ryan, however, said that he would only take Beal if he fell to#10- which he knows that he won’t. The intriguing thing with Beal is that most people ask if he and Gordon can play together in the back court (which they can), but as Thorpe said in our podcast, Beal can play some SF too because of his bulk and wingspan. This is a small ball league after all.

– We talked about our dream pairings in different scenarios. If Ryan got the 1st and 10th picks, his dream would be Davis and Harrison Barnes- a guy he thinks could fall on draft night. I like the combo of Davis and Austin Rivers. I think if Rivers goes to the wrong team, he could fail, but in this scenario he would be the clear cut #3 guy and Davis would be there to cover up the gambles he takes on the defensive end.

If we get MKG, Ryan would like to pair him with Sullinger while I love John Henson. I could also go with the idea of taking Lillard or Marshall and getting a veteran big like Ersan Illysova in free agency. If we get Thomas Robinson, Ryan would love to see Barnes fall and if not Barnes, maybe Henson or Zeller. If we fall out of that range, we are both okay with Drummond at 5 or 6, but would not mind looking to move the pick for a vet.

– We were also asked if we would be willing to trade a future pick to move up in this draft- let’s say from 5 to 2 or from 10 to 6. I said yes, while Ryan said no. Personally, I would give up a top 10 protected pick to get a sure thing in MKG over a boom or bust prospect like Drummond. Same goes for the leap from 10 to 6, as I personally like 7 guys in this draft, and would be very happy to secure two of them.

– Maybe one day we will release the lost footage of this podcast, but for now, feel free to fire any questions in the comment section and we will answer. Also, check back in tomorrow night at 6:30 CST, as we will talk What If’s prior to the lottery, then cover the lottery live, and give you an instant mock draft after the results of the ping pong balls.

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