OT: Poll--Who are you taking #1 in the draft?

[kobe]

Lonzo Ball

 

[HuskyHawk]

Fultz, but I think Jackson is the best player in the draft. I'd take Fox over Ball.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Never take a worse player to fill a need. That's a good way to be a middling team. Needs can be addressed in free agency or via trade.

If that's the case, I'd take Jackson. I think Brown is going to be a stud and will start next year. Rozier has shown he can play at a high level. Smart is the ideal 6th man. Avery is above average on both ends of the floor.

 

[NielsisGood]

This draft is deep but I'm not sure Fultz goes #1 in any draft over the last 5 years, but I'd need to go back and check.

Certainly not in the Wiggins and Simmons years. Maybe 2013. But not if Noel hadn't torn his ACL.

Fultz is actually a below average 1-1 according to Pelton.

He's 3rd best in this draft actually based on Pelton's projections.

Ball is #1 and Collins from Zaga is #2.

It's really strong draft for guys named Collins btw. The Wake Forest one had a higher PER than Brow when he was at Kentucky, which is just nuts.

Celts should really try to move down with the Kings and get Tatum and Collins or Issaac and Collins or something like that.

Glad you could find a single person who doesn't like Fultz #1 here. I haven't seen anyone else say that. Guess someone's gotta be the contrarian.


Fultz would have gone ahead of anyone in the last 5 years aside from a healthy Embiid. NBA drafts aren't coined as either good or bad because of their depth lol.

 

[temery]

Kevin Ollie.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Fultz might've gone second last year, considering how great of a PG prospect Simmons is. But Fultz might be the safest bet in awhile.

 

[CTisballers]

He

Honestly for me he might as well be European because I don't think I saw him play once. I saw Ball, Jackson and Tatum at least a half a dozen times each.

He got hurt in the middle of the year but this dude can really play. The celtics can't go wrong with either of the but if I was the GM I'll take josh Jackson because they already have good guards in IT, AB, Marcus smart and Rozier who I think be really good.

 

[the Q]

Glad you could find a single person who doesn't like Fultz #1 here. I haven't seen anyone else say that. Guess someone's gotta be the contrarian.


Fultz would have gone ahead of anyone in the last 5 years aside from a healthy Embiid. NBA drafts aren't coined as either good or bad because of their depth lol.

Nope. Not brow. Not Wiggins. Not Towns and not Simmons. He's closer to a healthy Noel than any of those guys.

 

[NielsisGood]

Nope. Not brow. Not Wiggins. Not Towns and not Simmons. He's closer to a healthy Noel than any of those guys.

Brow was more than 5 years ago. Fultz definitely goes ahead of Wiggins and Simmons (and there's been enough people who have specifically referenced Fultz>Simmons at this point) and Towns is a toss up if accounting for how Towns was thought of coming out.


You are wrong.

 

[the Q]

Brow was more than 5 years ago. Fultz definitely goes ahead of Wiggins and Simmons (and there's been enough people who have specifically referenced Fultz>Simmons at this point) and Towns is a toss up if accounting for how Towns was thought of coming out.


You are wrong.

Nope, you can't even get the dates right.

Brow was 2012.

and KAT was almost as good of a prospect as Brow.

Fultz has been considered a below average #1 pick by the advanced metrics.

 

[NielsisGood]

Nope, you can't even get the dates right.

Brow was 2012.

and KAT was almost as good of a prospect as Brow.

Fultz has been considered a below average #1 pick by the advanced metrics.

Do you know how to count? 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. Tell me how many draft classes you count there. I've ran the algorithms and crunched the numbers and have come up with 5.

KAT wasn't even considered as good as Embiid at the time, much less Davis. People were actually having serious discussions whether Okafor should go #1 that year.


Feel free to post any advanced metrics that show Fultz as a below average #1 pick, just because I've read enough takes on how he's the surefire #1 pick in the best draft of the last 5 years and a righty Harden.

 

[Walker11]

Do you know how to count? 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. Tell me how many draft classes you count there. I've ran the algorithms and crunched the numbers and have come up with 5.

KAT wasn't even considered as good as Embiid at the time, much less Davis. People were actually having serious discussions whether Okafor should go #1 that year.


Feel free to post any advanced metrics that show Fultz as a below average #1 pick, just because I've read enough takes on how he's the surefire #1 pick in the best draft of the last 5 years and a righty Harden.

You are definitely right on Towns. Hindsight clouds our memories, but he wasn't thought of as highly as Q remembers. Even in HS, he was either the 6th or 8th ranked recruit.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Anyone who can stop Lebron

 

[husky429]

Anyone who can stop Lebron

Who other than kawhi Leonard can? Draymond green?

And when he's in playoff mode, I don't know if either of them is getting in front of the lebron freight train anyways.

 

[Walker11]

I'll go on record stating that I think Ball will be a better player than Fultz. I know I am in the minority, and I would actually pick Fultz if I was the Celtics. Better fit on the floor and culturally. I just see Ball having a higher upside that he may be less likely to realize.

 

[NielsisGood]

I'll go on record stating that I think Ball will be a better player than Fultz. I know I am in the minority, and I would actually pick Fultz if I was the Celtics. Better fit on the floor and culturally. I just see Ball having a higher upside that he may be less likely to realize.

That's interesting. What do you consider both of their ceilings to be? Fultz as a right handed Harden and Ball as like a LeBron Jr?

 

[Walker11]

That's interesting. What do you consider both of their ceilings to be? Fultz as a right handed Harden and Ball as like a LeBron Jr?

I think Fultz could be prime Brandon Roy with better range. They both have an unbelievable ability to play with pace and can dominate games in the pNr, both in scoring and distributing. Both have killer mid range games but Fultz seems like he would be better off ball and spotting up. I don't know who to compare Ball to. I just absolutely love his feel for the game and the way he elevates his teammates. I just don't know if his form/first step will translate, and it will probably be pretty evident even in his rookie year. I don't think I have really seen anyone who he really reminds me of.

Right handed Harden is a good comparison too with their herky jerky play. Regardless, I am very excited to watch both.

 

[NielsisGood]

I think Fultz could be prime Brandon Roy with better range. They both have an unbelievable ability to play with pace and can dominate games in the pNr, both in scoring and distributing. Both have killer mid range games but Fultz seems like he would be better off ball and spotting up. I don't know who to compare Ball to. I just absolutely love his feel for the game and the way he elevates his teammates. I just don't know if his form/first step will translate, and it will probably be pretty evident even in his rookie year. I don't think I have really seen anyone who he really reminds me of.

Right handed Harden is a good comparison too with their herky jerky play. Regardless, I am very excited to watch both.

What I'm about to say is entirely stupid and pretty tongue in cheek, but I can't remember a non 7-footer that's as ugly and with as bad a name as Markelle Fultz being a legit stud NBA player. Ball is also rough looking but has an awesome name.


Seriously though I think Fultz is pretty much a lock to be a perennial all star, whether that means he's a serious MVP level guy or a 2nd tier guy I'm not sure. I don't really love Ball for probably the same reasons I don't like Cp3 as much as you do, and I definitely worry about his form, defense, and the way he kind of got spooked out of the game by Fox in their S16 matchup.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I would trade the pick. I am not negative on any of these players, but I am not super excited about any of them. None of these players will contribute immediately, and by the time they are ready to be stars, their rookie contracts will be close to finished.

 

[intlzncster]

I would trade the pick. I am not negative on any of these players, but I am not super excited about any of them. None of these players will contribute immediately, and by the time they are ready to be stars, their rookie contracts will be close to finished.

Really? Fultz has NBA ready game right now. May not be ready to run a team full time, but very few PGs are right out the gate. And as others are saying, you ain't beating Lebron in the next year or two.

 

[tzznandrew]

If they don't think Fultz or Ball is the best player in the draft, trade with the 76ers and grab that player (Jackson? Tatum?). No harm.

But you draft who you think is the best player and go from there. Watching LeBron annihilate them it's blindingly obvious you can't win a title with IT as your best player (duh, but needs to be reiterated), and so they need to really think about how they go forward with this year's pick, and next year's Nets pick as well. It's a team filled with third and fourth options on a title team, but no first or second, and that's a problem. Between free agency and the drafts they have three actual needs:

• an NBA-sized PG (Fultz?)
• a wing who can create (Haywood? George? Butler? Jackson? Tatum?)
• a rim-protector (??? Mo Bamba???)

If they had those positions, IT could be change of pace, sixth man of the year sort of player anchoring the second team with Crowder and Rozier. Bradley/Smart could start at the 2 with strong defense. Horford as a 4 that can stretch and play solid defense (though not on LeBron). A team constructed like that could compete with the Cavs now, and if they play their cards right and keep these guys young, will be competing for the title when LeBron takes his step back.

 

[Matrim55]

But you draft who you think is the best player and go from there. Watching LeBron annihilate them it's blindingly obvious you can't win a title with IT as your best player (duh, but needs to be reiterated), and so they need to really think about how they go forward with this year's pick, and next year's Nets pick as well.

I don't think it's that complicated – they just keep taking the best player, do what they can to stay near the top of the East, and try to be in prime position when LeBron finally starts to decline in 2020 or so (maybe??).

The only big decisions are about flipping both Thomas & Bradley this summer for more young assets. I don't think it's in the Celtics' best interest to pay either of them what they'll want on the open market next summer, and both would have considerable trade value right now within the league. It'd mean dropping from 53 wins this year to maybe 43 next year, but the goal is to be ready to win once Father Time beats the Cavs and Dubs. Because nobody else is going to manage it.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I may be crazy and likely wrong but i think Ball isnt going to be a great NBA player. Something about him just seems off and i cant put my finger on it.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Sign Fultz let IT walk pay Drummond $$$$$

 

[NielsisGood]

I don't think it's that complicated – they just keep taking the best player, do what they can to stay near the top of the East, and try to be in prime position when LeBron finally starts to decline in 2020 or so (maybe??).

The only big decisions are about flipping both Thomas & Bradley this summer for more young assets. I don't think it's in the Celtics' best interest to pay either of them what they'll want on the open market next summer, and both would have considerable trade value right now within the league. It'd mean dropping from 53 wins this year to maybe 43 next year, but the goal is to be ready to win once Father Time beats the Cavs and Dubs. Because nobody else is going to manage it.

Highly doubtful any team gives up any real assets for IT/Bradley in their walk years. Celts need to max IT for culture reasons and to keep their precarious spot as a budding FA destination going forward. There's literally 0 downside to maxing IT if you assume LeBron runs the east for another 3-4 years or so, even without considering IT vs Hayward or franchise culture. It's extremely unlikely that maxing IT would be the sole reason the Celts aren't able to sign RWB or any other premium player over the next couple years anyways.