re: ESPN Mock 6.0 (AD and Sullinger)

ESPN must hate the Hornets too.

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If we want to be that legendary defensive team what about Moe Harkless from St. John's? I think #10 is too high for him but trading for a later pick might be an option to look at. We are going to need a 3 who can guard the likes of a Kevin Durant in the future. Moe is very athletic and a terrific defender. He is a poor 3 point shooter and only shot 20% but is still very young.

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Jeff Taylor is the SF that I really like to be our peremiter defensive stopper. We'd have to get back Into the mid 20s to get him, but his defense/athleticism is ELITE

So people want to draft Rivers, even though he plays the same position as Gordon? People want to draft Perry Jones, even though he plays the same position and does some of the same things offensively as Davis, and has questions about how hard he plays?

Even in this thread, people are suggesting drafting the MSU guy, who plays the same position and does some of the same things as Davis. But people don't want Sullinger, who is a perfect match to play with Davis, because he plays the same position and there are questions about his work ethic?

I also don't understand some of the stuff on this board about wanting Kendal Marshall. Why would you want a distributing pg who dominates the ball and can't shoot to pair with Gordon? Gordon handles the ball anyway, which makes Marshall a terrible fit. That's why Lillard makes much more sense.

And Davis could transfer to center. Fact is, Sullinger is a much better fit than all these other scenarios like Rivers and PJ3. Hardest thing to find in the league these days is low post scoring, and the Hornets could get a guy to pair with a dominant defensive big man.

I like that PJ3 has somehow managed to magically transition to a different position without playing any games lol. With the way the league is now, Davis being a center is more realistic than the other 2 transitions you brought up.

If Camby could do it his entire career, Davis could do it in a league with very few dominant offensive bigs.

Positions don't really matter if you can pair a great defensive player with a guy who can score in the low post. Reason a guy like Duncan is so great is because he was both of those things in one package. That's why they could put guys like Bonner and Blair as starters next to him.

That's also why a guy like Kevin Love can't carry a team like a Duncan. He doesn't play defense. But if you paired Love with someone like Davis, that's a championship pairing in my opinion.

And I definitely think it's more realistic than Rivers playing pg. Davis just needs to add a few pounds to play center, and maybe not even that. Rivers has to change his game to play pg.

Not in the modern nba.

I do think AD can and will play Center depending on matchups, who he's paired with, etc.

I just think Rivers is a lock to play PG. He'll definitely end up there full time, eventually.

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because of his shooting and ability to space the floor

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Are you talking about Davis or Zeller? They shouldn't be looking for a big to spread the floor to pair with Davis. They should look for someone who can score down low, which Zeller can actually, which is why I'm confused by what I quoted.

I wouldn't mind pairing Zeller with Davis, but like has been mentioned on this board, Zeller isn't much different than Jason Smith. They are pretty much the same guy, with Zeller being a little better scoring inside. But Zeller isn't so much better scoring inside than Smith that he is worth taking over Sullinger or Lillard. But he's not a bad third or fourth option if those guys are gone.

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Given Monty Williams' philosophy, I don't think the Hornets go anywhere near Sullinger.

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This. He's an undersized big that will limit his defensive presence. Again, he's got some offensive game, but I don't see him being any thing more than a better version of Glenn Davis.

That's also why I think we end up taking Rivers. He creates mismatches at the PG spot which Monty will really like. And he doesn't have to be an all star pg with Gordon and Davis' athleticism. Just facilitate and be able to hit the occasional 3 pointer.

As for Davis playing center, maybe...one day. Not anytime soon. Everyone keeps pointing to Duncan, but he didn't play the 5 until much later in his career. Davis at the 5 over the next three years would get beat up by Bynum and Hibbert and Duncan. He's just too small right now.