I’m all about trading UP in this draft personally. Up to 2 for Harper and/or trading the seconds to get back into the first. I just have a hard time seeing value for the Hornets trading down ESPECIALLY since they wouldn’t trade down last year worrying bout losing ol’ Tidj… 
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Trading the second round picks to get back into the first round, we need to look at teams in financial trouble with the cap because 2nd rounders are the non-guaranteed money that can save them some money.
A quick look says Cleveland, Boston, and Phoenix are the worst off right now.
Boston at 28 and Phoenix at 29 are candidates, but they may clear some money in another way also, but they are the main targets.
Orlando is over the first apron surprisingly and they are at 25, so that’s a sneaky option too.
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The other argument though is, is there enough difference between players in the mid 20s than at 33 to justify the move?
With the higher number of players that returned to college due to NIL money, there may be a big enough delta to justify moving from 32-33 to 28.
Get sh*t? Naaaahhhh. People seemed to be more or less confused as to why you would suggest this in a 4 to 5 man draft. Particularly when we might be one top 5 piece away from being moderately competitive. That said, I do like Kon (and the other Duke boys) but not as a top 5 pick outside of the obvious guy.
Yeah, I like what these young dudes are doing w YT. We are getting scouting insights that we’re not available to the general public 10 to 15 years ago. Free of charge! No it’s not years of experienced NBA scout quality research but it’s still good.
Okay I wanted the Front Office to swing for the fences in a weak draft and I got exactly what I wanted w the French connection pick. All of that said, I have to admit that was pretty d@mn funny! I might as well start making my Tidjane plea now: Give Tidjane another year before you make a call on him. He got a raw deal last year (he couldn’t spend quality time in Greensboro) because we needed bodies. That is not Tidjane’s fault.
This is the exact question that is being kicked around the front office as we speak. My guess is that the answer is “No”. By my calculation/guesstimates several of the following players should be available at 33:
Ryan Kalkbrenne
Tyrese Proctor
Maxime Raynaud
Johni Broome
Koby Brea
And even that undersized Tahaad Pettiford kid
Is it really worth it to draft another guaranteed contract late in the first round when you have a cheap options just a few picks back?
It’s more the number of developmental roster spots.
If they keep the 2 seconds, and Kalkbrenner is there, and they don’t take him, I’m going to be upset. Need to take a swing on a big who has the potential to stretch the defense.
Well that’s where we disagree. I don’t see this draft as a 4-5 guy draft. I think the first round is littered with talent. Early second round also.
This team has holes all over the roster. Really needs to develop young talent. Free agency is basically not a thing anymore, we’re not going to be able to use free agency to fix things. It has to come from the draft.
Yikes, Heat Check just put out a video predicting we take Maluach.
I am pretty confident that this FO is smart enough not to do such a thing.
Indeed. If we keep two second round picks, then NSJ, KJ and any other two way players should be put on notice.
Your willingness to gamble makes me nervous.
Hilarious - but I ONLY endorsed/recommended his scouting reports! If you wander into the tall grass then I can’t help you.
Guys, is this our poor man’s version of an assassin catch and shoot NBA 2 guard:
He should be there in the second round.
So many great discussion items in this pod. @Plowright, the question on what is the pick that would leave you unable to defend it really left me thinking. I’d have to say Malauch after seeing him pinned to us at 4. But I think this pod also turned me from VJ or no one to VJ or Kon. And I’m hoping the Hornets see it similarly. Very fun pod!
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Thanks, I’m glad it was an entertaining listen. Heard feedback from a few people that they enjoyed that section of the pod. We were able to bounce a round a lot of topics which was fun.
Appreciate the support!
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Yes, you successfully talked me into kon or vj. You probably also talked me out of ace
I wonder if you could speak to the notion of the post melo era. You mentioned it. I have a firm belief that in a draft richer in top end talent, you trade him now. Realizing one of those picks plus at least one projected good shot next year. Especially if you take kon who is the connector piece like a franz wagner or as you said Gordon Hayward. It leaves a space for a face of the franchise. Hopefully one that is mature and actually shows up for work.
Ooof I’ve been trying to believe we’ll be ok but if we trade LaMelo and end up with Nipple as our draft pick stick a freaking fork in this franchise lol. If the FO had any balls they’d do whatever necessary to get Harper and let him play WITH LaMelo (when healthy).
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I think the general consensus on Ace vs VJ is that Ace may have the higher ceiling, but lower floor; however, VJ has a very high floor with a lower ceiling. The comp player for Ace is T-Mac, which I very much disagree with. Tmac had a sick handle and very smooth-he effortlessly glides. Ace’s dribble is not great as he dribbles the ball very high and will generate a lot of turnovers. This inaccurate player comp reminds of me when people compared Brandon Miller with Paul George, who has the same issue of ball handling. I sometimes cringe when I see Miller dribbling too much and brace myself for the turnover when he’s trying too hard to create or pass.
I would not be surprised if Ace slips a little in the draft. I don’t mean slip outside of the top 10, but slips from projected pick 3 to pick 5-6. I don’t necessarily think that will happen, but it would not shock me. For me, the only selling point on Ace is being able to roll out a lineup 6’7 Melo, 6’7(ish) Miller, 6’7 Ace. If that works, damn. it’s really going to work, but that Melo, Miller, Ace lineup is devoid of ball handlers/passers outside of Melo. Brandon is not suited to defend quick, athletic NBA SG’s. I absolutely cannot image Brandon defending SGA or Cason Wallace for example. That lineup core (Melo, Miller, Ace) would necessitate a point forward type player or a dynamic, multi-faceted center.
At pick 4: I strongly lean VJ, would be super intrigued by Tre Johnson, and wouldn’t hate Kon. Tre Johnson’s 40% three point shooting, his measurements (6’5 height, 6’10 wingspan, 38’ vertical) look very desirable. Kon is if Dalton Knecht was a better defender, slightly less athletic, and a better passer/facilitator. Knecht is the more pure scorer, more explosive.
Lastly, I have seen a couple podcasts suggest Maluach to the Hornets at pick 4. Even hearing this notion gave me a visceral response of disgust. I wont reiterate my distaste for Maluach here, but if you want my thoughts on him you can read my article I posted.
Maluach to Atlanta at pick 13 makes the most sense. He has no business being in the top 10.
I absolutely agree with you on Harper. Over on fantasy island, in a perfect world…the Spurs would want to trade for Melo in order to pair him with Wemby. Charlotte would acquire the Spurs 2025 1st round picks (pick 2 and pick 14), and some salary filler (probably Barnes and Vassell for example). Having Melo, Fox,and Wemby on the floor is sick. Or send De’Aaron Fox to Charlotte along with the picks. I wish there was some way to acquire the rights to draft Harper and give this franchise a proper reset.
I will venture even deeper into fantasy land and propose Charlotte trades Melo to Houston, and somehow get Sengun out of it. I would do a straight up swap of Melo for Sengun. I think a lot of Sengun.
But alas, no one in the league wants an oft injured Melo. Just as no one in the league was willing to sign Miles Bridges to a contract anywhere near what Charlotte offered him. For some reason, some feel that the Miles Bridges contract is a solid trade asset. It’s not. Just as Melo is not a good trade asset due to the injuries. Any offer for Melo would be highway robbery. And I can’t blame them.
I know generally when a consensus is getting established, it’s hard to go against the experts. And it seems a lot of people are, not down, but lower on Ace than would be expected of his hype.
So who am I, a watcher of 0 of his games (cause they didn’t make the tournament) to go against the college basketball knowers who take the time to create their own systems and metrics to rank everyone.
But sometimes people just look like ballers. It’s hard to project how much the college game restricts a player, and the freedom and openness of the pro game allows a player to flourish like they didn’t in school. A guy with great size (whether he’s 6-7,8,9), great length, great athleticism, and refined scoring tools, with a noted good motor on defense, are we overthinking it? Does everyone need that dopamine hit of being able to predict the next disappointment, (to go along with getting a badge for being the winner of picking the lower draft prospect that becomes a star)
Maybe everyone’s in alignment for a reason, but nothing I’ve read makes it seem like Ace is a knucklehead or a troublemaker. Maybe an exuberant puppy personality vs focused professional businessman isn’t the best to mix with Melo and the young squad, but Grant and adding a Chris Paul or Naz Reid as a free agent can keep the antics lower.
If Philly goes Tre, then VJ vs. Ace would be tough for me, but I’d lean VJ. But other than that, I’d pick whichever one Philly lets by. With a toolset and size like that, you can refine the edges and weaknesses.
The other intriguing option is seeing how much San Antonio doesn’t want to crowd the backcourt with another PG in Harper. Going from 2-4, they can get a better fit for the roster, + an additional asset (Dallas pick or future lottery protected).
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The SAS of it all makes me think that it would be wise to add what we need to try swap out with PHI. If they would take our 2nds and #4 to move up to #3, I would do that. I don’t love the cost BUT, if SAS decides to hold and takes someone other than Harper, that #3 pick goes from 24k gold to Platinum.
I don’t know what defines knucklehead specifically - I have used it in my life, albeit very rarely, to describe someone I just don’t think of highly. Kind of the same on not fully knowing the puppy-like definition. I would use that to mean (in a hoops sense) a player that hasn’t fully grown into his body, overly eager, but not selfishly, just kind of in a blinders on sense (see Salaun). So not knowing how you could mean either here, I can’t say if Ace is in or out of that bucket. I think the knock on Ace came strong from the interviews in that he came off incredibly self-unaware in several ways.
I was using knucklehead and puppy dog colloquially, referring to how the draft gurus and podcasters are hinting at some kind of immaturity. But since I haven’t heard or seen references to him being immature outside of just how they didn’t like how he answered a couple questions, I wasn’t sure why he’s receiving that tag.
There wasn’t stories of him pouting or quitting on the team, or getting in the news, or being disciplined. Being brash isn’t immature to me, maybe it just means you should delve deeper into what drives and motivates him, or how he’ll fit into a team’s culture. I don’t see the red flags…or I guess even caution flags that the draft guys use to drop him to 7 or 8, or lower in some cases.
And Harper seems to have gotten no scrutiny, just assumed to be 2nd with no other consideration. He was the leader of the team that severely underperformed with 2 draft picks, and doesn’t shoot as well. I just was curious why all the attention is on Ace when it didn’t seem like there’s anything wrong outside of regular basketball growth.
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