These Draft Picks Could Have Changed The Phoenix Suns Forever

These Draft Picks Could Have Changed The Phoenix Suns Forever

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hello everybody Welcome in to another episode of the phnx Suns podcast I’m Lindsay that’s Saul that’s Gerald espo how you guys doing good good welcome to Jeff in the chat Marco in the chat Matrix in the chat Eli and Deon thank you all for being here today and Brian oh well I don’t know about Brian the early birds welcome in happy to see you all here in the chat already hopefully this one sparked some good debate we already got it started um the said I wouldn’t be a Suns fan if Pippen came here fighting throwing up just looking at the thumbnail what were y’all out of picks of Robert Ory oh boy we’re in for it you guys I can’t wait for these two to go at it I already know these two are going to fight later on in the show so buckle up everyone you sure a Deon ain’t Michael or Laura Pippen there like there there something we don’t know about toon Lara yes whichever one was uh was with MJ’s MJ son exactly get it together espo uh well today we’re going to start off the show looking at some prospects that have been rumored to or confirmed to have been uh had a workout with the Phoenix Suns ahead of the 2024 NBA draft what a time you guys how exciting I do miss the days when the suns were a little more open about their pre-draft workouts and allowed us to participate yeah ask them questions about the prospect ask the prospects about the workout themselves and what they’re feeling but I miss I miss those days a lot as a media person who would be there every day that would be nice can’t say James Jones wasn’t there if you don’t know if he wasn’t there I’m kidding James I’m kidding like like said earlier it’s one guy working them out just one coach nobody else there we can’t let the people know and see this is why they don’t let me in anymore look I okay I liked the access but I always found the interviews with the guys that had just worked out so awkward because you’re like well would you like to be in Phoenix and every one of them goes yeah you know I I love the workout the facilities you know I’ve enjoyed being in the city for a day you know it’s a little hotter than I thought it might be and like every guy gave you the same answer but those were the like dumb questions that every person asks like there were better question I I really like that process because you get to know like what guys have been working on through their um like workout process with different teams and like where they kind of see themselves fitting in and there were fun ways to like cover those things but if you’re not creative then you probably struggled in those things I love that Gerald’s ask at all these serious things and I was like hey man so Stephen Adams what this is g to be your first time really Living in America for for a while what are you looking forward to I’d like to try a peanut butter chocolate peanut those great those are great too those are the moment like let’s be honest early on in giannis’s career that’s what people lived for was Yannis tweeting about trying something new for the first time they still eat that [ __ ] up his dad jokes it’s absolutely great all right well let’s go ahead and dive into our first Prospect here Jaylen Tyson guard out of cow SI 6 foot five maybe 6 fo7 depending on who you ask uh 215 is pounds in the 23 24 season average 19.6 points per game 6.8 rebounds 3.5 assists shooting 46.5% from the field he’s a good player he’s a good player I wouldn’t say he’s Gonna Knock he’s gonna blow the doors off of anybody but um you know he he he needs a little bit of development because he does struggle in like spot shooting uh I thought thought you know this year I got the chances I got to see him play were obviously against Arizona and in those games I was not very impressed I didn’t think that he held up very well um but he had other games where he did and I thought you know basically across the gamut he’s a he’s a good player he likes to pick and roll um but in terms of spot up shooting he struggled um especially ironically enough everything above the the corners of the three The Break um he struggled more shooting percentage wise than he did in the corners for whatever reason and then like outside of that like I thought you know as a as a guard and he wasn’t their primary ball handler but he was one of them um his assist percentage was kind of lower than you’d like and for a guy that is trying to find a way onto a team like this who has you know playoff deep playoff run aspirations then you’re looking for somebody that can be a little bit more suitable uh all around uh and and hit those open shots and I don’t know if he’s really that kind of guy yet yeah so in doing my research on some of these guys it’s weird dusting off the uh the old draft analysis Knuckles after four years of not having a first round draft pick um but I he’s interesting to me if you’re curious about his range like based on the mock drafts that I looked at he was number 26 number 30 number 33 number 39 and number 28 and that’s everything from Yahoo to the ringer to ESPN the athletic all these different mocks so he’s somewhere in this kind of range 22 uh feels like maybe it’s a little high but you never know if the suns are going to trade up if they’re going to trade down what they might do in the draft but he’s he’s a guy that um he kind of plays bully ball in terms of being able to get to the basket which is a good thing uh but he is one of the frequent complaints about his game that kept coming up was that he tries to squeeze passes into Tight Windows he’s a little too Reckless sometimes with the turnovers um and he doesn’t have like an explosive First Step so he’s big and he’s strong enough to make up for that to use his length and athleticism but he’s not going to like beat guys off the dribble in the NBA which is a potential problem there so um interesting Prospect but not one that I’m necessarily excited about with that pick yeah I don’t need to double down on guys that are good at throwing away the basketball that’s one of the key points here I think uh I think I’m probably good on that front because at 22 if you’re keeping that pick you have to make an impact right you can’t afford to take a project or or miss on it so yeah not I’m not going to get a guy that may play right into what the problems were year this is the part where we insert it’s all downhill from here oh boy is is that where we Dro that song just kidding we’ get flag for it love we’re hating on we’re hating on these kids who have never played a minute in the leag oh they all suck after this I think specifically when talking about the 22nd pick because everybody else that we’re going to talk about that has worked out for the Sun so far is either not on a lot of the draft boards yet or way further back than 22 now that doesn’t mean the Suns aren’t working on some things to maybe pick up some picks later on in the draft we’ll see um but next up we’ve got bronny James of course out of USC 6’4 210 is pounds in the 2023 24 season he averaged 4.8 points per game 2.8 rebounds 2.1 assists shooting 36.6% from the field and of course you’ll remember he’s only working out with the Suns and the Lakers as of right now and maybe another team or two again we we talked about it at length last week um about his um opportunities he’s he’s good at getting to the rim uh for his size and his physicality I think he’s really good at attacking the rim when he’s decisive uh the problem is is obviously he showed you that he was a freshman last year and a freshman that came off of two months um of a of a break to try and get uh his health in order and you know and so he would get caught in between taking a shot or passing often times especially when he penetrated the lane if he was not assertive enough his outside shooting could use a little bit more polishing and more consistency and overall just as a playmaker um there was times where he kind of got lost which is a typical freshman thing that you see in college it’s not that it’s not that big of a deal but the times that you you look at him and you’re like oh you know what I kind of like that is when they did run some Pro Set style stuff because you could tell he was familiar with it and there was a comfor ability with it um so when they would run the Princeton set over at USC he would come off screens and he knew exactly when he was ready what to look for to be ready to shoot get his get his body right um and a lot of times he would cash in on those those opportunities so you liked what you saw the one time this season when he did not um get substituted out or you know Boogie Ellis was like their big player um he he was a fifth year senior and he played behind him quite often uh the one time balas didn’t play he actually started and he had a really good first half against Arizona at Arizona so those there’s things that you can build off of it’s just you know that young potential you just don’t know how it’s going to play out do you think do you think he’s undervalued now though because of you know anybody would have struggled with the hardship that he went through leading into that season at UFC do you think he’s undervalued because of that and how he played where he might have more potential even before then I always thought that he needed at least two years in college I I just don’t feel like he he’s physically mentally ready to play in the NBA right now um but I could be wrong I I just felt like he needed at least two years yeah it feels like I mean he is a second round prospect that could go in the first round uh depending on if you ask the Lakers or the Suns or some other team that’s willing to take a flyer but like all of these mock drafts have him in the 50s for the most part like that’s that’s kind of what he is and if you are drafting him at 22 it’s because you have certain insurances behind the scenes let’s be frank like he’s he’s 6’4 in shoes he’s 6’1 and A2 without shoes like I I don’t understand why they have the measurements with without care about shoes I mean the he’s he’s not as tall even in shoes he’s not 6’4 like he’s that that’s that interet was a generous listing by USC on that definely definitely playing platforms on that one um but like air fors ones that’s what he’s rolling out way he’s he’s a guy that can get to the rim but doesn’t finish well there he did not shoot the ball well at us but his form is really good and it translated well at the draft combine when I think he hit 19 or 25 shots in that one drill that really impressed a lot of Scouts who kind of thought that the shooting is actually one of his more bankable skills offensively but the problem is he’s undersized to play the two guard spot and he doesn’t have the skill set of a point guard so even with that Stout build that he has like offensively he’s going to have to find his role and defensively is where he can you know maybe crack a rotation down the line because defense is what’s going to get him on Court he has great anticipation positioning really quick hands he’s good at getting Steals and deflections that type of thing um so that’s kind of going to be the skill that he needs to bank on if he wants to work his way into a rotation early in his career there better only be two ways they draft him if you tra trade for a second round pick or because you know it means LeBron otherwise I think it’s too risky to go that at 22 with your aspirations so yeah Brian in the chat said he almost died and y’all want him to be magic no that’s why we said he should he should be in college for another year probably that’s a good that’s a good one all right next up we’ve got Trent flowers of the Adelaide 36ers is that bring back some good memories and thoughts there no uh he is 6 foot 8ish 200ish pounds he’s 19 years old and uh last year he averaged 5.5 points per game 3.1 rebounds point six assists and2 steals he did have a few injuries so and he is very young 19 of course but you know he can knock down threes he can drive to the rim he’s just a little unpolished when it comes to those things I I didn’t see him on a ton of draft boards to be honest I think he was number 50 on Yahoo and 34 on the ringer and that was all that I could find on him on those but uh the comparison that came up a couple times was Kelly UB with the way that he likes to attack the basket um but can sometimes get tunnel vision well see you say that but Kelly UB has like a 10-year career so let’s not let’s not just just and he played great for the Sixers this year jealous let’s not when we’re doing draft comparisons I hate when guys like get compared to a player who’s just a decent role player and people are like I know that’s what that’s not why I laugh though why I laugh because I always I always find it funny that when they’re like oh he plays like X and it’s always the same color guy it’s always like oh light skinn curly hair Kell you Bray there it is that’s exactly who he reminds plays like LeBron James guy I’ll give you another one nba.com said quote at times he can look like Jaylen brown but other times he can look like Cory Brewer so is that just how he does driving Wings there you go I’m just saying when we compare draft prospects to players who have carved out established careers we shouldn’t [ __ ] on that because of the comparison like yeah look I get I I get it I also don’t think it’s and I’m not blaming you that I don’t think it’s fair whenever they compare these guys or somebody because then fans inevitably are like well I expect that out of him and then you know a lot of times they turn into completely different kind of players it it should be shades of not this is who this is going to be but yeah he’s a guy that puts his head down he drives to the rim he has some good bursts there um he does embrace contact getting to the rim uh likes to run the floor in transition for easy lobs that type of thing so he’s got some athleticism to him but also similar to Kelly UB he kind of gets tunnel vision and takes some bad shots um and I think someone pointed out that he shot made under 50% of his layups uh this was in a more physical League that doesn’t call a lot of fouls at The Rim but still something to something that needs to improve 50% of you thought NK was frustrated that does go well for Lindsay because just like Kelly she probably wants to hit this guy in the mouth with the Mico yeah it was an accident all right next up we got Fara uh AIC out of Cal forward 6 foot1 is 245 is pounds in the 2023 24 season average 14.5 points per game 11 rebounds per game 2.1 assists and shot 46.4% from the field this is all I’m going to say about thisy is if you really like slow guys if you really like sus suspect play around the rim we’ve already got one of those guys was gonna say said that he his comparison was nerd yeah and I and I’ll say like if we’re gonna take a a a flyer on a player I’d much rather go with like a guy like Zach Edy than than this player because at least Zach Edy has shown you he can be dominant down low on the post and he can he can block shots and play decent defense at a higher level than what he played in in the Pack 12 and you know no disrespect of the Pack 12 but they only had one good team in the whole conference so it’s like yeah I’m good farage wasn’t that the name of the uh the Lord in uh Shrek farad farad Lord farquad I like how that’s you’re a bit of an i okay I hate I hate draft time I’m just gonna be honest hate it’s fair we can tell you feel uncomfortable right now just hate it I hate it um you you know what’s the fun fact about him he’s 25 years old yeah the James just taking him remember what how old cam was yeah so I mean look this is a guy that I think he led the whack in rebounding or all of the NCAA in rebounding a couple years ago he’s a good rebounder um he was two-time wack defensive player of the year but you know like he was in college for five or six years basically he’s a little old if you get a second round pick and you want to take a flyer sure but this guy was not on any mock draft that I could he’s definitely he now he would be a good um free agent candidate um in terms of you know undraftable undrafted free agent maybe that’s what some of these are looking at that’s what I’m wondering because they got to fill a whole G league roster so yeah there’s there’s a lot of reasons okay last one for now uh Power Forward Jaylen Williams out of Auburn 6 fo8 is 240 is pounds he’ll be 24 in July so also a little bit older four years in college uh he averaged 12.4 points per game 4.4 rebounds 1.9 assist shooting 39.5% from Deep on Two and a Half attempts per game we have let James know this isn’t either the guys in OKC right I I believe so can we all just like agree and I’m speaking for everyone else because I’m already not going to be participating in the repopulation pool uh can we all not name kids Jaylen moving forward what the [ __ ] what what are you talking about revisit the way you not I mean God you could have just said that I just wanted it to sound extra sound like we were going to euthanize people be extra when I say things we just maybe put a pin in the name Jaylen for a little while I just can we go back to your overall philosophy of [ __ ] them kids like when it comes to your draft and and you know population the repopulation pool I don’t want to swim in that pool we’re we’re over the second apron no more repopulation pool for you all right say um yeah so Jaylen I don’t know I mean he gets to the rim a lot I think he took more than 40% of his shots at The Rim which we need more guys to put pressure on the rim but another guy that has not appeared on any of the mock drafts that I found so probably more of a g-league or second round guy interesting G League suns are gonna be interesting yeah I want to say I saw him at like 70 something on a like a big board yeah something like that everyone that talked about him said he’s projected to be like a quality role player in the NBA um but definitely not a first round pick I didn’t see him in any second round mocks either well if he’s projected 70 that’s why all right that’s it for now yes and uh I’m glad that we all have agreed Jaylen is no longer a name that we’re going to participate in for like 10 years we’ll just put a pin in that one um but we are what we are going to be participating in is the ph& X events that are coming up here in the near future we’ve got one happening next week and that is the trivia night out at chicken and pickle no two weeks from now that’s right well cuz next week I’m on vacation so I think next week next week next week is the Mercury take over next week that Lindsay works exactly exactly that’s on June 20th the chicken and pickle uh then we’ve got the Mercury takeovers happening as well we got two of these These are going to be a blast you guys know takeovers are always a great time always we got Aces next week right so that’ll be Kelsey plum in the building that be fun to watch plus these all come with a pregame part party where food and drinks are included so you’re not GNA find a better time out at a Mercury game or better deal you can get your tickets over at go phx.com and if you’re a Die Hard you get a discount because when you’re Die Hard you get discounts on all of our events so head on over to go.com and become a die hard today and get your tickets to the Mercury takeovers as well as check the events top because there’s a whole bunch of fun things happening over the next couple of months and a lot of those events you’re going to need some shady Rays especially if you’re heading out to Miami with the PHX Cardinal scw so make sure you look good and your eyes are protected with a great pair of shady Rays so hell yeah yes we are talking about quality Shades that are built to last premium polarized sunglasses that will not break the bank they’re an independent sunglass company offering a world class product and they’ve got a 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them as corn stars all right it’s our friends over at IL legal PE you want to get double the corn when you go there is what Lindsay tells you’s no way it’s got the juice it’s got the juice illegal illegal please your place for burritos buddies uh beer and uh and corn I was expecting at all I would never have guess what huh you said what illegal pce has the Mexican food that you want that’s the point here they got an unbelievable menu I love the burritos I also love you know the nachos I’m a big nacho you know you love one other thing what’s your staple I couldn’t can’t say it quesadilla I do love the quesadilla over there at illegal piz it is fantastic nothing that’s just his fa afraid to say it because sa always gives me I kind of shamed him we’ll go to like Steak 44 and he’ll can I get the casad that’s not I’m not like Johnny venerable making an ass of myself at a steak out no yeah you can cut that I go to Legal pizza and I do enjoy the casad I love the piping hot queso I love the guacamole they got everything and anything and they got a hell of a bar too you got to enjoy the custom cocktails and the beers there and they got a fantastic deal the legendary soundcheck deal so if you’re come to the Mercury game save that ticket stub after you go with us then head down to Tempe and you’re going to get a draft beer or house Margarita for just one penny that’s right one penny uh legal pets wants to celebrate you with you whether it’s a pregame or postgame party they got you covered on all your game day needs uh must purchase an adult entree to redeem illegal Pete soundcheck deal uh your go-to spot for burritos buddies and beers that is illegal pets your corn stars all right all right let’s go ahead and dive into this conversation we’re about to have here let’s go we are going to tear son’s draft misses today and our five tiers are going to be franchise altering mistake a massive draft bust could a should a w as splitting hairs and who who that is I can’t wait yall ready I am not ready for this oh man let’s start with dragon Bender he’s taken fourth overall in 2016 taking over guys like Jamal Murray that he healed deont sabonis I still own property on bender Island it’s deserted now but no I still I actually have an autographed rookie card of drag and Bender at the home I I think it’s a massive bust I don’t think there were enough guys that were Surefire things that you passed up on uh when it came to him you did have expectations but you also knew you were taking a chance on on a kid uh that hadn’t played college ball uh in the United States or anything I’m gonna I’m gonna put him at massive bus that’s where I had him I had him in the middle of my massive bus people like I I feel like he was definitely a bust to take him number four overall I honestly think that taking him four overall is part of the reason why they did what they did in 2018 just because of the residual uh PTSD from that pick and he was only here for three seasons but like you said like Jamal Murray and Buddy heeld were kind of the only two guys that were right in that draft range that you look at like that were in consideration that high and I don’t know I I I can’t put him any higher than that just because like he he was a draft bust he absolutely was I also feel like the Suns let him down as much as they as much as he let them down they had no development program with these young guys and uh and he was a guy that probably needed that more than more than other prospects there was a lot of raw talent there but I I think there was too much expected of him too fast and you didn’t have that support system around him so Leo in the chat said Bender said if he was drafted somewhere else he would have had a better career with a laughing face emoji but low key Leo and espo you guys are right you were there in the building you tell us no I 100% agree I feel like they drafted and Bender was one of the younger draft picks as well you got to remember I’m pretty sure he was 18 when he joined the sun he was a project and then you put so much emphasis on them and you expect them to be like a guy like Devin Booker right who maybe gets one year of work and then all of a sudden you can put all that weight on their not everybody can do that and you just have these huge crazy expectations and you don’t necessarily have the support that you should or it’s the wrong type of support let’s be honest maybe that could have played into it as well I think in that whole period of a lot of these drafts picks that we’re going to talk about you got to put a little bit of the blame on the Suns organization oh yeah I think I think for you know a portion of these guys you could say the same thing I mean the organization let them down and they were listen they were they had a lot of Misses uh internally on especially uh I would say I would I would agree with you guys I think that he was definitely um in that second tier I I just remember the first time I got up here and I was working for Fox Sports Arizona and I went to go cover the first preseason game they were playing the Kings and dragon Bender came down the court and he air balled his first shot and then he threw the next two passes over the head of everybody in all the way into the second deck and then the fourth time down he air balled another one and he got taken out of the game and I was like and I tweeted from the Fox Sports Arizona account man that was the worst three minutes of basketball I’ve ever seen by a single player and then a guy talking to the next day cuz we we were partners with the Suns I mean yeah that r i I didn’t know I didn’t know we weren’t allowed to say those things speak the truth that wasn’t the brand voice all yeah we are slandering Arizona yeah so we we’ll put Bender in the massive bust I will say as much as like the Suns failed him I don’t think he he would have had a better career if he’d have been drafted elsewhere I don’t think it would have been substantially different like I I don’t know though I mean we did have Point Bender for that one won summer league and it was a thing stop it stop it all right next up we’ve got Tim Perry seventh overall in the 1988 draft taking over guys like Rex Chapman Ronnie cyle and Rod Strickland this is a firmly in the who category for me I I don’t know I think it’s it it’s spitting hairs to me you know like I feel like there are a few names like Rex Chapman went right after imagine if you had Rex Chapman uh with those cotton fit Simmons cotton Express teams that running and gunning that athleticism like that could have been something that that made that team even more interesting where Tim Perry the the what the best thing you remember is part of the Barkley deal right I mean and that’s where you kind of got to go with that a little bit it’s like without Tim Perry If you make that pick then you don’t end up with Charles Barkley which you know we saw how that played out so so splitting hairs I would say should have could have would have maybe could would I could agree on that wow okay I thought this was a who candidate for sure oh I know who Tim Perry is so well so do I but the point is like that’s not the point J you don’t know who Tim I I know who all of these guys are but the point is like would you know who Tim Perry was if not for the Charles Barkley trade not really that’s like if you asked the average Sun fan who is Tim Perry Oh no yeah for sure okay you can put him in who listen I okay with going up to splitting hairs but if you want to leave them in who that’s one I’m not gonna fight all right next up Jaylen Smith 10th overall in the 2020 NBA draft taking over guys like Tyrese halberton Tyrese Maxi Devin Mel he’s six kids I’m sorry I think he is my first candidate for franchise altering mistakes yeah Champion everybody in their m was like we need a point guard we need a point guard we need a point guard yeah uh hello you had one right there staring you in the face and I think about listen we might have all been split on da Luca we might have been all split up on a couple other prospects but this one felt like a majority of the fan base was like that’s the pick what are we doing and then they took Jaylen Smith and half of us were like who yeah oh my goodness and the other half were he looks like Amari STM in the four Clips I could find look man it it was not a good look when most of the analysis that was out on Jaylen Smith when we looked up who the hell he was because no one projected him to go that high it was yeah he might be able to play the four but he’s probably more of a backup five cool so we got a guy who’s either a questionable fit next to Da or a guy who’s his backup with a top 10 pick and then you see what happened with Tyrese halberton The Unbelievable player he’s become Tyrese Maxi same deal even Devon vasel like you would have still love to have just Devon vasel on this current team or when you were heading into Kevin Durant trade negotiations so yeah for me this is this is a franchise altering mistake especially because Jaylen Smith was here for two seasons I’d rather have had the company halberton and uh than him you know then Jaylen Smith in this like Jaylen Smith was the ultimate bad pick like and I feel like James Jones was buying a little bit into his own press clip at that point joh from the cam Johnson because everybody was like that was a real reach so I think he felt like oh I can do this again because I I hit on it and he swung and missed so yep all right franchise altering mistake for Jaylen Smith sorry guy uh next up we’ve got Earl Clark 14th overall in the 20 2009 draft taking over guys like Drew holiday Ty Lawson Jeff Teague Darren Collison where you want to put ear he’d be so does this one make your heart hurt it does because I remember watching Drew in person and be like man I would love that guy on our team yep and then we did not take him and we took this dude and I was just like no no another time everybody knew the Suns could use a point guard and they didn’t go get one how did we go from H how do we go from extremes why are we always an extreme team why can’t we ever just be in the middle we either have 17 freaking point guards or none I don’t know like what are we doing with our lives it’s a wave of overcorrection yeah yeah that that actually is so true like I there’s a part of me that fears for what’s going to happen either in this draft or in two years when we have another pick if we don’t get another one it’s like oh man we really do need a point guard let’s just grab this random dude from Yugoslavia because we heard that he balled out when he was 14 one time okay like okay then James Jones ate the the GM in two years because he does not know any 14-year-old yugoslavians that bald out at any point um yeah Earl Clark I have him in could have should have would have but I’ll take massive draft bust as well just because like passing up Drew holiday that hurts he only played two seasons and averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game so bad he was bad you want put them in massive draft bust and we’ll just keep him towards the end of the line fair I think that’s fair I do have a fun story about him sure buddy of mine uh worked at the Suns at the time he was at a Best Buy uh it was this was Earl Clark’s rookie here Earl clar Clark walked up behind him stuck his fingers in his back and said give me your money oh freak the hell out out of my buddy so real Clark was at least good for a laugh we we should also not with Earl Clark like as much as this was a bad pick it’s not as bad in terms of the draft positioning like it was end of the lottery which if it was like top 10 then I would say it’s worse but I still think draft bu is fair okay next up we’ve got Kendall Marshall 13th overall in the 2012 draft taking over guys like John Hensen Mo harkless rice white Tyler Zeller Ken Jones again an overcorrection to try and replace Steve Nash y okay yeah look I think he’s probably could have should have would have just because of the the fact that there weren’t a lot of guys that you went that was a can’t miss guy that went after him you know in a lot of ways I also think everybody knew what this guy’s flaw was they’re like this guy can pass like crazy and if he just learns how to shoot and he never learned how to shoot so like it was like a buyer beware you knew what you were getting and he didn’t fix him in any way you know yeah I mean he like Lindsay was reading off the list of names and I’m just like he was bad pick for sure but the next like six or seven guys that went after him were not like great players by any stretch um yeah some of them maybe Mo harkless or Tyler Zeller could have helped you Terrence Jones for a little bit there but other than that it’s nobody was slim pickings that’s why I kind of feel like you should put them at either the end of kosa or the beginning of like splitting I I had splitting hairs the fact that he only played one season for the Suns is really really rough he technically came back a second time and they cut him before he ever played is true I say I’m good with splitting hairs so let’s put him in splitting hairs can I show a picture because I’m and telling the story sure all right so I covered him in his first train it was yeah that was my second job back then so this was his rookie first day of training camp he was wearing a door of the Explorer backpack because they made all the rookies do it but what what I really remember is when they drafted him uh they picked him at number 133 and I believe it was Steve Nash Dan Marley There was other bigger name that the Suns had taken at that pick and they had this graphic that it was those guys in Kendall Marshall and it said who’s next under it and I will never forget that c because he was not next he was not much fun fact my first fantasy basketball team was named forgetting Kendall Marshall so it didn’t take long for that trauma to set in all right next up we’ve got zaro chabara is that how you say it yes okay I was like I keep forgetting how to say this okay overall in 2003 taking over David West Boris Di and that’s it yeah we can put him in the who category before or after Tim Perry it doesn’t matter I put him after they’re all shrug emojis in that category but great name though honestly great name only played two seasons with the Suns and three NBA Seasons total he had he had a moment if I’m remembering correctly where he looked like he could have been something and then I think it was Kenneth fared hit him at when he was going up for a dunk he broke his wrist and he never could do anything ever again so that’s unfortunate come on Manimal I may be blaming the wrong guy I have the story completely wrong but that’s how I remember it and since he’s a who none of you gonna know if I’m wrong or not I’m G look it up now all right next up we’ve got Ed Pinkney 10th overall 1985 taking over Carl Malone Joan Dumar AC Green Terry Porter yeah the list goes on and on the list goes on and on that that one was pretty rough because I let’s just take what we know about Carl Malone aside um like he was a baller at Louisiana Tech and he did some big time things I think he’s still the school’s all-time leading scorer like he was physical and in in the the the time of that draft in 85 like you needed some physical dudes in the NBA because everybody felt like they were fighting every single night uh so you know a guy like Carl Malone was no-brainer but they went with good old Ed and the Providence guy and or banova I think it was B Nova yeah and it just he lasted two seasons in Phoenix 12 Seasons total in the NBA but only two in Phoenix I feel like he’s could have should have would have because you look at it and you go okay all these other guys you could have taken you know but I don’t think anybody viewed him as a franchise changer necessarily in 85 so I think it’s tough to say massive bust no it’s more that it’s definitely more about who was picked behind him than it was yeah the draft pick I would should could would yeah I’d be I think that’s fair and to his credit I don’t believe he got caught up in the cocaine Scandal so that which happened right around there he wasn’t here loing all right next up we have Jay Humphrey 13th overall in the 1984 draft taking over John Stockton I mean look at you could have had Stockton and Malone and you blew it there it is you could had KJ and Malone on the same roster oh man we gonna Sid step gonna Sid step that conversation um yeah so he’s he’s probably lower on my tiers just because he was 13th overall and like I’ve been saying like if it’s an end of lottery pick that’s not as bad as like a top 10 selection and sock Stockton’s kind of the only guy in the vicinity that you look at and was like damn they missed out on that guy so I would him in splitting hairs or who honestly yeah I would I would probably put I’d probably put him in splitting hairs splitting hairs before or after Kendall Marshall after after anybody good with after yeah I’m good with after perfect uh we’re gonna take a quick break to remind you that it is summertime and that means Polar Pops and frosters hit just a little bit better this time of the year thanks to our friends over at Circle K the ultimate way to cool down in the the blistering summer heat that is Arizona’s heat and right now you can save some money when you sign up for their free membership program the Inner Circle so Polar Pops right now through September 3rd at any Arizona location are just. 79 cents but when you’re part of the Inner Circle you get them for 69 nice you also save a bunch of money as well by being an inner circle member first and foremost you save 25 cents per gallon on your first five Phillips you save three cents per gallon every every single day there are always tons of coupons and Deals going on inside the Inner Circle app that are exclusive to members only so join Inner Circle for free today by downloading the Circle K app terms and conditions apply at participating locations this is circle.com for details but trust me this is one Inner Circle you definitely want to be a part of if you are stuck in somebody’s Outer Circle you know what can help fix that money thank you thank you over a desert Financial Credit un want to hook you up with two hyy they got $200 waiting for you look we can talk about how many years they’ve been in town 84 we can talk about all the financial experts they have there all of them and all the great things that you can do savings accounts mortgages basically anything you want but what you want to know is how do you get that 200 bucks and it’s super simple right you open a free checking account online and that’s it there’s there’s no more there’s no other step that’s that’s it and then you’re going to get $200 in bonuses it’s the easiest $200 you can make on a weekend ever right like to take five minutes this weekend and get yourself a desert Financial Credit Union checking account online boom 200 100 bucks so open that free checking account today at desertfinancial.com 20000 all right next up here we go oh buddy here’s starting to get a little heated go Josh Jackson fourth overall in the 2017 draft taking over guys like dearen Fox Lowry marinan Donovan Mitchell bam adab bio Josh Jackson you didn’t even mention the fact that uh we convinced him to screw over the Celtics so they didn’t draft him so we couldn’t get was that Jason Tatum yeah Jason T guy that guy that’s playing in the finals yeah guy so uh yeah put him in that franchise alter uh mistake right there but we don’t blame do we blame Josh for that or do we blame the front office for the front office we blame everyone inol I blame he chose to go along with the plan to piss off the Celtics 2 I blame every single person that thought that was a good idea man listen and yeah I’m talking to you too Ryan all right this this one Jesus this one hurts a lot because I’ll be honest a lot of us here wanted Josh Jackson like I I thought he was going to be legit um that that’s probably one of my biggest personal draft misfires I thought obviously there were concerns with the shot but I just thought he had that dog in him like I thought he was going to be a really good Wing compliment to Devin Booker and I think a lot of people were excited at the time about Josh Jackson falling to number four but this there’s no doubt this is a franchise altering mistake like even even if you take the Jason Tatum sabotager out of the mix like dear and fox was the next pick too and having a point guard next to dein Booker I get why they didn’t because they still had bledo and Brandon Knight at the time but man when you look at what fox has become and what happened with bledo and Brandon Knight here that’s brutal all the way around I believe you confused that dog for pot that was what was in Josh Jackson was the number one celebrated recruit in the country when he went to uh when he went to Kansas and um when he came out of Kansas after his first year it he had a lot of hype behind him and I think the Suns just completely fell in that trap and we’re like yeah we’re going to get this [ __ ] steal at four because he dropped down and all these other players got taken nope nope nope I think that’s why I would put him in massive draft bus though I get what you’re saying but like there was hype around him it wasn’t like this crazy what the hell were you thinking situation like a Jaylen Smith right I I initially no or maybe at least at the end of franchise altering mistake because that’s what I’m saying like there’s a difference everyone wanted Tyrese over Jaylen in the Josh Jackson situation everyone felt similarly about Josh Jackson yeah I I get that I would put him behind Jaylen and and at the end of franchise altering mistakes so far but it’s still that’s still delay Devin Booker ascending for another two to three years because of how bad you whiffed on a top five pick there when part of your lore is allegedly hot booxed a kid in a car you deserve to be and massive draft bust right dud the other part we remember about him he didn’t show up to event so James Jones had to buy beer those are the two most impactful moments that Josh Jackson had as a phoenix son I will say Josh to me was a huge um example of the people around you can hurt you your circle can be your downfall and I think Josh was a a big victim of that yeah anyway moving on Alex Len fifth overall in the 2013 NBA draft taking over kcp CJ [ __ ] Stephen [Music] Adams I go could have should have would have because honestly in that draft they were the Cavs were about to take him One MH right it was not that this makes it much better but it was Anthony Bennett or Alex Len at one for the Cavs right uh so when you get that guy at five who was supposedly going to go one I you know I I don’t think this one’s as bad as as some of the other ones in my mind uh Anthony Bennett would would be my one Josh Jackson That’s the guy that I thought was gonna be much better than the so yeah I would have been on top of the table if we drafted Anthony Bennett I promise you I would have I he didn’t he eventually want it as NZ son at come on he did at number five Anthony Bennett I would have been cool with but man the number one thing that was crazy to me because I saw him play in college multiple times and I was like I think it’ll be good but not number one pick Alex Len for me at five I got it I didn’t really want Alex L at that spot but he has he’s been in the NBA for over a decade like he has carved out a career even if it’s not as a impact player or anything like that so I I hav him been could have would should have the beginning or before or after ad um I think before and that draft wasn’t strong it wasn’t a strong draft bad I mean you look at what was Victor Oladipo probably the best out of that yeah I really wanted top five Victor was great for until he got hurt he went too right so like you wouldn’t have even had a chance at him I wanted them to trade up for him so bad Victor Oladipo was like the allstar of one of my um fantasy basketball teams one year and I wrecked everybody face to him I put him in front of also Alex always worked hard like he wasn’t a a screw up he wasn’t a guy that that didn’t put in the effort I just yeah I I’d put him in could have would have I would put I’d put him I actually would put him in splitting hairs just because there wasn’t really much to choose from I mean I guess that’s fair too it wasn’t I mean it’s not like we missed on anybody you could argue CJ McCollum but there were questions about about him you know yeah he went to Lehi it’s like man right I’m not taking this [ __ ] kid because he had one good game against Duke in the tournament yeah you want to put him after Ed in Shaka I’ll put him after yeah okay because he he’s still a top five pick I know there weren’t a ton of options but like even kcp would have been a good pick there all right next up Armen Gilliam fourth overall 1987 taking over guys like Scotti Pippen Kevin Johnson Horus Grant Reggie Miller massive that’s massive that that that’s a that’s a big time mistake especially considering like not only did Pippen get taken after you but the Bulls realized Pippen’s Talent traded up they traded the sonics to get him um and so like then you know you fast forward to 1993 and you’re like h no [ __ ] damn it it would have been nice if we had that guy yeah know I mean and then obviously the trade rumors with Dan Marley during the All-Star Game and all stuff because you know pipp was rumored to be coming here too I just that was such a big Miss uh for a guy that you know a lot of us don’t really remember well and I think you also this Suns team had so few top 10 picks or top five picks in history and I mean God they’ve missed a lot but like yeah that that one in particular that was a a weak mid 80s period you could have really changed things if you had hit on a on a Pippen or somebody I had him in franchise altering mistake honestly well because just because he was only in Phoenix for three seasons and that was I think one of two times you’ve had the number two overall pick and like to not get not even just Scotty but like KJ Horus Reggie Mugsy Bogues Mark Jackson like there were all these names regie is almost even more unexcusable because Reggie was playing at UCLA Reggie was in your backyard basically you got to see Reggie as many times as you wanted to and you still were like nah I’m gonna go with this guy yeah yeah I mean yeah you think about those Ripple effects pipp and Reggie and those guys in the ’90s what they did what they were capable of and what you could have been in that yeah I’ll go I’ll go franch altering end though right yeah yeah for now anyway all right next up Maris Chris eighth overall in the 2016 draft taking over yakob purle Gerald do your guy damont tonus rip Maris Chris career can I I might surprise you I actually think this was a worse pick than drag and Bender oh yeah because you gave up so much you gave up two two first round picks in that draft you gave a Bogdan bogdanovich who actually turned into a very good player in the MBA all to move up to that spot to take a guy that was a total flameout that’s probably the funniest thing that’s ever happened to me covering the Phoenix Suns is I was there at draft headquarters the night of that draft and all the front office Executives were on the floor above us and so we got the news that Dragon Bender was going to be the pick at number four and then a few minutes later we heard this massive cheer erupt from upstairs and we’re like What did they just do and then we get the news that they had traded up for Maris Chris and the fact that they were trading over trading up for Maris Chris was like in retrospect one of the funniest thing that’s ever happened but at the time I remember everybody going wow this is amazing because they were debating over bender and Chris at four and then all of a sudden they walk out of that draft and remember people debating hard about which guy to take it for and then they walk out of the draft with both guys you’re like holy [ __ ] they actually pulled that off and you go now I understand why yeah it’s tough I mean he only spent two seasons here he was a top 10 pick you like you said you traded a lot for so I have him at the end of massive draft bus for me I mean one game doesn’t say at all but I saw Maris Chris play in person at Washington and I was just like when I heard that he was going to be a top 10 pick I was just like were they watching a different game than I was because this kid is not that great yeah I didn’t like him nice you think that drag and Bender is ahead of him yes just because he was drafted at number four and but yeah even with as much as you gave up I mean the picks that they traded who did those turn into they didn’t I don’t think they turned into anybody Geor papadis or something papis Pap I mean b donovic yes I I really liked him and I wanted him but I don’t know yeah I think Mar Gris was one of those guys um I think he’s a massive bust yeah yeah definitely a massive bust but just before before after Earl I feel like they’re all the same to me on the I would put him after bender and before Clark yeah that’s fine great in the middle um I think Maris got a little uh too big for his britches I guess if you want to say it like that like he thought he was a starter from the jump because of the team he was coming to right you kind of needed him to be that but I think he thought he was better than what he was and therefore didn’t need to put in the work to get better because of the situation he was in where they already were like you’re our starter from day one well he showed up after his first season like out of shape and a lot of the conversation was that like Oh I’m a rookie I just don’t know like what my offseason workout regimen should be I just didn’t eat healthy I think that was the copout that was the LIE yeah and it was kind of like this is a little concerning right yeah no he just he thought he didn’t have to do what everyone else in the NBA has to do in order to be truly successful I said the same thing after my first season I came back didn’t know I was supposed to work out the Seas to be fair if you look at my college diet and gave me a million dollars to inject into that fast food regimen i’ probably would have come back looking the same you’re like hey I didn’t know that if I spent $100,000 on the dollar men you I was going to come back like this all right next up we’ve got William Bedford six overall in the 1986 draft taking over guys like Ron Harper Scott Skyles U Mark Price Dennis Rodman I don’t know how to say sabon sabonis is Dad’s firstus our vus not your vus not my vus our vus where would you like to place William Bedford who oh man I mean he’s a who first of all ain’t nobody in their right mind ever going to draft Dennis Rodman coming out of Central Oklahoma Valley State Tech Bible College like that’s fair like come on like that was just that when you draft guys out of those spots that’s to me there’s there’s a little bit of luck involved in in hitting on those those types of prospects and arvita sabonis everybody knew he wasn’t coming over I mean he didn’t come over until far later and he had two bad knees at that point so I don’t count that one either yeah I think this is who yeah before Tim after Tim before zaro would you like to weigh in gerd I I was I would have had like could have would have should have honestly because like Ron Harper Scott Skyles those guys could have helped right away but I I get it like a lot of people don’t know who William Bedford is he is a number six overall pick though a lot of people don’t even know who Scott scy that’s that’s true that’s which makes me sad who wasn’t need a former son’s coach he owns the record for most assists in the game he does how exciting scy so the end splitting hairs you want to do split the difference yeah let’s do splitting hairs he was fired the coach because he was a real [ __ ] I mean that was he was fired as multiple coaches before or after Jay uh yes yeah that’s good yeah at the beginning drop it you got tell us which one drop it at the beginning of it yeah just drafted so high at the beginning of it should we save the big one for last oh my God you just or do you want to do now no it’s fine we might as well just say the best for last Marie Morris 13 2011 taking over guys like kawi Leonard deis Harris Jimmy Butler it’s okay so this is not on Marquee the the reason why he would be franchise altering mistake is because of the reasoning behind why the Suns allegedly did not pull the trigger on drafting him big fo he’s too sweaty what the [ __ ] are you talking about why sweat through a suit D I can’t dress that I’m sweating right now I’m not even doing anything it’s also Arizona what are you talking about oh my goodness right yeah that too he just got done working out I can’t believe he’s sweating what maybe that’s the reason why they miss so many times in the draft crazy that is a crazy reason to not draft somebody and they pay dearly for it [ __ ] that guy I with a thousand fires I I’ve told this story before hey Mar Morris is a total [ __ ] fake tough guy all right I I’ll tell again I’ll tell you want story time I’m coming I’m social media guy dressed in my in my shirt and my tie and I come down the tunnel and I’m that phrasing and I I come around the corner and Maris Marie Morris makes eye contact with me drops his shoulder into me and knocks me the hell over my phone goes flying everything and goes and keeps walking yeah ESO you left a lot of money on the table with yeah you did that’s messed up I’m just saying you you that was a franchise altering mistake you made their could be doing this on a Sky Deck some right my goodness you could be the owner of all CI I did tell Marie I was dating his mom right before no just kiding totally kid brother KCK ass too all way what’ you do last night you like your mom yeah okay you also he was also the guy that at practice even his rookie year you’d be like marke can we get a minute or two with you you go no he’d walk all the way up up the stairs in the old uh in the old practice court and he go I guess you can and he’d make you ask the question from down at the stairs shouting up to him he’s just an [ __ ] a lord on a balcony yeah it’s just an [ __ ] look I I get along with 99% of people in life and especially on the beat he is one of the few that I did not enjoy covering just because he was he was he was a prick he really was and like the fact that wor like the fact that he came here barely developed during his time here talked Oodles of [ __ ] about the fans here like he’s a he’s a reviled Sons draft pick for a reason I I have him in franchise altering mistake just because of all those things yeah compounded I also I’ve told the the trade deadline story too where they were like all right guys we’re not trading Mar this is an hour or 30 minutes before the trade deadline ends it’s the year that he isn’t playing right yeah had basically been sent home and they call us all in the room and like all right guys Marie isn’t going anywhere so we got to spin this how do we say we think he’s an important part of our future and sell all this [ __ ] literally the worst 20 minutes of my life trying to help make [ __ ] up about this guy and then with five minutes to go uh our friend Julie fi gets a call and she goes oh we’re trading him so you guys can stop now and I was like Lord Jes all right before after Josh Jackson uh I have him at the end of that just cuz he was a number 11 pick that works all right Best For Last here we go bu one DeAndre Aon first overall in 2018 taking over Luc the dones I was one of the flag bearers of the drafty Andre Aton group and I’d like to apologize to each and every one of you who I ever tried to sell on that [ __ ] because I was stupid and this is part of why I hate the draft you could put him straight at the top of franchise altering bust because that was the one time you’ve had the number one pick and you screwed yourself silly with it when you look at everybody else including Luca in that dress up okay other than Marvin Bagley if you had went Marvin baggley first I would have I I’d be done with this franchise go ahead Gerald no you go ahead man I no I know you got thoughts I do got thoughts but I kind of want to hear your thoughts first all right let me let me go first then uh I’m not gonna try to rewrite history here there was a very clear moment early in the draft evaluation process where Luca donic was the clear number one Prospect and then as we got further into the draft process and DeAndre Aton had a draft workout here that felt more like a [ __ ] coronation ceremony it changed things changed like suddenly da was at the top of the list because everyone in that building knew that the suns were going to take da no matter what and there were a lot of us that were doing this draft evaluation process that were watching Luca play overseas at age 16 17 against Euroleague Talent which is better than what da played over here in the NCAA and was the MVP of That League like everybody that evaluated Luca and watched his stuff was like yeah this guy is going to be really really good he was the number he was the clear number one choice but there was the U the unavoidable U OFA Factor there was the unavoidable Hometown kid we’ve never had a franchise Center like this before this guy could be the next David Robinson and so it kind of got like I’ll be 100% honest this was the first time in my son’s career where I felt the impact of like wow people that disagree with my son’s opinion can be really nasty online I got called the FW I got called racist because I wanted da over not you like I got that was my first experience with like wow people can really be dicks online over differing opinions and I’m not saying that that has any bearing on why I’m putting him number one in the franchise altering mistake category but you look at what Luca donic is doing now he is a generational talent and even if he doesn’t win the finals this year you could have had Booker and Luca donic on the same team you could have paired them together for the next decade as the best back court in the NBA and I’m sorry this narrative that like book and Luca wouldn’t have gotten along is crazy to me we’ve talked so much about how Booker is a good off ball scorer about how he’s needed a point guard all this [ __ ] Luca could have been that guy for 10 years it’s it’s mindblowing to me and it sucks that they missed out on a guy who’s probably G to wind up being one of the 10 or 15 greatest players of all time you talk about scouting though this story is I have it on very good authority that Sarver wouldn’t let Ryan MCD go overseas to watch Luca it was Sarver and James Jones that that were the only two allowed to go do it they wouldn’t send uh they wouldn’t send him over uh and so the GM didn’t even get a chance to see this kid in person uh and there were were forces that were pushing for da and I also understand there was large contingent I know you’re saying that Luca was the clearcut but there there was a large contingent of of even MBA people not just fans that were saying da too it was it was a split in it was a split in Arizona everywhere else I’m telling you the draft experts were saying Luca’s generational da can be but this guy is the closest thing to a sure thing in the draft we’ve seen in quite a while he’s dominating better competition overseas against grown men and da is getting sent home by Buffalo in the first round of the tournament I’m sorry it’s there’s different levels to it and I’m not sitting up here saying that everybody was saying this I’m saying that the people that were watching Luca and that weren’t U OFA fans were saying this I dis hold up let me let me talk now okay [ __ ] this go uh no listen like I I get that that’s your perspective but I completely disagree that it was a consensus across the world that Luca should be the number one overall pick over da because even if you just get outside the Suns World okay Luca drops to number three not even number two because whatever reason you want and he gets traded to number five for Dallas and Atlanta like if Atlanta knew that Luca was going to be this Surefire can’t miss Prospect you know World defeater then they don’t trade for Trey young like that just does not happen but instead they make the trade so there’s that’s at least three teams that passed up on Luca donic number one right off the bat okay number two da was no slouch and I know like it it was surprising to hear like people talk about his motor uh and talking about like games and practices and stuff like that because if you’ve ever been around Shawn Miller you know like that’s just not going to be true uh he would have beat that kid’s ass into Oblivion it doesn’t matter how big of a superstar he was also I was there for like 27 of the 32 games including right there against Buffalo where yeah they they [ __ ] were terrible but like he looked every bit the part of a dominant big like that you’re going to find in college basketball and like the physical strength that he showed empowering in overpowering a lot of guys in in the Pack 12 was just like so eye openening and you just don’t see guys like da come along very often with the athleticism and the skill sets you know that he had now of course we don’t know how this is all going to play out I mean but the guy did get us to the finals and he was a very important part of that that that run to the finals even though they lost he was a very important part of that run to the finals without da I don’t think we get to the finals because who else are we going to have at Center at that point in time right and then also like he he averaged a double double his entire career like I know we would have loved for him to be as dominant as Luca and I get that and I’m not saying that he was a you know he should be on the The Who list or the the splitting hairs list but I don’t think that he should be at the top of the top in terms of franchise altering mistakes because he did he did perform well and he did he is still in the top like 10 of rebounding and and I think a game uh points scored in franchise history like he he did something while he was here he wasn’t just like Sam Bowie who just never did anything or Greg Odin who just never did anything because of injuries or because of lack of talent like he has the talent it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t get the most out of him and really piece him but besides uh Devin Booker to be that Kobe sha 2.0 but I think that’s also the part of the problem with da is da set himself up for failure so many times by saying stupid [ __ ] that he had no business saying instead of just letting his play do the talking he talked a lot talking about the Sha and Kobe 2.0 or I’m playing for that next contract when those things were uttered immediately people were already taken back like well what like the first contract after this rookie contract should not be the goal isn’t a championship or MVPs or whatever aren’t those the goals and that obviously it put a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths and then the end of da that last year obviously was was terrible but I’m sorry like I sat there I looked at it and even if I take away the U OFA listen man I’ve been hard on U OFA players left and right so I don’t have a u OFA bias when it comes to NBA scouting or or or prospecting like I think some players are better than others I didn’t think Alonzo Trier should be in the NBA and now he’s not like I didn’t think Raleigh Alin should be in the NBA I told them both to their face like you should not be going pro because I don’t think you have it in you and they haven’t made it into the NBA da I felt like was a generational Talent at the time at the time and I felt like it was a landslide that people here in the valley wanted da now I I congratulate you on getting your analysis right for sure but like I don’t think it was a consensus across the country that it was Luca or nobody else because if that was the case then number two number three and number five would have taken Luca and they wouldn’t have passed up on let let me clarify I’m talking about the draft analysis people the people that were writing these articles that were doing the research hold on hold onice those people too no because that’s the thing heit thing you brought up you brought up he just said that Sarver wouldn’t let his [ __ ] GM go watch a top prospect beyond the sun they talking about other team also passed on Luka you think they cheap as the argument the argument that other teams passed on Luca so it’s not that bad holds no weight when you look at who the other teams were the Sacramento Kings who have drafted like [ __ ] dog [ __ ] for a decade and the Atlanta Hawks who have been in hell between that space of we’re building through the draft and we’re competing for a decade as well like that doesn’t absolve them for me it really doesn’t if anything it makes it worse like don’t feel bad we’re in the same class as the Kings except we went first like that that makes me feel worse than better but we didn’t take Marvin Bagley but I mean I get that and I’m not saying that Aon is a bad pick because like you said he did help the Suns get to the finals that the Val is one of the greatest moments in Sun’s playoff history franchise history anybody that was in the building is going to remember that moment until the day they die so I’m not trying to say that Aon was some terrible player here but when you look at the gap between the two the fact that he’s no longer even on the roster and the fact that Luca is going to go on and do this like yeah we went to one finals with da we could have been to multiple with Luca depending on how you build out the rest of that team so that for me is why he’s number one it’s not anything about eighton necessarily but it is about the fact that you passed up a top 10 top 15 player of all time probably but the time his career pans out and that was the only time you ever had the number one pick like that that just it it gives it extra weight for okay so I think there’s truth in what both of you are saying if you look back at the mock drafts a lot of them had da because it was after the ceremony the coronation ceremony I mean I I get that but I also think Saul you’re right in it’s tough to to look at it as a horrible horrible mistake because da wasn’t that bad the reason I put him at the top of the franchise altering is the fact that that Luca if you had him with who he is that had would have had a much bigger impact than what DeAndre Eon was that that’s it hindsight is why I put get I get that that’s the the perspective and and again like these are things that like we can never predict in terms of like do we know how this would have all worked out have we not done this that the other right what I’m going to say is is like listen at the end of the day whether you like da or not whether we got Luca or not at after the five years of DeAndre Aiden we went to the playoffs three out of those five years we had one of the best season regular seasons in Sun’s history in that five-year period we went to the finals two wins away from it was the first time we won the first two games of the NBA Finals ever like we thought we were going to win the NBA championship for a little while there and da was a huge part that season because it looked like he was going to start living up to the promise of what was there right and then everything just kind of fell apart after that so I’m I’m sitting there like okay even if you want to put him at franchise altering mistake you still got something out of him so I don’t think he should be at the top of the top because I think at least he gave you something he gave you some results and the other guys on that list didn’t give you [ __ ] they didn’t give you any single thing not a shred of anything you could point to and say oh yeah at least we got this out of it not even one but I think I think you’re trying to I think you feel like all the blame if you put him at one is solely on his shoulders and I don’t think when you’re looking at a franchise altering mistake you got to think the mistake of the owner the mistake of the GM what another guy uh what another guy did that makes it feel like that well I’m glad you brought that up ESO because if you look at the other two picks that year okay all right first Mikel there’s a good argument that Mel br should have never [ __ ] been drafted in the first place because uh homie was right behind him and Shane Gill is Alexander and I sat there and watched Shay gillig just Alexander and I was just like man that dude’s pretty [ __ ] good like he was right there in front of me playing against [ __ ] KB uh kbd K bab yeah in Ohio State and he murdered him and I was just like man that guy’s pretty [ __ ] good and then we took Mel and I was just like what you you know the story like you know the story no but give me give me the story in a second but then if you fast forward and we take elely [ __ ] aobo and you have male on your team right you’ve drafted male villain NOA product right there hey tell me a little bit about Jaylen [ __ ] Brunson no okay we’re gonna take this this this dude out of France who was getting cooked every single day in practice Lindsay was there she could tell you dude was getting murdered every day in practice like how are you here still I don’t even understand this and rip to George King uh he didn’t make it make the you know the difference there like sure of course but those are all as well could have been franchise altering to a certain degree as well but again I’m splitting here which by the way we chose not to put Mel in here for a reason because da was already going to be spicy the last thing we needed to do was add in Mel there the I’ve this this is a true 100% true story they had agreed to trade and and draft sheay gildas Alexander and there is there are people who have said OKC could hear Robert Sarver screaming at Ryan MCD at during that call and he killed it and said that they had to draft uh that they had to draft male bridges in part because his son had worked as an intern in the basketball operations Department that that summer and really liked M Bridges so uh supposedly Ryan MCD turned around and said that male Bridges better be Michael [ __ ] Jordan for what we’re about to give up here uh for this so that makes it even worse when you know that Shay gilders Alexander was in your was there like literally was a son if you had said yes so yeah I I get it lot of fuckups that year is what I’m saying I get it but again that’s number 10 and number 11 versus number one and I also think when it comes to da too I don’t know it’s tough because da did have all the physical traits of a guy who should be quote unquote dominating right I think a lot of his downfall came from his attitude between the years yeah 100% it was all mental if you put books Drive Lucas’s Drive whoever else you want to into DA’s head he’s insane mhm absolutely insane and I think a lot of people were hoping that they could pull that out of him from the mental side of things because physically he was perfectly gifted to dominate this league but that that’s where I struggled though because a lot of draft experts brought up the motor thing and it was dismissed by a lot of people because he had the physical traits and you’re saying okay you can get this out of him but sometimes you can’t that was that was my but they concern but they used a large they wound up being right a a large portion of that was also because of the Buffalo game let’s let’s be real about that because again again again I watched every minute and and a lot of it right there I never even once thought this kid has had a motor problem not even once until the NBA Scouts started uttering that [ __ ] and I was just like and I thought it was just like they’re just trying to to to dissuade the Suns from taking DA they want him to take it because they want him to go somewhere else I didn’t know but I I because I just never saw it I just never saw it I thought he had plenty good motor a lot of fourth fifth sixth opportunities at The Rim in terms of like getting the ball to himself and the effort that he showed like I just thought he was a a solid solid player it just you know he got to the NBA and it was just like you know what it reminds me of it’s like when I was in high school our goal was to make it to America West Arena at the time right in in our season like hey if we can we can have a successful Enough season where we get to the state tournament and we make it all the way to America rest Arena that would be the final four and that’s our goal right and then we beat St Mary ass by like in overtime and um and I how you beat a team’s ass in overtime beat him by 10 in overtime okay that’s good anyway and I remember like oh my gosh like we made it we we hit the final four never did I even think that like we could win the state championship and then we appropriately went out and got our asses handed to us in the semi-finals and it was just like damn I wish I wish I didn’t have that mentality I wish I would have just been like I go hard all the time doesn’t matter um and I feel like da he reached his final four and he was like yeah I’m good and he just kind of coasted and then he got his [ __ ] kicked in a little bit and then he went to uh and and he got better during the bubble a little bit and then obviously the run to the finals I thought he played very well especially in the playoffs he turned it up when he could and he felt like oh man this maybe this is what we’re GNA get and then he showed you again against the New Orleans Pelicans the next year in the playoffs like okay that da is back he played really well in that series and then it all just disappeared and and I think the the ability for da to take over games to be a dominant Force to impose his will was just not not evident and that’s what ends up killing him as a number one pick one last Enlow in the chat brings up a good point there were a lot of questions about Luca’s attitude going there was one there was one [ __ ] freaking propaganda draft scout evaluation don’t even bring that there were a lot of questions that all came from yeah from one [ __ ] propaganda stop okay I do have a question we’re not doing that where how do you rank Shay and Luca obviously both on the all NBA first team this year above sh like right above sh LC’s in Luca’s in the finals right now I get that but like sh is also is he Luka has been this dude for like five years Luca and nicoa yic are like vying for the title of best player in the world I think Shay is not far from that conversation but right now Luca yeah and by the way I couldn’t watch Luca uh during that time I was too busy insulting you on Twitter so that’s why I was unaware his I was calling you names at that point all right 25 so what are we gonna do I think I listen I will say franchise altering mistake they’re the same age I thought was but I definitely don’t feel like he should be at the top of that list all right can we I do so it’s up to you espo and Lindsay where you want to put him four years ago I would have been arguing vehemently like Saul is now I’ve seen the air out of my ways and I feel awful I would can we put in between Jaylen Smith and Josh Jackson because you could argue you don’t take you don’t take sticks and you take Hal Burton and there’s a title right uh yeah you could argue that for go there I’m just I’m trying to pacify that whole top tier could be put him wherever but I just want the record to stay this was the worst draft mistake they’ve ever made no 100 close yes because it was number one no and he doesn’t play for the franchise anymore like five seasons and out Jaylen Smith was a terrible pick that might be the worst like just draft evaluation Pi all those other guys didn’t even last five seasons I get that but they weren’t number one but they Luca wasn’t taken after them and you could have had Luca man again you’re you’re you’re equating DeAndre Aon to Sam Bowie and I’m just not believing it I’m not yeah you are I’m not I’m saying that the guy that they passed up is is on like the Michael Jordan caliber of prospect that you passed on and you probably shouldn’t have done that but everybody there was other teams that did too though it doesn’t make it better when you’re the first one that does it and the next one that does it is the [ __ ] Sacramento King I’m just saying he wasn’t he wasn’t as Surefire a prospect as you’re making it oh Hoy Hoy should we flip a coin do we want to curse for another 50 years it change it maybe it’ll reverse it like I said put them wherever you want I’m offering my opinion that was the worst draft mistake to me that the Suns have made can we I think there are eight other ones on this list that are worse eight no can we just agree that that 10year stretch they just sucked at everything it was horrific like Talent evaluation what we’ll do should we put up a poll are we going to sit here for another 30 minutes in the Discord and we’ll officially place this Tomorrow based on what the Discord says we got to drag this out to tomorrow we’ll just real quick we’ll say here’s our final list from yesterday show you think it’s gonna go that quick yes because I’ll make sure it goes that quick I promise we’ll do that we’ll let the die hards be the one who decide Right Where Da falls on our final tier let me about to kill all of us so so if you want to be a Die Hard now’s great time you can vote on this go ph.com all right well thank you all for joining us for this uh riveting I had fun I had fun until the da part I did that’s why I kept him for the last spot because I knew it was going to go downhill anyway we appreciate you all if you are a Die Hard look for that vote in the Discord for die hards only if you want to become a Die Hard go phx.com and we will update you with what they all say tomorrow at the top of the show and until we see you then hit that Thumbs Up Button if you are here on YouTube rate review And subscribe wherever you get your podcast and of course give the show a follow on social at PHX Suns you can also follow me at lindsy Smith a you can follow s sore Bookman you can follow Gerald Gerald Borg and you can follow ESO espo ESO take us home just remember we chose this life so we chose this [Music] [Applause] depression May

The Phoenix Suns have started holding draft workouts with prospects ahead of the 2024 NBA D. On today’s PHNX Suns Podcast we’ll take look at a few of the confirmed players and what they could bring to the table. PLUS! How certain draft picks could have changed the Suns if we hadn’t missed on them. Join us for the latest around the Suns and don’t forget to follow the show on social @PHNX_Suns.

0:00 Intro
1:45 Looking at prospects that are working out with the Suns
24:00 Tiering draft misses in Suns history

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