The 76ers are fools for not knowing were taking Tatum #1

[BudweiserCeltic]

At the top of the draft secrets are not kept well. The last time I remember not being certain of the #1 pick was When the Cavs took Bennett #1.

Right up there with Darko and Greg Oden.

I don't buy that the Celtics wouldn't have taken Fultz with their #1 pick.

They had the number one pick and traded down, and added a pick.  I don't see how you could not buy it.  Ainge was in the driver seat and there were rumors of Fultz not shooting well at our workout.  If he wanted him he could have taken him, he didn't and traded down and added an asset and got his guy.

ESPN’s Jeff Goodman went on WEEI’s “Dale and Holley with Keefe” on Monday and shed some light on the Washington guard’s audition. “From what I’m told, Fultz didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well in his workout in Boston,” Goodman said. “But they know he can shoot the ball. So, it’s one workout. … I still think it’s gonna be Fultz at (No. 1), Lonzo Ball at (No. 2).”

Read more at: http://nesn.com/2017/06/markelle-fultz-reportedly-had-bad-shooting-day-in-celtics-workout/

That they traded down for me is not indicative of anything, and I'm not selling the idea that they wanted Tatum all along. I'm just not buying that they would've used the 1st pick of the draft on him.

sorry to have to ask this bc, but aside from wishful thinking, what basis do you have for your argument above? ainge could have drafted fultz if he wanted him. he did not HAVE to trade the #1 away. but he did. ainge simply did not seem to value fultz the same way you do.

The trade was as much about getting a player they liked as it was having a lower salary slot and a future asset on top of it.

I think it might be more accurate to say that Ainge didn't think any of these players deserved the #1 Pick, than to say that Ainge would've picked Tatum over Fultz with the #1 Pick. Whether Ainge liked Tatum over Fultz to me is secondary to everything else that accompanied it, on top of Fultz having a lot more trade value than Tatum has.

So no, I don't think there's any scenario in which Ainge keeps the first pick to use it on Tatum. No way.

[johnnygreen]

This is the ultimate hindsight 20/20 thread. Is it just a coincidence that that this thread was created a day after Roy H. created the thread "Tatum says he was Ainge's pick all along"? If it was so obvious, then could you please cut and paste your past quotes before the trade happened, where you said that Tatum was going to be the Celtics pick at #1? I don't mean to dump on this thread, but it seems very disingenuous to call the 76es fools for not knowing the Celtics were always going to pick Tatum.

[vjcsmoke]

They couldn't know that for sure.  Hell, we weren't even 100% sure that the Lakers would take Ball, even though everyone was guessing that was the guy they would take.  If Fultz is your #1 rated prospect, you do what it takes to move up.

So Danny got extra value for moving down, news flash, that's his job!  I just wish he could have fleeced them harder, the Lakers AND Kings pick without protections for example...

Just hoping LA sucks really bad this year (or they move up) so we can enjoy using their top 5 pick.  The draft lottery is going to be very interesting this season!

BTW If you are Philadelphia, why wouldn't you take a run at Kyrie Irving?  They are loaded with assets and Irving would give them a legitimate proven player.

[Moranis]

BTW If you are Philadelphia, why wouldn't you take a run at Kyrie Irving?  They are loaded with assets and Irving would give them a legitimate proven player.

I think they are going to make a run on James and the other premier free agents next summer.  Irving hampers that (especially if James and him don't get along).

[kozlodoev]

So no, I don't think there's any scenario in which Ainge keeps the first pick to use it on Tatum. No way.

Moreover, the fact that they valued Tatum + pick higher than Fultz doesn't actually mean they valued Tatum higher than Fultz.

[Jon]

Yeah, I really can't believe this is a threat (actually, I can).  As others have said, had the Sixers had the second pick, this would be more of a debate.  But if the Sixers really wanted Fultz, with the Lakers looming at 2, there was no way of knowing that Fultz would still be there at 3.  Moreover, with all the conditions set on the pick they gave us, it may not end up being very good in the end.  If that's the case, any argument about the Sixers being fools goes largely out the door. 

[slamtheking]

Yeah, I really can't believe this is a threat (actually, I can).  As others have said, had the Sixers had the second pick, this would be more of a debate.  But if the Sixers really wanted Fultz, with the Lakers looming at 2, there was no way of knowing that Fultz would still be there at 3.  Moreover, with all the conditions set on the pick they gave us, it may not end up being very good in the end.  If that's the case, any argument about the Sixers being fools goes largely out the door. 

agreed.   if Danny had gotten the #1 protection taken off that pick when it conveyed, then I'd have said it was a fair trade.  still think the Sixers got the best end of this deal due to those protections and the fair chance that if we don't get the pick until 2019 it could be late-lottery or even non-lottery depending on how those teams improve and/or how the ping pong balls bounce.