Sullinger : Steal of the 2012 draft

[Tr1boy]

Absolute steal. Danny probably couldn't believe his eyes , Sullinger was still available at 21st. And i wonder if we bypassed him , how much longer he would of gone undrafted.

The back issue was a concern, but no team thought , after surgery it could fix him up for the long term?  The whole having one of the worse measurements at the combine is overrated imo.  You just can't measure , "knowing how to play" at those events

Guys we got a projected top 5 pick a few years ago, in our hands. I don't think many still realize this. If somebody else drafted him and we had melo, we prob be alot worse today

[rondoallaturca]

He certainly was a steal, but let's see if that surgery truly fixes his back. There's no way teams would let such a talent drop so much if one simple surgery could have solved a potential career threatening injury.

[Jailan34]

Sully is turning into a really solid starter it's true, and I just took a look at the draft and he does seem like a steal for what was picked slightly before/after him.

However, he's always going to have certain limitations because of his size and athleticism. I'd say his peak is David West, a few all star appearances and overall a good solid career as a starter.

I love the player and the pick, of course all this depends on his back holding up.

[esel1000]

He certainly was a steal, but let's see if that surgery truly fixes his back. There's no way teams would let such a talent drop so much if one simple surgery could have solved a potential career threatening injury.

I'm not so sure about that... I think it's possible that he develops problems down the line, though I also wouldn't be surprised if this surgery really did fix his back for good. Thing is it's always a risk. GMs could have very well known that his back would be fixed with one surgery, but it's an easier risk to take at 21 than 5. I think the lack of athleticism hurt him though just as much as the back problems. GMs probably figured, "he has a back issue and isn't athletic...pass." Which is fine because the guy was a no brainer at 21

[LooseCannon]

Absolute steal. Danny probably couldn't believe his eyes , Sullinger was still available at 21st. And i wonder if we bypassed him , how much longer he would of gone undrafted.

Given that some mock drafts had Sullinger going after the Celtics picked, maybe Ainge thought it was unlikely, but I don't think it was a shocking surprise that Sullinger was still available. 

[ronaldo943]

It was the 2012 draft. 

[Tr1boy]

It was the 2012 draft. 

thanks. Fixed

Sullinger i thought may do 15-8 avg, this year and i would of been happy with that. But 18-9 is not out of the question lately

[esel1000]

It was the 2012 draft. 

thanks. Fixed

Sullinger i thought may do 15-8 avg, this year and i would of been happy with that. But 18-9 is not out of the question lately

He's 15-7 at the half of the Bucks game in 15 mins of playing time. I love the way he plays, back to the basket, 3 pt range, and great rebounder. If we had Sully in 2011/2012 we'd have been in the Finals

[LarBrd33]

I'm rather excited about him.  David Thrope recently ranked the sophomores and had Sully #4 behind Davis (picked 1st), Drummond (picked #10) and Lilliard (picked 6th).   It's an insider article, but I think he had Terrence JOnes (picked #19) as the 5th ranked sophomore.

If we're talking steal of the draft... it's possibly Drummond.  He was thought to have arguably a higher ceiling than even Davis and slipped all the way to #10, because of some questions.  If he fulfills his potential, he's going to be a dominant franchise player.

In retrospect, that 2012 draft might be a lot better than we thought.   Anthony Davis has been RIDICULOUS so far this season.  Statistically, he's been the 4th best player in the league behind Kevin Love, LeBron and CP3.  Davis is only 20 years old... he's the second coming of Kevin Garnett (or perhaps Duncan). Davis is outperforming KG at the same age.  20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals on 50%/84%

[ronaldo943]

I'm rather excited about him.  David Thrope recently ranked the sophomores and had Sully #4 behind Davis (picked 1st), Drummond (picked #10) and Lilliard (picked 6th).   It's an insider article, but I think he had Terrence JOnes (picked #19) as the 5th ranked sophomore.

If we're talking steal of the draft... it's possibly Drummond.  He was thought to have arguably a higher ceiling than even Davis and slipped all the way to #10, because of some questions.  If he fulfills his potential, he's going to be a dominant franchise player.

In retrospect, that 2012 draft might be a lot better than we thought.   Anthony Davis has been RIDICULOUS so far this season.  Statistically, he's been the 4th best player in the league behind Kevin Love, LeBron and CP3.  Davis is only 20 years old... he's the second coming of Kevin Garnett (or perhaps Duncan). Davis is outperforming KG at the same age.  20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals on 50%/84%

Yup, Drummond is the steal.

[GreenWarrior]

too many 3's. Antoine 2.0.

[Quetzalcoatl]

too many 3's. Antoine 2.0.

A disciplined Antoine Walker would be a force of nature.  That dude could have been so much better than he was, which was already a 3x all-star, 20/10 player multiple seasons, NCAA champion and NBA champion

[RJ87]

too many 3's. Antoine 2.0.

Coach Stevens wants him to take those 3pt shots, if Stevens told him to pull back I'm sure he would. That in itself excludes him from being Antoine 2.0.

[saltlover]

too many 3's. Antoine 2.0.

His coach is telling him to take the 3's.  Big difference.  Also, he's in his second season.  Can't hurt to try to learn to shoot the 3 now, when it could pay big dividends down the road.  At worst it gives him a rep for teams to guard him out to the three point line, which will create more room in the paint for his teammates when the big guarding him follows him out there.

[kozlodoev]

too many 3's. Antoine 2.0.

His coach is telling him to take the 3's.  Big difference.  Also, he's in his second season.  Can't hurt to try to learn to shoot the 3 now, when it could pay big dividends down the road.  At worst it gives him a rep for teams to guard him out to the three point line, which will create more room in the paint for his teammates when the big guarding him follows him out there.

Obie was telling Toine to take threes as well, and when Doc came along and tried to tell him otherwise, Toine pretty much told him to go stuff it.

Also, the worst case is that the other team will goad him to take the three and he will come to earth after those two games where he shot 6 of 8 for three, and will revert to his usual 1 of 5.