The draft is one week away, rank the 3 probable targets:

[Phenom]

I dont think liking Dunn has much to do with Ricky, honestly. Ricky needs to be here for the forseeable future if Thibs wants to compete. I think one of the more overlooked needs for this team is a guy who can keep leads when Ricky sits. Tyus seemed to be an improvement over Zach running the point but that isn't saying much. Dunn has the potential to make point guard a 48 minute strength for this team on both sides of the ball and I think that is why Thibs like him. Also if Zach isn't up to par on D, he can insert Dunn with Ricky an get that level of D that he desires. Buddy and Murray on D does not have the chops that Dunn has but I think the edge probably goes to Buddy at this point. The upside is there with Murray though and I would not be surprised in the least if the Wolves picked him. Its a tossup really as we dont really know their board

Keep in mind vet PGs are easy and cheap to sign and Thibs has coached a couple of guys that are gonna be available.

Well yea the free agent variable is always part of it but Dunn is cheap and productive (in theory) for at least 4 years and that is tougher to find on the market.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

It is Mr. Brightside. But some of our experts take themselves a little too seriously.

[Porckchop]

It is Mr. Brightside. But some of our experts take themselves a little too seriously.

Ain't that the truth.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Question for SameOldDrew:

You called Buddy Hield a "natural scorer." How can this be? He didn't score more than 17.4 PPG until his senior year in which he had a fantastic season that nobody really saw coming. We give him credit for being a hard worker, being a gym rat because he turned himself into a very good player over the years he was in college. Previous to last year, he had a very shaky handle, struggled to get all the way to the rim, and wasn't nearly the shooter off the dribble that he is now. He put in the hours and got better, though.

To me, Hield is not a natural scorer. To me, "natural" indicates that they just had it like that since they were a kid and have been lighting defenses up since they were in high school. Hield is a product of hard work and a burning desire to get better. That's a compliment, don't get me wrong, but his scoring instincts are not natural, IMO. I can remember watching him and instead of taking what the defense was giving him, he'd predetermine a move (step-back jumper was the go-to) or overdribble leading to a turnover.

This isn't me knocking Hield for the player he is, but I feel like the love for him should be aimed around the work he put in on his game instead of saying he was naturally like this -- because he wasn't. Go watch sophomore Hield and you'll see some of the awkwardness I'm referring to.

Fair point. Natural is not the best term. I guess what I mean is that watching him play, it is clear he has developed a very good knack for scoring in a variety of ways, not just as a three-point shooter. All year he put the ball on the deck and scored at the rim, sniffed out offensive rebounds for putbacks, got to open spots on the floor, etc. And whenever he was on the floor, he was doing this pretty much constantly. Bottom line, put the dude in, he will score points.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Also I think people shouldn't be overlooking Wiggins shooting as a good 3pt shooter moving forward or at least an acceptable one. The guy shot 41% from 3 on 2.3 attempts in the 28 post all-star break games last year (shot 24% on 2.4 attempts before the break). There's a lot of players who never even sniff 40% in their career and at least he can say he did it for 28 games which isn't a huge sample size, but it isn't a small one either. It's certainly a better trend than when he closed out his rookie year shooting 16% after the break and he was a 36% shooter the first half of that season. Anything over 36% is respectable and has to be respected on the court and I think he can do that and might even do better playing next to the right guys attacking the hoop.

[Coolbreeze44]

Also I think people shouldn't be overlooking Wiggins shooting as a good 3pt shooter moving forward or at least an acceptable one. The guy shot 41% from 3 on 2.3 attempts in the 28 post all-star break games last year (shot 24% on 2.4 attempts before the break). There's a lot of players who never even sniff 40% in their career and at least he can say he did it for 28 games which isn't a huge sample size, but it isn't a small one either. It's certainly a better trend than when he closed out his rookie year shooting 16% after the break and he was a 36% shooter the first half of that season. Anything over 36% is respectable and has to be respected on the court and I think he can do that and might even do better playing next to the right guys attacking the hoop.

I believe this is a focal point for him this offseason. I bet he comes back even better.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

This draft feels a little more exciting than last years, as we knew KAT was the probable pick.

[Monster]

I dont think liking Dunn has much to do with Ricky, honestly. Ricky needs to be here for the forseeable future if Thibs wants to compete. I think one of the more overlooked needs for this team is a guy who can keep leads when Ricky sits. Tyus seemed to be an improvement over Zach running the point but that isn't saying much. Dunn has the potential to make point guard a 48 minute strength for this team on both sides of the ball and I think that is why Thibs like him. Also if Zach isn't up to par on D, he can insert Dunn with Ricky an get that level of D that he desires. Buddy and Murray on D does not have the chops that Dunn has but I think the edge probably goes to Buddy at this point. The upside is there with Murray though and I would not be surprised in the least if the Wolves picked him. Its a tossup really as we dont really know their board

Keep in mind vet PGs are easy and cheap to sign and Thibs has coached a couple of guys that are gonna be available.

Well yea the free agent variable is always part of it but Dunn is cheap and productive (in theory) for at least 4 years and that is tougher to find on the market.

Actually it's very very easy to find. Every year there are 3-4 pretty solid backup Pgs that sign cheap 1-2 year deals. It's a very deep position pn the lower end.

[Lipoli390]

I just don't know have a feel for Bender so I can't rank him. Like LST, I'd trust Thibs' judgment on him. Otherwise, here's my order of preference for the guys likely to be available at #5:

1. Hield. I'm still with Buddy as my top pick. I'm convinced he'd give us elite performance in one important area that also happens to be an area of need for us -- namely 3-point shooting. His 3-point shooting percentage coupled with his incredibly quick release and NBA range tell me he's the real deal in that department. And he's a decent enough athlete and ball handler to give me comfort he'll be more than a one-trick poney on the offensive end. I worry about his defense, but all the players likely to be available at #5 have a significant holes in their games.

2. Dunn. He's the flip side of Buddy. I like that Dunn would likely give us high caliber defense right out of the gate - another area of need. I also like his athleticism and he has enough size to play either backcourt position. I worry about his shooting and I'm not sure he's as explosive as some may assume.

3. Murray. I think he is already a better all-around offensive player than Buddy or Dunn and his age suggests that he has more upside than the other two. He could easily become my top pick of these three by next Thursday afternoon. But he seems to be the weakest defensive prospect of the three. He seems no more athletic than Buddy -- pehaps less athletic. And he doesn't have Buddy's length.

Like some others, I wouldn't mind if we traded down for two lower first round picks, provided that we'd be able to get Sabonis with one of those two picks. I'm also increasingly drawn to Thon Maker as my sleeper of the draft.

[Phenom]

I dont think liking Dunn has much to do with Ricky, honestly. Ricky needs to be here for the forseeable future if Thibs wants to compete. I think one of the more overlooked needs for this team is a guy who can keep leads when Ricky sits. Tyus seemed to be an improvement over Zach running the point but that isn't saying much. Dunn has the potential to make point guard a 48 minute strength for this team on both sides of the ball and I think that is why Thibs like him. Also if Zach isn't up to par on D, he can insert Dunn with Ricky an get that level of D that he desires. Buddy and Murray on D does not have the chops that Dunn has but I think the edge probably goes to Buddy at this point. The upside is there with Murray though and I would not be surprised in the least if the Wolves picked him. Its a tossup really as we dont really know their board

Keep in mind vet PGs are easy and cheap to sign and Thibs has coached a couple of guys that are gonna be available.

Well yea the free agent variable is always part of it but Dunn is cheap and productive (in theory) for at least 4 years and that is tougher to find on the market.

Actually it's very very easy to find. Every year there are 3-4 pretty solid backup Pgs that sign cheap 1-2 year deals. It's a very deep position pn the lower end.

That's my point. Dunn would be cheap for 4 to 5 years, potentially on the higher end. Your scenario becomes a revolving door of hits or misses that may or may not have reached their last legs. Its doable but it also is at the other positions. Look at Cole Aldrich. I see his name brought up frequently now as an enticing option. Who would have said that a year ago?