From Bender to Qi: A collection of our NBA Draft podcasts
Jun 19, 2016, 9:18 AM | Updated: Jun 22, 2016, 7:24 pm
Dragan Bender, Skal Labissiere and Zhou Qi.
In a series of podcasts, the Empire of the Suns crew of Kellan Olson, Kevin Zimmerman and Bryan Gibberman talk about the Phoenix Suns’ options leading into the 2016 NBA Draft. From No. 4 to 34, the guys talk prospects, draft position and scenarios that could play out that will affect how the Suns might approach their busy draft night this coming Thursday.
June 20: It’s draft week and time for trade rumor talk. Do the Suns have the ability to make a blockbuster? The guys think not, especially without moving Devin Booker. ESPN’s Chad Ford believes Phoenix might be antsy to grab immediate help (8:45), but there is a limited return for what the Suns could offer. Finally, we wonder what the Suns’ longterm plan is. They could again be stuck between building a young core and shooting for the playoffs this year (11:50).
June 16: Kellan’s knowledge of international prospects shines as we discuss the Suns’ 28th and 34th picks, where there should be draft-and-stash options, including Juan Hernangomez and Zhou Qi. Or, the Suns could keep it in the states with several intriguing point guard options (7:50): Oregon State star Gary Payton II, 19-year-old Washington prospect Dejounte Murray (now a Green Room invite), 5-foot-8 Kentucky floor general Tyler Ulis and Kay Felder, another under-sized point guard from Oakland.
June 13: Enough about the fourth pick. The Suns have the opportunity to make another late-lottery steal with their No. 13 overall selection. Will a big man fall to the Suns? Michigan State big Deyonta Davis, Marquette’s Henry Ellenson and Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere could be options. Kellan likes international prospect Timothe Luwawu (3:01), Kevin likes Davis (6:10), if he’s on the board, while Gibberman is a fan of taking point guard Wade Baldwin out of Vanderbilt (8:18).
June 10: Washington forward Marquese Chriss, Kentucky scorer Jamal Murray and Oklahoma gunner Buddy Hield are darkhorse options for the No. 4 pick. The consensus is Murray and Hield aren’t great picks, but Chriss is a huge risk in his own right. Kevin tells us why Chriss is shooting up draft boards (2:00). We compare Hield and Murray (7:58) and remain worried about their potential.
May 31: Who goes first, second and third? That’ll have to do with who is available for the Suns. Croatian youngster Dragan Bender seems like a perfect pick for the Suns (3:00). Bender falls into the second-tier of prospects by himself (5:51), Kellan and Gibby conclude while Cal forward Jaylen Brown has his pros and cons (7:40). Gibby thinks Providence point guard Kris Dunn is the must-take option despite his fit in Phoenix (10:00).
May 18: Following the NBA Draft lottery, the guys react and look at options at No. 4. Brown and Dunn are two likely candidates, but Dunn might be playing hard-to-get.
