Iko implies Smith was at the top of Houston's board...

Exactly, right.

 

Exactly.

This is PR 101 after drafting a different player than the one they touted pre-draft.

 

One time is coincidence.

Multiple consecutive times is a trend.

 

I agree. We will see next draft. If we get a top 5 pick and the front office starts chirping early about who they want then it's here we go again.

I had Chet>Smith>Paolo but I knew we didn't have a shot at Chet.

 

Then why did Orlando do what they did? It was telegraphed to everyone that Okc wanted Chet. If Houston really wanted Paolo, it makes zero sense for Orlando to pretend like they will draft Jabari. Houston would just be like, great, I get my top option at 3 then and won’t need to trade up. Instead, we heard from multi credible sources that Houston was trying to trade up, even though Orlando was acting like they would pick Jabari, how would that make sense? It’s not rocket science, Houston was trading up for Jabari.

 

Except Stone tricked a lot of gullible people into thinking he wanted Paolo, and despite Orlando seeing through his ruse...Orlando is the one with the PR problem.

 

I can't believe we are debating about Stone showing his hand too early again. Orlando has been saying they want Jabari and Thunder has been saying they want Chet. I think people are overthinking it. Orlando got cold feet and changed their mind last minute which was evident when both prospects (Paolo and Jabari) were surprised by what happened. Stone has stated since we got the 3rd overall pick that we were happy with any of the top 3 picks. Whether it's PR or not, it doesn't hurt anyone to say Jabari was at the top of our big board.

 

Ummmmmmmm

Because

1. it's always wise to gauge how other teams value the guy that's #1 on the board.
2. it was possible that Stone valued Ivey plus future PICKS more than he valued SMITH.



It's foolish to call it in early. You're missing out on data and perceived value for future possible trade evaluations.

No good business person would operate otherwise.

 

Despite what both teams want you to think, neither of them probably had a ton of seperation between the top 3 picks. Orlando wanted Stone to fall in love with one of them and trade future assets, but that just wasn't going to happen.

 

The draft is also a TV show. Why did it take OKC and every other team five minutes? The TV and radio folks needed five minutes to talk about the player's sisters and moms.

 

LOL

Stone was quoted by Feigan and McMahon that he had no clue what was going on after OKC drafted Paolo first.

 

Scrub Hudgins

 

That doesn't contradict what I said. Iko said Rockets had Smith No. 1. Whether Stone knew or didn't know what Orlando wanted to do, Orlando acted like they thought Rockets (or possibly OKC) wanted Smith.

 

It's not unbelievable. The top 3 even 4 guys were ranked dang close to each other.

 

Yep, said it after the draft.

The only way Orlando's shenanigans make sense is if they knew that the Rockets wanted Smith all along. So they make this big deal about who they are set on him in hopes the Rockets get desperate and move up.

It's either that or the simple answer that Orlando really didn't know who it would be until the last moment.

 

All this conjecture is silly.

Not to mention circular logic. You're just supporting the conclusion you favor.

Jabari was top of Rockets draft list yet Stone made no effort to even talk to him at combine.

Stone made time to do this with Paolo as well as secret lunch.

Magic were extremely high on Jabari and Chet, early workouts with both were scheduled. Chet pulled out when he realized Magic were leaning towards Jabari.

Magic only became desperate to interview/workout Paolo days before draft. And they were supposedly unsuccessful at this due to Paolo's reticence. They finally convinced him to do a phone interview.

Stone admitted to media after draft that he had no clue what was going on. If Orlando was trying to manipulate a trade then why was Stone so confused? Surely Orlando would have actually communicated with Rockets BEFORE the draft clock started running.

Additionally, Paolo made it known early in process that he favored Houston. Rockets star players also reached out to him on social media. Very similar to last draft although not nearly as aggressive.

Stone also made it known that he favored the players from his hometown, Seattle. Rockets were mocked to draft all 3 in many draft mocks.

Both Paolo and Jabari were clearly in dismay initially when picks were made. There were obviously promises made to both of them.

This was the work of a mastermind?

The bottom line is that when prospects are so close in talent, fit becomes more critical.

Magic have lots of defense and length, they lack a legit All Star potential 3 level offensive threat.

Said this from the beginning, neither Chet or Jabari were best fits for ORL. Chet would need to supplant either Isaac or Carter as starter. Same could be said for Jabari displacing Isaac or Wagner.

Banchero as a playmaker allows Magic to field their longest most dynamic lineup without displacing one of their rising stars:

Anthony
Wagner
Banchero
Isaac
Carter

Fultz and Suggs back up Anthony; Ross and Hampton back up Franz; Okeke (and Wagner) backs up Banchero and Isaac; Bol Bol (and Bamba if re-signed) back up Carter.

 

Stone played this perfectly: Ignore the noise, then take whoever falls to you at #3.

 

Speaking of circular logic, I’m getting confused, are you now blaming Stone for missing out on the guy you have been trashing this entire draft process, and taking the guy you actually liked more?!

 

The simple answers are usually the most accurate.

The conspiracy stuff is just too convoluted and requires lots of leaps of faith.

 

The point is this, Orlando either really changed their mind last minute or was trying to entice Houston to trade up for JABARI, not Paolo. The latter implies they believed Houston had Jabari above Paolo. Yes Stone had lunch and work out with Paolo, and was resigned to taking him, because no one thought the other two would drop to 3, they didn’t even work out with us.