Is this more of an indictment on Ayton or simply high praise for Camara? The 52nd pick in this year’s draft is coming off an up and down preseason in which he put up 7 ppg on 72 TS%.

Starting at about 15 minutes into The Hoop Collective.

  • defiantcross@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    most of this reasoning is the benefit to cost. we could have just waived fucking bol bol and kept Camara.

  • mercfan3@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    This was the feeling of a lot of Suns fans…who were sick of Ayton, but liked the potential of Toumani.

    I think it’s unlikely that Toumani ends up a better player than Ayton, but he certainly could end up a less frustrating one…

    • joshuads@alien.topB
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      11 months ago

      it’s unlikely that Toumani ends up a better player

      It is impossible. Toumani could not do in college what Ayton has already done in the NBA.

  • SquimJim@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    What was the hardest part about losing Ayton?

    Losing the 52nd pick who had never played in an NBA game

    • Malice_In_Da_Phallus@alien.topB
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      11 months ago

      Damn straight it was. I couldn’t believe we gave up Toumani in the deal. Pretty much the entire fanbase was high on him.

      Dude looks NBA ready, plays with confidence and hustle, plays good defense, and is very athletic. He also improved every year he was in college which is always a good sign, and even developed a 3pt stroke. He has the build of a prototypical modern NBA PF. I could definitely see him being the steal of the draft.

      I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t at least become a good rotation player.

        • ikeoni@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          Brother he was the 57th pick.

          Wonder if this was said all those years ago in texas

      • CasperTheDog2@alien.topB
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        11 months ago

        I live in Dayton where he went to play college after leaving Georgia. I pretty much went to every home game during his 2 years and last year i felt he was nba role player ready. Was excited to see him on a contender but wonder how much structure he will get on a team that most likely wants to lose.

        • 2drawnonward5@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          We could easily try to win. Chauncey couldn’t win with a much better roster, we’re the youngest team talent wise, nobody else in the West is set to be plain bad. I bet we work hard for 31 wins at MOST.

        • pahamack@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          with how much money they’re paying for their top end, losing really cheap rookie contract guys that they’re paying peanuts for is huge though.

          If a second round guy turns into an ok bench player, that’s a huge loss for them. They’re paying someone like that a little over 1m this year.

          • WD51@alien.topB
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            11 months ago

            Vet min contracts are partially subsidized by league aren’t they?

            • SPAREustheCUTTER@alien.topB
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              11 months ago

              Yes, most of the salary is subsidized by the league and I believe it doesn’t count towards cap space either.

        • ohverychill@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          I once convinced myself that Cassius Stanley was going to be something. it’s fun to buy into stupid hype lol

        • Vordeo@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          This. Jazz have three first rounders this season and it’s going to be fun overrating the shit out of all of them this season.

        • Malice_In_Da_Phallus@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          Indeed. And his name already has a built in meme if he ever has some sort of embarrassing situation while talking to the media “Too Many Camera”

      • MarkusAureleus@alien.topB
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        11 months ago

        I can attest I (and the rest of the blazers sub) have been pretty excited about what he’s shown in preseason

        • Malice_In_Da_Phallus@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          I’m glad it’s not just us Suns fans who see something in him.

          Like I know the sample size is small as fuck, but there’s just something about the guy so far, he just looks a cut above your typical rookie.

          I think people don’t get what we meant about being more disappointed in losing him to the trade than Ayton. Nobody’s saying he’s 100% going to be better than Ayton, or even close to as good. But the point is we were prepared to lose Ayton, it was clearly what Ayton wanted. We were not prepared to lose our only young prospect we were high on.

      • terrybrugehiplo@alien.topB
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        11 months ago

        And if he was drafted by another team you would have zero idea who he was.

        Fans always think theirs guys are better than they are.

        • pwndnoob@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          I mean, we got him as an afterthought, and we are also excited about him just because he shined in preseason. Dude is exciting.

      • joshuads@alien.topB
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        11 months ago

        He also improved every year he was in college

        He did not though. He had worse stats at Dayton as a junior than he did as a sophomore at Georgia.

  • Imthegoat175@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    Yeah I think Suns fans will all agree we will miss Toumani who only played in summer league for us over Ayton

  • 416_Ghost@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    Ayton clearly didn’t want to be there anymore. That’s why he signed with the pacers last year. The guy looked like me at my job.

  • Damezang@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    Camara has been flashing greatness, so I think the regret there is real, especially if he continues to develop. Also, Ayton has loads of potential and could be an allstar going forward. It’s also clear he didn’t want to be in Phoenix anymore. Phoenix has to regret not being able to fully tap into the potential of their #1 pick, but the management, previous coach, and possibly teammates didn’t jibe (beyond that “mere” finals run, which isn’t too shabby if you think about it).

      • Damezang@alien.topB
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        11 months ago

        Toumani’s optics just capture the perfect picture of a young player with an aperture for growth that could really zoom out into something beautiful. Hard not to press the button of opportunity there.

        • AllDayEnJay@alien.topB
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          11 months ago

          I’d pump the brakes on the “Young Player” tag.

          Camara is a Rookie who will be 24yrs old in May.

          You need to have proper perspective of a 23yr old Prospect vs a 19yr old.

          Of course he’s going to look more developed since he’s literally had 4 extra years to work on his game and should be more filled out physically.

          • pahamack@alien.topB
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            11 months ago

            but still being paid as a rookie that’s the 52nd pick. That’s just a little more than 1m.

            The Suns are going to need contracts like that to fill their roster going forward. The fact that someone is NBA-ready physically but still that cheap is really important considering how much they are paying for their top end.

            If this guy is good enough to be a rotation center, even if they’re unplayable in the playoffs, then that is a big loss. Doesn’t have to be a homerun. That is a really low salary.

  • boogswald@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    Windhorst is simultaneously totally clued in and clueless. He has this really weird dynamic of understanding certain things in depth really well and just not knowing some other stuff

  • joshuads@alien.topB
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    11 months ago

    Is this more of an indictment on Ayton or simply high praise for Camara?

    This is more of an indictment of Tim MacMahon. If someone says it to you out loud as a reporter, you should nod and make a mental note that the speaker is an idiot.

    Even if you believe Camara can become a rotation player, he will not become anything close to what was Ayton as a rookie.