Jared Cohen
The question that I raised as well as a lot of people out there was that if Ben McLemore of Kansas slips to the Suns, that would be a home run filling not only a need but also getting quite possibly the most athletic player in the draft.
It looked as if all was going to plan once Anthony Bennett went number one to Cleveland and then Cody Zeller went fourth overall to the Bobcats.
Many believed that if Victor Oladipo or McLemore was not there for the Suns at five, they would go with a center like Alex Len. Little did they know as the draft transpired, they would in fact have the option to draft McLemore and the player many thought would be the number one pick in the draft, Nerlens Noel.
Even with both of those great options, the Suns still decided to draft Maryland seven-foot center Alex Len whom it was reported after the fact that he was the number one player on their board.
What hurt just a little bit more, not long after the Pelicans drafted Noel and then traded him to the Sixers for Jrue Holiday and a first round pick in 2014. Which means, the Suns could have possibly made the exact same deal. That stings…
I am not a fan of this personally. The Suns do get a very skilled and very big player with very good potential. I happen to think that Len at best is a role player at best in the NBA. His claim to fame is the fact that he went head-to-head with Noel last season and scored a career-high 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. But at the end of the day, this team needs playmakers, scorers and someone who excite a fan base. This is not one that does any of those three at an elite level.
Len came out to Phoenix for a workout but did not work out with the Suns because he had ankle surgery to “stabilize” the partial stress fracture in his left ankle. He played with the stress fracture in the final month of the season. He plans to be able to begin his rehab around August and doesn’t anticipate missing much time in his rookie season with whichever team ultimately drafts him.
What this does now though Suns fans which can lift your spirits, it does not make the Suns any better in 2013-14 and that is not at all a bad thing. It only helps the draft hopes for Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or Marcus Smart. All three are franchise changing players and the Suns need one of them to change the completion of the team for a decade and then some.
This could also mean a Marcin Gortat trade could be in the very near future.
Do I like the Len at number 5? No. But if it helps get Wiggins in 2014, fine by me.
