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Originally Posted by itvnetop
Agreed... Magic Johnson said it best- you don't pass on a franchise PG like this. There have only been a few absolute top pick PGs- Magic, AI, Derrick Rose (even though many thought Beasley was the pick)... successful careers (and Rose is well on his way). The only former Sun who saw similar success without Nash was Joe Johnson (you think Dirk wouldn't like Steve back in Dallas?).
The league's changed over the past few years from teams with dominating big men to those with dominating point guards. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook and obviously Rajon Rondo are proving that special PGs can upgrade the entire squad faster than comparable big men (the Lakers are the exception... they've just got too much size down low, plus Kobe).
Evan Turner is a fine player- I'd say he's similar to Brandon Roy, but I'm still not sold on his defense yet (Buckeyes played a lot of zone). But I'm not bypassing Wall b/c we already have Gil... the Blazers passed on the better talent to grab Sam Bowie (even Hakeem was available as a center). If Gil can't work alongside Wall, the decision is obvious- move Agent 0.
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It's no guarantee that an elite point guard will turn you into a championship contender. You could easily be stuck in the second round forever like the Jazz and Deron Williams. However it sure as hell gives you a great chance to build a winner and it's very effective when it comes to making a bad team look good and a good team look great.
Also keep in mind the last team I remember passing up on an elite PG was when the Hawks insisted on taking Marvin Williams over Chris Paul. Even though the Hawks recovered the fact of the matter is they would likely be much better today had they drafted Paul.
However, freaking Ted Leonis. Have to admit, guy has pretty damn good luck when it comes to draft lottery's.