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Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA?

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Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#1 » by MaryvalesFinest » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:13 pm

So yesterday I watched the Slovenia vs Spain game. After watching the game I came to the conclusion that Dragic can easily be starting for alot of teams in the NBA and he's clearly the Suns best defender at his PG position.

Now don't get me wrong, you can easily say it's one game but even though his Slovenian team lost he almost single handedly won the game for his team. He has a ton of steals, an insane block on Rubio and was scoring points easily. Watching him play against Rubio you would have thought Dragic was the #5 pick. He played lockdown defense on him and outplayed him overall.

Last year when he was drafted it was kind of confusing to think the Suns gave the car keys to a Slovenian teenager and called him their PG of the future considering the rich history of PG's the Suns had throughout their franchise and the certain type of PG that's needed to play in the Suns system. If you even remember the Suns considered drafting him at #15 in 2008 and many of us thought it was crazy at the time, now I'm not so sure.

So if anyone watched yesterdays game do you think Dragic showed us that he can be the Suns starting PG of the future and is more underated than people actually say?
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#2 » by Qwigglez » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:23 pm

Where or how did you watch the game.
I want to see it.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#3 » by nashrambler13 » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:30 pm

is this just a plot to get us to say we'd start him over nash?

seriously tho, i definitly see what your saying. dragic has a lot of talent, and his confidence is up because the slovenian national team gives it to him. I with the talent that he would play with in the suns staring lineup, i could see him getting good, if not great numbers, while not now, eventually.

i could definitly see him starting over: jrue holiday, beno udrih, chris duhon, and luke ridnour, all starters in the NBA. anyone else, dragic would probably not start over. when he becomes more seasoned, then he will be able to start over most of all the PG's in the league.

Heres to hoping that Alvin Gentry lets dragic start at least 5 games, w/ nash backing him up. and please let one of those games be against derrick rose, to give him a test.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#4 » by MaryvalesFinest » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:33 pm

Qwigglez wrote:Where or how did you watch the game.
I want to see it.


Someone posted a link on the other thread about Dragic, think page 5?
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#5 » by MaryvalesFinest » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:34 pm

nashrambler13 wrote:is this just a plot to get us to say we'd start him over nash?

seriously tho, i definitly see what your saying. dragic has a lot of talent, and his confidence is up because the slovenian national team gives it to him. I with the talent that he would play with in the suns staring lineup, i could see him getting good, if not great numbers, while not now, eventually.

i could definitly see him starting over: jrue holiday, beno udrih, chris duhon, and luke ridnour, all starters in the NBA. anyone else, dragic would probably not start over. when he becomes more seasoned, then he will be able to start over most of all the PG's in the league.

Heres to hoping that Alvin Gentry lets dragic start at least 5 games, w/ nash backing him up. and please let one of those games be against derrick rose, to give him a test.


Yeah I hope he can start a few games even if Nash is healthy
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#6 » by Miklo » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:06 am

LOL at the thread title by the way...

I'm definitely feeling a lot better about Dragic now than I was after we drafted him...or really at any point this season. He needs to step up and play with confidence and we could have a pretty good future PG on our hands.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#7 » by Qwigglez » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:19 am

I was the biggest Dragic ripper when we first drafted him. Actually, I wanted Sean Singletary to back up Nash more than Dragic last season til he got traded.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#8 » by MaryvalesFinest » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:54 am

Qwigglez wrote:I was the biggest Dragic ripper when we first drafted him. Actually, I wanted Sean Singletary to back up Nash more than Dragic last season til he got traded.


Same here at the time I thought Singletary was better than Dragic and now he's out of the league. The problem with Singletary was that he just played like another guy on the floor and didn't take over the leadership role as a PG is supposed to do.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#9 » by MaryvalesFinest » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:55 am

Miklo wrote:LOL at the thread title by the way...

I'm definitely feeling a lot better about Dragic now than I was after we drafted him...or really at any point this season. He needs to step up and play with confidence and we could have a pretty good future PG on our hands.


Agreed, watching the game Dragic is at his best when driving to the basket not shooting jumpers. If he does that more in the NBA there is no reason he can't be good.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#10 » by lilfishi22 » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:01 am

There's no question he's improved and I still think it's his lack of confidence that made him suck last year.

Porter seemed real tight with him and made him be responsible for his mistakes really early onwards. Gentry came in and kinda unleashed Dragic and allowed him to make rookie mistakes and his confidence grew. It's good to know he's getting better.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#11 » by Shuttlesworth » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:02 am

Was Dragic creating his own shot or was he feeding off of his teammates?

We already know that Dragic can pass as a PG, and now seeing him play the 2 for his national team and what he can do as far as scoring points.

You put those 2 combinations together and he could be a great player someday.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#12 » by SunsFever » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:11 am

he could very well be :D

well but seriously, i think it's all confidence with goran. i think he was a bit overwhelmed when he came over, like i said many times, he's just a kid still.

another thing i wanted to talk about is what he said after the game with spain. he baisicly said that his coach told him let go and play very aggresivly, on the egde of the fouling. so he basicly just freed him to showcase his skills. so in that sense, a full year under gentry will help a lot. not to mention the confidence he will gain playing well against world class competition.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#13 » by DooDooWap » Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:16 am

Go Goran! Go Goran! Go Goran! :lol:

I hoped to see some Eurobasket on Eurosport here in Norway but nothing still. Just the US Open in Tennis. When does preseason start?

Shuttleworth, I think your avatar is a record cover. Thought maybe it was Labradford but turns out I was mistaken. http://www.amazon.com/Mi-Media-Naranja-Labradford/dp/B0000061I3.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#14 » by WTFsunsFTW » Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:51 am

Cautiously optimistic, folks.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#15 » by Qwigglez » Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:32 am

Goran Dragic reminds me of a young Leandro Barbosa. I knew Barbosa would be good as soon as we traded Marbury and he dropped 28 points his first game w/o Marbury. Barbosa just needed the confidence and I think Dragic is the same way.
I'm hoping Dragic can be a good backup at this point, maybe he can be another spark plug off the bench, and develop into a decent starter. Its too early to tell if he can be a leader, but I will enjoy watching his development.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#16 » by BIRDMAN BIRDMAN » Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:41 am

I like Dragic, but we should all remember (i think, not 100% sure) that the OP also said that Banks should start over Nash.
:hug:
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#17 » by Rasho Brezec » Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:52 am

I know it's Maryvale, but seriously? There's not a starting PG in the NBA I would start Dragic over. You can tell he improved tremendously in his first NBA season, but his dribble is still shaky, he's still a poor FT shooter for a PG and he still can't run a team nearly as good as Udrih.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#18 » by pidi » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:26 pm

first off - i like dragic, he played solid behind nash. solid for a rookie in his first year -
but another opinion should be if we are overrating this little dragic - he proved nothing ´til now.
he can´t run a team and is far away of being our nash for the future.

i don´t wanna sound to pesimistic but to call him the most underrated in nba is a little too much.
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#19 » by Austin » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:41 pm

Rasho Brezec wrote:I know it's Maryvale, but seriously? There's not a starting PG in the NBA I would start Dragic over. You can tell he improved tremendously in his first NBA season, but his dribble is still shaky, he's still a poor FT shooter for a PG and he still can't run a team nearly as good as Udrih.


FT % in the 80's is poor?
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Re: Goran Dragic = the most underated player in the NBA? 

Post#20 » by Miklo » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:42 pm

Austin wrote:
Rasho Brezec wrote:I know it's Maryvale, but seriously? There's not a starting PG in the NBA I would start Dragic over. You can tell he improved tremendously in his first NBA season, but his dribble is still shaky, he's still a poor FT shooter for a PG and he still can't run a team nearly as good as Udrih.


FT % in the 80's is poor?


76.9% :(

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