Even this guy knows that JOB does not play the young guys, is also nice to see the comparison between all the teams that are going to the draft and their needs.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...all/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...all/index.html
Barring some unforeseen circumstance, it appears Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall will become the NBA's next No. 1 draft pick.
But Wall will be entering the NBA a season after many of the 12 point guards taken in the first round of the 2009 draft have already made an impact. Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry are the top players in the class, and Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn and Darren Collison, among others, are also getting high marks.
Combine that with a look at the projected lottery teams, and, with a few exceptions, a personnel shuffling will be needed no matter where Wall goes.
"You are getting a very valuable asset," one NBA executive said of Wall. "So regardless of what happens, you are going to come out ahead. Either you keep Wall and trade your existing point guard, or you keep what you have and you fill in your roster with what you can get by trading Wall."
Sure, a team could do that. But since the draft lottery began in 1985, only once has a team traded away the top pick. (In 1993, the Magic selected Chris Webber with the No. 1 pick, then immediately traded him to the Warriors for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first-rounders.)
Holding the top pick in the draft brings an emotional attachment, for both the organization and its fans. For teams whose previous season was bad enough to land them in the lottery, the draft is their hope for the future. Their selections do not always turn out to be the saviors they had hoped for, but the draft is nonetheless a transformative moment, when the thought of acquiring one talented player is enough to rejuvenate a team's outlook and eventual climb back to respectability. (Think LeBron James.) Besides, the last thing a fan wants to hear is that a team is acquiring an asset that can be used to obtain other assets.
In Wall's situation, however, there likely will have to be some sort of maneuvering by the team that drafts him in order to make things work.
Start at the top, or as the case may be, the bottom of the standings: the Nets. Forget the fact that the worst team in the league rarely gets the top pick. (In the 25-year history of the draft lottery, the worst team has received the top pick only four times, the last coming in 2004, when Orlando took Dwight Howard.) If the Nets (7-55) win the lottery and keep the pick, they would have to figure out what to do with Devin Harris, their 26-year-old point guard who was an All-Star last season. Sure, New Jersey is threatening to become the worst team in history and any infusion of talent is welcome at this point. But drafting Wall would hasten the departure of Harris, whose disappointing season means the Nets likely wouldn't get equal value in return. You see where this is going: Even the positive of having the top pick brings some sort of negative.
Across the river, the Knicks could use Wall, but they sent their first-round pick to Utah. If the Jazz get No. 1, would they select Wall to play ahead of Deron Williams, arguably the most complete point guard in the league? Hardly.
Minnesota (14-49), the worst team in the Western Conference, will have a good chance to land the top pick. However, the Timberwolves took Ricky Rubio and Flynn with back-to-back picks in the 2009 draft, and bringing on a third point guard would create even more of a logjam (Rubio is currently playing in Spain) and necessitate a trade. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the beginning of David Kahn's stewardship of that organization.
At Golden State (17-45), Curry has earned the adulation of fans and management -- and for good reason -- while playing alongside the high-scoring Monta Ellis. Should the Warriors get the top pick, their options are to move Curry and use Wall at the point; deal Ellis and turn Wall into a shooting guard; or unload Ellis and shift Curry to shooting guard, where, like Wall, he'd be matched up against bigger players. Don't count on any of those happening.
The Kings (21-42) have Evans, the likely Rookie of the Year, playing the point. At 6-6, Evans could conceivably play shooting guard, except for one small problem: He can't shoot from outside effectively. Plus, he has made a name for himself this year playing with the ball in his hands at point, which is why the Kings just dealt Kevin Martin to Houston. Coach Paul Westphal has hitched his horse to Evans' wagon, and that does not seem likely to change.
Detroit (22-41) seems enamored with Rodney Stuckey and it has shooting guard Richard Hamilton signed for three more years and $38 million. Washington (21-39) still has to resolve the Gilbert Arenas situation, but it seems general manager Ernie Grunfeld may have a tough time getting rid of him, thereby posing an issue if the Wizards wanted Wall at the point.
Philadelphia (23-39) has two young prospects at point in Lou Williams (whom management is high on) and rookie Jrue Holiday. While Wall could earn a spot in front of either, Philly would then have trouble finding time for Williams because swingman Andre Iguodala plays a lot of shooting guard.
The Clippers (25-38) have point guard Baron Davis on the books for three more years and $42 million, and his trade value has plummeted now that teams have seen his work ethic and health history. They also have second-year shooting guard Eric Gordon, who is averaging 17.2 points.
The Hornets (31-32) have a guy named Chris Paul, who has two more years (plus a player option) on his lucrative extension. His backup, the rookie Collison, has been a surprise, averaging 19.0 points and 8.3 assists in his 24 starts while filling in for the injured Paul.
The Rockets (31-31) have Aaron Brooks, who earned All-Star consideration this season and is averaging 19.9 points and 5.2 assists in his first year as a full-time starter. And newly acquired Martin, who is averaging 20.8 points, is tied up for three more years at shooting guard.
Charlotte could be a match for Wall because Raymond Felton will become an unrestricted free agent. However, like the Hornets and Rockets, the Bobcats (30-31) are on track to win about 40 games without the postseason, making them extreme longshots to secure the top pick in the weighted lottery. Same with the Bulls (31-31), yet another team that would have duplication in the backcourt if it slipped into the lottery and won the whole thing. Chicago overcame long odds to win the 2008 lottery and earn the right to select Derrick Rose, the Rookie of the Year last season and an All-Star this season.
As of now, it seems the best fit for Wall would be the free-falling Pacers (20-43), though coach Jim O'Brien isn't known for developing younger players. Of course, if O'Brien were to be dismissed, that could create a better environment for someone like Wall.
It's not that Wall would not be a great addition to any of the teams in the lottery -- there is a reason they are there, after all -- but because of a variety of factors, some GM will have to make serious decisions about where exactly Wall will fit in or what that team can get in return for the top pick in the draft.
But Wall will be entering the NBA a season after many of the 12 point guards taken in the first round of the 2009 draft have already made an impact. Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry are the top players in the class, and Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn and Darren Collison, among others, are also getting high marks.
Combine that with a look at the projected lottery teams, and, with a few exceptions, a personnel shuffling will be needed no matter where Wall goes.
"You are getting a very valuable asset," one NBA executive said of Wall. "So regardless of what happens, you are going to come out ahead. Either you keep Wall and trade your existing point guard, or you keep what you have and you fill in your roster with what you can get by trading Wall."
Sure, a team could do that. But since the draft lottery began in 1985, only once has a team traded away the top pick. (In 1993, the Magic selected Chris Webber with the No. 1 pick, then immediately traded him to the Warriors for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first-rounders.)
Holding the top pick in the draft brings an emotional attachment, for both the organization and its fans. For teams whose previous season was bad enough to land them in the lottery, the draft is their hope for the future. Their selections do not always turn out to be the saviors they had hoped for, but the draft is nonetheless a transformative moment, when the thought of acquiring one talented player is enough to rejuvenate a team's outlook and eventual climb back to respectability. (Think LeBron James.) Besides, the last thing a fan wants to hear is that a team is acquiring an asset that can be used to obtain other assets.
In Wall's situation, however, there likely will have to be some sort of maneuvering by the team that drafts him in order to make things work.
Start at the top, or as the case may be, the bottom of the standings: the Nets. Forget the fact that the worst team in the league rarely gets the top pick. (In the 25-year history of the draft lottery, the worst team has received the top pick only four times, the last coming in 2004, when Orlando took Dwight Howard.) If the Nets (7-55) win the lottery and keep the pick, they would have to figure out what to do with Devin Harris, their 26-year-old point guard who was an All-Star last season. Sure, New Jersey is threatening to become the worst team in history and any infusion of talent is welcome at this point. But drafting Wall would hasten the departure of Harris, whose disappointing season means the Nets likely wouldn't get equal value in return. You see where this is going: Even the positive of having the top pick brings some sort of negative.
Across the river, the Knicks could use Wall, but they sent their first-round pick to Utah. If the Jazz get No. 1, would they select Wall to play ahead of Deron Williams, arguably the most complete point guard in the league? Hardly.
Minnesota (14-49), the worst team in the Western Conference, will have a good chance to land the top pick. However, the Timberwolves took Ricky Rubio and Flynn with back-to-back picks in the 2009 draft, and bringing on a third point guard would create even more of a logjam (Rubio is currently playing in Spain) and necessitate a trade. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the beginning of David Kahn's stewardship of that organization.
At Golden State (17-45), Curry has earned the adulation of fans and management -- and for good reason -- while playing alongside the high-scoring Monta Ellis. Should the Warriors get the top pick, their options are to move Curry and use Wall at the point; deal Ellis and turn Wall into a shooting guard; or unload Ellis and shift Curry to shooting guard, where, like Wall, he'd be matched up against bigger players. Don't count on any of those happening.
The Kings (21-42) have Evans, the likely Rookie of the Year, playing the point. At 6-6, Evans could conceivably play shooting guard, except for one small problem: He can't shoot from outside effectively. Plus, he has made a name for himself this year playing with the ball in his hands at point, which is why the Kings just dealt Kevin Martin to Houston. Coach Paul Westphal has hitched his horse to Evans' wagon, and that does not seem likely to change.
Detroit (22-41) seems enamored with Rodney Stuckey and it has shooting guard Richard Hamilton signed for three more years and $38 million. Washington (21-39) still has to resolve the Gilbert Arenas situation, but it seems general manager Ernie Grunfeld may have a tough time getting rid of him, thereby posing an issue if the Wizards wanted Wall at the point.
Philadelphia (23-39) has two young prospects at point in Lou Williams (whom management is high on) and rookie Jrue Holiday. While Wall could earn a spot in front of either, Philly would then have trouble finding time for Williams because swingman Andre Iguodala plays a lot of shooting guard.
The Clippers (25-38) have point guard Baron Davis on the books for three more years and $42 million, and his trade value has plummeted now that teams have seen his work ethic and health history. They also have second-year shooting guard Eric Gordon, who is averaging 17.2 points.
The Hornets (31-32) have a guy named Chris Paul, who has two more years (plus a player option) on his lucrative extension. His backup, the rookie Collison, has been a surprise, averaging 19.0 points and 8.3 assists in his 24 starts while filling in for the injured Paul.
The Rockets (31-31) have Aaron Brooks, who earned All-Star consideration this season and is averaging 19.9 points and 5.2 assists in his first year as a full-time starter. And newly acquired Martin, who is averaging 20.8 points, is tied up for three more years at shooting guard.
Charlotte could be a match for Wall because Raymond Felton will become an unrestricted free agent. However, like the Hornets and Rockets, the Bobcats (30-31) are on track to win about 40 games without the postseason, making them extreme longshots to secure the top pick in the weighted lottery. Same with the Bulls (31-31), yet another team that would have duplication in the backcourt if it slipped into the lottery and won the whole thing. Chicago overcame long odds to win the 2008 lottery and earn the right to select Derrick Rose, the Rookie of the Year last season and an All-Star this season.
As of now, it seems the best fit for Wall would be the free-falling Pacers (20-43), though coach Jim O'Brien isn't known for developing younger players. Of course, if O'Brien were to be dismissed, that could create a better environment for someone like Wall.
It's not that Wall would not be a great addition to any of the teams in the lottery -- there is a reason they are there, after all -- but because of a variety of factors, some GM will have to make serious decisions about where exactly Wall will fit in or what that team can get in return for the top pick in the draft.
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