duncan228
01-26-2010, 04:49 PM
Dreams of John Wall and the ’10 Draft Can Officially Begin (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-dreamsofjohnwallandt&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
Big news hit the NBA wire Monday, and no, I’m not talking about the Devin Brown-Aaron Gray trade. This weekend, John Wall, the surefire No. 1-overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, indicated he’s going pro after this season. We all assumed it, but in past seasons top picks have dragged out the speculation until the end of the college basketball season. Wall and his coach John Calipari, on the other hand, have come clean early.
Now, with his plans essentially official, NBA general managers can begin to salivate over the prospect of selecting Wall in June. He’s a supremely athletic point guard with incredible instincts and the best vision at his age since Jason Kidd was attending classes in Berkeley (or playing games for Cal, at least). Any team would love to have him, and the hype and praise will only intensify when we hit March Madness. By the time June rolls around, one lucky team won’t just be drafting a likely star, but a marketing phenomenon as well.
But the choice won’t be so cut and dry for many of the teams at the bottom of the league. Let’s take a look at what may happen if and when some of these teams get the chance to take Wall.
New Jersey Nets: Currently picking 1st
It’s already been reported that the Nets will likely hold on to Devin Harris until the end of the season, see how the draft lottery shakes out, and then decide whether or not they want to trade him. That’s a good plan—Wall shows more promise than Harris, yet it’d be smart to hold on to Devin in case the ping pong balls don’t go New Jersey’s way.
But for a team that has spent two years preparing itself to make a run at LeBron James, it’s worth considering how Wall would affect the Nets’ chances at landing the league’s MVP. Would LeBron want to share the stage with the next "Chosen One"? For that matter, would Wall want to take a backseat to someone he considers an elder? If they did team up, would the world explode in response to the instantaneous awesomeness that would arise?
The potential pairing brings up a lot of questions, clearly. Say what you want about Devin Harris, but LeBron would have a clear sense of who he’d be playing with if he chose to go to the Nets. With Wall, everything becomes more questionable.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Currently picking 2nd
Bestill David Kahn’s heart. He was excited enough when Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn were supposed to play together—can you imagine the man controlling the rights to John Wall, too? After getting Wall, a normal person would trade the rights to Rubio, maybe Flynn also, and put all his eggs in the Wall-Love-Jefferson basket.
But D.K. is no ordinary GM, so he’d undoubtedly do everything possible to lure Rubio to Minneapolis, thus creating the league’s first-ever wing-less starting lineup. Sure, call him crazy. But who’ll be laughing when Minnesota executes four five-man alley-oops in the same game?
Golden State Warriors: Currently picking 3rd
The Warriors already have two excellent young guards in Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Curry has improved quite a bit in just a few short months and shows a promising offensive game, but his slight frame might make him best-suited to playing as a third guard off the bench. Yet Curry remains a popular name in the Bay Area, and the image-conscious Warriors might not want to consign him as a reserve.
The answer is clear: The notoriously rookie-averse Don Nelson—he essentially only played Curry out of necessity this season—would keep Wall on the bench for months, playing him for five minutes in every Tuesday blowout only. Wall, of course, would get upset, demand a trade, and be dealt to the Knicks for Danilo Gallinari (a tall guy who can shoot!) and Nate Robinson (a short guy who can dunk!).
Washington Wizards: Currently picking 4th
Wall has no history of major incidents, so it’s hard to imagine the Wizards passing on him out of fear that he’ll hurt their already degraded image. But what if it turns out Wall ran into trouble while at Kentucky? Can the Wizards justify taking a noted cheater with the franchise’s image in tatters?
Of course not. It’s time to trade down and take Cole Aldrich.
Utah Jazz: Currently picking 9th
The Jazz hold the Knicks’ first-round pick, and while New York looks like it’ll escape the shame of missing out on Wall, you should never count out a team that has lost a home game by 50 points. If they do get the top choice, they obviously won’t need to take Wall with Deron Williams already on board. A super-trade would have to happen.
What could the Jazz do? Contracts will have to match, and both Mehmet Okur (about $10 million) and Andrei Kirilenko (about $17 million) have expiring deals that could make a monster deal work. Does a sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh excite you? What if they package both Okur and Kirilenko to get Wade or LeBron? Or did I just blow your mind?
SportingNews
Big news hit the NBA wire Monday, and no, I’m not talking about the Devin Brown-Aaron Gray trade. This weekend, John Wall, the surefire No. 1-overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, indicated he’s going pro after this season. We all assumed it, but in past seasons top picks have dragged out the speculation until the end of the college basketball season. Wall and his coach John Calipari, on the other hand, have come clean early.
Now, with his plans essentially official, NBA general managers can begin to salivate over the prospect of selecting Wall in June. He’s a supremely athletic point guard with incredible instincts and the best vision at his age since Jason Kidd was attending classes in Berkeley (or playing games for Cal, at least). Any team would love to have him, and the hype and praise will only intensify when we hit March Madness. By the time June rolls around, one lucky team won’t just be drafting a likely star, but a marketing phenomenon as well.
But the choice won’t be so cut and dry for many of the teams at the bottom of the league. Let’s take a look at what may happen if and when some of these teams get the chance to take Wall.
New Jersey Nets: Currently picking 1st
It’s already been reported that the Nets will likely hold on to Devin Harris until the end of the season, see how the draft lottery shakes out, and then decide whether or not they want to trade him. That’s a good plan—Wall shows more promise than Harris, yet it’d be smart to hold on to Devin in case the ping pong balls don’t go New Jersey’s way.
But for a team that has spent two years preparing itself to make a run at LeBron James, it’s worth considering how Wall would affect the Nets’ chances at landing the league’s MVP. Would LeBron want to share the stage with the next "Chosen One"? For that matter, would Wall want to take a backseat to someone he considers an elder? If they did team up, would the world explode in response to the instantaneous awesomeness that would arise?
The potential pairing brings up a lot of questions, clearly. Say what you want about Devin Harris, but LeBron would have a clear sense of who he’d be playing with if he chose to go to the Nets. With Wall, everything becomes more questionable.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Currently picking 2nd
Bestill David Kahn’s heart. He was excited enough when Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn were supposed to play together—can you imagine the man controlling the rights to John Wall, too? After getting Wall, a normal person would trade the rights to Rubio, maybe Flynn also, and put all his eggs in the Wall-Love-Jefferson basket.
But D.K. is no ordinary GM, so he’d undoubtedly do everything possible to lure Rubio to Minneapolis, thus creating the league’s first-ever wing-less starting lineup. Sure, call him crazy. But who’ll be laughing when Minnesota executes four five-man alley-oops in the same game?
Golden State Warriors: Currently picking 3rd
The Warriors already have two excellent young guards in Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Curry has improved quite a bit in just a few short months and shows a promising offensive game, but his slight frame might make him best-suited to playing as a third guard off the bench. Yet Curry remains a popular name in the Bay Area, and the image-conscious Warriors might not want to consign him as a reserve.
The answer is clear: The notoriously rookie-averse Don Nelson—he essentially only played Curry out of necessity this season—would keep Wall on the bench for months, playing him for five minutes in every Tuesday blowout only. Wall, of course, would get upset, demand a trade, and be dealt to the Knicks for Danilo Gallinari (a tall guy who can shoot!) and Nate Robinson (a short guy who can dunk!).
Washington Wizards: Currently picking 4th
Wall has no history of major incidents, so it’s hard to imagine the Wizards passing on him out of fear that he’ll hurt their already degraded image. But what if it turns out Wall ran into trouble while at Kentucky? Can the Wizards justify taking a noted cheater with the franchise’s image in tatters?
Of course not. It’s time to trade down and take Cole Aldrich.
Utah Jazz: Currently picking 9th
The Jazz hold the Knicks’ first-round pick, and while New York looks like it’ll escape the shame of missing out on Wall, you should never count out a team that has lost a home game by 50 points. If they do get the top choice, they obviously won’t need to take Wall with Deron Williams already on board. A super-trade would have to happen.
What could the Jazz do? Contracts will have to match, and both Mehmet Okur (about $10 million) and Andrei Kirilenko (about $17 million) have expiring deals that could make a monster deal work. Does a sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh excite you? What if they package both Okur and Kirilenko to get Wade or LeBron? Or did I just blow your mind?