Chris and Paul begin by previewing Tuesday’s Warriors/Pacers game, the Jerry Colangelo hire in Philadelphia, and then a bit on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, and the surprising Charlotte Hornets. As usual, they end on pop culture talk, as Chris continues catching up on The Leftovers and Paul describes his latest Netflix binge series.
Chris and Paul continue their contract-extension conversation from last week’s podcast by discussing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s new deal with the Charlotte Hornets, and then transition to their potential bottom-five teams in the 2015-16 season. They end by previewing the season finale of the debut season of USA’s Mr. Robot, and briefly talk about Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty and Paul’s foray back into the world of “Serial” with the “Undisclosed” podcast.
After last week’s original version of our NBA Mock Draft, Chris and I knew we had to switch things up a bit. The first detail to change was our draft order, with Chris now taking the even-numbered picks and me on the odds. The only directive we exchanged was to be different. What that meant exactly is still up for interpretation, and to which I battled with in my first selection. Instead of choosing the opposite of whoever Chris picked, I used it as a tiebreaker but went with my original thoughts and tried to evaluate the most recent rumors that have been circulating among NBA circles. Like I explained last week, our sources still aren’t returning our phone calls and I’m afraid Chris and I can’t offer any original insight into draft philosophies. But we tried to have fun with our second version of the Mock and talk about as many prospects as we could within the framework of the first round. I’m up. 1.) Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns Thus begins the very first issue of our second mock draft: to go different for the team or different for ourselves. I've already discussed Jahlil Okafor in relation to the Los Angeles Lakers in Version 1, and while he would present a departure from your pick of Karl-Anthony Towns to the Timberwolves, I'm doubtful that Minnesota lets Towns slide to #2. I suppose there's a chance that D'Angelo Russell is in play for the first overall selection, at least with the recent workout news; I'm just not ready to accept it as a realistic option, with Towns (or Okafor) ranking as the consensus top choice since the preseason. Wolves fans deserve to root for that super athletic core that you mentioned last week; we'll have to see if Flip Saunders can give the people what they want.
Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay (Photo: Robert Willett, AP, Getty, Paul J. Bereswill)
The NBA Draft is officially 10 days away, and much like last summer, we’re participating in the festivities with our own Mock Draft project. Neither Chris nor I claim any reliable sources or inside information, and our picks are backed by personal preferences and what we deem to be common sense selections, given team context and incumbent rosters. Unlike last season, however, where we dove a bit deeper and explained our predictions with longer-form essays, this draft we’ll limit ourselves to just a few paragraphs per pick, in the hopes that maybe we can tack on another version before next Thursday, as the (dis)information evolves. We’ll be alternating picks, beginning with Chris and the Minnesota Timberwolves and ending with my take on the Golden State Warriors at #30. All statistics and measurement numbers are from the incredible team over at Draft Express, along with any rumors and innuendo we’ve absorbed from the various mock drafts by ESPN (by that I mean Chad Ford), CBS, SBNation, Fansided, etc. So with the first pick of our 2015 NBA Mock Draft, Chris selects…
The Timberwolves add this season’s first-overall pick to last season’s (and the season before that). Towns’s potential on both sides of the ball and ability to play PF and/or C make him ideal for a Timberwolves team still finding their way.
His projected ability to space the floor makes room for Wiggins to operate in the post. A LaVine-Shabazz-Wiggins-Payne-Dieng-Towns young core, plus maybe another lottery pick is quite promising. And I left off Rubio!
In total, 37 players were involved in trades on Thursday alone and about a dozen draft picks changed hands. Here’s my best account of rationalizing and breaking down each trade in the chronological order in which they broke, in the hours leading up to Thursday’s 3pm (EST) trade deadline - outside of that last half hour to 20-minute stretch that closed out the activity, when my head might have momentarily exploded. Most of the information has been referenced from SBNation’s concise trade listings, and I’ve used the always clutch Pro Sports Transactions for any future draft picks that were moved.
What do you think of Minnesota’s strategy of selling veterans for draft picks, while simultaneously trading picks for young talent already in the NBA? Is this a strategy that other, rebuilding teams should adopt - most notably the Boston Celtics, with tons of future draft considerations and a couple of solid veterans on the roster? Is it kind of genius to trade draft picks down the line for discounted talent today, or counter-productive for teams that are years away from contention?
How about for a young team with years of lottery experience, like the Charlotte Hornets? Is the risk of trading draft picks mitigated by their proximity to the playoffs?
Chris and Paul celebrate their 50th episode with a three-part podcast that features some NBA news, a crowd-sourcing project where they check in with fans of a few different franchises, and a couple of classic clips from old episodes.
There was almost a chance in 2012 that Nerlens Noel would choose to play for my local Division 1A college basketball program. It was an unlikely rumor at the time that, in retrospect, would have resulted in lost scholarships or vacated wins had it all actually come together, but the very thought of Noel and his flat-top blocking shots for the Providence College Friars almost had Chris and I scrambling to split season tickets. Alas, Ryan Gomes’s place as the “Greatest Friar of the Last 50 Years” was safe, as Noel committed to the reigning-NCAA champion University of Kentucky Wildcats instead, but he could have single-handedly changed the direction of a young and rebuilding men’s basketball program at PC, had he chosen to. Although his sole season with Kentucky was cut short by an ACL tear, Nerlens Noel now has the opportunity to change the direction of a young and rebuilding professional basketball franchise when he makes his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers.
6’10” (6’10” wingspan), 223 lbs., 04/08/1994 (20 years old)
Chris explained earlier why Philadelphia is in a great position in this draft and in their franchise’s future. General manager Sam Hinkie has thoroughly rebuilt the roster by clearing talent and acquiring draft picks, including this pick and New Orleans’s first rounder in 2013 (Nerlens Noel) for then-All Star point guard, Jrue Holliday. He drafted Jrue’s replacement in Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams at #11 last year and has Noel fresh after sitting out the entire season coming off of knee surgery. Despite an early-season scare of competence his team went on a historic run of 26-straight losses and moved whatever veterans he could at the trade deadline, resulting in the #3 pick that Chris already broke down. Hinkie has already shown to be among the more patient and shrewd GM’s around and is entering Year 2 of his Philadelphia 76ers rebuild.
6’8” (7’0” wingspan), 197 lbs, 2/23/1995 (19 years old)
What I’d Do:
If you concede the fact that the top tier of this draft is three deep, the 76ers are in an enviable position. The risk is taken out of their hands and all of a sudden the guy who was a lock to be the number one pick for almost a full calendar year could fall right into their lap.
The length and athleticism the trio of MCW, Wiggins, and Noel would provide makes you think they could someday replicate the Heat's ultra-aggressive defensive system. The rookie of the year race between two guys on the same team would be fun as well.
This is the perfect scenario for Wiggins too, who by all accounts would rather go to Philadelphia than either Cleveland or Milwaukee. Who could blame him. Philadelphia is a brand franchise with some history. Philadelphia loves their athletes, they will love him too. They’ll be patient as well. Philadelphia’s fans were oddly accepting of the rebuilding strategies the front office made last season.
The downside could be Wiggins developing some more bad habits. Bill Self reined him in a bit, but Wiggins still made some decisions that would drive Popovic crazy (54 assists vs. 80 turnovers at Kansas). The comparison to T-Mac seems apt. They have a similar offensive game at this point, both relying on their athleticism, size, and lift to shoot over anyone at any point. In his best offensive performances at Kansas, Wiggins was just hitting difficult shots. Wiggins still needs to develop consistency in that jump shot though, and he struggles going to the basket with strength (only around 7 FTA per 36).
Let's be honest though. Wiggins was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside Wilt Chamberlain before he played a game for Kansas. No pressure kid. He handled the scrutiny and (at times) criticism remarkably. I have no fear about Andrew Wiggins' development.
Brett Brown let MCW develop some bad habits last year. It was chalked up to a lost season. This year, Brett will be under more pressure to begin installing a 'system' to help these young guys develop. Philadelphia will still be patient, but not as much as last year. This year, they’ll be looking for direction.
“You have to play Trading Places with these guys - what would happened if Exum was the one on the AAU circuit every summer and Wiggins was in the AIS? Forget which one has the better highlight tape and who is getting more publicity - passing up Exum to take Wiggins would be a mistake.”
It at least made me think. What if the Sixers feel that way as well after Exum goes in there and blows them away in a workout? They take Exum and trade MCW to Sacramento for the #8 pick? Or to the Knicks for Iman Shumpert?
Every year it seems that today comes longer to hoop heads,
that the wait is unusually more agonizing and the offseason more arduous than
the one preceding it. A quick mathematical investigation on my part has shown
that this NBA summer has been, in fact, as consistently long as in previous
years. If anything, that amazing Spurs/Heat Finals going seven games actually
afforded us a few extra days of sweet, sweet basketball, compared to the five
game LeBron/Durant Showdown of 2012. The offseason has not lacked for
entertainment or drama either, as fans in Houston/Los Angeles and
Brooklyn/Boston would, respectively, probably characterize it. And while some
franchises might enter hibernation earlier this winter, there are glimmers of
hope and change in other corners of the NBA map.
This season is going to be spectacular, by all accounts. As
is true in every other of the NBA’s near-70 year existence, not every team has
a realistic shot at a championship. 2013-14 might even feature a record run of
rebuilding and futility from franchises, even as the first (honest, if not
anonymous) general manager details why this might already be a lost season and it’s not even Halloween yet. But,
for the first time in my 15+ years as an NBA fan, you can make a case that
every one of the 30 organizations at least has a plan in place.
Think about that for a second, and think of how rare that
premise has been in recent seasons. Even Donald Sterling can’t screw his own organization up anymore! We’re going to see plenty of bad teams this year and many blowout losses,
but even the stingiest of rosters is assembled with a clear goal in mind that
makes sense: this upcoming draft is going to be really good and rookie
contracts are better values than free agent contracts.
For the most part we’re not seeing traditionally bad
organizations target mediocrity or drift aimlessly through another NBA season.
With the settled situation in Sacramento, another lottery season might be
realistic, but stability and new ownership has sparked optimism, and a big
trade wouldn’t surprise anyone. Phoenix and Philadelphia might be openly bereft
of talent (and are probably the odds-on favorites to have supplied that
previous passage to Mr. Goodman) but with draft picks and playing time for
young prospects, you can’t say they’re quote-unquote “tanking” (UGH) or being
cheap or disingenuous to their fanbases.
Boston is in the nascent stages of their long-term rebuild,
and a franchise-altering lottery pick in 2014 would be a nice block to build
upon. Charlotte has been bad while trying to be good, and an Al Jefferson
signing, plus Kemba/Gerald/MKG, helps make them watchable while still staying
semi-flexible in their search for a franchise guy. While they’re not the
laughing stock of the league this season after two historically inept
campaigns, they should still be in lottery contention in the #RigginforWiggins
or #TankSafariforJabari efforts. Orlando is firmly in year two of their
post-Dwight existence, with a solid collection of assets and a coach that has
already installed a culture. Utah’s situation is slightly different, in that
they’ve developed their young core alongside positive veterans in Jeff, Milsap
and (gulp) Jamaal Tinsley, and while an overachieve to a playoff spot wouldn’t
be the worst thing in the world, an impact lottery pick (from the wing/guard
spot?) would bolster a more realistic 2015 playoff push.
It’s probably a good thing that the NBA mediocrity, the 7-10
seeds in each conference, are mostly inhabited by younger teams who hope that
an entrance into the playoffs portends bigger things to their futures.
Minnesota, Denver, Portland, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington and the
Pelicans (!) all feature a young core with legitimate playoff aspirations,
where even a short series pounding against a Miami, Chicago, Indiana, San
Antonio, or Oklahoma City would go well towards seasoning that core or
persuading bitter franchise guys to stick around.
It’s the older teams settling in at that .500 level that are
the most frustrating franchises this season. While Mark Cuban asserts that
three year deals are the new market inefficiency,
it’s still an older team with questionable personnel fits that will struggle to
defend. The Lakers might be better served to sit the season out, settle their
chemistry issues and develop a long-term plan, especially with so many upcoming
marquee free agents with LA ties. Instead they’re pulling a 2012 Cuban and spending
money on one-year deals, hoping that fitting players into a coaching scheme
will get them to the playoffs. But then what?
The legitimate playoff teams stay scheming to claim the
throne. We’ll see if the Atlanta’s and Knicks’s of the league can compete while
transitioning their teams to what could be a different look next season.
Brooklyn and Golden State found that they enjoyed their playoff debuts last
year and made commitments to hopefully surpass their successes of a season ago.
Organizations like the Heat, Spurs, Bulls, Pacers, Grizzlies and Thunder
preferred to rely on internal improvements to augment their rosters. They might
enter the season slept on but are all veteran teams with confidence and an
identity.
The most interesting teams might be the ones on the title
periphery, who were mere bounces or breaks away from taking Miami or San
Antonio’s spots in 2013. An offseason of confidence could do wonders to the
next teams up, who made mostly minor alterations: a beefed up bench or an extra
shooter to space the floor or someone to defend the LeBrons or Tony Parkers
that they will have to vanquish on their journey to NBA immortality.
And the kings stay the kings. Once they sublimated their
egos enough to embrace their revolution on the game, the only thing that can
beat the Heat might truly be free agency. Injuries to Dwyane and Bosh weren’t
enough to knock them off. Boxing matches with the Pacers and Bulls, and burying
their Boston rivals once and for all, couldn’t do it either, it only weakened
them enough to enable their Western foes to get close. But when backed against
the wall, a spot they’ve been in more times than any other recent dynasty since
the Rockets of the mid-90’s,
they’ve regrouped, summoned their resolve and unleashed historical performances on the macro and micro levels (see video below ). As a dynasty, they’ve raised the games of everyone around them, bringing out
the best in their adversaries and creating history, while ushering in perhaps
an evolution to a style of play that for 40 years had been derided as a
gimmick.
Oh yeah, and we’ve seen one of the handful of most talented
athletes ever realize his potential, develop his game and basically mature
while acting as the league’s most popular player and outright villain. We
knocked LeBron James for not being clutch (whatever that means). Then we picked
apart his lack of a post game. Finally we wondered if he could stand up,
mentally, to the rigors of being the target and to dominate every night while
elevating his game in the playoffs. Now we’re honestly just wondering where
he’ll play next and how many potential championships that could swing.
