The NBA Thread

[W]

You run a franchise into the ground, don't build a decent team around the best player of his generation, and get three chances at number one? No. Stern and Silver don't want a good teams in Miami, San Antonio, Indiana, Oklahoma, etc. They want them in the major cities.

LeBron may have done it the wrong way but there's no way I'm staying in Cleveland if I'm LeBron. After watching what KG dealt with for a decade or so in Minnesota...

As for the Lakers, they'll get whoever is left from Vonleh, Randle, Exum, and Smart as they seem to be the obvious 4-7 picks since you get a potential downgrade after that. Embiid, Wiggins, and Parker in some order will be the first three off the board (I'm guessing in that order). Two of the potential guys LA can get are PGs (one is a combo guard) so your wish is 50/50 and those 4-7 guys look like they can be all-stars on bad teams/second bananas on good teams-type guys (Westbrook/Bosh-like potential).

Giving the pick to LA, NY, or Boston wouldn't be a waste (ok maybe NY historically) because number one picks are supposed to lead to long term success and if you're the NBA, you want success for those teams/markets. It doesn't always pan out that way, but that's the way it's supposed to be.

[Buscemi]

First of all, congratulations to the Spurs on their fifth title. If this one doesn't put Duncan among the greats, I don't know what will.

Second, I found this video interesting. Here is Pete Maravich playing a game of H-O-R-S-E with other NBA stars during the 1978 All-Star Game weekend. As you can see, he was a H-O-R-S-E master.

[Buscemi]

The Cavaliers have narrowed their their head coach choices down to two: Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue and European coaching legend David Blatt. And even though the general public doesn't seem to want him (because of an incident involving him and Allen Iverson some years ago), I'm betting that Lue gets the job. Unlike Blatt, Lue actually has experience with the NBA (Blatt's never had NBA experience and hasn't been involved with the American game since his days at Princeton) and he's worked with staffs on Doc Rivers' Celtics teams and the resurgent Clippers. Meanwhile, I get the idea the NBA could be too overwhelming for Blatt.

And speaking about the Cavaliers, I'd suggest to them to either pick Jabari or trade their pick for the forthcoming draft (Philadelphia and Orlando have two lottery picks, trade with either team and they could make like bandits). Kansas players rarely fare well in the NBA and should you really trust a pair of players from a team that couldn't make the Sweet Sixteen (and yes, I know that Duke lost in the first round but the way that Embiid and Wiggins were hyped, you think that their team would have gone farther)?

[W]

Embiid broke his foot today. I wonder if his back problems combined with that will be a red flag to teams considering big guys can really develop chronic foot problems (it forced Yao to miss tons of time and eventually retire early) or is his potential so great that he'll get drafted #1 anyway? He's only been playing basketball (Hell, only knew what basketball was) for three or four years now, so that's the deal with him.

These three are extremely young, so I wouldn't count a single bad game in the Tournament against them. As far as I've seen in mock drafts the top nine in this draft are better prospects than anyone last year. The top three (Embiid, Wiggins, and Parker) are three of the top five prospects of the last five years (according to GMs and scouts in an article I read). Wall and Rose were the other two. So, if you're trading the number one pick, this isn't the year to do it.

And judging NBA players from their school? If that were true, the next player from my alma mater that goes pro will be a top 5-10 all time great. No Kansas player has been projected this well since, I don't know, Danny Manning? Wilt Chamberlain?

[Buscemi]

Chamberlain is one of the few Kansas players to do well in the NBA (Paul Pierce is another and to a lesser extent, Kirk Hinrich but I'm sure I'm forgetting a few others) but Manning was generally agreed to be a disappointment after all the hype. Otherwise, Kansas players tend to be guys who got hyped based on being in a big program and couldn't cut it in the pros (other can Pierce and Hinrich, can you name a Kansas player in the past two decades that panned out?). When you think about it, Kansas basketball is a lot like Penn State football when having big-time college players flopping professionally. I mean, even Duke has fared better with molding players to the big time.

As for comparing Embiien and Wiggins to Chamberlain and Manning, at least Chamberlain and Manning got their teams to the championship game (Chamberlain lost his appearance in triple overtime, Manning won his).

[W]

If you're thinking about the 60-90's that's true. But that's in the time of three or four year players. Since the one and done rule (or even Carmelo's single year at Syracuse) you have truly great players that would have forgone college altogether getting with teams that are old-school powerhouses (and Memphis before Calapari left). You've seen it with Rose, Wall, Davis, MK-G, Kyrie... Kansas is just starting to get these guys.

You can't tell me any of those other Kansas guys were as highly touted and were on the same track as Wiggins (mocked #1 overall before the start of the season) and Embiid (who learned what basketball was the year Toy Story 3 came out).

Could Embiid be the next Greg Oden? Yes. He could be the next Hakeem as well and in a league where a run down Dwight Howard is considered the best center in the league, that's worth a tremendous amount. I don't see Wiggins being any worse than a borderline all-star during his prime while his ceiling is the best wing in the league.

[Buscemi]

So it looks like the Cavaliers are going to give their head coaching job to Blatt. I think this is a mistake as he has never worked in the NBA in the capacity that Lue has (but I already explained this). But maybe he'll surprise at the job.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

I think it's guaranteed Embiid is the next Oden. He's only been playing basketball for four years and his body is already starting to have major problems. Foot and knee problems take down big men all the time, and this guy has had major back problems and now his foot? The Cavs would be idiots to take him first.

Then again this is the outfit that took Anthony Bennett number 1 so...

They should take Wiggins or Parker or if they still want Embiid, trade down to the 3/4 spot.

Nerlens Noel was supposed to be the consensus #1 last year but his injury past dropped him down the #6. See the same thing happening here.

[Buscemi]

As I said, if I were Cleveland then I would take Jabari or trade the pick to the Sixers for their two lottery picks (or the Magic and their two lottery picks). I bet the Sixers will do anything to get the top pick (I mean, they tanked the season in a failed attempt to get it).

[W]

There's risk to taking Embiid and in another draft (last years awful one for example) the foot wouldn't hurt his draft stock. But this year there's two other guys consider near locks to make an All-Star game and possibly much better as well as multiple other guys with very high ceilings.

Whoever gets Embiid is going one of two ways: Greg Oden who played one year's total games in his first four or five years or they'll have the best center in the league eventually. There's not much wiggle room. He's like a 7' tall Serge Ibaka and if he can develop that way and have a post game he's the best in the league. But they said similar things about Kwame Brown's potential.

At this point, I'd take Wiggins. Higher ceiling than Parker, still ready to play now, though not as NBA ready.

[Buscemi]

Three-way deal in the works:

Golden State gets Kevin Love and #7 pick in the draft
Lakers gets Klay Thompson
Timberwolves get TBA (I imagine they would get some bench players and future picks)

The trade is not final yet as the Lakers are pondering on the possibility of getting Joel Embiid in the draft while the Warriors don't want to give up too much to get Love. If this goes through, the Kevin Love leaving Minnesota saga will finally end (I was wondering if the Heat would attempt to deal for him to correct their mistake in 2008 of picking Michael Beasley over him or Russell Westbrook instead of entering the Carmelo sweepstakes).

[W]

Is Klay Thompson that valuable? I know he's super young, and i am a fan, but does anyone see him being Ray Allen? There's 8 or 9 guys people think have a good chance at being All-Stars in this year's draft plus a few other boom-bust guys. At #7 you're going to get one of those guys. Besides the obvious three, you WILL have your shot between (at least) two of Smart, Vonleh, Exum, Randle, and Gordon and I like Saric as well but no one knows when he's coming over. All have a decent chance of being a franchise-guy on a bad team type (Bosh level)/second or third banana on a good/great team.

Even if you give up multiple first rounders, they're going to be lottery-protected from a team that will make the playoffs during each of the next five years.

I'd try to get Boston's two picks+ if they're serious about getting Love.

[Geezer]

I thought Minnesota was getting the 7 pick, not GS?

[Buscemi]

I'm only reporting what the Los Angeles Times said.

[Geezer]

If that is accurate, the Wolves would be much better off taking the 2 Celtics picks and either Sullinger or Olynyk for Love.