NBA Draft Lottery 2010

[The X]

Great result for the Nets, now they'll get either Turner or Cousins & keep Harris Sometimes not winning the top pick takes away picking feeling obliged to take the consensus number 1 pick over the player who'll help you the most (e.g. Sonics lucked out getting #2 pick so they could take Durant rather than feeling obliged to take Oden).

Hope Nets end up with Turner

[benji]

Would have to take back Pedja in that trade.

ESPN seems determined to hype Wall as the next Jordan or something. They showed five minutes of some godawful arm thing he does. They've even decided the Wizards are drafting him #1 no matter what. SportsCenter opened with "D.C. gets its newest star, what should we expect from John Wall?"

[Lamrock]

I can't wait to see Washington's Derrick Rose-Gilbert Arenas backcourt go 0-8 (before Arenas goes down due to injury or retardation). I don't see why Cousins isn't the consensus #1 pick. He is a dominant big man whereas John Wall is a loose cannon and Evan Turner is injury prone.

[The X]

and Evan Turner is injury prone.

Care to explain. I'm not too familiar with his injury history dating back to high school, but outside of a freak back injury, is he really that injury prone?

[NovU]

Doesn't Cousins have off court problems? I think Wall is the safest pick at the moment. Perhaps, I bought into the hype.

[benji]

Wall was charged with breaking and entering in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 4, 2009, for a crime he committed on April 27, 2009, with two other people.[3] Wall admitted guilt, as a condition for entering a program for first-time offenders, and under the terms of the plea, was required to complete 100 hours of community service, pay court costs and program fees, and stay out of trouble for the next six months.

[jonthefon]

I don't see why Cousins isn't the consensus #1 pick. He is a dominant big man whereas John Wall is a loose cannon and Evan Turner is injury prone.

If John Wall is a loose cannon, then DeMarcus Cousins is a nuclear bomb. He could either become seriously dominant or he could end up Derrick Coleman.

I haven't heard of much of an injury history for Turner either, except for that back injury, which did look nasty though. Anyone know if there could be lingering effects from it?

[benji]

Derrick Coleman wasn't as good at 22 as Cousins is at 19.

[Rip32]

Cousins is the best player, but the attitude and immaturity scares teams off. He's very Rasheed-like in his attitude. I could see him having an on-court career like Zack Randolph, very productive guy who looks like the man sometimes and a total idiot others.

Would have to take back Pedja in that trade.

Fine with me. Hell, I wouldn't be totally distraught if they had to take on Okafor's contract either.

[Modifly]

And the Nets lose again. I feel bad for them, having the highest chance to win the no.1 pick and all yet the Wizards still managed to climbed up 5 spots.

[benji]

Fine with me. Hell, I wouldn't be totally distraught if they had to take on Okafor's contract either.

Re: Pedja. I was just noting the contracts were off.

Re: Okafor. Well, I certainly would love to see them paying $40+ million a season for the next four years for four guys who are at best second-tier at their position (really more like third-tier) but then again I want them consigned to the Lions circle of hell level. Hopefully they can resign Stuckey to a Prince-level type contract so that can be $50+ million for five!

[Phil89]

And the Nets lose again. I feel bad for them, having the highest chance to win the no.1 pick and all yet the Wizards still managed to climbed up 5 spots.

It makes sense that the team that couldn't win all season couldn't win the draft lottery either.

[187_MK]

i pity the Washington Wizards

[dare]

i pity the Washington Wizards

Why? they win the lottery?

[187_MK]

Im happy for them because they have won the lottery.
I'm sad because in the past years, their records are frustrating to look at

[shadowgrin]

TWO MOTHERFUCKER!!! YAY! Jrue

Ditto.

But the Sixers need to trade some of their players if they're going to use the 2nd pick.
If drafting a big, the team already has Speights to develop and that expensive corpse of Brand needs to be used.
At guard there's already Jrue and Williams.
At the swing positions its Iggy and Young (who's turrible this season).
Either the Sixers trade one of their current players or trade the pick to get some decent players.

[benji]

Nah, keep the players, take the pick.

Dalembert's about to expire. They can shuffle Brand off to a third big status like McDyess for the Pistons and start a Cousins/Speights future frontcourt. (Then you can add another guy good for 10-15 minutes, who doesn't threaten your young guys, like Dampier.)

Or they could take Turner or Wall, and play either alongside Iguodala and Williams as while both guys are nice ballhandlers it wouldn't hurt to add another guy, especially one who can create some shots of his own.

Holiday and Young can work well off the bench and they're still young enough. Kapono and Green can until they're gone in a year too. (And can be packed with Dalembert for something!)

Unless your player is a budding superstar, you should never worry about drafting a player at the same position. (And sometimes, even if he is!) Especially ones like Holiday and Young who if you avoid replacing out of some hope they're going to develop into superstars you're just going to keep winding up in the lottery trying to figure out who you can draft without displacing your non-stars.

If you wind up with too much talent at one position, then you move it. It's why the Gooden drafting despite having Gasol and Swift was good for Memphis, as they could flip him to get Mike Miller who filled a hole they needed filled later. It's something the Sixers can use the expiring of Dalembert, Kapono and Green to clear logjams and add better pieces.

In other words. Take the pick. Trades can come later, after you know more about what you've got.

[Jeffx]

Nets got hosed big time - the team with the worst record should have better than a 25% chance at the top pick. THIRD????? What b.s.

[Martti.]

The team best with the best odds usually never wins, at least lately.

Wall and Arenas would make a good backcourt, Arenas can move to the 2. And with Thornton, Blatche, McGee, they have a nice core.

[Lamrock]

The worst team seems to win about a fourth of the time.

[NovU]

I am not a college basketball fan, but watching clips of Cousins, I can see he has such unusual skillset for a big man. However, I can understand why the teams would pick Evan and Wall befoerhand, since the NBA game evolved to be guards game these days, and the fact that how Cousins will cope against bigger and stronger NBA players remain to be seen. Nonetheless, I think he's got great potential.

I only watched 2 games(partially) which Evan played and he seemed to be outstanding among his class, though I saw him being inconsistent at times. As for Wall(watching from highlights), he reminded me of Steve Francis.

[benji]

since the NBA game evolved to be guards game these days

It has? How many teams without two or three good bigs are in the Conference Finals this year?

As for Wall(watching from highlights), he reminded me of Steve Francis.

Damning with faint praise.

[Lamrock]

since the NBA game evolved to be guards game these days

It has? How many teams without two or three good bigs are in the Conference Finals this year?

Two?

[benji]

Bigs: Players who play primarily at Center or "Power" Forward.
Good: Better than average, good enough to start on at least half the teams.

[NovU]

So what do you guys think? Is Cousins the real deal? I can't really judge him from only watching a few clips, but some of the stuff he can do just looks amazing. Especially running the floor and passing the ball like guards can do. Him on blocking shots resembled Bynum as well.

John Wall though is really... Francis in disguise. Lols... I mean watch his clips and clips of Francis back in the college/high school days. With John Wall listed an inch taller, I am quite interested to see this kid in the NBA.

As for Evan Turner, whom can we compare to? He doesn't seem to possess quickness/explosiveness of Wade or Kobe, but he finishes around the rim quite well, I think.