Post by Orlando Magic on May 13, 2008 14:33:51 GMT -5
Now that the god awful (or as the manager would describe, “rebuilding”) Clipps have been officially eliminated from the playoffs, it seems the opportune moment for the Monster to get into the draft preview circuit. Using my incredible insights into team needs and strong command over the English vernacular, I look to provide a comprehensive preview of what is to come.
The following is a breakdown of what I see each team needing; assuming the draft lottery doesn’t reward the “rebuilding” efforts of Atlanta and LAC by handing the top picks to someone like NY or SA.
1. The top pick is currently a two way snail race between Atlanta and the Clipps, although Chicago’s meltdown and depressingly long 11 game losing streak certainly should scare them. Even more so because that pick does not belong to a “rebuilding” team but rather the Eastern conference juggernaut that is Orlando: but I digress. For the purposes of this preview, the number one overall pick belongs to Atlanta.
Looking at Atlanta’s diaper dandy line-up, there is no reason why they should not pick Beasley. The extremely overpaid Mo Williams has the PG slot on lock and Beasley could be an absurd addition to a blooming frontcourt. Most likely scenario I see here could quite possibly include some sort of trade for a SF that sends Yi packing, because God help us if Atlanta sees Andray Blatche as their future SF! If this is the case, then we could probably pencil ATL in for another top three pick in 09.
2. If the top pick is headed to ATL then that leaves only one other sub .200 team for the second pick: LAC. Here we have quite the conundrum; the Clipps have two pretty solid choices at the PG slot in Rondo and Conley. So you wonder if they could possibly use this pick for a third PG, since Rose is a freakish athlete that will absolutely be a star.
Assuming no trades are made prior to the draft, LAC probably would be best served by kicking Nad-tastic to the curb and bringing in 7-foot sensation Brook Lopez to fill the hole at center. He would bring some solid rebounding and scoring power to this line-up and draw in the defenses, thus giving guys like Morrison space to drop treys. However, if LAC passes on Rose, we could safely proclaim this youth-loving GM an idiot. Best option for LAC, trade away some package of Conley/Rondo/Wright, get some scoring presence at the SF slot and welcome the next Chris Paul/Deron Williams to LA’s “other team.”
3. At the third pick we find probably the most perplexing situation in this year’s draft. Chicago, with the dominant force that is Carlos Boozer at the helm, decided to trade away almost every redeeming piece of their team and essentially pull an NBA version of the Titanic. Which is all well and good when that Titanic-like team OWNS THEIR OWN PICK! But instead, we now find the Eastern conference favorite, Orlando, sitting with a #3 pick in the NBA draft and even more astounding is that Chicago shows no signs of stopping their blood loss and could hand Orlando a top two pick on a silver platter. Houston (not the Rockets) we have a problem.
Regardless, I still need to analyze any sort of hole in Orlando. The “Mad Scientist” has stated that despite Jameer stepping up and producing for the Magic, he still would like to improve in the PG slot and either move Terry to the point and improve at SG or grab a brand new PG all together. So my best guess for Orlando’s pick would probably be Rose obviously if he falls. And once again, God help us if he falls! Rose in that Orlando system is trouble for any and all NBA teams. But in the more likely scenario that he doesn’t, Orlando should probably take USC’s OJ Mayo and move Terry down to PG. When Terry is dropping 12 dimes over the past 3 games, you can’t help but put him at the point and grab Mayo. Another equally likely choice for the trade machine that is Orlando is a trade down for two later 1st round picks/an already established NBA guard.
4. The drastically improving Houston Rockets sit in the 4th slot now and therefore pass their pick to Chicago. If Houston holds the 4th pick still at the end of the season, then I only half take back my comments on Chicago earlier. However, from my humble point of view, Houston will NOT be in the bottom six/seven/eight even when all is said and done. They have a pretty solid lineup and the new GM has done some real trade magic with this team. But I’m not that good at future-telling so we will just assume that Chicago has the fourth pick. Chicago’s needs: PG, SG, SF, PF, C. So this decision is more or less the worse of many, many evils. If I were CHI here, I think someone like Bayless would be a great pick. The sooner you can get 64 rated Daequan Cook to the bench the better. Bayless is incredibly speedy and can either fill in at the SG slot or bump Hunter up to the 2 and take the point. If Chicago wants to rebuild, then this is a guy you could feel safe rebuilding with.
5 and 6. Poised to make the biggest splash in this year’s draft, NYK hold 5 first round picks, two lottery locks with Boston and their own, and one second round pick. NY certainly has an interesting situation, draft-wise. Bynum is a great talent, Farmar is drastically underrated and the Thornton, Bell, Green trio is nothing to scoff at. This my choice for breakout team of 2009 with an incredibly young AND talented cast. So I see them going big with the 5th and trading down with the 6th. Assuming of course that LAC doesn’t let Rose pass them by, NY should grab Lopez. A Lopez/Bynum connection inside locks down their frontcourt and could finally bring New Yorkers something to cheer for. With the sixth pick, I would like to see NY grab a more experienced scoring SF in a trade for a first round pick package. Lopez, Bynum, 78-80 SF, Bell and Farmar could easily make a splash in the Atlantic and get this team into playoff contention.
7. For the 7th pick we see LAC back again for their 2nd of 5 first round picks. However, unlike NY, LAC’s three other picks could potentially be in the final 5 of the first round with NO, ORL and SEA. So they better make this one count. Assuming they follow my expert advice and grab Rose with the second pick and a better SF in a trade. They should pair up someone inside with Wright. If you have been following ESPN’s coverage of the draft you will find an uncanny similarity between Chad Ford’s projections and mine. However, this is where we part. I like DeAndre Jordan here and would love to see him go 7th for LAC. Jordan has some incredible raw talent and will inevitably improve on this Clippers lineup. I like him over Randolph from LSU and could see Randolph being taken with the 6th pick anyway by whoever NY trades the pick to (once again assuming that all these teams I have described follow my instructions exactly…which they should).
8. At the 8th pick we have Miami currently, although here is another Houston-like team that I can see leaving the bottom 10 and possibly riding a late-season streak into the playoffs. And who holds another pick that could potentially leave the early lottery…you guessed it, the Chicago Bulls. Maybe if the Bulls wish really hard, Miami and Houston will stay right where they are and CHI can keep forming their team around Bayless. But if everyone got their wishes, I would be married to Jessica Alba, living in Barcelona and have a vacation house in Colorado and Australia. Guess whether that came true or not!
The next place I would go with this pick is probably to fill the 2 or 3 spot. Gordon looks like a decent fit and when paired with Bayless could actually spell trouble for teams. Gordon has a great shot, and although he has problems with cold streaks (as demonstrated by his late season college play) can produce the scoring numbers needed to help Chicago score over 75 points for a change.
9 and 10. Here we have a tie currently between Denver and Indiana in the standings. Denver’s pick is owned by NY and Indiana’s pick is owned by Miami. Regardless of who gets which pick, I think we are looking at two PGs being taken. Miami has an incredible roster with Peja, Boozer, Granger and Kaman. Marcus Williams is not terrible by any means but you can’t turn a talent like Westbrook down. I see Westbrook going 9th regardless of whether NY or Miami gets this pick. Both teams have mediocre, potentially good PGs in Williams and Farmar but I got to jump on the Russell Westbrook bandwagon. And if one teams loses out on Westbrook, guess who is waiting in the weeds for the 10th pick: D.J. Augustin. After a very impressive year at Texas, I believe this slightly inferior PG would provide a nice alternative to either of these teams starting PGs.
Both of these teams WILL be on the rise and you can quote me on that, so the thought of two great young PGs being added to these teams is a scary one. Miami is the closest thing to competition for Orlando in the SE, and with their squad next year, Orlando can take that 12-1 division record to the kiss-and-fly parking at the airport and send it packing. Because that record has a one-way ticket to Guam and it ain't coming back.
From picks 11 on out, the race is far too close to call and therefore my in-depth analysis stops here. Here are some quick blurbs on what picks could fill some much needed voids in the 11-20 range.
NYK – Should grab another potential monster in Darrell Arthur with Portland’s pick. Great defensive player that will be a 6th, 7th even an 8th man for this soon-to-be DEEP team.
NJN – Some much needed bench help with Sacramento’s pick. Kevin Love, Marreese Speights or even Budinger could all work well off the bench for NJ who currently has a starting lineup and that’s about it.
SAS – Following suit with NJ, SA could REALLY use a young C behind Webber. With rumors that Webber could retire after this season, someone like Speights, Love or McGee are much more important to the future of this franchise than replacing Flip Murray…although Flip could probably go as well.
CHI – I have beaten Chicago into a pulp by this point so I won’t harp on the specific needs of this team. With Charlotte’s pick they could go anywhere; Syracuse product Greene, foreign-born Gallinari or even leprechaun look-a-like Budinger might fit well into what Chicago is trying to do. But then again, who really knows what Chicago is trying to do. And as a disclaimer, I apologize Chicago for the slander…but I really don’t know what you were doing.
However, as the season nears its close, you can absolutely count on more page-turning breakdowns from the Monster. So for now, this is what I offer, offended or blown away, these are my thoughts – enjoy them!
Reporting for ESPN News – Midway Monster
The following is a breakdown of what I see each team needing; assuming the draft lottery doesn’t reward the “rebuilding” efforts of Atlanta and LAC by handing the top picks to someone like NY or SA.
1. The top pick is currently a two way snail race between Atlanta and the Clipps, although Chicago’s meltdown and depressingly long 11 game losing streak certainly should scare them. Even more so because that pick does not belong to a “rebuilding” team but rather the Eastern conference juggernaut that is Orlando: but I digress. For the purposes of this preview, the number one overall pick belongs to Atlanta.
Looking at Atlanta’s diaper dandy line-up, there is no reason why they should not pick Beasley. The extremely overpaid Mo Williams has the PG slot on lock and Beasley could be an absurd addition to a blooming frontcourt. Most likely scenario I see here could quite possibly include some sort of trade for a SF that sends Yi packing, because God help us if Atlanta sees Andray Blatche as their future SF! If this is the case, then we could probably pencil ATL in for another top three pick in 09.
2. If the top pick is headed to ATL then that leaves only one other sub .200 team for the second pick: LAC. Here we have quite the conundrum; the Clipps have two pretty solid choices at the PG slot in Rondo and Conley. So you wonder if they could possibly use this pick for a third PG, since Rose is a freakish athlete that will absolutely be a star.
Assuming no trades are made prior to the draft, LAC probably would be best served by kicking Nad-tastic to the curb and bringing in 7-foot sensation Brook Lopez to fill the hole at center. He would bring some solid rebounding and scoring power to this line-up and draw in the defenses, thus giving guys like Morrison space to drop treys. However, if LAC passes on Rose, we could safely proclaim this youth-loving GM an idiot. Best option for LAC, trade away some package of Conley/Rondo/Wright, get some scoring presence at the SF slot and welcome the next Chris Paul/Deron Williams to LA’s “other team.”
3. At the third pick we find probably the most perplexing situation in this year’s draft. Chicago, with the dominant force that is Carlos Boozer at the helm, decided to trade away almost every redeeming piece of their team and essentially pull an NBA version of the Titanic. Which is all well and good when that Titanic-like team OWNS THEIR OWN PICK! But instead, we now find the Eastern conference favorite, Orlando, sitting with a #3 pick in the NBA draft and even more astounding is that Chicago shows no signs of stopping their blood loss and could hand Orlando a top two pick on a silver platter. Houston (not the Rockets) we have a problem.
Regardless, I still need to analyze any sort of hole in Orlando. The “Mad Scientist” has stated that despite Jameer stepping up and producing for the Magic, he still would like to improve in the PG slot and either move Terry to the point and improve at SG or grab a brand new PG all together. So my best guess for Orlando’s pick would probably be Rose obviously if he falls. And once again, God help us if he falls! Rose in that Orlando system is trouble for any and all NBA teams. But in the more likely scenario that he doesn’t, Orlando should probably take USC’s OJ Mayo and move Terry down to PG. When Terry is dropping 12 dimes over the past 3 games, you can’t help but put him at the point and grab Mayo. Another equally likely choice for the trade machine that is Orlando is a trade down for two later 1st round picks/an already established NBA guard.
4. The drastically improving Houston Rockets sit in the 4th slot now and therefore pass their pick to Chicago. If Houston holds the 4th pick still at the end of the season, then I only half take back my comments on Chicago earlier. However, from my humble point of view, Houston will NOT be in the bottom six/seven/eight even when all is said and done. They have a pretty solid lineup and the new GM has done some real trade magic with this team. But I’m not that good at future-telling so we will just assume that Chicago has the fourth pick. Chicago’s needs: PG, SG, SF, PF, C. So this decision is more or less the worse of many, many evils. If I were CHI here, I think someone like Bayless would be a great pick. The sooner you can get 64 rated Daequan Cook to the bench the better. Bayless is incredibly speedy and can either fill in at the SG slot or bump Hunter up to the 2 and take the point. If Chicago wants to rebuild, then this is a guy you could feel safe rebuilding with.
5 and 6. Poised to make the biggest splash in this year’s draft, NYK hold 5 first round picks, two lottery locks with Boston and their own, and one second round pick. NY certainly has an interesting situation, draft-wise. Bynum is a great talent, Farmar is drastically underrated and the Thornton, Bell, Green trio is nothing to scoff at. This my choice for breakout team of 2009 with an incredibly young AND talented cast. So I see them going big with the 5th and trading down with the 6th. Assuming of course that LAC doesn’t let Rose pass them by, NY should grab Lopez. A Lopez/Bynum connection inside locks down their frontcourt and could finally bring New Yorkers something to cheer for. With the sixth pick, I would like to see NY grab a more experienced scoring SF in a trade for a first round pick package. Lopez, Bynum, 78-80 SF, Bell and Farmar could easily make a splash in the Atlantic and get this team into playoff contention.
7. For the 7th pick we see LAC back again for their 2nd of 5 first round picks. However, unlike NY, LAC’s three other picks could potentially be in the final 5 of the first round with NO, ORL and SEA. So they better make this one count. Assuming they follow my expert advice and grab Rose with the second pick and a better SF in a trade. They should pair up someone inside with Wright. If you have been following ESPN’s coverage of the draft you will find an uncanny similarity between Chad Ford’s projections and mine. However, this is where we part. I like DeAndre Jordan here and would love to see him go 7th for LAC. Jordan has some incredible raw talent and will inevitably improve on this Clippers lineup. I like him over Randolph from LSU and could see Randolph being taken with the 6th pick anyway by whoever NY trades the pick to (once again assuming that all these teams I have described follow my instructions exactly…which they should).
8. At the 8th pick we have Miami currently, although here is another Houston-like team that I can see leaving the bottom 10 and possibly riding a late-season streak into the playoffs. And who holds another pick that could potentially leave the early lottery…you guessed it, the Chicago Bulls. Maybe if the Bulls wish really hard, Miami and Houston will stay right where they are and CHI can keep forming their team around Bayless. But if everyone got their wishes, I would be married to Jessica Alba, living in Barcelona and have a vacation house in Colorado and Australia. Guess whether that came true or not!
The next place I would go with this pick is probably to fill the 2 or 3 spot. Gordon looks like a decent fit and when paired with Bayless could actually spell trouble for teams. Gordon has a great shot, and although he has problems with cold streaks (as demonstrated by his late season college play) can produce the scoring numbers needed to help Chicago score over 75 points for a change.
9 and 10. Here we have a tie currently between Denver and Indiana in the standings. Denver’s pick is owned by NY and Indiana’s pick is owned by Miami. Regardless of who gets which pick, I think we are looking at two PGs being taken. Miami has an incredible roster with Peja, Boozer, Granger and Kaman. Marcus Williams is not terrible by any means but you can’t turn a talent like Westbrook down. I see Westbrook going 9th regardless of whether NY or Miami gets this pick. Both teams have mediocre, potentially good PGs in Williams and Farmar but I got to jump on the Russell Westbrook bandwagon. And if one teams loses out on Westbrook, guess who is waiting in the weeds for the 10th pick: D.J. Augustin. After a very impressive year at Texas, I believe this slightly inferior PG would provide a nice alternative to either of these teams starting PGs.
Both of these teams WILL be on the rise and you can quote me on that, so the thought of two great young PGs being added to these teams is a scary one. Miami is the closest thing to competition for Orlando in the SE, and with their squad next year, Orlando can take that 12-1 division record to the kiss-and-fly parking at the airport and send it packing. Because that record has a one-way ticket to Guam and it ain't coming back.
From picks 11 on out, the race is far too close to call and therefore my in-depth analysis stops here. Here are some quick blurbs on what picks could fill some much needed voids in the 11-20 range.
NYK – Should grab another potential monster in Darrell Arthur with Portland’s pick. Great defensive player that will be a 6th, 7th even an 8th man for this soon-to-be DEEP team.
NJN – Some much needed bench help with Sacramento’s pick. Kevin Love, Marreese Speights or even Budinger could all work well off the bench for NJ who currently has a starting lineup and that’s about it.
SAS – Following suit with NJ, SA could REALLY use a young C behind Webber. With rumors that Webber could retire after this season, someone like Speights, Love or McGee are much more important to the future of this franchise than replacing Flip Murray…although Flip could probably go as well.
CHI – I have beaten Chicago into a pulp by this point so I won’t harp on the specific needs of this team. With Charlotte’s pick they could go anywhere; Syracuse product Greene, foreign-born Gallinari or even leprechaun look-a-like Budinger might fit well into what Chicago is trying to do. But then again, who really knows what Chicago is trying to do. And as a disclaimer, I apologize Chicago for the slander…but I really don’t know what you were doing.
However, as the season nears its close, you can absolutely count on more page-turning breakdowns from the Monster. So for now, this is what I offer, offended or blown away, these are my thoughts – enjoy them!
Reporting for ESPN News – Midway Monster