Two writers at Total Sports Live, Jake Shubert and Arjan Saraon, decided to exchange a few emails about the NBA Draft to help recap it for you, the reader. This e-mail thread breaks down every pick in the first round (and some second rounders), discusses NBA death matches, and a reality show based around the point guards Minnesota has drafted. Oh, and Arjan died mid e-mail exchange.
You really should read this, things got out of hand pretty quick.
Jake: So, after having their two favorite targets either crumble into pieces like a stale cookie or tank their workout, it appears that the Cavs have decided to take Andrew Wiggins, instead of Jabari Parker, or trading the pick. Do you like the move? They had some nice (reported) trade offers.
Arjan: Well, if someone would rather pretend to suck than go to my team, I’d probably avoid picking him too. I’m split 50-50 on who’s the better pick anyway, one’s a tank on offense and a project on defense, and the other is a tank on defense and a project on offense. Trading the pick certainly would have been interesting, and the reported Magic offer (Afflalo and picks 4 and 12) was one I could have seen ending well for the Cavs. They have, what, 2 or 3 years with Kyrie before he bolts? How do you think this ends for them?
Jake: Long term, with Wiggins, they strike out on LeBron, Waiters gets moved somewhere, and David Blatt does an awesome job with a decent roster and makes the playoffs in the East. Kyrie decides he can’t pass up extra money and stays for the long haul. I’m sure the Bucks are pumped to get Jabari. You’re a Duke student, what are your thoughts on Jabari as a Buck?
Arjan: Jabari might be the only player who could go to Milwaukee and have fun. This is a guy who, after the Duke/Syracuse game was the only player to not ‘go out’ to the local bar, and decided instead to go hang out with a sportswriter’s son. By all accounts, all he wants is to play basketball and watch Netflix. He’s the perfect guy to make the face of a franchise that no one cares about. They do have internet in Milwaukee right?
Jake: Umm, I’m not sure. I would assume so, but I’m never going to go there and find out. So…. the Sixers just drafted Joel Embiid and I really like that pick. Tons riding on Noel and Embiid’s health but I like rolling the dice. Best case scenario is you have ultimate rim protection and two underrated big men in regards to their offensive skill set. Worst case scenario is that both of them fall apart and Henry Sims is a part of the Sixers frontcourt picture. And the Magic just took Aaron Gordon. That’s a surprise. I’m a big Gordon fan but I would have went Exum. Although now that I’m thinking about it, there’s probably a better chance that Marcus Smart or Elfird Payton is there at 12 than a high-quality wing. Makes sense to me.
Arjan: I’m a huge fan of Gordon. I think he’s a great team player who fits into the team in a lot of ways.
And now we just saw Exum go to Utah. Utah and Philly are really developing these young, young teams where across the starting 5 you’re looking at college aged/getting their first job kind of guys. It’s a great 2K14 strategy, but you have to think in real life it might not work out. Think how much credit KD and the Thunder give Kevin Ollie. It’s an exciting time to be a fan though of one of these teams.
Thoughts on Smart to Boston? Rondo trade impending?
Jake: I said in my 5 bold predictions (http://www.totalsportslive.com/5-bold-predictions-nba-draft/) that Rondo would get dealt soon and I’m sticking with it. And yes, I do think Sacramento is the frontrunner.
Marcus Smart is an awesome player who, when he was feeling it, was absurd at Oklahoma State. At any given time he was the most likely person on the court to score, get an assist, rebound, steal, or block. Great building block for Boston.
Also can we talk about Jalen Rose wearing an actual rose to the draft. It’s bothering me. A lot.
Julius Randle to LA was the most obvious thing ever. Low risk pick. I think its fine, but I’m not a big Randle guy.
Stauskas to Sacramento?!? What?? I’m a really big Stauskas fan, but this seems like an awkward fit. Sorry Ben McLemore. Your take?
Arjan: I think the general feeling about Sacramento is usually categorized as pity. They’re trying so hard, some of their moves make sense, but not really together; it just never works out, but they have some decent pieces; they could get Rondo but would need Josh Smith! They tried to crowdsource analytics from their fans! It’s a nice idea in theory, but, is that seriously your best plan, Kings? This move is we think Stauskas is really good, and McLemore is… Well… Less good.
As long as Bilas doesn’t wear actual wings, they can do whatever they want. This is one of the few ESPN panels which actually entertain me.
I actually want to talk about something else you mentioned in your column. Let’s say the NBA instituted a “no holds barred” fight to the death for the 1st draft pick. Who sends who? Who wins? Do we give them weapons? And does Kobe decide to go himself?
Any thoughts on Vonleh? Personally, I just don’t know what to think about him. He’s just the ultimate ‘meh’ player for me.
Jake: In the “no holds bar” fight to the death every owner would send their first born. In this scenario, I imagine James Dolan and the Knicks would win because the Dolans will never die. Ever. Each participant can choose between broken pool cues or nunchucks. The only exception would be if certain players volunteer as tribute. And yes, Kobe would absolutely volunteer.
Vonleh is an awesome fit in Charlotte. Couldn’t be happier for that team. Everyone thought that they should take McBuckets because he would provide court spacing to help out Kemba and Al Jefferson. But that never made sense from a defensive perspective. McDermott and Big Al have negative rim protection.
Vonleh will thrive in Steve Clifford’s defensive scheme as a weak-side rim protector. He has also has some shooting ability. He’s also a crazy good ball handler for his size but that’s neither here nor there.
Payton at 10? McDermott at 11? Hit me with some knowledge Arjan!
Arjan: Love the reaction from MCW, who seems to be as up in the dark as everybody else. I think Payton sounds like the perfect backup for MCW. Not every top 10 pick is gonna be a star, and MCW probably benefits from being pushed. Of course, this probably just means that MCW or Payton is being traded to the Pelicans for some future first round picks.
And McBuckets is a personal favorite, wish he had gone to Orlando to create the third Teen Titans NBA team (along with Philly and Utah) but I could not be more excited that he’s going to Chicago. (I was much less excited when I started typing this sentence and I thought he was going to Denver). Thibs can hide him and he’s going to provide some offense and honestly, I think this makes him a contender for rookie of the year. He can’t put up 15 points a game if he plays 30 minutes a game? And everybody knows they need some of his shooting. Side note: him and Big Al would be about as effective as the famous predraft workout chairs.
As a guy who mostly knows about these players from watching college basketball, who is Dario Saric and why do we think Croatians who play in Turkey can be effective NBA players? This is like when Americans try to play soccer, God damn it!
Jake: Hey, I wrote a whole column on Dario Saric!!! I’m so prepared! (http://www.totalsportslive.com/better-know-nba-draft-prospect-dario-saric/)
Long story short, he’s an awesome point-forward with an insane basketball IQ and will make any offense better. He needs to improve his jumper and hit the gym, but that’s what two years in Europe are for!
With this pick, Orlando is investing in their future. In two years, they can bring Saric to America, give him some fruit smoothies, and add an exciting young, yet polished, role player to their rotation. All that being said, I was really hoping that pick was going to be Zach Lavine. Something about LaVine and Oladipo destroying rims for the next 10 years made me all warm and fuzzy.
PERFECT SEGWAY ALERT: Speaking of LaVine, I think he’s a weird fit on Minnesota considering they want to compete immediately and convince Love to stay but LaVine needs a year, at the least, in the D-League.
Wait, Saric is now a Sixer and Payton is now a Magician. I mean member of the Magic, whatever. So this means, that Oladipo is now a shooting guard but more importantly it means Saric found a perfect home (and Philly is cool with being bad for a while).
In my aforementioned column I said, “I said I think Saric would be an amazing fit on a team that emphasizes ball movement and passing. Watching him play, I couldn’t help but picture him in a Spurs uniform, whipping passes around the perimeter to Ginobli and Parker, finding Danny Green spotting up on the wing, and dishing off perfect touch passes to Duncan and Splitter. Saric is so creative and so savvy that I just hope he lands on a team that lets him spread his wings. Unfortunately, the NBA is a league heavily saturated with pick-and-rolls and isolation. Consequently, Saric will be a poor fit for many teams.”
Fortunately, Brett Brown is a direct disciple from Coach Pop and runs a fairly similar offense. I think Saric will be awesome in Philly.
Now, I know, like me, you’re a Suns fan at heart (kind-of)… you like Warren (spoiler alert: I dooooooon’t)
Arjan: At heart, I still pine for the days where Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion were executing Mike D’Antoni pick and rolls in the 7 seconds or less offense. I think Warren is a great pick, a guy you know can contribute off your bench, especially when they’re likely to take gambles with the rest of their picks.
And Zach LaVine could not have looked less happy to be going to Minnesota. Plus, does he play shooting guard next to Rubio? Does this mean after Love leaves, Rubio is next? What would Rubio get in an offer?
I also have a reality show pitch where, hear me out, we get every PG ever drafted by the Timberwolves. And we see what happens. It’d be like the Heisman house, except with Ricky Rubio complaining how much hotter the girls are in Barcelona to Pooh Richardson. And also Christian Laettner is there. Just because. Also, it’s in Minnesota, so there’s a pool, but it’s frozen.
Jake: I’m so on board with that reality show it’s stupid. Here is all my money, make it happen. LaVine, long-term, should be a 1. I guess he could be a 2 but LaVine is an exotic bird, Arjan, you need to let him flap his wings.
I think Rubio should have terrible trade value considering he is an overrated defender, horrendous shooter, and has had an ACL tear. That being said, I’m sure at least one team would overpay for him. Maybe a late or future first.
The Hawks just picked Adreian Payne at 15. I wish I could bottle my happiness. It’s overflowing, Arjan. I’m picking my happiness off of the floor. OFF OF THE FLOOR. Mike Budenholzer is a shooting zealot. If you can’t shoot get off of his team. Adreian Payne will be a dirty stretch-4 in that lineup. I am guaranteeing that Payne is at least one of the best role players in the league in 3 years.
That also has some interesting ramification in free agency and in the Kevin Love sweepstakes. Payne likely removes the Hawks as suitors for Channing Frye, likely leaving the Suns and Warriors as his potential landing spots. If the Warriors can’t acquire Frye, they may be tempted to throw Klay Thompson into a Kevin Love trade. Also, please stay in Phoenix, Channing. They need you.
Considering Nurkic isn’t from America, I will indulge you with my thoughts on him. In my “Better Know a NBA Draft Prospect” series I wrote, “The ceiling for Nurkic is a big-bodied starting center who can post-up, set good screens, knock down mid-range shots, with the ability to anchor a defense. He will never lead the league in blocks or make an All-Defensive First Team, but he has the measurables and quick feet to be a good defender. His floor is an enforcer off the bench who comes in, grabs rebounds, gives 6 hard fouls, and not much else. When it’s all said and done, I think Nurkic will end up closer to his ceiling than his floor.” I like him.
Also, don’t you wish somebody hacked the ESPN touch screen and put funny images and videos on there? What would you put on the ESPN touch screen? I vote a picture of Chris Webber calling timeout at Michigan, just so I can see Jalen Rose cry on live TV.
I’m a terrible person.
Arjan: That’s easy. Just put the Helmet Catch and Welker’s drop on loop. Bill Simmons will feel the pain.
You’ve made me excited for Adrien Payne. Always loved his competitiveness at Michigan State, but he will definitely be a good fit for Atlanta. I don’t know if I’m ready for an exciting Atlanta. One day I’ll tell my kids about how they never left NBA TV even during the playoffs.
And all this talk of Love and Melo and LeBron is a mixed bag. I can’t wait to see what happens, but you can’t tell me you’re excited to hear what Sportscenter has to say for the next two months. After the World Cup, all we will have is baseball. Save us.
One question though:
Where’s Rodney Hood?!?!? My boy is going to be a starter in the NBA. Someone’s getting a steal.
Jake: Yeah, SportsCenter will reach a new level of insufferable. “Today, LeBron James had a croissant for breakfast. IS HE GOING TO PLAY IN FRANCE??? DOES HE SPEAK FRENCH?!?” **Stuart Scott’s head explodes**
And yeah, Rodney Hood is waaaaaay too talented to go in the twenties. A pure scorer and good shooter with defensive potential who can contribute immediately usually does not add up to a pick in the twenties. I don’t care how loaded this draft class is.
Thoughts on James Young, Gary Harris, and Ennis? Bill Simmons kinda stole my Gary Harris comparison. I think he’s Bradley Beal, but slightly worse at everything. Like he makes toast in the morning and it’s just not as good as the toast that Bradley Beal would make. He butters it perfectly.
Also, Ennis is nice insurance if Eric Bledsoe (or Goran Dragic in 2015) walks. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen though.
#PhoenixForeverAndEver
Arjan: WHO IS BRUNO CABOCIO?!?!?!!?!?
Jake: Can we get a “most interesting man in the world commercial”?
**INT. Dimly lit bar., two girls draped around an older man**
“He can make it rain in the driest of heat”
“He once beat Neymar in a game of Soccer”
“He has turned down sexual overtures from Brazilian Women”
“He is… the most interesting man in the world”
But seriously, I spend a lot of time trying to learn about all the international prospects who might get drafted and I don’t even remember ever reading his name. If this was the Spurs, I would probably accuse them of making a genetic superhuman in a hidden underground lab in Sau Paulo. Buuuuut, it’s the Raptors and I’m pretty sure it’s just a crappy pick.
#TakeThatMasaiUjiri
Oh, and Mitch McGary to the Thunder. I think this is meh. Convince me otherwise
Arjan: When you don’t know someone, man. Maybe the Canadians know something we don’t.
And I can’t get you excited about a tall white guy from the Midwest who’s not Doug McGetBuckets. I never like McGary as a prospect. He had, what, 3 good weeks and everyone fell in love? I was incredibly excited for Rodney Hood to slot right in between RW and KD as a plus athlete, defender, and shooter. And he’s a team player. Him, Napier, and Early all would have been better picks than McGary. All I can say for him is that he can run with the Thunder.
Jake: First off, we are simpatico on McGary. Plus, him and Steven Adams form the most punchable frontcourt in the NBA. Ew.
There is just too many good players on the board. Someone is going to fall to the Knicks. And then we won’t take him. Such is life.
And Rodney Hood goes to the Mormons. I’ll let you handle that breakdown.
Arjan: Utah is ummmm… Loaded. Can I hop on the bandwagon now? Do the Mormons use actual bandwagons?
As I’ve noted before, Rodney Hood shows no emotion. I’ve never heard someone say that they have a chip on his shoulder with so little intensity. He has the best poker face in the NBA. (Side note: He 100% is more emotional than that because he basically puked before or during every major Duke game this season).
I’d like to now note that I keep forgetting the Hornets are now in Charlotte and the Pelicans are an NBA team.
How can you not love pairing the UConn guards? Winners, who will fight through thick and thin, are just going to get better. I’m excited for this Hornets team. It’s a weak enough East where they could end up having home court advantage in the first round.
Jake: Yeah I loved Shabazz in Charlotte, but it seems the Heat sent them an offer they can’t refuse.
Now, consider the potential ripple effects of Shabazz going to Miami. It may be (crazy enough) the deciding factor in LeBron choosing to re-sign with Miami. If that happens, it will change the entire course of the league. Not often that happens at pick 24.
The Rockets just draft and stashed Clint Capela which I really like cause he blocks shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots. That was in a Lil Jon voice by the way. Go back and re-read that sentence if you have to, I’ll wait.
It appears that the Hornets will get P.J. Hairston and a 2nd round pick in exchange for possibly guaranteeing the Heat 4 more finals appearances. NO IM NOT MAD OR ANYTHING. I know the Knicks desperately wanted P.J. Hairston so I’m also a little sad. The Hornets needed to address the wing and shooting at some point this offseason and this hits both spots with one broad stroke. Now if he gets in shape and stops smoking dat O.G. Kush, he will always have a spot in the NBA. Well not always, as life has a definitive endpoint and he will one day be dead.
The Suns just took Bogdan Bogdanovic at 27, which is no surprise because we knew they wouldn’t have three rookies on the roster this year. If Bogdan Bogdanovic and Bojan Bogdanovic ever get on the same team, I will pray every night for that play-by-play announcer.
Clippers took C.J. Wilcox who I think can be a nice 3 and D player in the NBA. I definitely think he is low risk. Only problem I see is that he may cramp Reggie Bullock’s style. I like Reggie Bullock, I don’t want his style cramped.
The Thunder took Josh Heustis at pick 29. Heustis is pretty much a nice man to man defender and I’m assuming he’ll be a cheap replacement to Thabo Sefolosha. Although, I was hoping that would be PJIII’s job.
At pick 30, the Spurs just took Kyle Anderson. This is awesome news for basketball fans because Kyle Anderson will make the Spurs even Spurs-ier. He’s a versatile chess piece who can pass, dribble, and spot-up shoot (kinda). He will make the Spurs even more Spurs-y. He was probably the best passer in this entire draft. Only hiccup I see with this fit is that Anderson’s nickname is “slow-mo” and the Spurs play pretty darn fast. Maybe Pop will scare him into playing faster.
And we’re off to round 2! Thoughts on the draft so far? Guys you still like on the board? THE KNICKS ARE COMING
Arjan: [NO RESPONSE]
Jake: WHERE ARE YOU ARJAN
Jake: ARJAN, ARE YOU STILL ALIVE
Arjan Goes MIA… Nobody has seen or heard from him in minutes… MINUTES, I TELL YOU!
Jake: Ok, the draft has now ended and I’m assuming you’re dead. This is pretty emotional for me, but the Knicks made some killer picks, so I’ll get by. Also, can I have your PlayStation? Thanks, I’m just going to take it.
Here are a few quick hitters on the 2nd round of the Draft:
– K.J. McDaniels in Philly is awesome. He was one of my favorite players in the entire draft. He’s a beast defender, freak athlete, and better than you’d think offensively. Also, the 76ers now have Noel, Embiid, and McDaniels (who led the ACC in blocked shots as a SF). Things are going to get crazy over there.
– Joe Harris is a nice pick for Cleveland. They need shooting in their backcourt and they need it now. Just do everyone a favor, Cleveland, and take Dion Waiters for ice cream and leave him in the middle of the Forest.
-THE KNICKS JUST TOOK CLEANTHONY EARLY
– Jarnell Stokes got traded to Memphis which is the best fit in the entire draft. Jarnell Stokes is Memphis, Memphis is Jarnell Stokes. They are one.
– Detroit got Spencer Dinwiddie, who could have been a top 20 pick if he was healthy. Wouldn’t be shocked if he’s there starting point guard in two years.
– UPDATE: The Knicks have not yet traded Cleanthony Early. Is James Dolan locked in a broom closet somewhere? Yeah, probably. But, if anybody finds him and lets him out, so help me god….
– Atlanta got Walter Tavares. Atlanta is just murdering all of their personnel moves in the last 2 years. They are going to be one of the three best teams in the East in a couple of years.
– Philadelphia got Pierre Jackson and traded Russ Smith to get him. The 76ers now have somebody who can score, which is nice.
-THE KNICKS JUST GOT THANASIS ANTETOKOUNMPO (yeah, I spelled that without looking)!!!! Officially the best Knicks draft since Patrick Ewing was taken first. Not sure if I’m kidding or not.
– Brooklyn did an awesome job of turning “cash considerations” into Markel Brown, Xavier Thames, and Cory Jefferson. Well done, Prokhorov, well done.
And that just about sums it up, this was a really exciting draft and will be followed by an even more exciting free agency. “2 Idiots, 1 Column” will reappear during free agency, so sit tight.
Of course, that is only if Arjan is still living and breathing.
Actually, nah, I can find another idiot.
R.I.P. Arjan
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