David Stern found another way to screw the Sonics. After basketball's Napoleon tampered with the draft order, the Sonics ended up at four, robbing the team of its rightful number-two pick and a legitimate shot at Derrick Rose from Memphis. Number four means no Rose and certainly no Michael Beasley from K-State.
So who do the Sonics take? Let's rule out center. Brooke Lopez from Stanford is talented and entertaining -- his voice could one day top Dikembe Mutombo for funniest of all-time -- but the Sonics can't draft another 7-footer. The few remaining fans would revolt and the Sonics are maxed out on the NBDL cap for 7-footers. Oh yeah, and he may be gone anyway.
The NBA is also a different league these days. It's a guard's league. The Sonics should be set at two-guard for the next decade, but the team desperately needs a point guard. Anyone who has watched the Sonics more than once knows that the team desperately needs a better option than the dynamic duo of Earl Watson/Luke Ridnour.
In fact, the more I think about it, the team has to draft a point guard. There is no other alternative. The main options at point guard seem to be Russell Westbrook from UCLA, Jerryd Bayless from Arizona, DJ Augustin from Texas and, perhaps, Ty Lawson from North Carolina.
I saw all four of these guys play this year. Let's eliminate Augustin and Lawson right away. They're just not good enough to be the #4 pick in the draft. Augustin strikes me as a poor man's Damon Stoudamire -- bad decision maker and undersized. Lawson can't shoot even though he may be the quickest of all the guards.
The two Pac-10 guards are more interesting. Bayless is an undersized combo guard who can really light it up. He shoots well, explodes to the basket and scored at will at Arizona. Unfortunately, he plays almost no defense. (The backcourt of Durant and Bayless could set a defensive record for points allowed.) He is also a shoot-first point guard. The Sonics already have one of those.
My choice? Westbrook. He's 19, an explosive athlete, played on two Final Four teams and plays nasty D. Sure, his offense isn't as good as Bayless, but he's got the athleticism and work ethic to become a legitimate scoring threat in time. Any guy who plays defense like Westbook will get better, because as any good CYO coach will tell you, defense is about heart. Defense is about wanting it more than your opponent. He wants to be great. I can feel it. For some undefinable reason, I love Westbrook. NBA comparison? A more athletic Andre Miller.
8 comments:
What about the theory that you've got to pick the best talent available? If O.J. Mayo is there, you really don't think you'd take him? I hear you about shooting guard, but....
Is Mayo the best talent available? I watched him a number of times and he is a talented scorer, but he's a 6'4" shooting guard. He gets after it on D, but he's a poor passer and seemed to wilt in pressure situations.
Speaking of 6'4" shooting guards, is anyone sold on Eric Gordon?
I know he's not a point guard, but I'm not sure I'm concerned about that. The way they call fouls on the perimeter these days has created a new mold of the successful NBA point guards. You have to be able to slash and score in the paint (e.g., Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Tony Parker).
Gordon is strong enough to finish around the rim, and quick enough to get by the first line of defense.
Is everyone convinced that Durant will eventually turn into a small forward? Unless he puts on a lot of muscle, it's hard to see him logging many minutes there in the near future. I'd bet dimes to dollars he'll be an SG for the time being, which would make drafting a combo guard who's not a true point a little -- no pun intended -- pointless.
This, from truehoop:
I watched Durant's face at the instant Adam Silver announced the Sonics would have the fourth pick. Bitter. Just for an instant, I thought he might puke. Not happy. Then that silent warrior gaze returned.
Afterwards, I asked him about his face in that moment. He was over it, and said all the right things. Then he added that he's not just friends with Beasley. He's also friends with Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo, D.J. Augustin, and a lot of the other players in this draft. Did he have a preference among them? He made clear that he had no part whatsoever in that decision, and would trust the Sonics' basketball people to make the right pick.
...
From the video I have seen on Synergy, I would assume that the favorite for the fourth pick in the early going has to by Bayless.
Also - what's with the paranoia about Stern being out to screw the Sonics? You're kidding, right?
This being a new blog and all, it's hard to tell where the irony level is set.
Post a Comment