Action: Lotto results are posted
Reaction: Wow, the Pistons finish with the #1 and #2 picks. That should jumpstart the rebuild in a hurry - though expect a big decline in production from Tony Parker now that he's not carrying the team. And despite the Sonics' avowed efforts not to hand a good pick to the Jazz, the lotto gods have decided otherwise... however, the Jazz are caught between being a "win now" team and trying to manage their cap, so they have some hard decisions. Also, it was hilarious watching the Kings' management get excited when they didn't come up at #7, thinking they had won the lottery - only to have it revealed they moved to #6 thanks only to a coin flip. Number 6 isn't bad, but it's not top-three.
Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Timberwolves trade Tayshaun Prince, Luis Scola, and the #17 pick to the 76ers for Rip Hamilton
Reaction: The Timberwolves overpaid. That's three quality rotation pieces, probably two starters, when it's all said and done, for a one-dimensional scorer. The Wolves have a surfeit of wing players that can shoot - albeit none as well as Rip. They need big bodies, and unless there's another trade in the works, will have to overpay to try to drag in an older big in Free Agency... a big who won't be around when Bosh is peaking. The 76ers get a number of pieces to build around Baron Davis with, and with a little patience this should look really good for the 76ers a couple of seasons down the line.
Reaction: The Timberwolves overpaid. That's three quality rotation pieces, probably two starters, when it's all said and done, for a one-dimensional scorer. The Wolves have a surfeit of wing players that can shoot - albeit none as well as Rip. They need big bodies, and unless there's another trade in the works, will have to overpay to try to drag in an older big in Free Agency... a big who won't be around when Bosh is peaking. The 76ers get a number of pieces to build around Baron Davis with, and with a little patience this should look really good for the 76ers a couple of seasons down the line.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Pistons select Dwight Howard #1 and Kevin Martin #2
Reaction: There were some who thought the Pistons might try to get a better-rounded player than Kevin Martin but there's no doubt Martin is the best offensive player in this draft class now, and really only Dwight projects as a better scorer long term. Considering the Pistons already have a beast scorer at PG in Tony Parker, it's clear that they're going to be built as an offense-first team (though having Dwight Howard as a defensive backstop will help a lot). Talk around the league is this might look like the old Celtics teams built around Zo and I'm not entirely sure I disagree. One thing's for sure - the Pistons should see a marked uptick in wins this season. This also probably makes their Free Agency targets pretty clear - they're shopping for forwards, particularly a 4 that can work alongside Dwight. I also expec they'll be actively trying to dump Robert Horry and Al Harrington to go young.
Reaction: There were some who thought the Pistons might try to get a better-rounded player than Kevin Martin but there's no doubt Martin is the best offensive player in this draft class now, and really only Dwight projects as a better scorer long term. Considering the Pistons already have a beast scorer at PG in Tony Parker, it's clear that they're going to be built as an offense-first team (though having Dwight Howard as a defensive backstop will help a lot). Talk around the league is this might look like the old Celtics teams built around Zo and I'm not entirely sure I disagree. One thing's for sure - the Pistons should see a marked uptick in wins this season. This also probably makes their Free Agency targets pretty clear - they're shopping for forwards, particularly a 4 that can work alongside Dwight. I also expec they'll be actively trying to dump Robert Horry and Al Harrington to go young.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Jazz select SF Andre Iguodala
Reaction: This pick took way longer to get in than it should have; given that the Jazz immediately updated their trade block to say he's on it, I get the feeling they were hoping for a trade offer to materialize and didn't really like any of their options at #3. The Jazz really need either a C/PF to pair with Duncan or a true PG, and all the players meriting a pick at #3 were wings - a position they have well covered with the likes of Bonzi, AK47, and Stackhouse. The Jazz' cap situation doesn't do them any favors, either. The problem they are in is that they are a win now team and the pick is definitely a build for the future talent. We'll see if they find a taker, I guess... but it will be tough with their cap situation.
Reaction: This pick took way longer to get in than it should have; given that the Jazz immediately updated their trade block to say he's on it, I get the feeling they were hoping for a trade offer to materialize and didn't really like any of their options at #3. The Jazz really need either a C/PF to pair with Duncan or a true PG, and all the players meriting a pick at #3 were wings - a position they have well covered with the likes of Bonzi, AK47, and Stackhouse. The Jazz' cap situation doesn't do them any favors, either. The problem they are in is that they are a win now team and the pick is definitely a build for the future talent. We'll see if they find a taker, I guess... but it will be tough with their cap situation.
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Action: The Spurs select SF Josh Smith
Reaction: The last time the Spurs took a questionable SF and forced him to play PF, his name was Shareef Abdur-Rahim... a genius move for San Antonio, a nightmare for the rest of the league. If Smith grows his offensive game as quickly as SAR did, this is going to look like a great pick. Smith has better defensive potential than SAR ever did though, so he could be something special. Really like this pick.
Reaction: The last time the Spurs took a questionable SF and forced him to play PF, his name was Shareef Abdur-Rahim... a genius move for San Antonio, a nightmare for the rest of the league. If Smith grows his offensive game as quickly as SAR did, this is going to look like a great pick. Smith has better defensive potential than SAR ever did though, so he could be something special. Really like this pick.
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Action: Nuggets trade the #5 pick to the Kings for the #6 pick and the Hornets 2005 first
Reaction: The Kings must REALLY have someone they like to give up a future first to jump just one spot. But is there really THAT big a talent gap between the #5 and #6 picks this year? I don't think there is. The guess here is that the Kings will go for Luol Deng and hope he can become a two-way player, and the Nuggets will be content to pick up J.R. Smith and pair his offensive fireworks with Wade to give themselves the backcourt of the future... and happily add whatever that pick turns into next year to their young core. The other question that nags me, though, is if the Kings are going all-in on a player now, does that mean they're giving up on their reset? They haven't even traded T-Mac yet!
Reaction: The Kings must REALLY have someone they like to give up a future first to jump just one spot. But is there really THAT big a talent gap between the #5 and #6 picks this year? I don't think there is. The guess here is that the Kings will go for Luol Deng and hope he can become a two-way player, and the Nuggets will be content to pick up J.R. Smith and pair his offensive fireworks with Wade to give themselves the backcourt of the future... and happily add whatever that pick turns into next year to their young core. The other question that nags me, though, is if the Kings are going all-in on a player now, does that mean they're giving up on their reset? They haven't even traded T-Mac yet!
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: Kings take Luol Deng with the #5 pick in the draft.
Reaction: Yup, pretty much what I thought when the Kings made the move to grab the pick. Guess the Kings don't want anyone taking shots away from T-Mac. Deng becomes the Kings' new Battier - a defense-first player they'll hope will give them enough offense to keep people honest.
Random thought - is Delonte West about to become this year's Josh Howard and freefall?
Reaction: Yup, pretty much what I thought when the Kings made the move to grab the pick. Guess the Kings don't want anyone taking shots away from T-Mac. Deng becomes the Kings' new Battier - a defense-first player they'll hope will give them enough offense to keep people honest.
Random thought - is Delonte West about to become this year's Josh Howard and freefall?
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Nuggets trade the 6th pick, 33rd pick, Kyle Korver and 3 points to the Magic for Gilbert Arenas and Zaza Pachulia
Reaction: I like this trade for the Magic, as they get rid of a guy who's scheduled for a huge payday next season and add two cheap quality pieces in Korver and a draft pick. I have to say, though, I think if the Magic go with J.R. Smith, they'll have the start of a ridiculous three-point barrage team, a la the mid-90's Clippers... but that seems a bit redundant. Perhaps the Magic will look to fill another position instead. For the Nuggets, they add a second ridiculous athlete to play next to Wade. I don't quite trust Gilbert - he likes to shoot it a lot - but the Nuggets are now playing with what amounts to two combo guards that can jump out of the building - their backcourt is not going to be easy to stop now.
Reaction: I like this trade for the Magic, as they get rid of a guy who's scheduled for a huge payday next season and add two cheap quality pieces in Korver and a draft pick. I have to say, though, I think if the Magic go with J.R. Smith, they'll have the start of a ridiculous three-point barrage team, a la the mid-90's Clippers... but that seems a bit redundant. Perhaps the Magic will look to fill another position instead. For the Nuggets, they add a second ridiculous athlete to play next to Wade. I don't quite trust Gilbert - he likes to shoot it a lot - but the Nuggets are now playing with what amounts to two combo guards that can jump out of the building - their backcourt is not going to be easy to stop now.
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Action: The Magic draft Devin Harris with the #6 pick.
Reaction: That was a bit of a surprise, but on a second look, it makes sense. Harris is kind of an Arenas-lite but still has crazy athleticism and maybe doesn't have Agent Zero's love of shooting the basketball. To turn Arenas into Arenas-lite plus Korver... I think the Magic made a shrewd move here. I kind of wonder, though, if Harris was the guy the Magic hoped they'd get at #8 and if so, what are they planning to do with the #8 now?
Reaction: That was a bit of a surprise, but on a second look, it makes sense. Harris is kind of an Arenas-lite but still has crazy athleticism and maybe doesn't have Agent Zero's love of shooting the basketball. To turn Arenas into Arenas-lite plus Korver... I think the Magic made a shrewd move here. I kind of wonder, though, if Harris was the guy the Magic hoped they'd get at #8 and if so, what are they planning to do with the #8 now?
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Action: Nets take Jameer Nelson at #7
Reaction: The Nets have been looking for a pure PG for a long time and with Devin Harris off the board, Nelson is the next best thing. Smith and West continue to fall - have to admit, I didn't see that coming for J.R. The pick is a nice one for the Nets because it's one of the better players available and it's at a position of need since T.J. Ford died in TC last year. They'll hope Jameer fares better.
Reaction: The Nets have been looking for a pure PG for a long time and with Devin Harris off the board, Nelson is the next best thing. Smith and West continue to fall - have to admit, I didn't see that coming for J.R. The pick is a nice one for the Nets because it's one of the better players available and it's at a position of need since T.J. Ford died in TC last year. They'll hope Jameer fares better.
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Action: Magic select Emeka Okafor at #8
Reaction: Maybe the Magic were right to grab Devin Harris at 6; I guess the Nets might have preferred him to Nelson. Either way, for the Magic to grab a big at #8 was almost a no-brainer - their glaring roster hole is at Center and they addressed it big-time. Okafor brings immediate rebounding and defense down low, and the Magic will have to hope his offensive game will catch up at some point. On the flip side, the Bulls have to be frustrated - they have a bunch of wings and guards but no true bigs outside of Brad Miller and now one of the best bigs is off the board. From a talent standpoint, J.R. Smith would be nice for them, but he's not a good fit on their roster.
Reaction: Maybe the Magic were right to grab Devin Harris at 6; I guess the Nets might have preferred him to Nelson. Either way, for the Magic to grab a big at #8 was almost a no-brainer - their glaring roster hole is at Center and they addressed it big-time. Okafor brings immediate rebounding and defense down low, and the Magic will have to hope his offensive game will catch up at some point. On the flip side, the Bulls have to be frustrated - they have a bunch of wings and guards but no true bigs outside of Brad Miller and now one of the best bigs is off the board. From a talent standpoint, J.R. Smith would be nice for them, but he's not a good fit on their roster.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Hornets send Leandro Barbosa and the #24 pick to the Bucks for the #14 pick and 2 points.
Reaction: Not sure why this was made so far ahead of pick #14 - the Hornets have no guarantee that the special guy they're looking at will even be there when they get to be on the clock. It's going to be very hard to grade this trade on the Hornets' end until I see the end result of the pick. But remember, Barbosa was the #6 overall pick last year - the Hornets seem to sour on players pretty quickly (and why do they always wind up with the Bucks?). For the Bucks, this is a great deal. They get a combo guard to back up Manu and Ridnour and get him on the cheap for another 3 years - not only that, but they will be getting another player with decent potential with pick 24. The Bucks are stockpiling depth and depending on who is still on the board at #14, may have gotten the best player in the deal as well!
Reaction: Not sure why this was made so far ahead of pick #14 - the Hornets have no guarantee that the special guy they're looking at will even be there when they get to be on the clock. It's going to be very hard to grade this trade on the Hornets' end until I see the end result of the pick. But remember, Barbosa was the #6 overall pick last year - the Hornets seem to sour on players pretty quickly (and why do they always wind up with the Bucks?). For the Bucks, this is a great deal. They get a combo guard to back up Manu and Ridnour and get him on the cheap for another 3 years - not only that, but they will be getting another player with decent potential with pick 24. The Bucks are stockpiling depth and depending on who is still on the board at #14, may have gotten the best player in the deal as well!
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: Bulls run the clock out and select Delonte West via list
Reaction: Guess Delonte WON'T be falling. Not sure it's a good fit though - with Jackson, Bibby, Kobe, etc. the Bulls have plenty of wings. I suspect the Bulls were trying to trade this pick and just couldn't get the deal they wanted, then just grabbed whoever looked good. I think there were several other players that fit their style better, but who knows - maybe they'll stick him on the trade block too.
Reaction: Guess Delonte WON'T be falling. Not sure it's a good fit though - with Jackson, Bibby, Kobe, etc. the Bulls have plenty of wings. I suspect the Bulls were trying to trade this pick and just couldn't get the deal they wanted, then just grabbed whoever looked good. I think there were several other players that fit their style better, but who knows - maybe they'll stick him on the trade block too.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: Suns draft Trevor Ariza
Reaction: Kind of a weird pick when the Suns already have stars wings in Joe Johnson and James Posey. You'd think they might look for a big with some offensive ability to put next to Jeff Foster. But in a draft of surprises, I guess nothing should surprise me.
Reaction: Kind of a weird pick when the Suns already have stars wings in Joe Johnson and James Posey. You'd think they might look for a big with some offensive ability to put next to Jeff Foster. But in a draft of surprises, I guess nothing should surprise me.
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Action: Wolves trade pick #12 and 5 points to the Suns for Joe Johnson.
Reaction: This gives a little more clarity to the Ariza pick - guess the Suns are trying to get even younger and go defensive-minded (with Macon backing up Ariza and Posey on the wings). The Wolves get yet another scoring wing, which I like, but will have to pay him big bucks after this season - is that redundant when they have Rip Hamilton? Also, maybe the Suns hope J.R. Smith keeps sliding to 12 and they can pick him up there.
Reaction: This gives a little more clarity to the Ariza pick - guess the Suns are trying to get even younger and go defensive-minded (with Macon backing up Ariza and Posey on the wings). The Wolves get yet another scoring wing, which I like, but will have to pay him big bucks after this season - is that redundant when they have Rip Hamilton? Also, maybe the Suns hope J.R. Smith keeps sliding to 12 and they can pick him up there.
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Action: Day 2 of the draft starts and we are on pick 11.
Reaction: Slowest. Draft. Ever. Normally 24 hours after the draft starts we are wrapping the draft up, not 1/3 of the way through it.
Reaction: Slowest. Draft. Ever. Normally 24 hours after the draft starts we are wrapping the draft up, not 1/3 of the way through it.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Heat select Al Jefferson with pick #11
Reaction: Most drafts tend to see big men picked before their talent suggests, but this draft has been the exception, it seems - which is odd to me since this draft was even thinner on big men than usual. Jefferson looks like he can grow into a classic center who scores and rebounds and that's something the Heat have been after for a very long time. Since the Heat needed to start surrounding LeBron with some talent and can afford to think long-term, this is a very nice pickup for them. Oh, and did I mention J.R. Smith is still getting no love?
Reaction: Most drafts tend to see big men picked before their talent suggests, but this draft has been the exception, it seems - which is odd to me since this draft was even thinner on big men than usual. Jefferson looks like he can grow into a classic center who scores and rebounds and that's something the Heat have been after for a very long time. Since the Heat needed to start surrounding LeBron with some talent and can afford to think long-term, this is a very nice pickup for them. Oh, and did I mention J.R. Smith is still getting no love?
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Suns select Andris Biendrins with pick #12
Reaction: If I were the Suns, I probably would have used the #10 pick to grab Jefferson and then the #12 to grab Ariza (assuming Biendrins would have gone 11), because I happen to like Big Al a bit more than Andris. Biendrins projects to be a better defender than Al, with a little more rebounding and shot-blocking, so I guess it makes sense given the Suns' philosophy of adding defensive players, but eventually somebody's got to score (just ask the mid-90's Hawks with their defensive-aligned team) and if I were the Suns, I'd sacrifice a little defense to get a lot of offense. But since Al was off the board at this point, this is a good pickup for them, as it fits the philosophy of their team well - and takes one more big off the board for other teams to grab. If Anderson Varejao goes in the next pick or two, we can officially say this was the "run on big men" point in the draft. It seems like every draft has one and we're fast running out of bigs here.
Reaction: If I were the Suns, I probably would have used the #10 pick to grab Jefferson and then the #12 to grab Ariza (assuming Biendrins would have gone 11), because I happen to like Big Al a bit more than Andris. Biendrins projects to be a better defender than Al, with a little more rebounding and shot-blocking, so I guess it makes sense given the Suns' philosophy of adding defensive players, but eventually somebody's got to score (just ask the mid-90's Hawks with their defensive-aligned team) and if I were the Suns, I'd sacrifice a little defense to get a lot of offense. But since Al was off the board at this point, this is a good pickup for them, as it fits the philosophy of their team well - and takes one more big off the board for other teams to grab. If Anderson Varejao goes in the next pick or two, we can officially say this was the "run on big men" point in the draft. It seems like every draft has one and we're fast running out of bigs here.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Boston Celtics draft J.R. Smith with the #13 pick
Reaction: Dat Conroy luck. Seems like someone falls to the Celtics every year (maybe it's not entirely true, but it sure SEEMS that way). Can't blame them for taking advantage, though. Smith gives them a natural SG that will allow them to shop Stevie Franchise even more heavily than he's been shopped up till now... and provide yet another three-point sniper. More importantly, though, the lotto picks are over so the window now shrinks to 2 hours per pick instead of 4. Maybe we'll get through the draft today after all!
Reaction: Dat Conroy luck. Seems like someone falls to the Celtics every year (maybe it's not entirely true, but it sure SEEMS that way). Can't blame them for taking advantage, though. Smith gives them a natural SG that will allow them to shop Stevie Franchise even more heavily than he's been shopped up till now... and provide yet another three-point sniper. More importantly, though, the lotto picks are over so the window now shrinks to 2 hours per pick instead of 4. Maybe we'll get through the draft today after all!
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Action: The Hornets select Ben Gordon with the 14th pick
Reaction: Not Anderson Varejao, so I can't call a "run of bigs" yet... okay, um, Gordon looks like a slightly shorter version of Rip Hamilton - loads of potential as an offensive threat, and almost no defense. The salient question is, will Gordon be better than the guy the Hornets traded to move up to this pick, Leandro Barbosa? I'm not convinced - Gordon has more offensive tools than Barbosa but Leandro projects to be an above-average perimeter defender... perhaps the Hornets are hoping that the Z-Bo/Gordon pairing will eventually give them a huge inside-outside offensive game, but I think this pick means the trade of Barbosa was at best a lateral move.
Reaction: Not Anderson Varejao, so I can't call a "run of bigs" yet... okay, um, Gordon looks like a slightly shorter version of Rip Hamilton - loads of potential as an offensive threat, and almost no defense. The salient question is, will Gordon be better than the guy the Hornets traded to move up to this pick, Leandro Barbosa? I'm not convinced - Gordon has more offensive tools than Barbosa but Leandro projects to be an above-average perimeter defender... perhaps the Hornets are hoping that the Z-Bo/Gordon pairing will eventually give them a huge inside-outside offensive game, but I think this pick means the trade of Barbosa was at best a lateral move.
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Action: The Knicks time out and select SF Dorrell Wright
Reaction: Ladies and gentlemen... your New York Knicks!
Reaction: Ladies and gentlemen... your New York Knicks!
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: The Sonics select PF Anderson Varejao with pick 16
Reaction: According to the commissioner, he's on some sort of CIA list. Sounds shady to me. At any rate, I guess now I can officially say we have a run on big men.
Reaction: According to the commissioner, he's on some sort of CIA list. Sounds shady to me. At any rate, I guess now I can officially say we have a run on big men.
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Re: Wig Liveblogs the 2004 Draft
Action: 76ers select Josh Childress with pick #17
Reaction: After trading their hot-shooting SG, Rip Hamilton, for a couple of forwards, the 76ers get a guy who can probably play SF or SG with the pick they got in the deal. Childress doesn't have any glaring weaknesses... but doesn't have any glaring strengths either. I expect Baron Davis to carry this team offensively until Scola develops and the Sixers will hope that Childress and Prince can eventually keep defenses honest. Childress is also a pretty good athlete to boot, even if he is still raw. This pick will probably look pretty darn good in about 3 years.
Reaction: After trading their hot-shooting SG, Rip Hamilton, for a couple of forwards, the 76ers get a guy who can probably play SF or SG with the pick they got in the deal. Childress doesn't have any glaring weaknesses... but doesn't have any glaring strengths either. I expect Baron Davis to carry this team offensively until Scola develops and the Sixers will hope that Childress and Prince can eventually keep defenses honest. Childress is also a pretty good athlete to boot, even if he is still raw. This pick will probably look pretty darn good in about 3 years.
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Action: The Lakers select SG Tony Allen with pick #18
Reaction: The Lakers have hung their hat on defense during their title run and pick up yet another player who looks like he's going to be a beast defensively. Larry Hughes has been rumored on the block for a while, and while this doesn't mean he'll get moved this year, it means the Lakers are ready to move him whenever he stops performing up to his contract.
Reaction: The Lakers have hung their hat on defense during their title run and pick up yet another player who looks like he's going to be a beast defensively. Larry Hughes has been rumored on the block for a while, and while this doesn't mean he'll get moved this year, it means the Lakers are ready to move him whenever he stops performing up to his contract.
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