The Inaugural NAH Lottery
Mar 10, 2014 18:25:11 GMT
Post by Jestor on Mar 10, 2014 18:25:11 GMT
Teams Hope To Rebound From Disappointing Seasons With Lotto Luck
Familiar names on the list, headlined by UNLV's Anthony Bennett
For one reason or another, certain teams saw themselves drop out of the playoffs and into the lottery. With just three trades executed during the regular season, no lottery picks moved hands, although a couple of late first round picks (Milwaukee and Golden State) found new owners. But this is not about them. This is about the teams and fanbases who had to sit at home and watch as the Boston Celtics and Lebron James march their way to a championship, with ]b]King James[/b] putting on one of the most incredible postseason performances of the modern era, and that's with the Pelicans reducing his efficiency in the Finals.
Initial Lottery List
14. Toronto Raptors
13. Detroit Pistons
12. New York Knicks
11. Washington Wizards
10. Dallas Mavericks
9. San Antonio Spurs
8. Houston Rockets
7. Utah Jazz
6. Indiana Pacers
5. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Orlando Magic
2. Portland Trailblazers
1. Miami Heat
The 14th overall pick goes to... the Toronto Raptors
No change here, and this is a team that really struggled with injuries, Nikola Vucevic breaking his foot, and Kosta Koufos tearing his ACL that doomed their playoff hopes down the stretch. Chris Paul, Nick Calathes, and Shaun Livingston are all free agents, which makes the need for a point guard rather obvious. Can C.J. McCollum and Shane Larkin last this far, and if they can, are they the players the Raptors even want?
The 13th overall pick goes to... the Detroit Pistons
Again, no change. Detroit built their identity on defense and lost Serge Ibaka to a torn ACL late in the season - an injury that will keep him out for most of next season. They're one of the teams that run a two PG system in Jose Calderon and Deron Williams, so perhaps they elect to go for a SG or a PF to shift Williams to the 1 or plug in the hole created by Ibaka's injury. Another instinctive scorer to assist Deron would help - although if they feel daring, perhaps gambling with Giannis Adetokoubo, the 19 year old Greek prospect the whole league is intrigued by?
The 12th overall pick goes to... the New York Knicks
Preseason expectations and an active front office gave fans in the Big Apple hopes they had a contender-worthy franchise, but it wasn't meant to be. Dwight Howard got shipped at the deadline, and the Knicks played out the string the rest of the way. Although they have Kyle Lowry, they could be on the hunt for a smarter point guard, so perhaps they're in the derby to eye up McCollum and Larkin to see if they're more intelligent floor generals, and either shift Lowry to the 2, or trade him out for more assets.
The 11th overall pick goes to... the Washington Wizards
Still not a jump in a sight. The Wizards had a great post duo in Kevin Love and Brook Lopez, but it wasn't nearly enough to get into the playoffs, perhaps chiefly because the wings did not afford exciting opportunities. Adetokoubo would be intriguing and a good fit here, and let's not discount the possibility of Shabazz Muhammed sliding here. Maybe even Ben McLemore to stretch the defense?
The 10th overall pick goes to... the Dallas Mavericks
We continue to hold form. On paper, the Mavericks had a very solid, talented lineup, but it just did not mesh well together. On the flip side, the Mavericks are the very first team profiled that can have the luxury of going BPA, whoever that might be, as their depth, save for Arron Afflalo, excited no one.
The 9th overall pick goes to... the San Antonio Spurs
Everyone talks about the Anthony Davis/John Henson frontcourt of course, but when Mo Williams is both your go-to scorer and your point guard, you've got problems. Cue up the discussion of the other point guards we've mentioned, but the idea of McLemore intrigues as a bigger, proven scorer from a power conference to man the 2 and provide some razzle-dazzle. Or even the controversial Shabazz - something, anything to spark a team that is Texas tough, but far too lean on spice.
The 8th overall pick goes to... the Houston Rockets
No luck in the Lone Star State, as despite three straight selections, the Texas teams come up empty in the lottery hunt. The core post duo is there with LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, and JaVale McGee, but the backcourt needs some serious work. Michael Carter-Williams immediately jumps off the page as a combo guard with tantalizing size who could add something to the roster, as Trey Burke and Victor Oladipo probably don't drop this far.
The 7th overall pick goes to... the Utah Jazz
On paper, Utah should have been a lot better than what they were. The lineup is playoffs worthy, and there's young talent to be found on the bench. Zaza Pachulia is out of contract and Chris Kaman is getting older, so somebody like Alex Len or Cody Zeller, if either one are available, are the best possible fit most likely. Jeff Green at SF makes little sense with Draymond Green and Perry Jones III waiting to be developed.
The 6th overall pick goes to... the Indiana Pacers
What a bore draw so far. No jumps to be found. We all know about the injuries to Stephen Curry and Carl Landry. Explosive post scoring is needed and that spells Len. Or defensive perimeter toughness, which means Oladipo
The 5th overall pick goes to... the Oklahoma City Thunder
And we have our first jump, as the Clippers break into the Top 3. Demarcus Cousins broke his wrist late in the season, but the big problem with the Thunder is on the perimeter. Oladipo or Otto Porter would do much to address the issues inherit in the wing spots, and if Burke can be an upgrade over Greivis Vasquez at the point, that's an option to consider as well.
The 4th overall pick goes to... the Portland Trailblazers
Ouch. Hard luck for the Blazers, who go from their comfortable spot of #2 down to #4, which takes them out of the discussion for picking players at their leisure. Raw, young talent here so they're just waiting for it to develop. They can quite literally take any one of the options to fall to them and be fine, as none of the 2-4 options impress, and Kendall Marshall is not ideal defensively. Andre Drummond can play either the 4 or the 5, so it's really a matter of waiting to see who drops.
The 3rd overall pick goes to... the Miami Heat
Well now, that's a tough wicket. Russell Westbrook was lost for the season early last year, and now dropping from #1 down to #3. Shooting guard is the biggest red flag, and with the Heat's emphasis on defense, you can pretty much pen in Oladipo or Porter here, as the top two players in the draft should be fairly certain by all accounts.
The 2nd overall pick goes to... the Los Angeles Clippers
Such a talented roster, and yet such disappointment. The perimeter spots need work, so any one of Burke, Oladipo, Porter, or even Anthony Bennett could go here. One thing is for certain - the class's best center would be a luxury pick, so if the #1 pick goes Bennett, the center could slide to the Heat or even the Blazers.
The 1st overall pick goes to... the Orlando Magic
The only debate here is going to be whether to draft Anthony Bennett or Nerlens Noel most likely. Magic truly does come to the Magic Kingdom as they jump 2 spots and get their choice of whoever they want in the class.
Familiar names on the list, headlined by UNLV's Anthony Bennett
For one reason or another, certain teams saw themselves drop out of the playoffs and into the lottery. With just three trades executed during the regular season, no lottery picks moved hands, although a couple of late first round picks (Milwaukee and Golden State) found new owners. But this is not about them. This is about the teams and fanbases who had to sit at home and watch as the Boston Celtics and Lebron James march their way to a championship, with ]b]King James[/b] putting on one of the most incredible postseason performances of the modern era, and that's with the Pelicans reducing his efficiency in the Finals.
Initial Lottery List
14. Toronto Raptors
13. Detroit Pistons
12. New York Knicks
11. Washington Wizards
10. Dallas Mavericks
9. San Antonio Spurs
8. Houston Rockets
7. Utah Jazz
6. Indiana Pacers
5. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Orlando Magic
2. Portland Trailblazers
1. Miami Heat
The 14th overall pick goes to... the Toronto Raptors
No change here, and this is a team that really struggled with injuries, Nikola Vucevic breaking his foot, and Kosta Koufos tearing his ACL that doomed their playoff hopes down the stretch. Chris Paul, Nick Calathes, and Shaun Livingston are all free agents, which makes the need for a point guard rather obvious. Can C.J. McCollum and Shane Larkin last this far, and if they can, are they the players the Raptors even want?
The 13th overall pick goes to... the Detroit Pistons
Again, no change. Detroit built their identity on defense and lost Serge Ibaka to a torn ACL late in the season - an injury that will keep him out for most of next season. They're one of the teams that run a two PG system in Jose Calderon and Deron Williams, so perhaps they elect to go for a SG or a PF to shift Williams to the 1 or plug in the hole created by Ibaka's injury. Another instinctive scorer to assist Deron would help - although if they feel daring, perhaps gambling with Giannis Adetokoubo, the 19 year old Greek prospect the whole league is intrigued by?
The 12th overall pick goes to... the New York Knicks
Preseason expectations and an active front office gave fans in the Big Apple hopes they had a contender-worthy franchise, but it wasn't meant to be. Dwight Howard got shipped at the deadline, and the Knicks played out the string the rest of the way. Although they have Kyle Lowry, they could be on the hunt for a smarter point guard, so perhaps they're in the derby to eye up McCollum and Larkin to see if they're more intelligent floor generals, and either shift Lowry to the 2, or trade him out for more assets.
The 11th overall pick goes to... the Washington Wizards
Still not a jump in a sight. The Wizards had a great post duo in Kevin Love and Brook Lopez, but it wasn't nearly enough to get into the playoffs, perhaps chiefly because the wings did not afford exciting opportunities. Adetokoubo would be intriguing and a good fit here, and let's not discount the possibility of Shabazz Muhammed sliding here. Maybe even Ben McLemore to stretch the defense?
The 10th overall pick goes to... the Dallas Mavericks
We continue to hold form. On paper, the Mavericks had a very solid, talented lineup, but it just did not mesh well together. On the flip side, the Mavericks are the very first team profiled that can have the luxury of going BPA, whoever that might be, as their depth, save for Arron Afflalo, excited no one.
The 9th overall pick goes to... the San Antonio Spurs
Everyone talks about the Anthony Davis/John Henson frontcourt of course, but when Mo Williams is both your go-to scorer and your point guard, you've got problems. Cue up the discussion of the other point guards we've mentioned, but the idea of McLemore intrigues as a bigger, proven scorer from a power conference to man the 2 and provide some razzle-dazzle. Or even the controversial Shabazz - something, anything to spark a team that is Texas tough, but far too lean on spice.
The 8th overall pick goes to... the Houston Rockets
No luck in the Lone Star State, as despite three straight selections, the Texas teams come up empty in the lottery hunt. The core post duo is there with LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, and JaVale McGee, but the backcourt needs some serious work. Michael Carter-Williams immediately jumps off the page as a combo guard with tantalizing size who could add something to the roster, as Trey Burke and Victor Oladipo probably don't drop this far.
The 7th overall pick goes to... the Utah Jazz
On paper, Utah should have been a lot better than what they were. The lineup is playoffs worthy, and there's young talent to be found on the bench. Zaza Pachulia is out of contract and Chris Kaman is getting older, so somebody like Alex Len or Cody Zeller, if either one are available, are the best possible fit most likely. Jeff Green at SF makes little sense with Draymond Green and Perry Jones III waiting to be developed.
The 6th overall pick goes to... the Indiana Pacers
What a bore draw so far. No jumps to be found. We all know about the injuries to Stephen Curry and Carl Landry. Explosive post scoring is needed and that spells Len. Or defensive perimeter toughness, which means Oladipo
The 5th overall pick goes to... the Oklahoma City Thunder
And we have our first jump, as the Clippers break into the Top 3. Demarcus Cousins broke his wrist late in the season, but the big problem with the Thunder is on the perimeter. Oladipo or Otto Porter would do much to address the issues inherit in the wing spots, and if Burke can be an upgrade over Greivis Vasquez at the point, that's an option to consider as well.
The 4th overall pick goes to... the Portland Trailblazers
Ouch. Hard luck for the Blazers, who go from their comfortable spot of #2 down to #4, which takes them out of the discussion for picking players at their leisure. Raw, young talent here so they're just waiting for it to develop. They can quite literally take any one of the options to fall to them and be fine, as none of the 2-4 options impress, and Kendall Marshall is not ideal defensively. Andre Drummond can play either the 4 or the 5, so it's really a matter of waiting to see who drops.
The 3rd overall pick goes to... the Miami Heat
Well now, that's a tough wicket. Russell Westbrook was lost for the season early last year, and now dropping from #1 down to #3. Shooting guard is the biggest red flag, and with the Heat's emphasis on defense, you can pretty much pen in Oladipo or Porter here, as the top two players in the draft should be fairly certain by all accounts.
The 2nd overall pick goes to... the Los Angeles Clippers
Such a talented roster, and yet such disappointment. The perimeter spots need work, so any one of Burke, Oladipo, Porter, or even Anthony Bennett could go here. One thing is for certain - the class's best center would be a luxury pick, so if the #1 pick goes Bennett, the center could slide to the Heat or even the Blazers.
The 1st overall pick goes to... the Orlando Magic
The only debate here is going to be whether to draft Anthony Bennett or Nerlens Noel most likely. Magic truly does come to the Magic Kingdom as they jump 2 spots and get their choice of whoever they want in the class.