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>I'm not 100% sold on Wiggins but he has killer trade value if
>Thibs isn't convinced.
>
>1. Wolves: KAT is a beast, Zach and Wiggins are legit, and I
>like Dunn even though I'm not sold on his fit with the other
>two.
I would begrudgingly rank them No. 1 also. Their peripheral guys are also young. This is a good group that will take Kahn-like incompetence to prevent from getting to the playoffs within a couple seasons.
>2. Bucks: I'm a believer in Giannis and Middleton is better
>than I thought. Parker will be a #3 guy, at least and Thon is
>a complete wild card but worth the gamble. (EDIT: Hmmm... on
>second though, might be a little high on the Bucks. If I had
>more faith in MC-W or Ennis, they'd be locks for here
>though.)
I am not in love with this group but it lacks that Towns or Davis type centerpiece. I like Giannis but as a no. 2/3 guy on a team. Parker's emergence could justify this ranking and obviously Maker is a home-run swing. We won't know if it connected or not for a few years. I'd rank them a little lower.
>3. Sixers: Before this draft, I think you could have offered
>the Sixers young guys for AD and gotten turned down. Simmons,
>Korkmaz, and Frenchie tip the scales in Philly's favor.
Lots of wild cards here, from what we have seen so far I would have them a little lower maybe but now Simmons and Saric and maybe even Embiid make them sizzle with potential. Simmons I have a strong feeling will at least be a very solid No. 2 guy.
>4. Detroit: I had them lower but then saw that Tobias Harris
>is also under 24 and I think that makes the Pistons group
>stronger than AD.
I would have them higher. Right today, Drummond is the best player being discussed all things considered. If A.D. were healthy or Towns were two years further in, it might be a different story, sure, hence why the "right today" thing. They have a lot of youth and grit.
>5. Pelicans: The biggest issue is that, as limited as their
>under-25 crew is, it's the over-25 group that nobody wants
>anything to do with. Hield makes me nervous, I like TJones but
>not as a huge part of the core, and Diallo is a project.
>Still, AD is AD and that's enough for the #4 spot. Another 60
>game season from AD and this group could drop.
They basically have one player and he is often injured, has never won anything of note. Great talent but I think this is as high as I'd put them and that's only because some of these other groups are weak. I'd even consider putting the Suns ahead of them maybe.
>6. Lakers: I'm probably being too hard on these guys but
>Ingram's still an unknown to me and I'm not completely sold on
>Randle, Russell, and Clarkson.
Ingram is a potential game-changer but I don't think he will tear it up right out of the box. Randle made some strides, we'll see what he does now that they have some other actual pros in their frontcourt. The other guys are pretty common players to me, though to hear Warren Coolidge tell it Larry Nance Jr already turned the corner on Larry Nance Sr and Tarik Black is Dikembe Mutombo reincarnate.
>7. Nuggets: Jokic, Mudiay, Murray, Nurkic, Harris, Beasley,
>Hermangomez, Joffrey. I'm higher on these guys than most but I
>really like what they're putting together in Denver. I could
>see this crew moving up fast.
>8. Jazz: Exum not living up to the hype is holding back a
>solid group of Hood, Lyles, Gobert, and Burks.
I might have these guys a little higher but not much. How old are Hayward and Favors now? They seem to have a lot of trouble finding a point guard (Exum, the departed Burke, et al). Is John Stockton still in game shape? Good young group, kind of like the Pistons but not as good.
>9. Magic: I like all of these guys but just not sure any of
>them should be a Top 3 guy: Bismack, Gordon, Hezonja,
>Fournier, and Elfrid
They are trying to do the mid 2000s Detroit model, I guess. I don't know what to make of Hezonja yet. He could swing things for them. Youth all up and down the roster, great defensive intensity but to me they seem like that team who plays balls-out all season but then has no next level once the playoffs start. Again nine seems a little low maybe. Then again they did just trade two very good young players for a veteran, and we are talking about under-25 cores here. When they had Oladipo and Sabonis, I would have had them higher, though in the bigger picture Ibaka fits what they are trying to do.
>10. Suns: Too much is unknown with Bender, Chriss, Ulis but
>they have a solid group with Booker, Knight, Warren, Len and
>Archie.
I mean it seems arbitrary to punish them for unknowns when the Sixers have a vast multitude of question marks, so did the Nuggets and other teams ranked higher. I loved their draft, Bender has the tools (not sure about the tool box), Ulis should be a good role player and Chriss could be a steal. I honestly think he could one of the three most talented players in this draft, but he has a lot of work to do, too. Booker I love, loved his makeup in college and he is ahead of schedule as a pro. Knight/Bledsoe are obviously established though not necessarily consistent. Len is a guy I could see emerging from that weak class as one of its better players, though guys his size are always prone to injury and in today's game it's tougher than in the past for them to thrive. I like him as a poor man's Yao. I'd rank these guys closer to the middle of the pack here. I like their mix better than the Nuggets or Lakers, and overall more than the Pels (but the AD factor). I'd put them there with the Magic and Bucks. And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
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