I have zero clue as to who we are going to draft.

I want Tyrese. Rumor has it that it’s going to be Patrick.

but I don’t think he’ll be there

I remember she came on Brian Windhorst's pod to report about the quarantine process just to get into the "actual" bubble...once the games started she shined on everybody.

Let’s get this going!

Edwards to the Wolves. Don’t too much care for their squad or Thibs.



Just hope those boys can stay healthy

Even if they plan on flipping him, which I doubt, but still...


What would have been wrong is to panic with the news about whatever happened with Klay and pick someone who they didn't plan on, or make a trade for someone from a potential position of weakness. Fill the needs that were going to be there whether Klay is healthy or not.

They will be okay.

work and learn...


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

.

So where does BigBallerBrand go from here? Lol

Seriously, what happens to Graham now? Does this mean he will be moved?

So graham at the 2?

He’s got the longer wingspan and he’s the better shooter. Let Melo be the primary ball handler, let Graham be a secondary ball handler slash undersized 2 based on his scoring ability.

Graham is 6’1.

Shooting guards will eat him alive at the 2. And LaMelo is not a good defender. Or put LaMelo at the 3 as a SF , rozier at the 2, G at the 1.

Why does Jordan keep doing this to his squad?

I trust Graham as an off-ball shooter and high IQ ball mover. And Melo’s defensive issues have been effort more than unawareness— we saw Ben Simmons and Lonzo turn their defense on once they made the NBA, Melo could do the same (as could Edwards tbh).

I would ditch Rozier. I think he’s not good as anything other than a bench spark plug.

til Melo learns to shoot and play D
with no summer camp or preseason, he's prob not even a starter for a while

>Seriously, what happens to Graham now? Does this mean he
>will be moved?

>So where does BigBallerBrand go from here? Lol

Technically it does, but it might as well be dead. It was a noble experiment started by the wrong guy. Time for Melo and Lonzo to sign elsewhere (if they haven’t already???).

PUMA killing it lately while all these other brands just recycle.

I like this kid though

Although I think I'm a fan based off that flowers segment.

This is some shit Ryan Pace would do.

Dude didn’t even start, can’t shoot. Sixth man of the year in the acc, can guard all 5 positions, so he has motor.

Brings defense to the team....but not great offensively and will have to establish a jump shot.

But Dunn brought defense too and could guard 1-3.

I don’t fucking know.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/11/10/21556874/2020-nba-draft-patrick-williams-florida-state

Right he is a gamble pick.

Drafting based on upside. He is a project. I like to draft based on maturity, and with a player being polished, where he doesn’t need a lot of years to develop.

It’s very disappointing , and he is the highest draft pick in FSU history.

Only positive is that the bulls usually do well in the draft based on history... so maybe this pans out.

Loved what the Wiz and Kings got here.

But disappointed!

He is great defensively, and can guard multiple positions...but will not be an immediate impact. Looks like a lot project.

With this, and Harrison not being picked up...I’m seriously disappointed.

Lol, where was he?

He was probably at a gathering with numerous maskless individuals getting drunk. So I take back my "good for him" statement. He's possibly an idiot.

.

Both are really terrific. High upside, high floor. Start with aggressive defense, good athleticism, high motor, and good passing/IQ on offense.

Great picks for both teams.

The Cavs needed a wing, and they desperately needed defense.

and they have both: a smart guy who can guard the best player on the other team.

Obviously he won't be wearing 23 but I have a feeling he wanted to be on this team when the Cavs got #5.

looking forward to seeing him and KPJ in lineups together.

.

lost his mother and grandmother in the span of 2 months...when he was 14. Dude, I might not be alive if I lost my mother and grandmother, that early.

Lol. It’s such a shooters league right now.

Guys like Williams, Okoro, and Okongwu can defend 3+ positions, all are high IQ, all move the ball well, and all are terrific athletes. Guys like that definitely should be drafted on that potential.

But you’re right that it’s funny that Toppin is the best shooter of the top 8, lol.

toppin is gonna be garbage

Land of the non-shooting bigs.

Shot 42% from 3 for his career. It’s one of his strengths.

That’s a mirage. He barely takes three, and that percentage is based off his freshman year where he avg 0.6 threes a game and hit 0.3.

Last season he hit 39 percent....off only taking about 2 threes a game.

And his overall percentage is based off his inside scoring ...he is not that big of a shooter. He mostly dunks with 66 percent FG.



https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/obadiah-toppin-1.html

I watched a lot of Dayton. He is a very good shooter for a big. He’s not just a dunker. Far from it. He’s also an *exceptional* passer for a big.

There’s not an NBA scout out there who thinks Toppin “can’t shoot.”

>I watched a lot of Dayton. He is a very good shooter for a
>big. He’s not just a dunker. Far from it. He’s also an
>*exceptional* passer for a big.
>
>There’s not an NBA scout out there who thinks Toppin
>“can’t shoot.”

In a vacuum, that sounds like a pretty good pick. I don't watch college basketball, so I'll take your word for it.

Two things that bother me about the pick is that he won't flourish because the Knicks IMO should have gotten a point guard instead of another damn four.

And the fact he's already 22 years old is a glaring red flag for me.

I suppose at number 8 in a weak draft, I shouldn't get too bent out of shape, but I don't know how much of a fit he'll be for my trash ass Knicks squad.

Like, he can immediately improve the offense with his versatility, his athleticism, his passing, his shooting, his IQ. For a guy his size, he can do it all.

But he can’t defend. Or at least he hasn’t. But unlike Ball and Edwards, I don’t think it’s an effort thing— I think his athleticism is more straight line than side to side.

We’ll see. But the offense will be awesome right away.

Sounds like the perfect player for Thibs to get his hands on.

Another fun regular season awaits for me as a Knicks fan.

NY GM Leon Rose’s son represents him.

However, his Athleticism is crazy...crazy crazy.

Potential : John Collins.


He will be in slam dunk contest that’s for sure.

We really out here acting like 22 is old as fuck for an NBA rookie?

How many 19 and 20 year olds are out here dominating in the NBA?

success in the NBA.

He reminds me of a Kenyon Martin but will be better at basically everything such as shooting, rebounding, scoring and not having nasty red lips tatted on his neck.

According to Frank, he's not a good defender but most players coming in aren't. He should still block shots and being a better defender is one of the easiest, fastest things you can correct (in theory).

like idk if yall have ever actually watched him play but in a straight line running forward, he is good to go.

once you have him moving laterally and reactively he is pure cement shoes status. STIFF. if he even becomes an average defender i will be floored.

folks too gassed off all these leak out dunks he racked up. in the half court he doesnt impress me a bit.

Vs Georgia 25 points, 82% shooting, 2/3 from 3
vs VTech 24 points, 77% shooting, 3/5 from 3
vs Kansas 18 points, 55% shooting, 1/3 from 3


I only watched him 6 or 7 times but he didn’t have a problem in the half court game when I watched him. Which was unfortunate as a VCU alum.

How much did you watch him play last year?

i'm just going off my personal eye test. *shrug*

like i said, if i'm wrong, fine. but i don't think i'll be.

Good pick for the Knicks.

Now, they'll fuck it up all around him...though I could kinda see him and Russ (if they do that) actually "working."

Where are these tales coming from?

This dude can do almost everything offensively. Defense, uhhhh ... can we talk more about his game at the other end?

The Knicks could have done worse here and he is a rising stock. I like those kinds of guys in other sports, in basketball they can go either way. But he is certainly not a guy who was on the radar in junior high, he was basically a nobody that became one of the verrrry best players in the country.

Toppin shitted all over Georgia, Kansas and VTech in that Maui invitational.

His defense is suspect but offensively he’s a beast.

They are being selected based on upside, but will need a lot of work.

Wiseman is going to be a beast
Hayes is going to do well because he is fundamentally sound.
And maybe LaMelo...but he can’t shoot.

Absolutely indefensible pick.

Mature beyond his years and high work ethic. He'll be fine.

Like, I like him as a piece, a role player on a team that needs a big. But to Phoenix? At TEN?? Especially when I didn’t see a single mock with him in the lotto? They easily could’ve traded back if they liked him that much.

Shocked me at ten also.

And neither is Ayton.

So yeah, ZERO clue what the Suns are doing there, lmao.

He's been working and his skills have improved.

Smith plays straight up and down. Which is good for rim protection— not good away from the rim. At all.

Great pick

But to the Kings? They already got Fox at the PG position.
A lot of weird ass drafting from these teams.

Kira Kewis Jr. to the pelicans? They already got Ball and Jackson.

If they were going to draft a PG, I’d imagine they’d want a shooter/creator. That’s not really Lewis’s game yet. Honestly thought Lewis would’ve been PERFECT in Boston in the old Terry Rozier role.

Plus the Pels have Bledsoe now too? Yeah, there’s a trade coming, lol.

But to the Kings? They already got Fox at the PG position.
A lot of weird ass drafting from these teams.

Kira Lewis Jr. to the pelicans? They already got Ball and Jackson.

.

Once you get past 10-ish you're kind of forced to take a home run swing or just put the ball in play. Obviously this dude had a bumpy ride, didn't live up to his pre-NCAA hype, etc, but maybe that'll make him a steal. They can certainly use guys who can create their own shot and have a scorer's mentality.

Wasn’t his fault. That NC team was trash as fock. He was the only bright spot. Plus he got inured.

He got the game. He just needs a coach to keep him under control. Roy let him go wild, because there was no other go to player on the team.

we about to get Rj Hampton, aren't we?

This kid is gonna either bust or be the next Giannis/Porzingis. Presti’s saying fuck it and going all in on the development program. I trust it tbh.

.

Ainge wins again. That dude can shoot the lights out, and is long as hell.

Bye, bye Gordon. Go get that big, and that might put them over.

Shit!! That nigga about to ball!!

Straight greenlight! They ain’t got shit on the perimeter!

They need some cockiness.

Wiz picked a project player. May as well trade Brad now.

Haha, love it.

Oh wow, as a Duke fan, I’m stoked.

I had Hampton in my teens, Nnaji in my personal 50s, lmao.

Have not watched much of Naji but i know if there is someone they think has good upside Josh is not afraid to let them pull the trigger. Hearing him recount drafting Porter and Bol Bol was interesting to hear.

Dude can shoot, and teams up with another former wildcat in Shai.

Hopefully, they’ll be entertaining.

1) How in the world did Calipari know this dude was going to land on the Knicks before ESPN did?

2) Be as objective as you can; what are the positives and negatives with this dude? The Knicks need many things, and outside shooting is one of them, so I welcome this dude if he can bring some knock down shooting off the bench.

>1) How in the world did Calipari know this dude was going to
>land on the Knicks before ESPN did?

It’s Cal.

>
>2) Be as objective as you can; what are the positives and
>negatives with this dude? The Knicks need many things, and
>outside shooting is one of them, so I welcome this dude if he
>can bring some knock down shooting off the bench.

5 star McDonald’s AA point guard in high school. Was moved to shooting guard at Kentucky because he was the best shooter on the team. Dead eye, knock down shooter on the catch, and on the move., but can definitely play point. Defends extremely well at 6’3” with a 6’9” wingspan. High character, mature kid from a great family.

Smith can go. Ntilikina can play 3 and focus on becoming a 3 and D guy.

Quickley plays good D too...so he will get minutes. Him and RJ can play off of each other.

I forget when he was waived.

On the point guard depth chart, you're forgetting about Elfrid Payton. He'll probably get starting minutes over all the players mentioned since he's the most serviceable starting point guard the Knicks have.

This kid from Kentucky should get some serious minutes off the bench, especially if Dennis Smith Jr. continues to be complete trash like he was last season. I suppose it remains to be seen if he can lead an offense in terms of setting other players up in the fullcourt and halfcourt game.

he's not on a roster?

he seemed like one of the better "finds" of recent drafts, regardless of team.

He's feast or famine on the offensive end in terms of scoring, doesn't do well in terms of passing the ball or involving others offensively, and is a subpar defender.

If he isn't scoring in bunches, he has no value.

I'm reading on twitter that Elfrid Payton was waived today.

Interesting.

Elfrid Payton signed a one year deal with the Knicks after getting waived.

Sadly enough, he is the best option to start at point guard at the moment. This is unless Dennis Smith Jr. shows something in terms of being an offensive threat. Time will tell.

Double down on pure bigs in 2020.

I have no idea what our direction is after tonight.

Confused as fock.

.

Highest upside player at 3.
A first round level offensive talent in the 50s.
An ACC POY level stretch big in the second.

way better than their usual “draft a big white guy” strategy.

because they no longer bend at the knee for MJ.

but I’m not really confident about this Ball pick but if he doesn’t shoot this year and just distributes the rock it may work out.

I was about to go to bed mad.

Then I got the draft notification on Marko. This motherfucker looks polished, like a cross
between Jokic and Porzingis.

The pick and roll possibilities could be endless.

A big who can dribble, shoot the three, with good inside footwork and passing....but just like jokic looks defensively wack. However, he can run the floor like a wing and stop and pop.

This could be a huge pickup. ....

https://twitter.com/draftexpress/status/1329291932921688064?s=21

I thought Myles Powell would get called.


Part 2:

https://twitter.com/draftexpress/status/1329292668246126592?s=21

Lamar Stevens is a Gotdamn dawg, he’ll find a spot.

Who are these guys? They only play for a year in college, and the overseas players
are unknown. It wasn’t a big draft, more like a developmental draft.

If you look at the NFL, players come out after their junior year, so they build up a following. During the 80s, Jordan, Magic, Bird all had big college followings and left after their junior year. So it carried over.

I think college players should be compensated, and players should have to play at least 2 years in college. It would help their development, as well as improve the ratings for the NBA. It would create a big following.

They have to fix this shit.. Lebron, Paul, and Melo are going to be gone soon. KD is 32 and coming back from a serious injury. These huge must see stars aren’t going to be there ..

where the season was cut short right before the NCAA tourney aka the event the average fan finally tunes in for to see which players they wanna fall in love with?

dawg, how do you keep finding these terrible takes. it's impressive.

that said, if they're up to the task they'll make a name.

no one knew Dame Lillard...now it's DAME TIME.

only die hards were really familiar w/ Jimmy Butler.

more or less same with Jayson Tatum.

the list goes on.

i'm not saying those guys were totally unknown, but it's not like they had Zion-like hype. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

once in the league, guys create their own fanfare.

for several seasons. It’s not just during the pandemic.
It’s been a major problem and talked about .

And has been happening since players started coming out early early. And I think it is its’ main problem.

Last years 2019 NBA playoffs, which were sensational with Kawhi and Giannis arriving in the East were down 19 percent....This is a huge trend that has become worse due to the pandemic.

That’s the problem . Players not developed, and we have to wait until they become developed to possibly create a following....

And you use Lilliard as example. And even though he is a big time nba player, he plays in a small market, and still isn’t a regular household name like Russell Wilson or Patrick Mahomes OUTSIDE of the urban communities.


Lamar Jackson comes out, we watched him at Louisville, boom 2 years later, mvp
Patrick Mahomes, boom, few years later mvp , super bowl champion....Joe Burrows LSU champion, boom killing it in the nfl.

We have to wait years for these unpolished players, and most of them never come to fruition. The NBA is entertaining , but very diluted because American
Players are not being properly developed..

These Euro players are starting to become the face of the NBA...I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing for AMERICAN ratings.

And everything to do with how TV works right now.

Source: work in TV

But how so? And I’m using pre-pandemic numbers here.

Single header NFL games were up in ratings compared to single header NBA games which were down in ratings. And I’m talking about big match ups for each sport.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2018/12/nfl-ratings-cbs-nba-espn-top-rank/

And that is from a pre-pandemic, pre-protest year.

Here is another crazy stat for you. NBA ratings from 1974-2020

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Finals_television_ratings

The nba had its highest viewers in the 90s at 29-30 million viewers per game. This past decade the ratings were at an avg of 12-15 mil. But during that same time span NFL ratings went up.


80s and 90s ratings were definitely due to the teams of the lakers, bulls, and Celtics, and the players being big time polished players with a huge following.

It's a different animal altogether - many games are broadcast nationally on CBS, etc, it's a shorter season, and football is the biggest sport in America.

But the reality is - EVERYTHING is dwindling in terms of linear ratings. Streaming services - including ones with live sports (Hulu, Youtube) aren't reporting their numbers by and large so if this is simply based on live, linear TV numbers - it's inaccurate.

People are consuming ALL media in different ways and sports is the last bastion of linear television. It has nothing to do with the product at all.

you have to look further back in nfl ratings.

a "good" nfl ratings game now is basically where a completely dogshit game was ten years ago

nfl ratings are "up" now because just a few years ago they'd dropped drastically.

everyone with two functioning brain cells who's looked at the numbers knows this.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

But how so? And I’m using pre-pandemic numbers here.

Single header NFL games were up in ratings compared to single header NBA games which were down in ratings. And I’m talking about big match ups for each sport.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2018/12/nfl-ratings-cbs-nba-espn-top-rank/

And that is from a pre-pandemic, pre-protest year.

Here is another crazy stat for you. NBA ratings from 1974-2020

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Finals_television_ratings

The nba had its highest viewers in the 90s at 29-30 million viewers per game. This past decade the ratings were at an avg of 12-15 mil. But during that same time span NFL ratings went up.

>where the season was cut short right before the NCAA tourney
>aka the event the average fan finally tunes in for to see
>which players they wanna fall in love with?
>
>dawg, how do you keep finding these terrible takes. it's
>impressive.
>
>that said, if they're up to the task they'll make a name.
>
>no one knew Dame Lillard...now it's DAME TIME.
>
>only die hards were really familiar w/ Jimmy Butler.
>
>more or less same with Jayson Tatum.
>
>the list goes on.
>
>i'm not saying those guys were totally unknown, but it's not
>like they had Zion-like hype. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
>
>once in the league, guys create their own fanfare.

relax, i mean just last year we got zion and ja in the same draft, two blue chip guys who came in with high profiles, especially zion.

this was seen from miles away as a draft that would be somewhat similar to say 2013 (maybe not as bad as the kenyon martin draft but not good either).

what you're saying could only really be addressed by keeping guys in college longer. the last several years we see a lot of gangly 19-year-olds with question marks and exclamation points, few periods. that's the nature of the beast. the difference is that other sports have minor leagues and the NBA only kinda sorta does. they are working on that. but i don't see any lack of star power or talent in the L today.

https://slowrobotagogo.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/im-gonna-git-you-sucka-kalinga-wife-eve-plumb-jan-brady-clarence-william-iii-review.jpg