Hey, Steemit community!(Steemmates?)
It's Day 0 for me and my journey with this 'darn newfangled blockchainsaw' technology. Like many of you I'm sure, I discovered this place through cryptocurrencies. Quite honestly I signed up primarily to test it out and see just how valuable Steem really is.
Anyhow, I registered and was dropped onto Steemit's homepage, and you know what I did? Exactly what I do every day I get onto Reddit. I searched for NBA content. But I decided I'd like to contribute something more than just dank 3-1 memes and (First Name) "Literally Hitler" (Last Name) comments. No, Steammates. I'm turning over a new T.J. Leaf.
So let's get right to it then. Here are my 7 reasons why this is the best NBA Draft Since 2003
7. The Lakers have the 2nd pick.
Let me just start by saying that I was born and raised in Indiana, and Reggie Miller is my childhood sports idol. I have zero interest in seeing the Lakers win another championship anytime soon, especially not with my Paul George.
So(clearly) Magic should keep his stupid championship ring-laden grubby fingers off PG13(but that's a dumb nickname idc who you are) and win with "D Lo."
But in all seriousness, the NBA is healthier when the Lakers are healthy. And having the 2nd pick is like having a second-rate epipen to stabilize that awful allergic reaction to the Kupchack bee sting. It'll reduce the swelling, but it's the 2nd best brand.
Or maybe the best, depending on how you feel about BBB.
Just having the Lakers pick in the lottery alone probably boosts media interest by an order of magnitude. Enough said.
6. The Celtics have the #1 pick.
I briefly considered dubbing this slot "The Nets Could Have Had the #1 Pick," but then I remembered how great that trade was for them. The KG/Paul Pierce Nets earned a second round appearance in the (L)East playoffs and won an entire basketball game against playoff LeBron's Miami Heat. Because who needs first round picks anyways?
Again, the NBA is healthier when the Celtics are good too.
Wait, they did what this year? Okay, the NBA is healthier when the Eastern Conference Finals are actually competitive, which the Celtics will position themselves to do by either flipping this pick for the "over the hump" guy, or drafting a mega star like Markelle Fultz.
The real question for Boston is Isaiah Thomas and how he fits into the plan. Could they really dump a guy who basically played like an efficient Allen Iverson in favor of a rookie?
Oh, and don't think I've forgotten that the Celtics would love to trade for Paul George as well. Boy, I'd love the Pacers to get their hands on that #1 pick only to see Markelle Fultz leave for the Wizards in 2024 after we once again unsuccessfully build around a Top 10 player.
Simply put, it's Lakers/Celtics at the top, and that creates cross-generational interest.
5. Harry Giles is either Kevin Garnett or Greg Oden.
Rest assured, 'giles' is not a term for anything below the belt. But teams who pass on Harry "Dukie" Giles might feel like they've been punched down there when the dust has settled in 2035. Some mock drafts have him going in the mid to late first round, so you bet I'm paying attention to this guy with my other Indiana corn-fed, tractor-riding, cousin-loving friends. He's 6'11" with shoes, has a 7'3" wingspan and two knees that can barely hold it all up.
See, Giles was the top high school prospect in his class a couple years ago. But back in 2013 he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his left knee. All at once.
Chicagoans just collectively glanced at their framed picture of Derrick Rose holding his MVP trophy. Back to the screen. Then back to the picture. Then up at their Kris Bryant shirtless poster. I think this scenario applies to White Sox fans, too.
Harry Giles could change the fortunes of a middling NBA team in a big way, and that's why he's 5th on this list.
4. The NBA is about to be inundated with high quality Point Guards.
The narrative has existed for years now, but it's worth talking about. The NBA is already full of strong ball-dominating Point Guards and a couple of de facto PG's like LeBron or Giannis. It's about to overflow.
Let me first define "high quality" for the sake of this article. This means I believe you are capable of an All Star or All-NBA quality season next year, and no one would be completely shocked to watch you do it. For example Mike Conley is high quality. George Hill? Maaaybe, but I'm going to say no. Darren Collison? No way.
Here's a list of the current NBA PG's I consider high quality:
Chris Paul
Steph Curry
James Harden
Russell Westbrook
Giannis Antetokounmpo
John Wall
Isaiah Thomas
Damian Lillard
Kyle Lowry
Mike Conley
Kyrie Irving
Kemba Walker
Eric Bledsoe
Goran Dragic
(About 90% of this order is intentional. That's not where I'd actually slot Kyrie in a true PG ranking, but I'll leave it to the imagination for now.)
That's 14 teams with high quality point guards. Nearly half the league is blessed with a real game changer. And if you believe the hype, we'll have at least two more added to this list from the 2017 class. D'Aaron Fox and Frank Ntilikina, right?
In three years it's entirely possible over half of all teams will have a high quality Point Guard making those All-NBA selections all the more difficult. We may have ten deserving guards left out while DeAndre Jordan keeps alley-ooping his way to supermax eligibility.
3. The Kings maybe actually might become relevant again through this draft.
The Sacramento Court Jesters have been a mess, to say the least. You know the story. I know the story. Does Vlade know the story? Vivek?
A few months ago the basketball internet exploded when the Kings sent DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield and a first round pick because the Kings owner, Vivek Ranadive, thinks Buddy is the second coming of Steph Curry. The jury is out on Buddy, but he's probably not Steph Curry 2.0.
And you know what else? That first round pick the Pelicans sent was Top 3 protected. Which means if Nola won the lottery they would've effectively traded Hield for Cousins straight up. Why would Sacramento agree to a Top 3 protection? Why???
But all of that will be water under the bridge if Sacramento uses its two top 10 picks wisely in this year's draft. With surely one of Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, De'Aaron Fox, or Dennis Smith Jr. available at the fifth pick, the Kings could easily land a less temperamental franchise player than Cousins was(Maybe he'll make amends with those traumatized Sacramento beat writers?). Then they have another opportunity with the 10th pick to land a stud as well. Jonathan Isaac anyone?
Oh, and you know who else was drafted 10th overall? Paul George.
2. Every single lottery pick could be a freshman.
I'm not kidding. Check out this hypothetical draft order:
- Markelle Fultz
- Lonzo Ball
- Josh Jackson
- Jayson Tatum
- De'Aaron Fox
- Jonathan Isaac
- Lauri Markkanen
- Dennis Smith Jr.
- Malik Monk
- Zach Collins
- Justin Patton
- Jarrett Allen
- T.J. Leaf
- Harry Giles
And there you have it, folks! A lottery entirely composed of freshman! Neat-o!
But really, this isn't all that far-fetched. It would be the first time in NBA history that the lottery was entirely composed of freshman as well.
Frank Ntilikina(International) will probably ruin it along with guys like John Collins, Luke Kennard, and Donovan Mitchell(all sophomores) all having a decent shot at top 14. But stranger things have happened on draft nights.
1. The Ball family arrives in the NBA
Look, LaVar Ball is an ass. An instigator. A showboat. A blabbermouth. He tries to sell B-side sneakers for $500. He subscribes to the "any press is good press" mantra. He's a wonderfully concocted blend of 3 a.m. Donald Trump and that one dad who threatened to put the opposing team's best player in a chokehold at the last high school sporting event you attended.
But no one can deny what he's done. LaVar has almost singlehandedly elevated his son, Lonzo's, marketing potential to a height normally reserved for only the generational talents. It hasn't been pretty at all. Most of the time it's been downright unbearable to listen to a LaVar Ball quote. Yet here I am, putting him and his family at number 1 on my list.
We ALL want to tune in and see what happens to Lonzo on June 22nd. Will he land on the Lakers? If not, will LaVar let him play for someone else? These are all the petty dramatic things we love about reality tv, and this is only the beginning. Lonzo Ball should be in the NBA a long time. His youngest brother LaMelo should make it, too(Sorry, LiAngelo. You're Cooper Manning.). What that means is at least a decade of the Ball family with plenty of time to build their brand.
And you bet if Big Baller Brand actually turns out to be successful that we will see more and more players move towards "decentralized sports marketing" and start their own shoe companies. This element by itself could completely change the monetary landscape of endorsements in pro sports.
And that concludes my 7 reasons why this will be the best NBA draft since 2003. If you made it this far, go crack open a cold one with the boys and know that I'd appreciate an upvote or comment.
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