Suppose Utah gets the #1 pick...

[Rastapopoulos]

Utah owns NY's pick. NY is going to be in the lottery. Suppose Utah wins the lottery. They'll take John Wall. They'll dump Boozer's salary (he's unrestricted) and (I betcha) trade Williams, because they're losing money and their fanatic owner Larry Miller died last year. Plus John Wall would be enough incentive to draw in the season ticket holders.

I would LOVE to get Deron Williams.

BUT: chances are they'd trade him to someone with oodles of cap space and some assets. The Clippers? NJ? New York, even (for another unprotected pick). Would they ever trade with us for a bunch of our young'uns? Probably not, given the whole Millsap thing (which has ended up benefiting OKC [Maynor] and Memphis [Brewer] rather than us), plus they'd prefer to dump salary.

 

[RoyToy]

/facepalm

They aren't trading Williams, come on. This isn't fantasy basketball.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

You take Wall and don't look back. You don't pass on a PG like Wall. IMO, he's the best PG prospect since Paul.

A Williams/Wall backcourt can work defensively.

They can also swap with whomever has the #2 pick and get something out of that team plus Evan Turner, a Brandon Roy clone.

 

[Sug]

I bet it is lottery protected.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I bet it is lottery protected.

Nope. It goes totally unprotected this year.

One of many genius moves by I. Thomas.

 

[J_Ray]

I bet it is lottery protected.

The pick has been owed so long, that it's no longer protected.

Utah would either take Wall or trade down for more assets (which is more likely). I could see Utah taking Evan Turner over Wall since they do have Deron Williams, and their wings are second tier...and all free agents.

 

[Natebishop3]

The pick has been owed so long, that it's no longer protected.

Utah would either take Wall or trade down for more assets (which is more likely). I could see Utah taking Evan Turner over Wall since they do have Deron Williams, and their wings are second tier...and all free agents.

If I were Utah I would trade down if I got the first pick. I just don't see the Jazz ever trading Williams. He is exactly the kind of point guard that Jerry Sloan loves.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

/facepalm

They aren't trading Williams, come on. This isn't fantasy basketball.

It is when you're smokin' the same stuff as Rasta!!

 

[Nikolokolus]

If they get the number one pick, I'd put Derrick Favors or DeMarcus cousins on that roster and the sting of losing Boozer this summer will seem a lot lighter ... I'm not saying they should reach and draft either of those guys number 1, but they should do everything they can to trade down a couple of spots and extort some team a little for the privilege of getting Wall.

 

[MickZagger]

If they get the number one pick, I'd put Derrick Favors or DeMarcus cousins on that roster and the sting of losing Boozer this summer will seem a lot lighter ... I'm not saying they should reach and draft either of those guys number 1, but they should do everything they can to trade down a couple of spots and extort some team a little for the privilege of getting Wall.

Evan Turner will go ahead of both Favors and Cousins.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I think you're forgetting the financial angle. Utah is a small market team that is WAY over budget. Deron Williams has already voiced his displeasure about penny pinching measures like dumping (the incredibly reasonably-priced) Ronnie Brewer for nothing just to save money. How's he going to feel when the Jazz let Boozer walk? Pissed, is how.

You're also underestimating how much ahead of the pack Wall is. This is close to a LeBron James (or Greg Oden!) situation. If you get the #1 pick you take him. But they probably wouldn't trade Deron right away.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

You're also underestimating how much ahead of the pack Wall is. This is close to a LeBron James (or Greg Oden!) situation.

Well, which is it? Is Wall Oden, with Evan Turner as his Kevin Durant? Or is he Lebron, with Turner as 'Melo and Demarcus Cousins a potential Darko?

 

[Minstrel]

Yeah, I just don't see any team who gets the #1 trading down. You don't pass on a possibly transformational talent because he doesn't play a position of need. You take the huge talent that you've lucked into and then work on making it fit or making trades. It's cliche, but the Jordan/Bowie example is pertinent...the Blazers passed on the guy who, even at the time, was seen as a possible game-changer for a big man with less upside, because they had Drexler. Even if you didn't know Jordan would go on to become arguably the greatest player ever, you still take the bigger talent and figure out how to play him with Drexler.

If Utah gets the #1 pick, they'd be making a huge mistake to trade down, in my opinion. Someone like Favors, Cousins or Turner could upgrade them, but probably won't make them a title contender (even with the extras they get from trading down). You almost always need two major stars/superstars to win a championship. Wall has the potential to be a championship-caliber star.

 

[LittleAlex]

I think you're forgetting the financial angle. Utah is a small market team that is WAY over budget. Deron Williams has already voiced his displeasure about penny pinching measures like dumping (the incredibly reasonably-priced) Ronnie Brewer for nothing just to save money. How's he going to feel when the Jazz let Boozer walk? Pissed, is how.

You're also underestimating how much ahead of the pack Wall is. This is close to a LeBron James (or Greg Oden!) situation. If you get the #1 pick you take him. But they probably wouldn't trade Deron right away.

A back court of Williams and Wall makes the playoffs every single year regardless of who else is on the team. I can't see Utah giving up Williams unless Deron forces the issue.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Yeah, I just don't see any team who gets the #1 trading down. You don't pass on a possibly transformational talent because he doesn't play a position of need. You take the huge talent that you've lucked into and then work on making it fit or making trades. It's cliche, but the Jordan/Bowie example is pertinent...the Blazers passed on the guy who, even at the time, was seen as a possible game-changer for a big man with less upside, because they had Drexler. Even if you didn't know Jordan would go on to become arguably the greatest player ever, you still take the bigger talent and figure out how to play him with Drexler.

If Utah gets the #1 pick, they'd be making a huge mistake to trade down, in my opinion. Someone like Favors, Cousins or Turner could upgrade them, but probably won't make them a title contender (even with the extras they get from trading down). You almost always need two major stars/superstars to win a championship. Wall has the potential to be a championship-caliber star.

In that case maybe they move D-Will for a dominant big man? but I don't think Williams and Wall as a tandem puts Utah over the top, without a dominant post player (given Boozer's impending departure).

 

[Mediocre Man]

What if Portland gets the number 1 pick?


Does Wall fit in with our culture?

Is he a "Nate guy" ?

He likes to handle the ball, so could Brandon play with him?

Is Nate strong enough to "break" him like he has tried to do with Sergio, Ridnour and Bayless?

Is Wall smart enough to learn to pass the ball to the corner with less than 3 seconds on the shot clock?

 

[Minstrel]

In that case maybe they move D-Will for a dominant big man? but I don't think Williams and Wall as a tandem puts Utah over the top, without a dominant post player (given Boozer's impending departure).

Yeah, they might do that. If Portland had Jordan and Drexler, it seems likely that they'd have eventually moved Drexler for a top-notch big man.

Of course, Jordan ended up winning six titles with another perimeter player as his wingman, so ya never know. Wall isn't going to be Jordan and D-Will isn't Pippen, but it's possible, I guess, to build around two high-caliber perimeter players. Just tougher.

 

[Minstrel]

What if Portland gets the number 1 pick?


Does Wall fit in with our culture?

Is he a "Nate guy" ?

He likes to handle the ball, so could Brandon play with him?

Is Nate strong enough to "break" him like he has tried to do with Sergio, Ridnour and Bayless?

Is Wall smart enough to learn to pass the ball to the corner with less than 3 seconds on the shot clock?

Do you really have to use every thread as a forum to bash McMillan? I think you've made your feelings clear to everyone and you should feel free to continue doing so in threads about McMillan.

This was a pretty lame attempt to steer conversation to McMillan and how much you dislike him, in my opinion.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

A back court of Williams and Wall makes the playoffs every single year regardless of who else is on the team. I can't see Utah giving up Williams unless Deron forces the issue.

Players who self-identify as point guards never willingly share a backcourt with other point guards. Remember Westbrook's "you trippin'" comment? See also Monta Ellis's displeasure at the idea of "another" PG and Rubio's contention that he might've come over if it wasn't for the drafting of another PG directly after him. Williams is a great point guard. He'd be at best a decent shooting guard.

Unless Wall is the shooting guard...

 

[Minstrel]

Williams is a great point guard. He'd be at best a decent shooting guard.

Unless Wall is the shooting guard...

I think a good coach should be able to devise a system to take advantage of having two players with point guard skills. For example, Phil Jackson did it with Pippen and Jordan, even though neither explicitly identified as a point guard. I think it would be a mistake to have Wall and Williams and turn one of them into a traditional shooting guard.

You seem to believe quite strongly in traditional and pure "roles"...a classic point guard, a classic shooting guard, etc. I'm not making a positive or negative judgment on that, it's just what I've gathered from your posts. My feeling is that while those roles and labels are useful as a default for envisioning a team, there should be leeway to mesh your best players, even if they overlap in traditional roles or even if no one player fits a specific, platonic role. Of course, that takes a coach with a high game-planning skill level, but Sloan seems to be a very good coach.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I think a good coach should be able to devise a system to take advantage of having two players with point guard skills. For example, Phil Jackson did it with Pippen and Jordan, even though neither explicitly identified as a point guard. I think it would be a mistake to have Wall and Williams and turn one of them into a traditional shooting guard.

You seem to believe quite strongly in traditional and pure "roles"...a classic point guard, a classic shooting guard, etc. I'm not making a positive or negative judgment on that, it's just what I've gathered from your posts. My feeling is that while those roles and labels are useful as a default for envisioning a team, there should be leeway to mesh your best players, even if they overlap in traditional roles or even if no one player fits a specific, platonic role. Of course, that takes a coach with a high game-planning skill level, but Sloan seems to be a very good coach.

So its' ok for you, but not for me?

 

[Minstrel]

So its' ok for you, but not for me?

I have no idea what you're talking about. I wasn't talking about McMillan...I was talking about the feasibility of using Wall and Williams together, which is related to the subject of this thread.

 

[hasoos]

I think a good coach should be able to devise a system to take advantage of having two players with point guard skills. For example, Phil Jackson did it with Pippen and Jordan, even though neither explicitly identified as a point guard. I think it would be a mistake to have Wall and Williams and turn one of them into a traditional shooting guard.

You seem to believe quite strongly in traditional and pure "roles"...a classic point guard, a classic shooting guard, etc. I'm not making a positive or negative judgment on that, it's just what I've gathered from your posts. My feeling is that while those roles and labels are useful as a default for envisioning a team, there should be leeway to mesh your best players, even if they overlap in traditional roles or even if no one player fits a specific, platonic role. Of course, that takes a coach with a high game-planning skill level, but Sloan seems to be a very good coach.

Exactly. Good coaches put their players in the best chance to succeed. A prime example of that is Steve Smith, who was a big guard with PG type of skills. They forced him to play PG for years in Miami. He never became the player he is known to be until he went to Atlanta and they switched him back to SG, his natural position.

Not that any players are being forced to be what they arent', here in Portland......