Things move in cycles. Sports is no exception to that. The NBA has been subject to an ebb and flow like everything else. In the 70′s, cocaine and the first glimpse of massive contracts derailed a would-be generation of stars, and it took the rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to get the world back into the NBA.
Michael Jordan showed us a completely new definition of what a superstar could achieve, and in turn, he brought the NBA to new levels of marketing, appeal and popularity.
In the post-MJ era, a strike, several poor drafts, a fan-player brawl and many unlikeable superstars once again put the league in a funk, written off by a lot of America as a “thug’s game.”
Starting in 2003, the NBA began to make its way back to the top again. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose began impacting the league almost immediately. International stars like Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki started making their mark, and in turn completely changed the way the scouts and teams looked for talent.
With so many likeable young stars, and a crop of classy and talented veterans, the NBA seems to be entering a new golden age. But that doesn’t mean things can’t change in a heartbeat. As the NBA heads into the summer of 2010, a whole lot of things are afoot that could change the NBA as we know it.
Several important things happen this summer. The 2010 NBA Draft takes place June 24, and this draft that could change the composition of the NBA.
The prize? John Wall, a point guard out of Kentucky who is one of those LeBron-type players who we’ve followed since his high school days. He’s shown flashes of complete and utter brilliance on the court this year, making clutch shots, bringing his team national attention and at times completely taking over the game.
As the consensus number-one pick, the team that gets the number one pick could be in for some huge changes.
Right now, the NBA features a whole lot of great point guards. Young players like Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Ramon Sessions, Jameer Nelson, Jose Calderon and Derrick Rose are sharing the stage with vets like Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Mo Williams. A draft class featuring Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, Eric Maynor and Darren Collison has only added to the crop.
Teams like New Orleans, Denver, Oklahoma City and the Orlando Magic have two PGs on their team that could be starters. So what happens when you add a once-in-a-generation talent like John Wall into the mix, particularly when a lot of these teams with good PGs are lottery teams?
New Jersey, Houston, New Orleans, the Clippers, Sacramento, Golden State and Minnesota are all lottery teams that are more than set at the point guard position. Then there’s the Utah Jazz, who own the Knicks’ first round pick and feature a pretty good player by the name of Deron Williams.
What happens if any of these teams get the number-one pick?
If you’re the Nets, Clippers, Sacramento or Minnesota, you better believe that you’ll be dumping your point guard. Devin Harris, Baron Davis, Beno Udrih and Jonny Flynn, one of those could be playing elsewhere next year. And here’s the real rub: the team dumping them needs to get rid of them quick, and for Davis and Udrih especially, it’s going to be tough to move those contracts.
But those teams aren’t really teams that are going to do any damage in the next few years.
How about if Utah gets the number one pick? They’ve got Deron Williams, who is a great PG, but simply isn’t as good as John Wall. So the Jazz have to ship him off somewhere.
What if he goes to Cleveland (assuming LeBron is there), or to a team like Memphis, who is desperately in need of a good PG? Or how about Atlanta?
He could push any one of those teams from “fun to watch, first round exit” to “dangerous team on the rise, don’t want to see them in the playoffs.”
What about the Hornets? Chris Paul is the one selling tickets there, but he’s nothing but a pure point guard, same with John Wall. If the Hornets win the lottery, there are two choices: they keep Paul and trade the No. 1 pick, or they trade Paul and keep the no. 1 pick. The no. 1 pick would become a hot commodity, and the Hornets would be able to get a pretty good player for that. We’ve seen what Chris Paul could do with a team highlighted by David West and Peja Stojakavic, what happens if they pick up a real blue-chipper, say, someone from Memphis?
Knowing the way the Hornets operate, with the bottom line at the top of the priority list, it would be more than likely that Chris Paul is sent elsewhere, probably for contracts that would help the Hornets save money.
Almost every other team would be crazy not to make a push for Paul, and imagine Paul on another team. Maybe contenders like the Lakers, Magic, Mavericks and Cavaliers go for him.
Now let’s look at the lottery teams who could really benefit from someone like John Wall.
Sacramento would have a young, dynamic frontcourt of Tyreke Evans and John Wall? Both can score, both can defend, and Wall is a great passer as well.
Memphis with a point guard would be dangerous.
Should Miami get lucky again in the lottery, a possible frontcourt of Wade and Wall would make Miami an even more attractive destination for those big name free agents.
In a league populated with young point guards, adding what could be one of the best to play the game to the league could really prove to be explosive for the right team. And with so many of the perennial playoffs teams possibly in the lottery due to off-years (Miami, New Orleans) or injury (Houston, Portland) along with teams on the rise (Memphis, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Charlotte) the possibilities for the league to get shaken up by the addition of Wall could be felt league wide.
It’s just one more thing coming up this summer that could really shape the NBA for the next decade to come. Stay tuned for more.
You have no credibility what so ever, are you already saying Wall is better than Deron Williams???? You are a fool, and he’s not even CLOSE to CP3 hahahahahaha seriously this article is a joke just because of those two comments. John Wall barely can create if he isn’t driving left, give me a break.
I didn’t mean that he is better than Williams only that he has a much higher upside, and he’s much younger, plus Deron has already expressed frustration with the Jazz. It’s not totally out of left field that Deron could be dealt for another piece, which would make the Jazz (already a good team) a fantastic team.
I know he’s not close to CP3, but we’re talking the Hornets here. The same Hornets who are giving off rumblings that Darren Collison could take the reins while Paul is traded this summer, due to financial reason. Collison isn’t a third of the player that Paul is, but there are rumors that it could happen, and George Shinn is a notorious penny-pincher.
But you’re right, the article is a joke. Putting a once-in-a-generation point guard talent into a league that has a ton of great point guards won’t change a single thing.
[...] our last installment, I spoke about how John Wall, the freshman sensation from the University of Kentucky, could shake [...]