Monday, June 27, 2005
WHERE WILL MARVIN GO?
I've watched the NBA Draft every year with great interest. Well, great interest in the suits that the players wear. And Hubie Brown. No word on whether Hubie will join the ESPN coverage this year. He did work with ABC this past season, so there's hope. Upside, baby, upside!
The big story for me this year is where will Bremerton's Marvin Williams go? He played just one year at North Carolina, where he was a key player on the Tar Heels' national championship team. Although he didn't start a single game, he still averaged over 11 points a game for the Tar Heels in 2004-2005.
So, where will Marvin go?
As far as the #1 pick goes, it's a toss-up. Do the Milwaukee Bucks go big and take Andrew Bogut, the big man out of Utah? Or will they decide to take the best player available in Williams? Sure, Bogut has had international experience. But for my money, Marvin Williams is the best player in this draft. I'm not just saying that because he's from Bremerton either.
I think the Bucks will take Bogut first overall. They need a center and Bogut is the perfect fit for them. A city like Milwaukee and its fans will take a liking to Bogut very quickly if he were to become a Buck.
The Atlanta Hawks have the second pick. This would be the logical place for Williams to end up. Or is it?
The Hawks already have Josh Childress, Josh Smith, and Al Harrington. It wouldn't make sense for the Hawks to take Williams, even if he is the best player in the draft. What the Hawks need is a point guard. There isn't a better point guard in the draft than Wake Forest's Chris Paul. So I have Paul going to the Hawks.
And there's the Portland Trail Blazers. Nothing went right for the Blazers in 2004-2005. Maurice Cheeks was fired, Zach Randolph was hurt, and the team was terrible.
The Blazers have the third pick and have been rumored to trade the pick. If Paul is still available at #3, I think the pick will be traded. But since I already have Paul being selected by the Hawks, there's no need to deal this pick, especially since you-know-who is still on the board.
That you-know-who is Marvin Williams. If he's on the board at #3, the Blazers better take him. I won't quite compare this to the 1984 draft where the Blazers took Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan. But if I believe Williams is the best player in the draft and he hasn't been taken by the time it's Portland's turn, he has to be a Blazer, right? I would think so, anyway.
I'd rather take my chances with Williams than Gerald Green, who's been listed in most mock drafts as the Blazers' #3 pick. I don't think the Blazers really care about the "local guys make good" deal. But Bremerton isn't too far away from Portland. Just sayin'.
There you go. My first three picks are Bogut to the Bucks, Paul to the Hawks, and Williams to the Blazers. If the draft turns out this way tomorrow night, I'll be happy. Each of those three players makes sense for their respective teams.
We'll see what happens tomorrow night (4:30 Pacific, ESPN).
The big story for me this year is where will Bremerton's Marvin Williams go? He played just one year at North Carolina, where he was a key player on the Tar Heels' national championship team. Although he didn't start a single game, he still averaged over 11 points a game for the Tar Heels in 2004-2005.
So, where will Marvin go?
As far as the #1 pick goes, it's a toss-up. Do the Milwaukee Bucks go big and take Andrew Bogut, the big man out of Utah? Or will they decide to take the best player available in Williams? Sure, Bogut has had international experience. But for my money, Marvin Williams is the best player in this draft. I'm not just saying that because he's from Bremerton either.
I think the Bucks will take Bogut first overall. They need a center and Bogut is the perfect fit for them. A city like Milwaukee and its fans will take a liking to Bogut very quickly if he were to become a Buck.
The Atlanta Hawks have the second pick. This would be the logical place for Williams to end up. Or is it?
The Hawks already have Josh Childress, Josh Smith, and Al Harrington. It wouldn't make sense for the Hawks to take Williams, even if he is the best player in the draft. What the Hawks need is a point guard. There isn't a better point guard in the draft than Wake Forest's Chris Paul. So I have Paul going to the Hawks.
And there's the Portland Trail Blazers. Nothing went right for the Blazers in 2004-2005. Maurice Cheeks was fired, Zach Randolph was hurt, and the team was terrible.
The Blazers have the third pick and have been rumored to trade the pick. If Paul is still available at #3, I think the pick will be traded. But since I already have Paul being selected by the Hawks, there's no need to deal this pick, especially since you-know-who is still on the board.
That you-know-who is Marvin Williams. If he's on the board at #3, the Blazers better take him. I won't quite compare this to the 1984 draft where the Blazers took Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan. But if I believe Williams is the best player in the draft and he hasn't been taken by the time it's Portland's turn, he has to be a Blazer, right? I would think so, anyway.
I'd rather take my chances with Williams than Gerald Green, who's been listed in most mock drafts as the Blazers' #3 pick. I don't think the Blazers really care about the "local guys make good" deal. But Bremerton isn't too far away from Portland. Just sayin'.
There you go. My first three picks are Bogut to the Bucks, Paul to the Hawks, and Williams to the Blazers. If the draft turns out this way tomorrow night, I'll be happy. Each of those three players makes sense for their respective teams.
We'll see what happens tomorrow night (4:30 Pacific, ESPN).
/ Click for main page
