Our Picks Now

[shrink]

Don't worry, I'm not starting that daily pickwatch thread this early, but I was curious, so I thought others might be as well.

If the season ended today, 12/12/09:

MIN PICK - Top 10 Protected. Minnesota #2 at 3-20. The #20 team right now is 9-12.

CHA PICK - Top 12 Protected. CHA #15 at 9-12, 8th seed in the East. 1 game from missing playoffs

UTA PICK - Top 15 protected. UTA #21 at 13-9, 6th seed in the West. 1 game from missing playoffs.

[moss_is_1]

nice...wish it would end today, but we'd pry end up with the 5th pick in the lotto missing the big 4 of Wall, Turner, Favors, Aldrich and be stuck with Willie **** Warren or something.

[Esohny]

If we had #5 and that 1-4 happened, you just take Wes Johnson. I'd be cool with that.

[allweneedisLOVE]

would you consider buying a gun at that point? i know i would

[moss_is_1]

^I'd pry say ****, then take Xavier Henry and then when he averages 25-6-3 as a rookie we laugh as John Wall can't beat out Keyon Dooling for the nets backup pg.

[the_bruce]

I have a feeling the wolves will end up with the #1 pick. This would be soul crushing. We'd be forced to take wall and trade Flynn at a mega discount. I love that kid but wall is to good to pass up.

[Foye]

I have a feeling the wolves will end up with the #1 pick. This would be soul crushing. We'd be forced to take wall and trade Flynn at a mega discount. I love that kid but wall is to good to pass up.

I don't think so. Stern doesn't want a superstar in MN.

[slinky]

I have a feeling the wolves will end up with the #1 pick. This would be soul crushing. We'd be forced to take wall and trade Flynn at a mega discount. I love that kid but wall is to good to pass up.

Actually, I think we could keep Flynn. We could then trade sessions instead. I think Flynn has both the temperament and skills to be a very effective 6th man. He could come in and provide some instant offense. Think Bobby Jackson 2.0 And lets be honest John Wall is good, but he will have his lumps next year. So if we do have to trade Flynn I am not sure its a given that it has to be after the draft. Give them both a year together. Now if Rubio wants to come over in 2 years than you have a dilemma.

[karch34]

I still think Warren will be a heck of a player, but I go with Henry at #5 if it fell that way and do cartwheels.

[moss_is_1]

^Warren doesn't do a damn thing for me. Foye with more quickness it seems to me. Too small for a 2 and not good enough to be a 1.

[Krapinsky]

^Warren doesn't do a damn thing for me. Foye with more quickness it seems to me. Too small for a 2 and not good enough to be a 1.

He's a better shooter than Foye. To me, he's a Ben Gordon that gets to the stripe.

Defensively he's going to be a liability though and we really can't afford to take him if we're keeping Flynn long term.

[wildvikeswolves]

not sure why but im pretty confident that we will end up wiht pick 1 (wall) or 2 (favors)

[dunkonu21]

^I'd pry say ****, then take Xavier Henry and then when he averages 25-6-3 as a rookie we laugh as John Wall can't beat out Keyon Dooling for the nets backup pg.

We're friends due to this post.

[Krapinsky]

not sure why but im pretty confident that we will end up wiht pick 1 (wall) or 2 (favors)

Thanks for the helpful insight!

[big3_8_19_21]

^Warren doesn't do a damn thing for me. Foye with more quickness it seems to me. Too small for a 2 and not good enough to be a 1.

He's a better shooter than Foye. To me, he's a Ben Gordon that gets to the stripe.

Defensively he's going to be a liability though and we really can't afford to take him if we're keeping Flynn long term.

What? How is he like Ben Gordon (at least as a shooter)?

I understand DX has his best case/worst case as Ben Gordon/Rashad McCants, but he shot a decent but not spectacular 37% from the college 3 pt line last year, and is currently shooting under 27% from 3.

[Krapinsky]

^Warren doesn't do a damn thing for me. Foye with more quickness it seems to me. Too small for a 2 and not good enough to be a 1.

He's a better shooter than Foye. To me, he's a Ben Gordon that gets to the stripe.

Defensively he's going to be a liability though and we really can't afford to take him if we're keeping Flynn long term.

What? How is he like Ben Gordon (at least as a shooter)?

I understand DX has his best case/worst case as Ben Gordon/Rashad McCants, but he shot a decent but not spectacular 37% from the college 3 pt line last year, and is currently shooting under 27% from 3.

He's obviously struggling a lot from range this year and is forcing a lot of shots and taking many late in the shot clock. He's still a great shooter though.

Look at Eric Gordon. He was also known as a great shooter but only shot 33% from 3 in his only year of college ball. I'd expect his percentage to be around there by the end of the year -- 33% or so.

Warren has two games where he is a combined 0 for 14 from 3. Considering he's only played 9 games thus far, my guess is these games will be seen as outliers by the end of the year. Everyone is entitled to some bad shooting games, and he just happened to have two at the beginning of the year.

Ben Gordon, look at his 3 point stats from his last 9 games he's played in. 9-33 or only 27% ! Same as Warren in his last 9 games... hmmm........

Point is, watch the kid play. He's a good shooter and sometime you can't tell that by looking at 9 games of box scores.

[shrink]

CHA PICK - Top 12 Protected. CHA #15 at 9-12, 8th seed in the East. 1 game from missing playoff.

This is interesting to have the pick top 12 protected. Right now, the Bobcats are tied for 8th/9th in the East.

8th means the #15 pick -- we get it

9th means the #10 pick -- we wait.

I suspect that the #9 team in the East is likely to be around #10 pick at the end of the season too, as the mediocre teams in the West are better than the mediocre teams in the East. Right now, 13-of-15 teams in the west have a record equal or better than CHA's 9-13.

[shrink]

Before the games of 12/14/2009

1. New Jersey 2 22
2. Minnesota 3 21
3. Philadelphia 5 18
4. Golden State 7 16
5. Washington 7 14
6. New York 8 15
7. Chicago 8 14
8. Indiana 8 13
9-10. Charlotte 9 13
9-10. LA Clippers 9 13
11. Memphis 10 13
12-13. New Orleans 10 12
12-3. Sacramento 10 12
14. Oklahoma City 12 10

15. Toronto 11-15 last seed in east

18. Portland 14-11 last seed in west

[shrink]

If the season ended today, 12/22/09:

MIN PICK - Top 10 Protected. Minnesota #2 at 5-23.

CHA PICK - Top 12 Protected. CHA #8 at 10-16, 10th seed in the East. 0.5 games from making playoffs

UTA PICK - Top 15 protected. UTA #19 at 16-12, 8th seed in the West. 2 games from missing playoffs.

Lottery
1. NJN 2-26
2. MIN 5-23
3. PHI 7-20
4. GSW 7-19
5. WAS 8-17
6. IND 9-17
7. NYK 10-17
8. CHA 10-16
9. CHI 10-16
10 MEM 12-15
11 LAC 12-15
12 NOH 12-14
13 SAC 13-14
14 OKC 13-13

[the_bruce]

New York pick is gonna be later than Utah pick when all is said and done. Book it. Dántoni's ability to win with that group of players astounds me.