Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2020 10:04:51 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
*pokes up head, looks around, makes sure NBA team employee moratorium has ended*
Well, Kelcey, it looks as though we made it through last week’s unprecedented sprint, with NBA Draft and free agency basically all rolled into one. And now as we take a brief moment to breathe (and eat a ton of turkey), we can see the dust starting to settle around the Association.
So where to start? I guess let’s go all the way back and look at the Draft first. The top three picks ended up going about the way we thought, and while there were a few surprises in that next tier, there wasn’t anything earth-shaking. Kelcey, was there any one team or player that you thought ended up having a great draft night?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2020 7:22:39 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Lang!
I turned my notifications off all weekend because I just wasn’t mentally prepared to look at my phone every four seconds when Woj and Shams tweeted and let me tell you — SHEESH! Looking on Twitter Monday morning I had no idea who the heck was on what team and traded for who and what and why. It’s a lot to digest.
I did have my notifications on during Draft Night though, and it almost ruined the experience for me! I knew who was being drafted, thanks to Woj, three or four picks before what was on TV. It was exciting though, as always. I actually really liked all the draftees being home with their friends and family, I think we got some real/raw emotion that we may not have gotten otherwise. Yes, we’ve seen a couple players get choked up during their post-draft interviews but it was a whole different beast literally watching them and their families the second their dreams all come true. I thought it was really good — a behind-the-scenes look and feel for each draftee. And on top of that, they had to fill so much more air space (where the player would normally be walking up and across the stage) that we got some really cool feature pieces on each athlete and got to learn a lot about each guy.
But to answer your question: of all the draft interviews I did and research prior to our draft coverage, I was so surprised at the the number four pick. Chicago drafted Patrick Williams, from Florida State. So, I think Patrick had the best night. He played one year and won the Sixth Man of the Year award after not starting a single game and averaging about 9 points per game — he is the winner of this draft and I’m excited to see what he brings to the Chicago Bulls this season.
As the draft continued though, I was surprised that RJ Hampton wasn’t picked up sooner. Were there any big surprises for you?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 8:17:10 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: RE: IMHO
Yeah, I was surprised about Patrick Williams going so high as well. I think we are all probably biased because just a few years ago, another Florida State athletic big man went pretty high (Jonathan Isaac), and we’re still waiting on him to pan out. It’s sort of the same way everyone in Minnesota seems a little reluctant to draft a physically talented wing (Anthony Edwards) mostly because they had Andrew Wiggins there for so many years.
There were a few teams who drafted players that made me scratch my head. I know everyone raves about the Kings picking Tyrese Halliburton, and he was terrific at Iowa State, but I’m not really sure how he plays alongside DeAaron Fox. I also thought it was odd that the Suns drafted a power forward (Jalen Smith) at the 10 spot, when they probably could have nabbed the same player ten spots later, and picked up an asset while moving down.
Oh, and I really liked Precious Achiuwa going to the Miami Heat, to play alongside Bam Adebayo. Just seems like a great fit of player to system.
OK, so we’ve talked about the draft. Then, when the Draft ended, everyone took a breath and it seemed like free agency started pretty much straightaway, which meant player signings and a bunch of trades. What was the most surprising move you saw from over the weekend?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 2:43:12 PM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Hmm… surprising? Chris Paul to Phoenix shocked me. Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol to Lakers surprised me. Serge Ibaka to the Clippers surprised me. Rondo to the Hawks surprised me. And Tristan Thompson to the Celtics surprised me.
All around, this entire weekend was exhausting trying to keep up with which players are now on what team. I think I’m still going to be shocked when the season starts and the teams are all mixed up.
One move that didn’t surprise me though (I actually mentioned it in one of our past IMHO articles) was Gordon Hayward out of Boston. I had mentioned that if I was a betting woman, I would bet he wouldn’t be wearing green this season, and I was (kind of) right; because now he’ll be in teal, down in Charlotte.
I do think that Tristan—the rebounder that he is—is a better fit in Celtics to anchor Kemba, Jayson and Jaylen. And if Hayward is able to stay healthy and regain his confidence, I think he will be a good piece for Charlotte, who also drafted LaMelo Ball in this year’s draft. But Hayward is a veteran presence and probably the best free agent that was available on the market this year, and we know that Charlotte needed some upgrades after their 23-42 season.
Who do you think won the battle of the big men who all moved around this past weekend?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2020 9:00:43 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: RE: IMHO
Well, I think it tells you a lot about the NBA and the way basketball is played today that centers are basically an afterthought in free agency. Feels like it used to be the other way around—centers went places and you filled in the rosters around them. Now you get teams like the Hawks hitting wing guys like Bogdan Bogdanovic with $60 million contracts, while big men sit around waiting for some interest.
One thing that surprised me was when the Knicks signed Nerlens Noel to a one-year deal, and the reports all casually mentioned that he was only 26 years old! It feels like he’s been around for a decade or so.
But with all that said, my favorite big man signing has to be Marc Gasol to the Lakers. We’re biased, sure, but I love Marc getting to go somewhere where he has a legit shot at winning another ring, and with his basketball IQ, it will be fun watching Marc and LeBron move the ball on offense. If anyone could get Memphians to stop hating LeBron and the Lakers, it will be Marc Gasol.
Well, maybe.