Why I liked the Wolves Draft

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I just think it's going to take a while with Edwards, even if he is destined for greatness. We should all expect him to be a net negative while on the floor this year.

Yeah and that would have likely been the case with any of those supposed top 3. Edwards played the most competitive basketball out of all of them last year! With all those games under his belt I guess Edwards is "born ready" like the guy you brought up in another thread as a comp for Edwards Lance Stephenson! :)

Heh, good 'ole Lance Stephenson. I'm not ruling out that comp for Edwards yet. Talented, strong, immature.

Edwards did get a lot of experience last season, but I'm not sure he improved any of his bad habits. That is going to take time and some hard coaching. Sometimes it never improves. He is super young though so there is more hope than if he were already 21 or 22.

[Monster]

I just think it's going to take a while with Edwards, even if he is destined for greatness. We should all expect him to be a net negative while on the floor this year.

Yeah and that would have likely been the case with any of those supposed top 3. Edwards played the most competitive basketball out of all of them last year! With all those games under his belt I guess Edwards is "born ready" like the guy you brought up in another thread as a comp for Edwards Lance Stephenson! :)

Heh, good 'ole Lance Stephenson. I'm not ruling out that comp for Edwards yet. Talented, strong, immature.

Edwards did get a lot of experience last season, but I'm not sure he improved any of his bad habits. That is going to take time and some hard coaching. Sometimes it never improves. He is super young though so there is more hope than if he were already 21 or 22.

I forgot to your comp before so I'll do so here. I was thinking about Lance also. I think there are a couple things that Edwards clearly has going for him that Lance didn't.

Lance was not a good 3 point shooter in college. I was thinking the way the league is now Lance may have been picked higher than he was but that 3 point percentage is a big negative for him. He was not a particularly good FT shooter either so Edwards has him there too. Edwards volume of 3's and how deep he was willing to take them I know is a concern but I think it's reasonable to say he is a better shooter.

Both guys have a strong build but Edwards is clearly a better athlete. He is more explosive much quicker and more fluid. I watched Stephenson a couple games that year in college and I was interested in taking a late 1st round or 2nd round flyer one him.

Lance has some baggage coming into college. He was accused of groping someone at school and his family shut down his "Born Ready" movie or whatever after that. Edwards might have some questions about various things but I don't think Stephenson had his coach say he was the best teammate he had ever had. I know Crean should be pumping his guy up but I don't think you would want to say something quite that bold if there wasn't some reasonable amount of truth to it or people would call you out on it.

Stephenson was supposed To be a PG type coming out of HS. He did have some of those skills in college and some of that ability did translate to the NBA and he had some ability to play make. He basically had the same assist rate as Edwards in college. The turnover rate was about the same which...is kinda bad for Lance because it seems likely Edwards had more opportunities for turnovers since he scored quite a few more points.

Lance did rebound the ball a little better so he has that going for him.

Even if I liked Lance when I watched him in college he looked like a bit of a knucklehead but guys with his size strength and general skills aren't easy to find. Edwards is a much richer version of that type of a player although other than the video I posted in the other thread of Schmitz going through film with Edwards I haven't looked too much into Edwards passing ability but he clearly looks to be vastly superior as a scorer to Lance.

So yeah Lance is interesting to compare Edwards to and honestly it makes me feel a little better about the pick looking more into it. Thanks. lol

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

It's hard to read this knowing it's not the Timberwolves' front office saying these things... Oof. https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-reveals-when-he-wanted-warriors-draft-james-wiseman

[AbeVigodaLive]

It's hard to read this knowing it's not the Timberwolves' front office saying these things... Oof. https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-reveals-when-he-wanted-warriors-draft-james-wiseman

To be fair, Kerr said it was in part after the Wiseman workout.

Well, since the Wolves never worked out Wiseman, how could we ever hold the team accountable if they whiffed on his talent?

;-)



[Note: For the record, I was not in the Wolves MUST draft Wiseman camp. I was a trade down guy all the way and can't gloat if Wiseman blows up. ]

[AbeVigodaLive]

Double Burn!

Joe Lacob: "I think he's (Wiseman) a once in a decade kind of guy. Other than Embiid, I don't know that there's another center prospect that's come along in the last decade that you would put in the same category."

[Lipoli390]

It's hard to read this knowing it's not the Timberwolves' front office saying these things... Oof. https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-reveals-when-he-wanted-warriors-draft-james-wiseman

Yes, it's a bit disheartening to read this. But Wiseman doesn't have Edwards' smile. :) You might remember that comment by Rosas and Saunders from their silly introductory press conference. I'd prefer a scowl or something that suggests a hyper competitive streak. Otherwise, I'd just like to hear comments about Edwards like the ones we're hearing about Wiseman from the Warriors organization.

To be fair, Rosas has raved about Edwards' tremendous physical gifts. But it's one thing to be a great athlete in a 6'5" body and another thing altogether to be an elite athlete in a 7'1" frame. Moreover, we never heard Wiseman tell us that he didn't like watching basketball and would rather be drafted by the NFL. Nevertheless, Edwards is also a physical freak. You rarely find a really fast, super athletic 6'5" SG in a muscular 230 pound frame. In fact, I'm not sure the League has ever had a SG with Edwards' combination of speed, athleticism and 230 pounds of power. Add to that a good handle and some terrific footwork setting himself up for perimeter shots and you can't deny that Edwards has tremendous upside. You could make an argument that Edwards has slightly more upside than Wiseman, although I see it slightly the other way.

My bottom-line for preferring Wiseman was my assessment of which player is more likely to reach his considerable upside. I just see Wiseman as having a significantly greater chance of reaching his full potential and a smaller probability of being a complete bust. I say that for two reasons. First, to be effective at his position, Edwards will have to be at least a good, if not great, perimeter shooter and his numbers in college suggest that's unlikely. In contrast, Wiseman, at his position, will need to be a really good rebounder and shot-blocker to be effective and his limited college resume suggests that he'll at least be both. Second, Edwards generated far more concern than Wiseman about his motor and drive to be great. That intangible factor, plus Wiseman's size are the reasons I would have selected Wiseman over Edwards.

But I've turned the page on the draft and I'm hoping for the best. And I'm hoping that the smile Rosas and Saunders referred to is more like the smile of Isiah Thomas back with the Bad Boy Pistons. It was the smile that said, "wow, I love playing this game and I really love the fact that I'm about to crush and humiliate you." :) That's the kind of smile I want from Anthony Edwards. I fear it will be more like the smile of Wes Johnson.

[Monster]

It's hard to read this knowing it's not the Timberwolves' front office saying these things... Oof. https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-reveals-when-he-wanted-warriors-draft-james-wiseman

Yes, it's a bit disheartening to read this. But Wiseman doesn't have Edwards' smile. :) You might remember that comment by Rosas and Saunders from their silly introductory press conference. I'd prefer a scowl or something that suggests a hyper competitive streak. Otherwise, I'd just like to hear comments about Edwards like the ones we're hearing about Wiseman from the Warriors organization.

To be fair, Rosas has raved about Edwards' tremendous physical gifts. But it's one thing to be a great athlete in a 6'5" body and another thing altogether to be an elite athlete in a 7'1" frame. Moreover, we never heard Wiseman tell us that he didn't like watching basketball and would rather be drafted by the NFL. Nevertheless, Edwards is also a physical freak. You rarely find a really fast, super athletic 6'5" SG in a muscular 230 pound frame. In fact, I'm not sure the League has ever had a SG with Edwards' combination of speed, athleticism and 230 pounds of power. Add to that a good handle and some terrific footwork setting himself up for perimeter shots and you can't deny that Edwards has tremendous upside. You could make an argument that Edwards has slightly more upside than Wiseman, although I see it slightly the other way.

My bottom-line for preferring Wiseman was my assessment of which player is more likely to reach his considerable upside. I just see Wiseman as having a significantly greater chance of reaching his full potential and a smaller probability of being a complete bust. I say that for two reasons. First, to be effective at his position, Edwards will have to be at least a good, if not great, perimeter shooter and his numbers in college suggest that's unlikely. In contrast, Wiseman, at his position, will need to be a really good rebounder and shot-blocker to be effective and his limited college resume suggests that he'll at least be both. Second, Edwards generated far more concern than Wiseman about his motor and drive to be great. That intangible factor, plus Wiseman's size are the reasons I would have selected Wiseman over Edwards.

But I've turned the page on the draft and I'm hoping for the best. And I'm hoping that the smile Rosas and Saunders referred to is more like the smile of Isiah Thomas back with the Bad Boy Pistons. It was the smile that said, "wow, I love playing this game and I really love the fact that I'm about to crush and humiliate you." :) That's the kind of smile I want from Anthony Edwards. I fear it will be more like the smile of Wes Johnson.

I'd take the smile of the Celtics Isaiah Thomas. Lol

[Lipoli390]

It's hard to read this knowing it's not the Timberwolves' front office saying these things... Oof. https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-reveals-when-he-wanted-warriors-draft-james-wiseman

Yes, it's a bit disheartening to read this. But Wiseman doesn't have Edwards' smile. :) You might remember that comment by Rosas and Saunders from their silly introductory press conference. I'd prefer a scowl or something that suggests a hyper competitive streak. Otherwise, I'd just like to hear comments about Edwards like the ones we're hearing about Wiseman from the Warriors organization.

To be fair, Rosas has raved about Edwards' tremendous physical gifts. But it's one thing to be a great athlete in a 6'5" body and another thing altogether to be an elite athlete in a 7'1" frame. Moreover, we never heard Wiseman tell us that he didn't like watching basketball and would rather be drafted by the NFL. Nevertheless, Edwards is also a physical freak. You rarely find a really fast, super athletic 6'5" SG in a muscular 230 pound frame. In fact, I'm not sure the League has ever had a SG with Edwards' combination of speed, athleticism and 230 pounds of power. Add to that a good handle and some terrific footwork setting himself up for perimeter shots and you can't deny that Edwards has tremendous upside. You could make an argument that Edwards has slightly more upside than Wiseman, although I see it slightly the other way.

My bottom-line for preferring Wiseman was my assessment of which player is more likely to reach his considerable upside. I just see Wiseman as having a significantly greater chance of reaching his full potential and a smaller probability of being a complete bust. I say that for two reasons. First, to be effective at his position, Edwards will have to be at least a good, if not great, perimeter shooter and his numbers in college suggest that's unlikely. In contrast, Wiseman, at his position, will need to be a really good rebounder and shot-blocker to be effective and his limited college resume suggests that he'll at least be both. Second, Edwards generated far more concern than Wiseman about his motor and drive to be great. That intangible factor, plus Wiseman's size are the reasons I would have selected Wiseman over Edwards.

But I've turned the page on the draft and I'm hoping for the best. And I'm hoping that the smile Rosas and Saunders referred to is more like the smile of Isiah Thomas back with the Bad Boy Pistons. It was the smile that said, "wow, I love playing this game and I really love the fact that I'm about to crush and humiliate you." :) That's the kind of smile I want from Anthony Edwards. I fear it will be more like the smile of Wes Johnson.

I'd take the smile of the Celtics Isaiah Thomas. Lol

Lol. Yeah, that would be OK. But as the top pick in the draft, I'm sticking with Detroit's I. Thomas. Just as long as it's not Wes Johnson's. :)

[Monster]

The past couple days I listened to a couple of the Dunc'd On podcasts Which I haven't listened to since maybe the beginning of 2020. It was somewhat amusing to compare their takes on the top prospects and compare them to this board.

They believe Ball is the clear #1 player and they think the Wolves screwed up taking Edwards a lesser talent possibly because the Wolves already had Russell. They also thought the Warriors screwed up taking Wiseman. One of their comps they came up with for Edwards was a Demar Derozen with a 3 point shot which they admit would be a pretty good player. I would be pretty cool with that but hopefully it doesn't take as long for Edwards as it did for Derozen to become pretty good. Nate's issue with a Edwards is his feel for the game he says that's a tough thing to overcome. Schmitz came back with Mitchell who didn't have that either although he was a worker a guy that had to scratch and claw his way to get to this point. Nate said he sees Ball having the biggest upside partly because his feel for the game. Cam is probably gonna go hard at this take and I'll be here for it. Lol

Anyway I'm not suggesting these takes on the podcasts are right or wrong or whatever but it was interesting to hear basically the opposite feeling of most of this board (I also got the idea that Wiseman wasn't a guy they had Maybe even top 3) from some guys I think are reasonably smart basketball minds that often have seen these prospects at a younger age often even in person.

[Lipoli390]

The past couple days I listened to a couple of the Dunc'd On podcasts Which I haven't listened to since maybe the beginning of 2020. It was somewhat amusing to compare their takes on the top prospects and compare them to this board.

They believe Ball is the clear #1 player and they think the Wolves screwed up taking Edwards a lesser talent possibly because the Wolves already had Russell. They also thought the Warriors screwed up taking Wiseman. One of their comps they came up with for Edwards was a Demar Derozen with a 3 point shot which they admit would be a pretty good player. I would be pretty cool with that but hopefully it doesn't take as long for Edwards as it did for Derozen to become pretty good. Nate's issue with a Edwards is his feel for the game he says that's a tough thing to overcome. Schmitz came back with Mitchell who didn't have that either although he was a worker a guy that had to scratch and claw his way to get to this point. Nate said he sees Ball having the biggest upside partly because his feel for the game. Cam is probably gonna go hard at this take and I'll be here for it. Lol

Anyway I'm not suggesting these takes on the podcasts are right or wrong or whatever but it was interesting to hear basically the opposite feeling of most of this board (I also got the idea that Wiseman wasn't a guy they had Maybe even top 3) from some guys I think are reasonably smart basketball minds that often have seen these prospects at a younger age often even in person.

Interesting. I'll have to find it and listen. I can see reason to prefer Ball over Edwards, but it's a huge stretch to suggest that Edwards is the lesser talent of the two. They are different types of talents, but neither one is clearly less talented than the other. Ball has superior ball skills and more length than Edwards and he also appears to be a "better feel" for the game. But Edwards is much stronger, faster and more athletic. Edward also has a much better looking shot that Ball. And I'm not sure how big the gap between the two is on game feel or basketball IQ. They both seem to have pretty poor instincts on the defensive side of the ball. Like Edwards, Ball is prone to poor decision-making on the offensive end, often launching long-rage contested shots when much better plays are available. And it's not like Edwards is an awkward mess on the court. He's actually a pretty good, underrated passer and he has a very good feel, along with good footwork, for getting space to take his perimeter shots.

The DeRozan comp for Edwards is a lazy one. Edwards is so much more talented than DeRozan. Edwards is much stronger and powerful than DeRosan. He's also faster and more athletic. In addition, Edwards has some advanced footwork and a step-back move that DeRozen still doesn't have.