Month: August 2020

What should the Warriors do with the #2 pick?

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The Golden State Warriors phoned in the 2020 season.  The injuries and transitioning of multiple superstars made them a team that was ready for a rebuild.  Unlike other teams though they have a built in core of stars that will be returning from injuries.  Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green are still in the prime of their career and ready to make another run.  They have amassed a bunch of assets that can either help continue to build the future or make a deal that brings another superstar to play with the splash brothers in 2021.  

What should they do with the #2 pick?  Here are a few ideas. 

Go get Bradley Beal.  

The Washington Wizards have to move forward with a rebuild.  Their star Bradley Beal is locked up for a long time but his value at this point could not be any higher.  Washington will get John Wall back in 2021 and in the East they may be ready to make a run to the playoffs next year.  They can do that and continue to be a minimal franchise in the middle or bottom of the pack in the east or they could make a bold move and go out and start from  the beginning. Dealing away Bradley Beal for the #2 overall pick and Andrew Wiggins would not only be bold but it would allow them to move in a new direction with a core that could be very promising.  With the #2 pick the Wizards could add Deni Avdija or Lamelo Ball to a roster that includes the emerging Rui Hachimura.  They would also have the #9 pick they could grab Vanderbilt product Aaron Nesmith who would fit in perfectly with Hachimura.  

This is not a game changing draft but it does have a lot of depth and potential.  Andrew Wiggins could be a stop gap that could help net them another pick or litany of young players towards the trade deadline of 2021.  

For the Warriors, adding Bradley Beal, an underrated two-player that would create a new three headed monster from long range. 

Go get Kevin Love.

I will assume that Andre Drummond will accept the player option for next year.  The Cavaliers have great young guards Darius Garland and Collin Sexton but they need some true wings to make it work.  They will have little to no interest in Andrew Wiggins so that may be a problem but the #2 pick to go along with their #5 picks puts them in a position to stock up on some of the best talent in the draft.  

Love has an ability to change his game to what is needed around him.  In Minnesota Love was a dominant force in the paint.  He was a big time rebounder and was able to play with the back to the basket and work in the middle.  When he moved on to Cleveland he was able to develop his outside shot in order to play along with LeBron James. Love is a great fit along with the fast paced Warriors could be a the asset they need to complete the team and put them right back in the running as a championship contender. 

Draft James Wiseman.

James Wiseman was considered one of the top NBA prospects entering college.  Standing at 7ft tall and moving like a guard he can be a force in the middle of the lineup.  Wiseman will have the ability to not have to be the cornerstone of an organization, he can grow in a lineup featuring so many different experienced stars.  He can learn to play team defense along with Thompson and Draymond Green and he can be a force in the middle to clean up the glass for the shooters that Golden State features.  His mobility will allow him to fit the style that the Warriors want to play.  

He is not a traditional fit for Golden State but his talent and potential are unique and could be a future star for the Warriors. 

Two things I learned from the NBA Bubble

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Devin Booker is a future MVP

The Sun were a team I saw making a surprise run to the playoffs in my preseason write up.  I loved the addition of veterans with a young core that looked like they were going to take the next step. After a hot start to the season Phoenix struggled down the stretch and then the pandemic hit.  

Phoenix entered the bubble more as common courtesy rather than an actual contender for the final playoff spot. No one told Devin Booker that.  The former Kentucky Wildcat showed up to make a statement in front of the world and he did that. Averaging 27 ppg on 43% shooting, adding 6 apg and 5 rpg while leading the Suns to a 7-0 record.  Booker was already establishing himself as a great player during his time in Phoenix, but he was not yet known as a guy that can be a winner.  He has found his niche that has made him a leader of a team that most people had written off.  

The Suns are not going to make the playoffs despite his great run, but the expectations leading into next season will be extremely high for Booker.  The team will not be expected to win the west but if they don’t make the playoffs the world will look at him. He has welcomed the pressure of the franchise and is beginning to develop into the player that will be a serious problem for the league in the coming years.  Players like Karl Anthony Towns and John Wall are both guys that out of Kentucky were supposed to be game changers for the league but it is the lesser glorified Booker that has surpassed them not only in skill but in leadership.  He may not stay in Phoenix forever but he has already begun to make his mark on that city and that team.   This guy is forreal and will show it.

The Heat can take the East

The Bucks are the clear favorites in the East.  The loss of LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in back to back years has been like removing a roadblock for the Greek Freak and company to get to their destination. The Raptors and the Celtics are the two teams that seemed like they would be the best candidates to pull off the upset over the new beasts of the east but I think the Miami Heat have shown the ability to take down the Bucks and they will do it by attacking their biggest weaknesses.

The Miami Heat are the best three point shooting team in the NBA, sitting at 38% as a team makes them a very dangerous matchup for a Bucks team that has huge issues protecting the exterior. The Heat have not been dominant in the bubble,  they actually lost to the Bucks without Jimmy Butler.  That game took a 32 point second half comeback and serious foul trouble from Heat #2 player Bam Adebayo.  Milwaukee will not have all the factors working for them again in a seven game series.  

The Heat took two out of three from the Bucks during the regular season and are led by the least intimidated player in the entire NBA and coach that has been there before.  This roster is thick with gritty talent and shooters.  They are the perfect foil for Milwaukee, you get by Milwaukee you have a shot to go to the finals.

Worry or Not? Struggling MLB Teams

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Tampa Bay Rays 4-6 

Many people picked to win the American League pennant were the Tampa Bay Rays.  The stellar pitching staff along with a manager that knows how to manipulate the lineup to out think opposing clubs, they are a sabermetric dream of a squad.  All was looking good after taking three of four from the defending NL East Champs the Atlanta Braves. Then they took a trip to Baltimore.  The Orioles swept the hapless Rays holding their lineup to just eight runs over a three game stretch.  

Looking deeper into the numbers, if not for an explosion of offense (14 runs) in the fourth game of the season the Rays bats have been relatively silent.  As a team the Rays are hitting just .213 with an OPS under 700.  Individually other than Brandon Lowe (OPS 1.032) and Willy Adames (OPS .919) the rest of the lineup has underperformed.  

Charlie Morton and Blake Snell have been less than impressive in their combined starts.  Morton most notably losing a little zip on the fast ball.  The depth of the pitching staff has kept them relevant and will continue to keep them relevant.   Tyler Glasnow has stepped up and shown glimpses of number one starter potential. The bullpen still has ridiculous talent that can pick up the slack of a struggling top of the rotation. 

The Rays have to get more consistency up and down the lineup.  Jose Martinez has been given more at bats lately and has shown the ability that made him a target in the offseason for the Rays.  The key for the lineup though is finding more power.  Hunter Renfroe has blasted a few but they still need more feared power hitters in order to be a serious threat for the Yankees in the east and the rest of the American League. 

Verdict: Not worried

Texas Rangers 2-5

The Rangers intrigued me entering the 2020 season.  With wholesale changes made to the starting rotation they seemed to have fixed a problem in 2019.  With Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles and Corey Kluber at the top of the rotation along with a powerful offense the Rangers should be ready to take the next step from rebuilding club to potential playoff contender. That hasn’t been the case through the first seven games of the season.  

It has been the offense that has looked sluggish out of the gate.  In fact it doesn’t seem like they even left the gate.  Choo, Andrus, Frazier, Santana, Odor and Calhoun were all guys that were supposed to be carrying the load offensively and it has not happened. With Danny Santana now hitting the injured list this team is looking for a spark that just isn’t there.  

With the expansion of the playoffs I had the Rangers pencilled in as one of the last spots but in a very crowded AL West they have a hell of a mountain to climb. 

Verdict: Very worried

New York Mets 3-7

New York was looking to compete even without Noah Syndergaard in 2020.  A revamped bullpen and a lineup featuring 2019 rookie of the year Pete Alonso looked like the beginning of what could be a very successful season.  

The lineup has generated a lot of production.  Robinson Cano, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo and JD Davis have all produced above the anticipated level.  As a team they have a .342 OBP, the problem hasn’t been getting people on base; it’s been driving them in. They are hitting just .228 with runners on and an OPS of .666.  The Met’s have multiple proven run producers that have been unable to come up with the big hits. 

The Mets have gotten great contributions from their rotation,  Offseason signing Michael Wachs and rookie David Peterson have both shown glimpses of what they can do in the regular season.  

Edwin Diaz’s continued struggles are very worrisome but the depth of the Mets bullpen should be able to bounce back.  The question of whether you believe that the bats will come around or  not.  I believe that the power they have up and down the lineup will eventually come through. 

Verdict: Not worried

Arizona Diamondbacks 3-7

I was one of the people that thought Arizona was going to be taking major steps in the right direction in 2020.  The addition of former All-Stars Madison Bumgarner and Starling Marte to an already developing potential powerhouse seemed like a great fit.  Their start to the season has not shown the results.  

The bats have been silent. As a team they are hitting just .192 with a slugging percentage at just .265.  The struggles are throughout the lineup, other than Christian Walker, Starling Marte and Ketel Marte no player on the Diamondbacks has an OPS over .630.  

The complete lack of offense has not been helped out by the pitching staff.  The D-Backs have a team ERA 5.44, highlighted by the struggles of starters Luke Weaver and Robbie Ray.  Ray’s command most notably has led to crooked numbers on the scoreboard.  

The Diamondbacks have a lot of questions followed by very few answers. They will need Ketel Marte and Starling Marte to lead their offense until Eduardo Escobar, David Peralta and company can figure out a way to return to the form of 2019.  This team is in some serious trouble.