[外電] Draft Lottery in a Week!
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/draft_lottery_in_a_week_070515.html
Indeed, the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery is just a week away. Two years ago,
Minnesota nabbed Rashad McCants. Last year? Randy Foye ended up in a Wolves
cap. Who's next?
Before we get there, we've corresponded with other lottery teams (such as
Memphis, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and New Orleans) to answer three questions
about the coming draft. Each team's web writer will address the following: 1)
Team needs; 2) If the ___ finish in the top three of the lottery; and 3)
Lottery luck.
Before we release what the other teams are saying, here's one take on your
Wolves...
1) Team needs: Minnesota's primary needs are two-fold: a low-post scorer who
can rebound, and a slasher who can shoot. Despite having the league's best
Windex Man in Kevin Garnett (12.8 per) and getting 5.1 boards in 18.7 minutes
from second-round pick Craig Smith, the Wolves finished 21st in rebounding.
Minnesota struggled to score in the paint and didn't run many sets out of the
low block. However, there is a plethora of inside help in this draft: names
like Greg Oden, Al Horford, Brandan Wright, Yi Jianlian, Joakim Noah and Roy
Hibbert all look solid on paper. In other news, Minnesota finished 13th in
the NBA in shooting from the field and 16th from three, but struggled to get
to the basket (29th in FT attempts). An improved Randy Foye (last year's
lottery pick) will help here, but an athletic slasher who can also knock down
the three consistently -- think Kevin Durant or Corey Brewer -- would fit
tight like Under Armor. Julian Wright is an enticing talent as well, but is
not yet an outside threat.
2) If the Wolves finish in the top three of the lottery: No thanks. Who wants
a top three pick in this talent-less draft? Oden and Durant in particular are
terrible and have no upside...on opposite day. Come on now. Obviously,
Minnesota would be excited to sneak into the top three in a draft some might
compare to the '92 edition featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning.
But the fact is, there are several excellent players in this draft, and
whoever is No. 3 on Minnesota's board could easily slip to seven, eight or
nine on someone else's. Is there a huge difference between a Horford, a
Brewer, a Jeff Green or either Wright? That said, there is an 18.3 percent
chance the Wolves get into the top three, and a 5.3 percent chance for the
top pick. With the buzz that would surely ensue from a top-two selection, the
Wolves would have to ask the Hornets to swap names.
3) Lottery luck: Or lack thereof, in the Wolves case. Saying Minnesota has
been lucky in the lottery is like suggesting that Halle Berry isn't
attractive. The Wolves have literally never moved up in the draft, and have
moved down more than once, most notably in 1992. That year marked the only
time the Wolves owned the league's worst record, and both Shaq and 'Zo stood
waiting at 1 and 2. Instead, Minnesota got Christian Laettner at No. 3. Ouch.
Other Wolves lottery picks still in the NBA include Donyell Marshall,
Garnett, Ray Allen (traded for Stephon Marbury on draft day), Wally
Szczerbiak, Rashad McCants and Brandon Roy (traded for Foye). It'll be the
third-straight lottery appearance for Minnesota, after a five-year hiatus
from 2000-04. This year, the Wolves are sending Foye to do their bidding.
Whaddya say, kid?
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 220.131.153.215
推
05/17 01:32, , 1F
05/17 01:32, 1F
討論串 (同標題文章)
完整討論串 (本文為第 1 之 2 篇)：