Morning review, June 27, 2014: NBA Draft losers and winners (mostly winners!)

Well, draft day came and went.  Here are some winners losers.  Mostly winners, because this draft was chock full of talent: all the teams had to do was stick their hands in and they’d come out with something.

First, then, the very few LOSERS:

The Cavaliers and the City of Cleveland, Ohio: Oh yes, that's right, I’m going to put the Cavs in the loss column. Wiggins was good for them, but are they, in the end, coming out THAT much of a better team?  They still have to do something with that roster, with that lockerroom, with that offense, with that defense.  They did the right thing and looked competent for once—but is that really a win for them?  It still isn’t clear to me whether trading the pick might not have been better.  That would have gone some ways to deepen an aging roster, and it would have actually involved real competence.  In many ways, they played it safe.  That should still leave the poor people of Cleveland wondering at the organization and whether a franchise headed toward mediocrity in the worst Eastern Conference in the history of the NBA (though better after this draft) can truly be considered a success.  After this, I'm not much more sure.  Come back to me when you are winning, Cavs.  Put up or shut up.

The Raptors: The Bruno pick seems like a solid pick if you trust Masai—which Raps fans have every reason to do—despite the lack of knowledge about him.   They wanted him at 37 though and to pick Ennis at 20, and then to trade Ennis and Salmons to get Prince from the Griz.  Meanwhile, the Suns picked up Ennis, mucking all this up.  So the Raps had to pick Bruno at 20 and got their little plan messed with.  Not a huge setback, just definitely a loss strategywise compared to what other teams pulled off.  Bruno though looks interesting—so still a bit of a win.

Zach LaVine: Made a wonderful gesture in absolute wonderment at the fact that he was just picked to be in the NBA, putting his head on the table and going “Fuck me!”  Looked to everyone watching and who knows what’s in store for him in Minnesota like he was regretting ever being born.

Now the WINNERS:

Andrew Wiggins: Pure joy on that face.

The Sixers: Cleveland won the first pick, but the Sixers won this draft.  They didn't just win, actually: they slayed it.  Getting Embiid was a steal for them.  Getting Saric is brilliant.  They will tank another year, but there's no way--unless one of these guys doesn't pan out, which I think is unlikely--that they will not be a real, real force in the league for several years to come.  And it would look like cheating or screwing the fans, except that every step they take to build what will eventually be a seriously NBA-thumping roster--a roster that will be making a serious championship run--is executed brilliantly, and simply feels right and genuine.  By genuine, I mean that they make decisions with the exact right amount of risk.  So while they tank, at the same time, they do not play it safe.  There is no way they shouldn't have taken a chance on Embiid, but other teams (like the Cavs) indeed would not have taken that chance.  Not so the Sixers.  And in a couple years they will have an absolutely vicious frontcourt to reward their fans with.

The Magic:  Quietly adding to the the intriguingness-factor of their roster.  Getting Aaron Gordon was an excellent move.  Getting Elfrid Payton and a pick for Saric is also great.  It now remains to be seen how all these pieces will be put together, but it seems as if with this draft the full damage of the Dwightmare is now repaired, and that's a huge, huge win for them.  And, the ultimate poetic justice of it all is that they probably have one of the most athletic rosters in the league.  Last time I checked, five athletic guys are definitely worth more than one hyper-athletic guy.

The Heat: Somehow they ended up with Napier, which is a steal.  Goodbye Cole or/and Chalmers.  It was in exactly the right way to come up with Napier too, given everything that is going on right nowon their roster: they somehow flexed muscle, or did some wizardry, to make that move, and that works as a broadside sent LeBron’s way to notify him that they are an amazingly efficient and effective organization, committing to absolutely slaughtering the rest of the league.

Adam Silver: Class all around.  Professionalism.  The players really, really have to remember that this guy is out to screw them when it comes time to negotiate the next CBA.  But that’s also a benefit: you know where you stand with this guy.  Having the league itself draft Isaiah Austin was wonderful and deserved.

The Knicks: Getting Cleanthony Early is a steal, and Antetokumpo is just charming.  Combined with getting rid of Felton and Chandler, this does a good deal to move them forward towards cleaning house.  Both will bring some new blood into the organization.  Combined with or rotated in for Hardaway or Shumpert, Early could be great.  And having a mobile big as a backup instead of the plodding Amar’e and Chandler, will just be a breath of fresh air for Madison Square Garden spectators.  Not that there’s any fresh air in NYC.  But you get what I mean.

Jabari Parker and Julius Randle: The first got to go where he wanted to go, the second gets to stay in California.  Three cheers for people ending up in a nice place that they wanted to be at.

Milwaukee Bucks: Three cheers also for the Bucks, who with Parker will be actually fun to watch again and may make some news in the near future.

The Celtics: I really would have liked it if they had ended up with Gordon, because I feel like they need someone that’s a mobile bruiser, but getting Smart will also help.  It also means Rondo might be on the way out, which is sad but again good for them: blow the whole thing up, start afresh, try your damndest to still get Kevin Love.

Detroit: Dinwiddie looks like a great pick.  Plus he is named Dinwiddie.  This officially makes Detroit the funnest-sounding roster in the league.

Draft caps: Best draft caps that I can remember.  Definitely better than previous years’ caps.  Ick.

Jalen Rose: Looks more and more like a resourceful, knowledgeable analyst every day.  He is that already, yes, but now he comes off looking that way too.  He had opinions on picks all the way down, based on looking at the footage, which is when he is at his best.  He translates team-analysis into player-analysis, and that’s crucial and not talked about with all the numbers and figures thrown everywhere.  And he can talk about character in a way that doesn’t sound blow-hard-y but concrete.

Bill Simmons: “WOAH!!!” isn’t going to be topped, ever, and one could only feel for Simmons, coming into this draft with the big question mark about what he’d do this time.  He didn’t give into the pressure, and the follow-up came out in the best way, not unlike his reaction to the Cavs getting the number one pick: the camera picking up something that it shouldn’t have seen, a nice, solid, satisfied fist pump,followed by a gesture of modesty.  It was all class.