11-19-2020, 07:23 AM
Obviously it doesn't work this way, but getting 19 year old 7-1, freakishly athletic Wiseman and losing soon to be 31 year old 6-6 Klay Thompson, is a trade you make everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.
The Warriors now have a player on which to build the franchise around after Curry and Thompson. It's a little like having Steve Young to take over after Joe Montana, or Aaron Rodgers to replace Brett Favre.
I found it comical that so many were suggesting the W's should trade the pick because Wiseman "only played 3 college games." Anyone with eyes who bothered to see his private workouts, limited appearances in college and all-star games, saw him interviewed, and learned about him, could see he has potentially never seen in the NBA before skills for a 7-1 player. I saw one video of him and couldn't believe he was 7-1, not because he didn't look tall, but because he handled the ball and moved like a Guard. All Wiseman talks about is wanting to learn and get better. He had a 4.0 high school GPA and probably would have been admitted to Stanford. The clincher for me was that he added 20-30 pounds of muscle in his off season. This showed he can become a 250-280 lb. physical force in addition to an athletic one, and that he is a determined hard worker. It's reasonable to project Wiseman developing an outside shot and binge a more athletic and healthier Joel Embiid.
Still, it's understandable why Minnesota took Anthony Edwards. Wiseman was seen as too duplicative to KAT, and LaMelo Ball would have cramped DeAngelo Russell at PG. But I am convinced that if Wiseman played a full college season some team would have blown the T-Wolves away with a can't turn down offer to trade the #1 pick or they might have been convinced to take him themselves. This is why when I started looking at Wiseman a couple months ago, I thought the W's should think about trading up a spot to make certain they got him. You can't not land this kind of prospect when he's there for you to realistically draft. Giving back the #1 they got from Minny in the Russell-Wiggins trade would have been worth it. But now the Warriors have Wiseman and didn't have to give up any asset to get him. Pretty spectacular booby prize after a 15-50 injury-marred season following 5 consecutive Finals appearances.
The Warriors now have a player on which to build the franchise around after Curry and Thompson. It's a little like having Steve Young to take over after Joe Montana, or Aaron Rodgers to replace Brett Favre.
I found it comical that so many were suggesting the W's should trade the pick because Wiseman "only played 3 college games." Anyone with eyes who bothered to see his private workouts, limited appearances in college and all-star games, saw him interviewed, and learned about him, could see he has potentially never seen in the NBA before skills for a 7-1 player. I saw one video of him and couldn't believe he was 7-1, not because he didn't look tall, but because he handled the ball and moved like a Guard. All Wiseman talks about is wanting to learn and get better. He had a 4.0 high school GPA and probably would have been admitted to Stanford. The clincher for me was that he added 20-30 pounds of muscle in his off season. This showed he can become a 250-280 lb. physical force in addition to an athletic one, and that he is a determined hard worker. It's reasonable to project Wiseman developing an outside shot and binge a more athletic and healthier Joel Embiid.
Still, it's understandable why Minnesota took Anthony Edwards. Wiseman was seen as too duplicative to KAT, and LaMelo Ball would have cramped DeAngelo Russell at PG. But I am convinced that if Wiseman played a full college season some team would have blown the T-Wolves away with a can't turn down offer to trade the #1 pick or they might have been convinced to take him themselves. This is why when I started looking at Wiseman a couple months ago, I thought the W's should think about trading up a spot to make certain they got him. You can't not land this kind of prospect when he's there for you to realistically draft. Giving back the #1 they got from Minny in the Russell-Wiggins trade would have been worth it. But now the Warriors have Wiseman and didn't have to give up any asset to get him. Pretty spectacular booby prize after a 15-50 injury-marred season following 5 consecutive Finals appearances.