What a difference one spot in the draft makes

[floppymoose]

If i remember correctly, NYK wanted Curry at 8 but had to settle for Jordan Hill.

Later on, one spot in the draft was the difference between Edwards and Wiseman. Edwards just took down Denver at Denver.

[CDM_Stats]

Yup and I dont think it can be overstated how good that guy is right now. He was 100% the driving force as to why I believed MIN would beat Denver. He's a legit #1, the best SG in the game, and the Wolves have a lot of defensive players behind him/Towns/Naz

Wolves also profile to be very good against Boston, FWIW, if that's relevant later

[Old_Blue]

If i remember correctly, NYK wanted Curry at 8 but had to settle for Jordan Hill.

Later on, one spot in the draft was the difference between Edwards and Wiseman. Edwards just took down Denver at Denver.

It's actually worse than that. At the time, the story was that Minnesota offered the Dubs the #1 overall pick in exchange for the #2 pick plus Minny's previously traded first round pick in the next draft. If the Warriors had wanted Edwards, he was there for the taking.

[Onus]

If i remember correctly, NYK wanted Curry at 8 but had to settle for Jordan Hill.

Later on, one spot in the draft was the difference between Edwards and Wiseman. Edwards just took down Denver at Denver.

It's actually worse than that. At the time, the story was that Minnesota offered the Dubs the #1 overall pick in exchange for the #2 pick plus Minny's previously traded first round in the next draft. If the Warriors had wanted Edwards, he was there for the taking.

Everyone was looking to trade down in that draft. I somehow doubt we were going to take Edwards even if we traded up, so good thing we didn’t.

[Romulus]

Even if Warriors had won the 1st pick, they were still taking Wiseman over Edwards. In fact, I just read several quotes from Lacob stating Wiseman was their number 1 guy regardless. THAT'S how inept this FO is. Kerr didn't like Edwards and questioned his work ethic. Heck, remember Kerr coaching Edwards in the World Cup last summer and his initial plan was for him to come off the bench. Also, they didn't like Ball because they didn't want to deal with his father's antics. So, it was Wiseman all day, all the time.

But...

As I watch Edwards show athleticism and basketball gifts that remind one of Michael Jordan, I can't help but imagine him next to Curry. OMG. What a show that would have been.

On the surface, it appeared so close to happening; in reality, the Warriors FO had zero interest in making it happen.

[superunknown]

Even if Warriors had won the 1st pick, they were still taking Wiseman over Edwards. In fact, I just read several quotes from Lacob stating Wiseman was their number 1 guy regardless. THAT'S how inept this FO is. Kerr didn't like Edwards and questioned his work ethic. Heck, remember Kerr coaching Edwards in the World Cup last summer and his initial plan was for him to come off the bench. Also, they didn't like Ball because they didn't want to deal with his father's antics. So, it was Wiseman all day, all the time.

But...

As I watch Edwards show athleticism and basketball gifts that remind one of Michael Jordan, I can't help but imagine him next to Curry. OMG. What a show that would have been.

On the surface, it appeared so close to happening; in reality, the Warriors FO had zero interest in making it happen.

I remember also many posters on this board tutning their nose up about edwards. "too short", "suspect work ethic", "suspect from the 3 points line", "suspect ball handling" and so on.
many would've taken ball over him.
btw, agree on the ineptitude of this FO.

[killmongrel]

Didn't Lacob really want Wiseman? Maybe Lacob brought in Dunleavy to save him from himself. Lulz.

[sonnyhill]

Even if Edwards had dropped to the 2nd pick or if the Warriors had the 1st pick, Kerr would never have OK'd the drafting of Edwards.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38514383/timberwolves-edwards-shocked-motivated-kerr-criticism

[DAWill1128]

The Wiseman pick is this decades Darko Milicic pick. An athletic 7 foot guy with a jumper that looks good in an empty gym and no real game footage. An unknown and almost tall tale of a player drafted between two All-Star talents onto a Championship team.

The Pistons selection has to be one of the biggest What Ifs in NBA history.

Pistons 2003 - ECF
Pistons 2004 - Championship (Draft Darko)
Pistons 2005 - NBA Finals
Pistons 2006 - ECF
Pistons 2007 - ECF
Pistons 2008 - ECF

If they had drafted Carmelo they might have just raked in Championship after Championship. This would’ve been an absolutely historical run. By the time LeBrons “Decision” came out you would’ve looked at LeBron as talented but Carmelo as the winner.

The Pistons haven’t gotten out of the First Round in 16 years. One draft slot, one decision.

[HiRez]

Obviously Edwards would be fantastic to have (as well as Naz Reid) but does anyone really believe Kerr wouldn't have buried him behind Klay? If not Ty Jerome as well? I don't think he'd reach his full potential here.

[Romulus]

Even if Edwards had dropped to the 2nd pick or if the Warriors had the 1st pick, Kerr would never have OK'd the drafting of Edwards.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38514383/timberwolves-edwards-shocked-motivated-kerr-criticism

Thanks for confirming what I stated in earlier post. Here's the thing. I don't doubt Edwards wasn't as well conditioned as Curry at the time of his workout. Sure. But does anyone believe that James Wiseman was in any better condition during his workout? Highly doubtful.

So what's the job of Kerr and the FO when the organization has the #2 pick? To evaluate talent, to have the ability to understand what does and does not translate to the next level. They picked Wiseman because? What did they see in Wiseman which caused them to gush over him and select him? There was virtually no game tape on Wiseman. They watched this guy in an empty gym run around and put shots up and thought he was the best prospect in the draft. Clearly Edwards was head and shoulders above anyone else. Clearly, Ball was a much better prospect than Wiseman as well. The only thing holding Ball back has been injuries.

James Wiseman from the very beginning didn't know how to play basketball. He possesses some of the worst hands ever on a big man. His defensive skills are so bad he's been almost unplayable, even on a team as bad as Detroit.

I'll give Dunleavy Jr some credit here. At least in this last draft he demonstrated an ability to find two guys who not only were capable of contributing, but also fitting into the Kerr system -- which is VERY difficult to do. One apparent truth over time we should all understand now: the FO should stop listening to Kerr's opinion on who to draft and who should be on the roster. Talent evaluation just isn't Kerr's strength.

[Romulus]

Obviously Edwards would be fantastic to have (as well as Naz Reid) but does anyone really believe Kerr wouldn't have buried him behind Klay? If not Ty Jerome as well? I don't think he'd reach his full potential here.

Bingo!

I think this is the REAL reason the Warriors weren't interested in Edwards. It would have meant in short order putting immediate pressure on Klay. This organization is like that. They've always babied Klay. They weren't going to draft someone who would threaten his job. And it's why it's become painfully obvious Kerr isn't the guy to coach this team anymore. He has no trust in the young guys -- Moody, JK, TJD. Draymond can do anything he wants and Kerr will always have his back. Klay can go 0 for 20 and Kerr will immediately claim they desperately want him back. Kerr's loyalty isn't to the team, it's to the core 3. It's pretty obvious he's decided to coach until Curry retires.

What a mess.

[Jester_]

https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/report-t-wolves-tried-to-trade-no-1-pick-to-dubs-in-2020/1142171/

Nah, we **** that draft up by committee. Kerr/Lacob/Myers were 3 heads of the same moron.

One is gone at least.

[cdubbz]

If i remember correctly, NYK wanted Curry at 8 but had to settle for Jordan Hill.

Later on, one spot in the draft was the difference between Edwards and Wiseman. Edwards just took down Denver at Denver.

And drafting/scouting these guys is so difficult. There’s measurables, intangibles, character, etc.

At the time Jordan Hill seemed like a solid pick for the Knicks too - played a lot like Amare Stoudemire and could be a solid athletic double double guy.

[EvanZ]

I've been calling this the Space Cowboys team.

[Warriors Analyst]

Obviously Edwards would be fantastic to have (as well as Naz Reid) but does anyone really believe Kerr wouldn't have buried him behind Klay? If not Ty Jerome as well? I don't think he'd reach his full potential here.

Bingo!

I think this is the REAL reason the Warriors weren't interested in Edwards. It would have meant in short order putting immediate pressure on Klay. This organization is like that. They've always babied Klay. They weren't going to draft someone who would threaten his job. And it's why it's become painfully obvious Kerr isn't the guy to coach this team anymore. He has no trust in the young guys -- Moody, JK, TJD. Draymond can do anything he wants and Kerr will always have his back. Klay can go 0 for 20 and Kerr will immediately claim they desperately want him back. Kerr's loyalty isn't to the team, it's to the core 3. It's pretty obvious he's decided to coach until Curry retires.

What a mess.

I think babying Klay has very little to do with Ant not being a Kerr-approved pick at the time of draft. Ant was an inefficient scorer in college who, by Ant's own account, bombed his workout with the Warriors badly enough that Kerr told him that he wasn't working hard enough and they wouldn't draft him based on that workout. Ant changed his habits after that workout and became a different player. I do think Ant would have found minutes on the Warriors eventually. He's a rugged defender when he locks in and in order to get minutes on a Kerr team, he would have needed to demonstrate some natural value on defense. Ant also would have benefited immensely from the space Steph creates. But I digress, Kerr was ambivalent towards him based on workouts and from what I understand, would have preferred to trade the pick. I don't think Bob had any strong feelings or worthwhile convictions about any of the prospects, meanwhile, Lacob was on the record calling Wiseman his "number 1 forever, basically" and calling him a once-in-a-decade prospect. Ant would have had to kill his workout for him to have been considered at the #1 slot (had Warriors won lottery or traded up) and even then, Lacob was so locked in on Wiseman, the org still would have botched it. Nothing to do with Klay.

[EvanZ]

If i remember correctly, NYK wanted Curry at 8 but had to settle for Jordan Hill.

Later on, one spot in the draft was the difference between Edwards and Wiseman. Edwards just took down Denver at Denver.

Of course it was really the difference between Ant and LaMelo, who also would have been 10X better fit for this team. Can't believe people still think Wiseman was the "obvious" number two pick.

[vvoland]

Yup and I dont think it can be overstated how good that guy is right now. He was 100% the driving force as to why I believed MIN would beat Denver. He's a legit #1, the best SG in the game, and the Wolves have a lot of defensive players behind him/Towns/Naz

Wolves also profile to be very good against Boston, FWIW, if that's relevant later

At what point did you feel that way about edwards? It was a bit of a 'taster's choice' for that draft class until recently. At first, lamelo was all the rage, then edwards, then haliburton took the lead (early this season) and now Ant is the clear gem of the class and possibly MVP favorite next season. When did you and the tracking data recognize him as a player at that elite level?

[EvanZ]

Yup and I dont think it can be overstated how good that guy is right now. He was 100% the driving force as to why I believed MIN would beat Denver. He's a legit #1, the best SG in the game, and the Wolves have a lot of defensive players behind him/Towns/Naz

Wolves also profile to be very good against Boston, FWIW, if that's relevant later

We should be cautious to go to far after a Game 1. As Warriors fans especially we know Game 1's are just 1 game.

[sonnyhill]

Even if Edwards had dropped to the 2nd pick or if the Warriors had the 1st pick, Kerr would never have OK'd the drafting of Edwards.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38514383/timberwolves-edwards-shocked-motivated-kerr-criticism

Thanks for confirming what I stated in earlier post. Here's the thing. I don't doubt Edwards wasn't as well conditioned as Curry at the time of his workout. Sure. But does anyone believe that James Wiseman was in any better condition during his workout? Highly doubtful.

So what's the job of Kerr and the FO when the organization has the #2 pick? To evaluate talent, to have the ability to understand what does and does not translate to the next level. They picked Wiseman because? What did they see in Wiseman which caused them to gush over him and select him? There was virtually no game tape on Wiseman. They watched this guy in an empty gym run around and put shots up and thought he was the best prospect in the draft. Clearly Edwards was head and shoulders above anyone else. Clearly, Ball was a much better prospect than Wiseman as well. The only thing holding Ball back has been injuries.

James Wiseman from the very beginning didn't know how to play basketball. He possesses some of the worst hands ever on a big man. His defensive skills are so bad he's been almost unplayable, even on a team as bad as Detroit.

I'll give Dunleavy Jr some credit here. At least in this last draft he demonstrated an ability to find two guys who not only were capable of contributing, but also fitting into the Kerr system -- which is VERY difficult to do. One apparent truth over time we should all understand now: the FO should stop listening to Kerr's opinion on who to draft and who should be on the roster. Talent evaluation just isn't Kerr's strength.

Perhaps even more annoying is how, because of Kerr's subjective biases, the Warriors rejected a pick-swap trade with the T-Wolves, where the Warriors would have gotten the #1 pick in exchange for the #2 pick and the following year's #1 pick. The T-Wolves wanted the next year's pick back (it was the pick that the Warriors had received in the DLo for Wiggins trade).