What Each Team Should Do with the 1st Overall Pick (Part 2)
It's time for the next 5 team's to decide on what to do with a possible 1st overall pick. There has been a lot of movement in the NBA standings since our last go-round. Originally, the next 5 teams up were the New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and Miami Heat. All but 1 of these teams have remained in this article except for the Heat, who have been on a tear as of late, moving them outside of the bottom 10. However, we may still see them for our next installment as their 13-game win streak still has them on the outside looking in for that 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. So let's get started...
"And with the 1st pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select... Lonzo Ball"
The Minnesota Timberwolves are equipped with young talent at every position, but that hasn't translated into a winning team just yet. They have a franchise player already in Karl-Anthony Towns and have potential all-stars in Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins on the wings. The biggest question marks for the Wolves are the bench, who to pair-up with Towns long-term in the frontcourt, and what to do at PG. This 1st pick wouldn't help address their hole alongside Towns in the frontcourt as the only 2 guys worthy of being pick 1st has yet to change; it's still between the 2 PGs, Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. Yes, Gorgui Dieng is a solid big man but he's better suited at the C position, same position as Towns, so he's not the answer for the Wolves (unless he's moved to backup C). To me, the Wolves should make a move that is seemingly impossible to pull-off but worth a try... Trade just about every asset for Anthony Davis. There's a %0.0001 chance that the New Orleans Pelicans would move Davis, but oh how nice it would be for the Wolves to pair him up with Towns to form arguably the best frontcourt duo since David Robinson-Tim Duncan. Only chance Minnesota has at this would be to deal Wiggins, this 1st overall pick, Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, and a few more picks. A lot to move but definitely worth the return. Once again, I doubt the Pelicans even listen to an offer. In keeping the pick, Minnesota would be best pickup up Ball. He's not the scorer that Fultz is, which works in Minnesota's favor. Ball could become what Rubio should have been: a pass-first, dynamic PG with a shot. In this case, Dunn and Rubio become expendable (Rubio even more so). The Wolves could move these 2 PGs for some depth elsewhere and also keep Tyus Jones as a viable backup PG. Landing this 1st overall pick would make the already promising young team even more promising.
"And with the 1st pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select... Markelle Fultz"
The New Orleans Pelicans have failed to build around Anthony Davis to this point. They've added solid players, but health and team cohesion hasn't worked out for them. At this point, they have no time to waste on another reset, they need to place solid pieces around Davis before it's too late. This pick is essentially untradeable for the Pelicans. Jrue Holiday is a proven starter-quality PG, but he's played under 60% of the Pelicans' games since joining the team 4 years ago. He's clearly not someone the Pelicans should trust to be on the court. Therefore, the Pelicans need to find their true starting PG. Both Ball and Fultz would fit with this team, but Fultz would be a better fit for them due to his scoring prowess. Yes, Davis is proving to be a great scorer, but the Pelicans haven't been a top 10 scoring team these seasons with him on the roster. They need dynamic PG to try and change that. Of course, adding a viable PG won't be enough to cure the Pelicans' woes but it's a great spot to solidify. They need to be big players in the trade market or look at adding some solid Free Agents to this Davis-Fultz led squad.
"And with the 1st pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Dallas Mavericks select... Lonzo Ball"
It's been 17 seasons since the Dallas Mavericks finished a season under the .500 mark. That's pretty remarkable. But as the saying goes, 'all good things must come to an end'. The Mavs may be looking at a long re-build with Dirk Nowitzki's career nearly over. He's under contract for next season, but hasn't counted retirement yet. Either way, the Mavs need this pick to build for the future. If they want to win-now, they'd be wise to utilize Free-Agency, and not this pick, to do so. Though the Mavs already have 4 PGs on their roster (5 if you consider Curry a PG instead of a SG), they do not have their long-term answer at the position. This is yet another team that couldn't go wrong with either player; but if Rick Carlisle is to remain the coach, a pass-first PG is the way to go for them as Carlisle has been most successful with PGs with that style of play. Harrison Barnes is showing the NBA world that he was being held back in Golden State; and Seth Curry is proving his place in the league as well. Those 2 along with Dirk give the Mavs some solid scorers. A trio of Ball-Curry-Barnes provides the Mavs with a solid young-core and leaves them with a lot of options at the PF-C positions beyond Dirk.
"And with the 1st pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the New York Knicks select... Markelle Fultz"
The New York Knicks once had a few people (overly optimistic fans) believing they may have a super team in the Garden after the past off-season. Things haven't turned out as they thought. It's been a roller coaster ride for the team, with a lot of turmoil and a few bright spots here and there. With the trade-deadline nearing, Carmelo Antony's name continues to be in trade rumors even with his no-trade clause, Derrick Rose hasn't been a model of consistency, and Joakim Noah has played himself into consideration for the worst Free Agent contract given out in the last off-season. Kristaps Porzingis has shown flashes of brilliance, igniting the crowd with some highlight plays but he's 3rd in Field Goal Attempts and has yet to shown the next step in his development. Regardless of what happens with star forward Melo, the Knicks need to solving a constant issue they've had for quite some time: the PG position. If the Knicks were to land this pick in the draft, they'd finally be able to address the position long-term. Fultz looks like he can become a solid #1 or #2 guy for a franchise. Pairing him with Porzingis would help the Knicks figure things out for the future. They'd also help Melo by a dynamic playmaker as he gets older. The team would still have other issues to address but PG is the most important one at the moment. Trading the pick away would cause even more outrage with the loyal fan-base. Keep it simple, and draft a franchise PG.
"And with the 1st pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings select... Lonzo Ball"
DeMarcus Cousins has suffered long enough with the Sacramento Kings. With his contract soon expiring, they need to either trade him or convince him to stay by adding a player capable of improving the team. Fultz may be a phenomenal scorer and is a solid passer, but he hasn't proven to be a game changer like Ball has. Yes, Ball is on a far superior team, but his game seems more likely to mesh well with Cousins' as he can play off the ball a bit more. To think, the Kings once had Isaiah Thomas (who is making the Boston Celtics a title contender), but let him go for the rights to forward Alex Oriakhi... That's one of the many horrible ways this front office has handled the team since drafting Cousins. Things need to change for this franchise or else we'll see yet another big man wasted away on a poor team. Of course, even if Ball comes in and turns into a top 10 PG immediately, the rest of the Kings' roster is not enough to make them playoff bound in the Western Conference. Rudy Gay is likely to walk, which isn't too bad for the Kings as hasn't proven to be a game-changer for them. They also have holes at SG and PF (C if they're committed to playing Cousins at PF). They also lack depth in the backcourt with Ben McLemore not panning out, Arron Afflalo becoming a shadow of his former self, Darren Collison no longer being under contract past this season, and not much else beyond that. This is another team that must look at Free Agency to become playoff contenders; or they need to be ready to deal away their star big man for a total reset.
Next up: The remaining possible lottery teams
