If we had the number one pick in the 2014 draft, would we draft Wiggins?
- Thread starter Batman
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UGLI baby
Well-Known Member
"we passed on Wuggins because we feel he may become the best player in the league someday and that's obviously out of our league."
dat jazzfanz.com mobile app doe
Lady in the streets and a freak in the bed syndrome. Ideal guy is a killer with no compassion on the court and a good guy off it.
You can't, but hypothetically, wouldn't you draft Pierce
Exactly. So you draft Lebron.
7StraightIsGreat
Well-Known Member
Let's change the question a little bit and see how the debate goes:
Let's say Wiggins is going to have a Lebron type of career. Since Lebron's career is incomplete, let's just say that Wiggins has a likelyhood to win 2 or 3 titles during his career, but like Lebron, those titles might not come with the team that drafted him.
Let's also say that Jabari Parker has a career like Clyde Drexler. A top 50 player of all time, capable of winning a title if you put the right pieces around him but much more signable long term than Wiggins. Now, ignore the fact that Drexler left Portland. Parker would obviously be fairly comfortable with Utah's surrounding culture. So for the sake of this argument, he stays put in Utah.
So under those circumstances, who do you take?
Let's say Wiggins is going to have a Lebron type of career. Since Lebron's career is incomplete, let's just say that Wiggins has a likelyhood to win 2 or 3 titles during his career, but like Lebron, those titles might not come with the team that drafted him.
Let's also say that Jabari Parker has a career like Clyde Drexler. A top 50 player of all time, capable of winning a title if you put the right pieces around him but much more signable long term than Wiggins. Now, ignore the fact that Drexler left Portland. Parker would obviously be fairly comfortable with Utah's surrounding culture. So for the sake of this argument, he stays put in Utah.
So under those circumstances, who do you take?
UGLI baby
Well-Known Member
Depends on whose more of a freak in the sheets.
Right stoked?
dat jazzfanz.com mobile app doe
Beantown
Well-Known Member
Its not that the player wouldn't want to live in Utah. Look at Deron. He still spend the majority of his downtime in Utah. Hell even Michael Jordan lives a large part of his year in Utah.
The issue is having a big player and them getting sponsorships and endorsement deals. Then you have the issue of trying to get other big names here. In the case of Deron he supposedly tried to recruit players to Utah but none of them wanted to come here. I think LeBron had the exact same issue.
The issue is having a big player and them getting sponsorships and endorsement deals. Then you have the issue of trying to get other big names here. In the case of Deron he supposedly tried to recruit players to Utah but none of them wanted to come here. I think LeBron had the exact same issue.
HOw do you know? Wiggins doesn't come across as wanting to be in LA in his interviews. Besides if the Jazz are young and talented and heading towards competing or winning championships why wouldn't he want to stay in Utah. Kevin Durrant wants to stay in OKC. Some players want the big city and others don't. However the one thing all superstars want is a legitimate chance at winning championships.
Lebron would have stayed in Cleveland if they had built a better team around him. Tim Duncan had a chance to leave SA but stayed and I don't see how his legacy has been hurt. If a player is all about the $$$$ and fame they usually end up not winning too many championships.
The Jazz should take the best player available regardless of what will happen four years later. There are no guarantees that the Core5 will all remain with the Jazz, so we should just start trading them.
It is too early to tell who is #1 but right now Wiggins is the clear #1 with all the experts. Parker is anywhere from #2-#6. I haven't seen any publications that have Wiggins anything but #1. However, guys get hurt and some guys improve more during college so no one knows for sure who the #1 pick will be.
The obviously better player but don't do what Cleveland did and basically call it a day once you get that better player.
Batman
Well-Known Member
Great point. I'm Split 50/50 on the decision.
This recruiting player stuff is mostly nonsense. Unless a marquee player is willing to take a historically ridiculous paycut, then the salary cap rules. That Ray Allen didn't want to leave a very good team at the time and relocate to one of the most dismal cities in the U.S. doesn't mean that no one would go to Cleveland because it was Cleveland.
Kevin Durant doesn't seem to have a hard time getting endorsement deals.
7StraightIsGreat
Well-Known Member
If somebody like Jabari Parker is clearly not on the level of Wiggins, I would expect Wiggins to be the clear choice, as he should be. I think this is more of a question like: What if Jabari Parker grades out ot be 95% of the player that Wiggins is. Does signability come into play at all?
First off, I'm pretty sure Jazz fans are overrating Parker. I would like to believe it's because of a reason that doesn't have to do with religion, but I'm not stupid. From that point, why does anyone assume that what might apply for any other basketball player (money/winning) wouldn't apply for Parker? What do we know about Parker? Is he devout? Even if he was, why would geographic proximity to his faith for a decade have any real bearing on his professional decision?
To call all of this speculation half-baked would be kind.
So let me phrase the question another way: If you could select the winning ticket or any other ticket from the lottery, why would you take any other ticket?
The only reason someone like Wiggins would leave is if they screw up Cleveland/Orlando like. Cleveland always overpaid for declining players or did idiotic trades taking on long term money only to make the Cavs a 1v5 to frustrate him beyond measure. Add to that the possibility of a cheap owner, who doesn't like the tax.
So in Utah the majority of assets are young and yet to hit RFA while they improve. So they're basically locked in Utah until Wiggins hits RFA the first time. It's a good thing that his surrounding cast is a little bit older/more experienced than he is as he is projected to improve on a faster scale than the rest making his effective prime a lot longer, or the difference between 23yr old physical speciman Wiggins and 29yr old experienced veteran Wiggins who still has plenty left in the tank will be lower than with worse talent.
As long as the team is properly managed, everybody in Utah wears <3 Wiggins T-shirts and ownership has its superstar to make them a temporal big market team free agency, media/endorsement attention and spendinng wise. But their marketability will totally make up for the luxury tax.
Or does anyone else think that in case LeBron takes his talent to Canada next season and Dwyane Wade goes to the moon, as the lower gravity helps his knee problems, that HEAT ownership will pay luxury tax for a team around Bosh who will see big money for the last time in his career. Neither will fans fill their arena. No willingness for luxury tax.
Players like Wiggins have that impact that makes a franchise bigger than they are normally. The Bulls got a big market that way afaik. 1 1/2 decade of electrifying Jordan hoops got enough people hooked on basketball in a huge city. Now they'll sell out the arena even if they have a Philly roster of the upcoming year. But it's unlikely that happens in Utah.
Temporal big market is more likely. Never forget player movement always hurts a player's marketability as people won't keep track where he's playing. If you start where you finish you're in the best situation legacy wise.
The only reason someone like Wiggins would leave is if they screw up Cleveland/Orlando like. Cleveland always overpaid for declining players or did idiotic trades taking on long term money only to make the Cavs a 1v5 to frustrate him beyond measure. Add to that the possibility of a cheap owner, who doesn't like the tax.
So in Utah the majority of assets are young and yet to hit RFA while they improve. So they're basically locked in Utah until Wiggins hits RFA the first time. It's a good thing that his surrounding cast is a little bit older/more experienced than he is as he is projected to improve on a faster scale than the rest making his effective prime a lot longer, or the difference between 23yr old physical speciman Wiggins and 29yr old experienced veteran Wiggins who still has plenty left in the tank will be lower than with worse talent.
As long as the team is properly managed, everybody in Utah wears <3 Wiggins T-shirts and ownership has its superstar to make them a temporal big market team free agency, media/endorsement attention and spendinng wise. But their marketability will totally make up for the luxury tax.
Or does anyone else think that in case LeBron takes his talent to Canada next season and Dwyane Wade goes to the moon, as the lower gravity helps his knee problems, that HEAT ownership will pay luxury tax for a team around Bosh who will see big money for the last time in his career. Neither will fans fill their arena. No willingness for luxury tax.
Players like Wiggins have that impact that makes a franchise bigger than they are normally. The Bulls got a big market that way afaik. 1 1/2 decade of electrifying Jordan hoops got enough people hooked on basketball in a huge city. Now they'll sell out the arena even if they have a Philly roster of the upcoming year. But it's unlikely that happens in Utah.
Temporal big market is more likely. Never forget player movement always hurts a player's marketability as people won't keep track where he's playing. If you start where you finish you're in the best situation legacy wise.
It would be like passing up Lebron for Wade or Carmello.
If we have the number one pick we are getting Wiggins.
The guy is Canadian. He must be nice. He'll fit right in ;-)
If we have the number one pick we are getting Wiggins.
The guy is Canadian. He must be nice. He'll fit right in ;-)
