Uncertainty rules as Timberwolves have 1st pick at corona-affected NBA draft
Leading contenders appear to be Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, who averaged 19 points per game as a freshman, Memphis centre James Wiseman and Lamelo Ball, the youngest of 3 basketball-playing brothers
The 2020 NBA Drat takes place on Wednesday with questions swirling around the likely identity of the No.1 pick as teams atempt to gauge talent ater a college season decimated by Covid-19.
Barely four weeks ater Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers clinched the NBA Finals ater a marathon, virus-truncated season, Wednesday’s virtual drat is being held just five weeks before the 2020-2021 campaign tips off.
The minnesota timber wolves will have the cove ted first pick, ahead of the second-placed Golden State Warriors and the Charlote Hornets.
The Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers take the fourth and fith slots.
Yet unlike 2019, when the New Orleans Pelicans snapped up the generational talent of Zion Williamson with the top pick, there is deep uncertainty over which player is likely to be chosen first.
The leading contenders appear to be Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, who averaged 19 points per game as a freshman, the 7t 1in (2.16m) Memphis center James Wiseman and Lamelo Ball, the youngest of three basketball-playing brothers who already have their own reality TV show.
Ball’s oldest brother Lonzo, the No.2 pick in the 2017 drat, already plays in the NBA with New Orleans while middle brother Liangelo is in the NBA’S G-league.
Lamelo has been tipped as a possible No.1 pick but erratic shooting ability may weigh against the 6t 7in, 19-year-old from California.
‘A LOT OF UNKNOWNS’: That may mean that Edwards ends up being chosen first by Minnesota, who is seen as a more logical fit to complement the Timberwolves’ point guard D’angelo Russell and center Karl-anthony Towns.
What is not in doubt however is the fact that Covid-19 has made the painstaking task of identifying drat talent even more demanding than usual.
The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament’s “March Madness” earlier this year means that teams have limited game tape to work from while the NBA’S Drat Combine was held virtually.
Covid-19 restrictions have also limited teams’ ability to subject prospects to exhaustive workouts and medical testing. Teams have been allowed just 10 visits with college players, Myers said.
PHOENIX RISING FOR PAUL: Ten-time All-star Chris Paul is set to join the Phoenix Suns from the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a blockbuster deal that sends four players and a drat pick the other way, reports said on Monday.
ESPN reported that Paul and team-mate Adel Nader would head to the Suns in exchange for Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque.
Oklahoma City would also receive a 2022 first round drat pick as part of the move, which signals the Suns’ determination to break into playoff contention next season.
The move will see Paul join up with Phoenix’s Devin Booker, one of the brightest talents in the NBA.
HARDEN’S NO TO HOUSTON: Harden declined Houston’s offer of a contract that would pay him an Nba-record $50 million per season, and he instead is looking to engineer a trade that would send him to the Brooklyn Nets, ESPN reported on Monday.
Per the report, Harden turned down an extension for two years and $103 million beyond the existing three years and $133 million on his contract. He is reportedly in contact with Nets forward Kevin Durant and guard Kyrie Irving in hopes of forming a Big Three in Brooklyn. However, there has been no “meaningful dialogue” between the Nets and the Rockets about a Harden deal, according to ESPN.
Harden, 31, is an eight-time All-star and seventime ALL-NBA performer who has led the NBA in scoring each of the past three season. In 2019-20, he averaged 34.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 68 games.