Tom Penn said on Mike & Mike that he would earn literally half of what he could in NY. 129m vs 65m[/QUOTE] Well he can use that extra money to buy the ring he will never win because of this decision, but it won't be his own.
Whom averages 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes, 1 steal, 11 rebounds, and has a DRTG of 102. Probably not a good example especially if you look at the games he actually got minutes in... And to everyone else I wouldn't say winning X conference D POTY is the same as being projected to be an elite wing defender in the NBA. In college its more about the system, the NBA game is completely different. Wiggins has length, athleticism, and was a supremely gifted one on one defender in the NCAA as well.
It will be a tough task finding a player who was regarded as an elite defender who doesn't translate to one in the NBA, especially with the athleticism that Wiggins has. The "best" example I could think of Hasheem Thabeet, whom was a COMPLETE bust and didn't have near the athleticm Wiggins has. If I could, I'd revise my statement to be it is easier to project a "wing" defender in the NBA, because of what I mentioned in my previous post. If you have all-world athleticism, you're still more athletic than most people in the NBA and defense tends to be about effort, pride, and how hard you're willing to work. Very, very rarely does it just disappear. It is also much easier to remain a good defender on the wing rather than as a big - bigs have to worry about timing much more as the finishing in the L is much better around the rim than college. Also, I'd add that conference/NCAA player of the year is very skewed towards big men with the exception of the last couple years (Aaron Craft, Oladipo).
I'd have to go with Cavs moving up, Miami decent but not championship, Pacers moving down, Bulls & Wizards improved. I have little faith in the Knicks. I do think that while the West will still be better the East won't be as "doormat" as they were last season. Also we have yet to see where Kevin Love ends up. But it seems top FAs have mostly gone/stayed East, which is a relief, I guess - none of our rivals in the West have really gotten stronger.
1. Pacers: I'm assuming the Pacers bring back lance and if they do they will be the same defensive beast of a team that has offense issues. Every other "powerhouse" in the east switched up there rosters but the pacers have shown to have a good blueprint for how to win in the playoffs and it may have not succeeded in getting to the NBA finals but with 2 back to back ECF appearances and pretty much the same team coming back you have to give them the #1 seed. 2. Cavs: It will take awhile to get that team running and they may struggle at times this year but when you have good pieces around the best player in the league they will win regardless. I think they will make the ECF but end up losing it. 3. Maimi: Still a very talented team. If Wade can play 60+ games at a high level they are still going to be a tough team. Can CB be the #1 option and the vocal point of the defense as well is the question. 4. Chicago: The Bulls look good on paper with adding Gasol but I can't put them any higher until I see how good DRose looks and how long it takes the team to get used to playing him with again. 5. Toronto: There going to try and not suck out the gates this year. A good young team that could show a lot of improvement but it is going to rely on several young players to show great improvement for The Raptors to improve. 6: Wizards: They kept most of their core from last season but Losing Ariza and Webster being injured is going to make this team struggle. 7. Hornets: While I dont' think they are done making moves their young lottery players are going to have show something if they want to take a further step forward. I expected them to toss a huge offer sheet at Stephenson but I guess MJ saw how crazy he was and passed as well 8. Nets: Getting Lopez back healthy will be a great addition but losing Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston are huge. If Williams cannot stay healthy the Nets are screwed.
Fair enough. I see where you're coming from. Just an aside, I love me some Oladipo... that'll be the next big thing out of Orlando since Dwight, I think. That kid is money.
Oh man, the joke fell flat. Let me spell it out... 1 - BGD said: LMA > Bosh 2 - Whatever BGD says, the opposite is always true. 3 - Therefore Bosh is indeed better than LMA. The proof is in the pudding!
So you're looking for someone with a worse track record than BGD? That's tough, but let me get Stephan A. Smith to weigh in!
East powers: 1. Pacers 2. Heat 3. Cavs 4. Wizards Assuming Pacers get Lance back. Heat will be better balanced team without LeBron IMO. Bosh and Wade will have bigger roles. Still talented players. Don't look past the Wiz. If Beal arrives - they'll be really good!!
Some players seem as if they have that natural instinct for the ball, knowing how each play develops and always positioning themselves to make the best defensive stop possible. I was pretty sure Dieng would become a good defensive player in the NBA. He showed why during the second half of the season for the T'Wolves.
