Keeping our pick? This might be a Lottery year

Pacers only 5 points back on the Nuggets with three minutes left in that game. That could be huge for us.

 

Spurs already letting that game get out of hand but would love to see them get back in it and there's plenty of time.

 

LETS GO SAC

 

They were really kinging that up there at the end of the third but as long as Mitchell plays the fourth they should be good to win this game.

 

don't worry i turned it off. the jinx will abate now.

 

With a Kings win, maybe I root for a Blazer win to set the Pelicans back, and then hope for luck with the coin flip?

 

I'm really wanting us to lose out and secure the best pick possible. Let the Pelicans situation work itself out. With the Spurs losing tonight and LeBron and AD missing the Utah game, I don't think a loss to us does much. We just have to think about how the Pelicans have looked tonight against us and the fact that they'll have to beat either the Spurs or Lakers with AD and then beat either the Clippers with Paul George and Norm or the Wolves. This team that played against us tonight has like a 100 to 1 shot at pulling that off.

I think the most likely thing is that we lose out, we end up in the 6th slot in the lotto. The Pelicans lose in the first out of their potential two play in games and we end up with the 10th pick from them. Regardless we are losing this game. Maybe you'll have the same dilemma next time we play them but I'll still be routing for us to finish out the tank as strong as possible.

 

Man we really might be in a position to draft any one of Chet, Jabari, Ivey, Duren, Sharpe, Banchero, and Murray. That’s big time. Look what Billups is doing with undrafted free agents. Imagine what this staff could do with a top lottery guy.

 

We might be in a position to draft two of those guys. If I had nothing invested in this team and was a new GM that just wanted to do the best thing for the future of the franchise, I would trade Dame for the best young established player possible who fits with our young guys and picks. At that point I'd use all of the picks we have to build around Ant, whoever we get for Dame, Nas, Hart, etc.

The fact is though that I fucking love Dame and think it's still possible for us to win it all with him leading the way. So the only guys who really excite me are Jabari and Paolo because they fill a position of need and fit in with the best personnel we have a chance to put around Dame. I think the ideal off season for someone like me who is very invested in this team as currently constructed is to get lucky in the lotto to the point we are able to draft Jabari and trade the Pelicans' pick for Grant. Then it would be great if we could guarantee the pick going to Chicago so we could trade a future first for a really good bench player at a position of need that would fit into our 6M TPE and use the tax payer MLE.

Dame, Ant, Grant, Jabari, Nurk, Hart, Nas, 6M TPE, TPMLE. That could seriously win a title next year if Jabari is who I think he is.

 

good thing you’re not

 

As someone who really wants to see Dame spend his whole career here, I agree completely.

 

This would be good for so manner reasons.

 

I rate Chet, Ivey, and Jabari so closely that if we got the first pick I would probably take needs into consideration. And I think I would settle on Jabari.

 

The mock drafts are all over the place as usual. I saw one that had us taking Jeremy Sochan at #10.
Not sure where he will end up going but IMO this guy could end up being the best player in the draft if he keeps improving his 3 pt shot. (or a bench player if he never does)

He will be 19 in May and already is already 230 lbs with a 7' wing. His defense looks as good as any of the other forwards in the draft. (if not better) I would not be opposed to trading for Grant (with N.O pick) and drafting Sochan with ours for the future. Of course, that could all change if he does poorly in the workouts, but I wonder if he is the guy in this draft that slips and ends up being the best 2-way player. Although I am sure we could make an argument for about 10 other players. Bottom line is there should be a decent player available when we draft.

 

What are the chances that Pels pick lands between 5-10?

 

I'd say very unlikely. Basically zero chance it's 5-8. 9 and 10 is possible

 

Most likely #10 or #11.

 

it actually is none. The actual lottery is only for the top 4 picks, and the rest of the picks are made in order of worse record. So if NO doesn't land in the top 4, they will be either at the spot they started with, or worse (if teams behind them jump up). So if NO finishes with the 11th worst record as they are now, the picks can only be 1-4 or 11, 12, 13, 14.

Sidebar, we need Washington to win some more games. They've tied NO in record. And NY is only a game away.

 

Becoming more and more likely that we don't get it at all.

 

They barely beat us last night. You think they're going to be good enough to actually win both games to get into the playoffs?