Posted by TrueBlue:
Code... Double D's don't plan on being in the lottery next yr. I'm not saying Westbrook shouldn't be an option at 6 but you definitely shouldn't make the pick based on next yr. If D'Antoni lands us in the lottery next yr Mark Jackson could have done the same.
Well, a couple of things. First, I'm not sure where you got the idea that we should make the pick to enhance our position in the draft next year. There are several other options we can use to solidify that position, including cutting Marbs and trading Randolph, which don't involve passing on top-tier talent. In my estimation, Westbrook is the best talent in the draft behind Beasley, Rose and Mayo. So you take him at 6 regardless of who opens up next year.
Second, D'Antoni is a pretty good coach, who's been painted incorrectly as a one-dimensional fastbreak evangelist that needs to win now. Mike went sharply against the grain with a small-ball system that was appropriate for the players he had; players, except Nash, that had won less than a third of their games the season before he took over. He won big despite a very flawed and unconventional lineup that featured no defense, no center and in his second season, no Amare Stoudemire. And he developed everyone including Nash, Stoudemire, Diaw, Barbosa, and Joe Johnson. As I'm hinting, D'Antoni wasn't or, at the very least, shouldn't have been brought here for next season, when the lottery should be the agreed upon destination. D'Antoni's goal here is to extensively develop the talent thats brought in for the purpose of playing real basketball in 2010, a year, by the way, in which we won't have our 1st round pick.
Sh-t in the popcorn to go with sh-t on the court. Its a theme show like Medieval times.
