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Feeling the Draft
So round one of the NBA Draft came and went Wednesday night.
The Hawks picked a Frenchman 1. He’s 6’9″ with long arms and huge upside.
This won’t end well is my prediction.
But Wednesday did have some powerful takeaways. Let’s review, and whether you know it or not, I love the Draft.
Winners: The Lakers. It was quite telling the celebration of JJ Redick and the Lakers brass when Dalton Knecht was on the board at 17. That or JJ told a borderline inappropriate joke to the room. Regardless, Knecht is a steal at 17 — a 6’6″ 230-pounder with deep 3 range and is a better athlete than most realize — and gives a team starving for perimeter acumen exactly that.
Loser: Knecht. Yes, being on the Lakers with LeBron and in La La Land is way better than being a Hornets No. 1 or the Blazers No. 2. But with his unforeseen freefall, Knecht’s draft slot went from roughly $34 million at 6 to $18 million at 17. That’s a chunk of change, friends.
Winners: International hoops. Man, Team France is going to be a handful in the Olympics in years to come, and in a league where arguably the four best players in the Association are international — SGA, Giannia, The Joker and Luka — this game is assuredly global. And the gap looks to be closing.
Loser: My prediction that Knecht would be a top-7 pick and potentially the first U.S. player off the board. That first pick would be Reed Sheppard, as Chas predicted earlier this month.
Loser: ESPN’s coverage. I think transparency is among the most important parts of being a trusted commentator or news source. So sharing your allegiances is a wise move. We’re all sports fans at some level, right? But the over-the-top reactions from some of ESPN’s most prominent faces is becoming extreme. Mike Greenberg spends 40% of his national platforms talking about the Jets, who are about as relevant these days as VCRs and 8-track tapes. And that is soft and low volume by comparison to what Stephen A. Smith’s love affair with the New York Knicks has become. His five-minute hype video after the Knicks picked some dude who may be lucky to make the team’s rotation by February was ridiculous.
Loser: Memphis. Man, the Falcons took a back-up QB in the top 10 earlier this spring, and then the Grizzlies took a back-up center at 9 Wednesday. Zach Edey was a monster in college, and his size is undeniable. But in a stretch league where there are as many point-centers who handle the ball beyond the arc as there are back-to-the-basket post-up guys, Edey’s a defensive liability.
AA wins again
Alex Anthopoulos may be the best executive across all of sports.
And, there is no sports front-office type who has earned the “In AA we trust” tag more than the Braves’ big boss.
Look at this roster, which he assembled and extended every key cog on team friendly deals for the foreseeable future.
It’s still going to be a playoff roster after season-ending injuries to one of five-best position players in the game and one of the 10-best starting pitchers in baseball.
And it’s because of AA.
Look at Wednesday’s doubleheader as a prime example:
AA saw a need in left field and added a high-upside 24-year-old who had worn out his welcome as a first-round bust in Seattle. Enter Jared Kelenic (for two pitchers on the 60-day IL), who is hitting .282 after six hits Wednesday and is slashing .392/.407/.686 since taking over the leadoff spot after Ronald Acuña’s injury.
AA — and all the free world — knew the rotation needed more arms.
So he dealt a promising prospect in Vaughn Grissom to Boston for an often-injured 35-year-old lefty who had made a total of 31 starts in the previous three seasons.
Enter Chris Sale, who is scheduled for his 15th start of 2024 Thursday and has been dazzling with a 10-2 record, a sub-3 ERA and a sub-1 WHiP. As for Grissom, he’s currently on the IL, has not played since June 1, and is 12-for-81 (.148) for the Red Sox.
AA also dabbled in the free agent market, adding an inconsistent reliever with designed on giving him a chance to join the rotation. Enter Reynaldo Lopez, who signed a contract that pays the 29-year-old righty $4 million this season and gives the Braves contract control through the 2027 season.
As for that $4 million in ’24, well, Lopez is 6-2 with a 1.70 ERA in 14 starts, and it’s very safe to say that the Braves’ still-intact postseason pursuits are because of all three of these offseason gems unearthed by AA.
Makes you wonder a few things though.
Does AA strut around the office with the infinity knowledge that he’s never wrong? Does he walk by the office desks and hear someone ordering a ham-and-cheese sandwich for lunch and correct them with, “No, go with the French dip, trust me,” at which point the office worker does exactly as they are told.
Heck, how long ago was AA kicked from his fantasy football league for making everyone look silly?
In AA we trust indeed.
Game on
So the first presidential debate is tonight.
Trump v. Biden. Biden v. Trump.
I will watch. I will comment. I will have opinions.
I am wondering how hard Trump hits Biden on the border and inflation. I wonder how hard Biden hits Trump on 34 felonies and his legal issues.
I am wondering how the new rules will impact the exchange tonight, because like our political circus in general, the debate platforms have become embarrassingly comical and comically embarrassing.
I also finally wonder if the debate — and the ensuing debates about the debate — will change a single person’s view before November.
Because in the grand scheme, debate or not and the following dialogue or diatribes notwithstanding, are there not galvanized camps that are part of firmly entrenched camps of either 100% voting for their guy or 100% voting against the other guy?
Thoughts?
This and that
— Wow, the former Chattanooga police chief is in some serious trouble. Check the scoreboard on this one friends, because Holy Buckets this could be a real mess downtown.
— Speaking of the draft, the extra day gives the NBA an extra window, and with the status of Bronny James as the chicken liver to the catfish that are draft fans, the intrigue continues.
— Braves played. Braves split. Cardinals are pretty good.
— ESPN expects Pat McAfee to return to College GameDay. That is great news for the mothership.
Today’s questions
It’s the anything goes Thursday episode — the ol’ AGT kids — and we will start here:
Will you watch the debate tonight?
Will Bronny James get picked tonight?
Discuss, and fire away with anything on your mind — be it here or for Friday.
As for today, June 27, let’s review.
JJ Abrams is 58 today. He has crafted a fine catalog.
With today’s second-round, let’s do the best second-round picks in NBA history.
Go and remember the mailbag.