Emails in on NBA Draft & wishbone

The new emails are in, and lots of talk about the NBA Draft, plus some discussion about the late, great wishbone.

Lew: “In my opinion, the Thunder did well in the draft. They need a center most, and a shooting guard second. Trading for, or acquiring, Blake Griffin would not fill either requirement, nor would Rubio (an unknown talent). They got a guard who can hit the three and later got a center who, hopefully, can develop into a force on defense. I give them credit for the best possible result, given their position in the draft.”

Well, I wouldn’t put a B.J. Mullens poster on the wall just yet. He’s a total stretch. But since he was a surplus pick, that’s OK. I like Harden. Rubio would have been fine, too. Griffin would have transformed the franchise.

Bob: “So if the best players period win championships – example: U.S. Dream Team – then I am not a huge fan of Presti. But if team unity is the biggest issue – example: Phil Jackson’s 10 championship rings – then Presti is a genius and I most definitely am not (that later part has been proven over and over by the way). The Thunder seems to have above good and borderline great talent. If they can pull together the loyalty and chemistry, we could have a neat long-term borderline dynasty ahead of us. I sure hope so, but regardless, you gotta love having something other than OU football to talk about all year.”

This is why I love the NBA. Yes, it’s great to have something to talk about in June. Even if some of the talk is goofy. The best talent doesn’t always win; of course chemistry matters, though I don’t think Phil Jackson is the great example of that. The Thunder has very good young talent, and young is a great qualifier. Before we start talking borderline dynasty, let’s get the Thunder to 35 wins.

Alan, before the draft, wrote: “Rubio looks good, but I don’t know about that with Westbrook already in the picture for the Thunder. Why not trade down and get some good stuff, and put yourself in a position to draft (Stephen) Curry at the 2?”

The Thunder brass agrees with you on Rubio. Not a good fit. But I like Harden much more than I like Curry. I think Harden can penetrate and score and pass. I’m not sure Curry is anything more than a Kyle Korver, a one-dimensional shooter.

Richard: “I am a fan of Hollis Price, the former Sooner. The man plays hard and has a lot of heart. I don’t see how he is playing overseas and the Thunder has a player like way-overpaid Earl Watson, who is horrible. Earl should be ashamed of his boneheaded play. I guess that is why Earl played very little at the end of last season. Hollis is not too old. Hollis has a lot of skills. He may love to play in Europe or Russia, I don’t know. Could the Thunder work him into their system? Would Presti even know who he is? I think some public awareness is in order for Hollis and the role he could play for the Thunder.”

You know, we’re going to have to emerge from this mentality at some point. Blake Griffin, for example. Griffin is a wonderful prospect and would be a huge get for anyone, including the Clippers, who got him. But the hand-wringing over the Thunder somehow getting Griffin was a little over the top. If he had played at Connecticut or Wisconsin or Stanford, no one would be suggesting trading Jeff Green and the draft pick for Griffin. And the idea that Hollis Price belongs in the NBA is just silly. Price was a wonderful college player. But he’s now 28 and been playing overseas for six seasons. He’s not been overlooked by the NBA. He’s just not big enough or strong enough or good enough. Earl Watson is a functional NBA point guard. Not great, but OK. It’s tough for this college market to swallow, but Earl Watson is miles ahead of Hollis Price.