Completely agree with both of your takeaways, but I guess ESPNw wanted to generate a few clicks on an off day from their hoops columnist who also does double duty in the WNBA.
Or ESPN is trying to promote the sport in which it has invested, in the sense of TV contracts that include the WNBA. ESPN had mock drafts for the 2019 NBA Draft almost immediately after the 2018 NBA Draft was completed. I view this as another step toward the largest sports network treating the WNBA as more of a bigger player, rather than afterthought (but I was just thrilled to see a mock draft).
- She opens with the Cambage story and Laimbeer, but really does not finish it. Just where, exactly would Cambage head and who/what does Dallas get in return?
That is part of the issue...it is all rumors right now, subject to a the caveat of a report regarding rejection of a potential trade involving NY and Chicago.
And frankly, where Cambage (and other players) could go and what trades could be made should be in another article (and hopefully, it will be).
Ionescu going to the Aces. Boy, if there is one position the Aces are stacked at its point guard, with Kelsey Plum, MoJeff and Lindsay Allen all there. Does Trader Bill attempt to package them for more picks or a vet to fill a positional need? (Hmm, Minnesota?)
Take the best player available...always. When you draft for perceived need/position and ignore overall proven talent/potential, you end up with Kelly Miller (who had a very fine WNBA career and won a title with Phoenix) being drafted by Charlotte at #2 in the 2001 WNBA Draft over Tamika Catchings.
That being said, is Ionescu the best player in the draft? There is no consensus.
And is Ionescu better/going to be better than Plum/Jefferson? Plum made great strides in her second year (after a pretty bad rookie season), both as a shooter and as a playmaker. But is that the ceiling? Jefferson is more athletic than Plum and a better defender, but she has had recent injuries which have caused her to miss 30 out of 67 games over the past two years (one game was the Vegas forfeit, so I did not include that one).
Again, these are questions to be answered, as there is no consensus as to who the top player is -- and if that is Ionescu, what it means for the current Vegas roster.
IAnd what of the top pick? If Ionescu isn't coming out, does he use that for a center or see what he can get for it and get a center later in the draft?
I posted my thoughts about this a few months ago, so I apologize for doing a cut and paste. But here you go:
"A'ja Wilson is a center. She can shoot from 10-12 feet out, but she plays her best when she forces her way to the basket. She overpowers people in the post with her physique and use of force and uses an array of spin moves, foot pivots, other skills to score in the paint.
"And in terms of minutes, Wilson played over 30 mpg, with most of them as the center. When Laimbeer did start a default center (JiSu Park, for example), it clogged down the offense because of the lack of spacing and shooting."
(Link to my previous post:
WNBA GM'S Mock Draft 2019)
I do not see Wilson working next to McCowan. Neither has the shot range. Brown has more range on her shot, but neither is a power forward (much less a stretch four). Brown would be a center who can hit an open mid-range jumper; neither has proven to be even a threat from three, much less competent enough to work a high/low game or have one or both rotate onto the perimeter. And frankly, in terms of Baylor players, I believe Lauren Cox would be a much better fit next to Wilson than Kalani Brown.
Before this year, I thought Napheesa Collier fit best next to Wilson. On August 27, 2018,
I posted:
If I were AFO/Bill Laimbeer, I would consider trading a few spots down and looking at Napheesa Collier... Collier will fit well next to Wilson and has expanded range, passing abilities, good athleticism, and the ability to be a primary or secondary scorer (though she is only 6-1/6-2).
And on November 21, 2018, I
posted:
Now, is Collier the best player in the draft? Maybe, maybe not.
But is Collier the best fit for Las Vegas, who has Plum/Jefferson at the point, McBride on the perimeter, and Wilson up front? Absolutely.
Collier's perimeter shooting has given me a little pause this year. I still think she will be a good fit next to Wilson. But I expected her game to develop more in terms of her outside shooting and prowess from the free throw line, not a step back. Still, she has proven she has the three in her offensive arsenal, and her mid-range jumper is still great. And as I mentioned before, she knows how to be effective and contribute as the #1 option or the #4 option, which is vital in the WNBA as a rookie (especially going to Las Vegas, which has Wilson as the established star and McBride as the clear #2 option right now).
And who knows what will happen? Heck, Bill Laimbeer could trade the #1 pick for a future #1 pick and lower 2019 pick to pick up someone like Alanna Smith.
Magbegor and Han Xu are also variables that will affect the overall board.
Not so much for Magbegor, at least as it pertains to Phoenix.
Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello is the head coach for the Opals, the Australian national team -- of which Ezi Magbegor and Alanna Smith were members for the 2018 FIBA World Cup.
If one or both players are available, I would be SHOCKED if HC Brondello and GM Jim Pittman took someone else.
