This may seem like a strange idea, but there's been a lot of talk about it this draft season. Over at the Pistons' official site, our very own Matt Watson had this to say about his team signing Amir Johnson: Yes, matching a full MLE would be a gamble, but a lot of people think Johnson would have been a top-five lottery pick this year had he gone to college two years ago instead of jumping straight to the NBA. And let's face it, it's not often a team has a chance to buy their way into the lottery, which is essentially what the Pistons would be doing.Now check Wizards Insider's take on offering Andray Blatche the MLE:
As one smart basketball man I spoke with put it yesterday: "That's a no brainer. You pay 6-11 every time and don't think twice." Good point. Consider this: if Blatche were coming out of college this summer, where would he go in the draft? Lottery baby.I can't decide how I feel about this concept. In a way, it makes sense: These players were drafted in the second round because they weren't ready. They haven't been ready until now, and the Wizards and Pistons are in a position to sign them. However, they'd be paying them more than what a rookie gets.
On the other hand, there still is some uncertainty surrounding Johnson and Blatche. In that sense, they are like lottery picks. So basically, Washington and Detroit have the privilege of paying too much for lottery-like prospects. When you put it like that, it doesn't sound so plush.
Oh, and there's also this version of picks-under-the-Draft-mas-tree, courtesy of Brian Windhorst:
The Cavs feel like their first-round pick this year is Shannon Brown. As I've written here before, Shannon worked just as hard at his game as Daniel Gibson this season and I expect him to get a chance to play next season.That seems like a rationalization. Brown was a first-rounder who had a disappointing rookie season. He can look to prove everyone wrong this time around, but that doesn't mean he's a virtual rookie. Johnson and Blatche weren't expected to contribute these past two seasons; Brown was, and actively took something away from the team by not doing so.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. The Wizards have seen more than enough from Andray to warrant a contract.
Posted at 2:35PM on Jun 25th 2007 by Unsilent Majority
2. Shannon Brown missed something like the entire second half of the season due to injury, didn't he? I'd be willing to give him a mulligan for his rookie season if he went down with an injury about when he'd be expected to start contributing.
Posted at 3:04PM on Jun 25th 2007 by Sean
3. Agree about Shannon Brown. The Cavs spent a first-round pick on him, which poses opportunity costs regardless of when he gets playing time.
What's interesting about this topic? Amid all the Detroit speculation regarding what Amir Johnson will be signed for (dollar-wise), there's a belief that other teams will stop short of paying midlevel money to a "D-League player" possessing only a few minutes of NBA experience. Most GMs would be afraid of the PR hit or the overall risk, according to this line of thinking.
I happen to agree. Yet it's funny that a college player can command more money as a lottery pick than a player who's competed well against considerably older opponents who were typically college standouts or even ex-NBAers. The NCAA system enjoys a greater brand premium or meta value, because that's how it's always been. Yet baseball is pretty much the opposite, evaluating prospects on how well they compete outside their age group in the lower rungs of pro ball. Maybe that will change as the D-League establishes itself, and college ball adapts. It'll be interesting to watch.
Posted at 1:58PM on Jun 26th 2007 by LanierFan