By: Jake Lofgren
Welcome back to Far-Fetched Friday, where every Friday we give you a bold prediction that we believe will come to fruition. This week our Far-Fetched Friday is a look into the upcoming NBA draft and one of the most dominant dynasties in NBA history.
The 2019 NBA postseason feels like a long time ago with all the changes we have seen over the past season. With Kawhi out of the East and now going toe-to-toe with LeBron in LA, and Milwaukee becoming the clear favorites to come out of the East, it feels weird remembering the Warriors-Raptors series was only last season. The league and its fans had moved on to a new storyline, revolving around the growing excitement around a Clippers-Lakers Western Conference Finals, and wondering if LeBron could add another ring to his legacy. The cruel twist is this great season may be left unwritten due to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak.
The NBA season is not officially canceled yet and is still technically postponed in the hope that it will be safe enough to finish the season sometime this summer, even though this is starting to look more and more unlikely. EURO 2020 - Europe's biggest international soccer tournament - and the Olympics have both already been postponed to 2021, and the MLB looks likely to start their season in June or July. Unless the NBA wants to take a few months off and jump straight into playoff basketball come mid-summer, I think it sounds like the 2019-20 NBA season is over.
If this were to happen, then the Warriors will have finessed the entire league yet again.
The Warriors will have finished the season with the worst record in the NBA (15-50) in a season that will not even count. Meaning when the 2020 NBA Draft takes place, the Warriors will have the best odds at the first overall pick, and at worst, will receive the fifth pick. This puts them in prime position to draft one of the talented front court options in this year's class, like Obi Toppin or James Wiseman. Oh, and of course, come next season, the Warriors should have a fully healthy core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, which was already good enough to win 73 games. Also, the Warriors leveraged their short-term loan of D'Angelo Russell for a trade that saw them receive the always disrespected Andrew Wiggins, who is still 25 and a career 19.7 PPG scorer, and a future first and second-round draft pick. Meaning come next season, we could see a potential Warriors line-up of: PG-Steph Curry, SG-Klay Thompson, SF-Andrew Wiggins, PF-Draymond Green, C-Obi Toppin/James Wiseman.
Now, this Warriors roster is not nearly as deep as the team that competed with Durant, but it could be. The Warriors will have free agency to try and bring in some decent bench pieces, and despite their record, the Warriors were still able to use this season to determine who on their current roster could be useful to the organization going forward. Eric Paschall and Damion Lee were two guys who seemed to put up pretty decent numbers and could provide some solid depth next season. Kevon Looney, who was a valuable piece during the Durant era, is still there, and they still hold hopes for last year's draft pick, Jordan Poole, who did not have a great rookie season but showed flashes of upside. Although the Warriors still have the ability to make a big move if they wish. Packaging Wiggins with some of the young players just named, or their current draft stock could be enough to add something game-changing as well.
Hopefully, NBA fans got their jokes in and had their fun ripping on the Warriors because it looks like they've played their last game in that current state, and it didn't even matter.
The splash bros will be back on the court together healthy next season, which means Draymond can go back to just being Draymond, a former Defensive Player of the Year and valuable championship piece. The Warriors are currently second in consecutive finals appearances in NBA history with five (2015-19), trailing only the Celtics who went to ten (1957-66). The streak technically ended when the Warriors were the first team mathematically eliminated from the playoffs this season, but the streak will be saved now due to the Coronavirus.
Who knows though, if the Warriors luck out and get to draft Obi Toppin, maybe the dynasty won't be done at six.
A new season is upon us, and with it comes plenty of intriguing storylines. From massive traves and superstar uncertainty in the East to a West perhaps the deepest it has ever been, here is an early season NBA Power ranking.
It is time to throw away the American inferiority complex with its place in the sport, where many blindly claim that technique should come above all in choosing and developing the best prospects and that the U.S. is not an international power because it cares too much about athleticism.
Following last year's list of nine underground teams to watch, I bring the list back with eight new teams you need to follow. From entertaining amateur players to professional coaches revolutionizing the sport from behind the scenes, here are eight underground soccer teams to watch this season.
