Illini in the Pros (Basketball)

#78      
35 year old Keaton Wagler about to be the answer to a trivia question years from now - "who was the last LA Clippers 1st round pick?"

Feel bad he's going to be stuck on a re-building team with no picks (nightmare) - but he'll probably get flipped to a competing team FOR picks in a few years.
 
#79      
NGL, I wish he was drafted several picks later. I knew the Clippers was a death sentence for his career
Playing on a bad team for a few years is not a career death sentence. Not playing is a career death sentence. If anything, this sets him up to get tons of play time. He might have the longest leash of any rookie from this year's class.
 
#80      
I expect Ballmer legal team will have a challenge.
I expect alot of teams assist in endorsement deals for players...these just happened to be related to "Kawhi no show" deals with some flakey companies that Kawhi signed with.
If Kawhi had done any "bona fide services" ... this "Clippers death penalty" judgement would probably be on thinner ice.

I still expect Ballmer to use his $Bs war chest to fight this.

I hate it that Keaton just signed with org in turmoil.
 
#81      
While pretty bad for the Clippers to win anytime in 2030s, It could be a very good thing for Keaton. He is their best option to develop and flip for picks.
 
#82      
Just for some historical perspective, Golden State was a mess when Steph Curry was drafted. Here are their records his first three seasons:

2009-10: 26-56
2010-11: 36-46
2011-12: 23-43 (he played less this season because of an ankle injury that required surgery)

Different head coach each season too. But the good thing was Steph got tons of playing time. He started 77 games and plaed 36.2 mpg as a rookie. Yes, ultimately that team became good because they were eventually able to draft Klay and Dramond. But Steph became Steph because he got to play significant minutes from day one. In an alternate universe where the Golden State messes front office never gets it together, Stephs career is not "ruined." Instead he leaves in free agency (or via trade) and wins elsewhere, and still has the amazing career we appreciate him for, we just associate it with a different jersey.
 
#84      
Just for some historical perspective, Golden State was a mess when Steph Curry was drafted. Here are their records his first three seasons:

2009-10: 26-56
2010-11: 36-46
2011-12: 23-43 (he played less this season because of an ankle injury that required surgery)

Different head coach each season too. But the good thing was Steph got tons of playing time. He started 77 games and plaed 36.2 mpg as a rookie. Yes, ultimately that team became good because they were eventually able to draft Klay and Dramond. But Steph became Steph because he got to play significant minutes from day one. In an alternate universe where the Golden State messes front office never gets it together, Stephs career is not "ruined." Instead he leaves in free agency (or via trade) and wins elsewhere, and still has the amazing career we appreciate him for, we just associate it with a different jersey.
I don't think this will be a good comp for Keaton. Five straight years without a number one is the closest thing to the old death sentence the NCAA used to impose. Not only can you not make a pick, you can't trade those picks. The avenues to roster improvement are incredibly limited.

I think Keaton will want to win at some point, and there will be no reinforcements coming. And once picks do start again, they will be in a different development window. He simply needs to get moved out of that situation.
 
#86      
I don't think this will be a good comp for Keaton. Five straight years without a number one is the closest thing to the old death sentence the NCAA used to impose. Not only can you not make a pick, you can't trade those picks. The avenues to roster improvement are incredibly limited.

I think Keaton will want to win at some point, and there will be no reinforcements coming. And once picks do start again, they will be in a different development window. He simply needs to get moved out of that situation.
When he finishes his rookie deal, he’ll have the choice to move if he wants to.
 
#88      
I don't think this will be a good comp for Keaton. Five straight years without a number one is the closest thing to the old death sentence the NCAA used to impose. Not only can you not make a pick, you can't trade those picks. The avenues to roster improvement are incredibly limited.

I think Keaton will want to win at some point, and there will be no reinforcements coming. And once picks do start again, they will be in a different development window. He simply needs to get moved out of that situation.
Yes...for the franchise. Not for Keaton's career. The rest of his career is not going to be judged by his win/loss record of his team for the first 4-5 years of his career. At a certain point, 5 years at the longest, he can leave the Clippers. He will be 24 years old and will have had every opportunity to show what he is capable of.
 
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#89      
Yes...for the franchise. Not for Keaton's career. The rest of his career is not going to be judged by his win/loss record for the first 4-5 years of his career. At a certain point, 5 years at the longest, he can leave the Clippers. He will be 24 years old and will have had every opportunity to show what he is capable of.
He's only guaranteed 2 years of his NBA contract. Who knows where his career will be in the 2028 offseason.

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#90      
He's only guaranteed 2 years of his NBA contract. Who knows where his career will be in the 2028 offseason.

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Yes, but for a top 5 guy to not get those team options picked up is basically unheard of. The closest I can think is Johnny Davis (#10 pick) who got his 3rd year picked up but not his 4th.

And again, that wasn't because he was on a bad team. It's because he was bad and couldn't force his way onto the court. Couldn't crack the rotation. This situation made that less of a problem for Keaton, not more.
 
#93      
I don't think this will be a good comp for Keaton. Five straight years without a number one is the closest thing to the old death sentence the NCAA used to impose. Not only can you not make a pick, you can't trade those picks. The avenues to roster improvement are incredibly limited.
They'll still have the same amount of money to spend. Good draft choices are a bargain, but they have plenty of options to build a team.
 
#94      
They'll still have the same amount of money to spend. Good draft choices are a bargain, but they have plenty of options to build a team.

It's a massive and inhibiting punishment, for sure. But it will be an interesting case study...

The "art of tanking" has placed an insane value on picks, and I have this wild theory that aiming to acquire good players on good deals, is the most underrated path in the NBA right now. A team being forced to only play within those lines intrigues me.

Everyone loves picks until the pick becomes a player. Pascal Siakam for three first rounders sounds better than Pascal Siakam for Jakobe Walter, Baylor Schieremann, and Asa Newell.
 
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