In a maneuver that I will surely be reminded of by my buddies for months, if not years, I aggravated my trapezius muscle by sitting up to answer a phone at work. Beyond lame -- what's worse, lowering my right arm, looking up or down, and moving my right hand hurts like hell. In short, every other key stroke is agony, and that's just how much I love you all. Since thinking through the pain is difficult (even with Naproxen and Cyclobenzaprine ... or maybe because of them...), I'm going to try and keep things short.
Chad Ford sure kicked the hornets' nest, tossing Javale McGee's name into the (media-driven?) scramble for the #2 pick as a one for one. Ford's scenario syncs up with my expectations of JVM's trade value: being worth an unprotected lottery pick, I just thought if anyone would be willing to do that, it would have been the Cavaliers. Guess Minnesota's getting ready to contend, y'all. For those of us who might think we're getting completely taken in that deal, is a couple of years of Javale McGee worth more to the Timberwolves from where they stand than Mike Milller and Randy Foye were worth to the Wizards leading up to the 2009 draft? From a pure draft perspective, I think Javale McGee would easily be in the conversation to go #1, and the Wolves need a center more than they need a power forward (duh). Should be a no brainer for them.
For us, of course, the question is less simple, especially when we can't be certain either Enes Kanter or Jonas Valanciunas won't be available to plug the hole JVM leaves at No. 6. A John Wall/Jordan Crawford/Nick Young/Derrick Williams/Andray Blatche small ball lineup should have no problems scoring, and should prove tantalizing, especially if 'the old guard needs to go' camp holds sway. But we'd be giving up one of the most exciting Center prospects in the league for an exciting SF prospect, and that fact lies heavily on our troubled brows. However, Enes Kanter may not be as unavailable as we expect.
Projecting the draft is a uncertain process, to say the least. But a situation that could leave us with four first round picks in consecutive years isn't at all unappealing. Considering the youth oriented roster in a build very light on veterans, Javale is in an unusual position. The only reason I could see him being available at all is because he seems to be in cultural no man's land; a relatively senior player the Wizards desperately need to exhibit veteran leadership who simply doesn't yet seem to be up to the task. Comparing skillsets, if one needs to go from a culturally holistic standpoint, it's easier to come by Andray's versus Javale's, but the contract situation swings the needle in the opposite direction, the only miscue of the Ted Leonsis era. So we have a Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry situation with Andray Blatche/Javale McGee, except Andray's current perception as a one-in-fiver makes him virtually untradeable for the pure value of a high lottery pick.
Something to keep in mind: Andray's contract will expire at the same time as this year's first round picks. When the time comes to re-up, there should be few questions as to who deserves what contract in a franchise built to contend around John Wall. Javale is still on his rookie contract, but with only a few years left and with a taste for the urban lifestyle, it's doubtful he elects to remain in Minny, especially with a new CBA driving his price down. Maybe we're just sending him to attend the Kevin Love school of rebounding in person with an eye to a re-signing after, ah, outsourcing his next few years of development. My shoulder's screaming for another round of meds and I wrote more than I originally intended. In short, Javale can be brought back, Andray's contract is manageable, and the benefits of the #2 (and maybe the #20) coming back in a straight up trade are too enticing to pass up. I should go a bit further, but I'll save it for the comments later today. When it comes to playing through the pain, I'm no Rajon Rondo.