What is up, fellow thermonuclear aaffers. I am Dampa Valley coming at you
with our pen ultimate installment of the NBA What If exercise. Very quickly,
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the world to me if you did all those things. As a brief refresher
before we get into this, I've published or recorded six Just Quick podcasts that
are an audio version of a project that I did for Bleacher Report a few
months ago, where I asked a person who covers, follows or roots for
each MBA team about their biggest what if for that franchise. They gave me
their responses, I include my own words. This is an audio version of
that. I know they can be tough to follow, so I've included the
actual article link in the podcast description as well. But I did practice these.
I'm getting better at the audio versions of them. And this is just
some quick, digestible sub fifteen twenty minute content that you can consume on the
go while we're in the debt of September, so to speak, with the
Mitchell trade done and Kevin Durance trade request rescinded Gobert already on the Timberwolves and
and all that jazz without further ado. Wow, all that jazz? How's
about that? Without further delay? Though, let's kind of cannonball into this.
We are up to the Southeast Division, which means we begin with the
Atlanta Hawks. Recency bias might call for yet another Luca don Chech versus Trey
Young debate, but Trey has transcendent enough himself to avoid having his faith fate
so far inexibably ineggs aably tied to Luca. The Atlanta Hawks is two thousand
and five draft day decision. On the other hand, that Bears rehashing,
and that's what sportcastings NBA mats and formerly of Hardwood Knox Adam Rommel. Adam
Brommel wrote to me, only one moment in recent Atlanta Hawks history left a
dent in my wall from a television remote thrown across the room out of frustration,
So that has to be the choice here. Once Andrew Bogan came off
the board with a number one pick of the two thousand and five NBA draft,
why did then general manager Billy Knight opt to use the second overall selection
on Marvin Williams. Even at the time it was a questionable decision since since
Williams, who had high two AY potential and everything taken into account, had
started a grand total of zero games for a championship winning North Carolina squad.
But beyond that, Darren Williams and Chris Paul came off the board directly behind
the longtime role player, and we all know how that turned out, if
you need a reminder, not too well for the Hawks. The truly baffling
part, Framwell continued, was that Atlanta actually needed help at point guard.
A twenty seven year old Tyron Low drew the majority of starts at the one
in two thousand and four two thousand and five after arriving via mid season trade
with the Houston Rockets, and the franchise didn't seem to have any long term
plans. Sure enough, Royal Ivy, taken in the second round of the
two thousand four draft, ended up starting for most of Williams's rookie year.
Just imagine how the franchise's trajectory could have been forever altered had Paul been calling
the shots for a Hawks roster that struggled to climb out of the Eastern Conference
basement during the early portion of the Joe Johnson Josh Smith era. Alternate selections
beyond this and Trey versus Luca are hard to find. I think Framwell's right.
I also still wonder what would have happened if Atlanta Al Horford and Paul
millsapp rather than let them walk in consecutive summers for nothing, But that's admittedly
much lower stakes. What if the Hawks drafted Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams
is by far and away the right call here. Our next team in this
NBA what if process, the Charlotte Hornets, who ordered yet another what if
moment headlined by Anthony Davis because CBS Sports is Kannada, Edwards has it for
you. Here's what he wrote to me. The easy answers. What if
the then Charlotte Bobcats won the twenty twelve Draft lottery and selected Anthony Davis instead
of Michael King Gilchrist the core changes dramatically considering that Kemba Walker blossom sooner,
then add that to the last vestiges of Al Jefferson. They would have accomplished
something that hadn't been done since the franchise left Charlotte in two thousand and two,
back to back playoff appearances. For advocates of optionality me personally, this
doesn't even have to be exclusively about Davis or about the then Bobcats dropping to
number two in the twenty twelve lottery despite farting out the worst winning percentage in
league history. Yes, landing a D would have altered well everything, but
they didn't just miss out on him. They selected the wrong player with their
own pick in MKG after not getting a D. What if they had taken
Bradley Beale, who went number three, or Damian Lillard, who went number
six. The latter wasn't a consensus top prospect at the time, but Beale
for sure made the cut. The Hornets just so happened to already have Kemba.
Charlotte's first round loss to the Miami Heat in twenty sixteen looms as a
secondary choice for me as well. If that team had won Game seven,
it wouldn't have gone on to bag a title, but it likely would have
doubled down harder on the core that offseason rather than just ponying up for Nick
Batoum and Marvin Williams. And this begs another interesting question, knowing what happened
after the Hornets almost beat the Heat, which is six straight lottery appearances and
made questionable self evaluation, would actually have making it out of the first round
been worse for the team's long term thinking. There's some food for thought,
but I do think the biggest what if for the Charlotte Hornets are just those
various twenty twelve draft moments or what ifs or whatever you want to consider them.
Our next team in the what if exercise is No One and only Miami
Heat. Perhaps you're drawn to a development or moment from the Miami Heats Big
Three era. Trust me, I get it because I was what if Raylan
missus, what if Lebron James never leaves? Those were my immediate and extended
thought leanings. Then Alana Tauhauer a five reason Sports reminded me of a better
one. Here's what she wrote. I can't not answer this with what if
Chris Bosh never had blood clots? To me, that changed the entire course
of the organization post Big Three, and not just on the court, but
off it as well. Without Bosh falling ill, Alana continued, Miami likely
would have never stumbled into its so called forgotten years, and as a result,
if very well, might never have gone after Jimmy Butler. And although
the cause and effect of both are easy to see from a purely basketball perspective,
the cultural ramification should not go overlooked. From the tandems of Rook one
and Rook two, Josh Richardson and Justice Winslow, gore On Dragics and Dion
Waiters known as seven to eleven, and the brothers Johnson, James and Tyler
to Dwayne Wade's return, I firmly believe everything can we trace back to losing
Bosh. A lot of it is probably right here this is wildly unsettling to
think about, and it says nothing of what the Heat might have looked like
with a fully healthy Bosh, who, despite his third wheel status during the
Heatles era, was a ridiculously good and historically underrated player. Knowing that team
president pat Riley is also addicted to superstar pursuits, I can't. I can
only imagine a post Big Three era led by Bosh peaks with the South Beach
godfather landing another marquee name even sooner. Maybe it's still Butler. Another fascinating
consequence. By the way, are the Heat with a healthy Bosh in position
to draft Tyler Hero at number thirteen in twenty nineteen. Focusing on the bronze
exit is probably fine. Which Miami doesn't get trucked by the San Antonio Spurs
in twenty fourteen is another one. But that Heat Core spent the entire season
operating on the brink in twenty fourteen and changing scenery every four years has essentially
been Lebron's modus opera Ronda since leaving Cleveland the first time. Bosch's health an
abruptly shortened career is more impactful. So was Gorn Dragu's left foot injury during
the twenty twenty NBA Finals. What if he stays healthy? Did he beat
the Lakers? Ultimately? I think Alana is right here. Miami's biggest what
if, certainly recently and knowing that it does ring a little bit hollow to
go with something from the Big three era in general, is what if Chris
bosh is still playing never has to retire? The next team up is the
Orlando Magic. Smack you in the face options are available in abundance for the
Orlando Magic. Kobe Price of the Orlando Sentinel selected a potentially painful banger.
Here's what he wrote to me. What if Grant Hill and the Magic were
able to get a better handle on his ankle injuries earlier? The Magic acquired
Hill, who started battling with injuries in two thousand while he was on the
Detroit Pistons, with the hope that he and Tre McGrady could revive the franchise
after the Shaquie O'Neill, Petty Hardaway Penny Hardaway era ended. That didn't materialize.
Hill played only four games in his first season with Orlando, fourteen in
his second, twenty nine in his third, and none in his fourth By
the time he was healthy, the Magic had traded McGrady to the Rockets,
and we're rebuilding around Dwight Howard. What heights Would a healthy Hill McGrady duo
have taken the Magic too far enough to play the Lakers in the finals,
matching up Shack against the franchise he left in nineteen ninety six. Where would
we rank Hill McGrady among all time duos? Would another non Tim Duncan star
have tried to push their way to Orlando to join them? Would Howard's career
have been altered because the Magic were too good to draft him in two thousand
and four? What would the Rockets have done if McGrady was thriving alongside Hill.
NBA history could have been altered significantly. This is incredible framing to me
by Kobe, because when we're talking about these one DFF for teams, we
tend to zoom in on how it impacts that one franchise and what it did
to them. This would have just had a triple trickle down effects for so
many franchises, most notably the Rockets, but then also what happens with Dwight
Howard there? Could it also have just impacted the Spurs by making Orlando like
more attractive for Tim Duncan. So, I mean Timmy d almost signed with
Orlando two thousands, So that's a bad example. He probably that might have
been my biggest what if. And look as an aside, the Magic should
definitely be a more popular free agency destination. Just saying tilting, you could
tilt towards what if Shack or Dwight never left? That works too. And
then of course we have Nick Anderson's missed free throws from Game one of the
nineteen ninety five finals. But Hill's entire career is a gigantic what if.
He's already remembered as one of the most unique and versatile players in league history.
He'd go down as one of the most dominant if injuries hadn't wrecked his
availability and Peak Team Mac and Peak Hill absolutely would have been championship material,
a wing duo unlike any other in the NBA at the time. Our next
team in this NBA would have exercise the Washington Wizards, something related to the
Wizards of the mid twenty tens. Was my original intention in this space.
What if John Wall never gets injured in their second round series against the very
good but beatable Hawks in twenty fifteen. What if Kelly Olynick doesn't mutate into
Larry Bird one point five in Game seven of the twenty seventeen Eastern Conference semifinals.
Quit Mayo from bet MGM elected to go the draft night route, and
here's what he wrote to me. Selecting Jan Vesley at six overall in twenty
eleven when they could have drafted Klay Thompson at who went number eleven, or
Kawhi Leonard, who went fifteenth overall, is my pick, Mayo continued.
While the front office has shown a neptitude across multiple regimes when it comes to
giving out good contracts or trading for the right players, the crushing blow has
been their inability to draft and develop. Vesley is an all time bust,
and that misstep is compounded when you consider Thompson and Leonard were right there.
Also, to add insult to injury, Washington worked out Leonard pre draft,
and reports at the time outlined Washington's decision ultimately coming between Leonard and Vestley.
They chose the wrong guy, because of course they did. This is look
if you think that they were gonna pick Kauai if not Vestly, this is
the right choice. Washington, likewise, was in the mix for going with
Thompson. There are reports out there that say that that further cements the Vestly
decision in the what if an alls it isn't always good for him to ding
teams for past decisions that might have been considered to reach. But the twenty
eleven draft class was a borderline free for all after Kyrie Irving at number one
and Derrick Williams at number two. If you wanted to go different routes,
defending the Kwami round pick at number one in two thousand and one is actually
easier than defending this Vestle pick. Kwami was virtually a consensus top prospect after
pre draft workouts. Vestley never reached that level. You could also go with
laying in egg in Game seven against the Celtics in two seventeen. That's probably
my own pick, actually, and Mayo said it was his runner up.
But failing to make the conference finals isn't unforgivable, knowing the defending champion and
Cavaliers awaited at the time, But that twenty sixteen twenty seventeen Wizard squad was
special. The absolute apex of the Bradley Beale and John Wall Captain Era.
Still, what if the Wizards had gotten Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson. It's
a pretty big, freaking what if. That will do it for this penultimate
edition of the NBA What If Exercise. Please remember to subscribe to this podcast,
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Until next time, and as always, I leave you with the shout out
till one, the only, the indelible, Frank Nila Key