There was a whiff of bullshit coming out of Jim Rome is Burning on Wednesday. Honestly, I have hesitated to comment on it because the overall conclusion (that John Wall should be the #1 pick) is something I agree with. Oh well, this blog was created as a medium for us to comment on shit so here goes:
Rome posed this question to ESPN columnist Jamele Hill:
"Has there ever been a more sure fire first pick than John Wall?"
The answer should have been an emphatic "HELL YES!!! Consider LeBron James ('03), Tim Duncan ('97), Shaquille O'Neal ('92), and many others! How 'bout Lew Alcindor in 1969? Any chance he was more 'sure fire' than John Wall?"
The answer Jemele Hill gave was a more wishy-washy answer of you're right but I like Evan Turner.
Rome responded with:
"Look... Evan Turner, I love the guy... but you got a point guard. A point guard that's just gonna kill guys for a decade and he's on top. I think you gotta take him."
Okay, so he seems to be arguing that point guards are at a premium and, hence, are highly sought after even at the very top of the draft. Dear reader, are you ready to see the list of point guards that have gone #1 in the Lottery era? I hope you have several minutes to absorb this list... okay here goes:
2008 - Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
End of list. Did you take the time to really absorb it?
Okay, another way I want to look at it. Can we consider the best guards of the post-Earvin/Isiah era. Off the top of my head, I came up with these players:
John Stockton
Gary Payton
Steve Nash
Jason Kidd
Kevin Johnson
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Mark Price
Do you know how many titles have been won by those eight elite point guards?
One. Gary Payton latched onto the 2006 Miami Heat at the end of his career (he averaged 7.7 ppg and 3.2 apg that season) and got himself a ring. The other seven are, at least thus far, titleless.
Nevertheless, as I pointed out at the beginning, I don't mean to denigrate John Wall's potential NBA impact. I believe I saw him in one game before reporting to my Furriners colleagues that John Wall was the real deal. Like Derrick Rose... but better. However, like Jemele Hill (and Jim Rome), I also really like Evan Turner. He is also the real deal and Philly will be getting themselves a future All Star as well.
* this prediction is moot if LeBron James signs with the Chicago Bulls.
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