Brandon Wright

[Frederick Hurley]

On Thu, February 8, 2007 2:40 pm, Jeff White wrote:
> I've seen Wright play a couple times in person this season, and he has
> tremendous skills and long-term potential. My only reservation with him
> would be that he's less of a finished product than some others, and I'm
> not sure the C's can afford to wait, say, three seasons for him to start
> to really contribute. If Boston is going to keep the pick and add yet
> another young guy, it needs to be someone who can make an impact in
> 2007-08.

That's actually the biggest argument I can see against not giving an
all-out effort to win as many games as possible this season (ie, tanking).
 Even guys like Oden and Durant will take SOME time to mature into NBA
players.  I grant you, I'd take either, and happily move on, and I think
Oden in particular will be a solid contributor very quickly, barring an
injury.  But really, let's say we get the #1 pick, and take Oden (let's
just assume we go with the big man, because he's the more NBA-ready of the
two).  He's a solid center almost imediately, if only because there are so
few truely solid centers in the NBA right now.  Does that, combined with a
healthy Pierce, Jefferson with a full year of good production, a healthy
Perk, Gomes a year older, Green a more confident, Delonte fully healthy
and in his groove, Rondo the definite #2 point, Allen working his way back
into shape, and Powe, Ray, and Telfair rounding out the roster, doing
whatever they can do in limited minutes, along with Ratliff's expiring
contract should we need to make a move, all make us a contender?  In the
Atlantic, almost certainly, unless all of these guys get injured AGAIN. 
In the East, quite possibly.  I don't know that it'll get us a banner, but
it'll be a solid team, particularly with whatever new coach they hire.

But the nagging thought remains - what if Oden, while likely to become a
great center, takes a year or two to get there?  Can management keep the
pin in the grenade long enough for that mix to coalesce into a complete
stew, as opposed to a bit pot full of random stuff from the cupboard?