DRAFT: #18 [Green] & #31 [Terry] & trade for #36 [Tyler Bey]

[Mavs2019]

https://theathletic.com/2162937/2020/10/29/timberwolves-draft-smokescreens/?article_source=search&search_query=Timberwolves

Thought this was interesting for Mavs fans, and it furthers the point of "you can't believe anything at this time of year."

Seven months of draft preparations, film chewing and intelligence gathering has only ramped up the gamesmanship, but this is a tale as old as time. For Wolves fans, it has happened since birth. When the franchise was entering its first draft in 1989, then-coach Bill Musselman was high on a point guard from Texas-El Paso named Tim Hardaway. But prior to the draft, Muss was told by Warriors coach Don Nelson to be wary of Hardaway because his knees were an issue. Musselman took Nelson’s counsel to heart and chose a different point guard, Pooh Richardson, with the franchise’s first-ever draft pick.

Four spots later, at No. 14 overall, who did the Warriors select? Hardaway, who turned into a five-time All-Star and the quarterback of the Run TMC era in Golden State.

Several executives polled in the last few days pointed to the 2017 draft, when the Dallas Mavericks were believed to be high on French guard Frank Ntilikina at pick No. 9. Reports leaked prior to the draft of their intention to hire Ntilikina’s coach in France to coach their summer league team. And a photo of Mavs owner Mark Cuban visiting Ntilikina in France circulated in the weeks before the draft. Cuban’s GM? Donnie Nelson, Don’s son.

The Knicks ended up selecting Ntilikina with the eighth pick. The Mavs took Dennis Smith Jr. at No. 9, and there was belief that is who they wanted all along.

So cute these highsight checkers players. I was saying at the time, that they weren´t in Europe in the summer of 2017 to watch Ntilikina. They were there to watch Doncic.

Then I recently saw a video of Terry Ronzone talking about Luka Doncic and the first time he ever heard and seen Doncic was at age 14 in a Real Madrid youth game. I´m like mofo how can you not know his name at that point. He was eight, when they wanted to play him against 14 year olds in Slovenia, because he was too goodfor all the other age groups. The difference in body maturity alone. That´s like having a six months year old destroy 4 year olds in a running competition. And you don´t know about this baby. That´s the whole point of your existence.