Will Clayton be drafted in round 1?

I’ll be surprised if it is not the Heat.

Wishing great luck to all our guys!

Hope everyone is great!

 

Wasn’t Florida on Coward’s shortlist if he had elected to stay in school? What a rise up the boards by that young man.

 

NBA doesn't like Seniors. LOL

 

Do the teams choreograph their draft picks in advance? If Walter goes to Miami or Orlando (as “predicted” by draft experts), it just gnarls my craw that a Rutgers guard and a Texas guard were picked earlier than the leader of the national champions.

 

Jazz!

 

The answer is yes

 

Congrats Walt!

The way they announce trades but don't change the logos or the hats is sooo cheap lol

 

I'm now a Utah Jazz fan. Walter Clayton, Jr = Winner.

 

—
That was bugging me too, that he was wearing a Wizard’s hat

But congratulations Walt. So happy for you.

 

I wish he could have stayed in FLA

 

Washington

 

No, its the Jazz. They traded up to get him from the Wizards. Picks swap #18 for #21, plus Jazz gave up multiple 2nd round picks

 

Crap man.
Well at least it wasnt really the Wiz.

 

Congrats to Walter and his family! Great to see Coach Golden there also.

 

#18 is pretty damn good, just outside the lottery...
The Jazz will be happy. Looks like I'll be watching more Jazz games

 

Just checking...were you surprised?

 

They may just take another Gator too.

 

Yeah, this is about as good of a place to post this as any. Thanks.

If it weren't for wanting to see where Clayton was being drafted and an added bonus of his being there with his family/friends, the NBA draft is SO much silliness that it defies logic. Actually, it defines the NBA. All they truly care about, even after a quite remarkable finals by two teams and not a collection of "Uber-talent", is sizzle rather than steak. The O-a-D setup was supposed to prevent that but it is still firmly in place. About the only thing the last season did was to make wings a top priority instead of point forwards (Flagg being the exception) or really long players who can run. And the latter came in the middle to later part of the round so nothing has really changed.

I sort of get that a player can get drafted based on what a team is dealing with in the next year or two. Let's say Houston is a good example as they need to go for it now with a maturing Durant, whereas a young team, or one who has proclaimed they are in a total rebuild (damn rare in sports, even the Suns don't really say it), can take a player whose ceiling looks pretty high but needs to develop (just like they all need to do). And so, you get a "plays good now" player on a Houston team scenario whereas the others can get all pie-in-the-sky. And yes, the NBA is rarely about the draft and almost entirely about the silly season, which comes immediately after the draft.

What makes basketball so different than the other team sports (I guess besides pro volleyball) is that there are so few players on teams that one or two key pieces can mean the difference between a championship caliber team and one that struggles to get to the playoffs. And so, the siren's song of getting "one of those guys". But still, besides what I consider a league that is almost exclusively about marketing their product and not the actual product (LeBron is about the best example there is), unless a Flagg shows up (and he is still too young to know whether he will hit a ceiling too low or not) you plainly do not know whether an "elite talent" at the lower levels (even overseas) will work well in the upper levels. My prime example? How about Zion? Is he a bum or is he just injury prone? Methinks he is both and he can "rationalize" his injuries. Is he yesterday's trash and a data point for teams to do better going forward?

If what I saw in the draft is any indication, he and his ilk STILL rule the NBA. Listen, I like the passion and humility shown by plenty of the guys who were drafted (Clayton being the most obvious), but I also see bunch of rich (because of the new realities of the NIL) idiots and their handlers who think they are entitled to even more wealth and status. And for many, they can cry all the way to the bank when/if they flame out. But that takes some fiscal discipline and that seems to be missing in spades.

Not sure why the NBA is going to show the second round. I guess it is because it is the summer, it is hot outside, baseball is best in person, and so it is better to stay inside with the a/c and the HDTV and watch more silliness. It is what it is.

And to your post which I am replying to, yeah, the contract stipulation on what you have to do to get the players their value without damaging a team financially ( I presume the one who is actually getting the player) looks REALLY stupid in a made-for-tv event. If ever there was a good reason to take the initiative and change the dynamic of a sport and just announce the draft and not televise it, this would be a good one. Fat chance. As I said, the NBA is ALL about selling the sizzle and not the product.

And now I end this with my most disdain for the NBA: the off-season trading and signing of the middling players who can play but are not truly keys to winning championships. The money these folks make is outrageous, and no, I am not being envious. Sure I would like some of that, just like I would like some of what a bunch of "notable" but rather incompetent head coaches in the major college ranks get to acquire. But still, it is a sign that the whole thing is a bunch of bunk. And, while I am more pissed at the reality of the NIL on college sports, it is still on all of us in that WE watch these sports/teams/players and feed our monies to them, either directly via NIL or purchasing tickets or gear or the products that are being marketed via commercials and product placement - isn't Aflac wonderful? - and so, if we don't truly vote with our wallets to change it all, it just continues.

Anyway, thanks again for the setup for my philosophical rant. I don't think I would have taken the time if Walter wasn't in the draft. And to my mental outlook (if you or others don't peruse my posts), I have about this year (2025/2026) to see something akin to sanity, at least at UF and sports/ academia, regardless of the inaneness of other universities and sports, before I check out completely. I do hope Napier is what we need to weather the storm of this absolute insanity, and that Golden pulls out another FF appearance (winning it all obviously would be nicer) and sets us up for a true blueprint for success at the major college level and not just a processor of talent to the elite professional ranks - since the college players are now pros.

But we shall see. And as a parting bit of advice...again, remember to stock up on your medication of choice for the upcoming season(s). You will thank me when reality comes to fruition.

 

Yeah, I am not sure whether I have what it takes to watch Utah basketball. It feels like an eastern team would get more exposure for me. But if the team gets good, I can see where it makes it on "regular" TV and not provincial sports channels. But damn, he got someone's attention a bit earlier than what I and most thought. Good for him, and let's hope he makes us all proud.