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sports Diaranson 18 november 2020

The wait is over: Delayed NBA draft finally comes Wednesday

(AP) - There was no dancing on five straight NBA Finals before tum-
the court after a March Madness bling to the bottom of the league
victory. No bounding onto the when Stephen Curry and Klay
stage in a spiffy suit to meet the Thompson were injured. Charlotte
commissioner in June. picks third, followed by Chicago and
Cleveland.
The coronavirus pandemic wiped out The teams lacked some resources to
the traditional end of a college career evaluate players, without the normal
and the usual start of a pro one. Play- draft combine in Chicago or the abil-
ers such as Anthony Edwards, LaMe- ity to invite players to their facilities
lo Ball and James Wiseman should be for meetings and workouts. Perhaps
about a month into their rookie sea- that's partly the reason there is no
sons by now, but their plans were put consensus No. 1 pick this year like
on hold. Zion Williamson in 2019.
“I would say the analysis is fair. There
After multiple delays, the NBA draft is no guy that has separated themself
finally arrives Wednesday. Like every- from the pack, from public or exter-
one else in 2020, this year's class of nal view," Timberwolves President
players has tried to make the best of Gersson Rosas said.
their difficult circumstances.
“I feel like it was better for me,” Ed- Edwards believes the lack of an
wards said. “I haven’t complained, I NCAA Tournament hurt the players.
haven’t tripped about it at all. I just They couldn't make a final collegiate
felt like it was better for me because statement like Ja Morant did when he
more time for me to get better and turned in a triple-double in an upset
get ready for the NBA.” victory for Murray State in the first
round of the 2019 NCAA Tourna-
The freshman guard from Georgia ment. That helped secure him as the
is one of the leading candidates to be No. 2 pick behind Williamson and he
picked first by the Minnesota Tim- was a runaway winner of the Rookie
berwolves. Ball, a guard who skipped of the Year award after nearly leading
college to play professionally over- Memphis to the playoffs.
seas, and 7-foot-1 Memphis fresh-
man center Wiseman are the other Wiseman wouldn't have had that
headliners in the class. chance anyway. He averaged 19.7
points and 10.7 rebounds in three
The draft is usually held in June in games after arriving as the nation's
New York, where Adam Silver an- No. 1 recruit, then was suspended by
nounces the first-round picks. The the NCAA for eligibility reasons and
top players sit at tables in the front of announced he was leaving the pro-
the arena and when their names are gram to prepare for the draft.
called, put on a hat with the logo of
the team that picked them and walk “Of course I wanted to win a national
onto the stage for a handshake and a championship, of course I wanted
photo with the commissioner. to establish that situation with my
teammates,” he said. “I love my team-
This time, Silver will be announcing mates, I actually text them every day.
the picks from the ESPN campus in But you know how life happens. Like,
Bristol, Connecticut. Players have stuff hits you out of nowhere, but I
been shipped boxes of hats for wher- feel that me just being there gave me
ever they will be watching to choose a lot of mental toughness, gave me a
the one they need when their name lot of maturity as a person.”
is called.
He worked out for only the Warriors
It's not the draft night they wanted, and Hornets, suggesting the Wolves
but the excitement of becoming a may be choosing between Edwards
pro player won't diminish. Not when and Ball with 2015 No. 1 pick Karl-
they've been waiting since March, Anthony Towns entrenched as their
when sports stopped just days before man in the middle.
the selection of the NCAA Tourna-
ment field, to start playing ball again. If it's Ball, he ends a run a 10 straight
one-and-dones to be the No. 1 pick.
“I mean, playing in games, I missed it Blake Griffin in 2009 is the last non-
a lot. But at the same time, this extra college freshman to be the top selec-
time, it’s only helping me,” said for- tion.
ward Obi Toppin, the national col-
lege player of the year from Dayton. Ball didn't do college at all, playing
“I feel like I’m more prepared and professionally in Lithuania and Aus-
mentally prepared for when the time tralia. It certainly wasn't the smooth-
comes, and I feel like when I’m on est path to the NBA, which perhaps
the court and that jump ball goes up, makes him the perfect player to han-
I feel like I’ve been waiting so long dle a year when everything else about
that it’s going to be an amazing feel- the draft process has been upended.
ing.” “I feel like I’m just the right man for
it,” Ball said. “Like I said, I feel like
The Golden State Warriors have the I’m born for this whole thing going
No. 2 pick, a chance to add a top on.”
young player to a team that reached