After a year far exceeding expectations, the Grizzlies bowed out of the season in Saturday’s playoff game, our rookie point guard scoring 35 with a broken thumb. So where does that leave Memphis in respect to the 2020 NBA draft?
This Yahoo! Sports article explains. The Grizzlies are considered to have the 14th worst finish in the NBA this year – to put that another way, they will be a lottery team but will be considered the best of the worst. Therefore, they will have the least number of chances to jump to one of the top four draft picks in the 2020 NBA lottery, set to take place Thursday at 7:30 on ESPN. Precisely, they will have a 2.4 percent chance to jump into the top four, and a 97.6 percent chance they will end up with the 14th and final lottery pick.
But wait… the Grizzlies still have to CONVEY THAT PICK to the Boston Celtics to compensate for the Jeff Green trade that happened years ago. The pick is top-6 protected for 2020 and unprotected for 2021. So if the Grizz hit their 2.4% chance and jump into the top four this week, they keep their pick this year, but unconditionally send their 2021 pick to Boston, even if it is the number-one draft pick. If the Grizz land in the 97.6% in the 2020 lottery, Boston picks 14th in this year draft and the trade obligation is fulfilled.
As exciting as the thought of James “Big Ticket” Wiseman in Beale Street Blue might be, it would be far preferable to CONVEY THAT PICK this draft rather than next. The 2021 draft class is considerably deeper to the point that a No. 7 pick next year might turn out better than a No. 3 pick this year. It’s by no means the end of the world to pick in the top 4 in 2020, but Memphis would probably be better off hoping for no first rounder and some savvy second-round moves by the front office in the 2020 draft.
Interesting development: A lawsuit alleges that late 19th-early 20th century robber The Sundance Kid is buried in Elmwood Cemetery. The suit seeks to exhume the remains of a man who died in October 1930 and who is buried in the cemetery for comparison.
Local musician John Paul Keith is back with another online concert tonight at 8.
There’s an online cooking class with Chef Eli, presented by the Downtown Memphis Commission, on Facebook tonight at 6.
If you need some stunning new wallpaper, how about an image of Mars?
The 2020 Democratic National Convention is this week. Here are the ways you can watch. Regardless of your party affiliation, this convention will be historic because of the pandemic’s effects on its organization. Scheduled to speak during prime time tonight: Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
I didn’t get around posting until about 4 yesterday afternoon, and the post was analysis of Shelby County COVID-19 data. We could hit the tripwires allowing limited service restaurants to reopen before Labor Day, if things keep trending in their current direction. Scroll on if you haven’t read yet. Back tomorrow with more news.