Just before draft night, I said I didn’t think LaMelo Ball should go #1.

I am not backing out of that statement.

I thought the defensive shortcomings were too glaring, and that he had a lot more ground to cover in terms of his overall game to be drafted 1st overall.

Also, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who owned the #1 pick, needed a more complete player, right now. The likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell need to make the jump to a playoff team in the Western Conference before the Wolves are forced to blow it up, so Anthony Edwards made the most sense, as his body and skill set are more ‘immediate NBA impact’ ready for their roster.

So not #1, fine.

But when the Warriors took James Wiseman 2nd in the waking moments that followed Klay Thompson’s torn Achilles, I had a feeling they might have made a mistake.

Don’t get me wrong, James Wiseman made the most sense for the Dubs, like Edwards did for Minnesota.

The Warriors desperately needed a 7-footer in the paint that they could rely on, even better if for some years. With the likes of Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokić standing in the way of any hopes of making it out of the Western Conference, the Warriors sought to solidify the spot with the draft’s most coveted center. Not to mention if they ever did summit the mountain, they would have Joel Embiid or newly cemented big-man Bam Adebayo potentially waiting for them in any hypothetical Finals series.

The big-man is making a comeback of sorts, and they didn’t have many answers in house. Marquese Chriss is serviceable at best despite fitting into the Warriors’ system nicely, Kevon Looney has been pitifully overhyped by Dubs stans, and no matter how much I shamelessly defend Alen Smailagić to my peers, he’s not a long-term answer against the best of the league’s bigs either.

So the Wiseman pick was the safest and most sane. And it isn’t at all a bad pick; Wiseman can tango with the West’s best bigs for the next decade as he grows, and become Golden State’s first great big-man since…well, I don’t think comparing him to Nate Thurmond at this time would be appropriate. And nobody’s Wilt, so…

Andrew Bogut? Rookie Chris Webber? BIEDRINS?

Anyway, the point is Wiseman with the Warriors will be more than good.

But LaMelo could’ve been magical, not only for the retweets, but for the franchise.

So hear this out.

Yes, it’s been FOUR PRESEASON games.
Yes, his shot has looked pretty dismal at times.
Yes, defense bad.
Yes, he’s perhaps the biggest work-in-progress in years.
And yes, why would a team that has Stephen freakin’ Curry draft a point guard over Wiseman.

Well, because of a few things.

Curry is still the best point guard in the league, bite me if you disagree. But his very best years are behind him. He’s still going to be crafty enough to get by most defenders with his elite ball handling, but he’s only going to slow down year after year, not to mention he’d been injury prone in his prime already. As the driving force behind Golden State’s greatness, as the captain begins to deteriorate, the ship will follow accordingly.

The aforementioned Klay Thompson will now nurse another devastating leg injury, this time on his other previously healthy leg. There’s no doubt in my mind Klay will return to form as a shooter, and regain his status as the league’s first or second most lethal sniper from long range. But his lockdown defensive ways that made him so invaluable and a top-3 two-way player (Kawhi #1, everyone else, debatable) in the NBA are all but gone. These quicker, more explosive guards we’ve been accustomed to seeing Thompson slow down are going to have a much easier time blowing by him. Lastly, despite being 2 years young than Steph (30), these injuries leave Klay’s best years behind him as well.

The last of the OG core is Draymond Green, still the heartbeat of the Dubs and their proverbial leader. Green is locked up to be a Warrior for some time like the Splash Brothers, but if the good times keep diminishing like they have recently, I would imagine Draymond’s drive to win championships might urge him to move on to greener pastures (pun totally intended). Even with all that, we’ve seen the toll that the Warriors’ incredible, dominating run has had on their stars, and Draymond has been the Warriors most used player in terms of total minutes next to Thompson. Despite being more physically durable, Draymond’s days of locking up guys twice his size in the post and playing big minutes nightly might be just memories now. Not to mention he’s at his best offensively when the Warriors are running at full strength, which we can barely hope to see with any kind of consistency ever again.

And KD left.

So with Golden State’s core of All-Stars potentially staring into the abyss, the Warriors are looking at some impending down seasons in the next few years if things go south quickly. The likelihood of another championship is also looking bleak. With the two powerhouse LA teams, the upstart Nuggets, Suns, and Pelicans (more like 2-3 years from now for NOLA), and the always formidable Blazers and Rockets, all of whom are set up to run it every year for the next 4-6 years, the Dubs might blink and find themselves back at the bottom of the West sooner than later.

Now let’s talk Ball.

LaMelo’s preseason has showcased the unattainable, unteachable “WOW” factor he possesses. Obviously he isn’t Magic Johnson, or Curry during his MVP years, but so far, Ball has proven already that he has that innate ‘something’ that makes the likes of hardcore NBA junkies and casuals alike have no choice but to tune into.

Whether it’s been his effortless full-court baseball passes, the behind-the-back no-looks in transition, or dancing on the perimeter and launching a three-point bomb, LaMelo Ball has dazzled the basketball world in 4 meaningless scrimmages, let alone during a Sunday Showcase or a potential playoff series. And, thanks to Lavar’s antics, he’s already had our attention since he was in high school, and that constant eye will be on him whether you like him or you hate him, or whether his team is good or bad.

Ball is also exactly the type of player free agents would want to come and play with, even if the allure of playing in Golden State fades with their big 3. He runs, gets guys easy open looks, and is a human highlight reel I’m sure guys in the future are going to love to be featured in.

And finally, he can only get better with time.

So imagine what will happen to Golden State does happen: their beloved core continues to age and eat up salary as they trend downwards, each year moving further and further from their championship ways. They don’t really have the money or the attractiveness to land a big fish, and they kind of just stay around the 5-8 seeds or worse until their historic trio fizzle out and they start to rebuild.

I’m not saying the Warriors are going to suck anytime soon, but I am saying, if you’re a Dubs fan who still thinks they’re going to the Finals every year, you’d probably either be one of or have a lot in common with the San Francisco Giants fans who thought and somehow still think they can genuinely compete for a World Series these past years.

You can’t be good forever. Even the damn Yankees haven’t won one in a decade. It just doesn’t last. And unless you are the Yankees, or the Lakers, who can rely on their brand name to keep them relevant during down times, you have to have something to urge people to watch.

And I know Dub Nation has enjoyed the national spotlight they’ve earned in every way imaginable, and will not be looking to give it up.

So why not take the young guard who can replace your soon to be aging ones, who has that illusive “WOW” factor, and let whatever shortcomings he has in his game be molded out of him by the greatest point guard of his era, and the coach that helped make him that?

LaMelo is box office, and the aura around his game and his status in the media will draw the crowds, something a team that has rebuilding circling in the distance and doesn’t have a reputation of being a big market team could definitely use.

If Wiseman is your star of tomorrow after a pseudo-revival of the big, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a guard/wing-centric league, and if the idea is to get a good player that can potentially be your future building block if the walls come crumbling down, how is that not LaMelo?

If we’re talking right now, yes he needs the ball in his hands, as does Steph, but Steph’s movement off ball is gorgeous, and giving him a break being the primary ball handler could help his longevity especially after being injured for nearly all of last season. The Warriors still play fast, best suited to LaMelo’s style. With Ball, they could have probably skipped out on the Kent Bazemore and/or Brad Wanamaker signings and grabbed a quick fix option with Dwight Howard or Hassan Whiteside instead to man the middle and be your obligatory 7-footer when necessary. The guard options right now behind Steph and Wanamaker are Damion Lee? Jordan Poole? Nico Mannion if they had even still drafted him after drafting Ball? Give me a break.

LaMelo either sharing time with Steph, with or without the ball, or in a second unit with slashers like Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr., literally any corner shooter for space, and a in house or free agent lob threat center is plenty capable as a second unit, at least offensively.

And above all, the kid looks good for crying out loud. Again, 4 preseason games, but you teach him some defensive discipline and get an up-tempo team around him, you could be solid, and undoubtedly exciting, for a while if things work out that way.

AND on the flip side, say Klay somehow makes a Herculean return, Curry and Draymond find the fountain of youth, and you’re in a position to add one more piece and win a title again, you can dangle Ball in a trade to a team that desperately needs relevance and talent for said piece, and you try to win it all again in your core’s swan song if you really aren’t happy with what he’s giving you.

I just don’t see how they could’ve let him go, unless they really weren’t sold on his workout or his abilities. You can pull the personality fit card, but if Steph, Klay, and Dray could get along with the enigma that is Kevin Durant and even Boogie Cousins to a degree, they can get along with LaMelo and Lavar.

Of course, any counter(s) is Curry’s got plenty left in the tank, I already discussed Wiseman being smarter/safer/sensible-r, a LaMelo pick wouldn’t be showing much faith in Klay who could’ve walked but wanted to be a Warrior for life, he wouldn’t play nearly as much behind Steph as he would on the Hornets, let alone with Steph, small sample size, didn’t want to overpay a center this offseason, yaddah yaddah yaddah.

But we did see a former fan-favorite named Monta Ellis who was confronted with an adapt or die scenario when Curry was drafted and began showing flashes of greatness. The organization tried the two out together for some time, and when it didn’t work, they went with the younger option and kind of went on to form the greatest team ever assembled, all thanks to that younger option who only became the greatest shooter to ever walk planet Earth.

Is Monta Ellis in any way, shape, or form the equivalent to Stephen Curry? Absolutely not.

Is the situation similar? In part, but mostly not. Steph brought the Warriors rings, and is their most beloved player in franchise history.

Will LaMelo become Steph? There can be only one, folks.

But Monta was on the verge of trending downward, was pretty loved by the fanbase, and at the time, still a very good offensive player.

I’m just saying, history has a weird way of repeating itself. But in this case, we’ll never know.

Just like we’ll never know what could have become of a LaMelo Ball led Golden State Warriors, at least for now. I mean, there’s no shot he stays in Charolette forever, right?

Either way, the Warriors might have made the right pick.

But they could’ve made the pick that would’ve saved them from the doom approaching on the horizon.

I hope this post doesn’t bite me in the ass in 2 years.

Cheers.