Race to the bottom: The Andrew Wiggins tankfest

And the clouds parted to reveal a light from the heavens and from the light emerged the next basketball saviour. Clad in a Kansas jersey and boasting of Canadian pride, he would be destined to become the tonic to instantly rejuvenate any NBA franchise, and eventually, help reshape the whole league.

Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins during photo shoot at Allen Fieldhouse.Lawrence, KS. (Getty Images)

That saviour is college freshman Andrew Wiggins, who will join the NBA next season as perhaps the most-hyped prospect since LeBron James. Wiggins has it all: a 6’8” small forward with a large wingspan, elite athleticism, the ability to score in bunches and in a variety of ways, consistent perimeter shooting, unselfishness when required on the offensive end and the potential to develop his physical skills to become an elite defender. Add his relatively low-profile character to the mix and he will be a sure-fire superstar in the NBA.

Players like Wiggins don’t show up in the draft every year (look back at the 2013 draft for further reference). So when they do, anyone and everyone who is within shouting distance of the Wiggins’ sweepstakes will fight it out to win the rights to draft his talents. And this fight – like every fight for NBA’s number one draft pick – will be one for the biggest (and lucky) loser.

Through the course of the season, most fans will concern themselves with the number one spot, the team that finally finishes at top when the season is over. The best teams will be in the running: Champions Miami Heat, runners-up San Antonio Spurs, and other challengers like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Indiana Pacers.

While the league’s best fight it out at the top, there will be an equal-and-opposite dog-fight in the bottom. The worst teams will have the best odds to get a high pick in next year’s draft. And thus, improve their chances of calling out Wiggins’ name first in the 2014 draft.

Canadian basketball phenomenon Andrew Wiggins rising high for a dunk at McMaster University in Hamilton. (Getty Images)

Sometime similar happened in the summer of 2012, when Kentucky big man Anthony Davis was available and touted to be the undoubted number one. At the tail end of the NBA’s annual race, a half-dozen teams ‘battled’ it out for the worst spots, and eventually, the lottery fell to the way of the New Orleans Hornets-turned-Pelicans to make the 2012 top pick. Judging by Davis’ steady development and his potential to become a franchise centrepiece, the last-place victory was worth it.

Just like 2012 – when Davis was followed by an impressive group of other young prospects – the 2014 Draft promises to be dripping with talent. Any team to get a pick anywhere in the top seven will be happy.

Kentucky’s Julius Randle, Australian guard Dante Exum, Arizona freshman Aaron Gordon, the phenomenal Jabari Parker, the Harrison twins, Marcus Smart and a few more have future-All-Star potential written all over them.

But unless there’s an unexpected injury (word to Nerlens Noel) or someone like Randle, Parker or Exum has a mind-blowing season, Wiggins will be the driving force of this season’s tankfest.

It may be a good time to buy into the bandwagon stocks of a struggling team: one of them is going to find a huge pot of gold next summer. Here are the NBA’s worst in contention for the number one pick in 2014:

Evan Turner #12 and Thaddeus Young #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers smile during the game against the Sacramento Kings on January 10, 2012 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers are in complete lose-now mode. They traded their All-Star point guard to New Orleans for the injured rookie Nerlens Noel, who will sit out at least half of the season. They made no intention to resign Andrew Bynum and his hairdos.

And they have now handed the keys to their team to (eeks!) Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young. Depending on how dedicated they are to the greater tanking purpose, this could be one of the worst teams of all time.

Orlando Magic: The Magic have been tanking since they traded former franchise centre Dwight Howard for a bag of peanuts a year ago. Now, with a roster of that is going to expect big contributions from Nikola Vucevic, Arron Afflalo, and rookie second-pick rookie Victor Oladipo, they are likely to free-fall down the Eastern Conference standings again.

Phoenix Suns: As Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose discussed in their preview for this team last week, the Suns have a roster of individuals that can eventually serve to help other teams more than their own. This is a team where nearly everyone, including Marcin Gortat and Goran Dragic, is on sale.

They are in complete rebuild mode, and will expect Eric Bledsoe to be their best player. Bledsoe’s got talent, but if he’s your best player right now, you’re tanking. Alex Len can eventually become a commanding big man to build their young roster around for the future.

Arron Afflalo #4 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket with Nikola Vucevic #9 as Metta World Peace #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers gives chase during a 113-103 Magic win at Staples Center on December 2, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

Utah Jazz: Utah got rid of their talented inside men Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap in the same offseason to declare their intentions in the Wiggins race. But the departure of Jefferson and Millsap makes room for young bigs Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors to move in as regular starters, and this could potentially be a fun pairing. Add them up with Gordon Hayward and the Burke-Burks backcourt (Trey Burke-Alec Burks), and you have a team that can be fun to watch. Not successful, but fun to watch.

Boston Celtics: Oh, how the mighty of fallen! Ubuntu is dead, long live Ubuntu. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are in Brooklyn. Ray Allen moved to Miami a year ago. And Doc Rivers is now coaching the Clippers. The Celtics are left with an injured Rajon Rondo, the inconsistent-but-tantalizing pair of Jeff Green and Avery Bradley, and a bunch of important expiring contracts.

This team has a history of featuring some of the greatest players in the NBA, so perhaps them sucking the season before Wiggins’ arrival will be another wondrous moment in regaining the luck of the Irish.

Charlotte Bobcats: The good news is that the Bobcats – with Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Cody Zeller – won’t be historically awful like they have been in recent years. The bad news is that they chose the wrong year to get a little better. Still, you can never rule them from joining the elite tankers once again. It’s all for a greater cause.

Eric Bledsoe #2 of the Phoenix Suns drives against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 9, 2013 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. (Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings: Vivek Ranadive’s purchase of the team has reinvigorated fans and kept the team in Sacramento, and of course, caught the attention of NBA fans back home in India. Ranadive is even talking about bringing the Kings for an exhibition game in India next year!

But hype can only take a team so far; without talent and results, the optimism will fizzle out very quickly. The Kings will look good whenever DeMarcus Cousins looks good, and thus, they will be as inconsistent as he is. On the bright side, his inconsistency might eventually bring them Andrew Wiggins. And then India – and the rest of the world – will pay attention.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs have won the draft lottery twice in the last three years, and may be have an outside shot at winning it again. It all depends on their regular health issues: if Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, and Andrew Bynum are healthy, this is potentially a playoff team, especially with Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thomas, and Dion Waiters on deck, too. Otherwise, they are headed for the lottery, and the more their health suffers, the higher up the lottery they’ll go.

Dallas Mavericks: Some teams stay loyal to their franchise star, even when the best years of both the team and player are in the past. It is nearly guaranteed that Dirk Nowitzki will retire a Maverick. It is also nearly guaranteed that this team isn’t going to be contending for a title anytime soon. And if ‘Monta-Ball’ was your big off-season acquisition, you’re probably closer to Riggin’ for Wiggins.

(from left) Enes Kanter #0, Tyrone Corbin Head Coach and Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz pose for a photo during 2013 Media Day at Zions Basketball Center on September 30, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Getty Images)

Toronto Raptors: Their best player – Rudy Gay – has an expiring contract. Toronto have a choice to make: trade Gay for chump change, lose more, and win in the lottery, or keep Gay, and along with him, DeMar DeRozan, and the young and exciting Jonas Valanciunas, make a run at a playoff spot. Remember though that this is Canada’s only team, and are 2014 saviour Mr. Wiggins could challenge Steve Nash as the greatest Canadian player ever. This could be the perfect fairytale landing for him.

New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans look decent on paper, with Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and Eric Gordon in the mix. But the roster is uneven and unpredictable. How healthy is Gordon ever going to be, and will he last another season before being traded? Can Evans finally figure it out and start to play winning team basketball? They are a young team in a tough division in a tough conference; they will be exciting but don’t expect to see too many numbers in the ‘Win’ column.

Los Angeles Lakers: Yup. With Dwight in Houston, Nash touching 40, and Kobe’s health far from a guarantee, and an aging Pau Gasol, the Lakers may have a small shot at Andrew Wiggins. The problem is that, they might be just good enough to miss on the sweepstakes and just bad enough to miss the playoffs.

It’s an unfortunate purgatory, and their fortunes could ultimately be decided by Kobe Bryant’s return and determination. If he plays hard, maybe they grab that last roster spot in the West; if he buys into the tanking (and he won’t, because he’s Kobe), LA fans could finally have the successor to the Mamba that they have long been waiting for.

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