Honestly, I don't care what the league wants. I have no doubt the last team they would want to get him is the Rockets. They never gave us respect before Silas.
The face of the NBA has as much to do with marketability as it does with talent. Jokic is 2x MVP but the general public probably doesn't even know what his voice sounds like. Jordon, Kobe, and Lebron were incredibly marketable and media savvy. Someone stoic like Duncan would never get the same exposure. I haven't seen much of Wembanyama, but his hype is huge right now and he has some personality.
Can't disagree with that at all. I do think he can be all 3: Face of the NBA, best player in the NBA, and most impactful player in the NBA
It would be devastating. They tanked to get Tim Duncan and preceded to win multiple championships because they are well run team that knows how to build around a star. If they get Wemby the Rockets are done. They are not beating a historically great organization that knows how to build a winning team with a hall of fame coach and a generational talent.
What often drives their popularity is marketing dollars spent by Nike. Usually the shoe deals are given to the wings and guards. Giannis is kind of an exception, I think of the guys you listed Giannis is supposed to be the face of the league. He has the charisma, he has talent, proven winner, and Nike contract. I think Nike is kind of waiting to see who in this next group will be taking over, so far it looks like Kyrie is out and Ja's getting a signature shoe. They really can wait until Lebron retires which will be a few more years. Big's historically would not get the shoe deals, but now I feel like if you are a big as long as you are handling the ball a lot Nike will be OK with choosing you.
Wembanyama plays more like a huge multi-faceted and hugely talented wing than someone who resembles how we would ordinarily view a "big" playing at the 4 or the 5 spot down low. He'll be loved by Nike and their marketing competition, if he can stay healthy. They have to be licking their chops in anticipation, in my opinion. I certainly am at the thought of having him in Houston.
Do you think he is good enough to get guaranteed big money (8 figure deal) pre draft like Lebron and Zion did? I think Zion was guaranteed $75M before even making it to the NBA. Nike seems to be willing to spend if the guy is guaranteed to be good, Im sure they will make money off Zion, but he's also started off his career injured and slower than they probably anticipated him to. I think Nike has a lot of leverage with Kayne no longer being with Adidas. They can push off a deal until Victor has proven himself.
Why? While us Rockets fans hate the Spurs and Mavs because of the in state rivalry and their recent stretches of good teams, the league and the average NBA/sports fans don't care about those teams. There is definite bias for teams on the I-95 corridor on the East Coast and the main I-5 cities on the West Coast, but otherwise the NBA doesn't care about teams/franchise unless they have a star or recent consistent stretch of titles.
You guys may as well let this thread die ..... they will not be anywhere close to bad enough to have any realistic shot at #1. They'll pick 8th or worse.
Do you realize that 6 of their 8 wins have come against playoff teams? There's something to that thread by @Sweet Lou 4 2 about the harsh schedule ....
