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​Undersized, slow or just not talented enough these NBA legends would probably struggle in the modern NBA. Criteria are a mixture of impact in playing day, projected impact and likelihood to still make the hall of fame.
 
Wilt Chamberlin
Chamberlin put up monster stats in the 50’s and 60’s , an era when the NBA talent pool was watered down with many people who would never make the league today. It’s hard to argue he would make the same impact.
 
Bob Cousy
Not an elite scorer, not terribly athletic and his assist numbers aren’t eye popping. He is another beneficiary of a weak NBA talent pool of the 50’s and 60’s
 
 
Bob Pettit
An undersized center who wasn’t an elite scorer. Pettit would have struggled against modern NBA bigs who are much longer and more athletic.
 
Bill Russell
The rebounding would translate but probably to a lesser extent. We see Andre Drummond in the modern NBA.
 
Paul Arizin
An undersized small forward with subpar athleticism, another easy choice.
 
Cliff Hagan
Another undersized small forward, Hagan has a resume that makes me question why he is even in the hall of fame.
 
Jack Twyman
Average athlete, not a high level playmaker, another modest resume that probably doesn’t make the hall of fame today.
 
John Havlicek
The beginning and end of his career are nothing special. He was a star in the middle , but hard to see an undersized wing with questionable athleticism succeeding in the modern nba.
 
Bailey Howell
An undersized combo forward with subpar athleticism. Howell is yet another hall of famer who benefitted greatly from playing in the 1960’s
 
Billy Cunningham
 Another undersized combo forward who starred for Philadelphia in the 1970’s.
 
 
We feel most of this list would not even make an NBA roster today. Chamberlin and Russell would still be NBA players today, but probably much closer to average. Do you agree or disagree tell us here at 420 Sports in the comments.
 

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​Never give up! Never surrender!
Those words are his slogan. And what a slogan it is. Strong and powerful as his performance and attitude towards the game of basketball. The statement: ‘’He is playing out of his world’’ said by great Dirk Nowitzki, are a reality. Can you already guess his name? No? Another hint coming from the words of an icon Lebron James: ‘’He is one bad MOFO’’. Yes, it is true, we are talking about a 6 ft 7 in 2018 round one 3rd pick in the NBA Luka Dončić himself.

Have you ever had an opportunity to read and learn more about #77 phenomena from Slovenia? Here it goes in short.
Born in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia on the 28th of February 1999 spent his youth playing for Union Olimpija before heading to Spain to the youth academy of Real Madrid. In 2015 he made a debut for the first team aged 16 and so becoming the youngest in club history. Two years later, he already led Madrid to the EuroLeague title in 2018, winning the MVP of the season as well as the final four MVP. Imagine being a lead player at the age of 18 and by that fact also collecting personal rewards. He was also named the ABC MVP (Spanish league) and won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star reward and ABC Best young player awards. He was selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team. Amazing for a youngster.
Dončić made his senior debut for Slovenia National team in 2016 at only 17 years of age. And was already named in the best five All-Tournament team in 2017 EuroBasket the after helping his country win its first title working with his national team mentor Goran ‘’the Dragon’’ Dragić as its captain.
As mentioned in 2018, Dončić was drafted to NBA joining the Dallas Mavericks (picked by Atlanta Hawks but traded to Dallas – we can still Atlanta fans complaining and how true they are). He was selected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season. In his rookie season, he was selected to his first NBA All-Star game and named to the All-NBA First Team. And here we can mention that for him only the sky is the limit.
His profile as a player is versatile. He was frequently described as a "position-less guard" with attributes of a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. Standing 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and weighing 230 pounds (104.3 kg), he has been praised for his exceptional size and strength for the guard position. Sports website The Ringer labeled him a "legitimate point guard with the size of a small-ball power forward.
Since his early years with Real Madrid, he was marked as one of Europe's premier talents, with Spanish newspaper Marca giving him the nickname "El Niño Maravilla" (The Wonder Boy). Entering the 2018 NBA draft, he was seen as one of the best and most accomplished European prospects of his generation by majority. Slam magazine considered him the "best international prospect ever and sports website SB Nation named him "most accomplished NBA prospect in decades. An anonymous NBA veteran said that his game was "leap years above anyone" in his draft class.  And he still has both feet on the ground and delivers as promised. He shoots, passes, jumps and steals. Reality is that we can count same types of players thru out the NBA or international basketball history, using fingers on only one of the arms.
He is versatile on the offensive end, displaying proficiency in shooting three-pointers, mid-range jump shots, floaters, and shots in the post. His basketball IQ, is on a high level and his skills are considered as his primary assets and he is seen as an elite facilitator, especially on the pick and roll.  NBA and EuroLeague coach Ettore Messina called him "phenomenal, especially mentally" for his age. And still some flaws are mentioned regarding his games (there is no perfection on this planet). His lack of lateral quickness to stay in front of most NBA point guards and wings has been labeled one of his main flaws. Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle disputed some of the worries regarding his athleticism, stating that "for a 19-year-old, he's got a really unusual combination of size, speed, and deceptive quickness." During his rookie year, his ability to accelerate off a pick and blow by defenders to get to the basket is seen as one of his strengths. Given the false characterization of his abilities and his subsequent success in the NBA, some speculate that prejudiced stereotyping might have had a role in his negative pre-draft evaluation.  But he is strong going both ways as a person and as a player in the same manner.  
Before his draft, basketball journalist and scout, Austin Green, compared him to NBA players Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson as on the other side he compared himself to Ben Simmons due to his versatility. In his second season, LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers stated that "there's a lot of people in him." He likened his step back 3-pointers to James Harden, his passing ability to Larry Bird, and his court vision to LeBron James.  All of them positioned NBA as THE league, so comparing him with them is as standing on top of the highest mountain top. NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins, called him "baby LeBron" due to his overall skill and dominance on the court.
In December 2019 Gregg Popovich, called his playing style "Magic Johnson-like" because "he sees the floor in that same way. In August 2020, head coach Rick Carlisle compared his playmaking and court vision to Larry Bird and Jason Kidd. He said he's a "savant-type guy" and is "in that same mold" as the two Hall of Famers. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo called him "one of the most talented guys I’ve ever played against." During his first career playoff game versus the LA Clippers, TV analyst and former point guard Mark Jackson, reiterated his view of him calling him "an absolute combination of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird."
Is there anything more to add? He is a rising star with the potential of becoming the greatest and standing in the same line as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Lebron James and many others. He is the ONE to look after. But as an individual it is impossible to make more than personal records. So the TEAM is still important. And Dallas is making one around Luka Dončić.
For more info/stats/etc. please refer to https://www.mavs.com/team/roster/luka-doncic/.
Bojan Skol

HARDEN AND NETS STILL TALKING SUPPOSEDLY
Even after the free agent period has sort of ended, the talks of James Harden being traded to the Brooklyn Nets is still going on. The Rockets of course have made various deals in the past few days as they traded Russel Westbrook for guard John Wall from the Washington Wizards. They also of course made changes in the front office as Mike D’Antoni was fired this past season as head coach.

Harden being traded has been the talk of the NBA for some time now. Even as free agency came and went, the talks were strong, but we didn’t see any action as of yet. James Harden has been one of the best players in the NBA for some time now, especially in his years of being a Houston Rocket where he has led them to the playoffs various times. Rumors have it that he would welcome a trade to the Brooklyn Nets where he would join Kevin Durant, Kylie Irving and new head coach Steve Nash.

The Brooklyn Nets are a team on the verge of greatness. We saw them do well this past season as they possess a lot of good, young talent. Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris are two of those young players that have stepped in and now play a pivotal role for the Nets. The addition of Harden would only help them very much as it would add not only a three headed monster but perhaps a more well-rounded team. Hopefully, Kevin Durant returns to somewhat of his normal self to make this possible if the trade goes through.
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The Atlanta Hawks are also involved in the trade talks so it will be interesting to see what happens with Harden and if he ends up going anywhere else.

ROCKETS SHIP WESTBROOK TO WIZARDS FOR NUMBER ONE PICK AND WALL
The question is who won this trade? After all both players were not happy with where they were and had yearned to get out. The other question is who will benefit from this trade more. The Rockets or the Wizards.
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The Houston Rockets sent guard Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards yesterday for point guard John Wall and a number 1 draft pick. Both players had been disappointed with where they were and had wanted out. Westbrook, an incredibly talented player who averaged 27 points a game last year as well as over 7 rebounds and assists in his only year with the Rockets. Wall, another talented player who has missed nearly two years after tearing his Achilles tendon, has not played since 2018-2019 where he averaged 20.7 points per game and 8.7 assists for the Wizards.

The Rockets also acquired a first-round draft pick. With Wall, they will have themselves a legit point guard to go along with James Harden. They also signed forward Demarcus Cousins. However, the Rockets are lacking a legit bench and have not improved their roster from last year. Especially being that they traded away double threat, power forward Clint Capella last year.

The Wizards will pair Westbrook with guard Bradley Beal. They also have resigned forward Davis Bertans in free agency. The Wizards have a much younger roster and are used to playing without Wall as he was injured for the past season and a half.

The move will definitely help the Wizards in the eastern conference as thy look to be a legit threat to high profile and up and coming teams such as the Celtics, Nets, 76ers, Raptors, and the Miami Heat.

​2020 NBA Draft
First Round
1. Timberwolves draft Anthony Edwards
2. Warriors draft James Wiseman
3. Hornets draft LaMelo Ball
4. Bulls draft Patrick Williams
5. Cavaliers draft Isaac Okoro
6. Hawks draft Onyeka Okongwu
7. Pistons draft Killian Hayes

8. Knicks draft Obi Toppin

9. Wizards draft Deni Avdija
10. Suns draft Jalen Smith

11. Spurs draft Devin Vassell
12. Kings draft Tyrese Haliburton
13. Pelicans draft Kira Lewis Jr.

14. Celtics draft Aaron Nesmith

15. Magic draft Cole Anthony

16. Trail Blazers draft Isaiah Stewart >> reportedly traded to the Pistons, after first being dealt to the Rockets

17. Timberwolves draft Aleksej Pokusevski  >> reportedly traded to the Thunder
18. Mavericks draft Josh Green
19. Nets draft Saddiq Bey >> officially traded to the Pistons, after first being dealt to the Clippers
20. Heat draft Precious Achiuwa

21. 76ers draft Tyrese Maxey

22. Nuggets draft Zeke Nnaji 
23. Knicks draft Leandro Bolmaro >> reportedly traded to the Timberwolves
24. Bucks draft RJ Hampton >> reportedly traded to the Nuggets, after first being dealt to the Pelicans
25. Thunder draft Immanuel Quickley >> reportedly traded to the Knicks, after first being dealt to the Timberwolves
26. Celtics draft Payton Pritchard
27. Jazz draft Udoka Azubuike

28. Lakers draft Jaden McDaniels >> reportedly traded to the Timberwolves, after first being dealt to the Thunder

29. Raptors draft Malachi Flynn

30. Celtics draft Desmond Bane >> reportedly traded to the Grizzlies


Second Round31. Mavericks draft Tyrell Terry
32. Hornets draft Vernon Carey
33. Timberwolves draft Daniel Oturu >> officially traded to the Clippers, after first being dealt to the Knicks
34. 76ers draft Theo Maledon >> reportedly traded to the Thunder

35. Kings draft Xavier Tillman Sr >> officially traded to the Grizzlies
36. 76ers draft Tyler Bey  >> officially traded to the Mavericks
37. Wizards draft Vit Krejci >> officially traded to the Thunder
38. Jazz draft Saben Lee >> reportedly traded to the Pistons
39. Pelicans draft Elijah Hughes >> officially traded to the Jazz
40. Grizzlies draft Robert Woodard >> officially traded to the Kings
41. Spurs draft Tre Jones
42. Pelicans draft Nick Richards >> officially traded to the Hornets
43. Kings draft Jahmi’us Ramsey
44. Bulls draft Marko Simonovic
45. Bucks draft Jordan Nwora
46. Trail Blazers draft CJ Elleby
47. Celtics draft Yam Madar
48. Warriors draft Nico Mannion
49. 76ers draft Isaiah Joe
50. Hawks draft Skylar Mays
51. Warriors draft Justinian Jessup
52. Kings draft Kenyon Martin Jr >> reportedly traded to the Rockets
53. Thunder draft Cassius Winston >> officially traded to the Wizards
54. Pacers draft Cassius Stanley
55. Nets draft Jay Scrubb >> officially traded to the Clippers
56. Hornets draft Grant Riller
57. Clippers draft Reggie Perry >> officially traded to the Nets
58. 76ers draft Paul Reed
59. Raptors draft Jalen Harris
60. Pelicans draft Sam Merrill >> reportedly traded to the Bucks

By contributor Chris Graham

​The hour of smoke screens, and misdirects is upon us ladies and gentlemen. With just a few days left until draft time the NBA world is set ablaze with draft rumors, and this mock draft is about trying to put together all of the puzzle pieces layer out in the last few weeks.

We have trade, and draft stock rumors galore, and I have decided to take a minute and imagine my ideal outcome for this upcoming 2020 NBA draft while taking into consideration what rumors have been hanging around. Lets see what my mind cooked up;

Pick 1: ● Minnesota Timberwolves: ● Pick: Anthony Edwards, Guard, Georgia

Pick 2: ● NY Knicks (from GS) ● Pick: Lamelo Ball, Guard, Intl. Trade: NY gets - #2 pick, Andrew Wiggins GS gets - Julius Randle, Kevin Knox, #8

Pick 3: ● Charlotte Hornets: ● Pick: James Wiseman, Center, Memphis

Pick 4: ● Chicago Bulls: ● Pick: Deni Avdija, Forward, Intl.

Pick 5: ● Cleveland Cavs: ● Pick: Patrick Williams, Forward, Florida St.

Pick 6: ● San Antonio Spurs ● Pick: Onyeka Okongwu, Center, USC Trade: Spurs get: Redish, pick 6 Hawks get: Derozan, pick 11

Pick 7: ● Detroit Pistons ● Pick: Tyrese Haliburton, Guard, Iowa St.

Pick 8: ● Golden State Warriors (via NYK) ● Pick: Obi Toppin, Forward, Dayton

Pick 9: ● Washington Wizards ● Pick: Devin Vassell, Forward, Florida St.

Pick 10: ● Phoenix Suns: ● Pick: Desmond Bane, Guard, TCU

Pick 11: ● Atlanta Hawks ● Pick: Isaac Okoro, Forward, Auburn

Pick 12: ● Sacramento Kings ● Pick: Aaron Nesmith, G/F, Vanderbilt

Pick 13: ● New Orleans Pelicans ● Pick: Saddiq Bey, Forward, Villanova

Pick 14: ● Boston Celtics ● Pick: Killian Hayes, Guard, Intl.

Pick 15: ● Orlando Magic ● Pick: Kira Lewis Jr, Guard, Alabama

Pick 16: ● Houston Rockets (via Por.) ● Pick: Tyrese Maxey, Guard, Kentucky

Pick 17: ● Minnesota Timberwolves ● Pick: Jalen Smith, F/C, Maryland

Pick 18: ● Dallas Mavericks ● Pick: Aleksej Pokusevski, Forward, Intl.

Pick 19: ● Brooklyn Nets ● Pick: Precious Achiuwa, F/C, Memphis

Pick 20: ● Miami Heat ● Pick: Tyrrell Terry, Guard, Stanford

Pick 21: ● Philadelphia 76ers ● Pick: Cole Anthony, Guard, UNC

Pick 22: ● Denver Nuggets ● Pick: Josh Green, Guard, Arizona

Pick 23: ● New York Knicks (via Uta) ● Pick: RJ Hampton, G/F, intl.

Pick 24: ● New Orleans Pelicans (via Mil.) ● Pick: Malachi Flynn, Guard, San Diego St.

Pick 25: ● Oklahoma City ● Pick: Grant Riller, Guard, Charleston

Pick 26: ● Boston Celtics ● Pick: Jaden McDaniels, Forward. Washington

Pick 27: ● Utah Jazz (via NYK) ● Pick: Tre Jones, Guard, Duke

Pick 28: ● Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAL) ● Pick: Leandro Bolmaro, Guard, Intl.

Pick 29: ● Toronto Raptors ● Pick: Tyler Bey, Forward, Colorado

Pick 30: ● Boston Celtics ● Pic k: C a s siu s Win s t o n, G u a r d, Michig a n S t

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FREE AGENCY MADNESS IN THE NBA
 It is that time a year again…wait a second…isn’t this November? Shouldn’t basketball have begun already? True, but because of Covid, everything has been changed around a bit and therefore the free agency period shall begin this Monday, November 16th. There are quite a lot of good players out there as many teams look to improve and grow stronger.
 Many teams face the possible chance of loosing various stars. Teams such as the Boston Celtics who could possibly lose Gordon Hayward or the Brooklyn Nets who could possibly lose Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris. There are also other teams already in talks to make big trade deals such as the world champion Los Angeles Lakers, who are in talks to trade there overall first round draft pick as well as Danny Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Dennis Schroeder.

This is an important time for many of the teams in the NBA. So many rosters will be upgraded or downgraded during this period. There are always the teams that have the most spending money available and then of course, there are those that do not. Some of these teams already possess great player talent which will only make it better for them to help attract a potential free agent.
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There will be many players that will cash in and get themselves a very luxurious contract even if they are not considered star quality. So many will find themselves with a big check in their hands when the free agent period begins. Of course, there will be others such as various veterans who will find themselves with contracts that still will pay them wonderfully but will not receive long term deals.
Either way, it should be interesting to see what happens.