Well, I'm bored and decided to do my mock draft a couple days before the draft with hopes that not too many pre-draft trades happen. Anyways, let the fun begin.
1. Portland Trail Blazers: C Greg Oden, Ohio State University
No brainer. Blazers add a franchise big man that they hope can duplicate the success that Shaq, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan have had in their careers.
2. Seattle Sonics: F Kevin Durant, University of Texas
Durant, the 1b to Oden's 1a in draft rankings will either come into Seattle to replace Rashard Lewis or wreck havoc with him and Ray Allen.
3. Atlanta Hawks: F Al Horford, University of Florida
As I told people all year, the best prospect of the Gators. Once he reaches his peak he could very easily become an Elton Brand/Carlos Boozer like player. The Hawks don't quite need a big like Horford more than a point guard like say Michael Conley Jr., but they take the most NBA ready of the players available.
4. Memphis Grizzles: F Joakim Noah, University of Florida
I don't agree with this pick, but if the Grizzlies don't move Pau Gasol (which I don't think they will) they will want someone NBA ready to put aside of him, which Noah could do. Noah will also give the Grizzlies a very recognizable name and they desperately need to put fans in the seats. Brandan Wright has a lot of upside, but the Grizzlies I don't think will want to wait on him. They also have a hole at point guard and Conley would fit there, but freshman point guards rarely make a big impact in their rookie season.
5. Boston Celtics: F Yi Jianlian, China
Ultimately this pick could be dealt in the Celtics attempts to put another All-Star next to Paul Pierce, but if they can't move it I expect the Celtics to go for Yi. I hear Ainge loves the Chinese big man and if is as good as they say, a Jianlian/Jefferson duo could be a very good one for years to come.
6. Milwaukee Bucks: G Michael Conley Jr., Ohio State University
This pick could be someone like Corey Brewer (who I believe is the best player on the board at this point), but if the Bucks don't have faith in their ability to re-sign Mo Williams, my personal favorite player in the draft (from his one season at Ohio State, Go Buckeyes) will be pushing for a starting job from his rookie season.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves: F Corey Brewer, University of Florida
Brewer has potential to be a superstar if he can improve his offensive game. He can step in immeadiately and help whether or not KG is still in a T-Wolve jersey. He may not be able score many points his rookie season, but his defense is second to none.
8. Charlotte Bobcats: F Brandan Wright, University of North Carolina
The Bobcats add another Tar Heel to their roster and finally make a decision to make an upside selection. With his athleticism Wright could make an impact that is similar to the one Tyrus Thomas made in Chicago.
9. Chicago Bulls: C Spencer Hawes, University of Washington
Although I'm unsure if Hawes can contribute right away, he fills a need of a low post scorer. He's also a very good passing big man. This pick could be dealt to a team like the Lakers to get Kobe. If Conley falls to here, the Bulls could take him and trade him to the Blazers for Zach Randolph which would make the Bulls probably the pre-season favorite for the Eastern Conference.
10. Sacramento Kings: F Jeff Green, Georgetown University
Best player on the board. He's somewhat of a combo forward who could fight for a starting spot with the rumors Ron Artest is on his way out.
11. Atlanta Hawks: G Acie Law IV, Texas A&M University
Javaris Crittenton would be a higher value pick since his upside is higher, but like the Horford pick and the Shelden Williams pick the year before, they go with the most NBA ready player on the board and finally taking a point guard after years of passing on players like Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
12. Philadephia 76ers: F Al Thornton, Florida State University
The Sixers need some front court help, but it doesn't appear they are willing to reach on someone (ex: Jason Smith). A potential duo of Thornton and Igoudala could be a very athletic, scary duo.
13. New Orleans Hornets: G Nick Young, University of Southern California
Chris Paul needs a running mate and he will get it in this years best shooting guard prospect, Nick Young. Young always impressed me when I was actually able to catch a USC game, which I guess they don't like airing Pac-10 games that don't include UCLA in the midwest. A nucleus of Paul, Young, Tyson Chandler, David West and the hopes that Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons progress, they could be a good team and a perennial playoff team in a few years.
14. Los Angeles Clippers: F Julian Wright, Kansas University
I'm not as high on Julian Wright as most are (although it seems the word is that his stock is falling due to poor workouts), but at 14 he could be a good value. The best I think Wright could possibly be is a second banana and with Elton Brand on the team he could possibly be that one day.
15. Detroit Pistons: G Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington University
A combo guard who (if the Pistons re-sign Chauncey Billups) can learn from Billups. Stuckey is the real deal and a potential multi-time All-Star. The Pistons are said to love him and I think it could be a mistake to go in any other direction.
16. Washington Wizards: F Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech University
The Wizards don't fill a need since they have Caron Butler in Young's spot, but it is never a bad idea to take the best player on the board. Had Young stayed one more year at GTech, he could have been a surefire lottery pick. Wizards could get a real steal here with Young.
17. New Jersey Nets: C Jason Smith, Colorado State University
One of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. I've never seen him play a live game, but has anyone outside the state of Colorado? Seems to be a Brad Miller clone by all accounts. From what I've read saw nothing but double and triple teams in college and could be a very good player. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Chicago Bulls trade down to take Smith.
18. Golden State Warriors: C Sean Williams, Boston College
Extremely tough one to predict especially with the Warriors relentlessness of trying to trade up to get Yi Jianlian, so I assume this pick would go in a package with Jason Richardson and others. So, at this point I'm just putting my best player available here. That within was a tough decision between Daequan Cook (who from what I've heard GM's are very high on) and Sean Williams (who should by talent alone by gone by this point, but off-court issues have him going lower then he probably should).
19. Los Angeles Lakers: G Daequan Cook, Ohio State University
Taking Cook here could be a planning for the future pick for the Lakers. As a Buckeye fan, it was frustrating to see Cook fall out of favor with Coach Thad Matta, as I fully expected Cook to emerge as my favorite player on the team. Could he have benefited from staying an extra year in the Buckeye state? Of course he could've. Could he have stayed locked in Matta's doghouse and see his stock fall?
20. Miami Heat: G Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech University
The Heat want a point guard so they play Dwyane Wade where they prefer to play him, at the 2. Crittenton could go as high as 11 to Atlanta, so the Heat getting him here could be huge. He's another player who had he stayed a year could've been a surefire lottery pick (just like teammate Thaddeus Young), but the 2008 draft could be insanely deep at point guard (future articles about this and mainly Derrick Rose will be coming around college basketball season). A Wade/Crittenton backcourt could wreck havoc for years.
21. Philadelphia 76ers: F Josh McRoberts, Duke University
The 76ers pick up versatile big man McRoberts here. McRoberts could turn out to a Chris Webber type (probably not as good, but hey, you never know). He has amazing passing skills for a big man (3.5 APG/2.4 TPG). Only Duke PG Greg Paulus had more assist per game then McRoberts (by a measly .3 APG). Had McRoberts come out as a freshman, he most likely would've went in the lottery. Falling into this Philly situation isn't bad though. This team with Allen Iverson was one of the worst in the league, when AI was dealt to Denver, they made a playoff push led by a core of young, athletic players. With 3 first rounders, this team could be making another playoff push in the 2007-08 season.
22. Charlotte Bobcats: G Morris Almond, Rice University
The Bobcats could use a shooter to replace Matt Carroll who could leave via free agency. My hope is that the Bobcats sell this pick to the Cavaliers and the Cavs select Morris Almond to be the beneficiary of LeBron drive and kicks. For either team it would be a good pick.
23. New York Knicks: F Wilson Chandler, DePaul University
Word on the street is that Chandler has a promise from the Knicks. As much as I'd like to criticize Isiah Thomas because he rarely knows what hes doing, he always seems to be a fairly talented draft evaluator. With the likes of Channing Frye, David Lee and Renaldo Balkman (I thought he was a good pick at the time, maybe early too early, but still a good pick) they have a foundation of young, athletic guys upfront. I hate the Knicks backcourt situation, but that's for another blog.
24. Phoenix Suns: G Rudy Fernandez, Spain
The Suns may not even have this pick, since they are in deep negotiations to move into the lottery (and last I heard the #1 team to get this done with was to move up to the #4 slot with Memphis). If this happens, it will make the draft more interesting and could mess my mock up, but that's how the draft is yearly. If the Suns keep the pick, I expect them to go foreign. Fernandez is a risky pick because he's getting big offers to stay in Europe, more then he can make as a rookie in the NBA. Rudy has made it known he wants to play in the NBA, but money is money to some people. If the Suns could keep Rudy in Europe for a season and bring him to Phoenix in the 2008-09 season, the Suns could find themselves with a lights out shooter.
25. Utah Jazz: G Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt University
Another one of my favorite guys in the draft. If he finds his way to Utah, he may find his way into a starting lineup. Byars is commonly referred to as one of the more NBA ready players (which is kind of surprising since he really wasn't a factor until his senior year of college). Put him alongside of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko and Byars could fit in quite well. A Williams/Boozer/Byars core could be a dominant force in the Western conference for quite sometime.
26. Houston Rockets: F Nick Fazekas, University of Nevada-Reno
They drafted a player somewhat similar to Fazekas last year in Steve Novak. Novak doesn't have the post skills that Fazekas has. Fazekas has a tremendous skill set and if he were athletic, he'd be a Top 5 player in this draft. He's one of the best shooters in this draft and easily the best shooting big man. He's one of my favorite players in this draft and I think he's a steal at this point.
27. Detroit Pistons: F Tiago Splitter, Brazil
They could buy out Splitter's contract and have him in the NBA now or could wait a year and could help probably more. Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Dale Davis (if re-signed) are aging. That leaves them with undersized Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson for the future.
28. San Antonio Spurs: C Marc Gasol, Spain
Another spot the Cavs have been rumored to buy a pick and also pick up PG Beno Udrih. If the Spurs keep the pick, I see them adding front court depth and taking Marc Gasol.
29. Phoenix Suns: G Aaron Brooks, University of Oregon
Lightning quick point guard who was a tremendous player his senior year despite being undersized. Brooks could come in right away and be Steve Nash's backup. The thought of a backcourt with Brooks and possibly the quickest man in the NBA, Leonardo Barbosa would make the opposition winded.
30. Philadelphia 76ers: C Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukraine
Fesenko is a guy I don't really know anything about except that he's picking up steam on his draft stock. Supposedly a real aggressive post. The Sixers wouldn't have to bring him over yet and keep him off the payroll for a year or two.
Best Players Left:
F Jared Dudley, Boston College (Whom I love and hopes goes in the first)
G Gabe Pruitt, University of Southern California
F Glen Davis, Louisiana State University
C Kyle Visser, Wake Forest University
G/F Marcus Williams, University of Arizona
G Arron Afflalo, University of California-Los Angeles
G Taurean Green, University of Florida
G Zabian Dowdell, Virginia Tech
G/F Alando Tucker, University of Wisconsin
G D.J. Strawberry, University of Maryland
F Herbert Hill, Providence University
G Ramon Sessions, University of Nevada-Reno
Monday, June 25, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Worst Year of My Life
Well, it's official. 2007 is the worst year I'll ever live. For those who don't know I'll list four of my favorite sport teams and how they ended their season.
Ohio State Football-Lost to Florida in the National Championship game 41-14.
Chicago Bears-Lost Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17.
Ohio State Basketball-Lost the NCAA National Championship 84-75 to the Florida Gators.
Cleveland Cavaliers-Got swept (4-0) vs. the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
As you can see by my previous post, I said the Cavs would win the NBA Finals in seven games. Clearly, I was blinded by the greatness that is LeBron James and I refused to believe anyone could possibly lose four championship games in a year, but I did it. The only team of mine that has completed a season that has not played for the championship was the Chicago Blackhawks, who instead locked up the #1 pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft. I'd like to thank Bill Wirtz and the Blackhawks organization for not getting my hopes this season, although I was hoping for a playoff push, but when can you do when your one offensive weapon (Marty Havlat) had injury problems throughout the season. Oh well, Patrick Kane will be the savior!
Here's my bold prediction for the rest of 2007 (seeing as I'm the unlucky charm of 07): Chicago Cubs win the NL Central, win the Pennant and drop the World Series to the AL representative, Cleveland Indians (continuing the AL Central's dominance of the AL).
It's 1:30 AM and I'm not tired and have nothing to do so I'm going to blog about something. Give me a minute to think, I'll probably talk about my second favorite June event (behind my birthday), the NBA draft.
Okay, so I got sidetracked by a bratwurst and an amusing chat about McGruff and frogs. Good times Dale, good times.
I have decided to stop the blog here for the night. Family Guy is on in seven minutes. NBA draft write-ups will follow in the coming days. Drafts on June 28th.
Ohio State Football-Lost to Florida in the National Championship game 41-14.
Chicago Bears-Lost Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts 29-17.
Ohio State Basketball-Lost the NCAA National Championship 84-75 to the Florida Gators.
Cleveland Cavaliers-Got swept (4-0) vs. the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
As you can see by my previous post, I said the Cavs would win the NBA Finals in seven games. Clearly, I was blinded by the greatness that is LeBron James and I refused to believe anyone could possibly lose four championship games in a year, but I did it. The only team of mine that has completed a season that has not played for the championship was the Chicago Blackhawks, who instead locked up the #1 pick in the upcoming NHL entry draft. I'd like to thank Bill Wirtz and the Blackhawks organization for not getting my hopes this season, although I was hoping for a playoff push, but when can you do when your one offensive weapon (Marty Havlat) had injury problems throughout the season. Oh well, Patrick Kane will be the savior!
Here's my bold prediction for the rest of 2007 (seeing as I'm the unlucky charm of 07): Chicago Cubs win the NL Central, win the Pennant and drop the World Series to the AL representative, Cleveland Indians (continuing the AL Central's dominance of the AL).
It's 1:30 AM and I'm not tired and have nothing to do so I'm going to blog about something. Give me a minute to think, I'll probably talk about my second favorite June event (behind my birthday), the NBA draft.
Okay, so I got sidetracked by a bratwurst and an amusing chat about McGruff and frogs. Good times Dale, good times.
I have decided to stop the blog here for the night. Family Guy is on in seven minutes. NBA draft write-ups will follow in the coming days. Drafts on June 28th.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Wanted Dead or Alive: Skip Bayless
Please ESPN, I'm begging you to take that attention whore Skip Bayless off the air. He's a sad excuse of a man. Let's take a look at what this genius had to say about LeBron James and his Game 5 vs. the Detroit Pistons (where LeBron single handedly beat the Pistons over the the last 6 minutes of the 4th quarter and 2 OT's).
"LeBron's performance (Game 5) was a result of him taking advantage of the lack of interior Piston defense. He blew three crucial free throws down the stretch in regulation. He airballed the game winner in overtime."
Look here Skippy, performances like that happen because defense wasn't great. Jordan over Russell and Ehlo? One on one defense, but I'm sure Skip won't hesitate to bend over for Michael because of those performances. Bayless is a known LeBron hater and has rarely said a nice word about him. To criticize LeBron's game 5 effort is a joke and a disgrace to a journalist. That was one of the greatest single game performances any of us will ever see and he's bashes it. He's dumb, everyone hates him and he's on ESPN to simply stir up controversy.
Moving on, Chauncey Billups, more commonly known in the Eastern Conference Finals as Mr. Big Shot ([sarcasm] a very worthy nickname [/sarcasm]). Billups ran his mouth the entire series about how the Pistons are a superior team and why should that change after the Cavaliers were two plays away from beating the Pistons six games to zero (which isn't actually possible, just saying the Cavs were the superior team throughout the series). Here's Mr. Billups latest quote.
"I believe [we're better], I really do. There's nobody on that team who is better than ours. And maybe I'm crazy, maybe I've got too much confidence in these guys, but I believe in us. I believe we're the better team. Did we back it up? No, we didn't. But I still think we're better."
Really Chauncey? Everyone on Detroit is better than the guys on the Cavaliers? You don't say? Ever hear of a man by the name of LeBron James, Chauncey? Sure, the Pistons have more overall depth and a better starting five, but YOU GUYS GOT WORKED. I'm glad Mr. Big Mouth cost himself probably (hopefully) millions that he could've had on the open market (since he's a free agent this off-season) from a poor, unknowing team like the Milwaukee Bucks.
In conclusion, Skip Bayless and Chauncey Billups can go fuck themselves.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
NBA Finals 2007: Cleveland Cavaliers Vs. San Antonio Spurs
The year 2007 has been one of sadness for me when it comes to sports. First, my favorite football team ever the 2006-07 Ohio State Buckeyes went into the BCS Championship game heavy favorites and walked out of Glendale, Arizona as the second best team in the land after getting obliterated by the Florida Gators. About one month later, I got to see the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl for the first time in my life, only to get worked by Peyton Manning & the Indianapolis Colts. Lastly, the Ohio State basketball team had an amazing NCAA tournament run, only to end up losing to once again, the Florida Gators. Now, I go into the NBA finals with the only believers seeing to be myself and the city of Cleveland. Maybe we have blind hope, maybe we should take our LeBron goggles off and take a look around. Regardless, we have hope. We have the best player in the world and the Q will be rocking. I'm excited.
I'm not sure how the Spurs plan to attack LeBron. Obviously, they'll throw Bruce Bowen at him and I expect them to try to trap LeBron up top. That means more open shots for Larry Hughes, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic and the rest. Hughes has been great the last two games in the Pistons series during the opening moments, but wasn't able to keep consistency over the rest of the game, no help by his bum foot.
No one seems to care that the Cavaliers beat the Spurs twice during the regular season, but the playoffs are a whole new animal. The Spurs have been phenomenal since they drafted Tim Duncan way back when. They've won three titles since they drafted Duncan (98-99, 02-03, 04-05) and have never missed the playoffs. Taking down this Spurs team would launch LeBron into a God-like status and probably make him that Global Icon he so desperately wants to be.
Now, I'm going to be very optimistic about this series and I have full faith that the Cavs can beat the Spurs. Going into San Antonio and taking a game from the Spurs will be no easy feat, but neither was Detroit. We as an audience haven't seen all of the phenom that is LeBron James and I expect him to show us things we've never seen out of him in the NBA finals.
Prediction: Cavs in 7!
In the picture, that is LeBron James Jr. with his pops. Junior is 3 years old and probably already has scouts coming to look at his game. LeBron and his wife are expecting their second child (another boy) this month. LeBron has stated he will not miss a game for his child's birth if it comes to it because he damn well knows how important to this team he is (and by that I mean he is the team). Here's to the dynasty that will be the James family.
If there are people who actually read this and you haven't seen Knocked Up yet, go now. Get up and get in your car and drive to the closest movie theater. Knocked Up is easily one of the funniest, if not THE funniest movie I've ever seen. Witty humor, a bunch of pop culture references, just a great flick.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
The King Has Arrived
Well ladies and gentlemen, the King has officially entered the building. What we've been expecting for years out of LeBron James is finally here and I've never been so happy about NBA basketball. LeBron's one man show in Detroit on Thursday was one of the most unbelievable sporting performances I've ever witnessed. LeBron took his below average teammates on his back, won the game and shattered the confidence of a city (not to mention the Indians continue to own the Tigers). I'd absolutely kill a man to be in the Cleveland for tonight's Game 6. Just put me in the Buffalo Wild Wings with a bunch of drunk, rowdy, championship starved fans and I'll have a blast.
In case you didn't know what Bron did to the Pistons, he scored 29 of the Cleveland's last 30 points (the last 25 points) over the last 16:35 (he completely took over the game midway through the 4th quarter). The man didn't even pass the ball in the first overtime. At one point, he crossed Mr. Big Shot behind his back and knocked down the J from the top of the key. My favorite moment of any game this series is whenever LeBron drives and Tayshaun Prince always does the same thing, get the hell out of the way. Prince has no intentions of seeing himself on a poster or a YouTube clip (see: Rasheed Wallace).
Tonight could mark the beginning of the Cleveland Cavaliers dominance of the Eastern conference. They could knock out the self-proclaimed best starting five in the NBA. It's put up or shut up time for Detroit, especially with Chauncey Billups continuing to run his mouth saying Dwyane Wade (with assistance of Shaq and a slew of championship ring starved ex All-Stars) had a better playoff run last year then LeBron (with assistance of rookie Daniel Gibson). Please Detroit, make the King a LITTLE more angry. Please knock down one his teammates like Antonio McDyess did to Anderson Varejao. This series ends tonight at the Q. RISE UP!
Prediction: Cavaliers 85, Pistons 79
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Welcome to my Blog!
Hello, my name is Nick and I have decided to begin blogging. Not really for you readers (if you even exist), but to keep records of my thoughts and predictions of the sporting world. Also, I'll probably have random rants on pop culture, which will probably be fun. Anyways, introductions aren't that fun, so I'm going to start talking about sports now.
The 2007 NBA Draft Lottery
Well, the Portland Trail Blazers have won the ever so important Greg Oden lottery insuring themselves at least one NBA championship in the next 10-15 years and also have ensured themselves as my #2 team in the NBA, only behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (pending a LeBron James moving in a few years, maybe to Portland?! Wishful thinking). ESPN's live feed into a Boston bar was sweet. Watching those spoiled fans cry over getting the #5 pick in the draft (allowing them to draft one of the following players: Florida PF Al Horford, UNC PF Brandan Wright or Chinese big man Yi Jianlian). It was sweet to watch those spoiled Boston fans have to suffer with having to cheer for a team that will not win an NBA title anytime soon, especially with Danny Ainge running the team. Cheer up Boston, you're front runners to bring home the next NFL and MLB titles.
As a Cleveland Cavalier fan, I shouldn't even care about the draft seeing as the Cavs traded this years first rounder for Jiri Welsch (not worth it). The Cavs also don't have a second round pick, that was in the deal to Orlando in which we got Drew Gooden (worth it). But seeing as I am a nerd of all things that are professional sports draft (namely NFL and NBA), I follow it year round. I'm bored, so I'm going to throw a quick "lottery only" mock draft and a list and reasons of prospects I'm high on and who I'm not high on. Enjoy.
1. Portland Trail Blazers-C Greg Oden, Ohio State
2. Seattle Sonics-F Kevin Durant, Texas
3. Atlanta Hawks-F Brandan Wright, North Carolina
4. Memphis Grizzlies-F Al Horford, Florida (Really a toss up for me between Horford and Conley.)
5. Boston Celtics-F Yi Jianlian, China
6. Milwaukee Bucks-G Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State (Assuming Mo Williams leaves for greener pastures and Chauncey Billups stays in Detroit, this pick changes if either of those things happen.)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves-F Corey Brewer, Florida
8. Charlotte Bobcats-F Jeff Green, Georgetown
9. Chicago Bulls-C Spencer Hawes, Washington (Probably makes too much sense for Paxson)
10. Sacramento Kings-F Al Thornton, Florida State (This team needs to just start over and try to get value for Mike Bibby and Ron Artest. Build this team around a guy like Al Thornton and Kevin Martin.)
11. Atlanta Hawks-G Acie Law IV, Texas A&M (Passed up Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Randy Foye, Mike Conley Jr. Time to take a point guard. Law is in the Billups-mold.)
12. Philadelphia 76ers-F Julian Wright, Kansas (Maybe not the best fit for the team that could use some low post scoring, but taking the best player available is always a good thing. Plus, if I was a point guard, I 'd love running fast breaks with Julian Wright on one side and Andre Igoudala on the other.)
13. New Orleans Hornets-Nick Young, Southern California (Took two bigs last year, just a hunch that they'll go with a guard this year.)
14. Los Angeles Clippers-F Joakim Noah, Florida (Although I have mixed feelings on Noah, more on the downside, this team needed some attitude on the team and Noah will bring that wherever he goes.)
Draft Prospects I Love
Greg Oden & Michael Conley Jr., Ohio State-Let's just get my homerism out of the way. For those who don't know me, I'm a diehard Ohio State fan. Greg Oden is the best big man prospect since Tim Duncan, as many "experts" have probably already told you. For those with ESPN Insider, go find Chad Ford's latest article about Greg Oden, it's fantastic. Oden is almost back to 100% with his once broken wrist. That's a scary thought because he was extremely good down the stretch for the Buckeyes. Onto Conley, my favorite Ohio State Buckeye. I'm a sucker for true point guards (ex: Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash) and I hate shoot first point guards (ex: Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford). Conley was the best pure point guard in NCAA last season and I instantly fell in love. He penetrates with the best of them for his size, he's as quick as they come and he has excellent vision. He needs to work on his jumper a bit, as teams will probably allow him to take jumpers if it means he isn't penetrating, but I've seen LeBron James dramatically increase his jumper, so I believe anyone can.
Corey Brewer, Florida-What a fantastic Final Four run this man had. He's 6'8" and can play the 2 spot in the NBA, in my opinion, but he'll likely end up a 3 for the lucky team that drafts him. He's a fairly efficient player on the offensive end (still needs work), but that's not where Brewer shines. Brewer is a lockdown defender and caused problems for every team the Gators play on their way to the back-to-back National Titles. Brewer made Ohio State's Ron Lewis worthless in the championship game and UCLA's Arron Afflalo accomplished to do nothing against the Gators for the second straight year in the Final Four. Why is this? Corey Brewer. Like the rest of "them Gator Boys", Brewer is said to be a very hard worker.
Nick Fazekas, Nevada-This man is not worthy of a lottery pick, but mid-to-late first round, this man will make someone very happy. I don't really understand why mock draft sites are down on him. He's 6'11" and can stroke. Isn't there always a spot on an NBA roster for a guy like that? He's not a great athlete, sure, but the man can play basketball and more importantly KNOWS HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL! He'll fit his most likely limited role his rookie season and watch it grow. Mark it down, Nick Fazekas will be a good starter for a lucky NBA squad in a few short years.
Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt-Future All-Star, you heard it here (maybe) first. Didn't make a big impact at Vandy until his senior season, but raised his stock dramatically. Byars beat out bigger names like the entire Florida roster and Al Thornton to bring home SEC Player of the Year honors. The Commadores probably should've been Elite 8/Final 4 bound if not Jeff Green's walk at the end of the game while he hit the game winner. Byars had 17 on the Hoyas and 27 on 3 seed Washington State (which had exactly 1/2 player who looked the part of Division 1 basketball player). Byars has drawn a few comparisons to Dwyane Wade, although I don't think he'll be that good. I'm expecting something a little below that, I'm not sure who that compares to the in the NBA, but lets say a fairly poor mans Dwyane Wade, which is still a very good player.
Draft Prospects I Do Not Love
Joakim Noah, Florida-I don't hate Noah because he won't be a bust. NBA GM's will know what they're getting with Noah, but your casual fan of both the NBA and NCAA will probably expect much more out of one of the stars of the best two college basketball seasons. What you won't get from Noah is a multiple All-Star (I'd be surprised if he got one) who's going to fill up the stat sheet. I can see Noah bringing home an award year in and year out and that's Sixth Man of the Year. He might enter the NBA and instantly become the best energy player in the NBA. He will not be a bust to the team that drafts him (unless it's the Celtics because Danny Ainge probably sees him as an All-Star). He is a winner and is one of the cockiest men I've ever seen, but you know what? He flaunts it when his team is successful. Sure, he talks too much, but the media gave him the most attention of the Gator players (even though he was the 3rd best player on the team behind Corey Brewer and Al Horford).
Julian Wright, Kansas-He's in the same boat with me as is Noah, but to a lesser extent. I wouldn't be surprised if Wright was out of the league in 5-6 years, but his athleticism will probably be more than enough to keep him in the NBA. Not too long ago, he was getting Scottie Pippen comparisons by NBADraft.net and now he's getting the ever-so-sexy Boris Diaw comparisons. In my mind, that's not a good sign. Like Diaw, I can only see Wright be a truly effective player in a run and gun offense like the Suns. A good scenario for Wright would be him falling to #11 to the Hawks, but only if Mike Conley goes to the Hawks at #3. That could be an exciting offense in a few years with all of their explosive, athletic players. If he does find a run and gun team, he may turn into an impressive player, but if he goes to a slower paced team, I don't see him getting off the bench much in his early career.
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh-Slow, unathletic, white. The NBA has evolved to a very quick game where players like Aaron Gray fail. I just can't see him lasting very long in the NBA and will probably have a stint in the NBDL. A once first rounder (now a borderline first rounder to second rounder), I see him going mid-2nd and fighting for a roster spot. I could see Gray being this years version of the West Virginia duo of Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle who were also borderline first rounders who went undrafted.
This should be a spot for Roy Hibbert, however he withdrew his name from the draft and I'll probably be higher on him next year.
Ever since the 2006 World Cup, I have slowly fallen more and more in love with the game of soccer. A game of absolute beauty. I've watched games every chance I get, as long as the teams come from Europe. I'm not being sucked into Minor League Soccer (Okay, maybe it's MAJOR League Soccer, but not really). Today was the UEFA Champions Cup. I can't really compare it to any American sporting event, because well there is nothing like the Champions Cup. Todays game pitted AC Milan of Serie A in Italy and Liverpool of the English Premier Leauge. Two of the worlds best players were involved as AC Milan's Kaka (pictured above) squared off against Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. Kaka, who some call the worlds best player at the moment was fairly ineffective until a beautiful pass to Filippo Inzaghi, allowing Inzaghi's second goal of the game which capped off AC Milan's 7th Champions Cup title with the 2-1 victory. The truly remarkable story is AC Milan's 38 year old captain Paolo Maldini. This is his 5th Champions Cup title, only one player has more. Maldini will return for one more year.
Side Rant: I'm watching the Cubs/Padres game right now and they just showed the "Fan Cam" starting off very strong with two very attractive Southern California girls and shortly followed it up with a guy in a Cubs jersey and a Padres hat. Now let me tell you, theres two things I hate when I go to baseball games. Number 1 being the guy who wears memorabilia of his team at a game where that team is not playing. I see this every time I go to a Cubs game with White Sox and Cardinals stuff. Why do people do this? Am I going to go to U.S. Cellular for a White Sox/Royals game and wear my Cubs hat? No. I am not a douche bag. The other thing is the aforementioned guy. It's cool to have two teams you love, I understand this. But when the two teams square off, choose one. Please, I'm begging you. Don't be an asshole, nobody likes an asshole. Anyways, back to the NBA draft.
Coming Tomorrow: A rant or rave about Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, we'll see how it goes.
As a Cleveland Cavalier fan, I shouldn't even care about the draft seeing as the Cavs traded this years first rounder for Jiri Welsch (not worth it). The Cavs also don't have a second round pick, that was in the deal to Orlando in which we got Drew Gooden (worth it). But seeing as I am a nerd of all things that are professional sports draft (namely NFL and NBA), I follow it year round. I'm bored, so I'm going to throw a quick "lottery only" mock draft and a list and reasons of prospects I'm high on and who I'm not high on. Enjoy.
1. Portland Trail Blazers-C Greg Oden, Ohio State
2. Seattle Sonics-F Kevin Durant, Texas
3. Atlanta Hawks-F Brandan Wright, North Carolina
4. Memphis Grizzlies-F Al Horford, Florida (Really a toss up for me between Horford and Conley.)
5. Boston Celtics-F Yi Jianlian, China
6. Milwaukee Bucks-G Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State (Assuming Mo Williams leaves for greener pastures and Chauncey Billups stays in Detroit, this pick changes if either of those things happen.)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves-F Corey Brewer, Florida
8. Charlotte Bobcats-F Jeff Green, Georgetown
9. Chicago Bulls-C Spencer Hawes, Washington (Probably makes too much sense for Paxson)
10. Sacramento Kings-F Al Thornton, Florida State (This team needs to just start over and try to get value for Mike Bibby and Ron Artest. Build this team around a guy like Al Thornton and Kevin Martin.)
11. Atlanta Hawks-G Acie Law IV, Texas A&M (Passed up Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Randy Foye, Mike Conley Jr. Time to take a point guard. Law is in the Billups-mold.)
12. Philadelphia 76ers-F Julian Wright, Kansas (Maybe not the best fit for the team that could use some low post scoring, but taking the best player available is always a good thing. Plus, if I was a point guard, I 'd love running fast breaks with Julian Wright on one side and Andre Igoudala on the other.)
13. New Orleans Hornets-Nick Young, Southern California (Took two bigs last year, just a hunch that they'll go with a guard this year.)
14. Los Angeles Clippers-F Joakim Noah, Florida (Although I have mixed feelings on Noah, more on the downside, this team needed some attitude on the team and Noah will bring that wherever he goes.)
Draft Prospects I Love
Greg Oden & Michael Conley Jr., Ohio State-Let's just get my homerism out of the way. For those who don't know me, I'm a diehard Ohio State fan. Greg Oden is the best big man prospect since Tim Duncan, as many "experts" have probably already told you. For those with ESPN Insider, go find Chad Ford's latest article about Greg Oden, it's fantastic. Oden is almost back to 100% with his once broken wrist. That's a scary thought because he was extremely good down the stretch for the Buckeyes. Onto Conley, my favorite Ohio State Buckeye. I'm a sucker for true point guards (ex: Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash) and I hate shoot first point guards (ex: Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford). Conley was the best pure point guard in NCAA last season and I instantly fell in love. He penetrates with the best of them for his size, he's as quick as they come and he has excellent vision. He needs to work on his jumper a bit, as teams will probably allow him to take jumpers if it means he isn't penetrating, but I've seen LeBron James dramatically increase his jumper, so I believe anyone can.
Corey Brewer, Florida-What a fantastic Final Four run this man had. He's 6'8" and can play the 2 spot in the NBA, in my opinion, but he'll likely end up a 3 for the lucky team that drafts him. He's a fairly efficient player on the offensive end (still needs work), but that's not where Brewer shines. Brewer is a lockdown defender and caused problems for every team the Gators play on their way to the back-to-back National Titles. Brewer made Ohio State's Ron Lewis worthless in the championship game and UCLA's Arron Afflalo accomplished to do nothing against the Gators for the second straight year in the Final Four. Why is this? Corey Brewer. Like the rest of "them Gator Boys", Brewer is said to be a very hard worker.
Nick Fazekas, Nevada-This man is not worthy of a lottery pick, but mid-to-late first round, this man will make someone very happy. I don't really understand why mock draft sites are down on him. He's 6'11" and can stroke. Isn't there always a spot on an NBA roster for a guy like that? He's not a great athlete, sure, but the man can play basketball and more importantly KNOWS HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL! He'll fit his most likely limited role his rookie season and watch it grow. Mark it down, Nick Fazekas will be a good starter for a lucky NBA squad in a few short years.
Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt-Future All-Star, you heard it here (maybe) first. Didn't make a big impact at Vandy until his senior season, but raised his stock dramatically. Byars beat out bigger names like the entire Florida roster and Al Thornton to bring home SEC Player of the Year honors. The Commadores probably should've been Elite 8/Final 4 bound if not Jeff Green's walk at the end of the game while he hit the game winner. Byars had 17 on the Hoyas and 27 on 3 seed Washington State (which had exactly 1/2 player who looked the part of Division 1 basketball player). Byars has drawn a few comparisons to Dwyane Wade, although I don't think he'll be that good. I'm expecting something a little below that, I'm not sure who that compares to the in the NBA, but lets say a fairly poor mans Dwyane Wade, which is still a very good player.
Draft Prospects I Do Not Love
Joakim Noah, Florida-I don't hate Noah because he won't be a bust. NBA GM's will know what they're getting with Noah, but your casual fan of both the NBA and NCAA will probably expect much more out of one of the stars of the best two college basketball seasons. What you won't get from Noah is a multiple All-Star (I'd be surprised if he got one) who's going to fill up the stat sheet. I can see Noah bringing home an award year in and year out and that's Sixth Man of the Year. He might enter the NBA and instantly become the best energy player in the NBA. He will not be a bust to the team that drafts him (unless it's the Celtics because Danny Ainge probably sees him as an All-Star). He is a winner and is one of the cockiest men I've ever seen, but you know what? He flaunts it when his team is successful. Sure, he talks too much, but the media gave him the most attention of the Gator players (even though he was the 3rd best player on the team behind Corey Brewer and Al Horford).
Julian Wright, Kansas-He's in the same boat with me as is Noah, but to a lesser extent. I wouldn't be surprised if Wright was out of the league in 5-6 years, but his athleticism will probably be more than enough to keep him in the NBA. Not too long ago, he was getting Scottie Pippen comparisons by NBADraft.net and now he's getting the ever-so-sexy Boris Diaw comparisons. In my mind, that's not a good sign. Like Diaw, I can only see Wright be a truly effective player in a run and gun offense like the Suns. A good scenario for Wright would be him falling to #11 to the Hawks, but only if Mike Conley goes to the Hawks at #3. That could be an exciting offense in a few years with all of their explosive, athletic players. If he does find a run and gun team, he may turn into an impressive player, but if he goes to a slower paced team, I don't see him getting off the bench much in his early career.
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh-Slow, unathletic, white. The NBA has evolved to a very quick game where players like Aaron Gray fail. I just can't see him lasting very long in the NBA and will probably have a stint in the NBDL. A once first rounder (now a borderline first rounder to second rounder), I see him going mid-2nd and fighting for a roster spot. I could see Gray being this years version of the West Virginia duo of Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle who were also borderline first rounders who went undrafted.
This should be a spot for Roy Hibbert, however he withdrew his name from the draft and I'll probably be higher on him next year.
Ever since the 2006 World Cup, I have slowly fallen more and more in love with the game of soccer. A game of absolute beauty. I've watched games every chance I get, as long as the teams come from Europe. I'm not being sucked into Minor League Soccer (Okay, maybe it's MAJOR League Soccer, but not really). Today was the UEFA Champions Cup. I can't really compare it to any American sporting event, because well there is nothing like the Champions Cup. Todays game pitted AC Milan of Serie A in Italy and Liverpool of the English Premier Leauge. Two of the worlds best players were involved as AC Milan's Kaka (pictured above) squared off against Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. Kaka, who some call the worlds best player at the moment was fairly ineffective until a beautiful pass to Filippo Inzaghi, allowing Inzaghi's second goal of the game which capped off AC Milan's 7th Champions Cup title with the 2-1 victory. The truly remarkable story is AC Milan's 38 year old captain Paolo Maldini. This is his 5th Champions Cup title, only one player has more. Maldini will return for one more year.
Side Rant: I'm watching the Cubs/Padres game right now and they just showed the "Fan Cam" starting off very strong with two very attractive Southern California girls and shortly followed it up with a guy in a Cubs jersey and a Padres hat. Now let me tell you, theres two things I hate when I go to baseball games. Number 1 being the guy who wears memorabilia of his team at a game where that team is not playing. I see this every time I go to a Cubs game with White Sox and Cardinals stuff. Why do people do this? Am I going to go to U.S. Cellular for a White Sox/Royals game and wear my Cubs hat? No. I am not a douche bag. The other thing is the aforementioned guy. It's cool to have two teams you love, I understand this. But when the two teams square off, choose one. Please, I'm begging you. Don't be an asshole, nobody likes an asshole. Anyways, back to the NBA draft.
Coming Tomorrow: A rant or rave about Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, we'll see how it goes.
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