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25th June, 2009 - 4:39 am
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Iverson With The Knicks, Joe Alexander, Lincecum's Cy Young & More
Allen Iverson and the Knicks is a marriage out of necessity, forecasting Joe Alexander's future, why there hasn't been any players compared to Magic or Bird, plus Tim Lincecum's Cy Young and the possibility of Pacquiao/Mayweather at Cowboys Stadium.
STANDING 10: Retire Me Not
Even though LeBron James is well-intentioned in his hope of the NBA retiring #23, there are so many problems with this notion that it is difficult to find a place to begin.
TEAM RANKINGS: NBA Power Rankings For The Week Of November 12th
While the Cetlics remain an easy number one in our rankings, Greg Oden and the Blazers have moved up to the second slot, ahead of Dallas, Miami and the Lakers.
LOCKER TALK: Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando
Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn’t overlooking Orlando…
PLAYER RANKINGS: The Final NBA Player Rankings For The 2008-09 Season
The 2008-09 season is in the books and how did players rank individually?
CLASSICS: Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?
Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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By Christopher Reina
The 2009 NBA Draft is finally upon us and there has already been a slew of activity. Predicting this draft will be extremely difficult due to the expected trades in which teams will move up or down.
But I feel as though I have my head around this draft, at least from a talent standpoint, which fits in with how each of the 60 players that will be selected will improve their new team.
Power Forward. Oklahoma
Unlike each of the past two drafts, there was never a great debate over who to pick with the number one overall pick, as Blake Griffin will be the first player David Stern calls on June 25th, 2009. But he isn't quite a Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James kind of lock to become a HOF player. Frankly, I'm not even ready to anoint him an occasional All-Star.
His combination of true elite athleticism and refined skills is incredibly rare, but how he performs initially in the NBA when the gap between his physicality and his opponents is fairly narrow is in doubt.
As seems to be the perpetual misfortune of the Clippers, I expect a conversation to eventually emerge that the team erred in not giving serious consideration to Ricky Rubio.
Center. Connecticut
Memphis has a positional need for Thabeet, a far greater need than they have for Rubio and he will improve their club. But second overall picks are rare and teams are almost always best served in selecting the player with the best chance of becoming a transcendent player and that is Rubio.
There are a lot of obvious 'goods' when looking at Thabeet's game; he is an agile 7'3" in the halfcourt, is an equation changer defensively and surely has a lot of room to improve those areas in which he remains raw. He is far from a finished project and can raise his game quite a few notches, especially offensively.
Point Guard. DKV Joventut
Sam Presti, for my money, has the easiest decision of the night since he can choose between the player Chris Wallace passes on with the second pick.
Rubio’s vision for the floor, the way he anticipates the flow of action, his ballhandling and the beauty in which he delivers the ball are all in the 99 percentile.
There will be serious questions and adjustments that need to be addressed with how he will share the backcourt with Russell Westbrook, as well as how Kevin Durant will develop playing with a point guard that will control the ball with as much frequency as Rubio. But there is too much talent for it to not work and create one of the best offensive clubs in the NBA.
Combo Guard. UCLA
The Kings have appeared flustered with the correct direction with the fourth overall pick since they moved down the night of the lottery. James Harden is the best shooting guard in the draft by a wide margin, but they already have Kevin Martin. Jordan Hill is the second best power forward by a wide margin, but they already have enough pieces up front. It has created a situation where they have examined the large group of point guards in Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn, Brandon Jennings and combo guards Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans.
Holiday fits Sacramento stylistically better than any of the other four candidates and he also has the best upside.
He bounces off defenders and doesn’t rush things when he gets into the lane, which allows him to finish much the same way as Chris Paul. In a sense, he can become a taller Chris Paul. The decision-making needs significant improvement to be even half as effective as Paul, but unlike the NBA’s best point guard, Holiday will be able to finish at the rim due to his height, lift and pure athleticism.
Shooting Guard. Arizona State
Due to Tuesday's trade with Washington, Minnesota has a lot of different options with their consecutive picks in the middle of the top-10 and I see Harden as an explicit lock if Oklahoma City doesn't take him third overall. Tyreke Evans will also be considered, but he isn't as good of a fit as Harden, who is a shooting guard in the truest sense of the position and has the same kind of high character shared by Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.
In a Wiretap post I added early Thursday morning, I wondered which player will receive the richer salary slot from Minnesota and with control over this mock, I give it to Harden even though I would rather drink a $250 bottle of Bourbon with Jonny Flynn.
Point Guard. Syracuse
Similar to Sacramento, the Wolves have several options to consider at point guard. With Jefferson, Love and Harden, I think adding the purest point guard of the bunch would give Minnesota the best club going forwards. Flynn will bring great stability to the position and has the kind of character and game that could make him the Wolves' version of Kirby Puckett.
Power Forward. Arizona
The Warriors are all systems go in giving up the team to Monta Ellis, so instead of drafting the best player available 'for them' (Tyreke Evans), Jordan Hill is an excellent alternative and gives them an interior presence at the power forward position that they don't really have. He will become Golden State's first classic power forward since Joe Smith. With Monta and Anthony Randolph being their future offensively, a big that doesn't need a lot of touches probably works better for them than Evans anyways.
Combo Guard. Davidson
Out of the four guards that will possibly be available at New York, I rank them Holiday, Jennings, Flynn, Curry if LeBron doesn't come in 2010, but if he does then it switches to Curry, Holiday, Flynn, Jennings. Curry, in other words, is a bigger gamble for the Knicks on a certain level than the others. I personally would throw Jeff Teague into that equation as well, but he will not be considered.
Curry is a better point guard than people give him credit for, but there is no denying that he struggled to beat subpar defensive competition off the dribble while at Davidson and that is a glaring weakness, which is difficult to offset even if he could somehow shoot it from 40 feet out.
Combo Guard. Memphis
The three players that I've attached to the Raptors at nine over the past month will all be available, according to this mock, but Evans is a new addition. Instead of Brandon Jennings, Terrence Williams or Demar DeRozan, Evans slips and gives Toronto instant scoring off the dribble. He is a surer bet than DeRozan, has a higher ceiling than Williams and fits in on a positional level better than Jennings.
Point Guard. Roma
Flynn has looked like the player for Milwaukee for several weeks, but I have him being off the board when John Hammond's turn comes up. Jennings has the star potential that the Bucks don't have anywhere else on the roster and point guard is a position of need again. He has the kind of quickness off the dribble and agility in the air that is too overwhelming for most defenders.
Combo Forward. Louisville
The Nets have clearly not been married to this pick and would be comfortable with the options down in the draft if they can pick up an additional asset. Assuming they keep it, Earl Clark represents a positional need and he has the potential to be one of the best five players from the draft. He has a guard skill set at 6'10" and he has way more interest in the game than the Nets first round pick in 1997.
Shooting Guard. Louisville
Terrence Williams and Larry Brown are a match made in heaven and he will fit in immediately between D.J. Augustin and Gerald Wallace on the perimeter. He has a lot of Ron Harper and Antonio Daniels in his game with some Ron Artest thrown in there, with great intangibles on both sides of the floor.
Power Forward. Pittsburgh
The Pacers have frequently spoke of their interest in the point guard position and if Flynn, Holiday or Jennings fell to 13, they would have to pull the trigger on one of those guys, but assuming the draft stays true, Blair works for them.
Blair exercised his will down low against all opponents during his sophomore season at Pitt. How he performs against taller, stronger and more skilled defenders in the NBA will be the prevailing question on what type of second contract Blair sees.
Guard/Forward. USC
DeRozan is the one player who will be drafted high strictly on latent upside more than anyone else. He is an extremely raw stage of his development and needs to reel in many of his skills to eventually capitalize on his explosive athleticism. He must improve dramatically with his ability to beat his man off the dribble.
I assume Steve Nash will not sign an extension with Phoenix and Jeff Teague should also be in play.
Center. Ohio State
The Pistons do not want a rebuilding phase and are the favorites to sign both Carlos Boozer and Ben Gordon in free agency, so they can afford to go a little longer in the draft with the very athletic Mullens. He has great fluidity of movement and actually has the potential to become some of the things for Detroit that Darko Milicic could not.
Shooting Guard. Duke
Chicago cannot count on Gordon to re-sign and must address the shooting guard position and Henderson fits the expectations their front office puts on players. Henderson is a little too underwhelming without any special skills to expect him to be anything more than a utility man beside Derrick Rose and that second big piece they eventually add.
Point Guard. Wake Forest
Letting players return to college after signing with an agent would open up a can of worms that would probably prove disastrous, but I think Teague's decision to wait until the last moment to stay in the draft has hurt his stock. Teague really should have been an option for the Knicks with the eighth overall pick. He is my 2009 version of Marreese Speights, who also was selected by Ed Stefanski.
Combo Forward. Gonzaga
In terms of offensive potential, Austin Daye has as much of it as any other member of this class and could be its purest shooter behind Curry. Minnesota is the situation in which he can blossom greatly playing in the frontcourt with the big bodies of Jefferson and Love, who will compensate for his lack of strength.
Point Guard. North Carolina
Deciding between Lawson and Eric Maynor will be difficult for Atlanta, but one day after pulling the plug on Acie Law two years in, should tilt the balance towards the former. Lawson is the better shooter and has been tested under more consistently challenging circumstances. Most importantly, Lawson is a better facilitator for others and Atlanta already has enough scoring options.
Power Forward. North Carolina
With Tyler Hansbrough's promotion after four years of amateur basketball, Jerry Sloan may have to concede his crown of being the most tightly wound NBA personality. The expectations in Utah for Hansbrough will be appropriate and they have the kind of system where he can maximize his skills.
Power Forward. Wake Forest
Johnson has some very good skills for a player his size, but he is a classic case of a guy that should be a bruising power forward who is mistakenly in love with his finesse game. The Hornets will capitalize on his blend of inside/outside and take advantage of his unique versatility. Playing with a guard like Chris Paul is the absolute best thing a player of Johnson's caliber could ever ask for.
Small Forward. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Listed officially at 6’9” and change, Casspi has excellent agility, athleticism and will be an inside/outside threat at the wing position. He doesn't provide the toughness Portland has incessantly been declaring they need, but he does bring a different element than their current crop of forwards. Casspi gives the Blazers a scorer that doesn't need the ball in his hands, which works perfectly since that is Brandon Roy's primary job and LaMarcus Aldridge likes to play the mid-post. There is a lot of John Havlicek in this part of his game and it is at least 75% of why he is such a good scorer.
Small Forward. Georgetown
Summers has the toughness of a 4 and the perimeter game of a wing, making him one of the most unique players in the draft. A poor junior season has caused this dip in the draft, as he has some lottery talent within him.
Point Guard. VCU
There have been some adjustments to the way Dallas plays offensively, but players with Eric Maynor's size and skill have always seemed to do well there, whether it's Jason Terry or Nick Van Exel. Maynor was obviously overqualified for VCU and would have fit in at just about any heavyweight program. Being several clicks better than his teammate, Maynor almost always had the ball in his hands, creating his own scoring opportunities, as well as for teammates. He became a favorite of a lot of scouts when he was initially viewed as a late first round pick, or an early second, leading him to be mentioned in the middle of the first round, but the 20s is an appropriate assessment of his true value. On a team like Dallas, Maynor could have a similar rookie impact as Courtney Lee did this past year with Orlando.
Power Forward. USC
If the Thunder don't pick Rubio, then there will be several more options for them at 25, but will go with Gibson in this mock. He is very fundamentally sound, does all the dirty work that any coach would love out of a power forward and is also an excellent shotblocker.
Point Guard. UCLA
Chicago wants another point guard should they keep this pick and Collison would fit excellently as Rose's backup and could even share the floor with him. He is a difference-maker on the defensive end, which could see him guarding point guards like Rajon Rondo late in games to save Rose for the offensive end. Collison is also a very good perimeter shooter and will be a reliable spot-up option from distance. Off the dribble, Collison has enough athleticism to finish in the paint.
Point Guard. Cholet
Assuming Memphis takes Thabeet over Rubio as expected, Beaubois is a high ceiling point guard that can develop along with their current group of players. A perimeter trio of O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay and Rodrigue Beaubois would be a physical nightmare for most teams. He is extremely quick off the dribble, can finish at the rim and has a shockingly deadly perimeter shot. He is the best player in this draft that almost nobody outside of people who watch basketball for a living has seen play.
Point Guard. Florida
With so many picks, assuming all four first rounders are retained, Minnesota can afford to stash Calathes away in Greece for a year. He is America's answer to Ricky Rubio on a certain level and his size at the point guard position would offer a nice change of pace from Jonny Flynn and they could even share minutes from time to time.
Shooting Guard. North Carolina
The Lakers will likely sell this pick off for a future consideration or purely cash in order to make an early payment on the 09-10 luxury tax. Ellington is a player that would fit in with both the Lakers and the Knicks, who are desperate to pick up an additional pick.
Small Forward. Arizona
Budinger won't become LeBron's Scottie Pippen, but with great athleticism and spot-up ability, he fits Cleveland's formula for a complementary player. He will instantly fill the Wally role. There isn't a big available that will help them immediately or in a significant way down the road, plus they now have Shaq.
Click here to read full draft reports on many of the players listed above.
Second Round
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Small Forward. Sweeden
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Power Forward. Gonzaga
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Point Guard. St. Mary's
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Point Guard. Florida State
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Small Forward. Pittsburgh
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Combo Forward. Xavier
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Shooting Guard. LSU
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Power Forward. Arizona State
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Combo Forward. Missouri
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Small Forward. North Carolina
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Shooting Guard. Temple
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Combo Forward. Spain
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Power Forward. Georgia Tech
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Power Forward. St. Joseph's
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Small Forward. Villanova
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Point Guard. UAB
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Combo Guard. Serbia and Montenegro
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Combo Forward. Baylor
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Center. Ukraine
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Point Guard. Gonzaga
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Point Guard. UConn
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Point Guard. France
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Power Forward. LSU
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Forward/Center. Netherlands
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Power Forward. Missouri
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Combo Forward. Memphis
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Shooting Guard. Kentucky
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Combo Guard. Miami
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Shooting Guard. Clemson
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Power Forward. UConn
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