NBA DRAFT 2013

Its that time of year again. Time for my now once annual blog post!

Without further ado, lets get to my NBA draft thoughts by ranking the top 10 players in this years draft. Regardless of where they go, these are the 10 guys that I feel we will look back at as guys that were able to stick around the league.

(1) Ben McLemore
- I feel like he is the drafts best combination of Elite Athleticism and Skill. He can shoot, pass and dribble. (Shoot at an Elite level) and his athleticism will be an asset on the defensive end
- I feel like he wont go number one because teams like drafting big, but I do feel that Ben will be the most influential player from this draft

(2) Anthony Bennett
- I don't really understand what there is not to like about Bennett. He is an athletic big man in the mold of Charles Barkley. A big body that is deceptively quick and explosive.
- I watched a few UNLV games and felt they did a disservice to his draft stock. Hardly any plays were called from him and the NCAA game did not fit his talents. I see Bennet being a force in the NBA.

(3) Trey Burke
- I love Trey Burke
- He is one of those draft prospects where everyone agrees he can do everything well on the court, however his stock drops due to size and athleticism issues. This is similiar to Chris Paul when he came out of college.
- I feel that Burke is savvy enough and skilled enough to have a similar season to Damion Lilliard.

(4) Cody Zeller
- Im surpised to see Zeller slide. I feel like he is still developing and can be a very solid, yet probably not elite , big man

(5) Victor Oladipo
- Who didn't love Oladipo in college. He is a bit overrated due to a low skill level

(6) Nerlens Noel
- Nutcase. However, he is a talented defensive player

(7) Alex Len
- talk of him going number 1 is crazy

(8) Dennis Schroder
- we havent had an under the radar Euro come along in a while. I think this is the one that makes other teams wish they hadnt missed out

(9) Otto Porter
- hard to forget that awful game in the NCAA tournament. I just dont feel like he is athletic enough for the NBA. Dosent have one elite skill either.

(10) Jamal Franklin
- I always felt this was an under the radar NCAA star. Smooth jump shoot with ability to create some space. Enough size and athleticism for the defensive end. Should be a late round steal

NBA Summer League 2012: Who is Hot, Who is Not

My thoughts on various players involved in the 2012 NBA Summer League:


Hot


Jeremy Lamb: (Rockets)- Offensive game already has NBA level polish. I think we will look back in a few years and wonder how he fell to #12.


Royce White: (Rockets)- His stat sheet wont blow you away, but Royce is a truly unique talent. White does all the little things, extra passes, solid screens, elite rebounding, that help win basketball games. That he consistently did these unselfish things in a very selfish enivroment is special.


Josh Selby: (Grizzlies)- Former top 5 recruit out of High School had a stat line of 35pts, 7/8 from 3, plus 7 steals. Oh yeah, that was all in one game.


Klay Thompson: (Warriors)- Thompson had NO buisness playing in the summer league. We all know Klay can shoot, but its his feel for the game that makes him VERY impressive. He consistently makes good decisions with the basketball and scores within the flow of an offense. His defense is still inconsistent, but getting better.


Bryon Mullens: (Bobcats)- This guy made some noise towards the end of last year. Too bad nobody was listening. He showed off a full range of offensive skill in the summer league. Consistently hitting outside shots and showing solid foot work and touch in the post.


Simmering


Donald Sloan: (D League Select)- I can not envision how he fits an NBA rotation, but he will make an NBA roster. He has some legitamte scoring instincts and if he can carve out some sort of scoring role with an NBA club, he could stick around for a while.


Jordan Hamilton: (Nuggets)- NBA body. NBA jump shot. Top recruit out of high school. I can see him cracking Nuggets rotation next year.


Jared Sullinger: (Celtics)- A lot of experts are high on Sullinger right now. There is no doubt that his offensive game is very effective, even against quasi NBA talent. He showed a very effective jump shot as well as advanced post moves and footwork. It looks like his offensive game will fit in nicely next to Kevin Garnett and replacing Brandon Bass off the bench. However, Im not sure who Sullinger is going to guard in the NBA. His footwork is painfully slow and his limited size is going to make it difficult to stop bigger players. Celtics coach Doc Rivers will have to be smart with his rotations so that Sullinger dosent give up more than he is getting offensively.


Not Hot


Jimmer Fredette: (Kings)- The Jimmer's feel for the game is mind-bottlingly low (like when your mind is stuck in a bottle.) He is beginning to be exposed as an inefficient,  undersized scorer, who cant guard anybody.


Dion Waiters: (Cavs)- I was a fan of Waiters coming out of the draft. After watching the summer league I will be tempering my excitment. This guy has NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON! He was by far the worst defender in the entire summer league. He constantly leaves his man, gambles on steals and   provides minimal effort. Offensively he showed that he is loose with the ball, makes poor decisions and kills offensive flow. With all that said, he can really score the basketball.


Fab Melo: (Celtics)- Yikes. I can not imagine a scenario where Melo is a serious part of the Celtics rotation next year. Size is there yes, but he moves poorly and has very little idea what is going on defensively.

Harrison Barnes Favorite for 2012-13 Rookie of the Year

Harrison Barnes, drafted by the Golden State Warriors 7th overall, is the most likely player to win Rookie of the Year in the 2012-13 season. 


Polish


From an offensive fundamental standpoint, Barnes is the most polished player in this years rookie class. He has an NBA ready mid range game, NBA 3 point range as well as an adequate low post game. While his college career indicates that he needs to work on his ball handling and decision making, he still rates higher than his peers from a fundamental perspective. 


NBA Size


At 6'8 240lbs Barnes is physically ready for the NBA game. This will help him on the defensive end, where unlike a typical rookie,  he will not be physically overwhelmed


Playing Time


Barnes will get playing time for two reasons. First, his situation. The Warriors are not only committed to the youth movement, but have no competition at Barnes position. Barnes will most likely start from day one. Two, Barnes will not see his minutes decrease due to defensive shortcomings. As mentioned above, his ability to compete defensively will keep him in games. 


Floor Space


The Warriors will space the floor with shooters at every position. Guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are in the 99th percentile of NBA shooters respectively. David Lee and Andrew Bogut are above average shooters for their positions. This will allow space for Barnes to operate in Isolation situations. 


Competition


Barnes biggest competition for Rookie of the Year will come from number one pick Anthony Davis. There are a lot of great things to say about Davis, however  when talking about just next year, Davis does not yet have the polish, size, playing time and floor space that Barnes will have in 2012-13. 

Golden State Draft a Success, Still Major Holes in Roster

The Golden State Warriors selected Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green in the 2012 draft. Barnes and Green fill in depth at the forward positions and Ezeli provides much needed depth at the center position.


This is what the Warriors depth chart looks like prior to the free agent season.


1- Curry, Jenkins
2- Thompson, *Rush
3- Wright, Barnes, Green
4- Lee, Biedrins, Tyler
5- Bogut, Ezeli


For the first time in a long time, the Warriors appear to have a balanced roster. While this may be true, relative to previous years, there are a few skill sets lacking on the roster.


1) Drive and Kick Slasher- The Warriors will most likely be the best perimeter shooting team in the NBA next year, however they must find a way to get the ball inside the paint to open up shots for their shooters. It is possible that Andrew Bogut, a stellar post passer when healthy, could be one option. Ideally a drive and kick slashing guard off the bench would be option number 2


2) Big Man Depth- Big men play less minutes and are more easily injured, thus,  NBA teams always need more big man depth.