Seems like each year I lead off this snide exercise with a litany of complaints. Possibly, I offer a diatribe about the draft being a shell of its former, possibly whining about unpolished players, possibly cackling at ESPN’s woeful coverage. Basically, I sound like a curmudgeon, complaining about a bygone era supposedly vastly superior to the present. And I hate those guys.
Still, facing a weak draft crop, I’m tempted to wonder if the NBA’s flailing attempts to adhere to the NCAA as minor league aren’t finally catching up. Everyone was quick to trumpet greatness this spring when Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James ended up in the League’s Final Four.
But I can’t quite help feeling a bit empty. Think about how many basketball mistakes we saw. Lebron, the league’s best player, has barely a jump shot and no low-post game. Dwight Howard has even fewer post moves, and little basketball I.Q.
It’s easy to find a slew of complainers, whining that college basketball isn’t as good as it used to be – but as a result of its own lackluster age limit, the NBA has suffered, too. Is one-and-done really helping anyone? Had O.J. Mayo not gone to USC, he might have apprenticed for a time rather than become The Man. Would he be better off?
(I bet he says no. But what do you say?)
Regardless, it’s still way fun to snicker at inept teams evaluating 19-year-old kids. So let’s get started.
- L.A. Clippers. Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma. Griffin is the best talent in the draft, even as several detractors emerged to criticize his stocking-feet measurements or lack of wingspan. Whatever – that makes his thunder dunks and quick moves all the more impressive.
- Memphis? Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain. He’s the second-best player in the draft and equal to any Spanish player on last year’s silver medalists; many of whom panned out in the NBA. Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jose Calderon – Spain turns out some ‘ballers. There’s no way Memphis is actually making this pick; you’ll see Hasheem Thabeet listed in everyone’s mocks just because he supposedly fits their current lineup. But Rubio is vastly better, and someone like the Kings, Timberwolves, Blazers or Knicks will pay dearly to move up and nab him, or simply pluck him from the Grizzlies. I’m betting on the T-Wolves. See below.
- OKC Thunder, Stephen Curry, PG-SG, Davidson. After a steady string of awful misses (Souleman Sene?), Sonic Thunder GM Sam Presti has tallied shrewd draft after shrewd draft. OKC seems to be operating under the “best player available” philosophy. Curry is the best player; and weirdly, he and Westbrook may actually complement each other as hybrid, impure point guards. Yes, I’ve been drinking.
- Sacramento, Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse. The Kings covet Rubio – but no way does he last past Oklahoma City if Memphis takes Thabeet. Supposedly they’re building around Kevin Martin and Jason Thompson (I know, right?) and the Kings need a point guard. Flynn is the best in the draft. He can sky and get to the rim right now; he’s a pure point in the mold of Sherman Douglas; but probably quite a bit better.
- Minnesota (Memphis), Hasheem Thabeet, C, UConn.
- Minnesota, (Memphis) James Harden, SG, Arizona State. Trading down to Nos. 5 and 6 is perfect for Memphis. In a forgettable draft, they can nab two overrated players with impossibly low ceilings whom the Grizz have no interest in paying anyway. Heck, what am I saying? Minnesota has two other, lower picks? What’s with this No. 6 nonsense for Memphis? They can go lower!
- Golden State, Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis. Who knows what Golden State is up to, like, ever? Evans also is an enigma – the best player on a flawed Memphis team. Like his teammates, he couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat. Everyone thinks that makes him a point guard by default. I’m not so sure.
- New York, Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy. If they haven’t traded up for Rubio by this point, and Curry and Flynn are gone, these guys should trade down at record speed, maybe landing Jeff Teague or Ty Lawson. Still, Brandon Jennings is intriguing. Sure, he’s not smart enough to get into school at Arizona (Guh) but anyone who thumbs their nose at the corrupt one-and-done allegiance between the NBA and college to play internationally is OK by me. Mike D’Antoni likes talent, particularly if it has thrived overseas. He won’t be disappointed to land Jennings.
- Toronto, Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona. Hill is a borderline top-10 talent, but probably a serviceable power forward, in case Chris Bosh leaves in 2010. Which, of course, he will.
- Milwaukee, DeMar DeRozan, SF, USC. DeRozan supposedly has talent, but was the third-best player on a 10-seed in the tourney. Fantastic. Maybe he’s Andre Iguodala. Maybe not. Besides, who better to pair with underwhelming small forwards Joe Alexander and Charlie Villaneuva but another small forward?
- New Jersey, Terrence Williams, SF, Louisville. Williams and Gerald Henderson may actually be the same player, and I think each has a spot in the NBA – athletic 2-guards who can guard anyone in the gym and occasionally get to the rim. Quite honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong with either.
- Charlotte, Gerald Henderson, G-F, Duke. Neither do the Bobcats. See what I did there?
- Indiana, Tyler Hansbrough, F, North Carolina. This team is a mess. Danny Granger is fine, everything else is spare parts. To me, Hansbrough’s closest comparison is Nick Collison, and like him, Tyler certainly is good enough to start in the NBA, perhaps for quite a few years. Besides, Indiana basketball nuts will appreciate him. Even if he sucks.
- Phoenix, DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh. Blair could be a solid PF, but I said the same thing about Michael Sweetney and each reminds me of the other. For Phoenix’s part, Blair represents yet another attempt by Mensa Mind Steve Kerr to move further and further from D’Antoni-ball and somehow re-create the plodding 2003 Spurs.
- Detroit, Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina. I’m not sure Detroit is savvy enough to nab a solid pro like Lawson (probably with a ceiling of Aaron Brooks or Raymond Felton, but not too shabby nonetheless) but I have to believe if they’re entertaining trades for Rajon Rondo, they’re looking for point-guard help.
- Chicago, James Johnson, PF-SF, Wake Forest. I’ll admit it, I’m actually intrigued by James Johnson. He impressed me during several Wake Forest games. (although not against Cleveland State.) I also love how he’s bigger than Jordan Hill, with more of a low-post game, and versatile enough to shoot; but slotted much lower in the draft. Makes perfect sense.
- Philadelphia, Eric Maynor, PG, Virginia Commonwealth. I think it was Bill Simmons who called this a great draft for backup point guards. Here’s another – but Maynor has a bit higher ceiling, and can contribute in the right spot right now. Quite honestly, Philly could be it. If they wind up with Lawson or Maynor, they’ll be elated.
- Minnesota, BJ Mullens, C, Ohio State. Some dumb fucking team is going to use this pick on eternal stiff BJ Mullens, talking themselves into the lifeless center because he’s seven feet tall. That’s right, it’s 2009 and teams still salivate over height, never mind actual game footage of Division I basketball. I hate to pick on kids, but BJ Mullens sucks. He will always suck. He is seven feet tall and scored eight points a game, in college. Whoever picks here – maybe even Minnesota – they will not make him better.
- Atlanta, Jeff Teague, PG, Wake Forest. Just as I was impressed with James Johnson, I never quite bought into Jeff Teague as the Deacons’ best player. He’s quick, with more potential to be realized, and maybe he gets a chance to be the full-time PG once Mike Bibby moves on. I’ll also point out that I thought Acie Law was a great pick for the Hawks a few years ago. (Gulps.)
- Utah, Earl Clark, PF, Louisville. Supposedly Clark has character issues – is that how Pitino gets all these stud recruits; he’s able to sell to shady character guys? I think Clark has a ton of potential, and if he slips this far, he starts to fill in a contender’s cracks. He’ll be a solid pick for someone right away.
- New Orleans, Austin Daye, SF-PF, Gonzaga. Daye graded pretty highly on Hollinger’s stat-geek curve. I’m uncertain, but he should benefit from playing next to Chris Paul and even lighten the load on Stojakovic or West, which would help. Of course, this team lost by 53 in a playoff game, so I think there’s more improvement needed than originally thought.
- Portland, Omri Casspi, SF, Israel. No clue about this guy, but they traded up specifically to get him. For Portland’s sake, they need a point guard, but selecting the plummeting Jrue Holiday – this year’s version of Jerryd Bayless – may just be too painful to stomach.
- Sacramento, Jrue Holiday, PG (?), UCLA. Speaking of which, most drafts have Holiday much higher – but there’s just no way Holiday is taken in the top ten. He’s destined to slip, maybe even further than this. Although I don’t know how, after averaging nearly eight points per game alongside consummate college point guard Darren Collison! Wow, sign me right up! Seriously, if you need a point guard, why not just take Collison? Welcome to the National Basketball League, who can’t even evaluate the best point guard on a UCLA team.
- Dallas, Toney Douglas, SG, Florida State. Watching that Florida State team play was painful – a sloppy upset waiting to happen, but Douglas does enough good things on offense to see some burn in Big D. (God, I’m hip.)
- Oklahoma City, Taj Gibson, PF, USC. If you’re hemorrhaging money, can you just pass your spot in the draft? Otherwise you’re paying first-round money to a player like Gibson.
- Chicago, DaJuan Summers, SF, Georgetown. We seriously could see a first-rounder in this year’s draft not make a team, couldn’t we? Has that ever happened?
- Memphis, Chase Budinger, SF, Arizona. By the way, you have to love ESPN’s Chad Ford’s mock draft, which slots a player at 27, and his comment is: “No way will he be taken this low.” Then why is he here in your mock draft? I hate people.
- Minnesota, Jack McClinton, SG, Miami. This guy can light it. Doesn’t that have a place in the NBA? By the way, leave it to eternally rebuilding Memphis and Minnesota to accumulate tons of picks in the worst NBA draft ever. (Wait, have I already told that joke?)
- Los Angeles Lakers, Darren Collison, PG, UCLA. Slowly, they’re filling a bench with UCLA stars.
- Cleveland, Wayne Ellington, SG, North Carolina. Remember all those bricks throughout the conference finals, each and every time the Cavs needed a big shot off a LeBron pass? Ellington may alleviate some of those worries.
