 |
| RealGM Hoop Net |
|
| Search |
|
|
|
|
| Trade Checker ID |
| Draft Sim ID |
| Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
14th April, 2009 - 2:46 pm
|
|
|
| Current Features |
|
SCOOP DU JOUR: Weekend Scoop: Okafor's Production, Wizards' Offense Woes & More
Looking at Jay Wright's potential as another NCAA to NBA coach, the Wizards awful offense of late, the Western Conference's influence on Okafor's production, the worst case scenario for the Blue Jays, Peyton's endorsement of Tebow for the Colts and more.
PLAYER RANKINGS: NBA Rookie Review – Version 2.0
After a strong run by Brandon Jennings in the first month of the season, Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry as the clear leaders to take home the hardware.
TEAM RANKINGS: NBA Team Rankings For Early March
While the Cavaliers are an immovable force at the top of our rankings, the Jazz are now ranked second ahead of the Celtics, Magic and Lakers.
STANDING 10: The Best 90 NBA Jam Nominees
In what will be (and already is) a hotly-debated topic on basketball and video game sites and forums, let's go through each of the NBA's 30 teams and "suggest" who should be featured in what will be one of the most anticipated games of the year.
LOCKER TALK: Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando
Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn’t overlooking Orlando…
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.
|
By Christopher Reina
Now that the NCAA Tournament is over, everything that the college players have to offer in real games is on the books and on tape. Agents, scouting buzz, measurements and the workouts will change the landscape, but much of that is out of the players' hands.
The below mock draft lists players we believe will declare and remain in the draft, while several highly-touted prospects who have announced or will soon announce that they will remain in school are not listed.
Power Forward. Oklahoma
Unlike the Oden/Durant showdown and last year's Rose/Beasley debate, Griffin has no peer at the top of this draft. He is the undisputed best player in the pool and his combination of athleticism and a very high skill level will almost immediately make him one of the NBA's best power forwards.
Point Guard. DKV Joventut
Whether or not Rubio will even be in this draft has been a back and forth unknown, but if he is then he will likely be the second overall pick.
Power Forward. Arizona
For the 2008 draft, I really liked Hill as a selection early in the second half of the first round and he came back to Tucson for his junior season with a vastly improved skill set. He has improved his raw offensive game with more refinement and control, which matches his athleticism.
Center. Connecticut
Thabeet has undoubtedly improved his game on the offensive end, but his only difference-making contributions in the NBA will be on defense. He is one of the only high potential bigs in this draft assuming Greg Monroe returns to Georgetown.
Combo Guard. UCLA
Holiday is a tremendous athlete and has been playing the Russell Westbrook role this year. He has an excellent handle and when he gets into the paint, he will be able to bounce off defenders and finish much the same way as Chris Paul.
Point Guard. Oklahoma
Warren will be able to score anywhere he wants to on the NBA level. He already has NBA 3-point range and has as much explosion to the rim as anyone in this draft. He has a confident handle and great poise on the floor. He reminds me of Adrian Peterson in the way he has and uses his strength.
Combo Guard. Memphis
Evans initially had some struggles when arriving at Memphis, but his play has been much better of late. He has shown the ability to play the point position, which is tremendously valuable given his size and build. He's also shooting the ball efficiently from the perimeter. He would be the perfect solution for Golden State because he would solve the Monta Ellis positional conundrum, due to his ability to play the point and defend big wings.
Shooting Guard. Arizona State
In recent years, there haven't been too many pure shooting guards that are more sophisticated scorers as a sophomore than James Harden.
Shooting Guard. Louisville
Williams is someone that looks much better live than on paper. Even though his shooting percentages are far from ideal for a shooting guard, he has good mechanics and a compact form. He has excellent athleticism, a good handle, a great feel for game and should have an Antonio Daniels type of career in the NBA as an incredibly productive combo guard.
Point Guard. Roma
Jennings is a really good jump shooter and will have one of the NBA's best crossover dribbles. He is quick enough to beat his man nearly at will, especially because he's so slippery and with his very good in-air body control, Jennings is a good finisher.
Guard/Forward. USC
His athleticism and natural skill are off the charts, but he needs considerably more improvement in his consistency to become a reliable NBA player.
Combo Forward. Louisville
With great ball skills considering his height, Clark is eerily reminiscent of a Ron Mercer or Al Harrington. He does a whole bunch of things on the floor, especially with the dribble, that few players his height are capable of at any level. He has a quick release with his jumper and a capable shot, though his efficiency is disconcerting.
Power Forward. Iowa State
Brackins doesn't have the same kind of star potential as many other players in this portion of the draft, but has an excellent skill set and workmanlike approach.
Point Guard. North Carolina
Lawson's game is almost completely predicated on the extreme speed of his dribble and he will be an ideal point guard for an athletic young team that likes to run with him. He has matured in his decision-making this season and has also dramatically improved his perimeter shot.
Combo Forward. Gonzaga
His lack of athleticism and slow physical maturity will hurt him in the NBA initially and is why he should stay at Gonzaga for his junior season, but he has all of the natural skills and instincts to become everything Jared Jeffries couldn't at the next level. He has an excellent inside/outside game, both in the post and shooting off the dribble.
Point Guard. Wake Forest
Teague may not have the explosiveness of many of the other top guards in this draft, but he's everything you can ask for as a scoring point guard.
Shooting Guard. Duke
Henderson is incredibly smooth and sound in just about every facet of the game. He is a little small and underwhelming to be anything more than an average NBA shooting guard.
Small Forward. Arizona
Budinger has shown tangible improvement, but his ceiling has been decidedly lowered largely due to his softness.
Point Guard. Syracuse
A lot of teams were interested in Flynn in last year's draft before he decided to return to Syracuse for his sophomore season and he took a nice step forward this season. He has great intangibles and I expect him to actually be a better pro than he is a college player depending on the offensive system he ends up in.
Small Forward. Pittsburgh
Young was an unstoppable beast in the Big East, but will he have enough length and skill to work inside in the NBA?
Combo Guard. Davidson
It will be interesting to see what kind of spot-up shooter Curry will become at the NBA level where he won't be the main focus of opposing defenses.
Small Forward. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Casspi is a great scorer and that is largely a result of how much work he does prior to catching the ball. He is always moving and intelligently moves into space and proves to be a tough cover for this very reason. He is always cutting to the ball and then he looks to finish buckets physically and dunk on people when possible.
Small Forward. Georgetown
Summers has a lot of skill and strength as a 6-8 small forward.
Point Guard. UCLA
Since arriving as a freshman so many years ago, Collison is a much better shooter and has decreased his turnovers. I'm not sure he is talented enough to be a starting point guard on a good team, but he'll make a superb backup due to his defensive abilities and consistency.
Power Forward. Wake Forest
Johnson really enjoys attacking the rim and will need to prove that he is big enough to be a 4 since he doesn't have the skill set of a wing.
Point Guard. Florida
Calathes is an excellent facilitator, clearly a pure point guard and his shooting percentages improved as a sophomore.
Power Forward. Pittsburgh
Blair is ridiculously strong and without a lot of lift, he'll need that to power through NBA defenders.
Center. Ohio State
Mullens has good elevation and strength to go with a sophisticated set of post moves. Mullens also has good vision as a passer, though the college game was a little too quick for his decision-making.
Point Guard. St. Mary's
Because he's so slight, Mills is more Tony Parker than Chris Paul, albeit with a better shot and less effective in the paint driving to the bucket.
Shooting Guard. North Carolina
Ellington has a good pedigree, solid athleticism and has made marked improved as a perimeter shooter.
Second Round
 |
Center. Tulsa
|
 |
Power Forward. St. Joseph's
|
 |
Power Forward. USC
|
 |
Small Forward. Tennessee
|
 |
Power Forward. Mississippi State
|
 |
Point Guard. UConn
|
 |
Point Guard. France
|
|
|
Point Guard. Cholet
|
|
|
Shooting Guard. Marquette
|
 |
Combo Guard. Marquette
|
 |
Power Forward. North Carolina
|
 |
Power Forward. Gonzaga
|
 |
Power Forward. LSU
|
 |
Combo Forward. Serbia and Montenegro
|
|
|
Power Forward. Missouri
|
|
|
|
Small Forward. North Carolina
|
 |
Power Forward. Texas
|
|
|
Power Forward. Georgia Tech
|
 |
Power Forward. Arizona State
|
 |
Point Guard. VCU
|
 |
Forward/Center. Nederlands
|
|
|
Small Forward. N.C. State
|
|
|
Point Guard. Gonzaga
|
|
|
Shooting Guard. Texas A&M
|
|
|
Power Forward. UConn
|
|
|
Small Forward. Sweeden
|
 |
Point Guard. Boston College
|
 |
Point Guard. Baylor
|
|
|
Shooting Guard. Alabama
|
 |
Shooting Guard. Temple
|
|
|
