 |
| RealGM Hoop Net |
|
| Search |
|
|
|
|
| Trade Checker ID |
| Draft Sim ID |
| Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
19th May, 2009 - 9:30 pm
|
|
|
| Current Features |
|
TEAM RANKINGS: NBA Team Rankings (2010 Trade Deadline Edition)
The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching and this edition of the NBA Team Rankings is devoted to each team's prospects of making a move.
SCOOP DU JOUR: Football Scoop: Super Bowl Week
All the attention is shined on Miami and the Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean other things aren’t happening in the world of the NFL.
STANDING 10: The Soapbox: Realigning The NBA
With last season's relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City, the NBA has a glaring need for realignment. There are too many teams sharing a division with thousands of miles and multiple time zones between them.
PLAYER RANKINGS: NBA Player Rankings For Mid-January
LeBron's huge lead over the second ranked Chris Bosh and the rest of the top-50, including a debate over No. 45 Corey Maggette and No. 46 Antawn Jamison.
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
The pingpong balls bounced the right way for the Clippers, Grizzlies and Thunder, while the Kings and Wizards were forced out of the top-3.
If you're a fan of the Clippers, Grizzlies or Thunder and there aren't a lot of those out there, you can get fitted for a Griffin, Rubio and Thabeet jersey respectively. Griffin is clearly the best player in the draft and so he's an easy pick for the Clippers, while Rubio and Thabeet each fit positional needs for those respective clubs.
One sidenote on the lottery is that all three teams are in the Western Conference, so that side of things will get even stronger and deeper.
Power Forward. Oklahoma
Blake Griffin is clearly the best player in the draft and winning the lottery makes losing Elton Brand less of a problem. But it does make the Zach Randolph trade a little more problematic than it already was. They will have an absolute logjam at the 4 and 5 spots with Randolph, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman, so one of those older guys will need to be moved. They should be competitive next season if they are healthy, but unfortunately for Griffin, he isn't joining a young team like Memphis or Oklahoma City that is capable of maturing together for a special run four or five years down the road.
Point Guard. DKV Joventut
The Grizzlies have had relative misses at point guard with Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley and all the way back to the Mike Bibby for Jason Williams trade; getting the second overall pick and selecting Rubio makes up for that. He will be a nice complement in the backcourt to O.J. Mayo and he will exponentially improve Rudy Gay and his compatriot Marc Gasol.
Center. Connecticut
Thabeet is far and away the best center in the draft and that says more about the state of the position than it does about the big man. For a team that can score a lot and needs a reliable shotblocker and occasional finisher, he is the perfect complement. His value to a Thunder team that should score efficiently enough with Kevin Durant is significantly higher than it is to just about any other team in the lottery.
Combo Guard. UCLA
The Kings should look to deal down because James Harden and Jordan Hill don't fit their positional needs at all. Sacramento needs multiple assets and could pick up another piece, though they already essentially have three first rounders. If they stay put, Holiday would present the best value for what they need. He was essentially in hiding during his one season at UCLA because he wasn't able to play his natural position of point guard. He has every skill you need from a point guard and high enough of a ceiling to be picked this high. He has been working out impressively, a trend that will continue over the next month.
Power Forward. Arizona
The Wizards desperately wanted Griffin, but Hill is a nice consolation prize for the club. He should be a nice starting power forward and a good piece to have, but not someone that really turns around a franchise.
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. He is just shy from being great, which has become par for the T-Wolves course as they stockpile young talent.
Combo Guard. Memphis
Evans 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.
Point Guard. Wake Forest
The Stephen Curry tidal wave continues to grow and it will become even more crystallized now that New York is stuck with the eighth overall pick. Curry is only worth this high of a pick if the Knicks get LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, so their risky strategy over the past few years is compounded by going for broke with a world class shooter, who is decidedly average in most other aspects of the game. Teague is the better option, as the significant better athlete, pure point guard and he even shot 44.1% from beyond the arc compared to 38.7% for Curry.
Shooting Guard. Louisville
Even though his shooting percentages are far from ideal for a wing, 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. If the Raptors are serious about taking the Chris Bosh-era beyond the upcoming season, Williams has the best chance of making an immediate impact and at a position they need an upgrade at.
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 skilled finisher.
Combo Forward. Louisville
I go back and forth on Clark and DeRozan at this part of the draft quite a bit and always end up feeling better about the former. With great ball skills considering his height, Clark is eerily reminiscent of a Ron Mercer. 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.
Guard/Forward. USC
Charlotte needs to make the playoffs sooner rather than later and DeRozan won't be ready for another year or two, which means Larry Brown will not be happy. But the Bobcats also need a true potential star and the only other ones still on the board are point guards, something they shortsightedly went for last year instead of Brook Lopez.
Power Forward. Pittsburgh
There are very few players left in the NBA that can play in the low post the way Blair does. We've seen undersized power forwards have some really nice success of late and I think his strength and width will allow him to overcome his lack of height and lift. He's a kind of low-post player Indiana hasn't really had for years.
Point Guard. Syracuse
Flynn has great intangibles and I expect him to actually be a better pro than he was a college player depending on the offensive system he ends up in. Being Steve Nash's understudy for a season or two would be ideal for Flynn.
Point Guard. North Carolina
Lawson could easily move up into the top-10, which I felt was an unlikely scenario when his junior season began because of concerns about his jumper. He has improved that facet of his game in shockingly quick fashion, which leaves the injury bug and his lack of height as the only things that lag him behind the other point guards of this class.
Power Forward. Wake Forest
I think the Bulls would like to find a true power forward with this pick and leave their second number one selection for a wing since there is more depth at that position. Johnson is a tweener much the same way Tyrus Thomas is, but he is capable of being more of a bruiser down low, even though he has fallen in love with life on the perimeter.
Combo Guard. Davidson
The Sixers need a perimeter shooter and will also need a point guard, so Curry can deliver both. He isn't a bad point guard, but he doesn't have the handle or distribution skills that the players ahead of him have and I think the shooting of those players are more likely to eventually match Curry than the other way around. He struggles to beat his man off the dribble and his very average athleticism will catch up to him in ways playing in the Southern Conference couldn't.
Combo Forward. Gonzaga
His 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. I also like pairing him with the more physical Al Jefferson/Kevin Love, because his finesse game at 6'11" really will complement those two. He would very possibly be a top-5 if in 2010 if he returns to Gonzaga.
Point Guard. UCLA
Since arriving as a freshman so many years ago, Collison is a much better shooter and has decreased his turnovers. He should be able to play immediately to replace Mike Bibby should the veteran point guard not be re-signed and doesn't have a lot of negatives.
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, but would be a valuable fit for the way Utah plays.
Point Guard. Florida
Drafting a pure wing with a perimeter jumper would make sense for New Orleans and there are several (Henderson, Ellington and Budinger) that would be logical, but preventing Chris Paul from wearing down should be a priority. He is a pure point guard, but he has enough size to play some shooting guard as well
Point Guard. VCU
With all of the other guards that are out there, I don't see him as anywhere close to those other ones. He is unquestionably a very pure scorer, but is more of a scoring point than a pure point; a four-year point guard that commands as much attention as a scorer as Maynor did at VCU should get more easy shots for teammates than he did. Also, how will he adjust to a system where he can't overdribble and isn't the focal point? Jason Terry has been successful in Dallas and there is a lot of him in Maynor.
Small Forward. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Casspi is a very good shooter who excels at moving without the ball. His footwork offensively is impeccable and has above average athleticism for a foreign-born player.
Small Forward. Texas
The Blazers need some toughness in the frontcourt and James can certainly deliver that. He would fill a similar role playing alongside LaMarcus Aldridge that P.J. Tucker did while those two were (also) at Texas.
Shooting Guard. North Carolina
Sam Presti could get cute here like they did last year with Serge Ibaka, but a straightforward shooting guard who is a San Antonio-esque role player/winner to give their wing position some depth is the wise play. They don't need a superstar at shooting guard since they have Durant at the 3. Ellington will be a good NBA defender, spot-up shooter and will be able to do a lot without the ball.
Small Forward. Arizona
The Bulls will need to find a formula for the kind of players to surround Derrick Rose and Budinger fits that with his perimeter shooting and ability to also put the ball on the floor a little.
Center. Ohio State
For the same reasons why the Grizzlies grabbed Darko and the fact that they can afford to wait a few years of Mullens in the D-League. He is the best value play out of any player in the 20s and probably would have been a lottery pick in 2010 if he game GMs and scouts one more year of college ball.
Small Forward. Tennessee
Tyler Smith would be much better served being drafted by a team like the Lakers and Cavaliers so he can simply be a utility guy on a good team, but he could be better than most of Minnesota's small forward options already.
Point Guard. St. Mary's
Because he's so slight and quick, he's more Tony Parker than Chris Paul, except with a better shot. That is high praise, but he is a very capable point guard and his 3-point percentage in the NBA should increase, similar to Curry, because so many of his collegiate attempts were closely contested. Point guard is a position the Lakers don't feel comfortable with and they get good value in Mills because he'd be a significantly higher pick if not for his inability to defend big point guards.
Shooting Guard. LSU
Thornton is a crafty scorer off the dribble and has a developing jumper, the former is something Cleveland doesn't have enough of.
Second Round
 |
Small Forward. Georgetown
|
 |
Point Guard. France
|
 |
Point Guard. UConn
|
 |
Small Forward. Pittsburgh
|
 |
Power Forward. USC
|
 |
Forward/Center. Georgia Tech
|
 |
Point Guard. Gonzaga
|
|
|
Power Forward. St. Joseph's
|
|
|
Shooting Guard. Central Florida
|
 |
Power Forward. North Carolina
|
 |
Shooting Guard. Temple
|
 |
Power Forward. Gonzaga
|
 |
Power Forward. Georgia Tech
|
|
|
Small Forward. Villanova
|
 |
Point Guard. Cholet
|
|
 |
Combo Forward. Xavier
|
|
|
Forward/Center. Netherlands
|
 |
Combo Forward. Spain
|
 |
Power Forward. Connecticut
|
 |
Point Guard. Maryland
|
|
|
Small Forward. N.C. State
|
 |
Shooting Guard. Marquette
|
|
|
Small Forward. Sweeden
|
|
|
Shooting Guard. Kentucky
|
|
|
Small Forward. North Carolina
|
|
|
Power Forward. LSU
|
|
|
Combo Forward. Memphis
|
 |
Point Guard. Boston College
|
|
|
Shooting Guard. Alabama
|
|
|
Power Forward. UConn
|
|
|
