Category: NBA Draft (Page 28 of 55)

      Griffin is a great fit for the Clips

      May 20, 2009 /

      Truthfully, Blake Griffin would be a great fit just about anywhere, but the Los Angeles Clippers can really use him. He’s athletic, has an improving offensive game and can really rebound. He has the potential to be a franchise power forward.

      When the Clippers signed Baron Davis to a fat contract last summer, things we’re looking up for a franchise that only had one winning season in the last 185 years. But the Baron Davis/Elton Brand marriage was not to be when the latter signed his own fat contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Clippers (a.k.a. GM/coach Mike Dunleavy) overreacted by trading for Zach Randolph, and they would be so much better off right now had they showed some restraint.

      Had the Clippers held onto Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, they would have an additional $17.3 million in cap space (for a total of $27-$28 M) heading into the summer of 2010. With that much cap space and a core of Griffin, Davis, Kaman, Eric Gordon and Al Thornton, the Clippers would have really been in business. They wouldn’t have been able to woo LeBron or Wade, but Bosh or Stoudemire would be possibilities, as would Joe Johnson. Now they are locked into Randolph for two more years at the tune of $33.3 million and won’t have the cap space next summer to sign a star.

      Obviously, landing the right to draft Griffin last night was huge for this franchise. Now they just need to can Dunleavy and find someone who knows what they’re doing. Honestly, he should have been fired on the spot when he suggested the team trade for Randolph.

      It’s going to take a while for the Clippers to turn things around, but with a young core of Griffin and Gordon, the potential is there. Last night was a big step in the right direction, though don’t underestimate Dunleavy’s ability to screw things up.

      NBA, NBA Draft

      Clippers win NBA Draft Lottery

      May 19, 2009 /

      Almost a year after they lost Elton Brand to free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers will have an opportunity to replace him with Blake Griffin after striking gold in the NBA Draft Lottery.

      Even the Clippers can’t screw this one up…

      Here is the full lottery order:

      1. Clippers
      2. Grizzlies
      3. Thunder
      4. Kings
      5. Wizards
      6. Timberwolves
      7. Warriors
      8. Knicks
      9. Raptors
      10. Bucks
      11. Nets
      12. Bobcats
      13. Pacers
      14. Suns

      NBA, NBA Draft

      John Wall picks Kentucky

      May 19, 2009 /

      After a long dance, top high school recruit John Wall is headed to Kentucky to play for John Calipari.

      Wall, ranked the No. 1 point guard, No. 5 overall, on the ESPNU 100, informed Miami coach Frank Haith Tuesday morning that he had committed to Kentucky. The reasoning, according to a source, was because he just wanted to play for Calipari.

      If Calipari had stayed as coach at Memphis, there would have been no drama in Wall’s commitment. Privately, Calipari was convinced Wall would have chosen the Tigers, but the coach’s departure to Kentucky created a soap opera in the renewed recruiting chase.

      Wall teased Duke, and actually gave Miami an informal commitment last week, according to a source close to the situation. But ultimately, the Word of God Christian Academy playmaker out of Raleigh, N.C., didn’t stray from his original plan: He chose to play for Calipari, except the pursuit for a national title will be out of Lexington instead of Memphis.

      According to sources, this had been an issue for Wall’s adviser, Brian Clifton, who likely will be the one to represent Wall when the player eventually declares for the NBA draft.

      A source close to the situation at Duke said multiple times that if Clifton were making the call, Duke would have been selected. But Wall, according to sources, made the decision.

      Dajuan Wagner, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans…It’s clear that Wall sees Calipari as a conduit to the NBA, not that he’d have much problem becoming a lottery pick at Duke or Miami. It will be interesting to see how Calipari uses both Wall and Eric Bledsoe, who also recently committed to Kentucky.

      College Basketball, High School Sports, NBA, NBA Draft, News

      Revisiting the 2006 NBA Draft class

      May 3, 2009 /

      Tyrus Thomas

      On the heels of what many are labeling the greatest first round NBA series of all-time, there’s already been a lot of talk about how good the recently exited Chicago Bulls can be next year. And with good reason: Derrick Rose is already on his way to becoming one of the game’s best point guards, Ben Gordon (despite the fact that he plays worse defense than the 2008 Detroit Lions) is a lights-out scorer, and Joakim Noah can do it all from a defensive and rebounding perspective.

      But perhaps the most intriguing player in this year’s Celtics-Bulls classis series was Tyrus Thomas. His play was a bit of a revelation in the series, as he consistently knocked down the 18-foot jump shot NBA 4s need to make, and his athleticism continues to be off the charts. He’s got the potential to be an all-star.

      There is a saying in the NFL that it takes three years to truly evaluate a draft class, and to a lesser extent this is true in the NBA as well. Since Thomas and Boston’s stud PG Rajon Rondo are both from the 2006 NBA Draft class, how about we take a look at who the top 10 picks were, and who the revised top 5 should be?

      2006 Draft (the actual top 10)

      1. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors

      2. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers

      3. Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats

      4. Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls

      5. Shelden Williams, Atlanta Hawks

      6. Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers

      7. Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves

      8. Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies

      9. Patrick O’Bryant, Golden State Warriors

      10. Saer Sene, Seattle SuperSonics

      2006 Draft (the should-have-been top 5)

      1. Brandon Roy

      2. Rajon Rondo

      3. LaMarcus Aldridge

      4. Rudy Gay

      5. Tyrus Thomas

      The ’06 class has hardly set the world on fire in its first three years, with its only redeeming value being that they’ve featured second-round gems like Utah’s Paul Millsap, Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson and Boston’s Leon Powe. But in terms of potential star power, don’t stick a fork in 2006 yet – all 5 of my revised top picks could end up as all-stars.

      If the teams could do it over, who do you think they’d take?

      NBA, NBA Draft

      Curry, Lawson and Ellington enter loaded pool of guard talent in NBA Draft

      April 25, 2009 /

      Stephen Curry

      As all eyes turn to today’s NFL Draft, why not take a moment for a little speculating about June’s NBA Draft.

      Three significant underclassmen guards announced their entry into the NBA Draft this week – Davidson’s Stephen Curry and North Carolina’s Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson – joining a talent pool already loaded with guards.

      Here are list of a few more who figure to be in the running to be top 20 picks in this year’s draft:

      Ricky Rubio, Spain

      James Harden, Arizona State

      Tyreke Evans, Memphis

      Brandon Jennings, Italy

      DeMar DeRozan, USC

      Eric Maynor, VCU

      Gerald Henderson, Duke

      Jrue Holliday, UCLA

      Terrence Williams, Louisville

      Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

      Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

      Patrick Mills, St. Mary’s

      The question is, where are these three newcomers going to go? ESPN’s Chad Ford doesn’t even have Ellington in his top 30 available prospects, and while he did come up big in the Tar Heels’ championship run this season, he had to withdraw from the draft last year because of a lack of interest from NBA teams.

      Lawson’s stock is up this year, and he has the reputation of being one of the fastest end-to-end point guard prospects in the draft. But will NBA GMs side with him over the just-as-quick and better-shooting Jonny Flynn, Eric Maynor or Jeff Teague?

      Same goes for Curry. From a production standpoint, he’s light years ahead of everybody on this list except perhaps Lawson or James Harden. But he would likely enter the NBA as the league’s skinniest player, and given teams’ tendencies to let workouts and physical potential rule the day, it may be tough for them to take Curry over say, a DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans or even a Jrue Holliday – all players with NBA-ready bodies and major upside.

      College Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

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