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16th June, 2008 - 6:13 pm
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Wade, MJ, Dye, Draft And Burke!
The Heat aren’t worried about losing Dwyane Wade, Knicks almost landed Michael Jordan, the Sox and Reds discuss Jermaine Dye, the Packers are enjoying the Jets’ success, and Brian Burke is turning the Leafs around.
TEAM RANKINGS: The RealGM Team Rankings For The Week Of December 1st
How do the Cavaliers respond to the flood of 2010 talk? They keep winning and winning in dominant fashion, climbing to first in our rankings.
PLAYER RANKINGS: The NBA Player Rankings For The Week Of November 25th
The current top-five players in the NBA according to RealGM's FIC, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, were all on Team USA's 2008 Gold Medal team. How does the rest of the NBA rank?
LOCKER TALK: Monta: I Was Racing Baron And Elton
Monta Ellis is still at least a full month away from his return to the court for the Warriors, but he recently called RealGM with the full story behind his ankle injury.
STANDING 10: Top-10 Careers Of Players Picked 3rd
Just three installments remain in the series, with this chapter housing names like Michael Jordan, Kevin McHale, and Carmelo Anthony. It was incredibly hard to leave off a number of players, and I’m sure after reading you’ll see exactly whom I decided skip over this time around.
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.
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By Christopher Reina
Point Guard. Memphis
At this point I would be shocked if the Bulls decided to draft Beasley over Rose.
For a team predicated on shooting so many jumpshots, Rose will get the Bulls far more open looks than they ever saw with Hinrich, Gordon or Duhon distributing the ball.
His personality suits what Chicago desires from their players far more than Beasley and it is far easier to win with an All-Star point guard than an All-Star power forward, despite the Lakers and Celtics having voids at the position.
Finals' MVPs over the past five years have included Tony Parker and Chauncey Billups; unless you consider Tim Duncan a power forward, the last one to win the same award was Cedric Maxwell in 1981.
Power Forward. Kansas State
Miami doesn't appear eager to keep this pick and the perceived gap between Beasley and Mayo is narrowing, but regardless of size and immaturity, the K-State power forward is at worst the second best player in this draft.
I believe he is a better fit for Miami than Rose because his presence allows Wade to be a creator and distributor while carrying a huge workload as a scorer. Beasley should eventually outscore Wade on a nightly basis.
Incredibly explosive in the post, Beasley is NBA-ready to bang and score. He scores at a tremendously effective rate despite the constant collapse of double-teams when he touches the ball. He’ll shoot a turnaround fadeaway jumper if his man sags off, and he’ll dribble into a spin move if his man gets too close. He can finish with his right hand within five feet and has outstanding awareness of where he is on the floor.
He should easily be a better scorer in his rookie season than what we saw from Kevin Durant and I believe he will have a better career than him due to his inside/outside game and superior ability on the glass.
Shooting Guard. USC
Mayo doesn't play a position of dire need for Minnesota, but he is too talented to pass up. I think his highest potential in the NBA is as a shooting guard because of how well he can create his own shot, but he is plenty skilled enough to play the point guard position on a regular basis.
Combo Guard. Arizona
What has and will be the most immediately impressive aspect of his game is his extreme elevation on jumpers. It really is extraordinary and makes it possible for the 6-3 guard to be a shooting guard. He is a remarkable shooter off the dribble, but his play without the ball has been an unexpected bonus.
And since Kevin Durant commands the ball in his hands with such frequency, Bayless is an ideal point guard to match with him.
Power Forward. UCLA
I have Love ranked as the 14th best prospect in this draft, but a lot of the more talented players still available would duplicate what they already have on their roster and Love would undoubtedly enhance those athletic Memphis players. He would be a nice selection, but a little too safe and not ambitious enough given how young they are.
They will continue to attempt to trade up to the two slot and have enough resources to get it done.
Point Guard. Texas
I love Augustin more than just about any other player in this draft and I believe he can be a Steve Nash-esque, D'Antoni point guard, but given the fact that the Knicks have so many needs, it is a tremendously risky pick. It is risky not because Augustin won't be a good player, but because he doesn't have as high of a ceiling as a Westbrook or Randolph. His success will be based strictly off whether or not he becomes that Nash/Paul caliber of point guard, which is a difficult level to reach.
But Augustin is preposterously quick and nimble with the dribble, maintaining it effectively to create shots for himself and teammates with his gunslinger mentality.
Combo Guard. UCLA
The Clippers need help at both guard position and Westbrook will be able to play the point and shooting guard on the NBA level.
Westbrook is still raw offensively, but far more skilled with the handle and as a passer than people give him credit for.
His play on the defensive end of the floor is simply suffocating. Westbrook can shadow just about any wing 6-7 or under and should be a top-three perimeter defender in the entire NBA almost immediately. He is superbly quick with his lateral movement and is intimidating in the air on-ball and off-ball as a shotblocker. His extremely fast hands will create many deflections and takeaways while turning routine passes and shot attempts into ones of high degrees of difficulty.
Shooting Guard. Indiana
Gordon will be one of the most versatile scorers at the shooting guard position and there is an outside chance that he can develop into a capable point guard. Trade out his better perimeter shot for the point guard abilities and you're looking at a similar player in terms of athleticism to Baron Davis when he came out of UCLA.
This is the portion of the draft where teams are more concerned about making the right pick and who they are leaving on the board than a genuine excitement that their guy was still available.
Center. Stanford
The Bobcats are desperate to get into the playoffs and no player beyond the big two would help Larry Brown get them there than Lopez. He gives them interior scoring from the frontcourt that they have been solely missing and is a nice complement to Okafor.
Power Forward. LSU
Randolph would give the Nets some much-needed frontcourt offense and he also should become a very good shotblocker and appear patient enough to let him develop.
The aspect of Randolph's game that jumps out at any observer is how skilled he was at triggering the transition game. After collecting a blocked a shot or rebound, Randolph will use his remarkably quick dribble for a player of his height to initiate their early offense. He will look to create his own shot, find an open teammate, or slow it down to setup the halfcourt offense. His decision-making in this area is very mature.
In the halfcourt, Randolph has shown equal sophistication in the post as he has on the pick and pop/pick and roll. Randolph has excellent vision as a passer in the post. He finds open spot-up shooters and has the physical tools to deliver passes to the opposite side of the floor if need be.
Power Forward. Florida
With impeccable strength, athleticism and balance, there may not be a power forward prospect in college basketball outside of Michael Beasley who is more NBA-ready, yet also shows enough room for improvement to develop into an All-Star.
Alexander and Gallinari would be dream selections for Larry Bird, but the presence of Granger and Dunleavy makes either wing a redundant selection. I believe Speights is the superior prospect anyways and gives them a huge upgrade scoring down low and should also be a great rebounder.
Small Forward. West Virginia
Alexander combines elite athleticism and a pure offensive game to emerge as one of the draft’s most versatile scorers.
He is one of the most dangerous players I've ever seen in how he flies down the lane; he can pull up at 5-feet and bank a runner or turn the corner and flush it on just about anyone. He also has a large radius of range on a little one-hand scoop shot and, more impressively, on how far he can take off on dunks.
Small Forward. Italy
I was ready to suggest Ty Lawson with the 13th pick before he withdrew from the draft, but Gallinari would be an excellent selection should they stay in the 13th slot.
He has a superb handle and plays the game like he’s 6-3 instead of his listed 6-9; it is very easy to forget he is so tall. Gallinari is great in the open floor with a quick, confident dribble and excellent floor vision. Adding him as a small forward will make who brings the ball up even less relevant because of how he creates offense for himself and for others in a similar way to Brandon Roy.
Gallinari would get many more open shots if he worked harder without the ball; he is far too stationary. When he does move he has a nice natural feel for how to find open space on the perimeter.
I know Gallinari wants to go to a city he's heard of (New York/Los Angeles) and if I were heading over to Italy I'm sure I would rather live in Milan than some random village, but Portland is going to be a legitimate basketball mecca for as long as Oden, Roy and Aldridge are ticking.
Power Forward. Kansas
Speights would be ideal for Golden State, but Arthur is a rebounding power forward who should develop a nice game from 15 feet in. He has a remarkable court awareness as he is almost always in an ideal position on both ends of the floor. He posts with purpose; constantly trying to seal his man and can finish well with either hand. Arthur is also a good passer out of the post and pretty much anywhere else on the floor. His ball-handling does need a great deal of more work.
He is very athletic, sprinting the floor with gusto, beating his man down the floor for easy transition buckets. His jump shot is far from developed, but shows nice promise.
Center. Texas A&M
Jordan could possibly drop even further between now and the 26th, which would be a huge wakeup call for him. But pairing him with Amare Stoudemire in the frontcourt would be scary for opposing teams because they would be as athletic of a 4/5 combination as we have seen.
He has the kind of size, athleticism, and skill set to make just about any GM become enamored with his potential, but like so many similar big men who have come before him, his drive to become great is in serious question. His physical skills are great, and it is evident how he can be molded into a top-five center; however, I’m not sure if he has the necessary instincts to become a great NBA player.
I don't believe we will see as big of a progression between the DeAndre Jordan we see on day one in the Vegas Summer League and the five-year veteran DeAndre Jordan.
Small Forward. Syracuse
Greene could end up being one of the best five players from this draft even though he is clearly not ready for significant NBA minutes.
Greene is an immensely gifted offensive player and should become a very good inside/outside scorer, but he has a chucker mentality right now. He has a great shot for a player of his size and age, but he has no conscious at all in terms of shot selection and has poor shooting percentage predominantly because of his types of shots.
Small Forward. France
Batum was initially believed to be a top-five pick in this draft, and his talent is as immediately palpable as anyone's; but unlike the first few picks who will very likely become successful regardless of the situation, I expect Batum's destination and the type of chance he's given to prosper will dictate a significant portion of his career’s outcome and I believe Toronto would be one of the more ideal situations.
Center. Ohio State
Koufos has the upside of his young age and the distinct possibility his ceiling is still high. He already has an offensive skill set few 7-footers ever achieve (and one that fits in with Washington's offense), and he should improve physically.
Power Forward. N.C. State
Danny Ferry has the best player in the game under however old Kobe is, so in theory he has time to develop talent, yet the threat of LeBron leaving if they're not in an absolute win-now mode is a real one and must be taken seriously. But I think Ferry has to go for a home run in this draft with the 19th slot and Hickson could be their guy.
He is a classic power forward and can create high percentage scoring opportunities that came all too difficult to the Cavaliers last season.
Point Guard. Kansas
I had penned in Lawson at not getting past Denver, but his intel obviously suggested otherwise.
Chalmers isn't nearly as fast as Lawson, but he has a much better perimeter shot and also moves much better without the ball as a pseudo-shooting guard which will allow him to remain a key component of the offense despite how much Iverson and Anthony command the ball in their hands.
Center. HTV Hyeres-Toulon
This portion of the draft has a ton of high caliber wings, but they can afford to take a chance with Ajinca, who is incredibly agile and skilled for a young player of his size.
Small Forward. Kansas State
The Magic have enough spot-up shooters as it is, so for them to get a tough as anything slasher with great athleticism and an incredible on-floor work ethic would be exactly what they need most. He needs to improve his jumper, but he's the kind of guy you can go to in order to get an inside shot or get to the line in the fourth quarter.
Shooting Guard. Kansas
Rush is one of the more polished wing products in this draft, who has the on-court maturity of a 10-year veteran. He doesn't do one thing tremendously well, but he will run the floor well and facilitate with or without the ball and on both sides of the floor. He is also a skilled rebounder, which will make him fit in with this club.
Forward/Center. Stanford
Lopez is the intangibles brother and will do all of the dirty things that should enamor him to Sam Presti and make him a nice complementary piece to Durant and whomever they walk away with at 4. His offensive game is still only good in pieces and fragments, and he hasn't put it all together in a dependable way.
Center. Nevada
McGee is a rare American 7-footer who is able to play like a guard offensively, almost like those European bigs.
He has a very good face-up game and can get past his man even though his first step isn't terribly quick. His skill set aligns with what Rick Adelman does and he gives Houston some Yao insurance.
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.
He is much better than Gallinari without the ball and also does a better job of staying up right when knifing through traffic. He is a decent perimeter shooter but is a little mechanically flawed and needs more development in this area but these problems are very fixable.
Whether or not he comes over next season is in doubt and even if he does he's very young and the Spurs are desperate to reload with immediate improvement, but waiting on Casspi could be worth it longterm.
Shooting Guard. Memphis
Douglas-Roberts is a prime example of an excellent college shooting guard with questions about whether or not he has enough tools to succeed on the NBA level.
He needs to become stronger and is also far from being spectacular athletically although his reverse dunk on a fastbreak against Gonzaga certainly helps dispel that notion. The lack of strength in his core causes him to not be as balanced as he needs to be since his center of gravity is too far out in front of him
Going from Rose to Paul is one of the only ways he could possibly upgrade his point guard running mate.
Combo Forward. USC
Jefferson's offensive game is varied, as he is adept at scoring off the dribble as well as having an effective mid-range jumper. But what is most notable about Jefferson is his tremendously instinctive knack to be perfectly positioned on put-backs. He will have an excellent offensive/defensive rebounding ratio on the NBA level, giving his team many very valuable second chance points.
I think his style of play would be an ideal complement between Rudy and Love.
Center. Georgetown
Hibbert is not the reincarnation of Jabbar or even Ewing, but he is skilled enough offensively and should develop sufficiently on defense to be a fringe starter. He is an excellent passer and will do enough of the little things to give Detroit's main guys a solid contribution from the center position.
Shooting Guard. Western Kentucky
Lee will step in immediately for Boston and give them a spot-up shooter, who can also create his own scoring off the dribble. He has good speed and great intangibles and would be very fortunate to become the understudy to Allen and Pierce.
- Click here to see our full list of 2008 Draft Prospect Reports
Second Round
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Power Forward. Rider
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Power Forward. TAU Vitoria
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Combo Guard. Washington State
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Small Forward. California
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Power Forward. Alabama
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Center. California
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Power Forward. Indiana
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Combo Guard. Mississippi State
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Shooting Guard. Vanderbilt
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Shooting Guard. New Mexico
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Center. Cairns Taipans
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Power Forward. Memphis
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Point Guard. Iowa State/Idaho Stampede
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Center. Alpella Istanbul
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Small Forward. UMass
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Forward/Center. Partizan Belgrade
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Power Forward. Maryland
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Shooting Guard. Arkansas
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Point Guard. IUPUI
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Center. Croatia
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Power Forward. Kansas
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Point Guard. Union Olimpija
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Power Forward. BYU
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Small Forward. Oregon
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Point Guard. Butler
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Shooting Guard. Oregon
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Forward/Center. Louisville
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Point Guard. Duke
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Small Forward. St. Joseph\'s
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Center. Kansas
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