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24th June, 2010 - 7:36 am
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: 32 Fearless Predictions For The 2011 NFL Draft
The draft is less than a week away. Draft boards from teams are essentially set and are now being carefully guarded. Here are some predictions for what we'll see next week. Some are serious, some are fun, and less than five will probably come to fruition.
TEAM RANKINGS: Euroleague Top 16 Power Rankings
Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Maccabi, Madrid and Siena enter the Top 16 phase as likely contenders to win the 2011 Euroleague.
STANDING 10: Non-National Games Of The Week (1/17-1/23)
The Knicks make three appearances this week, along with several from Blake Griffin and the Clippers.
PLAYER RANKINGS: 2010-11 NBA Player Rankings Through Dec. 14th
Now that more than a quarter of the season is in the books, we don't have many aberrations in the player rankings as Pau Gasol, Kevin Love, Deron Williams, Chris Paul and LeBron James comprise the top-five.
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.
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By Christopher Reina
Remember what you've seen over the past few months more than what you've heard over the past few weeks and especially the past few days.
We know the order of the first five picks this year with better than typical certainty, but almost the entire remainder of the draft will be an absolute mess. Because there will be trades galore throughout the night, all mocks prove functionally useless by about 8:00 PM EST.
I therefore recommend following along with my top-60 (link below), which includes a brief synopsis of each player of what their NBA future will likely look like, as well as their tier within this draft.
Top 60 Players of the 2010 NBA Draft
One CBA related note for the draft:
I'm not exactly sure how we should take the abundance of teams trying to expensively buy their way into the first round or even the last second round in regards to the supposed $400M loss for the NBA during the 09-10 season.
Furthermore, the price tag is especially expensive if these picks may not play until the 12-13 season if we do indeed lose all or part of the 11-12 season due to a lockout.
I will be delivering updates, instant analysis and draft night grades here on RealGM and on my Twitter account (@CR_Reina) between throughout Thursday and into Friday.
Feel free to make your own mock draft using our custom draft simulator.
G. Kentucky
The easiest NBA Draft pick for a front office to make since the Sonics selected Kevin Durant second overall. Wall and his ESP court vision will quickly reverse the direction of the Wizards.
GF. Ohio State
I have him fourth overall in terms of talent and potential, but he is still the right pick for Philadelphia. He will improve the team immediately and in a meaningful way.
F. Georgia Tech
Credit to Rod Thorn for making an attempt on that Wesley Johnson smokescreen, but Favors is all too talented and all too logical.
F. Syracuse
This pick is a lot like Turner with the Sixers where it isn't the best pick, but it is the right one for what Minnesota needs. Passing on DeMarcus Cousins may make the 2009 NBA Draft a quickly overshadowed event.
C. Kentucky
If HBO wants to bring 'Hard Knocks' onto the hardwood, this will be the perfect situation. Cousins and Tyreke Evans will be a scary combination in about a million different ways and they become must see TV on League Pass.
F. Wake Forest
Aminu was my first instinct for the Warriors weeks ago and he makes even more sense following the Corey Maggette trade and simply what Don Nelson tends to like when drafting. There are a million things going on with the Warriors right now and Ekpe Udoh would be a shocking direction. The adamant nature of talking up Udoh tells me this is the Warriors way of begging to trade down or out.
FC. Georgetown
If the Pistons have a real chance of unloading Tayshaun Prince while acquiring Cousins and that isn't seized upon, that becomes as bad as unfortunate as the 2003 Draft. Detroit would be a great situation for Cousins and he is precisely what they need. Monroe is the most logical alternative if that does not happen.
SF. Nevada
Babbitt will be a versatile scorer and an ideal way to tie the backcourt of Baron Davis and Eric Gordon with the frontcourt of Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman. Defense remains optional on this team, but an entertaining product that has potential if the team makes the splash trade or free agency signing sometime between now and 2011.
PF. North Carolina
Davis has top-five talent and there is no doubt his skill set fits Jerry Sloan's system and expectations at the power forward position. A perfect situation for Davis.
GF. Butler
This is an impossible selection to comfortably predict because there is such a small chance the Pacers are the ones actually making the decision. Indiana is in an unenviable situation because no pick looks good for them here and their need at point guard is so clear. If there is any possible way of acquiring Al Jefferson and Jonny Flynn, they have to take that deal because then they become a playoff team.
F. Kentucky
The clock ticks quickly on the Hornets, but Patterson is ready to play from day one and is versatile enough to be on the floor when the Hornets go big and also go small.
GF. Fresno State
George is the kind of player owners can watch a highlight reel of and fall in love with. He also is good insurance for Rudy Gay and has enough potential to improve from where he is now.
FC. Baylor
The Raptors are in a similar situation as the Pacers, though it is even more complicated since the specifics of who is staying and who is going is not yet all the way know. Udoh improves the team defensively and his offense will get better playing in this system, but I doubt the Raptors walk away with whomever is selected 13th.
C. Kansas
The Rockets need help at center and Aldrich falls into a nice fit with plenty of other talented pieces surrounding him.
G. Kansas
Sliding all the way to 15 will be an outright disappointment for Henry, but it will be a blessing in the same way it was for Brandon Jennings. Henry and Jennings are a backcourt that complements one another and he is also a good player to pair with Corey Maggette on the wing since he is such a spot-up offensive scorer.
C. Marshall
Whiteside is the ultimate boom/bust player, which makes him an ideal fit for the Wolves, plus they are in love with bigs that can hit a jumper and block an occasional shot, which describes him perfectly.
G. Oklahoma State
Anderson may have the least amount of upside as anyone in the first round, but his ability to stretch the floor is exactly what Chicago needs.
PF. Kentucky
Orton wouldn't succeed if drafted by roughly 15-20 of the other teams, but he absolutely will with Oklahoma City given what they will ask of him and their ability to develop personnel.
PG. Texas
Bradley can backup Rajon Rondo at the point, play beside him as a combo guard and stretch the floor. Furthermore, he can play suffocating defense and that of course fits Boston stylistically. No other pick for the Celtics if he is available and they stay at 19.
SF. Texas
James doesn't really solve their search for a perimeter shooter, but his toughness and two-way ability improves the position dramatically.
G. Memphis
The Thunder are unlikely to keep their three first rounders, so this is mere stockpiling of assets.
PG. South Florida
Jones is a high character guy that has become common for the Blazers, plus his ability to play both the point guard and shooting guard positions makes him capable of playing with any of their current guards.
PF. KK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
Bjelica has a good combination of size, skill and athleticism. He is one of those European players that can be either the screener or the ball-handler in pick situations.
FC. Cholet Basket (France)
Seraphin is a big body post player with good agility (relatively speaking), giving the Hawks something they don't already have.
PG. Kentucky
Bledsose drops all the way to 25 after I've had him as high as 12th (also by Memphis). There is no question he is talented and has a lot of time to grow into the point guard position, but he is a long ways away right now. If the Grizzlies eventually force O.J. Mayo over to point, it is actually a backcourt that might be able to work and at the very least he is a good on-ball defender off the bench.
PF. Virginia Commonwealth
Most teams that win titles have at least one guy like Sanders on the team.
G. Oklahoma
If he ever becomes the Willie Warren we saw during his rookie season again, this will become the absolute steal of the entire draft. Since the Nets will probably have a chance to sell the pick for $3M, I'm not sure he is worth the risk.
F. Iowa State
This pick, or the 25th one, will almost certainly be sold or traded and there are a number of teams I hear that like Brackins.
F. Washington
The Magic are in severe need of an ISO scorer, which is Pondexter's greatest strength.
F. West Virginia
The Wizards drafted Nick Young for similar reasons, but now they have a point guard who can enhance this type of athleticism.
Second Round
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F. Connecticut
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C. Florida State
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G. Mississippi
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FC. CB Gran Canaria (Spain)
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F. Georgia Tech
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G. Maryland
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C. Brose Baskets (Germany)
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G. Nevada
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F. New Mexico
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G. Alabama
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SG. Cincinnati
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F. Seattle
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G. Xavier
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F. Miami
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F. Marquette
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F. UTEP
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F. Louisiana-Lafayette
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F. Oklahoma
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C. Duke
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F. Mississippi State
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F. Notre Dame
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C. Radford
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C. Texas
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G. Michigan
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C. CB Murcia (Spain)
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C. Rutgers
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F. Louisville
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SG. Virginia
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G. Duke
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F. Clemson
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