I know the NBA draft is a few months away, but the NCAA tournament is fresh in my mind. I’m sure that a lot of stuff will start to come out about the player’s personal lives until draft time that may sway the teams from picking them, but I don’t want that to affect who we love. We also listed a few players that are down on at the moment. I’m not saying that we don’t think these players will be bad NBA players, but they are clearly over-rated.
Players We Love
Derrick Rose– I think there is a chance that Rose will be picked #1 overall. If the Heat end up with that pick, it will be hard to pass up on the guy. They could end up with an all-Chicago-area backcourt of Wade and Rose. I’m sure Beasley could be very effective with Miami, but a scoring point guard is hard to find in the NBA.
Michael Beasley– Everyone I know think Beasley is the best player in this draft. I think Beasley and Rose are kind of 1a and 1b, because they do different things. They are two players that are hard to compare. Beasley plays like Dwight Howard, but with a nice jumper. He is a definitely a game-changing player and can turn any team in the East into a playoff team.
Kevin Love– Love has amazed every scout that has laid eyes on him. He is more than just a regular big man, Love brings skills that sets him apart from other bigger guys in the draft. His cynics say that he isn’t athletic enough to play in the NBA, but he will end up being a threat whenever he touches the ball. He will be in the league for many years.
Players We Don’t Love
Eric Gordon– I hate doing this to a fellow Hoosier, but he totally tanked at the end of the season. I know Indiana was going through a lot of turmoil, but this could be a sign of things to come. If Gordon is stuck in a situation where his team is losing or plays for a coach that he has no confidence in, Gordon won’t give his best. In his lone NCAA tournament game, he played in his worst game. I’m not 100% sold that he has the “character” to play in the NBA right now, he should have stayed another year and dominated.
O.J. Mayo– Mayo has been a possible #1 pick since he was a sophomore in high school. His choice of going to USC surprised everyone and he had a good freshman year. He is another player that could have benefited from staying another year, albeit he would have to play for Tim Floyd. Floyd is not a good teacher, Mayo should have went to a program with an established winner. Mayo needed a Roy Williams or Coach K-type of coach to guide him to mature into his potential. Mayo will be a top-10 pick, but at this point he is clearly coasting on his name alone.
Hasheem Thabeet– I watched a few UConn games this year and at times Thabeet looked very dominant. His defensive abilities are superb, but he is so raw on the offensive end that he may never be a double-double kind of player. At this point he can be compared to Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman, but without the ability to grab rebound that isn’t supposed to get. Thabeet is 7-3, he will get a lot of rebound just due to his size, but will never be quick enough to grab as he potentially should. If Thabeet can learn to play in the post, he could have a Dikembe Mutombo kind of career, but that could be wishful-thinking.
A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.
I can’t believe the NBA still does this, but they let ping-pong balls determine who will have the top pick in the draft. I’m not a fan of the process, the NFL’s draft order is pretty solid, but I can see why the NBA don’t want their teams tanking at the end of the season to draft higher. This process let San Antonio have the chance to obtain Tim Duncan, after David Robinson was injured the previous year. They won the draft and they have been unstoppable, err, every other year.
