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22nd June, 2008 - 6:39 pm
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Marbury, Pietrus, Pie, Plaxico And Leafs!
Perhaps the last of the Stephon Marbury saga, the Magic lose Mickael Pietrus, the Orioles looking at Felix Pie, Plaxico Burress shoots himself and no additions for the Leafs?
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?
TEAM RANKINGS: The RealGM NBA Team Rankings For The Week Of November 17th
The Cavaliers are leading the NBA in points per 100 possessions after finishing 19th in the category last season, which is a big reason why they are 2nd in our new rankings.
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
As I wrote last week, Rose looks like a 90% lock to be selected by Chicago even though the uncertainty led him to workout for Miami.
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.
Power Forward. Kansas State
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 won’t fill a position of dire need for Minnesota, but he is far 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.
Combo Guard. UCLA
Westbrook is still raw offensively, but far more skilled with the handle and as a passer than people give him credit for. He played significant minutes for UCLA at the point guard position when Darren Collison was hurt and it is a more natural position for him.
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.
Point Guard. Texas
Augustin is preposterously quick and nimble with the dribble, maintaining it effectively to create shots for himself and teammates with his gunslinger mentality.
Regardless of whether the Clippers try to win now with Elton Brand or end up going into a rebuilding mode, Augustin should start and produce significantly immediately.
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.
Center. Stanford
The Bobcats are desperate to get into the playoffs and no player beyond the big two would help Larry Brown get them more there than Lopez. He gives them interior scoring from the frontcourt that they have been solely missing and is a nice complement to Okafor.
Small Forward. Italy
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.
If New Jersey makes a big trade or not, Gallinari can do so many things on the court and will fit in with just about any type of roster.
Shooting Guard. Indiana
This is decidedly Gordon’s basement on when he will be selected. He is perhaps more talented than some of the players listed before him, but he could fall victim to the ‘team need’ game.
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.
Power Forward. LSU
Randolph would give the Kings some much-needed frontcourt offense and he also should become a very good shotblocker and appear patient enough to let him develop. The ‘how long will he take to develop’ question is a unanimous one for Randolph, as it was last year for Brandan Wright, as it will take a few seasons for him to mature enough physically to play heavy minutes in the NBA.
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.
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 and doesn’t project as high as any of the other players in the top-15, 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 and perimeter shooter, which will make him fit in with Portland.
Power Forward. Florida
If I were Chris Mullin and had the third overall pick, I would select Marresse Speights; he fits their most glaring needs with that kind of perfection. With that clearly said, I will be terribly shocked and personally disappointed if they leave him on the board all the way down at 14.
With impeccable strength, athleticism and balance, there is not 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 than Speights.
His work ethic and motor is constantly cited as the chief reason why he isn’t held in higher esteem, but I respectfully couldn’t disagree more. He has a great motor, especially as a rebounder, and if he falls this low or beyond, he will easily become the draft’s biggest steal.
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.
Power Forward. Kansas
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. 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, one that meshes with Toronto’s style and he should improve physically.
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.
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
Chalmers dosn’t have the speed of a Ty 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.
Forward/Center. Stanford
Lopez is the intangibles brother and will do all of the dirty things on the defensive end of the floor due to his length, agility and incredible energy.
His offensive game is still only good in pieces and fragments, and he hasn’t put it all together in a dependable way.
Shooting Guard. Memphis
Orlando loves long spot-up shooters and Douglas-Roberts is certainly one of those, but he is also very good creating off the dribble and slashing to the bucket, two commodities this club had a dearth of last year.
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, something so valuable to Jerry Sloan’s system.
Center. HTV Hyeres-Toulon
Alexis Ajinca has as good of a chance as any of this year’s centers at being a difference maker because he has the best overall skill set on both sides of the ball.
He is an above-average shooter for his age and height with a good release and nice arc. Ajinca’s release point is an inch or two above his head, and he extends his follow-through cleanly.
So much of what separates an average center from a great one is his drive to improve and a love for the game that comes naturally, and I believe Ajinca has that drive and love.
Small Forward. Kansas State
Walker is a tough as anything slasher with great athleticism and an incredible on-floor work ethic. 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. There is a lot of Bonzi Wells in his game, a player very familiar to Rick Adelman’s style.
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.
I’ve always thought Jason Thompson would also be a possibility here for the Spurs, but comparing McGee’s defensive potential to Thompson’s will sway them towards the younger big.
Small Forward. France
Batum was initially believed to be a potential 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 New Orleans would be one of the more ideal situations.
The recent unfortunate health issue is taken into account for this mock, but it would be an absolute shame if Batum falls out of the first round and a huge mistake by several GMs drafting in the 20’s.
Shooting Guard. New Mexico
Memphis loves Giddens and could grab him here late in the first round.
Giddens is one of the best athletes in this draft and uses that athleticism not just on dunks, but to make very pure basketball moves.
He has great confidence with the dribble, and I believe he will be able to create his own shot in the NBA.
Giddens is also a tremendous rebounder and has the potential to be a lockdown defender.
Small Forward. California
Detroit’s roster looks like it may change dramatically this summer and for that very reason, I believe the NBA should consider moving the draft back to late July in order to allow the initial period of free agency and a legitimate trading period to occur before draft selections are made.
Anderson won’t be a dominant scorer who can create his own shot consistently, but his length as a perimeter shooter will give Detroit an element to stretch the floor that hasn’t been available to them.
Shooting Guard. Western Kentucky
Lee is ready to contribute immediately as a scorer off the dribble and Boston was decidedly thin on the wings behind Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Lee is a mid-range specialist with great body control as a jump shooter and has enough athleticism to allow the Celtics’ defensive greatness rub off on him.
- Click here to see our full list of 2008 Draft Reports with new reports added daily
Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and may be reached at chris.reina@realgm.com
Second Round
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Power Forward. Rider
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Power Forward. TAU Vitoria
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Combo Forward. USC
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Combo Guard. Mississippi State
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Center. California
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Shooting Guard. Arkansas
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Power Forward. Alabama
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Power Forward. Indiana
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Shooting Guard. Vanderbilt
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Power Forward. Memphis
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Combo Guard. Washington State
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Center. Cairns Taipans
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Point Guard. IUPUI
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Small Forward. UCLA
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Center. Croatia
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Center. Alpella Istanbul
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Power Forward. Ohio State
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Small Forward. UMass
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Point Guard. Iowa State/Idaho Stampede
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Power Forward. Xavier
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Power Forward. Maryland
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Combo Forward. Rhode Island
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Center. Kansas
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Center. Kentucky
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Point Guard. Ohio State
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Shooting Guard. Oregon
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Point Guard. Butler
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Forward/Center. Partizan Belgrade
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Small Forward. Oregon
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Power Forward. Kansas
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