What do the Spurs have against promising young power forwards? First, they trade away Luis Scola, and then pass on Kansas forward Darrell Arthur in the draft. It’s not as if they are stacked at power forward. In fact, I believe it’s their weakest position, with Matt Bonner, Fabricio Oberto and Ian Mahinmi the only guarantees to return next season. A guy with a diverse skill-set like Arthur would have been perfect to develop alongside Tim Duncan. Let’s remember, Arthur had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over Memphis that gave Kansas the NCAA title. Even with concerns over a kidney issue he was worth the risk. Instead, they give a valuable first round contract that is guaranteed to IUPUI guard George Hill. Not only was he absent from most mock drafts, he was not even listed in the 224 page NBA Draft Guide. At best, he will be Tony Parker’s back-up. A puzzling choice by the Spurs.
Indiana Pacers
Instead of being thrilled to grab the steal of the draft at No. 11 (Bayless), the Pacers immediately sent him packing to Portland in exchange for role players. Brandon Rush will be a solid pro but will back-up Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, whilst Jack will sub for T.J. Ford. Jerryd Bayless was tipped to go fourth to the Sonics because he is a potential 20ppg scorer and Allstar. It seems as though the Pacers are content with mediocrity. Either that, or Larry Bird has no idea what he is doing.
Boston Celtics
With the 30th pick the Celtics should have grabbed crafty Memphis swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts. CDR would have immediately brought extra scoring off the bench, and may have been an eventual replacement for the aging Ray Allen. Whilst I do believe that the Celtics made a good decision trading for Bill Walker in the second round, selecting CDR at No. 30 would have been a steal for the champs.
Portland Trail Blazers
You’ve got to hand it to the Blazers, they sure know how to manipulate the draft. To come away with Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum when their roster is already stacked with young stars, is very impressive. GMs around the league could learn a great deal from watching Portland’s Kevin Pritchard operate on draft day (are you listening Larry Bird?).
As we look at the draft class of 2008, the sheer talent and upside is impressive. However, upside is a dangerous word and many draft prospects full of it are quickly out of the league.
The most press has gone to the 1st pick for the Chicago Bulls. Although Michael Beasley was the consensus pick earlier, now the thinking is Derrick Rose instead. The recent success of Chris Paul and Deron Williams have made teams convinced of the need for a franchise point guard. Rose certainly fits the billing, with excellent size, athleticism and vision. However, it is rare for a team to win a championship without an all-star point guard. Short of Michael Jordan’s greatness, most of the recent champions have an all-star or a Hall of Famer in the paint (Tim Duncan, Shaq, Kevin Garnett). The Bulls have a greater need for an interior scorer and Beasley fits the billing. He is a made for NBA talent who can score from anywhere on the court. Either way, the Bulls should be getting a future all star.
The rest of the draft lottery is full of early entrants brimming with potential. OJ Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook are all combo guards with questions about their ability to play the point. This group of players will all likely be gone before the 10th pick in the draft. Mayo has not quite lived up to the hype that preceded his first year in college, but he has a silky smooth jump shot. If teams can look past his reported character issues, he is very NBA ready. His poor assist to turnover ratio and decent height and length suggest he fits in better at shooting guard. Bayless has lightning quickness and great scoring ability. He could go as high as 4. Westbrook is an intriguing prospect with dynamite athleticism. He is a very adaptable player who can play both guard spots. Gordon has NBA range on his jumper and great length and athleticism. He could prove to be the third best player in this draft.
There is a plethora of big men in the draft, but none with the “can’t miss” status of Beasley. Brook Lopez has good size and advanced offensive game, but he is an average athlete and is thought to have defensive and rebounding weaknesses. Roy Hibbert and Kosta Koufos fall into this category of big men. DeAndre Jordan has as much talent as anyone in the draft, but whether he can add skill and desire to his repertoire has been questioned and that is his stock has fell so far. Javale Mcgee shares his athleticism, but has been less than impressive in workouts.
The rest of the lottery candidates are swingmen. Danilo Gallinari is the token tall foreigner who can shoot. is a complete player with big game experience. Nicolas Batum is an athlete who has questions about his ability to be a go-to player. Finally, Joe Alexander and Anthony Randolph are great athletes, with Alexander the more likely to pan out.
June 16, 2008 at 4:35 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA, Videos
It’s (almost) over! June is quite the month for the NBA. The climax of the season and the climax of the offseason for most NBA teams. Fans of lottery teams are speculating about their next potential franchise player, and the two most popular (or hated) teams in the league are playing for the NBA title on Tuesday night. Enjoy June while it lasts.
Is it over for the Los Angeles Lakers? Sure, they’ve forced a game six, but it’s going to be tough for the Lakers to win two in a row in Boston, where the Celtics are 12-1in the postseason. Either we witness the Celtic’s first championship in over 20 years, or some amazing performances by Kobe & Co.
It’s (possibly) over! After an already crazy basketball career, Bill Walker has injured his OTHER knee. Left and right, both injured in the past two years. Unfortunate for him, especially because covers up some weakness in skill with his athleticism. Of course, you already knew that.
Today’s the early-entry withdrawal deadline for this year’s draft. Draft Express, as always, has a list separating the pretenders from those who elected to remain in the draft. Any news about Zach Feinstein, the college junior without any basketball experience?
Can’t wait until the next season of college basketball? Suffering from March Madness withdrawal?
Daily Basketball is giving out five copies of the Rock Chalk Championship DVD (retail $19.95!). If this is like any of our previous contests, all it takes to win is to enter the contest.
A quote from the release flyer:
Relive it all…Every memory…Every shot…Every critical game that made this a season for the ages for Jayhawks fans everywhere. This is the only DVD available that chronicles the miraculous 2007-08 regular season…including highlights from the Big 12 Tournament…and highlights from all of Kansas’ NCAA Tournament Games and the unbelievable Finals!
Five random winners will be selected from a random pool of “tickets.” There are a few different ways you can accumulate tickets:
Link to Daily Basketball on your blogroll or in a post (2 tickets)
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To enter the contest, please leave a comment below explaining how many tickets you have and how you earned them. Links and such will be verified. If you’d like to write a guest post (which will likely guarantee a copy of the DVD), then let me know. The five randomly selected winners will be chosen from the entries submitted by June 4 at 6:00 PM Eastern time.
TICKET COUNTER (last updated June 2, 1:50 PM Eastern time):
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This post was written as part of Unsung Player Day, hosted at With Malice.
Four years ago, one of the top NBA players of all time, Karl Malone, left his legacy with the Utah Jazz to pursue an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Without Stockton and Malone, the Jazz were left without any franchise players.
After a couple seasons of mediocrity, the Jazz “stole” Carlos Boozer from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Along with one of the top points guards in the NBA, Deron Williams, the Jazz have returned to the top of the Western Conference. No, Boozer is not our Unsung Player — all he did was put our under-appreciated player on the bench.
For many up-and-coming NCAA players, one season is enough to earn them a spot in the first round, or even the lottery. For Paul Millsap, however, not even three consecutive years leading the NCAA in rebounding was enough to earn him a guaranteed contract in the first round. The Jazz drafted Paul Millsap with the #47 pick, ignoring doubts that Millsap’s talent wouldn’t carry over to the NBA. Fast forward to this season. Although his averages have improved only slightly in his sophomore season, teams are now aware that Millsap will grab every rebound and block every shot that’s in front of him.
Barring any surprising injury, Millsap will have played all 82 games this season. Yet to miss a game for the Jazz, Millsap is more reliable than the delivery of the newspaper, mail, death, or taxes. Millsap could start for many teams in the NBA, yet Millsap must shift between small forward, power forward, and center to play behind a talented Jazz frontcourt. After a rookie season where he surprised many teams with his intense play, teams now play extremely physical with him.
Why is Paul Millsap an one of the top Unsung Players in the NBA? His consistent, physical play as a key role player for a championship contender earns him some much deserved credit. Take a moment to enjoy the underappreciated talent of Paul Millsap.
March 18, 2008 at 4:56 pm · Filed under NCAA, Other
Daily Basketball is hosting a March Madness bracket challenge, hosted by Yahoo! and sponsored by WhatIfSports.
The contest is free to join, with prizes going to the top three finishers. WhatIfSports, a sports simulation site, is providing gift certificates (value at $40, $20, and $10) to first, second, and third place, respectively.
If you have a moment to check out our sponsor, WhatIfSports, you’ll find an incredibly in-depth analysis of this year’s tournament bracket. Using their simulation technology, they’ve run 10,000 simulations of the tournament to predict the most likely NCAA champion.
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What do the Spurs have against promising young power forwards? First, they trade away Luis Scola, and then pass on Kansas forward Darrell Arthur in the draft. It’s not as if they are stacked at power forward. In fact, I believe it’s their weakest position, with Matt Bonner, Fabricio Oberto and Ian Mahinmi the only guarantees to return next season. A guy with a diverse skill-set like Arthur would have been perfect to develop alongside Tim Duncan. Let’s remember, Arthur had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over Memphis that gave Kansas the NCAA title. Even with concerns over a kidney issue he was worth the risk. Instead, they give a valuable first round contract that is guaranteed to IUPUI guard George Hill. Not only was he absent from most mock drafts, he was not even listed in the 224 page NBA Draft Guide. At best, he will be Tony Parker’s back-up. A puzzling choice by the Spurs.
