2013 NBA DRAFT DIARY: Part III

Hasan R

(Part II of Hasan's diary can be read here).

Pick 11, Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday is gone and they replace him with Michael Carter-Williams. Advanced metrics place Carter-Williams as a top guard in this draft and he provides Philly with size and a pure PG to throw lobs up for Noel. Throw in the 2014 first-round pick they also got (1-5 protected) and the 76ers came away with a killer haul and have set themselves up for a fantastic future rebuild.

Pick 12, Oklahoma City Thunder: Still reeling from losing James Harden, they need to find a sixth man who can play meaningful minutes behind Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Frankly, this team is pretty stacked and are smart at drafting so I trust their pick. Steven Adams is the announced pick and I’m ok with this. Adams is an athlete with tons of potential. Strong athlete combined with great size makes him a terrific defender, but needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball. Thankfully, offense is something OKC doesn’t suffer and provided that Adams can help them crash the boards and protect the rim would make him a good pick.

Pick 13, Dallas Mavericks: A TRADE! Mavs trade this pick to the Celtics for the no. 16 pick and two future second-round picks. The Boston Celtics in turn draft Kelly Olynyk, a stretch 4 who can catch the ball on the high post and drive to the basket. Definitely part of the rebuilding process for Boston, but by no means an impact pick.

Pick 14, Utah Jazz: Man, watching the draft is fun and exciting, but draining. There is so much dead airspace and ESPN scrambles to put it all together. But I wouldn’t have it any other way! Anyway, the Timberwolves select Shabazz Muhammad. Prolific scorer on the wings and a good shooters, Shabazz proves to be a good pick, especially this far down. Best part of his interview is the fact that he is being asked about the Wolves whilst wearing a Utah Jazz hat. Definitely a highlight in the draft.

Pick 15, Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks select Giannis Adetokunbo. Whoa, try saying that three times fast. This dude can handle the ball, can shoot the 3 and has a crazy wingspan. Scouts peg him as not being NBA ready and we won’t really know if he can make the transition from Greece to the NBA. He will either be a home run or a bust, and we should know in a couple of years. 

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2013 NBA DRAFT DIARY: Part II

Hasan R

(Part I of Hasan's diary can be read here).

Pick 6, New Orleans Pelicans: AND HE IS FINALLY PICKED! Nerlens Noel free fall has stopped and his landing spot is in New Orleans! Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis! The Thin Towers! Guys, we have a really fun frontcourt…and he’s been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.  Does this mean Andrew Bynum will not suit up for the 76ers? ESPN is reporting that he is traded to the 76ers along with a protected 2014 first round pick for Jrue Holiday and a 2013 second round pick. Great trade for both teams.

Pick 7, Sacramento Kings: Ben McLemore has been selected by the Kings. A potential star with a high upside, McLemore is a great shooter and elite athlete. The Kings needed shooting and athleticism and they got it. Love this pick for this Kings. What this fan base needed, especially after the shenanigans with Seattle.

Pick 8, Detroit Pistons: Rumored to be grabbing a point guard, the Pistons have opted to pivot and grab Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. One of the best shooters in the draft, this is a good injection of talent to a backcourt with Brandon Knight running the point. Should be a fun backcourt to watch and keep an eye on this season.

Pick 9, Minnesota Timberwolves: Wolves select Trey Burke and he has been flipped to the Utah Jazz for their no. 14 and 21 picks. Jazz needed a point guard and Burke fits the bill. Most NBA ready guard in this draft he can start immediately for the Jazz.

Pick 10, Portland Trail Blazers: These guys have been eyeing a PG this draft and get it in the form of CJ McCollum. He projects to be a very similar PG to Damian Lillard making this a fantastically fun backcourt to watch. *Immediately removes Pelicans from League Pass and replaces them with the Trail Blazers*. This pairing has potential to score lots of points, create space for LaMarcus Aldridge, and McCollum can shoot well, handle the ball well and create his own shot. Good running mate for Lillard and this backcourt should have opposing defenses in fits if they can click.

Part III of Hasan's diary is available.

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2013 NBA DRAFT DIARY: Part I

Hasan R

Hello everyone and welcome to my first DRAFT DIARY. That’s right folks, I am ripping off Bill Simmons’ shtick (and who cares?  It’s not like he’ll be doing a draft diary this year because he’ll be too busy on TV to do one anyway, right?).  This draft proves to be an interesting one with NBA pundits moaning that it is a “weak draft” and it’s a bit of a gamble outside of the top 10 picks. So, without further ado, let’s start talking about David Stern’s final draft.

But for good measure: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Pick 1, Cleveland Cavaliers: Ok, frankly for pick 1, I am absolutely expecting that they pick Nerlens Noel. I mean injury or no injury, he is one of the top players in this draft and Cleveland can afford to gamble on his ability to start giving them depth at the C/PF position.  AND HOLY HELL THEY DON’T PICK HIM. They pick Anthony Bennett! SHOCKER. Bill Simmons is genuinely perplexed. I am too. I suppose he would make a great pick and roll partner for Kyrie Irving, and projects to be a 20 and 10 player going forward, so I suppose it could have been worse. They could’ve drafted me (absolutely not—Ed).

Pick 2, Orlando Magic: The Magic are still undergoing a rebuilding project of sorts and have what they want in explosive guard, Victor Oladipo. There is absolutely no way they do not take him and I cannot fathom a scenario where they don’t go with a player who projects to be a star, given his immense upside. And that is what the Magic do in selecting Oladipo, which is fantastic. Hopefully they can slot him into the starting rotation now that Arron Afflalo is gone.  Oladipo was one of my favorite players in the college game last season and I’m hoping he’ll flourish in the NBA with Orlando.

Pick 3, Washington Wizards: Washington Wizards are now on the clock.  Based on conversations I’ve had with Felipe M, this is one of the teams we’re hoping, with the right moves, can make the playoffs.  And I can only see one payer over here which addresses the need the Wizards have at SF. And as I type this out, Otto Porter was selected by the Washington Wizards. This is a perfect fit for this team. Great wing player to pair with John Wall and Brad Beal and is able to play off the ball well. Good defender and willing to defend, I hope he does help the Wizards make the playoffs.

Pick 4, Charlotte Bobcats: Hey, look! Nerlens Noel is still on the board! Alex Len is still on the board! Ben McLemore still on the board! Picks looking good for the Bobcats: three fairly safe picks up there. And the Bobcats decide to pick CODY ZELLER!!??!! A major downgrade from Noel or Len, Zeller is a bizarre pick for number 4. Once again, the Bobcats are snakebitten by one Michael Jordan. What are they thinking in Charlotte? 

Pick 5, Phoenix Suns: ALEX LEN HAS JUST BEEN DRAFTED AHEAD OF NERLENS NOEL. Hey, maybe we have a Geno Smith situation occurring here at the NBA draft regarding Noel.  Somebody cue Tom Petty. Anyway, this was a fantastic pick for Phoenix. Rumors pegged the Cavs picking Len as well and I’m not surprised. Suns love him and he can take over for Marcin Gortat eventually. Of course the Suns medical team had hang-ups about Noel’s knee, but Len is the second best big man in this draft and a good pick for Phoenix. 

Part II can be read here. 

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COURTSIDE VIEW: 2013 NBA DRAFT--Cavs/Knicks Edition

Johnny J

This will be my last NBA story for the 2012-13 campaign. I will continue my writing on stories and my opinions about different NFL topics. You can look forward to more of my opinions and jabs on the NFL. Ask about me at Fourth & Forever (coming soon!).

The 2013 NBA Draft is just days away and if you are excited like I am, you are wondering who your favorite team is going to draft. I will be be dissecting a couple of the high projected prospects and if they're a good fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In other words, if you were a General Manager of an NBA team, do you draft for need or do you just grab the best available player, regardless if they fill that void in your line-up? Lottery picks can sometimes be hard to predict. Just because a player was awesome in college, doesn't mean he has what it takes to succeed in the pros. For a team like the New York Knicks (late 1st round pick), they might be better off taking the "best available" player.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have two picks in the first round, including the number one pick overall. They also have the 19th pick as well. They won the NBA Lottery for the second time in three years. In 2011, the Cavaliers gambled on a young point guard named Kyrie Irving, who only played eight games at Duke due to an injury. He came back in the NCAA Tournament and scored 28 points in a Sweet Sixteen loss to Arizona. Two years later, at age 21, he is now an All-Star. So where do the Cavaliers go on building a team around Irving? There's been talk that the Cavs may trade the first pick, but I doubt that will happen. They've also been flirting with the Dallas Mavericks about acquiring forward veteran Shawn Marion to move up six spots to #13th (from 19th) and they would be taking $9.3 million off the books for the Mavs in return. The Mavs are hoping to have as much money as possible, for when July 1st rolls around, they hope of landing Chris Paul and Dwight Howard (Can't have one without the other, apparently--Ed). 

In my opinion, the Cavs only need to fill a few spots, such as both starting forward positions and a shooting guard. They are good at center with Anderson Varejao and North Carolina product Tyler Zeller. I know a lot of mock drafts have the Cavs taking a center since Varejao only has one year left on his contract, but I don't know about taking one early.  They have a center now in Zeller.  I like him; he deserves a chance to start.  He put up great numbers at UNC. Let him be the man in the middle. With the number one pick, the Cavs should draft for need, so I would pass on a center and take shooting guard Victor Oladipo out of Indiana. He would be a great complement to Irving. This guy has a great all-around game and upside. He can shoot, drive, and finish. Plus he has great athletic ability. A young backcourt that will make the Cavs more dangerous sounds tempting to me. Then at pick #19 or (#13 if they make that trade I was talking about earlier), I think the Cavs should draft center Gorgui Dieng from Louisville. He can play the four as well as center as he is equipped with a short-range jumper. He is a rim protector. Imagine him and Varejao on the floor at the same time. That just gets my mouth watery for what they can do with two second round picks. I would prefer to see them trade one of the two second round picks and grab Paul Pierce. They made a pitch to the Celtics for Pierce already. I think that would be a great pick-up. Talk about making the playoffs!  He is someone who can give the Cavs leadership presence. Make a package built around Paul Pierce for a second round pick. Plus he only has one year left. It's worth a try.

The New York Knicks on the other hand, needs to draft for best available player. A lot of the good players who can fill their need at point guard and center will be gone at pick #24. With that said, I like the Knicks to draft center Kelly Olynyk. A center that can score. A Knicks' fans dream. Simply because Tyson Chandler and Marcus Camby can't score on their own. Bleacher Report has him going at #23 to the Indiana Pacers, but if he falls, the Knicks should grab him. Bleacher has the Knicks grabbing another shooter. Another shooter!!! They don't need another shooter, unless Olynyk is gone. He is the only center I would bite on.  He is a need and best available player rolled into a nice gift bag for New York. Olynyk can back-up Chandler and help spread the floor and clear the paint because of his shooting ability. He would be a great addition to New York who got killed on the boards against the Pacers in the playoffs. Draft for need here!

If Olynk is gone at 24. Then you grab the best available player. Such as Allen Crabbe, a shooter out of California. I still like this pick, but all the shooters the Knicks have can't be on the floor at the same time. That did no good in the playoffs. Because, realistically, people have bad games (J.R. Smith) and slumps can occur. I'm expecting all of the Knicks free-agent shooters to re-sign. Guys like J.R. Smith, Chris Copeland, and Pablo Prigioni. If they don't, then you have to replace them.  The only way the Knicks will move pass top-notch teams in the Eastern Conference is if they have a low-post scorer. You can't trust Amar'e Stoudemire's grandfather knees. He hits the floor hard, he goes out and stays out for a long period of time. Also he has a restriction on his minutes. He can't play more than 30 minutes a game. Next they will be saying he can't play all 82 games in the season. Olynyk is the answer!

The Cavs and the Knicks are headed in different directions. The Cavs are getting young talent and the Knicks are just getting older. If the Cavs make the right moves to build a team around Irving, they will be an elite team in a couple of years. Yes, an elite team, I didn't stutter and you're hearing it first from me. The Cavaliers will be an Eastern Conference contender. The Knicks are built to win now. Now as in, "re-sign your shooters" and draft the guy who led the Gonzaga Bulldogs to a 33-2 record. Drafting for best available player is the only option and he is projected right around that magic number of 24.

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