hoops forum

1. LA Clippers - Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin will be selected number one in this year's draft which is usually great news and every kid's dream. I do not think any kid out there hopes to play for the L.A. Clippers. By selecting Griffin the Clippers now have too many big men but the Clippers are shopping their current power forward/punk Zach Randolph, so Blake should be able to start from day one. Blake has a lot of upside, he is great on the block, can put the ball on the floor however his jumper is suspect. I don't think Blake Griffin is the best player in this draft, those honors in my opinion go to Ricky Rubio. I believe Blake should make about three or four all-star games before his career is all said and done.

2. Memphis - Hasheem Thabeet
Greg Oden is more offensively gifted then Hasheem Thabeet which is saying a lot but the upside for Thabeet is that he will be a superior shot blocker and rebounder from day one. He was the NCAA second leading shot blocker with 4.6 rejections a game and was third in the big east in rebounding, grabbing 10.9 per game.

3. Oklahoma City - James Harden
The most recent PAC-10 player of the year James Harden has been compared to Brandon Roy and Paul Pierce in recent weeks because of his ability to score. Harden averaged 19.0ppg for his career at Arizona State University. He is 6'5 but has a 6'11 wing span. James didn't have a great NCAA tournament, in fact you can say he disappeared however he is only 19 years old and on a young team like the Thunder, he will have plenty of playing time to improve.

4. Sacramento - Ricky Rubio
Ricky Rubio is like a super fine girl with a crazy ex-boyfriend, she looks great but too much baggage and whoever drafts Rubio is going to have to buy out his Spanish league contract which will be in the $5 million dollar neighborhood. Back in April there were rumors circulating that Rubio wouldn't even come out because he didn't want to play for any of the teams at top of the draft. Rubio hasn't worked out for any teams either which has really hurt his stock but in my opinion Ricky is the best player in this draft. Rubio is magician with the basketball and will be a perennial all-star. Rubio is the youngest basketball player to ever play in an Olympic Gold Medal game.

5. Washington - Jordan Hill
Jordan Hill out of Arizona is a very solid big man, he averaged 18.3ppg and 11 rpg in his junior year. I really like him going to Washington. He fills a need however the Wizards want a veteran. who can contribute right away so don't fall off your seat if this pick is traded.

6. Minnesota - Stephen Curry
Curry led the nation in scoring with 28.6ppg. His range is the parking lot. He could have declared for the draft last year but decided to play one more year and came back a much more polished player who appeared capable of playing the point guard at the next level. Curry averaged 5.6 assists per game in the 08-09 season up from 2.9 in the 07-08 season. Curry will be able to spread the floor with his superior shooting ability and find teammates with his passing ability. Curry will need to add size to his frame to be special at the next level.

7. Golden State - Tyreke Evans
One word to describe Tyreke Evans is "nasty". I can already here Mark Jackson saying "Mama there goes that man," after one of the many highlights we NBA fans will get courtesy of Mr. Evans. Sacramento and Oklahoma city have a lot of interest in Tyreke as well, so don't be surprised to see him go as high as three on draft night. Evans can play both the one and two however he will be better suited playing the two because he is kind of a black hole out there.

8. New York - Jrue Holiday
I first saw Jrue play in high school and I thought he was the second coming of Dwayne Wade and like Dwayne Wade Holiday would have benefited from staying in college a few more years. Don't get me wrong, Holiday has a lot of upside and I believe he will be a good player at some point but I don't think it will be next year or the year after that.

9. Toronto - Demar DeRozan
Demar DeRozan is a combo player who can play the two or the three positions. He can add athleticism to the Raptors backcourt which they sorely lack. Demar didn't have a super impressive freshman year at USC but he showed a lot of flashes and in March, averaged 19ppg.

10. Milwaukee - Jonny Flynn
Flynn is a true point guard who knows how to play the game. He is only about 5'10 but he has a 40 inch vertical leap. He will need to improve on his three point shooting in order to be successful at the next level. Flynn only hit 32% of his threes last season.

11. New Jersey - Terrence Williams
Terrence Williams is a very versatile forward who is good at everything but an expert at nothing. As a senior at Louisville the real Twill averaged 12.5ppg 8.6rpg 5apg and shot 39% from three. He will be able to contribute right from day one.

12. Charlotte - DeJuan Blair
Dejuan Blair is an undersized power forward but a hard worker especially on the offensive glass. He has reportedly lost 15 pounds in preperation for the draft. Despite being only 6'7' Blair was the fourth leading rebounder in the country which is saying something.

13. Indiana - Brandon Jennings
General Manager Larry Bird likes DeJuan Blair however I doubt he will be available this late in the draft. Expect the Pacers to take Jennings however I don't think Jennings will be ready to contribute for awhile if ever. Can someone say Sebastian Telfair???

14. Phoenix - Gerald Henderson Jr.
Gerald Henderson reminds me a lot of another Duke alumni, Danhtay Jones. Both players are good defenders, both are very athletic, both are very dirty players. Jones did everything but Jeff Gillooly Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference Finals and we all remember last year when Henderson tried to break Tyler Hansborough face after UNC trounced Duke at Duke.

SLEEPERS
Tyler Hansborough - He will give you 110% every night and he is the ACC's all-time leading scorer. He could be as good as Luis Scola someday.

Sam Young - He is a bit of a late bloomer, he is 24 but can become an X-factor a la Trevor Ariza, Mickeal Pietrus.

Name	Comment
Stu Parker	wow. after reading this blog....You are spot on. I do not deny Kevin Garnett's ability as a player but HATE the BS stuff he does...All negative crap.
	This is a very unfair article. Garnett is an Olympic Gold Medalist, an MVP, an ALL STAR MVP, an ALL NBA member and an NBA Champion... you know how many current players can say that? 2 others (Shaq & Kobe) and they are all considered among the best players at their respected positions in the HISTORY of basketball. The same should be said for K.G.
	This is a very unfair article. Garnett is an Olympic Gold Medalist, an MVP, an ALL STAR MVP, an ALL NBA member and an NBA Champion... you know how many current players can say that? 2 others (Shaq & Kobe) and they are all considered among the best players at their respected positions in the HISTORY of basketball. The same should be said for K.G.
Ra	This is blasphemy. I hope a Celtics fan did not write this article.
KWAPT	How old is that clip of KG? C'mon..of course that was a punk move, but what was that, 10 years ago? It's simple: KG is a fierce competitor who uses intimiadation and mental toughness to strike fear in the heart of his opponents. If he is on your team, you LOVE him. If he is not, you may loathe him. But either way, he is a great player. You cannot deny that.
Alex	Wow, now we are going to call an Olympic Gold Medalist, an MVP, an ALL STAR MVP, an ALL NBA member, an NBA Champion, a player that has more 20-10-5 seasons than Larry Bird, Defender of the Year (2008 and most likely, this year) overrated? Hmm, right now I'm kind of smelling a bit of jealousy mixed with stupidity in this article.
Tweedster	This blog is poorly written, scattered and incoherent. Thankfully, someone else already tackled the inconsistencies and leaps of logic. Check it out hear: http://celticshub.com/2009/10/22/did-you-hear-kg-is-overrated/
Tweedster	Some actual statistics, and not just conjecture and strange conclusions based on the number of 'chips KG has. http://www.celticstown.com/is-kevin-garnett-clutch.html
SP	ron campbell must love the Lakers. Or the Cav's. Or the Magic. but he doesn't know @$@@ about basketball!
Ed The Sports Fan	I'm sorry, there's no way in life Allen Iverson isn't in the starting 5, especially ahead of Nash. Give a damn about MVP's, Iverson's done more with much much MUCH less and totally revolutionized the game. Other than that, I think your decade team is cool. -Ed.
Lebron is the King	The way you analyzed your stats is flawed. If your saying Bird is better because he hits more 3 pointers, scores more, and passes more, your wrong. Bird had exceptional teammates which explains some assists. Now Bird was a great 3 point shooter and you said Duncan was a "center playing a power forward". Now if he does this, why would you bash it? All it shows is how versatile Duncan is in his position on the court. Duncan although not a flashy player, showed dominance under the goal. Duncan didnt need to pass because he could school anyone under the goal. Duncan is better because he has more rings. End of story. And to your comment on "We will never see another Larry Bird." Well we see a better one now, he goes by Ray Ray.