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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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2008 NBA Draft Prospects: 1-10 By Ron Jumper The lottery was interesting to say the least, as no one saw Chicago defying the odds. Everyone (including yours truly) was expecting to see New York break into the top 2 so they could take either Rose or Beasley and return to being relevant. It would have been the big story that the lottery is fixed and all the conspirators would be ranting and raving. That being said, I probably would have jumped right on in with them and ranted a little bit myself. Anyways, as for this article, I’m not going to give a mock draft just yet, as I will just be listing my top 30 prospects and describing what I like or don’t like about their respective games. I’m going to break this into three parts, doing 10 prospect evaluations at a time. This way, when I give my actual mock drafts, I can just discuss how I think a particular prospect will fit or impact the team I have him going to and not have to repeat the same player attributes over and over. Before I get to the list, I have to discuss Chicago’s good fortune. This is the chance they needed to put it all together. I’ve criticized the last couple of off-seasons they have had, as I have disagreed with virtually every free agent signing, draft pick, and trade. I have said since they signed Ben Wallace that inside scoring would be their downfall. I begged them to draft LaMarcus Aldridge instead of Tyrus Thomas. Then, I really hoped they would take Spencer Hawes because they need someone who can score with their back to the basket. Whenever there were trade talks involving Luol Deng or Ben Gordon, I knew the Bulls wouldn’t get anything done because they didn’t want to give up more than one key piece, yet none of their players can bring back an All-Star in return by themselves. Imagine if they had listened to me and kept Tyson Chandler, then drafted LaMarcus Aldridge and Spencer Hawes. They would have a very tough team to beat, especially in the East. Now, despite it all, they have the opportunity to right the ship with this draft pick. It doesn’t matter if they take Rose or Beasley. It also doesn’t matter if they trade the pick, either. With this pick, they could make a great package for any of the stars on the trading block (Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, or Carmelo Anthony) with any combination of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and the top pick. They had better take advantage of their opportunity. I look back to when San Antonio had this lucky break in 1997. They missed the playoffs because David Robinson was injured, then won the lottery, took Tim Duncan, and the rest is history. The Bulls have similar talent and this draft pick could make them an elite team if they use it right. Ranking The Top 30 Prospects: 1-10 1. SF/PF Michael Beasley, Kansas State Beasley is a can’t-miss prospect that will be good no matter what system he plays or what position he has to play. What I like most is that he is aggressive and attacks the basket. He has a scorer’s mentality, in that he doesn’t settle for jumpshots or disappear for stretches at a time. He may not be a perennial All-Star, but he will average at least 15-18 points and 8-12 boards for the next decade without question. 2. PG/SG Derek Rose, Memphis When I look at Rose, I don’t see an NBA point guard. I see more of a Dwayne Wade type combo guard because of his ability to score and get to the rim. The Chicago product needs to have freedom to slash and be a scorer because of his unique athleticism. Another reason I like him better as combo guard is that, because he is so athletic, he doesn’t have a really high basketball IQ yet. He relies on making plays with his quickness and jumping ability, as he often would leave his feet before he had decided where he was going with the ball only to be bailed out by an acrobatic play in the air. In the NBA, that ends up being a turnover most of the time. 3. C DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M Jordan is a freak of nature in terms of size (7’0” 255) and athleticism. He was very inconsistent down the stretch in college and many scouts are concerned. However, I think head coach Mark Turgeon is to blame because he didn’t want him to leave early so he started cutting his minutes down, thus limiting his production. To me, even if he has been inconsistent, that shouldn’t change the amazing upside he has. He is a carbon copy of Dwight Howard in terms of his size and athleticism, so I think he could be a very good rebounder and defender right now. Bare with me for a minute, think about if Dwight Howard had gone to college. He was very raw and relied solely on athleticism as a rookie in the NBA, so it would make sense he would have been in a similar situation in college. Then you look at that rugged, defensive oriented Texas A&M team that didn’t score a lot of points to begin with, so it isn’t a stretch that Jordan didn’t put up big time numbers. 4. SF Donte Green, Syracuse Okay, so here is the deal about Donte Green: he has as much upside as any player in this draft class, but he settles for jumpshots and doesn’t have great shot selection. Green is 6’11” 220 and can hit NBA-range 3-pointers! However, he doesn’t use his height enough and camps on the 3-point line far too often. He can jump out of the gym and has a great wingspan. The sky is the limit for him to develop into a Tracy McGrady-Kevin Durant scorer in the NBA. 5. C Brook Lopez, Stanford Lopez is different then the other centers in this draft because he has a true back-to-the-basket game. He can hit turn-around jumpers and has a variety of post moves. Most have him as the third best prospect, but I have concerns about his athleticism and his defensive ability. Another concern is rebounding, as he played 31 minutes a game and only averaged 8 boards. He needs to get a little quicker and more active on the boards. 6. PF/C JaVale McGee, Nevada This is something that bothers me about the draft sometimes. If McGee played at UNC, UCLA, or Duke, then he would be a consensus lottery pick. McGee is 7’0’ 230 and can fly. He has Brandon Wright-like athleticism and length, only he is 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. He also has a jumpshot, as he made fourteen 3-pointers this season and 8 in the last 9 games. This guy will be a steal if he falls outside the lottery, like it appears he will at this point. McGee has earned the nickname “The Big Secret” because, well, that is what he is. He has been training at “an undisclosed location” with his agent Roosevelt Barnes for the last 6 weeks, according to a DraftExpress.com report. The report indicated he was performing very well. 7. SG Jerryd Bayless, Arizona Bayless is not a point guard, as some scouts seem to think. It would be simply a waste not to have him coming off screens and shooting that beautiful jumpshot. Something that should also be pointed out is that it truly is a jumpshot, which makes up for him only being 6’3” as an NBA shooting guard. He has a great scorer’s mentality and will be a great scorer in any system, as he performed admirably in Kevin O’Neal’s half-court sets at Arizona. 8. SG O.J. Mayo, USC Amidst all the controversy, we should not forget Mayo is a very good basketball player and will be a very solid pro. He is a more natural shooting guard, but he does have a very good feel for the game. Mayo has been preparing for the NBA since high school, so he should be able to contribute right away for any team he lands on. He is also a very underrated defender, as people forget how well he locked up Derek Rose (forcing him into 5 turnovers and 3-9 shooting) when the two met in Madison Square Garden during the Jimmy V Classic. 9. SG Eric Gordon, Indiana When looking at Gordon’s skill set, it is very NBA-ready. He is exceptional at pull-ups in transition and step-backs jumpers, making him likely to have a smooth transition to the NBA. Simply put, he will be a very good scorer at the NBA level. Something people forget though, is that his strength at 215 pounds allows him to body up and play defense as well. 10. SF Anthony Randolph, LSU Randolph is similar to Donte Green, except Green has much deeper range on his jumpshot. At 6’11”, Randolph is very unique because he can handle the ball, shoot mid-range jumpers, and run the floor. He is very long, but will probably never be able to put on much weight due to his body type. It should also be pointed out that he is a lefty. Expect prospects 11-20 to be posted shortly here at SportsOverload.com. May 22, 2008 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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