JFLANland NBA Draft Preview

Time for another draft!  True, I do not get into the NBA Draft as much, mainly because I am a bigger NFL fan than NBA fan, but I can still hold my own with the NBA Draft.  This Thursday will see teams not only trying to get better by bringing in new players, but also try to dump as much salary as they can to afford LeBron or Melo (or both!).  Here are just a few thoughts for the two round spectacular.

- I know there isn't a great history of all stars from Duke, but I would take Parker over Andrew Wiggins.  Wiggins has a ton of potential, yes, but Parker is ready to be a star now.  Also, if you look at recent Kansas players in the NBA (so, ones coached by Bill Self) there is even less success than Duke.  I don't really trust the Cavs to make the right move at all regardless, but give me Jabari if I had to improve that sorry team right now.

- 7 feet tall.  Back problems resulting in surgery.  Foot problems resulting in surgery.  Sorry Joel Embiid, I am not touching you with a 39 and a half foot pole.  All the best, but you have Greg Oden written all over you.

- There are apparently rumors that the 76ers are shopping Rookie of the Year winner Michael Carter-Williams, and then plan on taking Dante Exum from Australia as their pick at #3.  So, you trade away an already proven NBA point guard for a prospect from down under?  Maybe this is why the Sixers are so bad.  Whoever gets MCW would be getting a steal.  I know the Lakers have been a little interested if they are able to trade Steve Nash.  The only thing that might stop that from happening is if the Lakers are trying to shed as much salary as possible to make a run at the superstars to pair with Kobe.

- Apparently the top 2 boys from Syracuse are taking a bit of a slide down the draft board.  At one point, Tyler Ennis was in the mix to be the 1st point guard taken.  Now, he will be lucky if he is the 4th.  Exum, Marcus Smart, Elfrid Peyton, Zach Levine, and Mr. Kemba 2.0 Shabazz Napier may all go ahead of my guy Tyler.  I'd like to see him end up with a team that will let him play right away, like Toronto (he is from its suburbs).  And then there is Jerami Grant.  This one hurts me, because I knew Grant should come back for one more year.  He is so freakishly athletic, and has an amazing pedigree (Son of Harvey Grant, nephew of Horace Grant), but doesn't have a jump shot yet.  I have seen him go anywhere from the mid-20s to the mid-2nd Round.  I wish the best for the guy, but if he had come back to Cuse for one more year, taken over as the primary guy at SF for CJ Fair, and proven he can do it all, I think he had Top 10 written all over him.

- Speaking of CJ Fair, his workouts have been good enough that he is now an early 2nd round prospect.  My Wizards could take a run at the Baltimore native, because we can never have enough small forwards.

- Do you want to know the real reason why I love the NFL Draft more than the NBA Draft?  Foreign players.  They don't show up and play in the NBA for 3 years!  It isn't fair to the guys that played college and are ready to go right now.  For example, Dario Saric is a Top 10 guy, but just signed with a Euroleague team for 3 years, meaning that he won't show up for at least 2.  I don't understand what the appeal is for teams that need to win now.  The coach and GM may be gone before their new draftee even arrives in America!

- TJ Warren.  Whoever drafts him will be happy.  He was unstoppable in the ACC.

- Somehow, the Spurs will find the perfect player or two for their system.  He could be French, he could be a senior, but no matter what, he will work for Pop and his crew.

- I understand the drinking game for the Draft is drink every time Jay Bilas says wingspan, among other things.  If you want some more ideas to use with your friends, take a look here.


Enjoy the Draft my friends.