Built Ford Tough

No. Especially if they're continuously bent over and raped by the refs on a nightly basis. After the joke that was the Atlanta game, Toronto will be looking at apology number 3 from the league for screwing them out of a win with a horrendously bad call/no call in the final seconds of a game. We've got to be closing in on an NBA record here, right? Think the Raptors will hit 5 apologies by season's end?

Shed Gay's huge salary, pick up a very nice power forward prospect (either to use as trade bait or even to eventually take over for Randolph) and free up more touches for Gasol and Randolph inside. They no longer have to try and juggle their system to keep both Z-Bo/Gasol and Gay happy as now they have that clear identity. I also think they are hoping that Prince can have a Battier like impact for them when they beat San Antonio and pushed OKC to 7 games 2 years ago. Remember, Gay was out with a shoulder injury for that entire playoff run and Prince and Battier are somewhat similar players. Prince isn't the shooter that Battier is, but he can knock them down if left open and he has that same defensive, veteran leadership that Hollins was so fond of with Battier.

Devlin is so awesome. "Raps have no timeouts left" Alan Anderson calls a timeout. Oh and umm, DeRozan didn't get fouled there? Right.

I highly disagree that Davis has peaked or has little groom for growth. I just don't see it based on how much his skill game improved from last year to this year. He developed a very good mid range jumper (he is shooting 45% from 10-15 feet this year compared to 27% last year). He has a nice spin and lefty hook in the lane. His passing and court vision has dramatically improved over last year. Once he gains develops a consistent right hand, Davis is going to be a 16-18 ppg/10 rpg type of player. He was compared to Jermaine O'Neal in college and as far as I'm concerned, he was poised for a Jermaine O'Neal type of breakout. Of course, that is highly unprobable now that he is going to be stuck behind Randolph and Gasol in Memphis. Whatever though. I sincerely hope Gay proves me wrong but forgive me for not being thrilled to be locked into a future that, best case scenario, sees the Raptors win 1 or 2 playoff games a year for the next 3 years.

That (trading Lowry to land Gay) is counter-productive since a big part of the appeal with Gay is the fact that him and Lowry are really tight. Colangelo has been known to go after "pairs" in his time with Toronto. At one point or another, he has had: Calderon - Garbajosa Jack/Ford - Bosh Belinelli - Bargnani That marks 4 times in 7 years where Colangelo has made an effort to sign or trade for a close frined of somebody who is, in his mind, a integral member of the team. I think he is banking on that Lowry/Gay connection to perhaps settle Lowry down a bit and to also hopefully get him to commit to the team by signing an extension.

I know it sounds like hyperbole on my part, but it really isn't. Kentucky was poised to blow a 16 point lead in a matter of 4 minutes simply because Noel wasn't on the floor. Ole Miss was getting whatever they wanted inside and eventually it led to open perimeter shots because Kentucky was so help conscious. Noel comes back into the game and, even with the 4 fouls, completely changes the complextion of the game. Ole Miss could do absolutely nothing offensively after getting whatever they wanted seconds prior. As for the weight thing, I'm not too sure how much his frame can handle. He has some pretty small shoulders. Check out this picture with him, Davis, Wiljter and Cauley-Stein: http://ukrecruiting.bloginky.com/files/2012/08/UKposts.jpg His shoulders are much more comparable to Wiljter than Cauley-Stein, let alone Davis. I think he maxes out around 235. His frame looks a lot more like Bosh or Garnett and those guys have been around 240 for most of their careers. I think he is probably around 215 now (no way he is 230 like ESPN says) so yeah, 20-25 pounds is probably pretty accurate. PS: Through their first 20 college games, Noel actually has more blocks than Davis did. Noel has 94 and Davis had 93. Noel also has 47 steals to go along with those blocks. He is averaging 4.7 blocks and 2.4 steals. He is a freak.

I had a hard enough time sticking Zeller at 4. I'm not a fan of his NBA potential at all. A huge red flag for me is when a player's wingspan is shorter than his height. Then on top of that factoring in that the player plays below the rim and doesn't wow you athletically, and, well, Zeller is my pick as the most likely bust at the top of the draft. If this was strictly what I would do and not a combination of what I would do and what I think teams will do, Zeller would probably be 10th or so. I think he'll have a career as a backup big like Tyler, but I don't see much better than that for his future. I'm just holding out hope that maybe Davis' length and the ground he is able to cover defensively will help negate the weaknesses in Cody's game. Problem with your 2nd point about New Orleans is that if they don't go with Zeller (Noel and Davis are just too reptitive as far as I'm concerned or else he would've been an obvious selection for them) where are they going to find this permanent fixture in their starting lineup? They've got Davis at the 4 and Gordon at the 2 (sure he may not be happy there, but he is signed to a long term deal). That leaves holes at the 1, 3 and 5. The best SF in this draft - assuming Muhammad is considered a 2 - is Porter or Poythress. I actually like both of them (Poythress being the riskier of the two, obviously) but are either one of them really worth a top 4 pick, even in a draft like this? Eh, I'm not sure. You touched on the point guard issue of your own. You have 3 who'll go in the first round in Carter-Williams, Smart and Burke. 2 of those (MCW and Smart) have questions about whether they truly are a point guard and Burke has concerns of his own. They all fall in that late lottery/mid-first area and would be a huge reach at 4 and I'm a big fan of both Smart and Burke. Now the 5. Len would be a great fit, but obviously he goes to the Cavs in this mock. That leaves Austin, Noel and Zeller. Austin and Noel are terrible fits next to Davis, making Cody the winner by default. At least that is how I broke it down when making the mock. In the 2014 mock draft, along with Steven Adams. I think KCP stays for his junior year to tighten up his ball skills, become a more consistent shooter and improve his decision making. If I did include him, he would likely be somewhere in the 20-26 range, with 26 to Minnesota being his absolute floor. He probably replaces Olynyk as the Bulls pick at 23.

Nerlens Noel set a Kentucky record with 12 blocks tonight. Even more impressive? About 5 of those came after he had picked up his 4th foul with 12 minutes left in the game. He sat for about 4 minutes and Ole Miss went on a 15-0 run to cut Kentucky's lead to 1 point. Noel comes back in and Kentucky goes on a 15-0 run of their own to close out the game. He completely dominated the game despite scoring 2 points. I'll even go as far as to say that he was more dominant defensively tonight (well, at least in the 2nd half as that was all I saw) than Anthony Davis was at any point last year.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--grizzlies--raptors-looking-for-third-team-to-facilitate-rudy-gay-trade-033758281.html So now the Raptors are also adding a future draft pick? [expletive]ing brilliant. I never thought I'd say this, but I desperately hope that no team wants to trade for Calderon.

Like my early editions last year, I only have explainations for the lottery picks. The non-lottery picks are more of a BPA situation but I do account for team need for the first 5 or so non picks. After that is mostly BPA but a tiny bit of need factoring in as well. As the college season goes on and I see more of the non-marquee prospects, I'll do a more detailed job with the later picks but as of right now most of my prospect watching has been the lottery and mid first round guys. Because of the nature of this draft, a lot of these mock picks are made with need in mind since there is such a cluster at the top of the board with very few real standouts. With need factoring in so much, I realize there are a few players likely sliding well below where they will actually go (Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams springs to mind as well as Michigan's Trey Burke). I'll likely do my next one after the NCAA Tournament, another when the NBA's season is over and then another one after the lottery. I may or may not get around to doing one prior to the draft itself, I'm not sure yet. The standings are accurate as of Friday night's games when I started writing this. Without further ado, here is my first mock for the 2013 draft: 1. Charlotte Bobcats – SG Ben McLemore, Kansas, Freshman After redshirting last year due to academic issues, McLemore has burst onto the national scene this year taking over for Thomas Robinson as the Jayhawks' go to guy offensively. McLemore possess a silky smooth jump shot that already features NBA range, a nice ability to utilizes off-ball screens and various cuts to create space to get his fantastic jumper off. Not just a shooter, McLemore has proven to be an elite athlete which enables him to get to the rim and finish over larger opponents. He uses this athleticism on the defensive end to surprise with weakside shot blocks and jumping passing lanes. McLemore will need to develop more ball skills as at this point he is limited to one or two dribbles and either finishing in the paint or taking a pull up jumper. Developing a reliable go to move and counter move will make him that much more dangerous as an offensive option. With his elite jumper he doesn't need to have a great handle as defenders will instinctively play him tight so just tightening up his ball skills will make him a huge threat offensively. Pairing McLemore with Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the perimeter gives the Bobcats a great mix of athleticism, shot creation, shooting and penetration. With Walker's ability to get into the heart of the defense, adding a shooter of McLemore's calibre gives him a reliable kick out option. McLemore's ball skills also enable the Bobcats to use Walker off the ball and relieve some of the creation responsibilities. On defense, McLemore and Kidd-Gilchrist will be able to cover a lot of ground with their length and athleticism, while also not sacrificing on-ball defense as both project to be plus individual defenders. 2. Washington Wizards – SG/SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA, Freshman Muhammad is one of the best scorers in the entire country. He has shown a touch on his jumper that many people didn't know existed by converting just under 44% of his 3 point shots. After missing time early in the season due to an NCAA investigation into his eligibility, Muhammad's college career got off to a shaky start. After finally being ruled eligible, Muhammad started the year out of shape and his play suffered because of it. However, after dropping the excess weight and getting into game shape, Muhammad has shown the scoring ability that made him arguably the most coveted high school recruit last year. Over his last 12 contests, Muhammad is averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting nearly 48% from the field. Muhammad is also a solid rebounder and has the athleticism and length to develop into an above average defender as well. There are concerns about his position as well. His game is more suited to the small forward spot as he doesn't have the handle of a shooting guard. The problem is he is only 6'6 and doesn't have a remarkable wingspan so he may be undersized playing at the small forward. The biggest weakness for Muhammad undoubtedly is creating offense for his teammates. On the season he has amassed a paltry 16 assists for an average of 0.9 a game. His assist to shot ratio is horrific, averaging 1 assist for every 15 shots he takes. This is the area where Muhammad needs the most work. However, despite that, Muhammad wouldn't be expected to do much shot creating on this Wizards team. With John Wall being one of the best playmaking point guard in the NBA and rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal being a reliable 2nd ball handler, Muhammad can focus in on scoring the ball. Having a talented shot creator in Wall and a great floor spacer in Beal will give Muhammad plenty of room to get off his slashing and off ball game to create some easy opportunities for a team that really labours to get easy baskets. 3. Cleveland Cavaliers – C Alex Len, Maryland, Maryland, Sophomore Len rocketed up the draft boards early in the season after an impressive display against future lottery pick Nerlens Noel in Maryland's first game of the season. Despite losing the game, Len showcased a much more developed skill set from his inconsistent freshman season and he has continued to display his improved skill set throughout the course of the season.. He has nice touch around the rim and if he can continue to add some go to moves in the post he could become a nice offensive option, especially when you consider his physical tools. Len is 7'1 and is already an impressive 255 pounds despite having much more room to fill out. Add to his impressive size his fluidity and athleticism, and you are looking at a very intriguing long term prospect both offensively and defensively. Len is still perhaps the least NBA ready of all the top prospects/ He still battles bouts of inconsistency. Rather than try and impose his will on the game as the biggest and most skilled player on the floor most of the time, he tends to fade into the background. Part of this is due to Maryland's guards inability to consistently get him the ball in the post, but most of it is due to his mentality and motor. Cleveland would look to pair Len's interior presence with budding superstar point guard Kyrie Irving's perimeter game. Cleveland has a lot of work to do but adding a potential franchise cornerstone at center to go along with the franchise point guard that Irving has proven to be makes them a team with a tremendous future. The two of them could develop into a formidable pick and roll duo and inside out threat. Add second year man Tristan Thompson, who is in the midst of a breakout season, and you have three very nice building blocks for the future that compliment each other very well. 4. New Orleans Hornets – C/PF Cody Zeller, Indiana, Sophomore After a fantastic freshman season in which Zeller led the Indiana Hoosiers back into the national spotlight, Zeller decided to forgo the NBA draft and return to Bloomington to make a run at a National Championship. Zeller entered the season as the favourite for both National Player of the Year and for the first overall draft pick. However, he hasn't exactly had the season many expected and as a result has seen his stock drop a bit. There is still plenty of time for him to regain that mantle, though. Zeller's game is still very much the same as it was last season when he was a projected lottery pick and that is both a good thing and a bad thing. It is good because his ability to run the floor, catch passes and finish around the basket is still second to none in college basketball. He is one of the most efficient big men in the game and these skills are very transferable to the next level. On the other hand, it is a bit worrisome because he hasn't taken his game to the next level like many people expected him to. He has become a better rebounder this year, which was one of the bigger question marks surrounding him last year. For the Hornets, pairing Zeller alongside last year's first overall pick Anthony Davis gives the Hornets a nice mix of quickness, athleticism and touch around the basket. There are valid concerns about larger bigs feasting on these duo, but with the NBA going towards a faster, quicker league opposed to the physicality of yesteryear, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, especially when you factor in the length of Davis and how much ground he can cover defensively. 5. Orlando Magic – PF Nerlens Noel, Kentucky, Freshman Noel is widely considered to be a top 3 prospect in this draft, but because of poor fit with the teams ahead of Orlando, the Magic find themselves with Noel falling right into their laps. Noel, while not as dominant defensively as his predecessor Anthony Davis, is a force in his own right. He has some of the quickest hands in all of college basketball and uses them to disrupt both bigs when catching entry passes as well as guard driving into the lane. When he isn't stripping opposing players of the ball, there is a good chance he is blocking their shots. Unlike a lot of young big men, Noel doesn't go for the highlight by swatting the ball into the fifth row. Instead, he does his best to try and deflect it towards a teammate to spark a transition opportunity. On offense Noel isn't as productive. He has shown potential as a high post passer. When he has the ball at either elbow he does a nice job of finding cutters or making a bounce pass post entry but in order to be able to make optimal use of this skill, Noel needs to develop a reliable 15 foot jumper or a dribble drive face up game. If he doesn't do either of those things defenses will just sag off him and take away all passing lanes, effectively negating this promising skill. Outside of the high post passing, Noel is mainly a garbage man on offense, finishing broken plays, lobs or offensive rebounds. He has a lot of work to do on this end of the floor. For Orlando, Noel would be able to come in and give them that defensive anchor they are missing since Dwight Howard's departure. The Magic have had a top 10 defense for 5 of the past 6 years prior to this season with Howard on the roster. In their first post-Howard era year, they've seen their defensive rating plummet to 24th in the league. Noel isn't going to replace Howard on his own, but his length, quickness, hands, shot blocking ability and defensive IQ is certainly a step in the right direction. 6. Phoenix Suns – PF Anthony Bennett, UNLV, Freshman Bennett has arguably been the most productive freshman in the country so far and has quickly emerged as the leader of the Running Rebels, despite the presence of junior forward Mike Moser. Bennett has a versatile offensive game that features the ability to step outside and knock down perimeter jumpers, size his man up and take him from the triple threat position, work a two man game with a guard or post up in the paint. When it comes to scoring the ball in a variety of ways, Bennett may be the cream of the crop in this draft. In addition to his scoring ability, he is an explosive athlete, has exceptional length and has a relentless motor. All three of these attributes enable to be a force on the offensive glass and as a finisher in the paint, where he converts 76% of his attempts, which is top 10 in all of college basketball. From a talent standpoint, Bennett is one of the biggest catches in the draft. There are two red flags about him that may cause him to fall. The first of which is his seemingly disinterest in playing on the defensive side of the ball. He will come up with a block or two simply due to his immense physical attributes, but when it comes to actually defending he is non-existent. He doesn't fight for position and is just lazy on that side of the ball. The other is concerns about his position. He is undersized for the power forward spot and doesn't project to be able to play the small forward spot either. With many tweener forward struggling to make an impact in the NBA, this may scare teams off of Bennett. Despite these concerns, Phoenix is in such an unenviable position of having lack of talent at nearly every position, look for them to take a chance on a player who has the upside that Bennett does. Simply put, they need an infusion of talent on their roster and Bennett is one of the most talented players in the entire draft. 7. Sacramento Kings – SF Otto Porter, Georgetown, Sophomore After being a relatively unknown recruit, Porter had a nice freshman season in a complimentary role for the Hoyas last year. With Henry Sims graduating, Porter has become the man for Georgetown and has adjusted well to the increased role and responsibility offensively while not sacrificing on the defensive end, where he made his biggest impact as a freshman. He increased his scoring average from 10 as a freshman to 15 this year while maintaining solid efficiency by converting 50% of his field goals. He is one of the best players in the country at finding open space. In particular, he does an excellent job of flashing to the high post for either an open jumper or to create a passing lane to feed the low post. Regardless of his improvements offensively, his calling card as a player and prospect is his defensive ability. He has nice size at 6'8 and an impressive 7'1 wingspan that enables him to do a fantastic of of helping on penetration, yet still recover in time to contest kick out jumpers. He plays passing lanes really well and does a nice job coming from the weakside to block shots, deflect passes or draw charges. The biggest question mark with Porter is his ability to shoot from NBA 3 point range. He shot just 20% and made a total of 12 threes his entire freshman season. He has greatly improved on that this year, converting a higher percentage (44%) on a greater volume (20 made threes already). His jumper is unorthodox and will need re-tooling so even with his improved shooting, there are still valid concerns if it will translate to the next level. Another critique is he is rather limited off the bounce. Most of his dribble drives result in pull ups from mid range and he is rather predictable as he tends to always try straight-line right handed drives. For a team with as many alpha male personalities and ball dominant offensive players as the Kings, Porter will slide in nicely as a complimentary role player who does his best work on the defensive end and off the ball. His ability to find open space to get his game off will compliment the ball dominant offensive players nicely, especially with his ability to play off of big men. If he is unable to translate his improved distance shooting this year, it may make the spacing rather difficult for the Kings, but that is really the only concern. Otherwise, it is a fantastic fit for both Porter and the Kings. 8. Oklahoma City Thunder (From Toronto) – C Isiah Austin, Baylor, Freshman Austin has a unique blend of size and skill. Standing over 7 feet tall with long arms and solid athleticism, he also has good ball skills and range out to 18 feet. He moves very well beating most big men down the floor and is usually quicker off his feet as well. Despite his rail thin frame, he does a good job finishing around the basket because of his agility and soft touch enabling him to out manuever bigger and stronger players. Defensively he uses his length and quickness to really bother opposing players and also has a solid understanding of positional and help defense. The major thing that Austin needs to work on is his body. He needs to add a good 30 pounds just to get to a passable weight at the NBA level. He is easily pushed around, really struggles to establish position both offensively and defensively. He manages to do a good job on the glass at the collegiate level due to being longer and more athletic than most of the opposition, but in the NBA he'll need to do a better job of boxing out and using his body as opposed to just leaping for the ball. The Thunder are in a unique position where they are a legitimate title contender, but because of the James Harden trade, also possess a lottery pick from the Toronto Raptors. With their status as an elite team already established, they can look to go one of two ways with this pick. Either find a role player to fill a niche, or swing for the fences with a high upside project player. Austin fits the latter of those scenarios, but the potential he has is going to be too much for a gambler like Thunder GM Sam Presti to pass up. 9. Detroit Pistons – SG Archie Goodwin, Kentucky, Freshman Goodwin is perhaps the most explosive player off the bounce in the draft. There are very few college players who are able to contain Goodwin when he puts his head down and attacks the paint. He has an elite first step, has a tight handle and elevates quickly making it difficult to block his shot. He has nice size to compliment his explosive athleticism. His constant attacking puts the defense on their heels and, while not being a gifted playmaker, does create opportunities for his teammates. He also uses his great physical attributes on the defensive end by being a huge pest whenever his man is dribbling the ball. He plays really aggressive pressure defense and also does a nice job jumping passing lanes for steals. Goodwin is still very raw and has a lot of work to do. He needs to improve his jumper as it is not reliable at this point in his development. His decision making leaves a lot to be desired as he will have plenty of moments where he forces a drive into traffic or a pass that has no chance to be completed. His aggressiveness is a great trait, but he needs to learn to temper it as he can't play full tilt all the time. Learning when to pick his spots will greatly increase his effectiveness and efficiency as a player. Adding Goodwin's penetration to a lineup that has some solid perimeter shooters in Brandon Knight, Tayshaun Prince and Kyle Singler, among others, will give the Pistons an added dimension to their offensive game that can become fairly predictable at times. The Pistons are either feeding Greg Monroe in the post or taking perimeter jumpers. Goodwin will give them a much needed third dimension on offense. 10. Minnesota Timberwolves – SG CJ McCollum, Senior, Lehigh McCollum quietly put together a great first three seasons at Lehigh being one of the best non power conference players in the country, but he didn't really gain national prominence until he orchestrated the remarkable upset of second seeded Duke last season. McCollum has always been able to score the ball, but the stigma of playing for a small school against weaker competition hampered his draft stock, but that remarkable game against Duke eliminated many of those concerns. McCollum was off to a fantastic start to his senior year this year averaging a very impressive 24 points per game and shooting over 50% from three. His final year came to an abrupt halt when he broke his foot, but that hasn't done much to diminish his stock as a crafty, shot creating, scoring combo guard. Like most combo guards and seniors, McCollum has the usual concerns. He is stuck between the two guard spots, his upside as a senior is limited, he doesn't defend well and so on and so forth. There are some valid concerns about his athleticism translating to the next level. He doesn't have great explosion or leaping ability, but he does tend to make up for that with a nice array of dribble moves and counters to create separation. Despite his scoring prowess, McCollum does need to improve his shot creation for his teammates to avoid becoming a one dimensional offensive player. For the next few years at least, Minnesota is pretty set at the point guard with Ricky Rubio, small forward with Andrei Kirilenko, power forward with Kevin Love and center with Nikola Pekovic. The one missing ingredient, and one that has been there for a while now, is at the shooting guard spot. McCollum may not be a perfect fit as he is a bit of a combo guard due to his size, but he will give them the scoring and shooting ability to compliment their two franchise cornerstones; Rubio and Love. 11. Philadelphia 76ers – PF/C Rudy Gobert, France, 20 Years Old Huge. In a word, that accurately describes this young man from France. Gobert is 7'1 and possess a mammoth 7'9 wingspan. Gobert uses this freakish size to be a huge presence on the defensive end blocking and altering shots. Gobert plays just 20 minutes a game, but manages to average two blocks a contest and alter numerous others during the course of the game. In addition to his shot blocking, Gobert makes excellent use of his gigantic arms to pull down nearly 10 boards on a per 40 minute basis , regardless of the fact that he is usually giving up a lot of strength against the opposition. As if size alone wasn't impressive enough, Gobert combines that with an excellent leaping ability and a very quick second jump to make him even more of an intimidating interior presence. The biggest area that Gobert needs to work on is adding muscle to his huge frame. Despite being so large, Gobert weighs just 220 pounds and does get pushed around by stronger bigs inside. He will use his length to keep them at a distance, but if they are able to get inside on him, it usually results in them overpowering him en route to a basket or trip to the line. In addition to his lack of strength, Gobert needs to develop some role offensively. At this point in his development, he is basically a lob finisher and offensive rebounder. Even adding a simple jump hook with both hands will make him a much more effective player simply due to the fact that nobody will be able to really bother him due to his physical traits. The Sixers are in a rather difficult situation if they end up in this area of the draft as ideally they would look to find Jrue Holiday a running mate in the backcourt to take over for the aging Jason Richardson, but there really aren't any shooting guards who make a lot of sense at this point in the draft. Gobert gives them a high upside insurance policy in case they lose Andrew Bynum in free agency or if his extensive injury history prevents him from being able to consistently get on the court. The problem is that if Bynum does manage to play, him and Gobert don't really fit next to each other very well. At the end of the day, with no real logical choice here, Philadelphia swings for the fences with a high upside big. 12. Phoenix Suns (From LA Lakers) – SF/PF Alex Poythress, Kentucky, Freshman 14 years ago the Phoenix Suns drafted a super athletic tweener forward out of UNLV by the name of Shawn Marion. Marion would go on to be a cornerstone of the Suns' franchise for nearly a decade because of his hustle, motor and stat-stuffing ability. Poythress is cut from the same cloth as Marion. He is also a high athletic forward with a great motor who can crash the glass, run the lanes in transition, finish around the rim and has the athleticism and length to become a great defender at both forward positions. Much like Marion coming out of college, Poythress has a lot of the same weaknesses. He isn't very comfortable creating his own shot. His shooting is a concern, although he is much better as a stand still shooter than off the bounce. There are some concerns about where he fits in offensively as he doesn't really have the ball skills of a small forward or the interior play of a power forward. This can be corrected so long as he continues to improve his jump shot. As he gains more experience playing on the wing – he was a power forward for most his high school career – these weaknesses should naturally improve to the point where he can reliably play the small forward, much like Marion did in the early stages of his career. The Suns used their early lottery pick to draft Bennett and by picking up Poythress they commit to a high athletic, versatile forward rotation that enables them to get out and run like they want to, but also enables them to have more options in the half court as well. 13. Dallas Mavericks – PG Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, Freshman Smart has a powerful frame standing at 6'4 that he uses to its full potential. He isn't the most explosive or quickest athlete, but where Smart excels is getting into the body of his defender and utilizing his strength to create separation to get his game off. He plays with a ferocious intensity that endears himself to fans – and makes him public enemy number one with opposing fans – and combines that with a motor that is going non-stop. He brings a nice versatility to the floor as he rebounds very well from the backcourt, does a nice job finding his teammates and will also surprise opponents with blocks and steals. Where Smart needs work is on his shot selection. His shooting percentages are low, but that is more due to the shots he decides to take than a fundamental flaw in his shooting ability. He gets nice lift on his jumper and releases the ball with solid arc and rotation, but because he has a tendency to take difficult pull up jumpers, his percentages suffer. He will also need to tighten up his handle as he can be careless with the dribble and can get his pocket picked easier than you'd like from a lead guard as a result. Developing a floater will help nullify his lack of explosiveness that can hamper his finishing ability around the rim. Smart and Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams will likely jockey for the honour of being the first point guard selected in the draft, although Michigan's Trey Burke is knocking on the door. For a team searching for help at the lead guard, all three are valid options for the Mavericks here, but Dallas' owner Mark Cuban will be drawn to the leadership and competitive fire that Texas native Smart possess, which will ultimately give Smart the edge. 14. Charlotte Bobcats (From Portland) – PF Mason Plumlee, Duke, Senior With the departure of Austin Rivers and older brother Miles, Plumlee was expected to be the Blue Devils' featured player this year, and he has risen to the occasion by developing into one of the most productive players in college basketball and one of the leading candidates for National Player of the Year. Always a good athlete, an underdeveloped skillset has always held Plumlee back as a prospect but he has taken strides to improve that this year. He is more comfortable facing his man up and taking him off the dribble, using an excellent first step to get around his man and then elevating quickly to finish at the rim. He sets strong picks and does a nice job creating space when rolling to the paint. He is also a fantastic rebounder pulling down 11 boards a game. Where Plumlee needs to improve most is his jumper. If he wants to be a face up threat in the NBA, he needs to develop a reliable 15 foot jumper or else defenses will just play him for the drive all the time. He has improved his post play, but still needs to continue to refine his post moves and work on his touch on his jump hooks. Just continuing to work on his overall skillset is needed for Plumlee as, despite the improvements he has made, he still relies a lot on his raw strength and athleticism to create on offense and defend on the other end. Charlotte will look to come away from this draft with a backcourt partner for Walker and to improve on their abysmal frontcourt. Taking McLemore with the first pick solidifies their perimeter of the future. While not the sexy pick of a promising freshman, Plumlee will give the Bobcats a high energy, reliable big to give them some sorely needed production in the paint on both ends of the floor. 15. Boston Celtics – C Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, Freshman 16. Atlanta Hawks (From Houston) – PF Tony Mitchell, North Texas, Sophomore 17. Utah Jazz – PG Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse, Sophomore 18. Milwaukee Bucks – PG Trey Burke, Michigan, Sophomore 19. Atlanta Hawks - SG Victor Oladipo, Indiana, Junior 20. Brooklyn Nets – PF James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina, Sophomore 21. Indiana Pacers – SF/PF Dario Saric, Croatia, 18 Years Old 22. Denver Nuggets - SG Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State, Junior 23. Chicago Bulls – PF/C – Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, Junior 24. Utah Jazz (From Golden State) – SG Tim Hardaway Jr., Junior 25. New York Knicks – C Jeff Withey, Kansas, Senior 26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis) – SF LeBryan Nash, Oklahoma State, Sophomore 27. Cleveland Cavaliers (From Miami) – SF Glenn Robinson III, Michigan, Freshman 28. Los Angeles Clippers – C Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, Junior 29. San Antonio Spurs – PG Lorenzo Brown, NC State, Junior 30. Oklahoma City Thunder SF/PF CJ Leslie, NC State, Junior

Kansas looked awful tonight against WVU, but because it was WVU they were playing, they'll still manage to win the game by near double digits (up 7 with 2 minutes left when I turned it off). Really sloppy offensive execution from the Jayhawks. Nobody was really doing anything and they were throwing the ball away like they didn't even care. I love the way they defend, but I'm starting to really question their offense when it comes to single game elimination tournaments. They go through stretches where they look absolute dreadful on that end of the floor and if they run into a team who will be able to put points on the board regardless of how good Kansas' defense is (not necessarily efficiently, but still manage to get into the high 60's/low 70's), they really need to avoid these kind of extended stretches of poor play.

Both him and Bargnani are expected back in 1-2 weeks. They were both just recently cleared to practice. Casey thinks that Bargnani is a bit ahead of Valanciunas, but figures that both should be back within 2 weeks.

Why does the first half count more than the second half collapse? You can easily make the argument that it was one scorching hot sreak where they were outscoring their problems to start the season that resulted in the Leafs not finishing even worse than they did. Personally, I think the 2nd half was much more reflective of the Leafs than the first half was considering past years results with a similar core in place. As far as Carlyle not allowing any sort of collapse, well, we've seen two complete meltdowns in a row already and the Leafs have only played 5 games. He didn't exactly set the world on fire after taking over for Wilson last year either. He has coached 23 games for the Leafs and extrapolated over an 82 game season, he is on pace for a remarkably mediocore 67.7 points, so rounded up to 68. Over the last 4 years, that point total would find the Leafs with the 2nd worst record every year. I agree that he is a better coach than Wilson, but Wilson's system may actually be better for a crappy team because it featured a so much more wide open game. In a way, it similar to NBA teams that just look to run, run and run to mask their overall inefficiency and lack of talent. I just don't see it. This team still has so many huge problems that I just don't see how they are going to go from a bottom 5 finish to a borderline playoff team. Their defense still sucks, their goaltending still sucks and their offense is going to be wildly inconsistent as it is dependent on streaky players like Kessel and Grabovski as well as inexperienced youngsters like Kadri and JVR. They'll probably improve a bit, but not to the degree you seem to anticipate.

I'm not feeling it. That team is a clear tier or two worse than Miami, New York, Brooklyn, Chicago or Indiana. Absolute best case scenario is they are a 6th seed who is completely capped out and is relying on a miracle (Valanciunas becoming a franchise center) to ever become more than first round fodder for one of the above teams. Factor in a Lowry extension and you are looking at a team that is right at the luxury tax and has no chance of getting past the first round. Sure, it would be nice to see playoff basketball for the first time in a long time, but that feeling will go away rather quickly after watching them get dominated year after year with no hope of being able to really improve the team because of how close they'll be to the tax, and we both know that the likelyhood of MLSE paying the tax is very slim. I realize the chances of Toronto ever becoming a legitimate contender is miniscule at best, but I'd rather hold out hope for that than committ to being the definition of a treadmill team, which this roster absolutely screams.

Gray goes to the free throw line and gets MVP chants. Two possessions later, Barnes puts him on a poster.

Let me put it this way... Toronto will be paying DeRozan, Bargnani, Gay and Fields a combined $44.4M next year and $46.6M more the following year. Assuming the cap stays the same next year as it was this year, these 4 players will eat up 76.6% of the cap. That make you change your mind?

They said the same thing about Claude Giroux playing the middle in the NHL and he has adjusted just fine. As for your projection for where they'll finish, what makes you think that? They were the 5th worst team in the league last year and are returning pretty much the same team. They still have shaky as can be goaltending, their defense is inconsistent at best and Lupul is out for most of the season. On top of that, they aren't running Wilson's gimmicky run and gun system so I imagine the offensive output is going to go down as well. Of course, the goals against will likely decrease as well, but I don't see too many games this year where they'll be able to simply outscore their problems like they did last year. I don't think they finish bottom 3 or end up in a position to draft MacKinnion or Jones, but I really don't see them fighting for a playoff spot either.

Gray has scored 20 points in this game. He had accumulated a grand total of 46 in his first 22 games. I didn't watch the first half, but is it safe to assume Andrew Bogut has a long way to go before being able to make an impact? On another note, Curry left the game after landing awkwardly on his ankle. No word other than that he headed to the back to get it looked at.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8891818/rudy-gay-subject-active-trade-discussions-toronto-raptors-memphis-grizzlies-sources Ugh. Who's ready for a DeMar DeRozan, Andrea Bargnani and Rudy Gay core? Yay for complete basketball purgatory!

Zeller was pretty bad for much of the game, but he came up with the two biggest plays of the game. Scoring that driving layup to make it a two possession game and than drawing the charge to maintain the two possession lead with under a minute left. Really looking forward to the Michigan/Indiana game next Saturday. Michigan is the only team in the conference that can run with the Hoosiers so I expect a very fast paced game.

Honestly, I don't even think it is that much of a question. I think by the time he retires he will be looked upon as a near lock for the Hall. He likely won't be a first ballot, but I don't think there is any real question that he will get in eventually. People will say "well, he was a third option for many of his prime years" but that can easily be countered by the fact that he had proven capable enough as a first option to lead a very mediocore supporting cast to the playoffs (Raptors in 06/07 and 07/08) and he would've likely done it as well in his final year in Toronto had he not gotten injured during the stretch run. He was never a legitimate franchise player, but he has proven that he can get you into the playoffs as the go to guy. How many players who made 10+ All-Star appearances, which Bosh will likely have done by the end of his career, and also won multiple rings as the 3rd best player, which, again, Bosh will likely have done by the time he hanges 'em up, aren't in the hall? I don't know the exact numbers, but I'd be willing to bet that the number is very, very small. I'm talking in the 2-3 range. Among active players, Basketball Reference's Hall of Fame probability ranks him just below Chris Paul and has him at 89%. Adding a few more All-Star games and rings will surely bump that number into the low to mid 90's. http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob.html There are certainly a lot more undeserving players already in the hall than what Bosh will be by the time he retires. I think he gets in fairly easily. EDIT: Think about it this way, James Worthy is in the Hall of Fame. Prime Bosh is better than prime Worthy. Worthy has 3 championships and 7 All-Star selections. Bosh already has 1 and 8. Bosh's current resume is comparable to Worthy's and by the time he retires will likely easily surprass that. Bosh is getting into the hall if Worthy is in.

Torn ACL for Rondo. Doris Burke just confirmed it during the Heat/Celtics game.

Has anybdy done more for his draft stock than Victor Oladipo this year? He was mentioned as a likely 2nd round pick coming into the year and he played himself into the mid-first round and I've even heard some rumblings about late lottery. He has easily been the best Hoosier this year as far as I'm concerned.

I wasn't upset about the Islander game since I'm 100% committed to Tank Nation this year. Sneaking into the playoffs this year would be awful. They really need to get one of those top 5 centres this year. Obviously MacKinnion would be ideal, but I'd be fine with Barkov, Monahan, Linholm or Drouin (if you think he can play the middle in the NHL). Seth Jones would be nice as well, assuming you are in a position to draft him. It was why I was completely content for the lockout to wipe out the whole season because it would've put the Leafs as one of the few teams with the highest chance of winning the lottery.

For college: Jeff Goodman Jay Bilas Gary Parrish Andy Katz Myron Medcalf Seth Davis Joe Lunardi (although he is more bracket oriented) Robbi Pickeral (ACC/UNC focus) Jason King Ken Pomeroy Fran Fraschilla Jay Williams Jon Rothstein John Gasaway Then for high school stuff: Dave Telep Paul Biancardi That's all I got for non-NBA stuff. I'm not even sure if some of them are the type of guys you were looking for, but they are just the more well known guys that came tot he top of my head.