The Mailing List: June 2009 (#4)
4. 2009 NBA Draft
Well, the 2009 NBA season is coming to a close with the Finals (DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE POLL ABOVE!!!) taking place this week and next. The next big NBA event before we're subjected to 3 months of Baseball Tonight and Wednesday Night Baseball on ESPN, is of course the NBA Draft held in New York. Everyone's saying that outside of the top 10, this is gonna be a weak draft. Us real basketball fans at Dear Whoever know that's nowhere near true. Let's take a look at some of my beasts, busts and sleepers in this year's draft.
BEASTS:
This draft, without a shadow of doubt in my mind is going to be a point guards draft. Every type of PG is coming out this year, from your playmakers, to your scorers to your jack of all trades. Here are the two I think are going to blow the FUCK UP:
Brandon Jennings - 6'1" - Europe
Pros: Quickness, handles, intangibles, vision
Cons: Little frame, shooting, efficiency
Bottom Line: After Blake Griffin, this is the most talented player in the draft, bar none. His handles are stupid, and his flair for the game is unmatched. Just have to wonder what a year away from the American game will do to him. Put him on any squad, though, and he'll be your PG for the next 10 years.
Ricky Rubio - 6'3" - Europe
Pros: Playmaking, passing, handles, vision, intangibles
Cons: Athleticism, transition to American game
Bottom Line: Funny that both of my Beasts are coming from Europe, but that's the business these days. Rubio looks like the smoothest PG since J-Kidd out here, just dripping and oozing (PAUSE) with skills. My only issue is his transition. The international game is less pretty, so he might get roughed up at first.
BUSTS:
Every year in college, and I guess in international ball, there are players that look like sure bets. Whether being in the perfect system at the right time, just having a fluke year, or playing against shitty competition, some players get their weaknesses masked more so than others. These players, players who showed promise in college, but will get their shit pushed in in the NBA, are the busts:
Tyler Hansbrough - 6'8" - North Carolina
Pros: Work ethic (sure), rebounding (yeah, ok), intangibles (I guess?), all-time UNC leading scorer (JJ Redick, anyone?)
Cons: Limited upside, small for a PF, athleticism
Bottom Line: I'm not gonna lie. Dude was quite productive in college; one of the best I've seen in a minute. HOWEVER, this was at UNC, a perennial top 10 team. Not to mention, it seems weird that if a player was going to "dominate" (as blind UNC fans put it) in the NBA, he'd stay all four years in college. Education aside, maybe Hansbrough stayed because he knew he was gonna get his ass handed to him in the league? Hopefully he proves me wrong, but I don't see it happening.
Hasheem Thabeet - 7'2" - UConn
Pros: SIZE, defense, rebounding, upside
Cons: Offense needs WORK, toughness
Bottom Line: Okay, maybe it's unfair to call dude a bust. But according to draft "expert's" he's the best big man prospect since Ewing and Robinson. Last time they said that, the Blazers ended up having a 7'2" dude with a mohawk sitting on their bench for a year with a broken pinky. No matter how good he is on defense, you gotta look his penchant for disappearing on offense at times, and see how often he ends up on his ass. Plus, UConn is consistently putting out overrated big men (Armstrong and Boone, anyone?). That's more than enough reason to label him as a bust this year.
SLEEPERS: These are the guys that you probably won't know about until they're hitting game winners, dunking on your favorite player, or crossing the shit out of everyone in sight. These are the players that the draft "experts" deride and point out flaws in. These are the players that fall into the second round and come out to bust ass, while the lottery picks are sucking. These are the sleepers:
Eric Maynor - 6'3" - VCU
Pros:Leadership, intangibles, IQ, vision, passing, handles
Cons:Shooting, athleticism
Bottom Line: This guy is probably the most polished PG on the board in terms of experience, finesse and handle of the game. His only knock, which might be an upside, is the school he came from. The fact that he went to a mid-major and had such success points either to his superiority as a player or that he was a big fish in a small pond. Whatever the case, he has the talent to be a great PG in the league. He'll be a steal wherever he goes.
Earl Clark - 6'10" - Louisville
Pros: Athleticism, size, gets to the hoop, footwork, IQ
Cons: CONSISTENCY, defense, shooting
Bottom Line: Clark has every tool in the book to be a top 10 player. However, at times it seemed like dude got away with stuff in college because of his athleticism and length, rather than his skill. All he really needs to do is become consistent and he's Lamar Odom 2.0.
WOW!!!! If you read all of that, then please contact me so I can give you a gold star. There's not much more to say than this: The NBA Draft is upon us!!! Make sure you're tuned in on June 25th. I hope the Knicks are there too, and not sniffing glue like they've been known to do on draft night. Over and out people!!!