John Wall, Evan Turner top NBA draft
There's no question that some NBA teams just aren't giving it the old college try right now. And why should they since it could mean a big difference in the new college talent available for this year's draft? Kentucky's John Wall appears to be the consensus choice to be the No. 1 overall pick, with Evan Turner second. New Jersey and Minnesota are the favorites among the the teams vying for one of those players.
They’re losing as fast as they can, ladies and gentlemen.
The 2010 NBA regular season is drawing to a close, and in the spirit of fair play, there will be prizes for both the winners and the losers. The winners get to play in the postseason. The losers get first dibs at drafting the hottest talent out of college, so there is a built-in incentive for sub-.500 teams to lose as many games as possible.
Everyone knows it happens. Even executive VP Stu Jackson tacitly admits “at the end of the season, determining whether or not a team is not trying their best is somewhat like trying to nail down Jell-O.”
There are two teams in particular who have set themselves apart as the losingest losers in the NBA: the New Jersey Nets (11-66 SU, 32-44-1 ATS) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-62 SU, 37-39-1 ATS). There’s still a small chance for Minnesota to catch up to or even pass New Jersey in the loss column, which would give the Wolves the biggest chance of earning the No. 1 spot at the Draft Lottery. But New Jersey’s destiny is in its hands.
There are also two college players in particular who are almost certain to go 1-2 at the NBA Draft on June 24. The question is which one will go first: point guard John Wall of the Kentucky Wildcats, or swingman Evan Turner of the Ohio State Buckeyes?
You will find Wall’s name mentioned before Turner’s virtually everywhere you look. Wall is a bit turnover-prone and needs to improve his three-point shot, but he’s otherwise loaded with proverbial upside. Turner is more versatile and a better defender; however, he’s also turnover-prone and suffered cracked vertebrae earlier this season. Although anyone would be very happy to draft either or both of these men, Wall is almost certain to go first.
There’s a logjam of six other teams in the running for the No. 3 spot, currently held by the Detroit Pistons (23-53 SU, 32-42-2 ATS) after an odious stretch of 11 consecutive losses at 1-10 against the betting odds. The logical choice here would be 6-foot 11 center DeMarcus Cousins, also of Kentucky. Cousins is a wide body with three-point range, and earlier concerns about his work ethic have been softened after a strong freshman year (15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game) under coach John Calipari.
The Golden State Warriors (23-53 SU, 44-31-1 ATS) are fourth from the bottom in the standings, and if they draft fourth, they’ll probably get their hands on Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors. He developed his offensive game in his one-and-done year with the Yellow Jackets, and the Warriors have cooled on injured sophomore Anthony Randolph, who made just eight starts this year before tearing ligaments in and around his left ankle. Favors could blossom working with talented guards like Monta Ellis and Stephon Curry.
Next up would be the Washington Wizards (23-53 SU, 32-42-2) as their rebuilding project gets underway with a crack at Syracuse Orange small forward Wesley Johnson. He could go as high as No. 3 in this draft based on his athleticism and his shooting touch. The Wizards could use him to replace Josh Howard, who only has a team option for 2011-12 and may be written off as damaged goods after his latest knee injury. The knock on Johnson is that he’s already 22, having taken a year off following his transfer from Iowa State, so his upside is limited.
Cousins, Favors and Johnson represent the second tier of prospects behind Wall and Turner; there’s another gap from here to players like Kansas Jayhawks center Cole Aldrich, who announced on March 29 that he would declare for the draft.
In the end, most of the would-be stars being discussed on the mock draft boards will come and go through the NBA with little fanfare. All the more reason for teams to go into the tank for one of these Top 5 prospects. Here’s to good hunting.
There's no question that some NBA teams just aren't giving it the old college try right now. And why should they since it could mean a big difference in the new college talent available for this year's draft? Kentucky's John Wall appears to be the consensus choice to be the No. 1 overall pick, with Evan Turner second. New Jersey and Minnesota are the favorites among the the teams vying for one of those players.
They’re losing as fast as they can, ladies and gentlemen.
The 2010 NBA regular season is drawing to a close, and in the spirit of fair play, there will be prizes for both the winners and the losers. The winners get to play in the postseason. The losers get first dibs at drafting the hottest talent out of college, so there is a built-in incentive for sub-.500 teams to lose as many games as possible.
Everyone knows it happens. Even executive VP Stu Jackson tacitly admits “at the end of the season, determining whether or not a team is not trying their best is somewhat like trying to nail down Jell-O.”
There are two teams in particular who have set themselves apart as the losingest losers in the NBA: the New Jersey Nets (11-66 SU, 32-44-1 ATS) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-62 SU, 37-39-1 ATS). There’s still a small chance for Minnesota to catch up to or even pass New Jersey in the loss column, which would give the Wolves the biggest chance of earning the No. 1 spot at the Draft Lottery. But New Jersey’s destiny is in its hands.
There are also two college players in particular who are almost certain to go 1-2 at the NBA Draft on June 24. The question is which one will go first: point guard John Wall of the Kentucky Wildcats, or swingman Evan Turner of the Ohio State Buckeyes?
You will find Wall’s name mentioned before Turner’s virtually everywhere you look. Wall is a bit turnover-prone and needs to improve his three-point shot, but he’s otherwise loaded with proverbial upside. Turner is more versatile and a better defender; however, he’s also turnover-prone and suffered cracked vertebrae earlier this season. Although anyone would be very happy to draft either or both of these men, Wall is almost certain to go first.
There’s a logjam of six other teams in the running for the No. 3 spot, currently held by the Detroit Pistons (23-53 SU, 32-42-2 ATS) after an odious stretch of 11 consecutive losses at 1-10 against the betting odds. The logical choice here would be 6-foot 11 center DeMarcus Cousins, also of Kentucky. Cousins is a wide body with three-point range, and earlier concerns about his work ethic have been softened after a strong freshman year (15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game) under coach John Calipari.
The Golden State Warriors (23-53 SU, 44-31-1 ATS) are fourth from the bottom in the standings, and if they draft fourth, they’ll probably get their hands on Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors. He developed his offensive game in his one-and-done year with the Yellow Jackets, and the Warriors have cooled on injured sophomore Anthony Randolph, who made just eight starts this year before tearing ligaments in and around his left ankle. Favors could blossom working with talented guards like Monta Ellis and Stephon Curry.
Next up would be the Washington Wizards (23-53 SU, 32-42-2) as their rebuilding project gets underway with a crack at Syracuse Orange small forward Wesley Johnson. He could go as high as No. 3 in this draft based on his athleticism and his shooting touch. The Wizards could use him to replace Josh Howard, who only has a team option for 2011-12 and may be written off as damaged goods after his latest knee injury. The knock on Johnson is that he’s already 22, having taken a year off following his transfer from Iowa State, so his upside is limited.
Cousins, Favors and Johnson represent the second tier of prospects behind Wall and Turner; there’s another gap from here to players like Kansas Jayhawks center Cole Aldrich, who announced on March 29 that he would declare for the draft.
In the end, most of the would-be stars being discussed on the mock draft boards will come and go through the NBA with little fanfare. All the more reason for teams to go into the tank for one of these Top 5 prospects. Here’s to good hunting.
