Houston did well indeed but I don't know about the Royce White pick. He looks like Carlos Boozer, kinda plays like him too. Fear of flying? Sounds like he's going to be a head case. We'll see.
The 2012 NBA draft didn't have a lot of sizzle, but it had plenty of depth. With virtually all of the top underclassmen deciding to declare, it was stocked with talent. The 2013 draft? Ugh.
The 2013 draft is so devoid of top returning underclassmen and has such a marginal freshman class, one NBA scout said our 2013 Top 100 list may be the weakest since the dreaded 2000 NBA draft (check out our 2013 draft homepage here).
When you remember that the best prospect out of the 2000 draft was 46th pick Michael Redd, you get a picture of what we might be in for.
This draft does have a couple of interesting returning stars and several intriguing college freshmen -- but it runs out of steam pretty quickly.
We've ranked Kentucky Wildcats recruit Nerlens Noel as the No. 1 prospect in our Top 100 after talking with numerous NBA scouts and executives. Noel is very similar to this year's No. 1 pick http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/6583/anthony-davisAnthony Davis. He is a long, lanky big man who runs the floor, rebounds, blocks shots and plays above the rim. He has to get stronger, but he's a big time talent.
However, none of the scouts we spoke with think that Noel is cut out of the same cloth as Davis as a prospect. He doesn't have the same basketball IQ or motor of Davis, and most scouts believe he's even further behind than Davis was offensively. The one thing he might be better at than Davis? Most scouts say he's an even better shot-blocker.
The vote at the top isn't unanimous, however. A small number of scouts and executives have http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/56224/cody-zellerCody Zeller as the top pick. The Indiana Hoosiers big man had a terrific freshman season in Bloomington, and scouts say he has been adding much-needed strength over the summer. With the Hoosiers poised to be one of the best teams in the country, he is going to get plenty of attention.
A third player, freshman Shabazz Muhammad, could also be in the running to become the No. 1 overall pick. The UCLA recruit has been compared to a more offensive-minded http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/6601/michael-kidd-gilchristMichael Kidd-Gilchrist. He has a similar motor and athletic ability, but adds a killer scoring streak to his repertoire. Whether he can show that off in the confines of UCLA's system remains to be seen.
After Noel, Zeller and Muhammad, the consensus breaks down quite a bit.
As you get ready to dig in to our initial 2013 Top 100, here is a look at some themes for next year's draft:
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Brian Spurlock/US PresswireCody Zeller is one of the few elite NBA prospects returning to the college ranks next season.
In 2009, just two college freshmen -- Tyreke Evans and DeMar DeRozan -- were drafted in the lottery. That's a huge drop.
2010 was a bit of a rebound year with four college freshmen going in the lottery. Kentucky's John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors and Kansas' Xavier Henry were all drafted in the lottery.
3. A better crop of international prospects
2011 was a stellar year for international prospects. Four international players -- Enes Kanter, Jan Vesely, Jonas Valanciunas and Bismack Biyombo went in the lottery. Several others, including Donatas Motiejunas and Nikola Mirotic, went in the first round.
The 2012 crop of international prospects was the weakest in memory. Just one player, France's Evan Fournier, was selected in the first round.
It will be a little better in 2013. We have three players, France's Rudy Gobert, Croatia's Dario Saric and Spain's Alex Abrines, ranked as top-20 prospects. Several other international players, including Russia's Sergey Karasev and Dmitry Kulagin, Spain's Raul Neto and Italy's Alessandro Gentile, are in our top 60.
4. Winging it ...
The 2013 draft is heavy on wings -- a whopping 10 small forwards and seven shooting guards made our top 30. On the other end of the spectrum, we have just two point guards and four centers ranked in the top 30.
The point guard drought is especially depressing. The 2012 crop was historically weak with just one point guard going in the lottery. This year, none of the point guards are ranked in the top 10 and just two are in the lottery.
As the Nike and ABCD camps and international tournaments get underway, look for further reports, including regular stock watches, updates to the Top 100 and more on our year-round draft blog.
Dre's more athletic than Kendall is... but his passing ability is 2nd to none in this draft.
He's what people like to call a "Pure Point" in that he shoots only out of necessity and does an excellent job of getting people the ball at the right time in perfect rhtym to score.
He's a tad bit slow and unathletic but he has excellent size for his position. He was the best/most important player on that UNC squad, he can be good.
I think it's a fair comparison but Marshall has the opportunity to be far better than Miller. Put it this way, if he didn't get hurt late in the tourney then I think UNC could've given Kentucky a run for it's money.
I think GSW had one of the best draft's last night. Even if Harrison doesn't pan out as expected, you got Draymond for insurance. Steph just needs to stay healthy
I think GSW had one of the best draft's last night. Even if Harrison doesn't pan out as expected, you got Draymond for insurance. Steph just needs to stay healthy
I was a little shocked at Jeremy Lamb not going higher. Despite his body size, I feel he's a fundamental player who can shoot and has the drive to get better and play hard. Maybe I missed something but I liked the kid's game
Waiters at 4? again, like him filling a role - do not like taking him at 4 in this draft. Being a mini D-Wade is great. But D-Wade is a freak athlete at 6'4, not just a decent one. And defends and makes plays outside of scoring (when healthy), does Waiters?
Devil's advoacte. If Waiters is a reach at #4, what is Beal @ 3? Honestly? Given their respective bodies of work.
Beal is a little bigger and better shooter/defender, but I agree. I think Waiters fits with Kyrie well. He can fill it up, create for others, and play PG in stretches. His defense is the only thing that I'm waiting to see more about since he was in Boeheim's zone all year.
Nice look at the process last night, until you get to this:
The West Virginia forward was in attendance with his family, one section over from the Baylor crew. But as the second round raced to a conclusion and Prudential Arena began to clear out, Jones sat there, just a row above my seat, staring out into nothingness. With 10 picks left, a "Kevin Jones" chant started in the crowd. He didn't smile. He actually seemed more embarrassed than uplifted. With seven picks left, a caravan of individuals came by with a few encouraging words. And with five picks left, I turned around to see two members of his family in tears, almost in disbelief. The nightmare seemed to be coming true.
Five picks later, it came true, but they weren't there to see it. Before Adam Silver came out to announce the 60th and final pick, Jones and his family had made their way past me and out of the arena. To leave, however, they had to exit through the excited-family area, forced to look at people taking pictures, hugging, and crying for a very different reason. As Kevin Jones and his family marched through the sea of the elated, tension finally hit the previously gleeful event.
And for three minutes, all of my joy connected to this graduation ceremony had been erased. It was the basketball version of Waiting for Superman, the documentary about the lottery that exists within the charter school system. For the kids who make it, you're so happy for them. You know in an instant that, with a single announcement, their lives have changed forever. But the ones left on the outside looking in are so painful to watch, you almost wish the system didn't exist in the first place. Going to the league and getting a high-quality education for a child aren't perfect parallels, but at that moment, that's how I felt about the NBA draft.
The Jones family's departure didn't completely halt the party, but there was a subdued, Wow, we're lucky feeling in the room. Talent and intangibles are important in graduating to the next level, but for those who weren't the premier picks, there's no factoring out luck. Just ask Kevin Jones.
It's just funny when Kevin posted that he had a 1st round guarantee. The whole time he was listed as a 2nd rounder, so I never understood that part.
Sad the way it ended, though.
Brian Spurlock/US PresswireCody Zeller is one of the few elite NBA prospects returning to the college ranks next season.
