Kentucky freshman big man Nerlens Noel has a torn ACL and is out for the season, which could have a huge impact on the top of the 2013 NBA draft. The school is announcing the extent of the injury. Noel is expected to have surgery in two to three weeks and be sidelined six to eight months. Six months from now is August. Eight months from now is mid-October, which means NBA training camps already will be under way. And there is no
Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel, among the frontrunners to go first overall in the 2013 NBA draft, went down with a left knee injury in Tuesday night’s game at Florida. It has been confirmed that the injury is indeed a torn ACL. Russell Steinberg of SBNation has the breakdown of what happened: [Read more…]
Think back to the days of Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and even Kevin McHale and what a power forward meant to teams. For the most part this position was filled by players with low-post games who were very good rebounders. Flash forward to the new generation of superstar power forwards, and you see an aging group led by champions Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Garnett. The major difference between these newer stars and those Hall of Famers is the versatility
While basketball continues to grow around the globe, there has been an increasing amount of European talent making an impact on NBA teams. The talent pool is quickly spreading, and teams that are able to recognize the talents of the Alexey Shveds of the world are given a distinct advantage. While the 2012 draft had a relatively weak European crop, 2013 should prove to be a much stronger group. While it lacks a sure-fire stud in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki
The NBA draft is all about projections and potential. A generation ago, most NBA executives’ strategy was to compare prospects based on their collegiate careers. Then the Fab Five arrived at Michigan, and suddenly the process was flipped upside down. Underclassmen were scrutinized, analyzed and scouted thoroughly by NBA clubs who wanted to get the next big-time prospect. While prospects with high upside are intriguing, they come with more risk than upperclassmen. The lottery is annually dominated by underclassmen, primarily freshmen. [Read
Remember the IZOD Center (a.k.a The Meadowlands)? The unhallowed swampland that served as home to the New Jersey Nets? Well, basketball was welcomed back to the area with an early season matchup between Temple and Duke. [Read more…]
It’s officially fall, and with that comes the kickoff of the NBA and NCAA basketball seasons. While Midnight Madness is just around the corner and NBA training camps will officially launch over the next few days, much of the behind-the-scenes focus among front office folks will be logging frequent flier miles to travel the country and the world to see the best and most promising prospects that may enter the 2013 NBA Draft. While the 2011 NBA Draft was international-heavy in Round
Shabazz Muhammad