With the 2014 NBA draft merely a few hours away, teams are gearing up for all of their possible choices as the clock is winding down. In what should be one of the stronger drafts in recent years, despite being significantly weaker than the famous 1984, 1996 and 2003 drafts, there is a very strong crop of international prospects going into the draft. This year there are three prospects who could be picked in the lottery (Dante Exum, Dario Saric, Jusuf
Something to think about as we barrel toward Thursday night’s draft: Beware the comparisons … you know, the “he is the next (fill in the blank).” Like Joel Embiid, who is either the next Hakeem Olajuwon or the next Greg Oden. Basketball is the most nuanced and elaborated game there is, and this is why NBA Comps are nothing more than bad smokescreens. Take a look at Penny Hardaway for a second. What do you see? You see a long ball-handler, ultra-quick
The Cleveland Cavaliers hit the jackpot by leaving the NBA Draft Lottery with the No. 1 overall pick for the third time in four years. What’s even more amazing than winning the lottery in three of four years? How about the fact that Cleveland’s “human luck charm,” Nick Gilbert, wasn’t in attendance as Joe Kotoch points out in his latest mock draft. Will the No. 1 pick be enough to make a possible trade for Kevin Love and entice LeBron James to
The NBA Draft Combine in Chicago has come and gone, and there is growing buzz as GMs, scouts, and coaches are all watching and analyzing every movement and every answer from the invited prospects. The teams get universal measurements and medical reports and the opportunity to sit down and interview prospects that they may select on June 26. The beginning of the Combine was a bit flat as the top prospects Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid all pulled out.
What are we going to say about Andrew Wiggins four or five years from now? That was the question I was asked tonight on AM1280TheZone in Salt Lake City, and I prefaced my answer with a few words of caution — keep as close of an eye on Jabari Parker of Duke as you do on young Mr. Wiggins from Kansas via Ontario. Parker may be the better prospect, even if my NBA draft writer has him slotted at No. 2 in our
Surprisingly, it has only taken one weekend of the NCAA Tournament to knock out my first four projected picks in the NBA draft. It has been six weeks since I did my last Mock Lottery, so expect to see a few changes in the positioning, but the personnel staying relatively the same. As I have mentioned previously, it is important to note that this list is purely based on the best overall current prospects. Once we know who is picking where
I don’t like the NCAA Tournament. I don’t like that college basketball’s regular season provides little postseason incentive. I don’t like that the coach is a bigger personality than the players. I don’t like that the games are played on neutral courts. I don’t like that one bad game or bad call or bad break can end a team’s season. I don’t like that “close” becomes a synonym for “well-played.” And I don’t like that poor play determines the outcome much
As the All-Star break and Feb. 20 trade deadline draw near, it’s becoming increasingly clear to the neutral observer which teams are going to compete for the remainder of the regular season, and which teams are content on limping to the finish line. Their hopes will then rest on securing a high lottery pick in this, the much hyped 2014 NBA draft. It’s been a while between mock drafts here at SheridanHoops since Joe Kotoch’s ‘Very Early Mock Lottery‘ was published, and