Before we begin our journey up to the 2013 NBA Draft, I personally believe it is very important to get a brief history lesson when it comes to previous drafts. Here were a few proposition bets prior to last years NBA Draft for a decent brief comparison: Anthony Davis was the unanimous selection to go number one in the draft, which was made obvious by the fact that you had to lay almost $5,000 to win $100. When it came to the
I had the pleasure of going on the air in Charlotte this morning on WFNZ immediately after general manager Rich Cho came on the program. An excerpt of Cho’s interview was played, and wait until you listen to his nervous laughter before saying he is not “shopping” Michael Kidd-Gilchrist but is listening to offers. That, folks, is semantics. “Shopping” is a loaded word. “Listening to offers” is a more soothing statement. I went on to defend the story we posted yesterday about Kidd-Gilchrist,
Victor Oladipo reminds me of Dwyane Wade, which is one of the reasons why I believe the Orlando Magic will take him with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night. Even if Nerlens Noel is available (our draft guru, Joe Kotoch, has Alex Len going No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in his latest Mock), the Magic have no need for Noel because they already have Nikola Vucevic, who may just become the best center in the
The Charlotte Bobcats are shopping Michael Kidd-Gilchrist around the league, confident they will be able to replace him with Otto Porter of Georgetown with the No. 4 pick in Thursday’s draft. The reason the Bobcats braintrust of Rich Cho and owner Michael Jordan believe Porter will be available is because, SheridanHoops has learned from league sources, the Washington Wizards are determined to draft Anthony Bennett of UNLV with the No. 3 pick. A second league source said the Bobcats have been working the phones,
This is the final edition of the Rookie Rankings, and we will allow Kobe Bryant to have the final word on a race that was decided long ago. Bryant is a student of the game who understands its history and normally is not given to hyperbole. So when he offers an evaluation of an opponent – most of whom he holds in disdain – it should not be taken with a grain of salt. And here’s what he had to say about
This week, Damian Lillard set an NBA rookie record for 3-pointers, passing Stephen Curry’s mark set three years ago. But that is not his most impressive number. For virtually the entire season, Lillard has led all rookies in scoring, assists and free throws. But those are not his most impressive numbers, either. As this version of our Rookie Rankings is published, Lillard leads in minutes played. Not all rookies. All players. [Read more…]
Early next week, Rookies of the Month for March will be handed out. It is possible that Anthony Davis could end Damian Lillard’s stranglehold on the Western Conference honor, while the East will be a toss-up between Moe Harkless and Jonas Valanciunas. Davis, Harkless and Valanciunas have yet to win the award. But as we approach the season’s final month, it is the time where many previously unheralded rookies make a name for themselves. Last year, Atlanta’s Ivan Johnson broke through in
This coming weekend, Moe Harkless will have to match up against both LeBron James and Kevin Durant for the second time in three weeks. But that doesn’t scare him. Do you know what does spook the 19-year-old rookie forward of the Orlando Magic? Haunted hotels. Last weekend, Harkless and his Magic teammates made a trip to Oklahoma City and stayed in the Skirvin Hilton, which is supposedly haunted. After his first stay there, Harkless may be a believer. [Read more…]