Saturday, June 28, 2014

2014 NBA Draft: Grading the picks

Sidenote: These grades aren't a direct reflection of the players themselves, but teams selecting the best player available, a need they're filling, maximizing the value of their pick, and creativity.

Cleveland CavaliersAndrew Wiggins (1st), Joe Harris (33rd), Dwight Powell (45th from CHA)


The Cavaliers ended up taking Andrew Wiggins with the #1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft to no one's surprise. I'm not even sure what to say about him at this point because it's beating a dead horse and that dead horse is now horse pulp. It was the easy pick, but hopefully it pans out. At least he won't have to do much right away with Kyrie on ball control duty and a mobile big behind him in Varejao.
Joe Harris on the other hand who I didn't include in my other post is a senior from Virginia that can shoot the ball. Outside of that, there's not much that stands out about him. He'll play the 3 and we'll see if he can play defense at an NBA level to get some clock. I won't lie and act like I watched much of him because I didn't. I did see him play with my own two eyes though and he's meh. With Gee reportedly being moved, that's one less guy to beat out for a spot on the floor.

Grade: B



Milwaukee Bucks: Jabari Parker (2nd), Damien Inglis (31st), Johnny O'Bryant (36th), Lamar Patterson (48th)


Jabari fucking Parker. Great skill set.. Glad that CLE passed on him so that MIL could grab him up. Easily the most skilled SF and arguably player in the draft. Ready to score ASAP. Obviously he has work to do like everyone else, but if Larry Sanders can get his head on straight and John Henson can keep improving he'll be solid on the defensive end. Giannis may even be able to draw the tougher defensive assignments if need be. He'll be able to create for his teammates as well. Very excited to see what he does.

As for "the rest.." Damien Inglis is a foreigner from French Guiana. I saw a little of him at the Hoop Summit but that doesn't really mean anything. Very young and built very solid at 6'8.5" and 240 with a 7'3" wingspan. I'm not surprised at the Bucks taking him after they took a young unknown Giannis last year and he looks very promising. I like the pick. MIL starting to look like OKC by going for length and measurables. As cool as it would have been to see Giannis and Thanasis on the same team and knowing Thanasis can play with talent, I think you go for the fences and take a chance with Damien. Nothing to lose. Johnny O'Bryant who wasn't on my other list either is a 6'8" big and I don't really like the pick. Projected a PF/C and I don't think there's any way he survives as a 5 in the NBA. He'll have to get a lot better. Lamar Patterson is going to play the 2. Good IQ with a good AST/TO ratio. Don't remember him being a great defender, so we'll see if he can defend in the D-League first.

Grade: A-


Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid (3rd), Dario Saric (12th from ORL), K.J. McDaniels (32nd), Jerami Grant (39), Pierre Jackson (Including Pierre because he was drafted, but never played in the NBA and was traded for Russ Smith), Vasilije Micic (52nd), Nemanja Dangubic (54th), Jordan McRae (58th from SAS)


The Tankers made the expected move and took Embiid. They couldn't really mess this pick up with Wiggins and Parker gone. Not like they can lose any more games and he's already the most skilled big they have. As of today (6/28) he's expected to be out almost a year. (Jesus Christ) but we'll see how he bounces back. He and Noel probably won't be able to share the court on offense but they have bigger problems anyway like not drafting a single shooter.

Dario Saric is overseas for 2 more years, so that's that.. K.J. McDaniels and Jerami Grant aren't bad 2nd round picks. Both can defend multiple positions and mostly hustle/transition players but I can't shake the feel that it almost feels like the 76ers tanked the draft too. One interesting thing is that McDaniels is a pretty good shot blocker at the 3.

I do like the Russ Smith for Pierre Jackson trade and I'm including him only because he hasn't played a minute in the NBA yet. Hopefully he'll get a chance in Philly. He balled out against pros in the D-League and had nothing to show while being stuck in his deal. Don't see him stuck behind any PGs in the rotation besides MCW. If there was one thing Philly needed besides a possible star, it's shooting and they didn't get any.

Grade: C- (The low grade isn't because Embiid is out, of course they had to take him but because they didn't address any of their shooting issues. Obviously they're tanking, but come on.)


Orlando Magic: Aaron Gordon (4th), Elfrid Payton (10th from PHI), Devyn Marble (56th)


Was pretty confused to see Aaron Gordon go 4th overall, and to Orlando. He's really raw, but they must believe that he'll be really special. I can see the logic in the move though. Everyone expected Exum to go, but being the mystery man he is they took an exciting, athletic kid in Gordon who loves to defend and do the dirty work. At worst, maybe he'll be an energetic 6th man. They then acquired Elfrid Payton who's similar in size and reminiscent in skill set of Exum, and we've actually seen this guy playing against NCAA competition. He's "shot up" charts in workouts but I've watched him all season so the workouts haven't really changed my perspective on him.

After having had time to think on it, I like what Orlando did. While I do like backcourts where both guards can defend, Gordon serves a better purpose in his ability to guard the 2, 3, and some small ball 4's. Elfrid's length should help him out and he can take some of that load off of Oladipo (who saw a lot of pressure last year) and his ball handling duties. They'll have to find shooting in the backcourt. HAVE to. I've seen Devyn Marble in MI in his HS years and he's projected to be a catch and shoot guy. He has good size for a 2 guard but we'll see what happens. I had questions yesterday, but now I see what ORL had up their sleeve.

Grade: A-


Utah Jazz: Dante Exum 
(5th), Rodney Hood (23rd)



Dante Exum and Rodney Hood. I'm probably being paranoid, but I'm not sure if Utah is low on Alec Burks or if they wanted another ball handler and a guy who could off set Trey Burke and take the tougher assignment on defense because of his size. Easy to see why Smart wasn't their guy, and not much to say here except Utah got good value on their picks. We'll see what Dante can do. Rodney Hood can put the ball in the rim and has done so at the college level for quite a while. It'll be fun to see if he can do it at the NBA level with bigger, faster, stronger opponents guarding him. He does tend to make the easy pass and I like that but there's nothing else really worth noting. He'll have to at least be a willing defender in the NBA.

Grade: B+


Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart (
6th), James Young (17th)

I'm okay with the Marcus Smart pick for Boston because I don't think anyone is certain what's going to happen with Rondo. He can be their PG, and if not maybe he gets dealt. There's really no shooting with Rondo, Smart, and Bradley in a rotation so that's gonna be something to look for. Bayless isn't really consistent enough to make you look past those 3 and is more of a scorer than a shooter. James Young (SMH) who I'll set personal issues aside for is an alright pick up. He looks like a NBA player. Not sure why he's being called a shooter, but we'll see what he can make of himself. He definitely has a lot work to do. Guys are still tourney drunk off of Young, but he's not bad.. Especially after what Jeff Green has done to let us down.

Grade: B


Los Angeles Lakers: Julius Randle (7th), Jordan Clarkson (46th from WAS)


The Kobe Stan, Randle landed in L.A. All jokes aside, Julius looks really excited to be in Los Angeles and I think he'll be able to find some success. No question he'll be able to score and crash the boards, but he'll have to get much better at taking care of the ball in the post. He can maneuver his way around down low so I'm curious to see what he can do. Measuring at 6'9" at the combine really helped him out. He's not a great defender so he'll have to hit the boards even harder to hide some of that a la Kenneth Faried.

I didn't watch much of Missouri to see Jordan Clarkson but what I do know is that he likes to look for his own shot. He has pretty good size for a combo guard. He's actually not that bad on defense, but he's not a stopper by any means meaning you can see the effort. A little muscle would help him since he's not an extraordinary athlete. 

Grade: B


Sacramento Kings: Nik Stauskas (8th)

 

Not sure why Nik went this high but I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. We all remember the Jimmer issue, and while they aren't nearly the same player.. It just feels like it could end badly. With McLemore in Sacramento as well, this whole situation feels funny. I would't have taken Nik this soon, but enough of that. He'll shoot the lights out and open the floor a little. Don't let the picture fool you, dunking isn't his game but if he has an open lane he'll flush it. His PnR game is pretty solid, tight handle and he can do a lot of things out of it and all equally well but with Isaiah Thomas (?), Gay, and Cousins, he might not really get to show what all can do. He'll need someone to help cover him on defense and Sacramento surely isn't the place he'll find that. If there's one thing that a player will do in the NBA, it's get stronger. If JJ Reddick could turn himself into a serviceable player, I don't have any real doubts about Nik. Just.. Sacramento??? Really?? And they're supposed to have a new FO. Not off to a great start. Considering those left on the board..

Grade: C-


Charlotte Hornets: Noah Vonleh (9th), P.J. Hairston (26th from MIA)

Noah Vonleh falling all the way to 9th was a surprise to many. He'll be able to learn a few things from Al Jefferson. Since there are questions about his explosiveness he'll need a little smooth deceptiveness in his game, and they can both play on the block. Biyombo isn't a bad reserve to learn a few things on defense from either. A lot of people make a huge thing out of Vonleh and his shooting stretching out to the perimeter. He didn't shoot much from 3 in college, so the numbers are lying. I don't see him being a threat from there in the league. 

Trading Shabazz Napier for P.J. Hairston was a good move for Charlotte as well. Didn't really need another small PG in Shabazz behind Kemba. They needed shooting and I thought that they'd pick up Nik Stauskas. Obviously he was taken before, and if it's one thing P.J. can do, it's shoot the ball. He has just as much range as Nik and he's been ready physically. He and Nik were my top two SGs for 2014. His play in the D-League should translate to the NBA (not directly, don't be ridiculous) and he can help immediately. Only down sides are he can get a little shot happy and try to force things that aren't there. This can be kept under control now that he's under the structure of an actual NBA squad. As for Dwight Powell, he's a big body but a largely inconsistent shooter.

Grade: A-


Chicago Bulls: Doug McDermott (11th from DEN), Cameron Bairstow (49th)


We knew someone would take McDermott in the lottery and they (CHI) bit via trade. On paper, it looks good because he provides shooting at the 4. Honestly, they were one of the only teams I think that can hide him on defense. Can't escape the SF/PF tweener talk though. Who does he guard? Batum or Aldridge? Paul Pierce or KG? Paul George or David West? KD or Ibaka? These are obviously extreme examples but they're realistic. It's hard to think a team picks a guy in the lottery who can't guard anyone on defense. I'm not sure what Cameron Bairstow's skill is. Nothing really stands out but his size. We'll see if he sticks around

Grade: C


Minnesota Timberwolves: Zach LaVine 
(13th), Glenn Robinson III (40th), Alessandro Gentile (53rd)

 

Zach LaVine is every bit as much of an athletic freak as Wiggins. He has question marks though. And for the love of God, stop calling him a point guard. I'm all for pairing the kid who's supposed to be all upside with a great passing PG like Ricky Rubio and it should be exciting. Outside of that, their roster is pretty much comprised of guys who only play one side of the ball. Not really much going for them, they're going to lose Love so you might as well swing for the fences. As far as GR3, I'm not sure but he just hasn't gotten better to me. Maybe his progress was eclipsed by Nik Stauskas, and he was overrated playing with Trey but he has some tools. Just a really bland pick. Thinking he'll at least try on both sides of the ball though.

Grade: C+


Phoenix Suns: T.J. Warren (14th), Tyler Ennis (18th), Bogdan Bogdanovic (27th), Alec Brown (50th)

I thought the Bulls would nab up T.J. Warren since they were looking for scoring at the 3/4 spots, very very good scorer. It'll be fun to see him running in PHX. I like the pick with Channing Frye opting out as well so they'll get another front court shooter. Another thing to note is that despite not being an elite athlete, he can finish at the rim pretty well. We'll see if that stays the same. Tyler Ennis isn't a bad backup to have behind Bledsoe and Dragic either. He is what he is. Won't get to the rim well. People fell in love with the clutch shots, but outside of that he's not really a great shooter. We saw the last "floor general" PHX took in Kendall Marshall and we know how that ended up. Hopefully it won't be a repeat.

Grade: B-


Atlanta Hawks: Adreian Payne 
(15th), Walter Tavares (43rd)



I reeeeeeally really hope Adreian Payne takes note of Josh Smith's career and doesn't fall in love with those stupid long jump shots. It was really frustrating to watch in the tourny. He knocked a couple down, and then wouldn't stop shooting them. He won't end up like "Keith Benson" either. Way too skilled and athletic for that. Outside of that, he's one of the only guys who would have fit perfectly on any team. A 4 who can stretch the floor and protect the rim. The age scared teams off for some reason or another. We saw what Atlanta did to the Pacers and Pero isn't nearly as good a shooter as Adreian. With Milsap and Horford, they'll be a tough rotation. Weight room. Not much to say about Tavares except he's 7'3" with reportedly good footwork. He won't see the NBA for a while though.

Grade: A-

Denver Nuggets: Jusuf Nurkic (16th from CHI), Gary Harris (19th), Nikola Jokic (41st)

Jusuf Nurkic is a big that can score in the low post. Don't think we'll see him in Denver for a while and not sure if he can protect the rim. He has pretty good hands though. I did enjoy watching him and Mudiay during the Summit playing off of each other. Not sure how much of that was him because he got a lot of good looks set up for him. As much as Gary Harris' play irritated me at times during the season, I think Denver got a good pick with him. The uptempo play can free him up on offense and maybe hide him a little on defense. He's not a bad defender, but he'll have his hands full with the 1s and 2s of the NBA. Goes without saying that he can shoot and handle the ball a little but he plays really smart ball. Sometimes disappears. Behind Afflalo, he should be able to learn some things without too much responsibility.

Grade: B-


Toronto Raptors: Bruno Caboclo (20th), DeAndre Daniels (37th)

Bruno is the youngest player in the draft this year. Also, set's hold off on the Brazilian Kevin Durant comparisons. They're stupid. We don't really know anything about this guy and the first time I've ever heard his name is when Adam Silver announced it. One thing I do know is you don't really doubt Masai Uriji. If he ever makes it to the NBA, we'll go from there. DeAndre Daniels stepped his game up when it mattered most and that was in the tourny. He can shoot the ball, but doesn't really have a handle. Not a great defender. Not sure if he'll stick around even in Toronto.

Grade: C-


Oklahoma City Thunder: Mitch McGary (21st), Josh Huestis (29th), Semaj Christon (55th)

Mitch McGary will be Nick Collison's protege. Had a back injury and probably should have left school a year early. He does hit the glass hard for rebounds and get the garbage buckets. He'll have to be a hustle big and maybe work on his shot a little so he can pull the defense on PnPs. He can set a decent screen against college players, but we'll see how physical he is in the league. He landed in a good spot in OKC. I don't remember much about Josh Heustis outside of his effort where he sonned Wiggins on defense. If he can be a defensive stopper and sit down on guys with actual handles, he'll have a job on someone's bench. Maybe even develop as a catch and shooter. If you want to catch Semaj, it'll be in the D-League.

Grade: C+


Memphis Grizzlies: Jordan Adams (22nd), Jarnell Stokes (35th)



I like Jordan Adams when he isn't flabby and sick at 230 lbs. More skilled than LaVine and much much smarter but no where near the same upside. He isn't really that spectacular on defense, but he has a 6'10"-6'11" wingspan I believe and maybe that's why Memphis likes him. He'll have to start getting shots up now since Memphis needs shooting, but I'm not really sure about the pick.

Jarnell Stokes
 is a strange pick too. He's solid and can rebound, but he's a little smaller than we're used to seeing as a big in Memphis. He can't really shoot either. Memphis has missed on a lot of picks lately and I don't think this year is any different.

Grade: C-

Miami Heat: Shabazz Napier (24th from CHA)


I was actually surprised that Shabazz even went in the first round. Probably a ploy to keep LeBron. 2 National Titles but I don't think he'll be a great NBA player. He was good in the PnR in college, but he'll be hounded in the NBA. He couldn't make Drummond and Lamb look dominant in college, so he'll have to up his playmaking tenfold. Feels like a desperate pick and I think they'd have been better off keeping Hairston with Wade breaking down.

Grade: C-


Houston Rockets: Clint Capela (25th), Nick Johnson (42nd)

Outside of them both being big and black, I have no idea where the Serge Ibaka comparisons came from for Clint Capela. If he ends up half as good as Serge, he'd be a huge success. He won't be knocking down corner threes any time soon and while he's athletic, he's not as athletic as Serge. That being said, there's obviously potential here. I think he can be a really good PnR player if he can develop a jumper. Can be a good bench big one day. Nick Johnson is a decent pick since he can play off the ball, but he's a smaller combo guard. Defensively, he'll give all he's got unlike coughHardencough.

Grade: B


Los Angeles Clippers: C.J. Wilcox
 (28th)

This pick was pretty ridiculous in retrospect.. The Clippers desperately need to shore up their bench bigs. Not grab another shooter, and especially one who won't be a defensive stopper since they just tried to trade for Tony Allen.

Grade: D-


San Antonio Spurs: Kyle Anderson (30th)




No clue how this even happened. Kyle Anderson wasn't really in any set spot, but there wasn't a better spot he could have ended up. With this Finals series, everyone compared him to Boris Diaw, and now he'll be able to play behind him. Now the Spurs have another 6'9" ridiculously good passer. Very excited about this.

Grade: A


New York Knicks: Cleanthony Early (34th), Thanasis Antetokounmpo (51st), Louis Labiyre (57th from IND)


New York is counting on Melo to leave, so they're just grabbing SF's in the draft with possible good upsides. They won't match him, but Cleanthony can score the ball. I think the knocks on his age are a little unwarranted, but a good tournament did him some favors. Thanasis is Giannis' older brother and he's pretty much the opposite of Cleanthony. He's got the D-League experience, but where his hope lies is becoming a very good defender at the 3. He has the size and the energy. The field is wearing thin now, so they did pretty good. They'll both have the opportunity to get minutes and I like the Knicks drafting for both sides of the ball.

Grade: B+


Detroit Pistons: Spencer Dinwiddie (38th)




We could have done worse.. I'm not a big fan of Spencer Dinwiddie, but we did need to see what we can get at SG. Would have gone higher if not for his torn ACL and has good size for the 2. He can do a little bit of everything, but from what I saw he likes to dominate the ball and with Brandon Jennings that may or may not be tragic. Good pick for the Pistons though.

Grade: B+


Brooklyn Nets: Markel Brown (44th from MIN), Xavier Thames (59th from TOR), Cory Jefferson (60th from SAS)




Markel Brown is an athletic guard and ran the backcourt with Smart in college. They're similar in size which means Markel is going to be a very small shooting guard. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to get open and score, but he'll have to be a lights out guy to stick in the league since. Not sure that's what Brooklyn needs, but this late in the draft you just swing for the fences. Not really that big on Xavier Thames and don't know much about him except he went to SDSU. (Kawhi for MVP!) Cory Jefferson is a big body. Think Patrick Young. He was knocking down 3's in his workout, but I'm not sure that'll be a part of his game. It'd help if he could stretch the floor though. Not sure why he didn't get more attention than he did. Maybe he can stick at #60 like Isaiah Thomas did.

Grade: B-

New Orleans Pelicans: Russ Smith (47th from PHI)




A very fast PG with the ball in his hands and a ballhawk without it. I'm not sure why they traded Pierre in the first place because Russ isn't better but there were rumblings about wanting a "true PG." It's all bullshit. Russ should be pretty good in the PnR, just needs to get more consistent and up that range. For a small guard, he doesn't really get his shot off quick enough. Most likely gonna have to eat in the D-League for a while. He'd better have to after the Pierre nonsense.


Grade: C








Thursday, June 26, 2014

Crawford vs Gamboa, Korobov vs Uzcategui. HBO Boxing 6/28



On June 28th, we find ourselves with yet another great card of an action packed summer of boxing. Here are the major players.


Terence Crawford 23-0(16 KO) vs Yuriorkis Gamboa 23-0(16 KO)
Odds: Crawford -200  Gamboa +170

Years ago, we all would’ve thought Yuriorkis Gamboa would be the biggest star out of all the Cuban fighters coming up in boxing. In 2014, due to a myriad of issues between promoters and bouts of inactivity, Gamboa is still fairly unknown to the general public. With a win over undefeated champion, Terence Crawford, he has a shot to vault himself into the limelight finally. Terence Crawford is a young (26 years of age) fighter who fought good competition coming up as a prospect and finally became a champion earlier this year. Undefeated and looking to continue his winning ways after beating Ricky Burns rather easily earlier this year to win the WBO lightweight title over in England.  

This is such a fight of contrasting fighters. Crawford was a really good prospect in the amateurs, but  Gamboa was great, winning Gold at the Olympics. Crawford is 5’8” with a 70 inch reach, while Gamboa is 5’5” with a 65 inch reach. (Eye Test Section) Crawford seems to be more composed and knows exactly how he wants to fight at any given moment while Gamboa wants to box sometimes and other times he wants to rush in and look the Cuban Pacquiao, and pays for it sometimes. Oddly enough, they have the same record (23-0) and the same amount of knockouts(16) with 0 losses, but their careers really are in a different place. 

What Crawford needs to do is stay out of range for Gamboa. He’s the taller and longer fighter so he can afford to keep him at a distance with his jab. I can’t see Gamboa winning a boxing match with a guy who is as elusive and good a boxer as Terence Crawford is, especially with the height and reach disadvantages. He’s gonna have to make this an ugly fight. He has the speed and power to get inside and touch Crawford. Both of these guys are dynamic fighters, with the slight edge going to Gamboa in the speed and power departments. Both of these guys are the best each other has faced at this point in their careers so I know we will get a great fight on Saturday. 

Crawford by Decision. 


Matt Korobov 23-0(14 KO)

 vs Jose Uzcategui 22-0(18 KO)
Odds: Korobov -485  Uzcategui +385

This is a pretty good matchup with both men being undefeated and stepping up in class really. Normally you would look at this as a typical boxer-puncher matchup but after further analysis, I would say that isn’t exactly accurate. 

Korobov is a really slick southpaw. He’s just a good, well rounded boxer who can pretty much fight going backwards or forwards. Really good speed and pretty solid power. You see all the Eastern European fighters who are popular nowadays and isn’t exactly like the Golovkin’s or Kovalev’s of the world. He’s more of a patient fighter whereas Golovkin or Kovalev are always going(and getting) for the kill Watching this guy makes me reminisce about what Dmitry Pirog(though Pirog was better defensively) could have been if not for his back injury a couple years ago. Korobov is 31 unfortunately so if he’s going to take that step then now is the time to do so. After an illustrious amateur career, we would hope he could eventually match that level in the pros.

When you think of fighters from South America, Latin America, etc you think of one dimensional brawler type fighters, but when I watch Uzcategui I see a bit more than that. In his fight with Rogelio “Porky” Medina he showed some ability to box and countered rather well off the ropes. A lot of his offense came that way early in the fight. Now, Medina isn’t some A-level fighter, but he was a tough test for a really young up and coming prospect. Uzcategui is also a tall middleweight at 6’1” or 6’2”(can’t find it listed) with solid hand speed.

His lack of defense really may render all of that null and void, though.



With all that said its obvious Korobov is the better fighter regardless of age and has fought the better opposition. I think the way for Uzcategui to win is to fight how he did against Medina and draw Korobov in, trying to land his counters. Korobov tends to wait a bit sometimes and has a low output sometimes. If Uzcategui presses I think it’s going to be an easier fight where he himself gets countered and outboxed for most of the fight. For Korobov, I think he needs to keep his foot on the gas pedal. He’s the faster and technically superior fighter. In his fight against Derek Edwards he came out blazing and set the tone for the fight, eventually stopping Edwards after a brutal beatdown for 9 rounds. I kinda feel like he may come out the same way. Either way, I expect him to show off his complete skillset on HBO and advance to a big championship fight very soon. 

Korobov by Knockout