Play the Lotto

Now that One Shining Moment has played we can address our next stop for basketball, the NBA Draft.

I have watched a lot of college bball this season, and my feelings on guys have gone up and down all year. I will rate my players for this draft, but since we do not know the draft order this is not a prediction of their draft position Also, i will talk about any guy even remotely considering the draft, not just those who have declared.

Oden- Not too much to say about him that everyone hasn't already. He delivered his best in the season's biggest moment. He protects that rim like nobody I have ever seen on the college level. I've even been impressed with his righty jump hook, which at his height is virtually unblockable. Also that step through to the middle where he reaches out with his left hand. I mean look at how raw a guy like Dwight Howard is and the success he is having. Oden is not raw, but impressively polished. Still got to wonder if he cares enough about winning each and every night, but I think all the great things we expect from him will be realized.

Durant- His level of play was so consistently high this season it's scary. The only subpar game I remember off the top of my head was following that Ok St. thriller, the Villanova game a few days later was a poor performance from him. He is talented, marketable.... and in love with school??? He rebounds, he blocks shots, and he has a great stroke from 3. This is a guy that you draft no matter who you have on your team, players like this find ways on the court no matter who is in front of them.

Brewer- No Florida player made a bigger jump from last year to this year. Usually the knock on perimeter players leaving college is that they don't know how to play D. This is not the case with Brewer. He effects shorter players shots, and he plays the passing lane as well as anyone. Although he shot lights out in the Final Four, I'm not sold on his as a deadly shooter. On PTI the other day one of the two compared him to a young Pippen. I love the comparison. The way he runs the floor and can do a bit of everything reminds me of the way Pippen was as well.

Conley- I am a big point guard guy. Teams with true point guards are usually better off then those that don't have them. There is a very short list in the NBA of pg's I want. Kidd, Paul, Nash, Deron Williams, and maybe one day Marcus Williams. I may have left someone out, but the point being... Mike Conley is a point guard! He will make others better. He is so quick that Georgetown could not even let Wallace bring it up, instead they turned to their shooting guard Sapp. He forced Taurean Green of Florida into 6 turnovers on Monday night. His jump shot does not appear to be the most reliable, but what he does with his penetration, finishing and defense is more then enough to sell me.

Horford- Anyone who was not sold on the real Big Al before the second half Monday should be now. Until then, I only thought of him as a back to the basket, overpower you over his left shoulder type of guy (think Devon Bruce). That second half though, he was knocking down jump shots, he ever hit one memorable off the dribble jumper. Combine that with Billy Donovan saying Horford as the highest basketball IQ of any player he has ever coached. His dad was a Dominican born NBA player. He reminds me of an Elton Brand type. Neal had mentioned Karl Malone, either will work.

Wright & Wright- I don't know what to say about these guys. They are both long, good finishers and both have bright futures. They were both surrounded by such talent that they were never really relied on to be big time, crunch time, go to guys. Combine that with dissapointing tournament finishes and I have question marks for both. However, they each also have this feel of Chris Bosh to me. I don't know... I think they will both be successful, I think Brandon will eave, and I think Julian will stay.

Byars- I never saw this kid play until the tournament. He was player of the year in the SEC and I fell in love with his game. He is a true 2 guard and athletic as hell. He takes the big shots and makes big athletic defensive plays. I'm not sure of who he reminds me of, because I don't think he has the height of a T-Mac or Vince, but he's athletic like that. He scored 19 in the second half when they upset Washington St. Wow, i just looked him up, he's 6'7 230. Now I love him even more. Draft this man.

Noah- Love the energy, love the attitude, don't love the game. I mean David Lee averaged about 12 and 12, and is generally considered a high energy, rebounding type of guy. Is Noah better then David Lee? He definitely will block more shots, but Lee does have a jump shot that Noah lacks. I wouldn't jump too high on this guy, even with what he brings.

Hibbert and Gray- I think the NBA is too fast for guys like this now. Look at the big men coming in. Amare and Howard are the recent two successful ones, and they are athletic, powerful, agile, etc. Gray and Hibbert are not. Guy's are too fast these days to be a plodding 7 foot center. 7 footers are Garnett, Dirk, Bargani, etc... how many "plodders" we still got left??? Curry I guess is a plodder, but his agility and athleticsim on offense far surpass that of these two. Don't get me wrong they do have value, but I can't see either one being an all star.


Jeff Green- I don't think he is quite on the level of deference of Rudy Gay, but really 5 shots in the national semifinal??? I mean this is one game after hitting that ridiculous shot the game before. He plays D, he passes (reminds me of Luke Walton for his size with that passing ability). I think he can score, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I like him in the 8-10 range. I think he'll be a Battier type, or better.