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NBA Draft 2008: Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose?

Michael Beasley|Derrick Rose|NBA Draft 2008

May 19th, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap

Tomorrow is the NBA draft lottery and although we are in the middle of an exciting NBA playoff run with our final four teams about to kick off the Conference Finals, the buzz is starting to mount around the league on how the ping pong balls will bounce. Who will get the number one pick? Will the 250 out of 1000 chance the Miami Heat have in the 2008 NBA draft to get the number one pick, come through for them to instantly increase their fortunes? Who will be the number one pick, Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley or Memphis point guard Derrick Rose? While tomorrow night two of those three questions will be answered, unfortunately we will have to wait until June 26th in New York for the answer to the third.

The Hoop Doctors have spent a lot of time debating the potential picks from this years draft pool. While there has been much agreement on who will be the top 5 or 6 picks in the draft, there have been lots of heated arguments about who will go number one. A couple of the Hoop Doctors believe teams should draft for talent regardless of their roster needs, as this league is one that is often dominated by the all-stars. And the other Hoop Doctors believe teams should fill their gaps by drafting the best available player for the position where they are the weakest to make their team more well-rounded.

What do you think is the smart move for a franchise with the top pick in the NBA draft?

Last week a source with knowledge of which way the Heat are leaning said if they get the first pick they probably will take Derrick Rose, though Heat officials continue to caution the public that there is no decision yet. Although some Rose detractors are concerned with his perimeter shooting, almost all scouts would agree that at 6’3” tall Derrick Roses’ size for a point guard is a huge plus. The Beasley detractors on the other hand are concerned that at 6’9” tall he may fall into the fate of many highly touted college power forwards, and be faced with NBA struggles once he is playing against players of his size and strength on a nightly basis.

After discussing the draft with some contacts in the scouting world, and debating the candidates with anyone who wants to chat about how the bounce of the ping pong balls can change the fortunes and direction of a franchise, I wanted to weigh in formally. Here are my choices for the top ten draft picks based on the current team odds of getting a particular pick from their regular season records.

Dr. Anklesnap’s Top 10 NBA Draft 2008 Candidates:

1. Miami Heat

Who: Derrick Rose

Stats: PG, 6’3”, 190lbs, 19yrs

School: Memphis

2. Seattle Supersonics

Who: Michael Beasley

Stats: PF, 6’9”, 235lbs, 19yrs

School: Kansas State

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

Who: O.J. Mayo

Stats: PG, 6’5”, 199lbs, 20yrs

School: USC

4. Memphis Grizzlies

Who: Brook Lopez

Stats: C, 7’0”, 260lbs, 20yrs

School: Stanford

5. New York Knicks

Who: Jerryd Bayless

Stats: G, 6’3”, 199lbs, 19yrs

School: Arizona

6. Los Angeles Clippers

Who: Danilo Gallinari

Stats: SF, 6’9”, 209lbs, 19yrs

School: International

7. Milwaukee Bucks

Who: Eric Gordon

Stats: SG, 6’3”, 215lbs, 19yrs

School: Indiana

8. Charlotte Bobcats

Who: Kevin Love

Stats: C, 6’9”, 255, 19yrs

School: UCLA

9.Chicago Bulls

Who: DeAndre Jordan

Stats: C, 7’0”, 260lbs, 19yrs

School: Texas A&M

10. New Jersey Nets

Who: D.J. Augustin

Stats: PG, 5’11”, 175lbs, 20yrs

School: Texas

So there you have it, those are my votes. Now if you were an NBA GM who would you be lining up to take with the top picks in the draft this year?

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