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?
