2010 NBA Draft Highlights

Heading into the 2010 NBA Draft that took place last night I don’t think there was any doubt that John Wall was going to be selected first overall by the Washington Wizards. Based on the mock drafts in our NBA Mock Draft Database listing, i’d even say that with the exception of a few, Evan Turner was thought to be the consensus number two pick in the draft. But after that things weren’t so certain. Between Favors, Johnson, and Cousins there was a lot of debate over the third pick. Other debates raged before the draft such as: ‘how high would Baylor’s star Gordon Hayward get drafted?’, or ‘who will draft the Syracuse senior/leader Andy Rautins?’. As it turns outs Utah surprised the masses by taking Hayward pretty high with the 9th overall pick, and Andy Rautins was snatched up by the New York Knicks.

Check out the NBA’s Draft Zap for the main draft highlights from last night:

Breaking News: Rasheed Wallace is Retiring After 15 Seasons in the NBA

After a lot of speculation this past week leading up to the NBA Draft and the summer free agency period, NBA veteran Rasheed Wallace has officially decided to retire from the NBA. Wallace had 15 turbulent seasons in the NBA, where highs saw him playing as an integral piece of the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons, and lows where he often led the league in technical foul calls and ejections while part of the fan/media labeled ‘Jail Blazers’ during his time in Portland.

NBA.com’s David Aldridge had this on the news:

The Boston Celtics’ expected rebuilding began Thursday when veteran forward Rasheed Wallace officially decided to retire after 15 NBA seasons, a league source said.

Wallace’s retirement had been expected after the Celtics’ seven-game loss to the Lakers in the Finals, but Boston had held out some hope that the 35-year-old would change his mind with a few days’ contemplation.

Wallace signed a three-year, $18.9 million contract with Boston last summer, turning down offers from Orlando and San Antonio after the Celtics made a team-wide push to recruit him, sending Coach Doc Rivers, GM Danny Ferry and forwards Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Wallace’s home to ask him to play in Boston. He left more than $12 million on the table by opting to retire.

Wallace was not in great shape at the beginning of the season, but saved his best play for late in the regular season and in the playoffs, stepping in at center when starter Kendrick Perkins was injured and could not go in Game 7. {Via}

In the days to weeks to come there will surely be lots of coverage on the Wallace retirement in the blogosphere, as he was a player that revolutionized the way we look at the skill set of a big man. Not only was Wallace a dominant force in the post, but he was the first of a new generation of big men who can step out and knock down the outside shot with consistency.

Wallace never shied away from a big moment in crunch time, and his passionate and fiery play will certainly be missed by fans and players league wide.

NBA Draft: A Night Full of Contradictions

Tonight’s the night – the NBA opens its arms to the young and upcoming players, trying to make their dreams come true. Drafting a college player is like a mutual agreement between two persons to get married for strictly logical reasons. A franchise is giving its new players the stage to perform – the players commit to be the best they can.

The Draft is also a place of controversies and contradictions in terms of the strategic direction, every single team is taking. Certain teams are looking to add cheap and good talent to their roster while others try hard to shed some salary in order to be a big free agent player once July 1st kicks in.

Let’s take a look at the teams on both sides.

Talent Hunters

OKC Thunder

In the last three years, the Thunder successfully collected Draft Picks like Shaq is collecting additional weight. Last night, GM Sam Presti has proven that he is not interested in any Max Free Agent guy with an eight digit salary. Presti wants to add young talent to his squad so he traded for the Heat First Round Draft Pick (#18) and Daequan Cook.

OKC now has multiple Picks to operate with tonight. It is obvious, that the Thunder are not interested in the LeBron/Wade/Bosh/Johnson/Amar’e/Boozer sweepstakes whatsoever. By the time the new season starts, Oklahoma City could be the youngest and most unconventional team in the NBA.

Minnesota Timberwolves

All the jokes about drafting two additional Point Guards aside, the Wolves are in the same camp than the Thunder. They have cap space, but they are more interested in getting young talent and improving their team through trades. Al Jefferson rumors are floating again, so GM David Kahn has two strategies in his pocket:

1. Drafting Wes Johnson and stay put with the roster
2. Try to get a proven wing player for Jefferson and draft Favors

Washington Wizards

The newest addition to this list – the Wizards morphed from “We target a deep playoff run” into “We rebuild” within one year. The days are over where the team trades its Pick in exchange for veteran player material. Baring in mind that the Wizards are still taken hostage by Gilbert Arena’s contract, GM Ernie Grunfeld will give the keys to the franchise to John Wall and two additional Draft Picks. The team has talent, the top Pick and … oh … they have salary cap.

Clearance Sale Teams

New York Knicks

In all fairness, the Knicks were the pioneer of clearing the house from any bloated contract that has not Eddy Curry’s signature on it. Rebuilding through the Draft is nearly impossible in The Big Apple, so GM Donnie Walsh did a great job to get rid of nearly every huge contract running through 2010-2011.

New York – after a decade of darkness – is in a hit-or-miss situation now. They are able to sign two max free agents and start to become relevant again. However, the roster itself is depleted, the first round draft pick is a victim of Isiah Thomas’ brilliancy and little money is left after. So the Draft will be more of a chance to fill the roster with raw talent and bodies.

Miami HEAT

If Pat Riley will ever leave the stage of basketball, he would surely get several job offers from the economy. The way he shed the salary in order to be a big fish in the summer 2010 is pretty amazing. By trading the 18th Pick and Cook to the Thunder, he has the eyes on the big free agent prices.
The Heat would have gotten some good talent at the 18th spot but decided against it due to the cap hold and the possibility to improve via free agency.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are the equivalent of the Wizards on this list. Chicago wasn’t even a player in the free agent sweepstakes one and a half years ago. But they traded away many of their big contracts (e.g. John Salmons at the deadline) to be a top suitor for the stars. Rumors are whispering that Chicago is offering Luol Deng and/or Kirk Hinrich alongside their 1st round Pick, which would enable them to sign two max free agents. The chance to establish a young team with All Star Derrick Rose doesn’t seem to be the Bulls’ Plan A.

The most interesting free agent summer will undoubtedly have a huge effect on the Draft tonight. Some teams are already very active on the trade front, some try to buy or trade into the 1st round. It is clear that the clubs are divided into the two mentioned camps. Keep an eye on tonight – it can change the whole NBA landscape.

Robert Jerzy is addicted to basketball and analyzes the game beyond the usual stats and figures. Robert is a regular columnist for the biggest german speaking magazine BASKET and his own site nykjournal.wordpress.com.

Behind The Scenes: John Wall On The Cover of ESPN The Magazine

Get ready. The John Wall mania is about to begin. Even though the whole nation has been doing that catchy John Wall Dance since the beginning of the NCAA basketball season, arguably the University of Kentucky’s most hyped recruit is about to go Hollywood. On Thursday evening, when NBA commissioner David Stern steps to the podium and says, ”With the first overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards select…….John Wall”, his image and likeness will be plastered all over video games and Reebok commercials.

Apparently ESPN The Magazine has jumped the gun as he is their new cover boy for their June 28th issue. Wall got decked out in an all white get-up in a set reminiscent of a Hollywood movie set. In taking the photos, Wall seemingly in being thrown into a wall(get it?). As the newest Wizard, Wall needs to be more worried about being around Gilbert Arenas’ gun collection.  We’ll find out if real soon if being on the cover of ESPN The Magazine the same week that you get drafted is either a gift or a jinx.  After all Greg Oden was on the cover as the #1 pick as well.

Check out a behind the scenes video aptly named: Wall-to-Wall Talent:

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

The 1996 NBA Draft Was Clearly the Best Ever

The 2010 NBA Draft will be held tonight in New York. Everyone who’s name is in the draft obviously hopes to hear his name called but of course, many will be disappointed. The field of “can’t miss” prospects in this year’s draft is a short list. A very short list. Once you get about halfway through the lottery, I believe the pool has significantly weakened which will force guys to get drafted higher than they otherwise would get drafted in year’s with a stronger crop.

That, however, was not the case in 1996. Fourteen years ago, we witnessed the best NBA Draft in history. Hands down. Any way you look at this draft, it was completely stacked. Let’s first take a look at the 1996 NCAA All-America 1st team. That consisted of Allen Iverson from Georgetown, Ray Allen from UConn, Tim Duncan from Wake Forest, Kerry Kittles from Villanova, and Marcus Camby from UMass. All were a part of the 1996 draft with the exception of then junior, Tim Duncan, who decided to return to Wake for his senior season. All four of these guys were snatched up within the top nine picks. That may not sound that surprising but 1st team All-America selections don’t necessarily always go high, or at all. What do I mean? Let’s see where Scottie Reynolds ultimately ends up. In my opinion, this 1996 All-America team was the best in the last 14 years. They would have easily beat any team that followed them.

This powerhouse draft has produced 3 league MVPs (Allen Iverson, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant) and 6 NBA champions totalling 15 rings. Aside from that, it has also provided us with countless bonafide NBA superstars as well, such as Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic,  Jermaine O’Neal and Antoine Walker. That doesn’t include other guys like Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Derek Fisher and Kerry Kittles who was solid for a handful of years in New Jersey. Amazingly, 9 of the first round picks are still active. Considering the length of the average NBA career, that’s pretty remarkable.

In a draft where Kobe Bryant was taken #13 overall, it should tell you how stacked it was. Unless you see it layed out, you can’t fully appreciate the historic 1996 Draft. Here are a few notables:

1. Allen Iverson – Philadelphia
2. Marcus Camby – Toronto
3. Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Vancouver 
4. Stephon Marbury - Milwaukee 
5. Ray Allen – Minnesota 
6. Antoine Walker – Boston
8.  Kerry Kittles – New Jersey
10. Erick Dampier – Indiana
13. Kobe Bryant – Charlotte
14. Peja Stojakovic – Sacramento
15. Steve Nash – Phoenix
16. Tony Delk – Charlotte
17. Jermaine O’Neal – Portland
18. John Wallace – New York
20. Zydrunas Ilgauskas – Cleveland
24. Derek Fisher – LA Lakers

The other drafts that rival this one are the 1984 Draft (which included Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley) and the 2004 Draft (which included LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard). But we don’t have to worry about the 2010 draft. This one may very well be historic, for the wrong reason.

If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe too for free on iTunes.

18 Players Ejected In Brawl During Serbian League Finals [Video]

Apparently European players are taking it to heart when Americans claim that the overseas game just isn’t as physical or tension filled as the NBA. In yet another ugly international incident, upwards of 18 players in the Serbian League Finals were ejected in an unbelievable brawl, which forced Game 2 of the series to be played out as a 3-on-3 match-up in the game’s final minutes.

Just two weeks ago TheHoopDoctors.com brought you a video of the carnage surrounding some irate fans throwing explosive devices at players and referees during the Greek League Finals. Now, a battle royale type melee which would make Vince McMahon of the WWE proud, ensues between the Serbs. All of these unfortunate instances just gives international basketball another black eye for their sport and may facilitate a number of top players like Linus Kleiza and Josh Childress to flee in exodus back towards the NBA.

As for the incident in question, while battling for position for a rebound, two opposing players feet get tangled and both players hit the floor. Apparently one takes offense and takes a swing as both are still on the floor. As both chest bump and sissy slap each-other, after getting back on their feet, benches empty as a vicious array of headlocks and judo jabs ensue before officials can help regain order to the game.

In the end, 18 players were ejected and the game ended in a rather odd looking 3-on-3 match-up with one player just sitting on the floor in protest after not getting a foul call.

After the dust settled, Partizan Belgrade won not only the game, but their 7th consecutive title after not even one player from their opponent Hemofarm even decided to show up for the decisive Game 3 finale. I guess this is their version of the NBA’s “Malice at the Palace” between the Pacers and Pistons in 2004.

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

THD Podcast Host Kevin Burke Talks NBA Draft on Unleash the Rage Radio Show

This week Kevin Burke of The Hoop Doctors was invited as a guest on to the ‘Unleash the Rage’ radio show to talk about tonight’s NBA Draft. SECRage Radio is an internet radio show that caters to the world of college football and basketball. Specifically, the teams of the SEC. The SEC is the Conference of Champions. Our show airs Monday – Thursday at 10pm Eastern and 7pm Pacific time. Use the podcast player below to listen in on a recording of Kevin’s appearance on the show:

Golden State Warriors Trade Corey Maggette to the Milwaukee Bucks

The Golden State Warriors have traded away slashing scorer Corey Maggette and their 44th pick in the draft, to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric. At first glance it seems like a mutually beneficial trade for the two teams. The Bucks need scoring help, and the Warriors need size and defense.

Milwaukee really lacked scoring from the type of player that can create his own shot, and needed to rely heavily on point guard Brandon Jennings for scoring in the latter part of the season when Bogut went down. They did receive scoring in bursts from wingman John Salmons, however all signs are indicating he will be leaving in free agency. All of that combined with the fact that their veteran sharpshooter Michael Redd this season once again missed significant time due to a knee injury, you can see how a scorer like Corey Maggette will fulfill their offseason wishlist.

“Corey has been a consistent scorer throughout his career,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a statement. “He shoots a solid percentage from the field and has shown the ability to get to the free throw line. We’re looking forward to having him in a Bucks uniform.”

As for the Warriors, it was quite obvious that after another season of being a trigger happy run and gun team with no defense they needed some help in the paint to tighten things up. Dan Gadzuric is long, athletic and can change shots which will immediately help to anchor their defense with their second unit. Maggette in 2009-10 did average 19.8 points per game, but considering an electrifying backcourt of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis you know the Warriors aren’t worrying about scoring the ball. Defense on the other hand has been an issue, especially with Curry and Ellis both being undersized defending the perimeter. Enter Charlie Bell. Many NBA scouts rank Bell as one of the top perimeter defenders in the league. He won’t get you a ton of scoring, but he is solid none the less, and when matched with either Curry or Ellis in the backcourt will help lock down the perimeter.

“Charlie and Dan are two high-character veterans who can provide us with some of the intangibles that we need on our squad,” Warriors general manager Larry Riley said in a statement. “They are both experienced veterans who will be welcomed additions to our very young team. Additionally, while we certainly wish Corey well and thank him for his outstanding contributions the last two years, this will help alleviate a log-jam that we have at small forward and, more importantly, power forward, where we expect both Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph to return from injuries and play an increased role on our team next season.”

NYC Uses A-List Celebs To Help Lure Lebron To The Knicks

With July 1st just around the corner, which is the equivalent of D-Day when it comes to the prized 2010 Summer of free agency, potential suitors for Lebron James are lining up and putting their best foot forward in an attempt to land “King James.” Long regarded as one of the front-runners for his services, the New York Knicks have enlisted some of the Big Apple’s biggest celebrities to help lure the game’s best player to play in their city.

New York has come together as a whole for the cause to try and woo Lebron before the July 1st date when he officially becomes free. It’s actually a brilliant move considering that Knicks management, or any other team’s representatives for that matter, are not allowed any contact with potential free agents until after July 1st. Then players aren’t allowed to officially sign any new deals for another 10 days on July 10th.

New York celebrities have come out in drones in support of signing James. High profile celebs like Donald Trump, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Boomer Esiason, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and lifelong Knicks fan Spike Lee, among others have agreed to meet with Lebron and show him around the town. In addition, a number of former Knicks players and NYC playground legends like Willis Reed. Walt Frazier, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, as well as former NY Giants quarterback Phil Simms will all get their chance to speak to James.

Recently even New York based rapper Jadakiss and some of his hip hop family made their very own rap song about Lebron coming to New York. In the end, the choice is Lebron’s to make. Hopefully he cares more about the game of basketball and playing for the Knicks rather than coming to the “City That Never Sleeps” just because Chris Rock or Donald Trump says so. Sounds like good stuff. Maybe Spike Lee should be filming this. Reportedly the NJ Nets are also forming a welcoming committee led by Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.

Will it be New York or New Jersey for Lebron?

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

Six Potential Busts In the 2010 NBA Draft

Every year during draft time, the word potential is thrown around very freely. A number of players each year from either the college ranks or from overseas are hyped as the next big thing to come into the NBA. The problem is that most of those players never live up to the hype of being a first round pick. After all for every Steph Curry or Omri Casspi type of overachieving players lies the exact opposite like Jordan Hill or Hasheem Thabeet who aptly are named busts.

Here are my Top 6 Potential Busts in the 2010 NBA Draft:

Ed Davis, North Carolina

PF – 6’9 225 lbs

‘09-’10 Stats – 12.9 ppg, 9.2 rebs, 2.7 blks

As I have written before, Davis was one of my Top 5 players who could have benefited from another year in college. Although gifted with tremendous athleticism and a long wingspan, and having come to the Tarheels as a highly touted HS recruit, in my eyes Davis just isn’t ready for the NBA game. He may one day prove me wrong and become the elite level rebounder and shot blocker that he is projected as, but Ed hasn’t overly impressed in college. His offensive game is average at best and needs to immediately add weight to his slight frame to bang with the bigger players in the NBA. Since he will probably be coming off the bench as a rookie, he may not get the proper seasoning needed to become a good pro,which would not have been the case at UNC this season.

Daniel Orton, Kentucky

PF/C – 6’9 260 lbs

’09-’10 Stats – 3.4 ppg, 3.3 rebs, 1.4 blks

Probably more than any other player in this year’s draft the word potential applies to Orton’s draft stock. No one really knows how good he can be since he played behind Cousins at Kentucky. In the history of the draft has any other player been projected as high with such underwhelming stats? To be fair, Daniel was almost every bit as touted a HS big man as Cousins and Favors and appears to have better defensive instincts than his Wildcat teammate in limited minutes. His offense is still a work in progress and surprisingly he measured out 2 inches shorter than his listed 6’10 heigth in college. His saving grace in the eyes of GM’s is his 7’5 wingspan, which could make him a defensive presence from day one in the pros. Is he the next Eric Dampier or BJ Mullens?

Hassan Whiteside, Marshall

C – 7’0 220lb

’09-’10 Stats – 13.1 ppg, 8.9 rebs, 5.4 blks

Hassan has intruiged GM’s with his incredible size and length as an NCAA freshman. After all he tallied 3 triple-doubles and led the nation in blocks per game but questions remain about his offensive game and his ability to play against bigger defenders. Conference USA is not the NBA as Hassan will undoubtedly have to hit the weights and add bulk for the next level. In college, he had a tendency to either get pushed or drift towards the perimeter against bigger opponents and at this point is not even close to the rebounding force he should be as a 7 footer. I had to chuckle as one supposed draft expert compared Whiteside to the next Kevin Garnett because of their similar build coming into the NBA. Let’s be clear, Hassan is not KG and never will be, but he does have potential to be a good player if he adds weight and develops a better low post game.

Al Farouq-Aminu, Wake Forest

SF – 6’8 215 lbs

’09-’10 Stats – 15.8 ppg, 10.7 rebs, 1.4 blks

Many experts tout Aminu as the next Josh Smith because of his amazing athleticism in the open floor and great all around game. After his freshman season, Al was given some sound advice to return for another year to work on his game and it has paid off since he will undoubtedly be a lottery pick on June 24th. But questions remain about his offensive game and as to what position he will play in the pros. Because he has the skills to be a dominating rebounder, his eventual position will probably be as a power forward, yet at only 215 lbs, right now he will get broken in half by bigger NBA PF’s. Is he skilled enough an offensive player to succeed as a 3? The Golden State Warriors are in love with Aminu and is a virtual lock to go to the Warriors with the #6 pick if he is still on the board. He is a good fit in Don Nelson’s up-tempo open court system but how will he fair in a more half court oriented system like so many other teams employ? At only 19 years of age, Aminu is a good gamble but I wouldn’t be surprised if we are talking about him in terms of unfulfilled potential by the end of his rookie contract.

Luke Babbitt, Nevada

SF/PF – 6’9 220lbs

’09-’10 Stats – 21.9 ppg, 8.9 rebs, 42% 3PT

Ah, where do we start? Babbitt has played himself into a possible lottery pick because of an outstanding showing at the draft combine. Although he dominated inferior competition in the WAC conference, the NBA is a much more athletic stage, and athleticism is one area that Luke is lacking. On paper, he was an anomaly in college as his stats were out of this world but will have a hard time finding a position in the NBA. Even though he played the PF position in college, he is too slight to bang in the pros, yet will be too slow to defend upper tier SF’s in the association. He will have to be a lights out shooter as a team’s 2nd option to succeed in the NBA, which in my eyes isn’t worthy of a Top 10 pick. He is compared to former Dream Teamer Chris Mullen but may wind up just being another Kyle Korver.

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

PF/C – 6’10 290 lbs

’09-’10 Stats – 15.1 ppg, 9.9 rebs, 1.8 blks

The man-child that has come to be known as “Boogie” is an enigma. Although he is as NBA ready as any player in this year’s draft, some GM’s will be spooked by a perceived arrogance and a concern over an already extra large frame that weighed in at 292 lbs at the draft combine. He probably gives scouts nightmares that he may either be the reincarnation of Derrick Coleman, Oliver Miller, Benoit Benjamin or the next Shaquille O’Neal. These concerns alone are the reason why teams may balk at drafting Cousins as their next franchise player. He is the ultimate high risk/high reward player and since, judging by his demeanor, “Boogie” will make it his mission to destroy those who passed on drafting him.

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.

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