Impressions of the NBA draft.

The NBA draft was both exciting and frustrating. The excitement came from many things, like how would the picks fall, who would the Sixers take and where would Sam Young and DeJuan Blair go. Some things went as expected, like Blake Griffin to the Clippers, Tyreke Evens to the Kings and Hasheem Thabeet to the Grizzlies. Other things were rather shocking, like the Timberwolves taking every imaginable point guard and our Pitt stars falling so far. When DeJuan Blair decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility, he had no doubt he was a mid 1st round pick. Blair was projected to have a ceiling of 10 and a floor of 22. What DeJuan didn't realize was that it was a retractable floor that would drop him all the way to the Spurs with the 37th pick in the draft. Although DeJuan will have to compete to make the team, once he does land on the roster, he should have no problem garnering significant minutes alongside four time NBA champion, Tim Duncan. The Spurs also traded some of their front-court depth in a deal with Milwaukee for Richard Jefferson. Many "expert" site Blair's knee problems as a reason for him dropping so far, even though Pitt coach Jamie Dixon talked to all 30 teams and told them there have been no problems during his Pitt career. I still don't understand this explanation. Didn't Portland draft a "franchise" Center a few years ago #1 with a history of injuries? If you have no problem taking a guy #1 with all those injury problems, why even think about it at 22? One thing i know about DeJuan Blair is that every time someone doubts him, he proves them wrong. The Spurs got themselves an angry beast. Sam falling was also pretty surprising. Although he was not expected to be a high draft pick, almost all publications had Young as a first rounder. Ironically, Sam will be playing with DeJuan's bitch (Hasheem Thabeet).

Some people see this year as a weak draft because of the lack of superstar talent, with only Griffin and Rubio as future standouts, I see it more as a draft with lots of huge bust and many late sleepers. I think several 2nd rounders could contribute early in their NBA careers; some of these guys include Jeff Pendergraph, Jon Brockman, Derrick Brown, Marcus Thorthon, Jodie Meeks, Patrick Beverly, Danny Green and Amhad Nivins. I think Sam Young will be the 2nd or 3rd best player on the Grizzlies. That leaves two more guys; DeJuan Blair and Patty Mills. Both players have lottery talent but fell much later in the draft. I would rate Mills behind only Ricky Rubio and Eric Maynor. These two guys have all-star potential. As for the busts, i feel like there are five sure-fire busts in the top 15. Hasheem Thabeet, DeMar DeRozen, Brandon Jennings, Gerry Henderson and Jonny Flynn (solid player, just not for where he was drafted). If you have a lottery pick, you should be taking a guy that will definitely improve your team, not a project that might work out. We'll see how this draft ends up looking, but my guess it's going to look upside down.

A comparison no one will like

Three years ago, with the 11^th overall pick in the draft, the Orlando Magic selected then ACC all-time leading scorer J.J. Redick. Throughout Redick’s career, he did three things; he scored, he got slobbered on by ESPN’s cavalcade of Duke lovers and he choked when it counted. Redick never won a national championship like this guy or even a unanimous ACC player of the year like this guy. Although Redick’s primary skills in college included catching and shooting off screens and sinking countless free throws, many “experts” insisted Redick would be a great pro. Unfortunately, you can’t shoot free throws from the bench because your coach has no confidence in you. With a career scoring average of 5.5 points per game, and a 38.1 three point percentage, I think we can consider Redick a bust. The knocks on Redick coming into the draft were his lack of size (6’3 at most) and athleticism (2 dunks ever) as well as his ability to defend and create his own shot. Aside from the Texas game, Redick played his best games in college against weaker teams. Redick got drafted where he did because of his name.

I feel like there is a guy in this year’s draft that gets the attention he does because of his father’s name and his superfan mother’s craziness. This player is 6’3, not very athletic, isn’t known for his defense and played in a relatively weak conference. Just like dominating Temple football doesn’t translate to dominating Southern Cal, the Southern Conference isn’t comparable to the NBA. Haven’t we seen this movie before? Fortunately, Stephen Curry doesn’t drive daddy's car drunk, write shitty poetry or cry to ESPN, but he does have a skills set very similar to Redick. One positive for Curry is that he is going to be put in a situation where he gets the opportunity to play and make a name for himself. If Curry can knock down his open shots and play solid defense then he thankfully won’t be heading down Redick’s path. My advice for Steph Curry is to go out there and make a name for yourself, so people call you Steph Curry and not Dell’s son. Just ask J.J. if he’s gotten tired of “former all-american” or “former Duke Star.” Good luck Steph, I really hope you can shoot, because if not, you’ll find the bench very uncomfortable.

U.S. Soccer finally starting to come back around

The United States soccer team, currently ranked 14th in the world by FIFA, defeated the #1-ranked Spanish national team by a score of 2-0. Without question one of the biggest victories in U.S. soccer history. To put this in perspective, it still wasn't in a World Cup, but ESPN soccer analyst Alexi Lalas said it is definitely one of the top ten wins of all time.

Just to give you an idea of how these teams stack up, look at this comparison. The best soccer league in the world is the UEFA Champions League, which is comprised of the top teams from all over Europe, including teams such as Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona (this year's champion), and the fabled Manchester United. This is where the best players in the world play, and one of the reasons why the United States is not a highly regarded soccer "hot bed." Of the players on the Spanish national team, 80% play in the UEFA league. How many play from the U.S. team? Just one. That's like the Australian basketball team taking out the U.S. basketball team (not the one the team that got bronze, the redeem team from this year.)

On the foot of Jozy Altidore, only 19-years-old, the U.S. scored in the 27th minute to strike first. Altidore single-handedly made a terrible ball, an excellent pass by shielding his defender around 180 degrees to get a one-on-one against Spanish goalie, Iker Casillas. After withstanding an onslaught of Spanish pressure that hasn't been seen since the Spanish Armada, Clint Dempsey buried a goal in the 74th minute of a lucky bounce that put the ball in front of an empty net. Even after losing Mike Bradley to a red card in the 86th minute, playing with only ten men for the rest of regulation, the U.S. held on for a 2-0 lead.

But the real story was the play in goal of Tim Howard and the defensive wall by Oguchi Onyewu. First, Howard got his first ever Confederations Cup victory, posting eight saves in the shutout as he leads all goalies in the Cup in saves made. He was confident, poised, and overall just able to weather any storm Spain threw at him. Next, Onyewu looked like a hockey defender blocking shot after shot, and cross after cross by the talented Spanish forwards and midfielders. It seemed like every time Spain would get a chance in the box that Onyewu came out of nowhere able to neutralize the Spanish attackers. Whether with his head, feet, or sometimes body, Onyewu was a cross between a one-man wrecking crew and one-man wall.

The U.S. played their style of soccer. Strong defensive scheme to keep the Spanish attack at bay, while taking advantage of the overaggressive Spaniards. Basicallly, the U.S. didn't get lucky. They didn't control the game by any means, but they knew going into it, they were not the best team. But with a solid game plan, and almost flawless execution, the United States pulled off one of the biggest upsets in their history.

Mock Draft 3.0

1. L.A. Clippers-Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma-Even for Mike Dunleavy, this is a no brainer.
2. Memphis Grizzlies-Hasheem Thabeet, C, Uconn-I just think Chris Wallace is too dumb to bait Minnesota into trading for the pick.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves-Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain-I think it takes the 6th pick and the 18th pick for Minnesota to get here. Minnesota gets what they want, and OKC gets an extra pick plus 1 of the 2 guys they want.
4. Sacramento Kings-Tyreke Evans-PG/SG, Memphis-It’s becoming very clear that Evans is the guy they want here. Now, if OKC stays at 3 and takes Harden, I think the Kings trade the 4th pick to Minnesota for the 6th and 45th pick. Minnesota then takes Rubio at 4 and Curry at 5 with Evans going 6th to the Kings.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves-James Harden-SG/SF, ASU-This would be a very difficult decision between Harden and Curry. If the ‘Wolves were to trade the 5th pick and not the 6th to move up to 3, then they would just take whoever is left between Curry and Harden. I give Harden the edge here because he can do more than Curry.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder-Steph Curry, PG/SG, Davidson-I think OKC wins either way, they like both Harden and Curry do they’ll be happy with whatever falls in their lap. Here it’s Steph Curry.
7. Golden State Warriors-Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona-Since Monta Ellis is running the Warriors, they take Hill here so Ellis can either run the point or maybe this.
8. New York Knicks-Brandon Jennings, PG, Europe-They love big names in New York and Jennings is exactly that. Obviously if Curry or Hill is here, they’d be at the podium instantly with the pick.
9. Toronto Raptors-Demar DeRozen, SG, USC-His relatively unimpressive college career doesn’t scare the Raptors.
10. Milwaulkee Bucks-Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse-They would love for someone to fall to them here, but the only possibility of that happening is Jennings who may not even be better than Flynn. I think they go with the proven Flynn over the underachieving Holiday.
11. New Jersey Nets-Terrence Williams, SF, L’ville-It looks like this is T-will’s ceiling and this is where he will be going. If the Nets don’t take him, the Bobcats will.
12. Charlotte Bobcats-Gerry Henderson, SG, Duke-They must be really looking to improve their D-League team.
13. Indiana Pacers-DeJuan Blair, PF/SF, Pitt-Indiana could use some toughness and without Jennings or Flynn available, I think they go for Blair.
14. Phoenix Suns-Earl Clark, PF, L’ville-It seems pretty clear that the Suns are taking Clark here unless someone unbelievable falls to this spot.
15. Detriot-Austin Daye, SF, Gonzaga-I have the Pistons taking Tayshaun 2.0.
16. Chicago Bulls-James Johnson, PF, Wake-If Blair and Clark are gone, which they should be they’ll take Johnson
17. Philadelphia 76ers-Jrue Holiday, PG, UCLA-Maynor is the most logical pick here, which means very little since this is the Sixers were talking about. When there are two comparable guys, the Sixers usually go with the “upside” guy, so here it’s Holiday. It should be a point guard regardless.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder-B.J. Mullens, C, OSU-This is the extra pick they get from Minnesota, so why not take a guy that is going to be a huge bust and hope he somehow is decent.
19. Atlanta Hawks-Ty Lawson, PG, UNC-The Hawks need a point guard and Lawson is less of a risk than Teague.
20. Utah Jazz-Tyler Hansbrough, PF, UNC-With some of the players they covet more already gone, I think they go with the ACC’s all-time leading scorer here.
21. New Orleans Hornets-Sam Young, SF, Pitt-He would come right in as a scoring option to help out CP3.
22. Dallas Mavericks-Jeff Teague, PG/SG, Wake-Dallas would be so happy if he fell to them at 22. Teague would give them a 3rd playmaker behind Dirk and Josh Howard.
23. Sacramento Kings-Toney Douglas, SG, FSU-After the John Salmons/Brad Miller heist, the kings desperately need guys that can put the ball in the basket. Douglas is a guy that is clearly a very good scorer. I’ve said before, but Douglass may end up being one of the biggest sleepers in this draft (think Gil Arenas with the craziness). He comes from a very athletic family; his brother is former L’ville WR Harry Douglas.
24. Portland Trailblazers-Eric Maynor, PG, VCU-If the Sixers pass on Maynor at 17, I think he falls all the way down here to the Blazers.
25. Oklahoma City Thunder-Marcas Thorthon, SG, LSU-Much like Sacramento with Martin, the Thunder need guys to score and help KD out. If they were to come away with Curry and Thorthon OKC’s offense could be as explosive as any in the NBA.
26. Chicago Bulls-Jodie Meeks, SG, UK-Another guy that can put the ball in the bucket and possibly a newer, smaller version of Ben Gordon, which they’ll need when Gordon bolts.
27. Memphis-Omri Casspi, SF,Isreal-Memphis doesn’t need a team of rookies so they take Casspi and keep him overseas.
28. Minnesota-Jonas Jerebko, SF, Sweden-Like Memphis, Minnesota only has so many spots on their roster, so I could see a foreigner going here.
29. L.A. Lakers-Patty Mills, PG, St Mary’s (CA)-I like Patty Mills and I think he’s going to be a very good NBA player, so naturally the team I hate most is going to take him. The Olympian Mills will be perfect for Kobe to ignore and yell at for no reason.
30. Cleveland Cavs-Derrick Brown, PF, Xavier-The Cavs need some toughness up front so Brown would supply that.

Draft Rankings

Basically this consists of the top 5 players who I believe each team likes at a certain pick.

1. L.A. Clippers-Blake Griffin,-This guy, -This guy

Since I’m pretty sure 2 and 3 cannot be drafted, I think they go with Blake Griffin

2. Memphis-Hasheem Thabeet, Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, Steph Curry, Jordan Hill

They also may trade the pick to Minnesota for the 5^th and 18^th picks. Chris Wallace is an idiot though so this could go anywhere.

3. Oklahoma City-Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Steph Curry, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings

There could also be a trade with someone like Portland who likes Rubio

4. Sacramento Kings-Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Steph Curry, Jrue Holiday, Jordan Hill

It seems pretty clear their going to take Evans.

5/6. Minnesota-Steph Curry, Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill

One way or another, they’ll have 2 top 6 picks and will likely end up with Ricky Rubio as well as another highly rated player. They could also trade the 6 and 18 to OKC for the 3 and take Rubio there and then take either Harden or Curry at 6.

7. Golden State-Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Steph Curry, Brandon Jennings

8. New York Knicks-Steph Curry, Jordan Hill, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, James Harden

9. Toronto Raptors-DeMar DeRozen, Gerry Henderson, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn

DeRozen seems to be the pick here.

10. Miwaulkee Bucks-Jordan Hill, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, DeJuan Blair, Jeff Teauge

11. New Jersey Nets- Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams, Tyler Hansbrough, DeJuan Blair, Jrue Holiday.

12. Charlotte Bobcats-Terrence Williams, Gerry Henderson, Jeff Teague, DeJuan Blair, Jrue Holiday

13. Indiana Pacers-DeJuan Blair, Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings, Eric Maynor, Ty Lawson.

14. Phoenix Suns-Earl Clark, James Johnson, B.J. Mullens, DeJuan Blair, Jonny Flynn.

15. Detroit Pistons-Earl Clark, Austin Daye, James Johnson, Derrick Brown, B.J. Mullens.

16. Chicago Bulls-DeJuan Blair, James Johnson, Terrence Williams, Tyler Hansobrough, B.J. Mullens.

17. Philadelphia 76ers-Eric Maynor, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, B.J. Mullens.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves-B.J. Mullens, Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings, Austin Daye, Ty Lawson.

19. Atlanta Hawks-Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague, Sam Young.

20. Utah Jazz-James Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, Derrick Brown, Austin Daye, Sam Young.

21. New Orleans Hornets-James Johnson, Sam Young, Derrick Brown, Austin Daye, Taj Gibson.

22. Dallas Mavericks-Jeff Teauge, Sam Young, Ty Lawson, Derrick Brown, Toney Douglas

23. Sacramento Kings-Sam Young, Omri Casspi, Tyler Hansbrough, Derrick Brown, Demarre Carroll.

24. Portland Trailblazers-Eric Maynor, Toney Douglas, Patty Mills, Ty Lawson, Jodie Meeks.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder-B.J. Mullens, Chase Buddinger, Toney Douglas, Jodie Meeks, Marcus Thorthon.

26. Chicago Bulls-Toney Douglass, Omri Casspi, Marcus Thorthon, Dajuan Summers, Patty Mills.

27. Memphis Grizzles-DaJuan Summers, Damarre Carroll, Jonas Jerbako, Victor Clavar, Derrick Brown.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves-Jonas Jerbako, Omri Casspi, Victor Clavar, Jodie Meeks, Patty Mills.

29. L.A. Lakers-Marcas Thorthon, Toney Douglas, Darren Collison, Patty Mills, Victor Clavar.

30. Cleveland Cavs-Demarre Carroll, Derrick Brown, Taj Gibson, Victor Clavar, Jon Brockman.

U.S. Open Review, Non NBA news.

The 109th and possibly one of the most bizarre U.S. Open's is over, and your champion is Lucas Glover. Yes Lucas Glover, previously the owner of one career championship. The top four finishers featured winner Lucas Glover (ranked 71st in the world), Phil Mickelson (2nd in the world), Ricky Barnes (519th in the world) and David Duval (882nd in the world). Unfortunately, Glover deprived golf fans of a great story in Mickelson and Duval. Phil Mickelson was of course playing in his last tournament before his wife Amy undergoes treatment for breast cancer. David Duval was the other breath-taking storyline of the weekend. The former British Open Champion and number 1 player in the world was ranked 882nd, and hadn't placed in the top 10 of any tournament in over seven years. Although i would have loved seeing either Lefty or Duval win, i'm thankful Glover won, for one reason and one reason only; he's not Tiger Woods. Thankfully, for the 8th time in the last ten majors, the man who's falsely referred to as "The greatest golfer ever" wasn't at the top of the leader board. This tournament Tiger was looking up at three guys (Glover, Barnes and Duval) who have no business being ahead of Woods. Some may say the end of Woods' 1st round spelled the end of his championship run, but i feel like it was when the first drop of rain fell and then two seconds later when he first complained about the conditions. Nonetheless, this rain stricken major was entertaining, not just for the humble champion Glover, but the two guys that could have won, Lefty and Duval.


There isn't all that much compelling news when it comes to the MLB season. Albert Pujols is knocking the cover off the ball, the Rockies have won 17 out of 18 games, and the Phillies and the Mets are struggling mightily. As we get closer to the All-Star break, it's time for teams to either get back into their division race or decide whether or not they're going to trade their players at the deadline. The obvious thing is that everyone needs pitching which should be at a premium. Two of the most coveted pitchers (Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard) are currently hurt and are most likely not going to be traded. With all these teams needing a pitcher or two, there are a few names that are very hot; Ben Sheets and Pedro Martinez. Sheets has been linked to the Texas Rangers due to his relationship with their pitching coach Mike Maddux. The Rangers aren't really in dire need of a pitcher, but if they're going to win the AL West (as I predicted) they would gladly welcome Sheets to their rotation. Tom Glavine's name will also come up frequently, but with rumors swirling lately that Frank Wren was right (a first) and Glavine isn't in any condition to pitch at the major league level, it's becoming less likely.

Mock Draft 2.0

With some new information and not having anything to do in work, i made another mock draft.

1. L.A. Clippers-Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma-If he’s breathing Thursday night, he’ll be the #1 Pick.

2. Memphis-Hasheem Thabeet, C, UConn-He backed out of a workout with Memphis, he’s still the pick though. I feel bad that Memphis fans are going to have to watch this stiff for 4 years.

3. Oklahoma City-James Harden, SF, ASU-He fits into their offense and they seem to be turned off by Rubio. Someone may try to trade up to 3 and take him but if not, he’ll go to OKC.

4. Sacramento Kings-Tyreke Evans, PG/SG, Memphis-He reportedly blew away Jonny Flynn and others in a head to head workout. I have to believe they’re going to take him.

5. Portand Trailblazers-(Via Washington)Ricky Rubio, PG Spain-Usually when Kevin Pritchard wants something, he gets it. Pritchard reportedly loves the 18 year old Spanish point guard.

6. Minnesota- Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse-It seems like they’re going to take whoever the kings don’t take, so in this case it’s Jonny Flynn.

7. Golden State-Brandon Jennings, PG-The warriors need a point guard and as much attention as Steph Curry’s name draws, he’s the same player as Monta Ellis. As far as I know, Billy King or Billy Knight aren’t running the warriors, so chances are they don’t want to guys who are almost identical.

8. New York Knicks-Steph Curry, PG/SG, Davidson-The Knicks fans may light the building on fire.

9. Toronto Raptors-Demar Derozen, SF, USC-This seems inevitable, he’s the only guy they worked out.

10. Milwaukee Bucks-Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona-They love if he fell to them which is looking more and more likely. If Minnesota doesn’t take him, he’s almost a lock to fall to the Bucks.

11. New Jersey Nets-Tyler Hansbrough, SF/PF, UNC-The Nets would love to add the former Naismith winner and ACC all-time leading scorer. Tyler deserves to go this higher considering the work he’s put in.

12. Charlotte Bobcats-Gerry Henderson, SG/SF, Duke-Poor management decision and MJ seem to go hand and hand, this is another one. Maybe Charlotte will at least get something out of this and ESPN will want to televise 3 games a week of him sitting on the bench for 48 minutes a night.

13. Indiana Pacers-Jrue Holiday, PG, UCLA-I think they get their point guard and take Holiday here.

14. Phoenix Suns-Earl Clark, PF, L’ville-There are rumors swirling that Clark has been made a promise here. Clark is the most talented player here, IF he plays to his potential. This could mean Amar’e is on his way out.

15. Detriot-Austin Daye, SF, Gonzaga-6’11 guys that can shoot don’t come around often, I think they take a high upside guy here.

16. Chicago Bulls-DeJuan Blair, PF/SF, Pitt-Chicago lacks toughness inside and the Naismith finalist brings that to the table. There have been rumors that B.J. Mullens was promised here. Hopefully for Bulls fans, Paxson comes to his senses.

17. Philadelphia-Eric Maynor, PG, VCU-Nothing would surprise me here, absolutely nothing. I just read that the Sixers are “intrigued” by B.J. Mullens. I really hope this means they thanked him for working out and told him to fuck himself. The last think the 6ers need is another 7 foot stiff (we already have 2). Please take a point guard, Maynor, Lawson, Mills. I’m even fine with Calathese or Price, as long as it’s a point guard.

18. New Jeresy Nets (Via Minnesota)-Terrence Williams, SF, L’ville-They’ve had their eye on him for a while so I think they pull the string and trade into this spot.

19. Atlanta Hawks-Ty Lawson, PG, UNC-They need a point guard and Lawson would be the best on the board. I wouldn’t put taking James Johnson past them since they collect athletic swingmen.

20. Utah Jazz-Derrick Brown, PF, Xavier-They need a power forward and with Hansbrough and Blair gone I think they go after another tough guy in the same mold.

21. New Orleans Hornets-Chase Buddinger, SG, Arizona-They could use a guy like Buddinger for Paul to get the ball to.

22. Dallas Mavericks-Jeff Teague, SG/PG Wake-Eventually Jason Kidd is going to leave and JJ Berea isn’t a starting point guard, so I think they go with Teague here.

23. Sacramento Kings-Sam Young, SF, Pitt-Sacramento has exactly one scoring threat now (Kevin Martin), so I think they take Young here since he can come right in and score.

24. Washington Wizards (Via Portland)-Toney Douglas PG/SG, FSU- The wizards need a guard of some sort so Douglas fits a need. Toney is a great athlete and one of the best pure scorers in this draft.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder-B.J. Mullens, C, OSU-The Thunder could use a center and at this spot it wouldn’t be a bad gamble to take a shot at Mullens.

26. Chicago Bulls-Wayne Ellington, SG, UNC-The Bulls have worked out so many players that this pick could go nearly anywhere. This is a spot where they could get a replacement for the departing Ben Gordon.

27. Memphis Grizzlies-Omri Casspi SF, Isreal-With all the picks and young guys the Grizzlies have, they could use to take a foreign guy and keep him overseas.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves-Jodie Meeks, SG, UK-Another guy in the Toney Douglas mold that’s seen most as a scorer. With their interior relatively solid, Minnesota is going to use this draft to focus on the outside. There have been plenty of rumors of Meeks going here and the late 1^st round is a huge crap shoot. I could see this.

29. L.A. Lakers-Marcus Thorthon, SG, LSU-Thorthon already has a bunch of gold and purple crap, so this is fitting.

30. Cleveland Cavs-Damarre Carroll, PF, Mizzouri-The Cavs NEED to get tougher and here’s a guy that should help them.

NBA comparisons

NBA Comparisons
Blake Griffin-There really isn’t a true comparison for Blake so I’m going to go with the closest I can find.
Verdict: David West/LaMarcus Aldridge
Hasheem Thabeet-This one is pretty easy.
Verdict: Roy Hibbert and Samuel Dalembert
Ricky Rubio-I haven’t seen a ton of Rubio, but his passing ability is like CP3, but his height and leadership make him closer to Steve Nash
Verdict: Steve Nash
James Harden-This one is pretty easy considering his knack for getting to the basket and making his teammates better
Verdict: Andre Iguodala
Jrue Holliday-I haven’t seen a ton of Holliday, but he seems like a solid player that can drive and spread the ball.
Verdict: O.J. Mayo
Tyreke Evans-Another guy that doesn’t have any real good comparison, I’ll try though
Verdict: Joe Johnson
Steph Curry-I was surprised he actually measure up to his listing.
Verdict: Monta Ellis/Gilbert Arenas
Jordan Hill-Solid prospect with a good post game, a little slow.
Verdict: David Lee
Demar DeRozan-I don’t have a ton to base this on, but going from a stud prospect that was a lock to being a star then underperforming in college.
Verdict: Bill Walker
Johnny Flynn-A guy that I’m very familiar with. Flynn is a great leader and distributer
Verdict: Rajon Rondo
Tyler Hansbrough-Gritty, tough, brings energy and rebounding.
Verdict: Joakim Noah/Reggie Evans
Gerry Henderson-He’ll be a welcome addition to someone’s D-league team.
Verdict: James White/Jackie Manuel/Rodney Carney
Brandon Jennings-I really don’t have a ton to base this on since he played overseas
Verdict: Andre Miller
Austin Daye-This is as close to a slam dunk as you can have.
Verdict: Tayshaun Prince
Earl Clark-When he wants to play.
Verdict: Amar’e Stoudemire
B.J. Mullens-He is pretty tall..
Verdict: Jason Smith
Eric Maynor- Maynor has been through the ringers of college basketball and has played well on the big stage
Verdict: A smaller, skinnier Deron Williams
Terrance Williams-Do it all small forward that had a pretty good college career which is being over-looked.
Verdict: Josh Howard
Jeff Teague-More of a shooter than a ball handler.
Verdict: Lou Williams
Sam Young-Can drive, shoot and flat out score.
Verdict: Paul Pierce/Vince Carter
DeJuan Blair-Tough, relentless, great offensive rebounder.
Verdict: Carlos Boozer/Jason Maxeill
James Johnson-Great size and skill set
Verdict: Josh Childress
Ty Lawson-Speed is his best asset; sometimes he can be a little out of control.
Verdict: T.J. Ford
DaJuan Summers- He’s between a 3 and a 4, and can be very inconsistent
Verdict: Antwan Walker
Chase Buddinger-A bigger guard that would much rather shoot the ball.
Verdict: Rick Hamilton and a little Rashard Lewis
Toney Douglas-Big time volume scorer
Verdict: Ben Gordon/Gil Arenas
Darren Collison-More of a passer than a scorer
Verdict: Jordan Farmer/Smush Parker
Derrick Brown-A solid big guy that proved he can hold his own against high level competition
Verdict: Thad Young
Damarre Carroll-Solid guy around the basket and works hard for his points.
Verdict: Anderson Vareajo
Wayne Ellington-Has improved his shooting ability, solid height, he is capable of getting to the basket when he needs to.
Verdict: Rodney Stuckey
Taj Gibson-Doesn’t have much bulk, soft hands, relatively quick.
Verdict: Shawn Williams
Patty Mills-Can score and distribute the ball, great instincts, has the heart of a champion.
Verdict: Allen Iverson
Jeff Pendergraph-Accurate around the basket, great rebounder, solid jump shot but not much range.
Verdict: Kenny Thomas
Jon Brockman-This is almost as close a comparison as you can have.
Verdict: Kevin Love
Danny Green-Good jump shooter, great athleticism, a winner.
Verdict: Vince Carter