The NBA Draft: Who Will Succeed?

Kevin Love, C, UCLA Fr.

Last year Kevin Love was the most dominant freshman in the NCAA not named Beasley. He led UCLA to the Final Four, only to lose to the team that should have won the national title.

He has what I like to call the "Tyler Hansbrough Factor." His game doesn't look pretty, but it works. Love also possesses the kind of long range shooting that non-European big men crave.

However, there are some things holding him back that might make the difference. The most glaring problem is that he doesn't really have a position. He is short  at 6-foot-10, which rules out playing center, and he is not quick or athletic enough to guard power forwards. Love also lacks the floor speed to fit in most transition offenses.

The verdict: Kevin Love has the potential to be a good player, however, don't expect the dominance he demonstrated in college.

OJ Mayo PG/SG Fr. USC

Now we come to one of the more controversial players in college last year. Many top colleges were recruiting Mayo before he made an out-of-nowhere call to USC.

Mayo was expected to bring USC basketball out of the shadow of cross-town rival, UCLA. Instead brought a first round loss in the tournament to Michael Beasley and Kansas State.

However, I think that Mayo suffers from reverse Ben Wallace syndrome. So many people feel he is overrated that he actually becomes underrated.

There are some aspects of his game that are vastly overlooked, such as his defense. During the game against Memphis on Dec. 4, Mayo was matched up against Derrick Rose, the man being projected by many as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Mayo held Rose to nine points, a ridiculous number coming from a man who averaged well in the 20s during the tournament.

The verdict: I think Mayo has a very high ceiling. If he can keep his attitude in check he can be great.

Derrick Rose PG Fr. Memphis

Finally there is Derrick Rose. While heavily recruited, he did not come in with the kind of hype Love and Mayo got.

Rose was viewed by many as a pass first. Playing alongside Chris Douglas-Roberts, they were one of the greatest backcourt duos in NCAA history, bar none.

Rose also came through in big games. During the humiliation of the aforementioned Kevin Love and the UCLA Bruins, Rose scored 25 points and added four assists and nine rebounds on top of that.

In fact, Rose would have led Memphis straight to the title had it not been for Mario Chalmers hitting a shot that will be replayed on ESPN Classic for years to come.

The verdict: Rose is everything he is hyped to be, and perhaps more. However, I do not think he should be picked No. 1 over Beasley in the draft.