If the Heat play the type of run up-and-down the court game that will allow Rose to utilize his athleticism, the Heat could have the makings of a very strong core for the future.
#3 Minnesota Timberwolves - Brook Lopez 7'0 PF/C, Stanford, Sophomore
Although I was tempted to go with O.J Mayo at this pick, the Timberwolves need some frontcourt help for Al Jefferson. With both Jefferson's and Lopez's ability to play both the center and power forward positions, the Timberwolves would have the versatility and size to compete with the other bigs in the West.
Although Lopez doesn't have the extreme athleticism that other draft entrants have, he does have the ability to knock down the mid-range jumper. He also has the fundamentals and determination to establish himself inside the paint and get to the free throw line.
The knock on Lopez will continue to be his lack of athletic ability, but his physical abilities will allow him to be a very good role player in the NBA and can possibly become as good as Sacramento King Brad Miller.
#4 Seattle SuperSonics - Jerryd Bayless 6'3 SG/PG, Arizona, Freshman
With Seattle set at the wing positions with Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, they seem intent to change the guard (no pun intended) from Luke Ridnour to a fresh face at the point. Although Bayless is, in my humble opinion, best suited as a 6th man off the bench ala Monta Ellis, the Sonics might push for him to start.
His explosiveness is usually unmatched on the college level and his ability to get inside the paint and get off his shot comes with ease. The big problem with Bayless that I saw at Arizona was his lack of floor leadership at the point guard position. Instead of scoring 39 points in a loss, Bayless might have spent his time better dishing the ball to fellow Wildcat Chase Budinger and maybe pulling out a win.
Hopefully the Sonics or any NBA team will utilize his scoring punch off the bench rather than pushing him to start too quickly.
#5 Memphis Grizzlies - Kevin Love 6'9 PF, UCLA, Freshman
With the Grizzlies giving away Pau Gasol for little proven talent and a lot of cap room, the rebuilding process continues. Ideally for the Grizzlies, Lopez would fall to them at this spot. In such a situation, the Grizzlies need to feel some serious Love.
With Love in the mix the Grizzlies will have an inside force to compliment Mike Miller's outside shooting and Rudy Gay's athleticism. With Love taking a page out of "the big fundamental," Tim Duncan's book, he is probably the most polished freshman in the entire draft.
The big problem with Love is his lack of athleticism. He will definitely struggle with quicker power forwards like New Orleans' David West. If Love can lose some weight and still keep his prowess in the paint, he will definitely be a cornerstone for the Grizzlies or another team in the future.
Love seems to compare best to Elton Brand who continues to be one of the most underrated players in the NBA.
We're going to send you the most entertaining NBA articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete