March Madness: NBA style

By John McMullen

Philadelphia, PA - When watching the NCAA Tournament, I'm not holding my breath waiting for Cinderella to appear like most of America.

Nope, I'm all about the next level and trying to project which players have the athletic skills and basketball smarts to flourish in the NBA, and which ones are the frauds, manufactured in the Dick Vitale/Jay Bilas ESPN-generated hype-machine (think J.J. Redick).

If you are looking for talent, it's usually a good idea to find John Calipari, the coach that mentored both Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans at Memphis for a season before they burst onto the NBA scene.

Calipari may have fled Beale Street for the blue grass of Kentucky but he remains the best recruiter in all of college basketball, and his new one-year wonder is point guard John Wall, who figures to be the No. 1 overall selection in June's draft.

The 6-foot-4 Wall has the size and physical skills to become an elite player early in his NBA career. His speed and athleticism are strikingly similar to Rose, and few guards can finish above the rim like Wall. One scout told me Wall has an Allen Iverson-like extra gear, with five more inches of height.

John Wall has the size and physical skills to become an elite player early in his NBA career.

Kentucky power forward Patrick Patterson, a junior, may also be a lottery pick. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Patterson already possesses an NBA-body and has the demeanor you want in a post player, a rare thing in today's college game. Patterson actually enjoys contact and seeks to bang inside, like a far more skilled Charles Oakley.

Georgia Tech doesn't bring the same cachet to the dance as UK but they sure bring talent and like the Wildcats figure to have two NBA Lottery players in forwards Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal.

Favors, a freshman, is a sure-fire top five pick and will remind you a lot of Al Horford. Like the Atlanta big man, Favors is only 6-foot-9 but is an explosive leaper with that rare combination of power and quickness that can give even the best fits on a daily basis. Favors also possesses a 7-footer's wingspan, and figures to turn into a top-tier shot-blocker early in his NBA career. Like most young players, Favors lacks a go-to move on the blocks and relies too much on his athleticism, but that's the nature of the beast these days.

Lawal is a junior with a relentless work ethic. He also has the 7-foot wingspan along with an NBA-body and solid athletic skills, but Lawal will beat you with conditioning. Like a big-time NFL defensive end, the Georgia native has a non-stop motor and runs the floor extremely hard on a consistent basis.

Kansas is a No. 1 seed for a reason and could have three first round selections is this year's draft. Freshman shooting guard Xavier Henry has the biggest upside and could be gone in the top 10. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, unlike most freshmen, Henry is physically ready. He's a naturally gifted scorer that gets his shot effortlessly but lacks the foot speed to be a true superstar.

Junior Cole Aldrich is the premiere center in the country and is as fundamentally sound a player as you will find in college. He may not have the athletic skills that wow NBA scouts but he's improved every year and could certainly be a late lottery pick.

Meanwhile, senior point guard Sherron Collins figures to be a late first-round selection. Collins is only 5-foot-11 and thinks shot first, but as a 15- or 20- minutes-a-night backup, he has value. In fact, if Collins proves he can keep people in front of him defensively, he could be a nice little role player on a championship-level club.

Right behind Wall in most mock drafts is Ohio State superstar Evan Turner, a 6-foot-7 combo guard that is silky smooth with a great feel for the game. Offensively, Turner reminds me a lot of Portland Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy. He's not the freakish athlete that Wall is, but has the length to give people fits on the wing.

Syracuse junior forward Wesley Johnson rounds out the top three as far as NBA projections go. The prototypical athletic small forward, Johnson actually has a monster mid-range game, something that is usually lost in the three-point- driven college game.

If you are looking for role players that could be steals in the second round, I like Washington forward Quincy Pondexter, Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez and Notre Dame big man Luke Harangody.

Pondexter is slight but he seems to understand the game and has a feel for his own strength and weaknesses, an underrated trait. Few players have the basketball IQ to stay away from things that hurt them.

At 6-foot-6, you have to like Vasquez's size and he plays with great intensity. Of course, that same intensity means Vasquez will play out of control at times, and his decision making suffers. If a coach can harness that, he might have something in the Maryland senior.

Harangody is 6-foot-7, 245-pound plodding power forward. He lacks athleticism, explosiveness and height but dominated the toughest conference in all of college basketball for three years. In short, Harangody knows how to play the game, and there will always be room for a guy like that.

Satisfaction kills in the NBA

By John McMullen

Philadelphia, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) - Author Louis L'Amour once said, "Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content."

Years earlier Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

Fair enough Ralph -- here's what I know...

The Zen master himself, Phil Jackson, once told me the toughest job an NBA coach has is keeping a player from being satisfied. In his own way, Jackson was echoing L'Amour or knowing Phil...The Rolling Stones.

Last week, I wrote that you should expect few surprises in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Then I was blindsided by a series of e-mails chuckling about all the Game 1 upsets. Chicago topped Boston and Philly stunned Orlando in the East, while Dallas stung San Antonio and Houston upended Portland in the West.

Instead of answering, I laid in the weeds and waited.

Sure enough, the "underdogs," content with winning the first game, all came up empty in Game 2.

Painting them all with the same brush is a little unfair, however.

The Bulls have played with purpose against the Celtics.

After taking Game 1 in Beantown, the Bulls followed that up with another impressive performance and were simply done in by a great shot from a great player, Ray Allen. Ditto for the Rockets in Portland, who were torpedoed by Brandon Roy's fabulous performance.

The Sixers and the Mavs?

They were both thrilled to capture their Game 1s and sleepwalked through the respective sequels, while dreaming of the home cooking on the horizon.

Philadelphia took care of the basketball like they were Brett Favre in St. Louis on Wednesday, while Dallas looked like a group of cardboard cutouts as Tony Parker went through a glorified layup drill in its Game 2 performance.

Consequently, the Bulls and Rockets have legitimate shots to move on, while the Sixers and Mavs will soon be reserving tee times.

The will to win has always separated the good NBA teams from the pretenders.

Every club from the Cavs on down has talent. Heck, the woeful Los Angeles Clippers can throw Baron Davis and Zach Randolph at you. Even the NBA-worst Sacramento Kings have Kevin Martin.

The great ones like Jordan, Magic and Russell had that will to win. They were never satisfied, never content and it carried over to their teammates.

If you beat those Bulls, Lakers or Celtics, you can rest assured that you earned it.

When you beat the 2009 Sixers or Mavs, you yawn and move on to the real competition.

Curry in NBA Draft

The Sixers need a shooter more than I need a sense of self-worth and Stephen Curry has officially entered the NBA Draf tpool today. He's also going to hire an agent so no chance he's heading back.

Sixers pick 17th and NBAdraft.net has Curry going 16th to the Bulls. DraftExpress has him going No. 9 to Toronto.

Chester's Tyreke Evans leaving Memphis for NBA

Memphis freshman and Chester native Tyreke Evans is leaving Memphis for the NBA, a decision made easier when his coach John Calipari left the school for the University of Kentucky.

Evans' brother, Julius "Doc" Evans, confirmed the decision to the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Tuesday.

"Coach is going to do what's best for him and his family; that's what he told me," Doc Evans tole the newspaper. "I totally respect what he did, but I can't comment on anything Cal does. All I worry about is us."

Evans, a 6-foot-5 guard from Chester, Pa., was one of the top recruits in the country last year out of American Christian and is expected to be a first round pick in the NBA.

Evans scored 33 points in the Tigers' loss to Missouri last Thursday in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. He finished his Memphis career averaging 17.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

"I think he had a great year," Doc Evans said. "We all know that college is a system designed for a team atmosphere and a team concept. The NBA is more individual, one-on-one. So I think 'Reke, for adjusting to the college atmosphere and coming in doing what he's doing, I think he had a great year. It was a great time. It was a great college atmosphere. Hopefully they can bounce back from this. We'll see."

NBA Draft update

-Courtesy of the National Basketball Association

NEW YORK, June 17, 2008 – Forty-eight players who had declared as early entry candidates for the 2008 NBA Draft have withdrawn their names from the draft. There are 39 collegiate and five international prospects that remain early entry candidates.

The 2008 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 26 at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Here is the list of players from U.S. colleges and institutions who have withdrawn their names from consideration for the 2008 NBA Draft:

Player School Height Status
A.J. Abrams Texas 5-11 Junior
Josh Akognon Cal State Fullerton 5-11 Junior
Antonio Anderson Memphis 6-6 Junior
Derek Bailey Providence Christian Academy (SC) 6-5 Post-Graduate
Jason Bennett Tallahassee CC (FL) 7-3 Sophomore
Chase Budinger Arizona 6-7 Sophomore
Derrick Caracter Louisville 6-9 Sophomore
DeMarre Carroll Missouri 6-8 Junior
Charles Carter Oklahoma Baptist 6-10 Junior
Josh Carter Texas A&M 6-7 Junior
Lee Cummard Brigham Young 6-7 Junior
Robert Dozier Memphis 6-9 Junior
Wayne Ellington North Carolina 6-4 Sophomore
Alonzo Gee Alabama 6-6 Junior
Paul Graham III Florida Atlantic 6-5 Junior
Danny Green North Carolina 6-6 Junior
Lester Hudson Tennessee-Martin 6-3 Junior
Stefon Jackson Texas-El Paso 6-5 Junior
Ty Lawson North Carolina 5-11 Sophomore
Leo Lyons Missouri 6-9 Junior
Jerel McNeal Marquette 6-3 Junior
Jeremy Pargo Gonzaga 6-2 Junior
Courtney Pigram East Tennessee State 6-1 Junior
John Riek Winchendon School (MA) 7-2 Post-Graduate
Josh Shipp UCLA 6-5 Junior
Kiwan Smith Redlands CC (OK) 6-8 Sophomore
Ronald Steele Alabama 6-3 Junior
Robert Vaden Alabama-Birmingham 6-5 Junior
Lorrenzo Wade San Diego State 6-6 Junior
Gordon Watt Houston Baptist 6-6 Junior
Raymond Wright Arkansas-Monticello 6-9 Junior

Here is the list of international players who have withdrawn their names from consideration for the 2008 NBA Draft:

Player Team/Country* Height Status
Rodrigue Beaubois Cholet (France) 6-0 1988 DOB
Mikheil Berishvili BC Vita (Georgia) 6-9 1987 DOB
Omri Casspi Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv (Israel) 6-9 1988 DOB
Victor Claver Pamesa Valencia (Spain) 6-9 1988 DOB
Nando de Colo Cholet (France) 6-5 1987 DOB
Sergey Ilin Budivelnik (Ukraine) 7-6 1987 DOB
Joe Ingles Melbourne S. Dragons (Australia) 6-8 1987 DOB
Jonas Jerebko Biella (Italy) 6-9 1987 DOB
Mladen Jeremic FMP Zeleznik (Serbia) 6-6 1988 DOB
Maxym Korniyenko Dnipro (Ukraine) 6-7 1987 DOB
Luc Louves Orleans (France) 6-10 1989 DOB
Rudy Mbemba Solna (Sweden) 5-11 1987 DOB
Henk Norel Alicante (Spain) 6-11 1987 DOB
Maxim Sheleketo VEF Riga (Latvia) 6-8 1987 DOB
Giorgi Shermadini Maccabi Tbilisi (Georgia) 7-1 1989 DOB
Maksym Vilkhovetskyi Dnipro (Ukraine) 6-3 1988 DOB
Ronalds Zakis VEF Riga (Latvia) 6-9 1987 DOB


*Country indicates where team plays, not country of nationality.

Following is the list of players from U.S colleges and institutions who remain early entry candidates for the 2008 NBA Draft:

Player School Height Status
Joe Alexander West Virginia 6-9 Junior
Ryan Anderson California 6-10 Sophomore
Darrell Arthur Kansas 6-9 Sophomore
D.J. Augustin Texas 6-0 Sophomore
Jerryd Bayless Arizona 6-3 Freshman
Michael Beasley Kansas State 6-10 Freshman
Keith Brumbaugh Hillsborough CC (FL) 6-10 Sophomore
Mario Chalmers Kansas 6-1 Junior
Chris Douglas-Roberts Memphis 6-7 Junior
C.J. Giles Oregon State 6-10 Junior
Eric Gordon Indiana 6-4 Freshman
Jamont Gordon Mississippi State 6-4 Junior
Donte Greene Syracuse 6-11 Freshman
Kalen Grimes Missouri 6-9 Junior
Richard Hendrix Alabama 6-9 Junior
J.J. Hickson North Carolina State 6-9 Freshman
George Hill IUPUI 6-2 Junior
Reggie Huffman Alabama-Birmingham 6-7 Junior
Shawn James Duquesne 6-10 Junior
Davon Jefferson Southern California 6-8 Freshman
DeAndre Jordan Texas A&M 7-0 Freshman
Kosta Koufos Ohio State 7-0 Freshman
Brook Lopez Stanford 7-0 Sophomore
Robin Lopez Stanford 7-0 Sophomore
Kevin Love UCLA 6-10 Freshman
O.J. Mayo Southern California 6-5 Freshman
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute UCLA 6-8 Junior
JaVale McGee Nevada 7-0 Sophomore
Kojo Mensah Duquesne 6-1 Junior
Trent Plaisted Brigham Young 6-11 Junior
Bruce Price Tennessee State 6-3 Junior
Anthony Randolph LSU 6-10 Freshman
JaJuan Robinson Lincoln (PA) 5-11 Freshman
Derrick Rose Memphis 6-3 Freshman
Brandon Rush Kansas 6-6 Junior
Walter Sharpe Alabama-Birmingham 6-9 Sophomore
Marreese Speights Florida 6-10 Sophomore
Bill Walker Kansas State 6-6 Freshman
Russell Westbrook UCLA 6-3 Sophomore

The following is the list of international players who have applied for early entry into the 2008 NBA Draft:

Player Team/Country* Height Status
Alexis Ajinca Hyeres-Toulon (France) 7-1 1988 DOB
Nicolas Batum Le Mans (France) 6-7 1988 DOB
Danilo Gallinari Armani Jeans Milano (Italy) 6-9 1988 DOB
Serge Ibaka L'Hospitalet (Spain) 6-10 1989 DOB
Ante Tomic Zagreb (Croatia) 7-2 1987 DOB
*Country indicates where team plays, not country of nationality.

With the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft...

By John Gottlieb

The Phanatic Magazine

We here at The Phanatic have hypothesized about who the new players joining the Sixers will be on Thursday night, but here's how the rest of the league wil fare.

1) Portland – Greg Oden – Ohio State – This is the type of player that you build a team around and then dominate the rest of the league for years to come.

2) Seattle – Kevin Durant – Texas – Any other year Durant would be a clear-cut No. 1. He needs to put on weight before he can be a dominant NBA player. He’ll take longer to develop than most people think.

3) Atlanta – Al Horford – Florida – When you think of the National Champion Florida Gators you think of Joakim Noah’s energy and defense, Corey Brewer’s tenacity and willingness to take a big shot, Lee Humphrey’s range, and Taurean Green’s leadership. In no uncertain terms they would not be back-to-back champions without the physical prowess of Horford.

4) Memphis – Mike Conley Jr. – Ohio State – He’s coming out too early, but still has the most upside of any point guard in the draft. As long as the Grizzlies can find a way to keep Gasol and add another piece, Conley will thrive in the NBA.

5) Boston – Jeff Green – Connecticut – The Big East Player of the Year will stay in New England and try and turn the ship around in Beantown. He may not be enough to keep Paul Pierce from requesting a trade but he’ll be another young playmaker on the squad.

6) Milwaukee – Yi Jianlan – China – He’s listed as a center but doesn’t play with his back to the basket. He’s got good range for a seven-footer but may not be adept at making the three to play the four or have enough strength to play the five.

7) Minnesota – Corey Brewer – Florida – He showed the poise to be a very good player in the last two NCAA tourneys. He’s a fantastic defender but he must keep improving his offensive game.

8) Charlotte – Joakim Noah – Florida – He’ll be a decent role player but will never be an NBA superstar. He brings a ton of energy and cleans up on the boards, but his offense lacks something to be desired.

9) Chicago (from New York) – Spencer Hawes – Washington – The Bulls just keep going about their business and getting better and better each year. Hawes will be the true center that Chicago lacks. He’s got excellent hands but probably needs more schooling after one year at Washington.

10) Sacramento – Al Thornton – Florida State – He may be one of the most complete players in this draft. He’s got great size, runs the floor well and can defend. The only weakness to his game is his rebounding ability.

11) Atlanta (from Indiana) – Acie Law – Texas A&M – The Hawks desperately need a point guard and feel that Law isn’t that far of a drop-off from Conley. He’s got good ball-handling skills, wants to take the big shot and showed his leadership ability at Texas A&M. He needs to be more aggressive.

Read more at The Phanatic Magazine's web home.

Sixers to work out Green on Friday

The Sixers brass are taking a trip to see one of the top players on their wish list.

The team announced that they will work out Georgetown's Jeff Green on Friday at 11 a.m. in Washington, D.C. The session will be closed to the media, but Billy King will be made available around noon.

Green, a 6-8 forward, has not hired an agent and may still pull out of the draft.

Profile courtesy of NBAdraft.net

Jeff Green - 6-foot-8, 235

NBA Comparison: John Salmons/Lamar Odom

Strengths: Versatile player who’s all around ability creates mismatches for opposing teams … Above average passer with great court vision to recognize open teammates … Very good ball handler for his size … Defensively Green does a excellent job defending players on the perimeter … With his size and length he is capable of guarding a multitude of positions on the floor … Unselfish player almost to a fault … Shows a good post up game that Green uses to take advantage of smaller defenders … Sees double teams extremely well … Excellent finisher around the basket with a soft touch and springy legs … Smart player who possess a high basketball IQ … Moves extremely well without the ball and is a threat for backdoor alley-opps … Owns tremendous body control, capable of hanging in the air and finishing after contact … Decision making ability is very good, rarely does Green make mental mistakes during crucial moments in a game … Excellent finisher in transition where he has the explosiveness to finish … Good rebounder who does a decent job of using his arms and leaping ability to get rebounds out of position … Has three point range on his jumper, an area he has improved greatly upon this year … Solid attitude in his approach to the game and will be a strong locker room guy in the NBA … One of those select players who possesses a feel for the game that can’t be taught …

Weaknesses: While improved this year, Green still isn’t very comfortable shooting from the perimeter … Struggles to consistently create for himself off the dribble where his moves remain undeveloped … Has a tendency to force passes that aren’t there leading to turnovers … Will need to continue to expand his comfort level in shooting from mid-range … Needs to develop more of a scorers mentality at times he doesn’t assert himself on offense … While he possesses a great deal of small forward skills, some may consider him more of a pf … Would benefit greatly by improving his overall quickness and foot speed. This would aid him greatly on defense and allow him to gain better separation from his defender offensively … Defensively Green has a habit of gambling too much by reaching, leading him to pick up fouls …

Projected draft slot: 7

It's good being green, or is it?

By John Gottlieb

The Phanatic Magazine

Could the NBA Draft lottery have gone any better?

I don't root for the misfortune of others, but it's interesting that two teams got extremely lucky on Tuesday, while three others, the NBA, and to a lesser degree Greg Oden and Kevin Durant were all screwed.

Kudos to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Supersonics, who both snuck their way in to the top two picks and have changed the faces of their respective franchises.

However, I can't imagine that David Stern had an easy time getting down his Cheerios this morning as he read the morning newspaper. He has two superstars in the making, and instead of having one of them end up in Boston while the other one probably would've gotten Larry Brown back on the court, they will now be playing hoops in the Great Northwest with no one on the East Coast watching.

Seems almost like a waste.

The Blazers are getting younger and better and Oden will eventually lead them deep into the playoffs, but can they play enough defense and how will Oden fare against Yao, Amare, Tim Duncan, etc.?

Who knows where Seattle will be playing basketball before to long. Will Durant be playing Oklahoma City soon? Seattle doesn't have a whole lot of history, making Durant is one of the greatest players in franchise history for a team that's made it to three NBA Finals. Durant doesn't push this team over the top. He certainly makes the Sonics better but they have a long way to go.

Then there are the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies. The Bucks don't get to gripe as much since they probably didn't expect to come down with one of the top two picks. I'm sure they didn't expect to finish sixth either, though. I knew they never should've traded Kareem. Apparently, there are some mistakes you can never pay for.

Then there are the Celtics and the Grizzlies. It's quite funny to see Jerry West complain the day after being robbed of the first pick after the team didn't start trying to win ballgames until after they had secured the worst record in the NBA. I guess coming home empty-handed wasn't such a great curtain call for the NBA logo.

Then there are the Celts. Woe is me. Boston can now complain a little while longer about how the Celtics are missing the luck of the Irish. They lose out Tim Duncan and then 10 years later they lose out on the best big man since the former Wake Forest product.

The dumbfounded look on Danny Ainge's face was priceless enough for Bill Simmons to rethink everything that seemed right in this world. I guess Tommy Heinsohn wasn't as lucky as Boston thought. I'm sure that Corey Brewer will be just as exciting as Oden or Durant.

And let's not forget that this another team that did nothing but sit most of their regular players in the last month and a half of the season. Has Doc Rivers been fired yet?

It was especially enjoyable last night when the greater good of the NBA was sacrificed for the improvement of two struggling franchises on the Pacific.

Sixers lose tiebreaker with Pacers

By Tim McManus
The Phanatic Magazine

The NBA conducted their tiebreakers for the upcoming NBA Draft today, and it didn't go so well for the 10-9-8 76ers.

The home team lost its tiebreaker with the Pacers, which was a result of the Sixers winning their final game and finishing the season with an identical record as Indiana. They are now slated in the 12th position.

Here's the breakdown: The Sixers have a 7-in-1000 chance of landing the No. 1 pick. The first three picks in the draft will be determined by the lottery and the remainder of the teams will select in positions 4 through 14 in inverse order of their standings at the end of the regular season.