So in the midst of March Madness, I want to share my thoughts with what has gone on and what is going to happen here in the next two weeks. Let me just start by saying that all the upsets and crazy games that we have seen are the reason that we have March Madness, for the little schools or low seeds that win games.
All of the brackets that I have filled out are completely worthless, and I think that this is true for just about everyone haha. You can maybe guess some upsets that will happen but when a double digit seed makes it to the Sweet 16 it is really hard to predict that. Unless you are from one of those schools, then you have your team winning it all. Schools like VCU and Marquette give people hope when they bust into the Sweet 16, and personally I love it because I am always a fan of the underdogs. And alot of the teams that I dont like are traditionally high seeds so I love to see them lose too, so there is that haha. But like I said, every one loves a good cinderella story, like George Mason or Gonzaga in the past. Who will it be this year, VCU has played two very good games so far beating Georgetown and a very good Purdue team, and they have a chance to go to Elite 8 because they play a OK Florida State team. And Marquette even though they are from a power conference has kind of disappeared in the last few years after their head coach left for Indiana. So this is there jump back into the spot light, and I think they will be a team to watch out for the rest of the way. I am excited to see what happens the rest of the tournament, I am hoping for more upsets so I can still have hope in all the underdogs out there.
Now I want to address this kid oddly nicknamed Jimmer. If you have never heard of this kid, you must be living in a barn or under a rock, and I think you would of still have heard of him. This kid has taken the college basketball world by storm this year, he is easily an All-American, and is the front runner for player of the year. One cool thing about Jimmer is that he plays for BYU, when was the last time a player that went to BYU was up for player of the year, not a powerhouse like Duke or Ohio State, much less a West Coast school. His name should speak for itsself, or the notoriety that it has reached. To be "jimmered" is now an acceptable term to hear, there is also a remix of Teach Me How to Dougie, called, you guessed it Teach Me How to Jimmer. The reason that this kid is so good is because he can create hos own shot from anywhere on the floor, and when I say anywhere, I mean everywhere. Just look at this clip of a game against New Mexico where he scored only 52 points link. I think his official range is out to the half court line, and he makes it look easy. And just when you want to guard him tight, he uses his deceptively quick first step and intelligence to blow by you and get to the basket. Once he gets to the basket he uses his strength to draw the foul, where he shoots a, surprise, about 90 percent. Before I saw him play I wondered how he could score all those points, he must take almost all the teams shots and not pass, you know the classic "ballhog", but once I actually say him play I was very impressed with his court vision and his ability to pass the ball. I dont know what position he would play in the NBA because he is not a true point guard, and may be a little slow to play the 2 but we will see once he gets drafted. But I can say confidently now he is an amazing player and if you havent seen him play, look him up he is legit.
So my predictions for this tournament still holds strong because fortunately the team I picked to win it all is still in contention, and that team is the UConn Huskies. Their point guard Kemba Walker is to me the runner up for player of the year, he is a great true point guard but scores as well. UConn is one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament winning at least 6 games in a row, including 5 games in 5 nights in the Big East tournament.
This is obviously my favorite month of the year because it is all basketball all of the time, and it is any sports lovers dream. Now I am not able to watch every game due to my lack of cable but I try and watch every game that is on CBS, so if you wanna get a hold of me this month you know where I will be.
And now let me teach you how to jimmer:
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
My Life As We Speak
This is a post not so much relating to sports, I know I said this blog was gonna be all about sports, but hey I am not one dimensional, like Donkey says, I am like an onion I have many layers, sports is just a really thick layer. But it will still be interesting, cause its about me obviously.
Since about January until about a week ago, I was in a rut/funk or whatever noun you want to use for this word. I had just recently gotten back to Washington after finishing up an internship in Arizona. I really loved it down there and I tried my hardest find a job so I could stay and live down there. But despite my best efforts, the economy has hit especially hard down there so I was not able to get a job. During my last few weeks down in Arizona I had been talking to my buddy Jeff and he said that if I cant get a job down there that he could get me a job working for a company called Center Partners in Spokane and that he also had a apartment and was looking for a third roommate, so to me this sounded like a great deal, little did I know, but we will get to that later.
So I made the harrowing trip back up to Washington, luckily my little brother flew down to Arizona and drove back with me. When I got back to Washington and lived with my parents for a while, the first thing I did was fill out an application to work at Center Partners as a Sales Agent. I knew a little about the company but not a lot. I had an interview set up for about a week and a half later in Spokane, and also on this trip I was going to take a look at the apartment I was going to be renting. The interview process was pretty easy and I was reasonably confident that I would get the job and they let me know that day that I did. So at least that part was out of the way. I also went and looked at the apartment and it was awesome and cheap.
Anyway I started working for Center Partners in the middle of January. The first 2 weeks of work were all training and I quickly realized the first day that I might be in over my head because if anyone knows me I am not what you would call a people person, and thats really what this job is is talking to people. My job was to take incoming calls from people who wanted to set up service with T Mobile, which may sound easy but more than half of people who call in arent trying to set up service, they have other questions and it was our job to try and sell them something using the ruse that we could save them some money. I am not good at this kind of thing, so it was really hard for me to want to go to work, or even want to do well at my job. This was the start of slip into a funk, it was this job that started me down the slippery slope. I was not happy at work, and my schedule was 2 in the afternoon until 10 at night, which made it so I could never really do anything during the week and I never saw my roommates until the weekend. It was a very lonely time as well because I only ever saw people at work, and not my friends. The first day I got hired I started looking for a new job, and I looked everyday, thats not an exaggeration at all, every day.
Through all of this I have also been having money troubles so that has not made it any easier for me when I have to worry from paycheck to paycheck. All these factors put together really put me into a rut which I am not accustomed too. I was never in a really good mood, and just didnt like where my life was at.
Fortunately in the last few weeks things I think have started to take a turn for the better. My obsessive job hunting finally paid off because I found and got a job with the city of Liberty Lake working on their "Parks Crew", which means I am able to work outside and with my hands, and most importantly not deal with stupid people who have no idea how to be successful in life. This job is really more suitable for me and I have already seen a change in my attitude for everyday. I am tired at the end of every day but I think that is a good thing, because that means I accomplished something, when I can step back and say I did that.
I am glad that I did not give up because I may have been stuck in that job for a long time if I didnt have the motivation to look for another job, but thats how bad it was, immediately I started looking. But anyway, my life is now on the upswing, and right now I couldnt be happier, that is all.
Since about January until about a week ago, I was in a rut/funk or whatever noun you want to use for this word. I had just recently gotten back to Washington after finishing up an internship in Arizona. I really loved it down there and I tried my hardest find a job so I could stay and live down there. But despite my best efforts, the economy has hit especially hard down there so I was not able to get a job. During my last few weeks down in Arizona I had been talking to my buddy Jeff and he said that if I cant get a job down there that he could get me a job working for a company called Center Partners in Spokane and that he also had a apartment and was looking for a third roommate, so to me this sounded like a great deal, little did I know, but we will get to that later.
So I made the harrowing trip back up to Washington, luckily my little brother flew down to Arizona and drove back with me. When I got back to Washington and lived with my parents for a while, the first thing I did was fill out an application to work at Center Partners as a Sales Agent. I knew a little about the company but not a lot. I had an interview set up for about a week and a half later in Spokane, and also on this trip I was going to take a look at the apartment I was going to be renting. The interview process was pretty easy and I was reasonably confident that I would get the job and they let me know that day that I did. So at least that part was out of the way. I also went and looked at the apartment and it was awesome and cheap.
Anyway I started working for Center Partners in the middle of January. The first 2 weeks of work were all training and I quickly realized the first day that I might be in over my head because if anyone knows me I am not what you would call a people person, and thats really what this job is is talking to people. My job was to take incoming calls from people who wanted to set up service with T Mobile, which may sound easy but more than half of people who call in arent trying to set up service, they have other questions and it was our job to try and sell them something using the ruse that we could save them some money. I am not good at this kind of thing, so it was really hard for me to want to go to work, or even want to do well at my job. This was the start of slip into a funk, it was this job that started me down the slippery slope. I was not happy at work, and my schedule was 2 in the afternoon until 10 at night, which made it so I could never really do anything during the week and I never saw my roommates until the weekend. It was a very lonely time as well because I only ever saw people at work, and not my friends. The first day I got hired I started looking for a new job, and I looked everyday, thats not an exaggeration at all, every day.
Through all of this I have also been having money troubles so that has not made it any easier for me when I have to worry from paycheck to paycheck. All these factors put together really put me into a rut which I am not accustomed too. I was never in a really good mood, and just didnt like where my life was at.
Fortunately in the last few weeks things I think have started to take a turn for the better. My obsessive job hunting finally paid off because I found and got a job with the city of Liberty Lake working on their "Parks Crew", which means I am able to work outside and with my hands, and most importantly not deal with stupid people who have no idea how to be successful in life. This job is really more suitable for me and I have already seen a change in my attitude for everyday. I am tired at the end of every day but I think that is a good thing, because that means I accomplished something, when I can step back and say I did that.
I am glad that I did not give up because I may have been stuck in that job for a long time if I didnt have the motivation to look for another job, but thats how bad it was, immediately I started looking. But anyway, my life is now on the upswing, and right now I couldnt be happier, that is all.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
College Bowl Season
I know I am not the first person to say that the college bowl season is getting ridiculous in terms of length and sponsorship. When an announcer has to say a stupid sponsor name every time they say the name of the bowl it gets more annoying every time, especially when its something like the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, or my personal favorite the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. These names take away from the quality of the bowl games because it makes them seem like they sold out, and some of the names just make it sound pompous. The one bowl that is the exception to this rule is the Chic-fil-a Bowl which has not changed the name of the bowl since they started sponsoring the bowl, which was way before a lot of the bowls. Some of the bowl games I did not even want to watch in fear of how many times I would hear the stupid sponsor name. Some are so ridiculous that they literally make me laugh out loud every time i hear them. I was talking to my dad and he remembers when bowls were just the Military Bowl, the Rose Bowl, and the Gator Bowl. I realize that companies will use any platform to market for their company, but apparently having signs all over the stadium is not enough anymore. The NCAA needs to look into this problem and quickly find a solution, limit the words, or say that signs are enough and do not need to blemish the name of the bowls.
On another but no less annoying point about the bowl season is how long it drags on and on and on and on. You can ask my mom, I love football way more than anyone should, but even I think there are to many bowls to watch. It seems like every team is in a bowl nowadays. Teams that are 6-6 with six division one wins are eligible for bowl games, which to me is just promoting mediocrity. These teams are obviously not the cream of the crop in college football but are still being rewarded for finishing right at 500. They need to cut down the number of bowl games, the count for games this year was 35. So 70 teams made it to bowl game this year, and I bet about 15 of those teams were a mediocre 6-6. I think they should cut the number down to around 16 bowl games every year, which would make the games much more competitive and would give extra motivation for teams to win. More people would tune in to fewer games because they have not become saturated with average football. Now I do know that some of these average teams do pull an upset once and a while, like this year when Washington flattened Nebraska in a rematch of a earlier game this season. These games are few and far in between, but they do appeal to people, who always love an underdog. So some would state the case that teams that finish 6-6 or even 7-5 do deserve a chance to play in a bowl game, but I think that you need at least a 8-4 record to make it to a bowl game, the competition and audience would sky rocket. I mean I am just saying, but I like to think I know what I am talking about.
On another but no less annoying point about the bowl season is how long it drags on and on and on and on. You can ask my mom, I love football way more than anyone should, but even I think there are to many bowls to watch. It seems like every team is in a bowl nowadays. Teams that are 6-6 with six division one wins are eligible for bowl games, which to me is just promoting mediocrity. These teams are obviously not the cream of the crop in college football but are still being rewarded for finishing right at 500. They need to cut down the number of bowl games, the count for games this year was 35. So 70 teams made it to bowl game this year, and I bet about 15 of those teams were a mediocre 6-6. I think they should cut the number down to around 16 bowl games every year, which would make the games much more competitive and would give extra motivation for teams to win. More people would tune in to fewer games because they have not become saturated with average football. Now I do know that some of these average teams do pull an upset once and a while, like this year when Washington flattened Nebraska in a rematch of a earlier game this season. These games are few and far in between, but they do appeal to people, who always love an underdog. So some would state the case that teams that finish 6-6 or even 7-5 do deserve a chance to play in a bowl game, but I think that you need at least a 8-4 record to make it to a bowl game, the competition and audience would sky rocket. I mean I am just saying, but I like to think I know what I am talking about.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
What Am I Doing Out Here
These were the words that Brett Favre uttered to himself while once again lying on the ground after a 300 pound lineman took him to the turf. As a Vikings fan, I do not want to hear words like this coming from my quarterback, no matter how much i dislike him. I am a Vikings fan through and through no matter who is my quarterback...even Brett Favre. But having said that it is time for Brett "Flip Flop" Favre to take a permanent vacation away from the NFL, before he dies. I have not watched a Vikings game for the last three weeks because I cant stand that Brett Favre is not playing because he loves the game anymore, he wants to play so he can prove to everyone that despite his age, injuries, and stupidity, that he still gives the Vikings there best chance to win. This is garbage, he can barely move, every time he gets hit it takes about an hour for Favre to pull himself off the turf. It just kills me to see him throw interception after interception because he does not know when to just take the sack and hold onto the ball. Let me speak to Brett Favre himself, your time is up old man, you keep holding on hoping that you will have one game that will make up for the crap you have put us through the last year and a half, well guess what its not gonna help, your washed up and need to realize it. Go spend some time with your hot wife and daughter and let this franchise move on.
Now that I have destroyed Brett Favre, let me convince everyone why Tavaris Jackson needs to be the starter...because HE GIVES US THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN, not Favre. Let's start with the fact that he is almost half Favre's age. He is young and mobile, much more less susceptible to injuries, and wont crumble to the turf after every hit. In 2008 when T-Jack had the opportunity to start 8 games he ended that season with 1000 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, but immediately got shoved to the back when The Relic came to town. I don't think Jackson has gotten his chance to shine in the NFL yet, he has so much potential and his ceiling is high. The Viking fans love Tavaris, especially when he running down the field because they know Favre couldn't and wouldn't do that.
It is time for a change in Minnesota, Favre had his fun, ruined me as a fan, and now needs to move on and leave us alone. I dont know how Packer fans put up with this for so long...
Now that I have destroyed Brett Favre, let me convince everyone why Tavaris Jackson needs to be the starter...because HE GIVES US THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN, not Favre. Let's start with the fact that he is almost half Favre's age. He is young and mobile, much more less susceptible to injuries, and wont crumble to the turf after every hit. In 2008 when T-Jack had the opportunity to start 8 games he ended that season with 1000 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, but immediately got shoved to the back when The Relic came to town. I don't think Jackson has gotten his chance to shine in the NFL yet, he has so much potential and his ceiling is high. The Viking fans love Tavaris, especially when he running down the field because they know Favre couldn't and wouldn't do that.
It is time for a change in Minnesota, Favre had his fun, ruined me as a fan, and now needs to move on and leave us alone. I dont know how Packer fans put up with this for so long...
Sunday, September 5, 2010
College Football!
You know how excited I am that school is here, even though i am done with college. Because that means college football is here again! This is one of the greatest weekends ever because games stretch on from Thursday all the way until Monday, and on Saturday you can lay on the couch from 9 am until almost midnight, does that not sound like the best day ever? I have been watching all weekend, and even though I know I havent done anything, I still feel a sense of accomplishment. I cheered on my team even though it might have been the worst game we have ever played, and you know what, I dont care, I will watch them again and again. Thats what is great about college football, even if your team loses, next week it all starts again.
And there is nothing like college football, where else can you get a city, state, or country so pumped about one thing, every Saturday for months. The pride that comes with seeing your schools first game is something that cannot be duplicated anytime. Whether it is win or lose you know your school is trying with all their talent, and for that you should be proud. This is the time when you can identify with your team as "we", and place all your hopes on a team of your peers.
I know there are people out there who are bandwagon fans, and I say shame on them. They love their team, they say "we" when they talk about their team, but once they lose they call for the coaches head and say "they". I do not want to name universities where this happens, but lets say they are in close proximity to where I attended college. These people do not have as much pride, they cut their ties to their football team because they do not like to see the losing.
Not everyone feels the same way I do, but there is no better time of year than early September, the leaves change and the football fly. Pride is deep, and university colors become the colors you bleed.
And there is nothing like college football, where else can you get a city, state, or country so pumped about one thing, every Saturday for months. The pride that comes with seeing your schools first game is something that cannot be duplicated anytime. Whether it is win or lose you know your school is trying with all their talent, and for that you should be proud. This is the time when you can identify with your team as "we", and place all your hopes on a team of your peers.
I know there are people out there who are bandwagon fans, and I say shame on them. They love their team, they say "we" when they talk about their team, but once they lose they call for the coaches head and say "they". I do not want to name universities where this happens, but lets say they are in close proximity to where I attended college. These people do not have as much pride, they cut their ties to their football team because they do not like to see the losing.
Not everyone feels the same way I do, but there is no better time of year than early September, the leaves change and the football fly. Pride is deep, and university colors become the colors you bleed.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
NBA Free Agency
The last week in the NBA has been crazy to say the least. And the NBA has changed for the next few years anyway. As many of you have heard, the Miami Heat won the free agency competition, if you can call it that, by signing three superstars who are at the top of their games. Dwayne Wade, who has been favorably compared to Michael Jordan, Chris Bosh, who will give you 20-10 night in and night out, and LeBron James, arguably the most athletic and dominate player in the game right now. But in the last few days there has been so much talk about if this is enough for the Heat to win a championship, since they have three superstars making pretty much the maximum amount they can, doesn't leave the Heat much money to sign players to build around "The Trio". Now I do not agree with this at all, these three I think, can win a championship next year. They have the talent to win, they can play defense, obviously they can score, and even if the Heat just put a few players around them with any trace of talent, they are going to win. Just look what Wade did with the Heat last year when they basically had no talent, he single-handedly took them to the playoffs, and now with this talent they easily can win it all.
I did not watch the LeBron special when he announced his intentions to play in South Beach. But from what I have heard some consider it a success, while some thought it was just a publicity stunt to get The King more TV time. I tend to think along with the latter, it was an hour special, proceeded by a three hour SportsCenter. Three hours! to talk about the same topics, make the same predictions, and talk to the same guests over and over again. So James had an hour special for a decision that would literally take 15 seconds to announce. The word before the special was that he would announce in the first ten minutes, but from what I have read it took him almost half an hour to do it. This to me screams attention more than just letting people know where you are gonna play basketball. Bill Simmons, the NBA Sports Guy, wrote a great article about this topic, and I tend to agree with him Link.
This is a giant turning point for the NBA, it could really booster the reputation of the league back up again, or people could lose more interest because it is starting to look like baseball, with certain teams becoming like the Yankees. It also is up to the NBA brass to try as hard as they can to make sure the league does feed off this next year, and they try and boost the leagues image.
And I just wanna say that before this I was on the Miami bandwagon, so I am not just jumping on now, I was already on, because I think Dwayne Wade is the best player in the league, but we will see what happens, this is going to be an interesting year for the NBA.
I did not watch the LeBron special when he announced his intentions to play in South Beach. But from what I have heard some consider it a success, while some thought it was just a publicity stunt to get The King more TV time. I tend to think along with the latter, it was an hour special, proceeded by a three hour SportsCenter. Three hours! to talk about the same topics, make the same predictions, and talk to the same guests over and over again. So James had an hour special for a decision that would literally take 15 seconds to announce. The word before the special was that he would announce in the first ten minutes, but from what I have read it took him almost half an hour to do it. This to me screams attention more than just letting people know where you are gonna play basketball. Bill Simmons, the NBA Sports Guy, wrote a great article about this topic, and I tend to agree with him Link.
This is a giant turning point for the NBA, it could really booster the reputation of the league back up again, or people could lose more interest because it is starting to look like baseball, with certain teams becoming like the Yankees. It also is up to the NBA brass to try as hard as they can to make sure the league does feed off this next year, and they try and boost the leagues image.
And I just wanna say that before this I was on the Miami bandwagon, so I am not just jumping on now, I was already on, because I think Dwayne Wade is the best player in the league, but we will see what happens, this is going to be an interesting year for the NBA.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
2010 NBA Draft
Since I did my own version of the NFL draft, and with the NBA draft coming up tomorrow, I thought I would lend my own opinion to this annual event. Now let me say, that even if I get some wrong, don't hold that against me, I don't have all the time in the world to sit and research haha, but I will try my best! And this is just round one, because I dont have time to do two rounds.
1. Washington Wizards John Wall-This is a no brainer, and has been since Wall first stepped onto the court for Kentucky and owned the SEC. Wall is a tall point guard, lightning fast, but does need to work on his jumpshot.
2. Philadelphia 76er's Even Turner-even though the Sixers have Andre Igoudala at shooting guard, if Turner can put on a little more weight he could play the 3. Turner is an all around player, athletic, and smart, but does need to work on his decision making and rebounding.
3. New Jersey Nets Derrick Favors-after finishing the season will almost the wort record ever in the NBA the Nets will just be happy to get anybody but Favors will help them out right away. He is NBA ready physically, he has great post moves around the basket, and is a freak athlete, but some question his work ethic and character, which is huge in draft.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves Wesley Johnson-I think with the Wolves lack of depth at the 3, they go with Johnson who can play that spot. Johnson is a athlete, has a great jumper, and is smart, but needs to add some more weight to take the physical play of the NBA.
5. Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins-I think with the lack of talent in the front court for the Kings they have to go Cousins, he is talented and athletic for his size, but some questions that come up are about his work ethic, and his weight.
6. Golden State Warriors Greg Monroe-With one of the best young backcourts in the NBA in Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, the Warriors upgrade the front court with Monroe. He is super athletic, great feet and a great jump shot, but does take plays off once in a while.
7. Detroit Pistons Ed Davis-The Pistons have no frontcourt height, with Ben Wallace playing center at 6'8", and Davis is tall. He is athletic, has very long arms, comes from a basketball family. But only played a few games his sophmore year so a small sample of what he can do is seen.
8. Los Angeles Clippers Ekpe Udoh-After taking Blake Griffin last year and him never playing a minute, the Clippers want someone who can actually play. Udoh has a very long wing span, athletic, and a great rebounder, but is not very efficient and is still a little raw talent wise.
9. Utah Jazz Luke Babbitt-Utah could be looking for a younger Carlos Boozer, but they cant pass up Babbitt. He is a very capable scorer, not an elite athlete, but is a very craft scorer and will find many different ways to score.
10. Indiana Pacers Al Farouq Aminu-Once my favorite team, the Pacers have fallen into a funk since Reggie Miller and Jermaine O'Neal left. Aminu is a very good rebounder, and gets a lot of points off offensive rebounds, not a tremendous athlete, but good enough to play the 3.
11. New Orleans Hornets Xavier Henry- The Hornets really have no set 2 player, and Henry proved his one year at Kansas that he is ready for the NBA physically. Does not have the greatest shot but is improving, and plays very smart basketball.
12. Memphis Grizzlies Gordon Hayward-The Grizzlies are a very, very young team, and need a mature player in this draft. Hayward is not going to start right away but can play serious minutes, he is a smart player, great shooter, and the world fell in love with him during Butlers NCAA run last year.
13. Toronto Raptors Patrick Patterson-This pick is based on the fact that I do not think Chris Bosh will be a Raptor next year. Patterson is a great player, very strong, very quick feet for his size, but needs to work on his outside game.
14. Houston Rockets Paul George-The Rockets really need a good strong center but cant pass up George falling this far. He has shot up draft boards in the last few months, comes from a non powerhouse school, but is athletic and has a amazing work ethic.
Whew! Half way done, hang with me, its gets better.
15. Milwaukee Bucks Cole Aldrich-The Bucks have no size, and no true center on the team and Aldrich is both those things. He is a awesome rebounder, a great shot blocker, and is mobile but not athletic, a bog body inside.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves Solomon Alabi-The Timberwolves went with Johnson with their first pick, and now match him with a big center. Alabi has a great NBA frame but needs to add a little more weight, but is still very athletic for his size, raw but has a very high ceiling.
17. Chicago Bulls Daniel Orton-This highly decorated franchise needs to get back to its original championship form. They need some size on the front line, and while I think its a reach Orton is the man. He only averaged 9 minutes and 3 points for Kentucky, but he is a big body and moves well for his size.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder Hassan Whiteside-The Thunder are also a very young team and have looked for a center to hold down the middle for them, Whiteside could be that guy. Has the longest wingspan of anyone in the draft, and still has room to put weight on. A great defender and shot blocker, raw offensively still.
19. Boston Celtics Larry Sanders-I have read that Boston is looking to shop this pick but if they keep it, its time to look for a replacement for KG , he is gettin seasoned. Sanders is freakishly athletic with a long wingspan and can score a number of ways, but some question his defensive prowess.
20. San Antonio Spurs Damion James-This is the type of player that the Spurs love to draft, like with DeJuan Blair last year, that two position player. Jones is a hybrid 3-4, and is very athletic, and a smart player, but his work ethic is in question.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder Quincy Pondexter-After taking Whiteside to fill the middle, the Thunder need a 3 to back up Kevin Durant. Pondexter really exploded his senior season and scores in a number of ways, also very athletic, but needs to work on his consistency.
22. Portland Trailblazers Kevin Seraphin-The Blazers love their international players, and this year is no exception. Seraphin is athletic and physically is the perfect NBA specimen, but is still very raw offensively.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves Jordan Crawford-With all the front court help the Wolves have got in this draft they need to address the back court. Crawford is a scorer, he can do it all, but some question his defensive skills.
24. Atlanta Hawks James Anderson- The Hawks are a good team but do need some depth in the back court. Anderson can play the 2 or 3 and can stroke the trey, but needs to get better creating his own shot, and not an elite athlete.
25. Memphis Grizzlies Greivis Vasquez-The Gizzlies selected a mature player with their first pick now they need to find a back up for Mike Conley. Vasquez made a name for himself by destroying the ACC his senior season with a number of big shots, not an athlete, plays smart and has a great shot.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder Lance Stephenson- The Thunders third pick is likely not going to play a whole lot this next year which is good for Stephenson, he is considered a long term project, has skills but didnt impress at workouts.
27. New Jersey Nets Elliot Williams-The Nets went big with their first pick and now provide depth with the back court. Williams has the tools to be a very proficient scorer, but needs to work on his ball handling skills.
28. Memphis Grizzlies Craig Brackins-The Grizz need to find a replacement for Zach Randolph, who is overweight, and a problem child. Brackins is a great scorer with great potential, and a good rebounder but needs to be more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball.
Stick with me, just a few more!
29. Orlando Magic Darington Hobson-The Magic are missing that one key to making it to the Finals again, and Hobson could be that. He played point guard through college even though he is 6'7", but is a good decision maker, but did crumble under the pressure of the NCAA tournament.
30. Washington Wizards Stanley Robinson-The Wiz could use just about anybody with this pick. Robinson is a freak athlete, can get to the rim at will, and shoots a good three ball, but needs to work on his free throw shooting and effort on defense.
Well there you go everybody, I would ask if you enjoyed it, but I already know the answer, of course you did! Well thats my opinion and I am sticking to it.
1. Washington Wizards John Wall-This is a no brainer, and has been since Wall first stepped onto the court for Kentucky and owned the SEC. Wall is a tall point guard, lightning fast, but does need to work on his jumpshot.
2. Philadelphia 76er's Even Turner-even though the Sixers have Andre Igoudala at shooting guard, if Turner can put on a little more weight he could play the 3. Turner is an all around player, athletic, and smart, but does need to work on his decision making and rebounding.
3. New Jersey Nets Derrick Favors-after finishing the season will almost the wort record ever in the NBA the Nets will just be happy to get anybody but Favors will help them out right away. He is NBA ready physically, he has great post moves around the basket, and is a freak athlete, but some question his work ethic and character, which is huge in draft.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves Wesley Johnson-I think with the Wolves lack of depth at the 3, they go with Johnson who can play that spot. Johnson is a athlete, has a great jumper, and is smart, but needs to add some more weight to take the physical play of the NBA.
5. Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins-I think with the lack of talent in the front court for the Kings they have to go Cousins, he is talented and athletic for his size, but some questions that come up are about his work ethic, and his weight.
6. Golden State Warriors Greg Monroe-With one of the best young backcourts in the NBA in Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, the Warriors upgrade the front court with Monroe. He is super athletic, great feet and a great jump shot, but does take plays off once in a while.
7. Detroit Pistons Ed Davis-The Pistons have no frontcourt height, with Ben Wallace playing center at 6'8", and Davis is tall. He is athletic, has very long arms, comes from a basketball family. But only played a few games his sophmore year so a small sample of what he can do is seen.
8. Los Angeles Clippers Ekpe Udoh-After taking Blake Griffin last year and him never playing a minute, the Clippers want someone who can actually play. Udoh has a very long wing span, athletic, and a great rebounder, but is not very efficient and is still a little raw talent wise.
9. Utah Jazz Luke Babbitt-Utah could be looking for a younger Carlos Boozer, but they cant pass up Babbitt. He is a very capable scorer, not an elite athlete, but is a very craft scorer and will find many different ways to score.
10. Indiana Pacers Al Farouq Aminu-Once my favorite team, the Pacers have fallen into a funk since Reggie Miller and Jermaine O'Neal left. Aminu is a very good rebounder, and gets a lot of points off offensive rebounds, not a tremendous athlete, but good enough to play the 3.
11. New Orleans Hornets Xavier Henry- The Hornets really have no set 2 player, and Henry proved his one year at Kansas that he is ready for the NBA physically. Does not have the greatest shot but is improving, and plays very smart basketball.
12. Memphis Grizzlies Gordon Hayward-The Grizzlies are a very, very young team, and need a mature player in this draft. Hayward is not going to start right away but can play serious minutes, he is a smart player, great shooter, and the world fell in love with him during Butlers NCAA run last year.
13. Toronto Raptors Patrick Patterson-This pick is based on the fact that I do not think Chris Bosh will be a Raptor next year. Patterson is a great player, very strong, very quick feet for his size, but needs to work on his outside game.
14. Houston Rockets Paul George-The Rockets really need a good strong center but cant pass up George falling this far. He has shot up draft boards in the last few months, comes from a non powerhouse school, but is athletic and has a amazing work ethic.
Whew! Half way done, hang with me, its gets better.
15. Milwaukee Bucks Cole Aldrich-The Bucks have no size, and no true center on the team and Aldrich is both those things. He is a awesome rebounder, a great shot blocker, and is mobile but not athletic, a bog body inside.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves Solomon Alabi-The Timberwolves went with Johnson with their first pick, and now match him with a big center. Alabi has a great NBA frame but needs to add a little more weight, but is still very athletic for his size, raw but has a very high ceiling.
17. Chicago Bulls Daniel Orton-This highly decorated franchise needs to get back to its original championship form. They need some size on the front line, and while I think its a reach Orton is the man. He only averaged 9 minutes and 3 points for Kentucky, but he is a big body and moves well for his size.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder Hassan Whiteside-The Thunder are also a very young team and have looked for a center to hold down the middle for them, Whiteside could be that guy. Has the longest wingspan of anyone in the draft, and still has room to put weight on. A great defender and shot blocker, raw offensively still.
19. Boston Celtics Larry Sanders-I have read that Boston is looking to shop this pick but if they keep it, its time to look for a replacement for KG , he is gettin seasoned. Sanders is freakishly athletic with a long wingspan and can score a number of ways, but some question his defensive prowess.
20. San Antonio Spurs Damion James-This is the type of player that the Spurs love to draft, like with DeJuan Blair last year, that two position player. Jones is a hybrid 3-4, and is very athletic, and a smart player, but his work ethic is in question.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder Quincy Pondexter-After taking Whiteside to fill the middle, the Thunder need a 3 to back up Kevin Durant. Pondexter really exploded his senior season and scores in a number of ways, also very athletic, but needs to work on his consistency.
22. Portland Trailblazers Kevin Seraphin-The Blazers love their international players, and this year is no exception. Seraphin is athletic and physically is the perfect NBA specimen, but is still very raw offensively.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves Jordan Crawford-With all the front court help the Wolves have got in this draft they need to address the back court. Crawford is a scorer, he can do it all, but some question his defensive skills.
24. Atlanta Hawks James Anderson- The Hawks are a good team but do need some depth in the back court. Anderson can play the 2 or 3 and can stroke the trey, but needs to get better creating his own shot, and not an elite athlete.
25. Memphis Grizzlies Greivis Vasquez-The Gizzlies selected a mature player with their first pick now they need to find a back up for Mike Conley. Vasquez made a name for himself by destroying the ACC his senior season with a number of big shots, not an athlete, plays smart and has a great shot.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder Lance Stephenson- The Thunders third pick is likely not going to play a whole lot this next year which is good for Stephenson, he is considered a long term project, has skills but didnt impress at workouts.
27. New Jersey Nets Elliot Williams-The Nets went big with their first pick and now provide depth with the back court. Williams has the tools to be a very proficient scorer, but needs to work on his ball handling skills.
28. Memphis Grizzlies Craig Brackins-The Grizz need to find a replacement for Zach Randolph, who is overweight, and a problem child. Brackins is a great scorer with great potential, and a good rebounder but needs to be more aggressive on the defensive side of the ball.
Stick with me, just a few more!
29. Orlando Magic Darington Hobson-The Magic are missing that one key to making it to the Finals again, and Hobson could be that. He played point guard through college even though he is 6'7", but is a good decision maker, but did crumble under the pressure of the NCAA tournament.
30. Washington Wizards Stanley Robinson-The Wiz could use just about anybody with this pick. Robinson is a freak athlete, can get to the rim at will, and shoots a good three ball, but needs to work on his free throw shooting and effort on defense.
Well there you go everybody, I would ask if you enjoyed it, but I already know the answer, of course you did! Well thats my opinion and I am sticking to it.
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