Friday Roundtable: Biggest Steals And Surprises From The NBA Draft

 

The surprises started early as Cleveland selected Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. (nba.si.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: What were the biggest steals and biggest surprises of Thursday's NBA Draft?

Alex:
The first surprise came early as the Cavs took Anthony Bennett No. 1 overall, but the biggest surprise was Philadelphia delving head first into rebuilding mode. Adding a second injured center to their roster in Nerlens Noel, the 76ers all but closed the book on their Andrew Bynum experiment and took things a step further by agreeing to trade Jrue Holiday, fresh off his first All-Star appearance and just starting to hit his stride, to the New Orleans Pelicans (who actually look appealing on paper now) in time to hand the franchise keys to Michael Carter-Williams. While MCW has upside to spare, he'll be learning the ropes on a bottom-feeding team that may be making an early play to get Andrew Wiggins in the 2014 draft.

As for biggest steal, I'd look to Detroit. The Pistons selected Petting Siva in the latter half of the second round, but after his career at Louisville, Siva looks like a player who can will his way into making anything happen. I wrote a piece elsewhere in which I borderline-gushed about him this week, hoping to see him paired with a talented big man and provide energy off the bench, if not as a starter. Brandon Knight should be save atop the Pistons' depth chart at point guard, but watching an undersized, athletic player with the speed of Siva work with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond is going to be a thing of beauty.

Kyle:
If you're looking for surprises, the No. 1 pick is a good place to start. Anthony Bennett was thought to go anywhere from No. 1 to No. 8, and coming off an injury with weight problems seemed to be a concern for teams coming in. Apparently not. Cleveland liked him enough to not only draft him, but also keep the pick, as they had earlier mentioned interest in trading the first pick. And it really shouldn't be a surprise, but Charlotte again drew raised eyebrows by drafting Cody Zeller ahead of Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore and Alex Len.

As for steals, Sacramento has to be thrilled that Ben McLemore, who was in the top three of many people's mock drafts, fell to them at No. 7. McLemore should be an athletic, scoring wing player alongside Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans. I also like Portland getting C.J. McCollum to play alongside Damian Lillard in the backcourt. Finally, (I know Alex will agree with me on this) I like Dallas getting Shane Larkin from Atlanta with the No. 18 pick. Dallas wasn't able to get Deron Williams to come back to his hometown last year, and with Darren Collison about to head into free agency, Larkin could be a good scoring point guard for the Mavericks who will need a point guard of the future, especially while trying to land Dwight Howard.

We knew this would be an unpredictable draft coming in, and that theme was carried out throughout the night.

Zach:

The 2013 NBA Draft went how nobody predicted it to go; haywire.  Not a single person correctly predicted the order in which the top 10, not even the top five, selections in the order of which they left the board.  In a time where players like LeBron James, Carmello Anthony and Kyrie Irving appear in the limelight at age 16, yesterday's draft reminded us that even the most elite members of sports journalism and media could indeed, be wrong. 

To me, the whole draft was shocking and surprising.  I'm not an avid college basketball spectator, so my insight came from the great writers here at BDD and other elite basketball minds' predictions and mock-drafts. Nobody saw Anthony Bennett as the No. 1 pick coming. The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing the odds, selecting the former UNLV Runnin' Rebel No. 1 overall, to everyone's surprise. 

Cody Zeller seems to be the jaw-dropping, "what the hell are you thinking," pick of this years crop. CBSSports Draft Tracker labeled the Charlotte Bobcats fourth overall pick a D+. I don't mind the pick. I believe Zeller will give the Bobcats consistency at the low-post position until Michael Jordan and staff finds the other variables for a winning equation.  Zeller can shoot the ball well from both away from the basket, and at the free-throw stripe.  He can also get up the floor and score in transition, which makes up for some liabilities on the defensive end.  If Zeller can beef up and get back to the fundamentals in the low-post, both scoring and rebounding, his game could eventually look similar to a Kevin Love type stretch four.

Ben McLemore, who according to ESPN's Jay Bilas was the best player available, was selected at No. 7 to the Sacramento Kings.  Sacramento brings in a versatile scoring threat sure to put fans in the seats, which is something the Kings organization must do after fighting so hard to keep the team in the state capital and new owner Vivek Ranadive feels good about the pick. 

"Basketball Never Stops," is the phrase coined by somebody who understands the NBA.  Just shortly after crowning a Champion, fans of the league were truly spoiled with entertainment last night.  The 2013 NBA Draft may not be remembered by the collection of talent, but, it is certainly a draft that I will never forget. 

 


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Draft Profile: Potential No. 1 Pick Nerlens Noel

In the run-up to the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27, the BDD staff will be profiling several projected lottery picks and other draft entrants. Next up: Nerlens Noel.

 

Nerlens Noel has the size to be great in the NBA, but how will his recently torn ACL hold up? (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Position: Center
College: Kentucky
DraftExpress Prediction: No. 1 in the first round, No. 1 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers

Synopsis: He was expected to be an Anthony Davis lookalike in performance and in leading Kentucky to possibly a second-straight NCAA Championship. Nerlens Noel wasn't a dominant as Davis and his Wildcats were wildly disappointing, but Noel still made a name for himself last season, especially on the defensive end. His 4.4 blocks per game put him as one of the best in the country, while also grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game and just generally putting fear into any opponent who thinks of himself as brave enough to drive to the paint on Noel. On the offensive side, his game is certainly not terrible, but it has a long way to go. Noel averaged 10.5 points per game on 59 percent shooting from the field, but he only took less than seven shots per game. He is going to have to be more aggressive on the offensive end.

Then there's the knee. The second Noel flew at the basket against Florida you knew it wasn't good. The torn ACL put him out for the rest of the season and we still don't know what kind of shape the knee is in. The team that drafts Noel will know it may take more time for Noel to get back to his former self, which is asking a team with a very high draft pick, who is bad and one would assume wants to improve right away, to be patient. Noel will still be a top three pick, and potentially the No. 1 pick, mostly based on his size and physical attributes. It's hard to pass up a guy who is nearly 7-feet tall with a 7'4" wingspan and has the athletic ability, especially on defense, that Noel possesses. It will take some time, both for the knee and the growth of his offensive game, but the team that takes Noel is thinking about the future, and he could have a solid future in the NBA.

Quote to note: "We're talking about a No. 1 pick who's a defensive savant, but he can't score and is injured. Offensively, he has a long way to go. He scores off activity level, not skill level. And we can't forget he's hurt. We're not talking about a sprained ankle, you'd be drafting a guy who just tore his ACL. No one said, 'I don't think Greg Oden will pan out.' This is more unusual. For a top draft pick, he raises a lot of questions." - Jay Bilas on Noel via USA Today.

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Letter Of Advice To Dan Gilbert As Cleveland Wins NBA Draft Lottery

Dan Gilbert's Cleveland Cavaliers just won the NBA draft lottery for the second time in three years. (msn.foxsports.com)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are familiar with this situation. They were here in 2003 and again in 2011. Now the Cavaliers have won the NBA draft lottery again, giving them the No. 1 pick in June's draft. It would make them seem lucky and happy if it wasn't failure that brought them here so many times.

The history is well known. Cleveland selected hometown hero LeBron James in 2003. James did not win a title in Cleveland and in 2010 he left for the Miami Heat and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wrote an angry letter to the fan base in comic sans. The Cavaliers struggled without James and took Kyrie Irving with the first pick in 2011. That has worked out well in that Irving has grown into an All-Star caliber talent, but still the Cavs struggle. Now Cleveland will most likely draft Nerlens Noel in June, and rumors are circling that the Cavs might look to restore peace with LeBron and bring him back to Cleveland when he enters free agency in 2014.

These are important times for the Cavaliers and Dan Gilbert with crucial decisions that will effect the immediate future of the franchise. To help, Beats Dimes and Drives has written you a letter (styled similar to Gilbert's, but sorry, no comic sans this time) with a few words of advice.

Dear Mr. Gilbert,

As you know, you again won the NBA draft lottery. You have an opportunity to drastically improve your on-court product in the upcoming season, which I'm sure this fan base is desperately looking forward to. 

Clearly the last three years have been disappointing to you all. It must have been hard to focus on basketball when there were so many LeBron jerseys to burn.

You deserve more.

The good news is the pieces are falling into place with a talented point guard and now hopefully a dominate low-post presence in Noel, if that is the direction you choose. Heck, maybe your "former hero" and "self-titled former King" LeBron will even forgive you and give you a second chance. 

Wouldn't that be something? Would you even want him back when he disproved your guarantee of winning a championship before him? You would, and should, because the path the franchise has been down isn't getting you anywhere, which is why I would like to offer some advice.

Stop worrying about LeBron. Move on. Of course you would naturally want him back, anyone would, but LeBron seems to consume you, and having him back won't necessarily make that better. Even after winning the lottery you said, "We thought originally after everything had to be reset that it would be a three-year process," and, "For everyone in Cleveland who has supported us through these three years, I think this is for them." 

It wasn't the apocalypse. Yes he is the best player in the league, but you could have put together other competent pieces. Instead you fired your coach, Mike Brown, hired another that did worse, Byron Scott, and now just brought Brown back. Not to mention paying Luke Walton more than $6 million (second most on the team) this season for 3.4 points per game.

Instead of blaming LeBron's leaving on the destruction of the franchise, make some positive free-agent moves to bring experienced and proven players to Cleveland. Because ...

I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE IF YOU KEEP WINNING THE DRAFT LOTTERY THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE RUNNING A FRANCHISE CORRECTLY.

Most importantly, you have a potential great player in Irving and possibly another in Noel. They may not want to be in Cleveland for the rest of their careers, especially if the only thing they are winning is the lottery. 

If they leave, it will hurt, but learn from your LeBron mistakes. No letters. No obsurd guarantees of championships. No curses or bashing of personalities. 


Focus on how to make the team better without them. It is what should have happened in 2010 and your fans are still waiting. 

They are still waiting on that brighter day and that championship you promised them. And I promise you if you keep with these failed promises and guarantees, no one will be listening the next time you pull up a word document in comic sans on your computer.


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Kentucky Can't Replace Nerlens Noel's Defensive Presence After Injury

Nerlens Noel's torn ACL is a painful exclamation point on an already rough season. (espn.com)

Kentucky fans thought this season had been rough after winning a national championship last year. They didn't quite know what rough was until Tuesday when freshman Nerlens Noel tore the ACL in his left knee.

For the rest of the country, the biggest concern with Noel's injury is how this will affect his NBA draft stock and the future of the one-and-done rule. But Kentcky has bigger concerns than if Noel will head to the NBA in June (in case you're curious, ESPN's Chad Ford still has Noel as the No. 3 prospect even after the injury).

The Wildcats are fighting just to get into the NCAA Tournament and now will do so without the most consistent all-around force they have. The schedule isn't a cakewalk for a team in Kentucky's position, as they still have to go on the road to Tennessee and Arkansas and face Missouri and Florida in Rupp Arena. If the Wildcats come out of those four games at or below .500, they may be on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday, barring a run in the SEC Tournament.

The loss of Noel form a statistical standpoint is painful, but the biggest loss for UK is the now empty defensive presence around the basket.

Kentucky still has offensive weapons. Noel was the fourth leading scorer on the team, so it just means that Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress and Kyle Wiltjer can still carry the load by stepping up a bit more. The real concern is on the defensive end and having a shot blocker roaming the paint and terrifying opponents into resorting to jump shots. Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein will take Noel's place in the lineup (he has averaged 7.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg) and while he has great potential, it's impossible to replace a player who is one of the best shot blockers in the game and deflects more than four per contest.

Imagine if Jeff Withey would go down for Kansas. That defense is completely altered because the player who made it impossible for the other team to get easy shots inside is not longer a threat. Withey, like Noel, is a player who cleans up his teammates mistakes with his blocking ability. Poor guard defense is much less noticeable if the opposing guard blows by his defender but his layup is blocked into the third row.

This means less room for error for the other Kentucky defenders and the aspects of the defense like rebounding and challenging shots, which Noel did so well, might come a little bit tougher the rest of the season.

Kentucky could already not afford a loss as significant as Noel, and especially now that the chances of a NCAA Tournament appearance becomes more bleak with every loss and poor performance. The season has been unusual by Kentucky fans' standards and now the young Wildcats have possibly their most difficult challenge ahead in the form of a 7-foot road block placed in their path.


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Will Calipari's System Be Questioned Again After Kentucky's Slow Start?

Is Kentucky's rough start leading to questions about John Calipari's freshman strategy? (yahoo.com)

The system of coaching in college basketball changed after John Calipari and Kentucky won a national title last season. Or at least that's what we thought.

The idea of senior leadership and building players has been exchanged in Lexington for the year's best recruits (and maybe a few old sophomores and juniors). And before last season, the formula had proven to produce positive results, but never the ultimate result, which made it easier for people to dismiss Cal's methods.

Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the rest of the young Wildcats proved what raw ability can do with a season of preparation. Naturally, the same was expected of this year's group. UK has highly touted freshmen in Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley-Stein, who have even higher expectations and more pressure on them than last year's squad.

Kentucky just lost its second game in a row and third of the season, which is more losses than the 2011-12 team had all season and keeping them barely above .500 at 4-3. The 2011-12 team's first loss was on Dec. 10 to Indiana and then it didn't lose again until the SEC Tournament Championship game against Vanderbilt.

Freshmen are supposed to go through growing pains, and that's exactly what is happening to UK this year. The talent is there, but adjusting to the pace of the college game and facing hostile environments, not to mention building team chemistry, takes time.

This season's start is making last year look more and more like a once-in-a-decade group, rather than the new norm in the college game. Who else has found a team, led by freshmen, that only lost one game in the regular season (on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer in a loud Assembly Hall), go perfect in conference play and win a national title, all while looking like it was the best team in the country? If there were growing pains, they didn't show up in the final score. The starters rarely looked like the stage was too big for them and the chemistry was as good as it could be for players working together for the first year.

It was just assumed that since Cal pulled this feat off last year, of course he could do it again this year. That's what the system entails; come in for one year, be one of the best teams in the country, compete for a title and then go make money in the NBA. The most difficult part is the recruiting, and Cal has succeeded with flying colors.

But now we're seeing why coaches and analysts preach senior leadership and chemistry. Trust me, any coach would take the most talented freshmen if he could get them, and Cal shouldn't be faulted for that. There just also happens to be a down side to the approach, and we're witnessing it as Kentucky will most likely drop out of the top 25 this week.

This doesn't mean Kentucky is going to flop or remain in neutral all season. They'll be a dangerous team to face in the NCAA Tournament because a lot can be learned in four months. This is more about how special last year's team was, and that Cal hasn't discovered a fool-proof secret to the game, he has just crafted another way compete.

Other teams still have a fighting chance and the college basketball apocalypse can be put on hold until the next super-frosh team makes all of us rethink our team's strategy.


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What We Learned From The First Weekend Of College Basketball

Playing on an aircraft carrier is great, if the weather cooperates. It didn't for Florida/Georgetown and Ohio State/Marquette. (usatoday.com)

Nearly every team now has a game under its belt after the opening weekend of college basketball, but the important thing to remember is we've got a long way to go before March. Now is not the time to make brash assumptions about a team after 40 minutes of play, like that Kentucky's freshman system is a failure since they nearly lost to Maryland and now they're not longer title contenders and might not make the tournament even and it's that's probably the reason for the Mayan Apocalypse. OK, that's a bit of an over exaggeration, but you get the point. Instead, we're going to be rational and patient - two approaches many in the sports industry refuse to try - while explaining this opening weekend.

Playing outdoors doesn't always go smoothly:
The near perfection that was the first Carrier Classic last year in San Diego between UNC and Michigan State sent the expectations through the roof. Then reality settled in and we realized there's a reason basketball is played in a gym. 
Syracuse and San Diego State were able to play outside Sunday, but that's only because the game, originally scheduled for Friday night, was postponed due to rain. In the two other games set on aircraft carriers Friday, One game wasn't able to finish (Florida lead Georgetown 27-23 at the half) and the other (Ohio State vs. Marquette) wasn't even allowed to start due to weather and condensation on the courts. The experience is remarkable if the conditions allow it to be, but Mother Nature doesn't always let that happen.

Freshmen are still freshmen
ESPN college basketball writer Jason King tweeted Monday morning that eight of the top-10-ranked freshmen according to ESPN played over the weekend and collectively averaged 7.6 points. Probably the freshman performance most surprising to people in a negative way was Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, who scored just four points in 26 minutes. The No. 1 player in the 2012 class did grab nine rebounds, but expectations are high for the freshman, who is assumed to be a star from his first minute on the court. But let's not forget, this was his first taste of college basketball, against a good opponent, where the play is quicker and more physical. It's going to take time. Some adjusted quickly, like Baylor's Isaiah Austin, who scored 22 points in 17 minutes against Lehigh, but there's still going to be a learning period for freshmen to get adjusted. It doesn't mean that Noel or others are suddenly a wash; they just needs time to adapt and get comfortable in a new system.

Most Impressive Win: Kevin Ollie and UCONN
Kevin Ollie didn't have the easiest first game to prepare for as a collegiate head coach. Replacing Jim Calhoun with only a seven-month contract and having basically a new team from last year, Ollie's first test was No. 14 Michigan State and a future hall-of-famer in Tom Izzo while traveling to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Ollie had been Calhoun's pick for his replacement since his retirement, and Calhoun's judgement looks to be correct so far.
Ollie's Huskies left Germany with a 66-62 victory over the Spartans after shooting 46 percent from the field and from 3-point range. Guard Shabazz Napier is the biggest piece leftover from the Calhoun era, and he stepped up with a huge 25 points on 8-16 shooting.
UCONN was not expected to do much this season, being picked to finish ninth in the Big East, but this early win over a ranked opponent could be the kind of confidence this team needs to "overachieve" this season. Ollie just proved in his preparation that he deserves the faith his team needs to have in him, and that is a great way to spark a team starting a season.


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The SEC: Boynton's Back, but can Kentucky be Stopped?

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel's potential is higher than his flattop. (Chet White/UK Athletics)

Favorite: Kentucky Wildcats

Coming off a national title, the Wildcats are primed and ready to make another run in the SEC. Even though Kentucky lost all five of its starters to the NBA draft, it did bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Head coach John Calipari has shown he can bring a young group of talented individuals together and turn them into an unselfish team. Young players like Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley will do their best to replace the likes of Anthony Davis, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, Terrance Jones and Marquis Teague. With Calipari at the helm, the Widcats should run away with the SEC, even with the additions of a strong Missouri team and Texas A&M to the conference.

Dark Horse: Florida Gators

Despite losing stud shooting guard Bradley Beal to the NBA, the Florida Gators are returning a solid nucleus. The Gators are bringing back three of their top five scorers this year, all of whom averaged double digits. The team’s leading scorer, Kenny Boynton, is returning to the team as a senior, so leadership should not be an issue. Add in a solid recruiting class, and the Gators are poised to take a run at the Kentucky Wildcats for the top spot in the conference.

POY: Kenny Boynton, Florida

Boynton averaged 16 points per game last season as a junior to lead the Gators — including Beal — in scoring. In each of his first three seasons, Boynton has seen his statistics get progressively better across the board. His 3-point shot is lethal, as he drained 40 percent from downtown in 2011-12. If his track record is to be believed, Boynton should take another step forward this season, which should put him at the head of the player of the year race in the SEC.

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

Coach Cal has shown he has the ability to reload his team with talent, ready to win despite the number of players he sends to the NBA each season. Calipari will again have the best recruiting class in the NCAA coming to Kentucky, and will have yet another opportunity to push for a title. If he can even come close to replicating his success from last season, Calipari will be a shoe in for coach of the year.

Newcomer of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky

At 6'10", Noel is a long, lean forward, with the ability to throw back a lot of shots. Wildcat fans will take little time in beginning the comparisons to former Kentucky big man Anthony Davis. Noel has some polish to apply to his game, but his raw talent is undeniable. If he reaches his potential, the Wildcats will have yet another one-and-done on their hands.


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