Orlando Magic 95
Cleveland Cavaliers 96
Series Tied 1-1
OML!!
As in....Oh. My. LeBron.
Talk about coming up big. After Cleveland struggled to hold another big lead, LBJ played King Bailout, taking an inbounds pass with 1 second left and draining a 3-pointer to save the Cavs from being in an 0-2 hole heading to Orlando. Just an incredible shot from the game's premier player.
LeBron's game winner answered Hedo Turkoglu's tie-breaking jumper at the other end. Just think if Hedo waits just one more second to fire up that shot? Tough loss to swallow. We'll really see what the Magic are made of in Game 3. They got the split they absolutely needed, but they were oh-so-close to that tantalizing 2 game lead. They've fallen behind early in both games, so they know that the more they do that, the more likely Cleveland is to run them out of the building (and the series).
The key in Game 3 for Orlando will be trying to use the home crowd to get off to a good start. A) they need to start games better than they have in games 1 and 2. B) they need to establish that they will not surrender momentum to the Cavs after this painful loss. As hard as it is tonight, they need to focus on the fact that they got the split they wanted.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Western Conference Finals - Game 2 Recap
Denver Nuggets 106
Los Angeles Lakers 103
Series Tied 1-1
Ok, seeing as this is the first game recap post on TSG, I want to stress that I will aim to be as objective as possible. As for full disclosure, YES I am a Lakers fan. But I will try to limit the Lakers bias in what I write on here.
That said....I still think the Lakers got hosed by the zebras in the second half tonight. The fouls and the free throw totals were even for the game, but it was the manner in which the fouls were called very touchy and got the Lakers into the penalty very early in the 3rd and 4th quarters. I hate blaming the refs, and I still say the Nuggets played a great game, but the fouls were soft ones that seemed to be let go on some plays and called super strict on the next.
Anyways, the Nuggets have really impressed me. They have had some stellar performances in these playoffs but I know I'm not alone in thinking we needed to see what they could do against a really good opponent. And they've not disappointed. Carmelo really looks like he has entered that top echelon of NBA stars. He is getting to the rim at will and creating the shots he wants. He has been an absolute menace to keep off the boards. He has asked to be the primary defender on Kobe Bryant in the 4th quarter and has done about as well as you could hope for, which is even more impressive coming from a guy whose supposedly biggest weakness was his man-to-man defense. Linas Kleiza came up with some huge shots for this team tonight, especially in the first half when it started to feel like the Lakers were ready to pull away. They will need that going forward.
As for the Lakers, I really think they needed to play Andrew Bynum more tonight. Bynum got off to a very good start, but in the end only finished playing 18 minutes. In those 18 minutes, the Lakers were +7 (he had the best +/- on the team in Game 2). I realize the Nuggets went small, but the Lakers should have used that to punish them on the boards the way they did in the first half when they raced out to a 16-point lead. The Lakers seem to be content letting the Nuggets dictate the tempo and using their defense to make life difficult for the Lakers offense.
If the Lakers want to regain control of this series when it shifts to Denver, they need to relax a bit on defense, and use Bynum/Gasol/Odom to control the boards. I still like the Lakers to win, but it really says a lot about how even this series as been in that each game has gone down to the wire, featured big comebacks, and both teams could easily be up 2-0.
Los Angeles Lakers 103
Series Tied 1-1
Ok, seeing as this is the first game recap post on TSG, I want to stress that I will aim to be as objective as possible. As for full disclosure, YES I am a Lakers fan. But I will try to limit the Lakers bias in what I write on here.
That said....I still think the Lakers got hosed by the zebras in the second half tonight. The fouls and the free throw totals were even for the game, but it was the manner in which the fouls were called very touchy and got the Lakers into the penalty very early in the 3rd and 4th quarters. I hate blaming the refs, and I still say the Nuggets played a great game, but the fouls were soft ones that seemed to be let go on some plays and called super strict on the next.
Anyways, the Nuggets have really impressed me. They have had some stellar performances in these playoffs but I know I'm not alone in thinking we needed to see what they could do against a really good opponent. And they've not disappointed. Carmelo really looks like he has entered that top echelon of NBA stars. He is getting to the rim at will and creating the shots he wants. He has been an absolute menace to keep off the boards. He has asked to be the primary defender on Kobe Bryant in the 4th quarter and has done about as well as you could hope for, which is even more impressive coming from a guy whose supposedly biggest weakness was his man-to-man defense. Linas Kleiza came up with some huge shots for this team tonight, especially in the first half when it started to feel like the Lakers were ready to pull away. They will need that going forward.
As for the Lakers, I really think they needed to play Andrew Bynum more tonight. Bynum got off to a very good start, but in the end only finished playing 18 minutes. In those 18 minutes, the Lakers were +7 (he had the best +/- on the team in Game 2). I realize the Nuggets went small, but the Lakers should have used that to punish them on the boards the way they did in the first half when they raced out to a 16-point lead. The Lakers seem to be content letting the Nuggets dictate the tempo and using their defense to make life difficult for the Lakers offense.
If the Lakers want to regain control of this series when it shifts to Denver, they need to relax a bit on defense, and use Bynum/Gasol/Odom to control the boards. I still like the Lakers to win, but it really says a lot about how even this series as been in that each game has gone down to the wire, featured big comebacks, and both teams could easily be up 2-0.
1st TSG Blog Poll
As you can see on the right column, the 1st poll of the new The Sports Grind poll has been posted. The inaugural post of the blog discusses the results of the draft lottery and the likelihood that Blake Griffin will be a member of the Clippers starting on June 25.
As we all know, the Clippers are not exactly the most functionally run team in the NBA. They have screwed up a number of careers and sent good players packing while receiving little to nothing in return. They've scared off enough players that some were counting down their days til free agency on their shoes! So what will become of Blake Griffin's career with the Clippers?
With they trade away the #1 pick? Will they get him for just his rookie contract, or a rookie contract plus an extension (a la LeBron, Chris Bosh, D-Wade)? Or will he change the culture of the other locker room at Staples Center and play his entire career for them?
Weigh in on the poll to the right!
As we all know, the Clippers are not exactly the most functionally run team in the NBA. They have screwed up a number of careers and sent good players packing while receiving little to nothing in return. They've scared off enough players that some were counting down their days til free agency on their shoes! So what will become of Blake Griffin's career with the Clippers?
With they trade away the #1 pick? Will they get him for just his rookie contract, or a rookie contract plus an extension (a la LeBron, Chris Bosh, D-Wade)? Or will he change the culture of the other locker room at Staples Center and play his entire career for them?
Weigh in on the poll to the right!
NBA Draft Lottery and Mock Top 10
So if you're an NBA fan, you have to admit that you're first thought upon hearing the results of this week's Draft Lottery were something like "Oh God, how will they screw this up??" Yup, that's what you get when you have a franchise that has been run as comically inept as the LA Clippers have been. The Clippers have won the lottery on two previous occasions and went on to draft a good, but not great player (Danny Manning) and one of the biggest busts in recent memory (Michael Olowakandi). But with one clear-cut option for them to choose at #1 this year, they've gotta get this one right, right? Right? Hey, it's the NBA where amazing happens. And nothing is more amazing than Mike Dunleavy still having his job so don't count the Clippers out from somehow drafting Blake Griffin's (much less talented) brother Taylor instead.
Anyways, this will be a rough, Top 10 only mock draft. I plan to have a revised mock as we close in on the draft. At that point, we will know which underclassmen will be returning to school and will get a better read on the draft stocks of some players once individual workouts and the draft camps are completed, which will also help with a more in-depth mock of the entire first round.
So to start it off, with the 1st pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select: Blake Griffin, PF - University of Oklahoma.
This is the no-brainer. Only talent in this draft that can be considered a sure (or close to sure) thing. The guy put up legit numbers as a sophomore on a good team against top competition. He brought it every night and displayed enough athleticism to still put up 14.4 rpg despite having less than ideal size for a PF. It's hard not to like a guy who coulda been a Top 5-10 pick after his freshman year, wasn't satisfied, came back and worked his tail off to become the presumptive #1 pick.
The funny thing is, of all the teams in the Top 7 or so in the draft lottery, for a draft that has really 2 premier talents (a PF and a PG in Spain's Ricky Rubio), the team that won the lottery is the only one that doesn't have an opening for either. Griffin would be joining a Clippers team with a ridiculous amount of money tied up in Chris Kaman and Zach Randolph (not to mention one more year of Marcus Camby), so they would ideally like to move one or three of them in trades. Problem is, there is ZERO trade value currently in Randolph and close to none on Kaman because of their contracts. Camby can be a legitimate trade chip in February with his expiring deal so they'd prefer not to move him just yet. If they had gotten #2 and targeted Rubio, they could at least have a bit of an easier time shopping Baron Davis. That said, it's not even close to a valid excuse to draft Rubio #1 over Griffin. Plus, as the Clippers, they'd probably botch any attempt to trade down so they're best served minimizing the chance they screw this up and just take Blake.
The Pick: Blake Griffin, PF - Oklahoma
#2 - Memphis Grizzlies
This team deserves a break. They've been in the lottery almost as often as the Clippers since their inception, yet have never received the #1 pick, most notably in 2003 when the #1 pick (which they would have been allowed to keep) would have gotten them LeBron, but they got the #2 and had to give the pick to the Pistons as per the Otis Thorpe trade....so sad.
Anyways, the Grizz would have been a great fit for Griffin because of the young pieces in place at each other starting position (Gasol, Gay, Mayo, Conley), but that's not going to be the case. What GM Chris Wallace needs to do is not overreact and take UConn's Hasheem Thabeet over Ricky Rubio. I've already read some buzz about that being a possibility, but that should just stop now.
Rubio is light years ahead of Mike Conley Jr., despite being even younger, and his size and pass-first nature would be a perfect compliment to OJ Mayo in the Memphis backcourt that would now have the potential to be among the NBA's best in 2-3 years. Plus, on the upside, Conley is still young enough to have pretty decent trade value, as asset the Grizz can't create if they draft Thabeet. They should set their sights on Rubio and relax knowing their backcourt is SET. If you want a full breakdown of just how good Ricky Rubio is, watch this or read any of Morales' glowing reviews.
The Pick: Ricky Rubio, PG - Spain
#3 - Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC almost hit the jackpot again by winning the lottery and getting the right to draft Griffin, who happens to be from Oklahoma City. However, the Thunder still find themselves in a good spot. The most likely pick is the consensus #3 pick in Hasheem Thabeet. In Thabeet, they would get the interior defense and shotblocking they thought they were getting at the trade deadline in the Tyson Chandler trade. Now they can just draft a taller, better defensive player (who will come much cheaper) and hope he develops offensively. With the other offensive talent on the team, he won't be under much pressure to be a big-time scorer early on.
But the Thunder would still be ready to gobble up Rubio if the Grizz passed on him. Although they have a point guard they love in 2008 lottery pick Russell Westbrook, he is not quite the pure point Rubio is. Rubio's size and defense would allow them to play Westbrook off the ball at the 2. Only downside being that that would be a very poor jump-shooting backcourt, but unmatched in athleticism. A darkhorse candidate is ASU's James Harden. He would provide them with a solid shooter to hit the open shots created by the drives of Kevin Durant and Westbrook.
The Pick: Hasheem Thabeet, C - Connecticut
#4 - Sacramento Kings
Well, talk about the lottery not quite going quite as hoped for. The Kings became the latest team to not reap the "benefits" of finishing with the league's worst record. This is a team that could have seriously used Griffin or Rubio immensely, and even Thabeet to a degree. After those three, the dropoff is significant. Of the next 5-7 guys in the draft, most are swingmen or combo guards. They already have a budding star in Kevin Martin, so Kings biggest perimeter need is a pure point. Unfortunately, there isn't another pure point worthy of being the #4, and the ones considered PGs are Davidson's Stephen Curry (converted SG) and Jrue Holiday (unimpressive freshman season at UCLA). So the Kings could either add a SF with a lot of upside (DeMar DeRozan) or a big guy that can bring toughness and energy (Jordan Hill). I think the fact that they need to get something of value out of this pick after finishing an NBA-worst 17-65 will push them towards Hill over the talented, but untested, freshman DeRozan.
The Pick: Jordan Hill, PF - Arizona
#5 - Washington Wizards
Another team that got hosed on Lottery Night, the Wizards dropped from #2 to #5 thanks to the bounce of the ping pong balls. But picking at 5 isn't too bad when this team is going to be adding a (supposedly) healthy Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood to the mix next season. The question is, can the Wizards contend with that plus the #5 pick? If not, they could try to do what they did a few years back in shipping the #5 pick to Dallas for Antawn Jamison. So if they want to try to contend now, they could pick up a veteran rather than bring in a rookie. Which is probably better because their isn't much size after Jordan Hill, which is their biggest need. So I expect a deal here for a team looking for a SG/PG upgrade.
But if they keep the pick, look for them to take a guy like James Harden or DeMar DeRozan who can team with Nick Young to provide them with some backcourt scoring off the bench.
The Pick: James Harden, SG - Arizona
#6 - Minnesota Timberwolves
Here's a team who isn't going to be looking for size when they've got Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. So the T'Wolves will be ready to take their pick from the litany of swingmen that are available in the 5-10 range. Corey Brewer hasn't quite worked out and Randy Foye is better not being counted on to be a pure point guard. So look for them to look at DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Jennings to fill one of those needs. I think the fact that they need a pure point will steer them away from Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans. I give the edge to Jennings as the Wolves look to build from the ground up and know that Sebastian Telfair isn't the PG to do that.
The Pick: Brandon Jennings, PG - Italy
#7 - Golden State Warriors
Does anyone know what Done Nelson is really thinking? Doubtful. So trying to forecast what they'll do with this pick is damn near impossible. They're still trying to replace Baron Davis and are know that Monta Ellis will probably never be comfortable at the point. That would suggest trying to address that need with Stephen Curry or Jrue Holiday. But given the unpredictable nature of the Warriors roster, I'm going to guess that they look at the potential freakish upside of Tyreke Evans and become enamored with it.
The Pick: Tyreke Evans, SG - Memphis
#8 - New York Knicks
This pick has been rumored to be where Stephen Curry will go at the lowest. That's because Curry is a guy who many people think fits Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo stlye very well. His ability to shoot, high basketball IQ, and developing PG skills should help D'Antoni begin to mold this team the way he wants going into the summer of 2010. If they don't take Curry, I'd look for them to go with the athleticism and upside of DeMar DeRozan to fill the void of Nate Robinson's likely departure.
The Pick: Stephen Curry, PG - Davidson
#9 - Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are looking at the very real possibility that this will be their last season with Chris Bosh, which is frightening to Raptors fans. However, they're definitely not going to be finding anything resembling a replacement at this spot. But there are a couple players they could look at with big potential: DeRozan and Wake Forest PF James Johnson. Johnson is a bit undersized but makes up for it with his athleticism and his versatility may even allow him to play alongside Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. DeRozan would be an immediate upgrade over free-agent Anthony Parker and his ability to attack the basket would be a good contrast to the players they have that like to hang around the 3-point line. The fact that Bosh could be on his way out gives the nod to Johnson.
The Pick: James Johnson, PF - Wake Forest
#10 - Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are faced with losing both Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions to free agency this offseason and will be trying to figure out how to improve a team that has been a bit stagnant in recent years. They get Michael Redd back from a knee injury, and are still looking for a solid big man to pair with former #1 pick Andrew Bogut. The Bucks were a rumored destination for Zach Randolph during the season, and those talks could be rekindled now that the Clippers have the #1 pick. If so, a deal could be struck centering around Randolph-for-Richard Jefferson, which would fill a need for both teams, but only if the Bucks think Randolph is sane enough to bring in. With no big man worth this pick and me not believing that Jrue Holiday is going to stay in the lottery, the trade would allow the Bucks to draft DeRozan and plug him into the SF spot vacated by the outgoing Jefferson.
The Pick: DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF - USC
So there you go...my first run at the Top 10. Like I said, much will change when players start individual workouts and go through the pre-draft camps, so we will revisit this in about a month to see what's changed: who's in and who's out, whose stock has risen and whose has fallen.
Anyways, this will be a rough, Top 10 only mock draft. I plan to have a revised mock as we close in on the draft. At that point, we will know which underclassmen will be returning to school and will get a better read on the draft stocks of some players once individual workouts and the draft camps are completed, which will also help with a more in-depth mock of the entire first round.
So to start it off, with the 1st pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select: Blake Griffin, PF - University of Oklahoma.This is the no-brainer. Only talent in this draft that can be considered a sure (or close to sure) thing. The guy put up legit numbers as a sophomore on a good team against top competition. He brought it every night and displayed enough athleticism to still put up 14.4 rpg despite having less than ideal size for a PF. It's hard not to like a guy who coulda been a Top 5-10 pick after his freshman year, wasn't satisfied, came back and worked his tail off to become the presumptive #1 pick.
The funny thing is, of all the teams in the Top 7 or so in the draft lottery, for a draft that has really 2 premier talents (a PF and a PG in Spain's Ricky Rubio), the team that won the lottery is the only one that doesn't have an opening for either. Griffin would be joining a Clippers team with a ridiculous amount of money tied up in Chris Kaman and Zach Randolph (not to mention one more year of Marcus Camby), so they would ideally like to move one or three of them in trades. Problem is, there is ZERO trade value currently in Randolph and close to none on Kaman because of their contracts. Camby can be a legitimate trade chip in February with his expiring deal so they'd prefer not to move him just yet. If they had gotten #2 and targeted Rubio, they could at least have a bit of an easier time shopping Baron Davis. That said, it's not even close to a valid excuse to draft Rubio #1 over Griffin. Plus, as the Clippers, they'd probably botch any attempt to trade down so they're best served minimizing the chance they screw this up and just take Blake.
The Pick: Blake Griffin, PF - Oklahoma
#2 - Memphis GrizzliesThis team deserves a break. They've been in the lottery almost as often as the Clippers since their inception, yet have never received the #1 pick, most notably in 2003 when the #1 pick (which they would have been allowed to keep) would have gotten them LeBron, but they got the #2 and had to give the pick to the Pistons as per the Otis Thorpe trade....so sad.
Anyways, the Grizz would have been a great fit for Griffin because of the young pieces in place at each other starting position (Gasol, Gay, Mayo, Conley), but that's not going to be the case. What GM Chris Wallace needs to do is not overreact and take UConn's Hasheem Thabeet over Ricky Rubio. I've already read some buzz about that being a possibility, but that should just stop now.
Rubio is light years ahead of Mike Conley Jr., despite being even younger, and his size and pass-first nature would be a perfect compliment to OJ Mayo in the Memphis backcourt that would now have the potential to be among the NBA's best in 2-3 years. Plus, on the upside, Conley is still young enough to have pretty decent trade value, as asset the Grizz can't create if they draft Thabeet. They should set their sights on Rubio and relax knowing their backcourt is SET. If you want a full breakdown of just how good Ricky Rubio is, watch this or read any of Morales' glowing reviews.
The Pick: Ricky Rubio, PG - Spain
#3 - Oklahoma City ThunderOKC almost hit the jackpot again by winning the lottery and getting the right to draft Griffin, who happens to be from Oklahoma City. However, the Thunder still find themselves in a good spot. The most likely pick is the consensus #3 pick in Hasheem Thabeet. In Thabeet, they would get the interior defense and shotblocking they thought they were getting at the trade deadline in the Tyson Chandler trade. Now they can just draft a taller, better defensive player (who will come much cheaper) and hope he develops offensively. With the other offensive talent on the team, he won't be under much pressure to be a big-time scorer early on.
But the Thunder would still be ready to gobble up Rubio if the Grizz passed on him. Although they have a point guard they love in 2008 lottery pick Russell Westbrook, he is not quite the pure point Rubio is. Rubio's size and defense would allow them to play Westbrook off the ball at the 2. Only downside being that that would be a very poor jump-shooting backcourt, but unmatched in athleticism. A darkhorse candidate is ASU's James Harden. He would provide them with a solid shooter to hit the open shots created by the drives of Kevin Durant and Westbrook.
The Pick: Hasheem Thabeet, C - Connecticut
#4 - Sacramento KingsWell, talk about the lottery not quite going quite as hoped for. The Kings became the latest team to not reap the "benefits" of finishing with the league's worst record. This is a team that could have seriously used Griffin or Rubio immensely, and even Thabeet to a degree. After those three, the dropoff is significant. Of the next 5-7 guys in the draft, most are swingmen or combo guards. They already have a budding star in Kevin Martin, so Kings biggest perimeter need is a pure point. Unfortunately, there isn't another pure point worthy of being the #4, and the ones considered PGs are Davidson's Stephen Curry (converted SG) and Jrue Holiday (unimpressive freshman season at UCLA). So the Kings could either add a SF with a lot of upside (DeMar DeRozan) or a big guy that can bring toughness and energy (Jordan Hill). I think the fact that they need to get something of value out of this pick after finishing an NBA-worst 17-65 will push them towards Hill over the talented, but untested, freshman DeRozan.
The Pick: Jordan Hill, PF - Arizona
#5 - Washington WizardsAnother team that got hosed on Lottery Night, the Wizards dropped from #2 to #5 thanks to the bounce of the ping pong balls. But picking at 5 isn't too bad when this team is going to be adding a (supposedly) healthy Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood to the mix next season. The question is, can the Wizards contend with that plus the #5 pick? If not, they could try to do what they did a few years back in shipping the #5 pick to Dallas for Antawn Jamison. So if they want to try to contend now, they could pick up a veteran rather than bring in a rookie. Which is probably better because their isn't much size after Jordan Hill, which is their biggest need. So I expect a deal here for a team looking for a SG/PG upgrade.
But if they keep the pick, look for them to take a guy like James Harden or DeMar DeRozan who can team with Nick Young to provide them with some backcourt scoring off the bench.
The Pick: James Harden, SG - Arizona
#6 - Minnesota TimberwolvesHere's a team who isn't going to be looking for size when they've got Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. So the T'Wolves will be ready to take their pick from the litany of swingmen that are available in the 5-10 range. Corey Brewer hasn't quite worked out and Randy Foye is better not being counted on to be a pure point guard. So look for them to look at DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Jennings to fill one of those needs. I think the fact that they need a pure point will steer them away from Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans. I give the edge to Jennings as the Wolves look to build from the ground up and know that Sebastian Telfair isn't the PG to do that.
The Pick: Brandon Jennings, PG - Italy
#7 - Golden State WarriorsDoes anyone know what Done Nelson is really thinking? Doubtful. So trying to forecast what they'll do with this pick is damn near impossible. They're still trying to replace Baron Davis and are know that Monta Ellis will probably never be comfortable at the point. That would suggest trying to address that need with Stephen Curry or Jrue Holiday. But given the unpredictable nature of the Warriors roster, I'm going to guess that they look at the potential freakish upside of Tyreke Evans and become enamored with it.
The Pick: Tyreke Evans, SG - Memphis
#8 - New York KnicksThis pick has been rumored to be where Stephen Curry will go at the lowest. That's because Curry is a guy who many people think fits Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo stlye very well. His ability to shoot, high basketball IQ, and developing PG skills should help D'Antoni begin to mold this team the way he wants going into the summer of 2010. If they don't take Curry, I'd look for them to go with the athleticism and upside of DeMar DeRozan to fill the void of Nate Robinson's likely departure.
The Pick: Stephen Curry, PG - Davidson
#9 - Toronto RaptorsThe Raptors are looking at the very real possibility that this will be their last season with Chris Bosh, which is frightening to Raptors fans. However, they're definitely not going to be finding anything resembling a replacement at this spot. But there are a couple players they could look at with big potential: DeRozan and Wake Forest PF James Johnson. Johnson is a bit undersized but makes up for it with his athleticism and his versatility may even allow him to play alongside Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. DeRozan would be an immediate upgrade over free-agent Anthony Parker and his ability to attack the basket would be a good contrast to the players they have that like to hang around the 3-point line. The fact that Bosh could be on his way out gives the nod to Johnson.
The Pick: James Johnson, PF - Wake Forest
#10 - Milwaukee BucksThe Bucks are faced with losing both Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions to free agency this offseason and will be trying to figure out how to improve a team that has been a bit stagnant in recent years. They get Michael Redd back from a knee injury, and are still looking for a solid big man to pair with former #1 pick Andrew Bogut. The Bucks were a rumored destination for Zach Randolph during the season, and those talks could be rekindled now that the Clippers have the #1 pick. If so, a deal could be struck centering around Randolph-for-Richard Jefferson, which would fill a need for both teams, but only if the Bucks think Randolph is sane enough to bring in. With no big man worth this pick and me not believing that Jrue Holiday is going to stay in the lottery, the trade would allow the Bucks to draft DeRozan and plug him into the SF spot vacated by the outgoing Jefferson.
The Pick: DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF - USC
So there you go...my first run at the Top 10. Like I said, much will change when players start individual workouts and go through the pre-draft camps, so we will revisit this in about a month to see what's changed: who's in and who's out, whose stock has risen and whose has fallen.
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