Mock Draft: How will the Bobcats screw this up?

Ok fans, here is my highly anticipated (read:  not anticipated by anyone) NBA mock draft.  For each lottery pick I'm going to put down my best guess, followed by a "likely alternative," basically my next best guess.  Here we go:

1.  Cleveland Cavaliers - Nerlens Noel - C
Gotta think the Cavs go with the popular pick here.  Tons of upside.  Watch out for Bismack Biyombo 2.0 though.
Likely alternative:  Alex Len

2.  Orlando Magic - Ben McLemore - G
The Magic were really bad last year and need help on the perimeter.  McLemore is a high-upside scoring machine.
Likely alternative:  Victor Oladipo or Trade

3.  Washington Wizards - Otto Porter - F
Porter makes too much sense here.  The Wizards need a SF, Porter is an SF.  The Wiz have the pieces to maybe be in the playoff hunt next year
Likely alternative:  Trade down

4.  Charlotte Bobcats - Victor Oladipo - G
This is my hope.  As I wrote earlier, the 'cats need winners.  Who knows what happens to Gerald Henderson or MKG, but Oladipo could be a special player
Likely alternative:  Len, Noel, Zeller or trade down to mid-first round and take an unproven European player who never develops

5.  Phoenix Suns - Alex Len - C
Phoenix needs guards, but Len is probably too good to pass up here given his potential.
Likely alternative - Trey Burke

6.  New Orleans Pelicans - Trey Burke - PG
Austin Rivers is terrible.  I will be shocked if they don't draft guard.
Likely alternative - Michael Carter-Williams

7.  Sacramento Kings - Anthony Bennett - SF/PF
Enjoy your moment tonight, Anthony.  If you go the way of last year's lottery pick Thomas Robinson, we'll never hear from you until you are traded mid-season.
Likely alternative - CJ McCollum

Part 2 Coming Soon

Why the Charlotte Bobcats should draft Victor Oladipo

I’ll admit it.  I had no idea Victor Oladipo would be a likely top 5 pick six months ago, and honestly, I don’t think anyone else did either.  Oladipo, the 6-4 guard out of Indiana, put together a stellar junior season, averaging 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting nearly 60% from the floor and 75% from the line.  I began paying closer attention to Oladipo in January when a friend from school (whatup, Indira!) wore an awesome Oladipo shirt to school, that and he was carrying the preseason #1 Hoosiers while Zeller was getting exposed left and right.  Quietly, Oladipo developed into the team leader, a stellar defender and a very capable scorer from the wing.  He has elite athleticism and plays defense with uncommon intensity.  Players with those tools do not fail in the NBA.

But wait! Didn’t the Bobcats draft a similar player last year in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?  Why yes, they did.  So, why should the Bobs grab Oladipo at no. 4?  First, the Bobcats aren’t good enough to assume any player, other than maybe Kemba Walker, is good enough right now to be an actual building block for the future.  MKG can’t shoot.  Henderson will probably leave for free agency even if the ‘cats draft a big man, and if he doesn’t, he can easily play alongside Oladipo.  Second, when you are as bad as the Bobcats, you draft the best player available regardless of position, and that player is Oladipo.  Finally, Victor (we’ve gotten to first name basis) does not have the questions marks that burden the other top prospects.  He doesn’t have McLemore’s baggage (or his sweet 3-pt shot), he hasn’t torn his ACL yet, or his rotator cuff, nor does he have a stress fracture in his ankle (plus other college basketball players aren’t puzzled why he is consideration at the top of the draft). 

Even though Oladipo’s skill set doesn't squarely match one of the Bobcat’s most glaring needs – a big man, 3 point shooting – he does possess the tenacity that a young team striving for an identity needs.  Drafting Oladipo will add another solid piece to the Bobcat’s core.  When you are terrible no one will question if you take a high risk-high reward player like Len or Noel, but if you want to be competitive, you have to have the horses to get you wins.

Last thing – we all saw what Kawhi Leonard did in the Finals, right?  I think Oladipo might be better.  

Bobcats Draft Preview - Who should replace Byron Mullins?

Last season Charlotte Bobcats starting power forward Byron Mullins averaged 10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and half a block a game.  Normally, teams want their big men to play at or around the block to generate high percentage shots, open up the perimeter for wing players and to rebound.  As the NBA Finals has shown, small ball is becoming more than just a trend; it is becoming the norm for many teams, and at minimum a set teams must be able to turn to in a crunch.  Mullins fits the mold of a stretch-4, think Chris Bosh or Dirk, in theory, but not in practice.  Why? BJ Mullins is not good.  He is, in fact, awful.  I told a friend (and future contributor to this blog, Gene) last year that Mullins was probably the worst regular starter in the NBA, and I challenge our reader to prove me wrong.  Mullins loves to shot from the perimeter, doesn’t really mix it up in the post and rebounds when convenient.  Mullins is 7 feet tall and only shot .385/.317/.646 (fg%,3pt%,ft%).  To put this in perspective, noted Knicks gunner J.R. Smith, a guy who has never had a bad look at the hoop, shot .393 from the floor and .371 from three in his WORST season.  The Charlotte Bobcats have to improve in the post or they will continue to be the Houston Astros of the NBA.  When Byron Mullins is your team’s best big man, your team is terrible.  (I am not going to discuss Bismack Biyombo in this space right now – his verdict is still out.  He will end up somewhere between a rich man’s Alexis Ajinca and Serge Ibaka.)

Why did I mention any of this?  Well, the two most likely candidates for the Bobcats in Thursday’s draft are both big men, so it seems likely the ‘cats will address their most dire need.  Alex Len is a 7-foot center out of Maryland, and Anthony Bennett is a 6-7ish combo forward who reminds me of my favorite childhood Hornet, Larry Johnson. 

We’ll go with Len first.  I watch a lot of ACC basketball and saw plenty of Len over the last two years.  He can score around the basket and protect the rim.  Even though he did not necessarily dominate games, you always knew where he was on the court.  Another plus for Len is his gymnastics background and that it’s possible he is a Ukrainian spy.  The guy isn’t a stiff and is a player who should get better over time.  On the other hand Len is still raw, regularly got in foul trouble, and will have a very tough time scoring in the NBA.  Another question mark is the stress fracture in his ankle.  Len will not be able to participate in the summer league and will not likely be ready to contribute from day 1.

I have been a big fan of Anthony Bennett for the entire draft season until recently when I heard some devastating commentary out of Charlotte:  Bennett has a little Sean May in him.  Typically being compared to a formed Final Four MVP and lottery pick is a good thing, but not when that player ate his way out of the NBA and now make a living in Europe and is more known for his twitter commentary than his game (follow him @BigMay42).  The rumor is that Bennett has put on a good bit of weight since his rotator cuff injury.  Weight problems or not, Bennett was an animal during his one year at UNLV.  He can rebound, shoot, mix it up in the post, dribble, and is a powerful force on D.  Bennett also has “tremendous upside potential.”

If I were in the room with Rich Cho before he calls MJ on the golf course to let him know who the Bobcats draft, I’d make the case for Bennett.  He has a skill set the Bobcats do not have, plus Len’s ankle scares me.  Both of these players fit the Bobcats biggest need and either would be a welcome asset to the team.  However, given all the players who may be available, there is someone else I like more than both of these players and his review is coming up next.

Best of the 2012-2013 NBA Season, Eastern Conference

Well, that was fun. Amazing happened.

With the recent conclusion of the NBA season, it is easy to forget all of the great stories in the wake of the Miami Heat's ascendancy into a borderline dynasty. But that is a different conversation that has been literally beaten into the ground by real sporting news outlets. Let's recall some of the good that we witnessed in the Eastern Conference this season that we may have forgotten...

1. LeBron

He was the unequivocally the best, but I think we have all OD'ed on the slow-motion coronation of King James. Next topic.

2. The NY Knicks

The Knickerbockers finally won a playoff series for the first time in 12 years. The Mike Woodson "spread the floor and fire away" approach to basketball was perfect for this team, setting a league record for most three's made in a season with 4 games to spare. J.R. Smith had a great regular season, earning the sixth man of the year award. Carmelo's stretch in early April when he averaged 40 points over 6 games was a sight to behold. Hopefully an increasingly injury-raddled and obsolete Amar'e Stoudemire can miraculously heal and help lead this team to the promised land, namely sequential playoff series wins.

3. Paul George

The guy with the most average name in the NBA did some pretty un-average things in the regular and post-season. He did not all of a sudden emerge during the Heat series. That was just when most of us noticed how good this kid is. He was a fantasy stalwart on my team all season long, emerging to fill the void that the Danny Granger injury left. The Pacers have a baller that will ball at a high level for a long time.

Yes, naysayers, I realize that I have simply reflected the Eastern conference standings in this post. Good things come to those that wait.

4. The Chicago Bulls' Grit

Sans Derrick Rose. Seriously, as good as the NBA (post) season was, can you imagine the mayhem that would've ensued had Derrick Rose returned mid-series against the Heat? In the era of supposed NBA on-court apathy (and the tired complaints of how professional basketball players don't try), how great was it to watch the little giant Nate Robinson on the sidelines losing his lunch one minute, and the next minute pulling this out of his bag of tricks? (Kris, we know, double dribble!) As we often learn, grit doesn't put the ball in the basket. Even Uncle Drew knows that this game is, and always will be, about buckets. Once-MVP Rose could've helped in that department.

5. Bucks' Hero Ball

Once upon a time during my recreational soccer glory days, my team was short a player and the overzealous soccer moms on our team had the brilliant idea of sneaking my little brother onto my team to fill the space. Three years my junior, I was a bit worried for his safety, but he ended up being all-conference at his high school, so the kid could ball. Despite giving up on average 50 or 60 pounds to his adversaries, he had a few moments where he made the older kids look silly, but on the whole was irrelevant. That was the Bucks series, my little brother was Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, and the kids that could legitimately beat my brother were LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and company.

The Bucks are the most entertaining bad team to watch this season due to a glorious form of hero ball. They really need to lose the 1980's Christmas color scheme, though.

6. Dinosaur Bosh

Velociraptor. Praying Mantis. Alien. Weird. Another reason to hate on the Heat.

But everyone can agree on this.

Best of the 2012-2013 Western Conference is up next.

Bobcats Draft Preview: Ben McLemore

I spent a lot of time watching Kansas basketball last season (thanks @cassiefago!), so I feel very confident when I say Ben McLemore could be a tremendous pro.  He easily has the athleticism to compete from day 1, and has one of the best shots you’ll find in a young player.  McLemore wasn't asked to be a “slasher” very often in college, that was Travis Releford’s role, or operate as the team leader.  Many pundits have knocked McLemore for a lack of desire, but I think that has more to do with his college situation than natural passivity.  On the other hand, there could be something to his recurring workout issues.

McLemore fits the mold for the new age “2” in the NBA.  Today, the ability to hit 3’s from multiple spots is important, and that is McLemore’s biggest asset.  He can also defend on the pick and roll, put the ball on the floor enough to not be a liability (i.e. Danny Green in games 6/7) and finish around the basket.  To put it simply, I think McLemore is going to be great.  The next question is:  would be a great fit on the Bobcats?  This is a tricky question because the Bobcats best three players are on the perimeter – Kemba, MKG and Henderson.  McLemore’s game is most closely comparable to Hendo who happens to be up for free agency and will probably command between 5 – 8 million dollars a year.  Though the ‘cats were atrocious last season, Hendo had a nice year (15.5/3.7/2.6 on .447/.330/.824) and probably should be re-signed at the right price.  Ramon Sessions and Jeffrey Taylor are capable reserves and create a logjam for minutes at the 2/3.  Essentially, drafting McLemore and keeping Henderson doesn't make a whole lot sense, and would likely spell the end for Henderson in Charlotte.  The Bobcats biggest need remains in the front court, and although McLemore could be the best player of the draft, I don’t think drafting him at the expense of our second best player is the best strategy moving forward.

One final note:  Ben McLemore is a revolutionary when it comes to post-win locker room celebrations.

NBA Draft 2013 - Charlotte Bobcats

Welcome to Bald Don't Lie - a blog about sports (North Carolina teams / Washington Nationals centric)  and politics.  I want to start by taking a look at the upcoming NBA Draft.  It is looking more and more likely that the Charlotte Bobcats will manage to draft a valuable player in Thursday's draft.  Nerlens Noel, Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo and Alex Len all could be available at the fourth pick.  Over the next few days I'll take a look at how each of these players may fit into the Bobcats future and conclude with my predictions for the lottery.

Nerlens Noel - A super-athletic, long, springy power forward with tremendous potential as a disruptive presence on the defensive side.  His offense was spotty during his only season at Kentucky, and you have to think that at 210-215 pounds, he will have a difficult time scoring in the NBA.  With the way the game is evolving, having a player that can block, rebound and get up and down the floor will be a big time asset.  His ACL injury is the biggest downside since Noel might not even be able to play until the second half of the season. Another concern is Noel's similarities to Bismack Biyombo.  The Bobcats already have an uberathletic, defensive-minded PF with limited offensive game.  If the 'cats are going to add to the front court, they need someone who can score in the front court - both actually have the ability to score, unlike Biyombo, and play near the hoop, unlike Byron Mullins.  Most mock drafts have Noel going no. 1, but www.nbadraft.net has actually moved Noel down to the Suns at no. 5.  If available, the Bobcats could stash him on the DL for a while and continue being awful and wait for the loaded 2014 class.  However, if the Bobcats want any momentum heading into the Hornets renaissance they need to build on their 21 wins from last season and develop a culture of winning (or at least be regularly competitive), and Noel might not be the best player for wins.