5 Things: Draft Special

The NBA Draft is tonight and with a very weak draft class, there should be some very interesting moves made. Only hours away:

5) International Men of Mystery: Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, Jan Vesely, and Donatas Motiejunas (Josh loves the Donatas). What do all these names have in common? They're all projected top 20 picks, European, and most likely busts. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Euros are soft except for the Dirk. Kanter has very limited game footage to evaluate and he's being drafted solely on potential and individual workouts (see Darko Milicic) which is usually not great. He's also sat out for a whole year while practicing with the Kentucky Wildcats. Valanciunas, Vesely, and Motiejunas are basically typical Euro-hyped prospects that are very tall and long and have a "good motor," whatever that means. One of these guys may actually be good, but there's been too many Nikoloz Tskitishvili's in the past to make me believe in these guys.  

4) Potential & Sleepers: Bismack Biyombo, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, and the Morris Twins. What do these guys have most in common? They're probably the most hyped players in the draft that are continuing to soar up the draft boards. I love Klay Thompson's game a lot and he's got great blood lines. He's an excellent scorer and he really reminds me of Kevin Martin. I also like Kawhi Leonard because I think he does everything well, but nothing great. He's getting comparisons to Gerald Wallace and I think he'll need time to develop and contribute the way Wallace has in his career. Leonard is still very young and very raw. As for the Morris Twins and Biyombo, I don't really like them too much. Marcus Morris the better prospect is an undersized power forward that wants to be a small forward, he's pretty cocky and claims he has a better mid-range game than Carmelo. He also believes that he and his brother are better than the Lopez twins. Really? Markieff may end up being the better twin brother in the end, but he should have spent one more year in college. Bismack Biyombo is considered to be Ben Wallace 2.0. With him, it's a hit or miss. He will either be a beast or a bust. Serge Ibaka or Adonal Foyle (No offense buddy). He has no offensive game whatsoever, but he's "19" and may develop into a great player, and he is definitely the most intriguing player in this draft.

While the players mentioned above are getting all the shine, there are a couple of guys in this draft that I think are not getting enough love. The first one is Tristan Thompson, After playing only one season at Texas, I compare him to Marcus Morris and if he had played another 2 seasons at Texas, he could have been a much better prospect than Morris and a potential top 5 pick. He's still young so he'll need time to develop, but he is already an excellent offensive rebounder and a great weak side defender. The offensive game will come and he just needs to work on being more consistent. Marshon Brooks and Josh Selby are two players with stocks going in opposite directions. Brooks' is going up while Selby's has been declining since he graduated high school. However, I like both guys. Brooks is your poor man's Kemba or Jimmer in this draft and he will just fill it up. An amazing scorer and underrated rebounder (7 rpg). Selby was considered by some as the best freshman in the class of 2010. However his freshman season was cut in half due to receiving improper benefits and while he played for Kansas he never really seemed to fit or provide the impact that was expected of him. He's undersized as a shooting guard and his attitude is a question mark, but his potential is what could make him special.  Lastly, Justin Harper. He's a faceup power forward that played four years at Richmond so his game is pretty polished. He's good with his feet and has a solid shooting touch making him great for the pick and pop. Watching him in the tournamnet makes me believe that even though he'll be 22 by opening night, he can still develop a solid back-to-the-basket game and become a David West-type power forward in the league.

3) Kemba vs. Jimmer: The two were the darlings of the college season, one a national champion & player of the year, the other a legend all across the nation from the Great Salt Lake to the mecca of basketball. As their collegiate careers came to a close, the pandemonium surrounding the two did not stop. Jimmer was asked to stop attending classes while Kemba's championship run rocketed his stock into the top 10 of most mock draft boards. Kemba's game has not been as knit-picked as Jimmer, as he's drawing comparisons to Tim Hardaway and from me, Allen Iverson. He's quick with a killer crossover, a consistently improving jumper, and he posesses that "it." That killer instinct that only few players possess. The only criticism I have of him is that he'll be a score first point guard and he's a little undersized, but Cardiac Kemba will be just fine in the league.

The bigger question is Jimmer Fredette. One day he's projected to go as high as 7th to the Kings and the next day he drops to 17th to the Knicks. He's gotten comparisons to Adam Morrison, J.J. Reddick, Mark Price, any other great white scorer at the collegiate level, and even Eddie House. The one sure thing about Jimmer is that he will sell tickets especially if he becomes a Jazz (collegiate city) or Knick (hometown team). He's been criticized for his lack of size, his lack of defense, and his inability to play without the ball, but I see something special in this guy. I believe he will be to basketball what Tim Tebow is to football. It's hard to not cheer for Jimmer. He's a great guy and he's worked really hard to become the player that he is. He doesn't lack the confidence and is a strong competitor. The dude is straight chiseled, he can create his own shot, he can shoot the lights out, and given the right team he can definitely succeed. Ben Gordon is who he will be in this league, remember that folks.     

2)  Trades Galore: Every season during the draft, there are plenty of trades made. Veterans and superstars traded for high lottery picks, trades for cash, and trades for future draft picks five years later are all a part of the extravaganza. With a weak free agency, an inevitable lockout on its way, and an unknown CBA to be determined, there will be plenty of moves made before the NBA is officially closed with no business. Already rumored to go are veteran point guards like Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Baron Davis, and Raymond Felton. There has been a Pau Gasol for Kevin Love and the 2nd Pick proposed, Andre Iguodala and Josh Smith have been mentioned, and one of the craziest proposals I heard while watching ESPN's Around the Horn yesterday was Jeff Van Gundy suggesting LeBron James being traded for Dwight Howard. Teams are going to be desperate to make moves knowing there's exactly one week left to do it, so expect a lot of action tonight. There are so many crazy trades that may happen and some will definitely happen.   

 1) The Best Player in the Draft Will Be: Brandon Knight. Yup I said Brandon Knight. Why? In the words of my favorite commentator, Bill Raftery, the man has "Onions!" He is super clutch and besides that I love his size (6'3, 185, and long) and smarts on and off the court (4.0 student, Academic All-American). I've always loved his game and in his only season at Kentucky, he was able to lead his team one round further than John Wall did his Freshman season. His game is just like his hype in the draft, quiet. He's not flashy and he won't blow you away, but he will be consistent and he will be a very good developing point guard for many years in the league.  He can also play shooting guard and he reminds me of Jrue Holiday with more size and athleticism. Despite the knock on his ball-handling, I personally like him more than Kyrie Irving, and he's probably the most sure thing in this draft besides...

Chris Singleton. I think Chris Singleton is highly underrated and is the best overall defender in this draft. He is not going to be a great scorer and isn't very quick, but he is athletic, strong, and big (6'9, 225). He can shoot the rock and he is a very good rebounder especially on the offensive glass. His stock is decent, but probably would have been better if he had not broken his foot and missed 8 weeks of the season. His impact was felt however in the later rounds of the tournament when he returned. He most likely won't be a superstar in this league, but he will be a very good starting small forward for many years.

Other than these two guys, and Kyrie Irving, I believe that every player in this draft is a question mark and being an expert at evaluating prospects is impossible, but that's what makes the draft so great. Who knows, maybe when it's all said and done, Jimmer Fredette may be a superstar scorer and Bismack Biyombo becomes the greatest shot blocking, defensive forward the league has ever seen. You never know and that is why tonight's draft is worth watching.

Winning the Right Way.

“This is an old bunch. We don’t run fast or jump high. These guys had each other’s backs. We played the right way. We trusted the pass. This is a phenomenal thing for the city of Dallas.” - Rick Carlisle

In the NBA, experience and trust prevail over everything. Teamwork is the key to success and individual talent is overrated. It can only take a team so far. It takes the right blend of talent and personalities filling specific roles to create a championship team. I've always believed that experience is the key to winning and I had been riding the veteran teams (Lakers, Celtics, Spurs) all season. As the Playoffs progressed and all these teams were being eliminated by the young, up-and-coming teams of the league, I found myself shamefully rooting for the Miami Heat. I won't admit to being a bandwagon fan because I truly hate the Heat. I have no respect for LeBron James and his massive ego and it was a shame to see him turn likable guys like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh into villains of the league. However, I couldn't help but cheer for great basketball and the Miami Heat were doing just that in the first three rounds of the Playoffs. It certainly seemed like these guys would change the blueprint of creating a dynasty in the NBA, but that's where I forgot about the history of the game.

Besides Magic Johnson, everyone has to pay their dues before they win a ring. It took Mike 7 years to finally beat the Pistons and win his first. I can still vividly remember when I was 6 years old watching Kobe Bryant as a rookie hoist three straight air balls in overtime of an elimination game in Utah. The fans erupted screaming, "Airball!" after every miss. Kobe didn't win his first ring until his fourth season and if you want to discredit the Shaq rings, then it took Kobe 12 years to be the leader of a championship team. Everyone has to pay their dues even the best. Even the first super team of the new era, the Boston Celtics of 2008, had to lose individually before winning together. Kevin Garnett made it out of the first round only once on the T-Wolves and Ray Allen only had four career Playoff appearances and Paul Pierce as well. All three of them advancing as far as the Conference Finals only once.

As the Mavericks finished off the Heat last night and the celebration began, I couldn't help but notice the genuine happiness and the look of relief on each player's face. Years of disappointment and failures lifted off their shoulders. Each players' experience in the league had contributed to making this team work. Each one of the players besides Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones, and Corey Brewer have had long journeys to get to this championship plateau.The stories very intriguing to me and I can't help but reflect on each players' road to being a champion. 

Of course when a team wins a title, the accolades usually go to the players, but I'll start with the mind that put this all together and the man who deserves a ton of credit for his minor adjustments in the Finals that proved game-changing, coach Rick Carlisle. As a head coach, I felt like Rick Carlisle always got the bitter end of the stick. When he was the Pistons coach, he was fired right before the team reached its peak and he was never given full credit for leading a team with its main attraction being Ben Wallace and its  two best scorers being Mehmet Okur and Chauncey Billups to two division titles. Carlisle moved onto the Indiana Pacers and in his first season, led the Pacers to the NBA's best regular-season record, but they would lose to Larry Brown and the Pistons in the Conference Finals thanks to Reggie Miller's legs. The following season, Carlisle had a team that was a definite title contender, but the Malice in the Palace changed all that. A couple mediocre seasons after that in Indiana left Carlisle working for ESPN for a year. Carlisle would be hired by the Mavs in 2008 and the coach and team shared the same characteristic, greatness always underachieving. His first two seasons were disappointments in the Playoffs, losing in the first round, but this was the season where it all came together, finally. The first round = perseverance. The second round = Peja Stojakovic. The Conference Finals = Shawn Marion & Dirk Nowitzki. The Finals = Jason Terry, J.J. Barea, & the zone defense. Everything was coached to perfection, match-ups were set correctly (Jason Kidd on D-Wade), rotations were excellent (J.J. Barea for DeShawn Stevenson), positioning was flawless (move Dirk from low post to high post), every detail was important and executed correctly. Rick Carlisle was the mastermind behind the success and after years of being looked over and all the Jim Carey jokes, he finally gets the credit he deserves for being a great coach in this league.

Now to the players. The Mavericks winning this championship was an entire team effort. Everyone contributed at some point in this run and I'll begin with the tough guys and the guy who couldn't play, Caron Butler. Butler was supposed to be a huge part of this team this year, Dirk's sidekick, but a torn patellar tendon in his right knee cost him the season. For "Tough Juice" it's been a struggle his whole career, but he wins where he began his career, in South Beach, and his injury this year may have actually been a turning point for the team because it allowed Shawn Marion to be in the starting lineup at small forward. Shawn Marion is another former Heat that always seems to be the best player on a team that gets unnoticed. In his tenure in Phoenix, the Matrix was a perennial all-star and stat-stuffer. 1 of only 5 players to be a part of the 1500 steals/1000 blocks club, Shawn Marion has always been a great player on the wrong team. His stats were exaggerated on the run-and-gun Suns, his tenure in Miami was forgettable, and I didn't even remember him being on the Raptors. The Matrix was a perfect fit for these Mavericks and his game was much needed. Always unorthodox, unselfish, and able to play any style of basketball, he brought defense, energy, and flip shots that were uncommon to the culture in Dallas.  

Now to the all important bench players, and I mean it with the utmost respect. Brian "The Custodian" Cardinal was a walking punchline for Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy in the Finals, but what he lacks in athleticism and skill he demonstrates with toughness, hard hard fouls, and an occasional three. A vagabond through out his career, he's always been resilient and he was always my favorite white Warrior in the mid 2000s (sorry Mike D and Troy). Ian Mahimmi hit that buzzer-beater to end the third last night, big shot, honestly. He was not phased by replacing Brendan Haywood. Brendan Haywood ---> looks like a Ninja Turtle, but he might be one of the best back-up centers in the league. Willing to come off the bench after starting his whole career, he is an ultimate team player.  DeShawn Stevenson another former Wizard, really impressed me with his defense, and hit timely threes in the first half. Compared to Michael Jordan coming out of high school,  he's been kind of a joke his entire career, but he really isn't too bad of a player. I am quite amazed that he and Soulja Boy have won their war against LeBron James and Jay-Z. Lastly, Peja Stojakovic. His career actually ended in 2004, but he returned for one round of the Playoffs this year. Peja was a part of those glorious series against the Lakers in the early 2000s which resulted in Playoff exits every year as he played on, in my opinion, the best team in my lifetime to never win a title. All those losses in the past were forgotten this year as Peja sunk the Lakers with three after three and played a big part in this year's championship run.

The next two guys are the x-factors, and the guys that I feel took away the "softeness" that defined the Mavericks and I'll begin with the one that got away...Tyson Chandler. I say that being a Thunder fan, and he was the perfect center for that team. The rescinded trade proved beneficial to the Mavs and Mark Cuban took a huge risk signing him, and it paid off immensely. Chandler looked like the all-star caliber center he was in 2007 and it was his interior defense that made it difficult for LeBron and D-Wade to drive the lane. The other guy, I absolutely hate, but he is magic, J.J. Barea. He lives the perfect life, he stands about 5 feet tall but plays with the heart of a giant. The man hits miraculous lay-ups and crazy floaters, and he's an absolute pest on both ends of the floor, but it's so effective. I want to break the guy's legs, but I can't help but appreciate the player he is and how he made the league and became a huge part of the Mavs. From being undrafted, to playing in Puerto Rico and the D-League, Barea has become quite the popular player now and he deserves all the recognition.

 The last three guys, are the heart and soul of the team. When you think of the Dallas Mavericks, you think, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Dirk Nowitzki. For Jason Kidd it took 17 years to finally win a championship and the 3rd time was a charm. What impresses me the most about him is the way he's changed his game as he's aged. Kidd was never a great athlete, but he used to be a walking triple-double. He's continued to improve his jumper, still plays excellent defense, and remains a premiere point guard in the league. When he was traded back to Dallas for Devin Harris, I doubted the move because I thought J-Kidd had nothing left, but boy was I wrong. Losing in the past (New Jersey 2003 & 2004) never deterred him and he always maintained the same demeanor through out the years. On this team he was the ultimate leader and his underrated defense and huge threes led the way.  As for Dirk and JET, those two were the remaining guys from the 2006 team, and they took that defeat and grew from it. After years of losing in Atlanta, Jason Terry found a home in Dallas as one of the best sixth men in the league. He never demanded to be in the starting line-up and has always played in the best interest of the team. A future head coach in the NBA, JET was probably the best Maverick in the Finals, yes he was better than Dirk. For Dirk, what hasn't already been said about him? He is the best power forward in the NBA now, and he is definitely one of the 50 greatest players of all-time, of course I say this being an NBA child of the late 90s/early 2000s. The "soft" label can be thrown out the window and LeBron could really learn how to be a closer from this guy. All those 360 spins and one foot jumpers at the free-throw line have paid off for the German and he has finally validated his career. It sounds corny, but I'm really proud of him. Since losing in 2006 (That year I was a big fan of the Mavs and was ecstatic when he finally beat Tim Duncan) and after personally witnessing him crumble under the pressure of Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes in 2007, he's definitely grown a lot and changed my opinion of him as a player.

All the Mavericks have grown through out their career. All of them have lost in their careers, but they grew from their defeats. Each player sacrificed for each other,  took a part of their past, took a part of their skill, and put it together to create the perfect chemistry and win.      

As the Finals came to an end last night, the one veteran team that I had forgot about was the one that actually came through. A group of guys that most dismissed at this point of their careers; they played the game correctly with heart and veteran savvy and showed that there are absolutely no shortcuts when it comes to winning. Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. The Miami Heat should learn from that. The Mavs played basketball I'm accustomed to watching and for at least one more season there will not be a monopolized league of super teams. For that I say thank you Dallas Mavericks, thank you Mark Cuban, and thank you Holger Geschwindner. The long journey is finally complete. Congratulations and respect.