The 2012 NBA Finals ended way too early, and now attention throughout the association is directed toward the Draft.  In Part 2 of our NBA Draft Preview we look at the players most likely to become All-Stars, as well as the later picks to keep an eye on.

Jerry Stackhouse Group (Potential All-Stars)

Harrison Barnes – The UNC swingman had a rough finish to his career as a Tar Heel, but he has rebounded nicely in pre-Draft workouts and the Scouting Combine.  Testing as one of the best athletes in the Draft, Barnes’ stock has risen, and there is no denying his shooting touch and ability to score.  His game could mature into something resembling Danny Granger circa 2009, which would be a great addition to any team in the early lottery.

Andre Drummond – The biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the Draft, we believe Drummond will succeed given he’s selected by the right team that has strong veteran presence.  He’s a very athletic 4 who has all the skill needed to play at a high level in the NBA.  The glaring questions, however, are his motor and desire to play.  This has been seen many times before, and Drummond can choose to follow the path of Eddy Curry (not good) or Shawn Kemp (good).

Jared Sullinger – Sullinger was a beast at OSU, and that will translate into the pro-game.  He has all the skill a team looks for in a power forward, including a capable mid-range jumper.  What he lacks in athleticism he makes up for in ability to score in multiple ways.  He is comparable to Kevin Love, another 4 who’s athletic ability was believed to hurt his game in the NBA.  The real concern with Sullinger is his back, which has recently begun to scare NBA teams.  As long as he remains healthy, look for Sullinger to play in future All-Star games.

Dion Waiters – One of the best sixth men in college basketball at Syracuse, Waiters’ game translates well into the NBA.  He’s relentless going to the rim and can finish in traffic.  He’s drawn comparisons to Dwyane Wade throughout his career at Syracuse and has the ability to be a combo guard in the mold of a Tyreke Evans at the pro level.  His shot could use some work, but a tough, physical 2-guard is something that will help any team in the lottery.

Monta Ellis Group (Sleepers)

Tony Wroten Jr. – The Washington PG had his ups and downs his freshman year, but his talent has been evident from day one.  At 6’5″, he has great size to run the point, and his athletic ability is freakish.  His court vision is good and he’s a very capable passer.  One of the flashier players in the Draft, his decision making is suspect at times and his shot needs to improve.  The ability is there, however, and he can be a cross of Russell Westbrook and Jason Williams if he develops.

Doron Lamb – Kentucky’s leading scorer in their National Championship victory, Lamb can shoot the lights out.  He has one of the purest strokes in the Draft with seemingly unlimited range.  He’s a smooth player who has the ability to score in the NBA.  He can flourish as a bench player and we see him as a solid sixth man down the road – similar to what Jason Terry has done throughout his career.

Andrew Nicholson – A stretch 4 who was overlooked because he played at St. Bonaventure in Olean, NY, Nicholson received great national exposure in the Bonnies’ run throughout the A-10 and NCAA Tournaments.  Nicholson is a player who can be good at everything and he reminds some of Davis West.  Whichever team selects him will be drafting a player who can contribute from day one and make the team better.

Hollis Thompson – Arguably the best long-range shooter in the draft, Thompson will find a spot on an NBA roster.  At 6’8″, he can get his shot off against most defenders.  He has the ability to drive to the basket and rebound as well, grabbing over 5 boards per game his Junior year at Georgetown.  He reminds us of Jeff Green, and if he develops into what Uncle Jeff was during Green’s first couple seasons with the Thunder then Thompson will be one of the better steals in the Draft.

The best part of the NBA season is well underway.  The Playoffs have given way to the Finals, and the Draft is a couple weeks away.  With the lottery set and the scouting combine over, NBA teams (other than the Thunder and Heat), incoming rookies, and fans are awaiting the Draft, which is held on June 28th. We are going to sort through the talent and potential of this deep Draft class to show you the franchise players.

Tim Duncan Group (Franchise Players)

Anthony Davis – Placed on the same level as Lebron James and Blake Griffin as a surefire first overall pick who will change the face of a franchise, Anthony Davis will have a tremendous impact on the New Orleans Hornets from day one, just as he did for the Kentucky Wildcats.  NBA comparisons for Davis have been tough to pinpoint, ranging from Marcus Camby to Kevin Durant.  On the defensive end he will compare to Serge Ibaka, a freakishly athletic shot blocking machine with the versatility to guard the 3, 4, and 5.  On the offensive end he can become similar to Chris Bosh, a jump-shooting 4/5 with solid finesse moves around the rim.  If Davis develops and reaches his ceiling, Kevin Garnett 2.0 is not out of the question.

Bradley Beal – Let’s get this out of the way, Bradley Beal will be the best player to come from the 2012 NBA Draft class.  The 6’4” shooting guard is just what he described himself as, a cross between Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen.  A bit of exaggeration? Sure, but if you ever watched him play at Florida you’ve seen an attacking 2 who plays bigger than his height with a pure stroke from NBA 3-point range.  The Bobcats, Wizards, or Cavs (Beal is unlikely to fall out of the top 4) are going to add a playmaker and a foundation for their franchise to their roster.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Known as the hardest worker in the 2012 draft class, MKG will bring a toughness and work ethic on the court and in the locker room to a franchise that’s in need of both.  He’s a relentless player who will do a lot of everything for a team.  He’s reminiscent of Gerald Wallace, an All-Star, and as his offensive game develops, he could develop into a player with a Scottie Pippen-like ability to impact the game on every level.  He might not stick out in year one as a player who can be the foundation for a championship, but as his career progresses, his value to whichever team drafts him will become increasingly evident.

Thomas Robinson – Robinson’s ascension at Kansas and, more recently, on the Draft board is a testament to his work ethic and increasing skill on the offensive side of the ball.  Expect that trend to continue into the NBA.  Robinson is a tough player who has some Charles Oakley in him, which every team wants.  As for current NBA comparisons, Robinson brings Blake Griffin and a young Amare Stoudemire to mind.  While not as athletically gifted as either and more interested in defense than both, he will attack the basket and score in a similar fashion.  As his game becomes more refined, Amare Stoudemire circa 2009 to 2011 becomes a legitimate possibility for Robinson.

Coming in Part 2: Potential All-Stars, Sleepers

Image courtesy of the NBA

There’s no doubt that during March Madness and after the end of the National Championship game that there were hundreds of articles posted about the final teams, games, and the national championship winners. Undoubtedly most people have heard about the students have announced after their school finished in the March Madness competition that they will be forgoing the rest of their schooling to go into the NBA draft. While there aren’t more students this year leaving school to go to the draft there still are a lot of them. We all knew that schools like Kentucky and UNC would have students leaving for the draft because they do almost every year. The surprising student that announced that he was leaving for the draft after only two years in school was Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger.

Many students and fans of Ohio State knew that it was a possibility that Sullinger would be leaving after this season at Ohio State but not many truly thought that he would go through with it. Many fans that I spoke to after his announcement last week said that they thought he would continue for at least one more year due to the fact that he wasn’t able to play that much this year. In my opinion though, that’s a big factor as to why he is leaving. He wasn’t able to play as much as he usually would because he had some minor injuries, none of which would prevent him from leaving school to go to the draft but ones that could scare him into thinking that if something worse were to happen his chance at playing in the NBA could be over before it even started.

There was tremendous uproar over the loss that Ohio State suffered to Kansas during the Final Four games. Many fans and students said that they didn’t think Ohio State played as well as they could have but what they don’t realize is how different it is to play in a stadium that is so different than anything a team has played in before. Granted Ohio State was doing really well during the first half and many people, including myself, thought that they would win the game, not lose by two points, Ohio State still played one heck of a game.

Jared Sullinger and his fellow Buckeye’s made it far in the March Madness competition two years in a row, but neither year did they make it to the championship. There’s still a chance that they could next year or any year after that, but from Sullinger’s standpoint, now is the right time to go into the draft and give a shot to the NBA. I know that the team won’t be the same next year without Sullinger but that doesn’t mean they won’t still do well. The team will still have two key players, Aaron Craft and DeShaun Thomas. The Buckeye’s will have a lot of change going on next season without Sullinger being on the team, but now is the time for fans to wonder what is coming next for the team.

I have been watching basketball my entire life, and over the last ten years the college game has changed significantly – not in the way the game is played, but in how programs are structured. If you look at the top programs in the nation today, many of them are built around the notorious “one-and-done” player. Schools like Ohio State, Kentucky, and Texas are all basketball powerhouses, and they consistently win with the top talent college basketball has to offer. Every year, we see multiple five-star recruits go to these schools, and inevitably the question comes up:

How is there enough playing time to go around for all of these players?

Coaches such as John Calipari recruits and hands out scholarships as if his roster is depleted and in need of players every season. He gets two or three of the best high school players in the country and then turns around and does it again the next year. Obviously, everybody expects those players to bolt for the NBA after one season on campus. Most of the top draft picks over the last decade have been “one-and-dones” like Derrick Rose, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Camelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Greg Oden.Yet, this summer we have begun to see a change of heart for many of these top prospects.

And for college basketball fans, we couldn’t be happier.

When I heard that both Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger were returning to school for their sophomore seasons I was both shocked and impressed. Both would have been top-10 picks in June’s NBA draft, but they chose to return to school along with teammates who could have turned pro, as well. These were arguably the two top high school recruits from the class of 2010, and now they are going to be in college for a second year – something incredibly rare these days. But I think it is great for college basketball and the excitement that they will bring to the game in the fall.

Looking back at this past year’s NCAA tournament, excitement was a great word to describe each day. For the second year in a row, mid-major teams made noise every round, and Butler returned to the championship game. There was not much star power in the tournament, and the lesser known teams held their own. That is the essence of college basketball.

Next year, I expect more of the same. North Carolina will be the favorite, with three players returning that all could have left for the NBA. But there will continue to be Cinderella stories that push those stars to the limit and, in some cases, end their seasons prematurely. If all of these stars had bolted for the League, the upsets would not be really that surprising. I wasn’t surprised at all when Morehead State beat Louisville in the first round of the tournament because Morehead State, the definition of a mid-major, was a senior-laden team with experience and poise. On the other hand, the Cardinals were mostly underclassmen that were raw and undisciplined. Next year, those big-time programs are going to have more talent and the mid-majors will be seemingly over-matched. But we all know that there will still be upsets, and any one of those powerhouses could fall at any time. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

The star power that returns next year is something that will bring an immense amount of excitement back to the college game and hopefully more fans, as well. As one who loves basketball, I think it’s great that these players are coming back, and I believe that if this trend continues, the college game will be back on top of the sports world.

For years the there has been debate on what the NCAA’s responsibility should be when it comes to the eligibility of players in Men’s College Basketball.  On one side, it is argued that the NCAA has no right to deny an athlete of any age his right to make millions of dollars to showcase his talents at the professional level.

Others argue that the majority of 18-year olds are not physically or psychologically mature enough to handle all the stress and responsibility that are a part of professional sports.

One thing is clear, however.  The NCAA’s current “one and done” policy accomplishes very, very little, regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

A few years ago, the NBA, in accordance with their players union, issued a requirement that an athlete must be at least one year removed from high school before he is allowed to enter the NBA draft.  This new requirement was based on the premise that for every Kobe Bryant, Labron James and Dwight Howard (all of which bypassed college to declare for the NBA Draft), there are many, many more athletes who fail miserably, due to lack of talent and/or maturity.

Bobby Knight is very critical of the NCAA's "One and Done" rule (google images)

While the idea of this rule was admirable, the implementation of it has crashed and burned.  Former coach and ESPN analyst, Bob Knight is one of the NCAA’s biggest critics when it comes to this rule for several reasons.

Knight sights that as it stands right now, a college basketball player only has to pass six credit hours in his fall semester, which is only half of what is required for a full-time student.  Those players who intend to enter the NBA draft that spring do not need to show up for any classes in the spring semester because they know they have no intention of staying in school.

The NCAA, which is supposed to establish guidelines for student-athletes, seems to be failing to enforcing the “student” part.  As with anything, there are obviously loop holes with the current rule.  But this is a loop hole that the NCAA can easily fill.

One such suggestion is that the NBA require these athletes to be two years removed from high school before they can enter the NBA Draft.  While this suggestion would force college basketball players to actually attend class, it would also be denying cash, life-changing cash, to elite players–something the NBA Players Union will likely argue, and for good reason.

Another, more reasonable option would be to simply require these athletes to take a a minimum of 12 credit hours in the fall semester, which is the minimum required of most students to maintain various scholarships and financial aid.  The same requirement should be set for the spring semester, and class attendance could be required.

Coaches and athletic directors should be enforcing this already, but with no established rules from the NCAA, those coaches on the straight and narrow are having to compete with the coaches who are taking advantage of the system.

Until the NCAA modifies this rule or eliminates it all together, college coaches and players will continue to make a mockery of the rule and the NCAA.

Voice your opinion!  Do you think the “One and Done” rule is fair?  What alternatives should the NCAA and NBA consider?