The writers from 3MW are 30 years of age and under. We’ve grown up in the end of the Magic, Bird, Kareem, Isiah era, then through the era that gave us Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Reggie Miller and others. Then through Iverson, Shaq, KG, Kobe and now Durant, Lebron, Dirk, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul….the list goes on forever. But you know us… we are sticklers for the game, we love the history. We love watching footage of All Star Games from the early 80s. We love finding old footage of Bill Russell muscling in the paint with Wilt Chamberlain. Highlights of early Dr J rocks our socks. The 1993 Finals between the Bulls & Suns would be one of our favourites of all time. We think Thurl Bailey was underrated. We know that Bob Cousy couldn’t make a jumper if his life depended on it. And we know who Andrew Toney is.

We accept that not everyone may have our passion and thirst for all things NBA…but there are certain things we cannot accept. One of the 3MW writers was talking basketball with a friend who was talking about guys who are amazing offensive players. Guys who you know would be cash on the playground. Where it doesn’t matter how hard you get hit, it’s clean until someone else says ‘foul’. Where the 3 point line doesn’t matter, where it’s all about your jumper, your high post, mid post, low post, strong moves to the basket and where you gotta be hungry. You gotta be hungry to go after someone again and again. We talked about the big time players like Kobe, Wade, Dirk and Durant. And other guys who have that killer instinct offensively and may not get as much love. Guys such as Nick Young, Manu Ginobili, Kevin Martin, Monta Ellis, Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge and Carmelo Anthony. This writer said that Melo was like that old school player who doesn’t take a lot of threes and can kill you in the mid-range, high post, mid post, low post, off the dribble, wherever…you’re in trouble. Like Bernard King. ‘Who?’ said friend asked. This is where we get mad. At risk of being unprofessional and offending people, we are going to give you the honest response during that conversation…

‘Motherf*cker, are you serious? How can you be into the NBA and NOT know who Bernard King is?’ And if you, our loyal readers just asked the same question…allow us to educate your dumb ass.

Bernard King just kept coming at you. He was fearless. He was unrelenting. He opitimsed hard work. He had his demons, his downfalls…but he worked through them and he just kept coming at you.

After starring at the University of Tennessee for 3 years, King finished with college averages of 25.8ppg and 13.2 rebounds. Pretty impressive numbers for a 6-7 small forward, wouldn’t you say? Drafted 7th overall in the 1977 NBA Draft by the Nets, King would storm through his rookie season dropping over 24 points a game. King would instantly be one of the best scorers in the game with his lightning quick release, deadly mid-range game and unstoppable baseline jumper. But after only two seasons in New Jersey, the Nets would tire of King’s off-court problems surrounding substance abuse and they traded him to the Utah Jazz.

Whilst King certainly had his off-court problems, the Utah franchise at the time was not the best place for him to be. King would be arrested numerous times early in the 1979-80 season. Five months later, King’s team-mate Terry Furlow died in a drug-related car accident. Two years later, old forward Bill Robinzine committed suicide followed by John Drew being placed in a rehab center because of drug use.  Not a team for a guy like Bernard King who was struggling to stay straight. King would play only 19 games for the Jazz before they suspended him for the remainder of the 79-80 season following King’s arrest. Bernard was arrested regarding an allegation of sexual assault, but was convicted of a lesser offence.

The Jazz would trade King to the Golden State Warriors which was a positive step for Bernard. In 80-81, he averaged nearly 22 points a game after being away from the hardwood for almost a whole season. In Golden State, King would win the NBA’s Comeback Player of the Year in the 1980-81 season and was named an All Star in 1982. Bernard King just kept coming at you.

On October 22nd in 1982, the Golden State Warriors would trade the troubled King to the New York Knicks for the equally troubled Michael Ray Richardson. Richardson was a four-time All Star and still sits 2nd on the NBA’s all time steals per game list with a whopping 2.6 a game average. But he was no Bernard King! After the Knicks 50 win season in 1980-81, they would win only 33 in ’81-82 afterwhich Richardson made his famous statement, ”The ship be sinkin’.” Prior to the 1982-83 season, the Knicks traded Richardson to the Warriors for King. Richardson played 33 games for the Warriors before he was banned from the NBA for repeated drug offenses. What was a terrible trade for the Warriors, turned out to be fantastic for the New York as Bernard King was at his best while wearing a Knicks uniform.

The game against Dallas capped off back to back 50 point games for Bernard King (he’d scored 50 points the game prior against the San Antonio Spurs). A feat that no NBA player had achieved in more than 20 years at the time. King’s torching of the Mavs and Spurs would be nicknamed ‘The Texas Massacre’ but it was nothing compared to what King did against the Pistons in the first round of the 1984 Playoffs.

Following the highs, there were again the lows. King was tearing through the league again in the 84-85 season. He’d scored 60 points against his former team the Nets on Christmas Day, was leading the league with 32.9ppg and then on a patented King spin to the baseline… his knee popped and he crashed to the floor. His injury was so bad that his ACL had to be replaced with ligaments from his upper thigh. The injury would floor King physically and emotionally as he struggled with deep depression. He became a recluse and spent very little time with his team. King told Sports Illustrated at the time, “When I was injured, I felt I had to protect myself emotionally from the game, because I knew I would miss it if I could never play anymore. To protect myself I had to stay away. …so if I chose to make my workouts a private matter, I don’t see why people couldn’t just accept that.”

King missed the entire 1985-86 season and returned in the 1986-87 season to play only 6 games for the Knicks. Sadly, these would be his final games for the Knicks as New York didn’t renew offer King a contract extension and he signed with the Washington Bullets as a free agent. Bernard King kept coming at you though, he averaged 17, 20 and 23 points a game for the Bullets and worked his way back to being one of the games premier players. King’s game had evolved. The low-post game was gone, the skying for offensive rebounds a memory, the slashing baseline among the bigs…no more. Kings body now had limitations and his game had to change. Bernard was hitting face up jumpers, driving into the paint and facilitating the offense more.

In the 1990-91 season, King’s new game was good enough for a 28.4ppg average and a career high 4.6 assists a game. His scoring that season was second only to Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. He was back working towards his goal to play in an All-Star Game and proving that this old guy (he was 34 years of age) could get it done even without an anterior cruciate ligament. King had some huge games. He dropped 44 points in a win against the eventual champion Chicago Bulls, 46 against the Cavs, 49 in New York against his former team the Knicks and then backed that up a 44 point outing on his next visit back to Madison square garden. King would achieve his goal in becoming an All Star in 91, but would play only 64 games before injury levelled the King again.

But this was Bernard King. Two years away from the game… AGAIN. Extensive rehabilitation AGAIN. But all the road blocks, physical limitations and at 36 years of age… he kept coming. In February 1993, King would sign with the team who drafted him, the New Jersey Nets. King averaged 7.0 points a game coming off the bench and shot .514%. But the Nets would be swept in the first round of the playoffs with King playing very few minutes. Following New Jersey’s playoff exit, King’s lingering knee injuries forced him into retirement.

It’s this mans history that makes us upset there aren’t more basketball fans who really understand what a player he was. King was a tough, tough player out there. A career 22.5 points a game average (24th all time in the NBA) and you could argue that no other player in history has come back like King. Injuries, off-court problems, All Star, big games, ups, downs…Bernard King just kept coming at you.

We’ve spoken on this blog before about the things which frustrate us in basketball, the things which seemingly go against what we love about the game…

And then there are stories like this.

The event – a foul-shooting contest for top academic students at Compton High School in Los Angeles – was created with a simple premise: Organizers wanted to show the kids at Compton how to create community spirit with college scholarship money as the incentive.

Following a tear-jerking gesture from the winner – it appears the true lessons learned were by the adults.

The kids in Compton are more than alright.

Three months after winning the $40,000 top prize, Allan Guei donated all of his winnings to the seven other finalists.

Today is a good day.

A few changes, but not too many:

1. Cleveland – Kyrie Irving.
2. Minnesota – Derrick Williams. The Wolves have finally released their thoughts on their workout with Williams from a week ago, ‘he’s a monster’. It’s now seriously looking like they will draft Williams first and make team moves (Beasley, etc) later.
3. Utah – Brandon Knight. We STILL don’t really get it. We like Knight but we don’t understand why Utah are hell-bent on taking a PG in the draft when they have  Devin Harris under contract for another 2 years and over $17m. But if their desire is a creating, pass-first point guard then Knight is the best option.
4. Cleveland – Enes Kanter. The Cavs will take Enes Canter here…but we feel Jan Vesely would be a better fit. The Cavs already have Varejao and JJ Hickson under contract with Antawn Jamieson also playing a lot of power forward…  Vesely would slot in very nicely with the existing unit in Cleveland and we’d love to see it. But it’s likely we’ll see Enes picked at 4 as the Cavs are big on Kanter.
5. Toronto – Kemba Walker. Kemba could really revitalise this franchise and he’d make life a lot easier for Demar Derozan in the back-court as well. You can’t question his toughness, fearlessness & leadership.
6. Washington – Jan Vesely. Vesely is a 6-11 combo forward who has a tonne of moves in the mid & low post. Has had great workouts and GMs love his toughness.
7. Sacramento – Jimmer Fredette. He’s not exactly a pure point guard but the Kings can’t work with Beno Udrih anymore. Fredette is one hell of a shooter. Seriously, the guy can jack it up from 35ft and is a phenomenal scorer. Tyreke Evans is a slasher, a creator off the dribble…the Kings need a shooter in the backcourt to compliment Evans’ game and we think Fredette is the answer. He averaged 28.9ppg last season including a HUGE 52 points against New Mexico. Although the latest rumblings are the 7th pick plus Omri Casspi going to San Antonio for All Star Tony Parker.
8. Detroit – Jonas Valanciunas. We’re sure Detroit are hoping that big Jonas falls this far. He’s the tough, rebounding, athletic, back-t0-the-basket big man that the Pistons need to allow Greg Monroe to play more outside and on the high blocks where he’s more comfortable.
9. Charlotte -  Kawhi Leonard. Some don’t see him going this high, but the guy has a great motor, is athletic and runs the floor with a lot of energy. Big time rebounder (pulled down 17 boards against UNLV), good instincts on the defensive end, good guy. Before the signing of Rich Cho we would have some joke here about ‘does it matter? The Bobcats will screw up their pick anyway.’ But we have faith in Cho.
10. Milwaukee – Marcus Morris. The Bucks have a good looking roster, they just struggled with cohesiveness & injuries last season. For the Bucks, you have to take the best player available who is going to play hard, get along with team-mates and score points (Bucks were last in the NBA in points per game). Tristian Thompson is also an option at pick 10 but for the folks down here at 3MW, we’d take Morris for sure. He’s a much better scorer, better shooter and has risen to fame alongside his brother Markieff so has no problem sharing the spotlight.
11. Golden State – Alec Burks. The Bobcats were second last in the NBA in scoring last season and Burks would be a nice addition. A 6-6 PG/SG with a great knack for getting to the line (7.9 free throw attempts a game last season), he’ll get to the basket in the NBA. Good passer, athletic, (think Eddie Jones or Manu Ginobili) and would be able to back up either guard spot (Monta & Curry).
12. Utah – Chris Singleton. He’s a very ‘Utah Jazz’ kinda guy. Strong, big, long, athletic, can defend extremely well, good attitude, good motor. No real ‘back to the basket’ game to speak of, but can hit a face-up jumper which could work in nicely with Al Jefferson. Still a good chance they’ll take Klay Thompson though.
13. Phoenix – Marshon Brooks. Smart player. Has good athleticism but unlike other draftees, Brooks doesn’t always rely on athletic gifts to create offense or get to the basket. He’s got a nice range of offensive moves, almost likea crafty veteran. Has been called out for his lack of athleticism, strength & speed… but everything we’ve seen is that Brooks certainly lacks strength (he was one of the weakest in bench press at the Draft Combine). But athleticism and speed he has…just doesn’t always play with it. He’s better than he’s been given credit for… lucky for Phoenix. A Marshon Brooks/Petrius/Childress combination at the 2-guard spot means the Suns don’t need to re-sign the continually dissapointing Vince Carter.
14. Houston – Tristian Thompson. Not likely he’ll be here…some scouts are very, very big on Thompson. He plays very smartly, gets great position defensively, seals his man well for rebounds. Not much of a shooter, needs work offensively but will get minutes in the NBA for his defensive ability alone. The Rockets may or may not have Yao Ming back in the lineup. After Yao, they have 35 year old Brad Miller, the raw & undeveloped Hasheem Thabeet and potentially could bring back the 6-6 Chuck Hayes.
15. Indiana – Klay Thompson. The Pacers are finally rid of TJ Ford, Jeff Foster, Jamaal Tinsley and potentially Mike Dunleavy Jr as well. That’s over $30m in salaries that they’ve really been waiting to wave goodbye to. Hopefully we’re seeing a revival of the Pacers now and what better way to do it than drafting a ‘Larry Bird’ kind of player. Klay Thompson (6-7 SG) can flat out shoot the rock. He averaged 22.1ppg in his junior season and a very good defender (he averaged 1.6 steals a game last season). He’s a tough competitor, from a small town and achieves much despite his lack of physical gifts. Sound like anyone? No wonder Larry Bird is a fan of this kid.
16. Philadelphia – Jordan Hamilton. The 6-8 SG/SF from Texas can create his own shot and in a range of different ways, too. He’s a decent rebounder, so-so defender, but DOES have the ability to play in an NBA style of system. The Texas Longhorns have adopted an ex-Utah Jazz (see, Jerry Sloan) system, so Hamilton already has proven he can play in a system making him a decent pick at this point in the draft.
17. New York – Bismack Biyombo. They really need some help in the middle and Biyombo could be that guy. Scouts are loving the 6-9 centre from the Congo in workouts and his draft stock was rising…then he had a few tough workouts and his draft stock has fallen again. If he’s still here, hopefully the Knicks take the defensive-orientated big man.
18. Washington – Markieff Morris. His brother Marcus has a bit more ‘wow’ factor, but Marfieff is one of those guys who does A LOT of things well. He may not be a standout post player, or shooter, or defender, etc, etc. But we’ll say again… he does A LOT of things quite well. He shot 59% from the field in his final year of college, makes good decisions. BUT, we think Washington will trade this pick. They have 13 players under contract going into 11-12, plus the 6th pick gives them 14 guys with guaranteed contracts. We don’t see them taking on another guaranteed contract with a lockout looming.
19. Charlotte – Donatas Motiejunas. Motiejunas pulled out of the draft last year and it’s tough to say whether the extra year in Europe has increased his draft stock. Houston, Indiana and Philadelphia are all chances to pick the 7-0 F/C from Lithuania. Has a tonne of talent but is accused at times of being lazy and lacking energy. Donatas has played brilliantly in the Italian leagues, but his draft workouts have been short of terrible.
20. Minnesota – Tyler Honeycutt. The T-Wolves will have the 2nd pick to add to their young core of Love, Rubio, Beasley, Webster & others. They could trade this pick, but if they keep it then Honeycutt would be great. He’s a 6-8 SG, or SF, or perhaps a point… Honeycutt doesn’t really know what he is. Tonnes of potential, great basketball IQ but between positions and at only 187 pounds he may have a tough transition to the next level. The Wolves have players to play ahead of him and allow Honeycutt to develop. The team who can do that may be fortunate enough to do that could reap the benefits.
21. Portland – Trey Thompkins. The Blazers don’t have a great history of healthy Bigs, so we can see them taking the 6-10 power forward from Georgia. He’s not a brilliant athlete, but he’s got a nice post game, nice jump shot, great with either hand, doesn’t give up defensively. Ain’t gonna throw one down from the free throw line, but the Trailblazers could pick a lot worse at 21.
22. Denver – Iman Shumpert. Shumpert has an EPIC amount of athleticism (he recorded a 42″ vertical leap at the Draft Combine), averaged 2.7 steals a game last year for the Yellowjackets…the guy has all the physical tools, can defend, looks after the ball…
23. Houston – Nikola Vucevic. Great size (6-11 & 260), can shoot the rock, has a comfortable range out to 18ft.
24. OKC – Reggie Jackson. Apparently the Thunder have already made a promise to take Jackson if he’s still on the board. All more to fuel the rumour that Russell Westbrook will be shipped out of OKC this summer.
25. Boston – DeAndre Liggins. The Celtics are still hurting from the loss of Tony Allen. He guarded Lebron, he guarded Kobe, he guarded Dwayne Wade, he guarded everyone and they felt it come playoffs last season. Liggins is possibly the best on-the-ball defender in the draft. Maybe he’s not a first round pick, but as talented as Boston are they can probably afford to draft him at 25. He’s 6-6, 210, can guard all three perimeter positions, shoots the three at .391%…why not?
26. Dallas – Tobias Harris - The 6-8 combo forward from Tennessee has some great tools and has the NBA skill set, but we think he’ll get passed on/slept on.
27. New Jersey – Kenneth Faried. Yes, he’s only 6-7. But he averaged 14.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game last season. Amazing physical gifts, great leaping ability to go along with being one of the best (if not THE best) rebounders in this draft class.
28. Chicago – Justin Harper. The 6-9 power forward shot 49% from three as a senior and 53% from the field. Ability to shoot that far out is going to mean a tonne of pick and rolls with D-Rose.
29. San Antonio – Malcolm Lee. Lee has shown in workouts that he’s one of the most underrated prospects in the draft. A very good defender, smart player, good guy…would be great in San Antonio.
30. Chicago – This pick is for sale at the moment so we’re going to cop out and say we’re undecided.

Just outside our first round:

Kyle Singler - The senior from Duke is a guy that’s worthy of going in the first round, but just not enough ‘wow’ factor for the guy.
Nolan Smith – Singler’s teammate at Duke averaged 21.3ppg last season. We don’t get why there’s not more interest in Smith, so he could end up being a steal.

As the Boomers try to get to the Australian Institute of Sport in spite of the Volcanic Ash cloud surrounding the country at the moment, we thought we’d take a moment to remind you of how good our teams can be, without any of the advantages more established Basketball cultures may have…

Check out our first Mock Draft for the upcoming 2011 NBA Draft:

1. Cleveland - Kyrie Irving. Cleveland would be crazy not to take the Duke product (and Australian native…we had to throw that in there), Irving with the number 1 pick. They need a new start, a new floor leader and Irving is a true PG who can distribute, shoot, defend, makes good decisions and has NBA ready ball handling & speed. We personally have a draft-crush on Kemba Walker, but Irving makes the most sense for the Cavs. He also gives them some class…which they’ve lacked in all their Lebron-hating over the past 12 months.
2. Minnesota – Derrick Williams is the the most obvious choice here. He’s one of the very few NBA-ready players in the draft. Although we think they still have much work to do. The T-Wolves have finally secured the previously unrequited love of Ricky Rubio so drafting a point guard is out of the question. They have Anthony Randolph, Michael Beasley, Martell Webster & Wesley Johnson under contract filling up the 3 & 4 positions with Kevin Love also in the rotation. Our thinking is that Minnesota will trade this pick if they can’t move either Randolph or Beasley. It’s likely that they’ll trade down and take a SG or C that better suits them right now.
3. Utah - Brandon Knight. We don’t really get it. We like Knight but we don’t understand why Utah are hell-bent on taking a PG in the draft when they have  Devin Harris under contract for another 2 years and over $17m. But if their desire is a creating, pass-first point guard then Knight is the best option.
4. Cleveland – Enes Kanter. The Cavs will take Enes Canter here…but we feel Jan Vesely would be a better fit. The Cavs already have Varejao and JJ Hickson under contract with Antawn Jamieson also playing a lot of power forward… Vesely is a 6-11 combo forward who has a tonne of moves in the mid & low post. He’d slot in very nicely with the existing unit in Cleveland and we’d love to see it. But it’s likely we’ll see Canter picked at 4 as the Cavs are big on Kanter.
5. Toronto – Kemba Walker. The Raptors were terrible last season and need to take the best player available. The Raps have never been big on Calderon and Barbosa didn’t impress. Latest word is Barbosa is heavily considering the free agent market. Kemba could really revitalise this franchise and he’d make life a lot easier for Demar Derozan in the back-court sa well.
6. Washington – Kawhi Leonard. Some don’t see him going this high, but the guy has a great motor, is athletic and runs the floor with a lot of energy. Big time rebounder (pulled down 17 boards against UNLV), good instincts on the defensive end, good guy. Put him on the floor with Wall, Crawford, McGee & Blatche….hell yes.
7. Sacramento – Jimmer Fredette. He’s not exactly a pure point guard but the Kings can’t work with Beno Udrih anymore. Fredette is one hell of a shooter. Seriously, the guy can jack it up from 35ft and is a phenomenal scorer. Tyreke Evans is a slasher, a creator off the dribble…the Kings need a shooter in the backcourt to compliment Evans’ game and we think Fredette is the answer. He averaged 28.9ppg last season including a HUGE 52 points against New Mexico.
8. Detroit – Jonas Valanciunas. We’re sure Detroit are hoping that big Jonas falls this far. He’s the tough, rebounding, athletic, back-t0-the-basket big man that the Pistons need to allow Greg Monroe to play more outside and on the high blocks where he’s more comfortable.
9. Charlotte – Jan Vesely. Vesely would be the best option for Charlotte here. Before the signing of Rich Cho we would have some joke here about ‘does it matter? The Bobcats will screw up their pick anyway.’ But we have faith in Cho. Vesely would be a great pickup or perhaps the versatile Alec Burks.
10. Milwaukee – Marcus Morris. The Bucks have a good looking roster, they just struggled with cohesiveness & injuries last season. For the Bucks, you have to take the best player available who is going to play hard, get along with team-mates and score points (Bucks were last in the NBA in 10-11 in points per game. Tristian Thompson is also an option at pick 10 but for the folks down here at 3MW, we’d take Morris for sure. He’s a much better scorer, better shooter and has risen to fame alongside his brother Markieff so has no problem sharing the spotlight.
11. Golden State – Alec Burks. The Bobcats were second last in the NBA in scoring last season and Burks would be a nice addition. A 6-6 PG/SG with a great knack for getting to the line (7.9 free throw attempts a game last season), he’ll get to the basket in the NBA. Good passer, athletic, think Eddie Jones or Manu Ginobili.
12. Utah – Chris Singleton. He’s a very ‘Utah Jazz’ kinda guy. Strong, big, long, athletic, can defend extremely well, good attitude, good motor. No real ‘back to the basket’ game to speak of, but can hit a face-up jumper which could work in nicely with Al Jefferson. Still a good chance they’ll take Klay Thompson though.
13. Phoenix – Marshon Brooks. Smart player. Has good athleticism but unlike other draftees, Brooks doesn’t always rely on athletic gifts to create offense or get to the basket. He’s got a nice range of offensive moves, almost likea crafty veteran. Has been called out for his lack of athleticism, strength & speed… but everything we’ve seen is that Brooks certainly lacks strength (he was one of the weakest in bench press at the Draft Combine). But athleticism and speed he has…just doesn’t always play with it. He’s better than he’s been given credit for… lucky for Phoenix. A Marshon Brooks/Petrius/Childress combination at the 2-guard spot means the Suns don’t need to re-sign the continually dissapointing Vince Carter.
14. Houston – Bismack Biyombo. The Rockets may or may not have Yao Ming back in the lineup. After Yao, they have 35 year old Brad Miller, the raw & undeveloped Hasheem Thabeet and potentially could bring back the 6-6 Chuck Hayes. They really need some help in the middle and Biyombo could be that guy. Scouts are loving the 6-9 centre from the Congo in workouts and his draft stock is rising. Don’t be surprised if he goes even higher than 14.
15. Indiana – Klay Thompson. The Pacers are finally rid of TJ Ford, Jeff Foster, Jamaal Tinsley and potentially Mike Dunleavy Jr as well. That’s over $30m in salaries that they’ve really been waiting to wave goodbye to. Hopefully we’re seeing a revival of the Pacers now and what better way to do it than drafting a ‘Larry Bird’ kind of player. Klay Thompson (6-7 SG) can flat out shoot the rock. He averaged 22.1ppg in his junior season and a very good defender (he averaged 1.6 steals a game last season). He’s a tough competitor, from a small town and achieves much despite his lack of physical gifts. Sound like anyone? No wonder Larry Bird is a fan of this kid.
16. Philadelphia – Tristian Thompson. Not likely he’ll be here…some scouts are very, very big on Thompson. He plays very smartly, gets great position defensively, seals his man well for rebounds. Not much of a shooter, needs work offensively but will get minutes in the NBA for his defensive ability alone.
17. New York – Donatas Motiejunas. Motiejunas pulled out of the draft last year and it’s tough to say whether the extra year in Europe has increased his draft stock. Houston, Indiana and Philadelphia are all chances to pick the 7-0 F/C from Lithuania. Has a tonne of talent but is accused at times of being lazy and lacking energy. Donatas has played brilliantly in the Italian leagues, but his draft workouts have been short of terrible. The last thing New York needs is a potential problem, but with no GM and owner James Dolan making the pick… we expect the worst.
18. Washington – Markieff Morris. His brother Marcus has a bit more ‘wow’ factor, but Marfieff is one of those guys who does A LOT of things well. He may not be a standout post player, or shooter, or defender, etc, etc. But we’ll say again… he does A LOT of things quite well. He shot 59% from the field in his final year of college, makes good decisions. BUT, we think Washington will trade this pick. They have 13 players under contract going into 11-12, plus the 6th pick gives them 14 guys with guaranteed contracts. We don’t see them taking on another guaranteed contract with a lockout looming.
19. Charlotte – Jordan Hamilton. The 6-8 SG/SF from Texas can create his own shot and in a range of different ways, too. He’s a decent rebounder, so-so defender, but DOES have the ability to play in an NBA style of system. The Texas Longhorns have adopted an ex-Utah Jazz (see, Jerry Sloan) system, so Hamilton already has proven he can play in a system making him a decent pick at this point in the draft.
20. Minnesota – Tyler Honeycutt. The T-Wolves will have the 2nd pick to add to their young core of Love, Rubio, Beasley, Webster & others. They could trade this pick, but if they keep it then Honeycutt would be great. He’s a 6-8 SG, or SF, or perhaps a point… Honeycutt doesn’t really know what he is. Tonnes of potential, great basketball IQ but between positions and at only 187 pounds he may have a tough transition to the next level. The Wolves have players to play ahead of him and allow Honeycutt to develop. The team who can do that may be fortunate enough to do that could reap the benefits.
21. Portland – Trey Thompkins. The Blazers don’t have a great history of healthy Bigs, so we can see them taking the 6-10 power forward from Georgia. He’s not a brilliant athlete, but he’s got a nice post game, nice jump shot, great with either hand, doesn’t give up defensively. Ain’t gonna throw one down from the free throw line, but the Trailblazers could pick a lot worse at 21.
22. Denver – Malcolm Lee. Lee has shown in workouts that he’s one of the most underrated
23. Houston – Kenneth Faried. Yes, he’s only 6-7. But he averaged 14.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game last season. Amazing physical gifts, great leaping ability to go along with being one of the best (if not THE best) rebounders in this draft class.
24. OKC – Reggie Jackson. Apparently the Thunder have already made a promise to take Jackson if he’s still on the board. All more to fuel the rumour that Russell Westbrook will be shipped out of OKC this summer.
25. Boston – DeAndre Liggins. The Celtics are still hurting from the loss of Tony Allen. He guarded Lebron, he guarded Kobe, he guarded Dwayne Wade, he guarded everyone and they felt it come playoffs last season. Liggins is possibly the best on-the-ball defender in the draft. Maybe he’s not a first round pick, but as talented as Boston are they can probably afford to draft him at 25. He’s 6-6, 210, can guard all three perimeter positions, shoots the three at .391%…why not?
26. Dallas – Tobias Harris - The 6-8 combo forward from Tennessee has some great tools and has the NBA skill set, but we think he’ll get passed on/slept on.
27. New Jersey – Nikola Vucevic. Great size (6-11 & 260), can shoot the rock, has a comfortable range out to 18ft.
28. Chicago – Justin Harper. The 6-9 power forward shot 49% from three as a senior and 53% from the field. Ability to shoot that far out is going to mean a tonne of pick and rolls with D-Rose.
29. San Antonio – Iman Shumpert. So you’re sitting around saying ‘what would Coach Popp say?’ This is what we did, and we came up with Shumpert. If the Spurs don’t take him, then someone else will. And whoever that is will be happy. Shumpert has an EPIC amount of athleticism (he recorded a 42″ vertical leap at the Draft Combine), averaged 2.7 steals a game last year for the Yellowjackets…the guy has all the physical tools, can defend, looks after the ball…that alone will make Coach Popp happy.
30. Chicago – This pick is for sale at the moment so we’re going to cop out and say we’re undecided.

Just outside our first round:

Kyle Singler - The senior from Duke is a guy that’s worthy of going in the first round, but just not enough ‘wow’ factor for the guy.
Nolan Smith – Singler’s teammate at Duke averaged 21.3ppg last season. We don’t get why there’s not more interest in Smith, so he could end up being a steal.