NBA Draft garbage: Where Westbrook goes top 5 happens

THE 08 NBA Draft is fast approaching and I for one love to predict when certain players will get drafted and whether they will become the next Eddy Curry disaster or the next Monta Ellis find.

O.J. Mayo USC

O.J. has been talked about ad nauseam on this site as you probably already know (sorry Kevin).

Where will he go in the draft?

Talent wise, he’s right up there with Rose and Beasley, but NBA teams don’t always go for the most talented, sometimes they just go for need instead.

The T-Wolves need difference makers and Mayo would certainly fit that label. Al Jefferson and O.J. Mayo on the same team… now we’re talking.

Jonathan Givony’s blog from Draft Express.com has Mayo covered, as well as some other top names.

Lopez Twins Stanford

I don’t see either as eventual All-Stars, but I do see them both as down the road starters, maybe 15 and 8 guys at the best. Brook’s lack of quickness/agility might just be the downfall that keeps him from being an elite center. Robin will have no problem rebounding and playing defense at the NBA level.

Jon Wilner of Mercury News discusses the pros and cons of the Twins.

Joe Alexander WVU

The Melo Backpedal has very detailed write-ups on the top 25 players (in their eyes anyway) in this year’s draft.

Here’s a tidbit about Joe Alexander from The Melo Backpedal

Analysis: Alexander is a very hot name right now because of how he finished the season. He’s an athletic forward with good length, and has a fairly solid inside-outside game. He has good touch around the basket, knows how to finish, and can get to the line with ease. He has a very good post up game, passes well out of double-teams, and according to scouts, has good lateral quickness.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports wrote about Joe on Monday in “Who’s Joe Alexander”

Joe in New York?

Joe might be the right guy to go to New York. He could win over the fans with his hard work and smooth offensive skills. Let’s face it, besides Nate Robinson and David Lee, who really plays all out all the time there?

He might not contribute much his first year or two, but I think the team who’s willing to be patient will love the eventual outcome.

Overrated draft?

I’ve heard that this year’s draft is the strongest we’ve had in awhile, but I’ve also heard this draft could be a total laugher, though I’ve heard far fewer of the latter. Somebody on talk radio in Detroit on Monday said his whole reasoning on thinking this draft is poor is because of the possibility of Russell Westbrook going in the top 5. He said if Westbrook was slated as a 20 something pick, the draft would then be pretty strong—but not if he’s going so early, like top 5 early. Far from a valid explanation in my opinion (I agree though, Westbrook was nothing a year ago and now he’s top 5 material??), but that does beg the question, who’s overrated?

More specifically put, who will be drafted too high?

Kevin Love UCLA- His limited athleticism just might be an obstacle he cannot overcome. College style and pro style basketball are two very different worlds.

Eric Gordon Indiana- I’m not going to say he will not be a good scorer in this league, I’m just saying there will be many players picked behind him that would have been better choices. Ben Gordon’s game closely resembles Eric’s, though Eric can throw some rock down with the best of them.

Roy Hibbert Georgetown- Grotesquely getting too much attention. Take a 2nd round flyer on him but don’t waste your time or $ in the first round on a guy destined to be another Nazr Mohammed, at best. The folks over at hoyasaxa.com probably won’t agree with me.

Now I’ll rehash for you some of the guys being overlooked in this draft, especially the forgotten about seniors.

Malik Hairston is high on my list. The skill is all there. Can he just put it together and make consistent progress?

D.J. White could be a first round pick, but you wouldn’t know it the way his name has been kept essentially silent.

Sasha Kaun and Pat Calathes are still guys to keep tabs on as well.

Bill Walker, not of the senior variety, is most likely going to end up on an already strong team, a playoff contender you might say. So in terms of value for a good team late in the first round, Bill is a safe pick. He’s got a scorer’s mentality with a bit of attitude.

Jason Thompson, a senior from Rider, has an intriguing skill set. He has Tim Thomas like range for a big, but is he strong enough to guard the low post?

Hoopsaddict interviews Jason to see how draft preparation is coming along. It seems like he has a lot of faith in himself. Will a team drafting in the top 20 feel the same way?

One more senior to be aware of is Gary Forbes from Massachusetts. Back on the first of June I said he would crack the first round. I must have been a bad omen because I haven’t heard anything, good or bad, about him in recent days. I actually just read that Forbes has been having trouble playing against some of the more top notch players, you know, guys that decided not to participate in the Orlando camp. You’re letting me down Forbes.

Ever think of what it would be like if there was a 3rd round like there was prior to 1989?

Well if you click on just one link in this post, I recommend you try The Pyramid of Excess’s humorous picks for the 3rd round of the draft.

Quick blurb of what you can expect

92. Boston Celtics
Sebastian Telfair/6’0”, 183/Abraham Lincoln H.S.
With the last pick in the third round Danny Ainge finally reacquires the guy he gave up Brandon Roy for two years ago.

Anyways

Draft night should be a tight affair as it always is.

And when you hear Pat Calathes’s name called, or even Malik Hairston’s, don’t choke on your licorice… or whatever the hell people wasting their time watching the draft eat, because you did not hear they would be drafted from a draft expert like Chad Ford, you heard it from the undeniably clueless me instead. Believe it!

NBA dweebs and geeks unite!

Any thoughts, suggestions, beefs, and Wal-Mart references are appreciated. No compliments!