2012 NBA Draft Top 10 Picks

Anthony Davis Jordan Brand Classic 2011 (Photo credit: BasketballElite)

The NBA draft was held today and here are the 2012 top ten picks:

1. New Orleans Hornets pick Anthony Davis (Kentucky) – From national champs to over-all No.1, life has been moving so fast for Anthony Davis in the past couple of months. The Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four  will be playing in the city where he won the national championship as a freshman. He averaged 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks in his only year in college. The 6-11 and 222 pound – power forward is expected to start and star for the Hornets who lost Chris Paul last year.  He is a definite upgrade to Carl Landry or Jason Smith. He will improve the Hornets rebounding that only ranks 24th last year. Potential: Tim Duncan II Question: How will the additional affect his game in the NBA?
2. Charlotte Bobcats pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky) – For the first time in history, the No. 1 and No. 2 picks come from the same school. John Calipari must be proud as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is picked next to Anthony Davis. Kidd-Gilchrist is another freshman forward from the national champs, he is expected to play SF in the pros. After speculations of draft day trades, the Bobcats chose to keep the pick. He is a  third-team All-American. He averaged 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his only season with the Wildcats. He is known for his high motor and defensive intensity. The Bobcats have a lot of holes to fill and the pick will fill many of those holes. He can replace Corey Maggette at SF and help improve the Bobcat’s rebounding (29th in the NBA) and defense (27th in the NBA). Potential: Dennis Rodman with slightly better scoring averages. Question: How will he help the dismal offense of the Bobcats?
3. Washington Wizards pick Bradley Beal (Florida) – A 3rd straight freshman is picked this year, as the Wizards chose  Beal.Beal was the 2011 Gatorade national player of the year after averaging 32.5 points in his senior season in high school. In his lone season at Florida, he averaged 14.8 ppg, team high 6.7 rpg, and 2.2 apg. Many are saying that the Wall-Beal backcourt will be  joy to watch. Potential: Ray Allen with better defense but less 3FG%. Question: Will he be enough to get John Wall to the playoffs?
4. Cleveland Cavaliers pick Dion Walters (Syracuse) – The 4th pick was another underclassman in Dion Walters of Syracuse. Walters is the 6th man for Syracuse but he is 2nd leading scorer of the Orangemen. Many pundits think that Cleveland reached for this pick but the nice the thing about Walters is that he is a player who does not need to start to make an impact. He is do-it-all that can play both guard positions.  Along with Kyrie Irving, they can rival the Wall-Beal pairing in Washington. Potential: James Harden. Question: Will he bring his offensive and defensive efficiency to the NBA?
5. Sacramento Kings pick Thomas Robinson (Kansas) – The big man from the national runner-up Kansas is going to Sacramento.  In his junior season, he averaged 17.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and had 27 double-doubles to lead the Jayhawks to the national finals. By drafting him, the Kings will pair him with DeMarcus Cousins to form one of the most dynamic big man tandems in the league. Potential: DeMarcus Cousins, just imagine 2 of those playing for Sacramento every night. Question: Will the 2 be enough for the Kings?
6. Portland Trailbalzers pick Damian Lillard (Weber St.) – The first senior and first point guard taken in the 2012 draft is Damian Lillard of Weber State. The Blazers took the mid-major star after a string of impressive pre-draft performances. Lillard averaged 24.5 ppg, 4.0 apg and 88.7 FT% in his final collegiate season. Portland will now have an option to let go of either Jamal crawford or Raymond Felton. Potential: Chauncey Billups Question: Will he be an effective NBA point guard?
7. Golden State Warriors pick Harrison Barnes (North Carolina) – Barnes was slated to be a Top 5 pick last year before deciding to comeback to play with the Tar Heels for a sophomore season.  His draft number was lower than expected mainly because of some poor performance in the 2012 March Madness. Some experts think that his outstanding play was a result of playing with outstanding pass-first point guards. With the Warriors, he will be playing with the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and most likely he needs to create his owns shots in most situations. Potential: Antawn Jamison Question: Will he start immediately for the Warriors?
8. Toronto Raptors pick Terence Ross (Washington) – At 6’6 and 195 lbs., Ross has an ideal size for an NBA shooting guard.  He averaged 16.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in his last season with the Huskies. His size and athleticism will be useful in guarding the likes of Kobe Bryant and Dawyne Wade in the NBA. He could start immediately at Toronto who needed efficient production from the two guard position. Potential: Eric Gordon. Question: Will he be better than DeMar De Rozan?
9. Detroit Pistons pick Andre Drummond (Connecticut) – The young big man from Connecticut fell to Detroit at 9.  Drummond averaged 10.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 2.7 bpg. He will pair up with Greg Monroe to give the Pistons an young and imposing front court. The teenager could star immediately for Detroit and give a defensive presence that has been lacking since they heydays of Ben Wallace. Potential: Dwight Howard – Lite. Question: Will he be consistently good and durable in the NBA?
10. New Orleans Hornets pick Austin Rivers (Duke) – The son of Boston Celtic coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers was picked No.10 by the Hornets. The pick along with the No.1 pick will give them an inside-outside tandem for the years to come. He averaged 15.5 ppg 3.4 rpg and 2.1 apg in his only season with the Blue Devils.  He could be PG in the NBA but he also have the skills and mentality of an SG. Potential: Russell Westbrook II. Question: Will he be a PG or an SG in the NBA?

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NBA Finals:Larry O’Brien NBA Trophy goes to Lebron and Miami

These are the members of the 2012 NBA champions:

UM PLAYER POS HT WT Age Home Country YRS 50 Joel Anthony C 6-9 245 29   Canada 4 31 Shane Battier F 6-8 225 33   USA 10 1 Chris Bosh F 6-11 235 28   USA 8 15 Mario Chalmers G 6-2 190 26   USA 3 30 Norris Cole G 6-2 175 23   USA R 34 Eddy Curry C 7-0 295 29   USA 9 14 Terrel Harris G 6-4 190 24   USA R 40 Udonis Haslem F 6-8 235 32   USA 8 5 Juwan Howard F 6-9 250 39   USA 17 6 LeBron James F 6-8 250 27   USA 8 22 James Jones G-F 6-8 215 31   USA 8 13 Mike Miller F 6-8 210 32   USA 11 45 Dexter Pittman C 6-11 285 24   USA 1 21 Ronny Turiaf C 6-10 245 29   France 6 3 Dwyane Wade G 6-4 220 30   USA 8 HEAD COACH Erik Spoelstra (College – Portland) ASSISTANT COACH(ES) Bob McAdoo (College – North Carolina) Keith Askins (College – Alabama) Ron Rothstein (College – Rhode Island) David Fizdale (College – San Diego) Chad Kammerer (College – Westmont) ASSISTANT COACH/ADVANCE SCOUT Octavio De La Grana (College – Liberty) STRENGTH-AND-CONDITIONING COACH Bill Foran (College – Central Michigan) ATHLETIC TRAINER Jay Sabol (College – Florida International) ASSISTANT TRAINER Rey Jaffet (College – Florida International) Rob Pimental

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The Miami Heat led by Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh won this year’s NBA title by beating the young Oklahoma Thunder, 4-1, in their best of seven Finals showdown. James and Company was able to beat an entertaining young squad that is led by NBA top scorer Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook. The NBA title is first for Lebron and Bosh.  Dwayne Wade captured his second ring. The team is coached by Filipino-American Erik Spoelstra.

Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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2012 NBA Playoffs: Durant, OKC evens Western Conference Finals series

For 20 games, the San Antonio Spurs were invincible.  They ran roughshod over the NBA for 2 months. Then the Western Conference Finals moved to Oklahoma City. With 2-0 lead, a win by the Spurs in Game 3 would have fueled talk about a perfect postseason. The Oklahoma City Thunder, however, had other plans. They routed the Spurs in Game 3 and in they beat again in Game 4 , 109-103, to level the series and sent  the Spurs home reeling with a 2 game losing streak. Has streak really reversed? or is it just a minor blip in the Spurs ascent?

Game 4 was marked by the 4th quarter explosion by NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant. With the Spurs breathing down their necks, Durant just took over and scored 18 big points in the last 7 minutes of the game.  He practically doused fire for every run and rally the Spurs attempted during the final minutes of the game. His 18 4th quarter points was a career high.

Another notable performer was Serge Ibaka who had career high 26 points by hitting all 11 of his field goal attempts and all 4 free throw chances. Six of his 11 field goals were made at the perimeter.  The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan‘s 21 and Kawhi Leonard‘s 17.  Tony Parker finished with 12 points as he only hit 5 of his 15 attempts while his counterpart from the Thunder Russell Westbrook did not do better as he only finished with 7 points and missing 8 of his 10 field goal tries.

The series will shift back to Texas were the crucial Game 5 will be played.

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Stats Streaks: 20 Straight! Rondo extends double digit assists streak!!

Rondo Explosion (Photo credit: Digital Dustin)

Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics has extended his amazing streak of issuing double digit assists to 20 games.  His efforts though were not enough to propel the Celtics to a road victory against the lowly Toronto Raptors.  Rondo tied legendary Magic Johnson at 2^nd longest streak behind All-time great John Stockton’s 29.

His streak started in March 11 and it came at a good time as the Celtics are battling playoff seeding.  After starting the season at 15-17, the Boston Celtics have won 19 of its 26 games after the All-Star break.  Boston is currently battling the Atlanta Hawks, and the Orlando Magic for the 4^th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The streak helped Rajon Rondo to overtake Steve Nash as the top NBA player when it comes to passing. Rondo (11.4) is now .3 apg clear of Nash (11.1) in the assists race for the season.

caloycomment: With the way, Rondo and Boston are playing expect teams to have a hard time against them in the playoffs … MORE

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Stats Streaks: Boston’s Rajon Rondo has double digit assists for 16 straight games

 

Rajon Rondo issued 12 assists in Boston’s 86-72 over the Indiana Pacer. The Boston Celtic guard has 10  or more assists in 16 straight games. He is the 4th player in NBA history to have 16 straight double digit assist games. The other 3 were John Stockton, Magic Johnson and  Kevin Porter. The NBA record is at 29 held by legendary Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton.

In those 16 games, Boston has won 10 games. Rondo made a total of 210 assists in that span for a 13.1 apg clip. He is currently second in NBA assists per game averages trailing Phoenix’s Steve Nash by .1 assist per game.

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Los Angeles Lakers “revamp”: Fisher, Walton, Kapono traded

End of an era: Fisher no longer a Laker

As the NBA trade deadline passed, the LA Lakers were surprisingly the most active trader. The Lakers were able to unload some contracts but also get younger for a playoff push this year. The Lakers will say goodbye to longtime point guard Derek Fisher and bench mainstay Luke Walton.

Trade 1: Jason Kapono (2.0 ppg, .382 FG%), Luke Walton (1.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg) and Laker’s 2012 first round pick for Cleveland Cavaliers’ Ramon Sessions (10.5 ppg, 5.2 apg) and Christian Eyenga (1.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg).

Trade 2: Derek Fisher and Maverick’s 2012 first round pick (from the Lamar Odom deal) for Houston Rockets center Jordan Hill (5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

The big catch Lakers is Sessions who will probably get the starting role eventually for Lakers. Sessions is on a contract year and he is averaging more than 5 assists per game despite being the back up of 2011 No.1 pick Kyrie Irving.

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NBA: New York’s Lin streak end at 7

 

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After 7 wins of Linsanity, sanity is somehow restored in New York as the New Orleans Hornets handed the Knicks its first loss since February 3. Jeremy Lin finished with 26 points but had 9 turnovers in their 89-85 loss. Amare Stoudemire also scored 26 for New York. Trevor Ariza led the Hornets with 25 markers.

The Knicks will be getting star Carmelo Anthony and they just recently signed former Denver Nugget J.R. Smith. The loss dropped the Knicks record to 15-16 and they currently hold the 8th best record in the Eastern conference. They are 5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Conference standings.

 

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Knicks extend Linsane winning streak to 7

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By winning against the Sacramento Kings today, the New York Knicks extended its winning streak to 7. The streak started last February 4 when Coach Mike D’Antoni gave significant minutes to now-cult hero Jeremy Lin against the New Jersey Nets. Lin responded to score 25 points in 36 minutes. The next game against the Jazz, Lin only sat for 3 minutes and scoring 28 points with 8 assists in a 99-88 win. He got his first double-double (23 points 10 assists) against John Wall and the Washington Wizards on February 8. “Linsanity” erupted in New York when Lin outscored Kobe Bryant in its 92-85 conquest of the Lakers on February 10. Jeremy Lin scored a career high 38 points. The streak extended to five, when the Knicks rallied past the Minnesota Timberwolves behind Lin’s 20 point- 8 assist game. On February 14, he broke the hearts of the Raptor fans by making his first career game winner in a 90-87 win over the Toronto Raptors. He also established a career high in assist in that game by dishing out 11 along with his 27 points.

In today’s win over the Kings, Lin for the first time in the streak failed to reach 20 points. He only scored 10 but for the second straight night, he increased his assist career high as he made 13. The streak has reenergized the Knicks and gave them hope that their team can be playoff beaters. From a super under-achieving 8-15 team, Lin turned the Knicks to a dangerous .500 team (15-15). Coupled with Boston’s loss to Detroit today, New york is just a game behind the vaunted Celtics in the Atlantic Standings (Philadelphia leads the division at 20-10).

Their next match will be against the New Orleans Hornets and the Knicks will soon get back All-Star Carmelo Anthony. With Amare Stoudamire back, the Knicks is getting stronger every day. The “Lin-sane” streak could go further. Stay tuned.

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Jeremy Lin: New York Knick’s big Asian hope

The team from the Big Apple is now banking on an unlikely player in its recent surge in the NBA standings. Jeremy Lin who played for Harvard and was cut by two NBA teams this season has led the underachieving New York Knicks (13-15) to a stellar 5 game winning streak. He has reenergized the fan base and his Asian connection is making him the heir apparent of Yao Ming. Lin was recently awarded the East player of the week and if the All-Star voting would have been next week, he could have been a shoo-in to be a starter.

So, what has he done so far in his career? In the past 5 games, he averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 assists while shooting at a 51.5% rate.  On February 10, he dropped 38 points to stun the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers. He might not keep it up but New York has truly found a gem or at least lucky jade charm in their lethargic start in this lockout-shortened season.

Lin’s play has even got the attention of controversial boxing champ Floyd Mayweather.  Mayweather suggested that he got the attention because he is Asian. Hopefully, Lin will respond and ask Mayweather to fight that Asian boxing champion that he has been avoiding.  The past week was definitely one of the best weeks so far of Lin’s life. His twitter following has exploded and he has been trending in that site for a couple of days already.

Is he the savior of the Knicks? Will he be final piece needed for the long-awaiting Knicks francise to bring them to the promise land? Maybe. As for now, people are enjoying the “Linsanity” in Madison Square Garden.

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2011 NBA Draft: Kyrie Irving is Top Pick

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The Top Ten Picks are:

 

No. 1 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS Kyrie Irving (Duke) Guard 6-4 191 lbs. – Irving was expected to go either No.1 or 2.  The Duke freshman only played 11 games in college but he averaged 17.5 points along with .462% 3 FG shooting.  He is expected to be the floor general of the new-look Cavs.  He has big shoes to fill after Lebron James left for Miami but Cleveland’s newest No.1 pick will just hope have a stat line like current MVP Derrick Rose or New Orlean‘s Chris Paul. This pick is quiet good, I expect to see freshman numbers like this 16 ppg 6 apg 45% 3 Fg%.  Question: Will he be the savior of the kingdom left by Lebron?

No.2 MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES Derrick Williams (Arizona) PF 6-8 241 lbs. – As expected, Williams is No.2 pick. A lot of experts see him as probably the most NBA-ready of this year batch of rookies.  He has guild build and he has shown that he can score anywhere in the court. He has the potential to average over 20 ppg in his first year. The problem now in Minnesota is who will they move since they have a glut in scoring forwards with the presence Michael Beasley (19.2 ppg 5.6 rpg) and Anthony Randolph. With the entry of Ricky Rubio the starting PF for the Wolves has the potential to be one of the NBA’s scoring leaders. Question: Will the Williams-Rubio tandem become the next Malone-Stockton pairing?

No.3 UTAH JAZZ Enes Kanter (Kentucky) C 6-11 262 lbs.  - Kanter of Turkey was not able to play in the NCAA because he was deemed ineligible after playing in the Turkish pro league. He is projected to be a versatile and athletic big man that will help in rebuilding process in Utah. The Jazz seriously considered Brandon Knight for this slot but the management decided that big men are more important on this draft. Question: Will he be better than Darko?

No.4 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS Tristan Thompson (Texas) PF 6-8 225 lbs. – Cleveland was considering a 6-8 PF for the top pick (D. Williams) but they still got 6-8 PF for the No.4 pick in Thompson. As a freshman, he averaged 13.1 ppg 7.8 rpg and Big 12 leading 2.4 blocks per game. He has a tremendous motor and that is probably main reason that he landed as the 4th pick in this year’s draft. He will be solid high energy guy for the Cavs in the years to come. The Cavs were though to pick Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania. Question: Will he just be another Udonis Haslem?

No. 5 TORONTO RAPTORS Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania) PF 6-11 240 lbs. – He could have gone higher if not for his contract situation.  He might not be able to play this year but at 19 years old, he has a lot of upside. He dominated the European under-18 Championship (19 ppg 13 rpg 2.7 bpg).  He needs to gain some muscles before he can really dominate in the NBA day in and day out. The Raptors are one of the few teams who can wait for this potentially exciting big man. Question: When will he play in the NBA?

No. 6 WASHINGTON WIZARDS Jan Vesely (Czech Republic) SF 6-11 240 lbs – The 6-11 athletic small forward will be the wing man of John Wall. He has drawn comparisons to Andrei Kirilenko and was supposed to be a lottery pick last year before pulling out from the draft. He is one of the more interesting prospects in this draft and hopefully his skill set will offer the Wizards a lot mismatches in their favor. Question: What position will he play in the NBA?

No. 7 SACRAMENTO KINGS Bismack Biyombo (Congo) PF 6-9 240 lbs. – This pick was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. Biyombo is expected to dominate the defensive side of the ballgame ala Ben Wallace during his early days with the Pistons.  With a wingspan of 7 feet and 7 inches he is known to be an extra tough defender and an energetic rebounder. He will be a big asset to the Bobcats.  Just like Big Ben Wallace, he has no offensive game to speak off. Question: Is his defense enough to be picked in the top 10?

No.8 DETROIT PISTONS Brandon Knight (Kentucky) PG 6-3 185 lbs. – With no team needing a point guard, Brandon Knight feel to the lap of the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are loaded with guards and were looking to draft a big man but Joe Dumars cannot help it but pick the best player available. The success of freshman Kentucky guards who moved to the NBA in recent years have been an overwhelming success. Derrick William, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall have shown that Calipari-trained guards can excel in the next level. Knight is the guard who succeeded the three and he led Kentucky to it first Final 4 appearance since 1998. It will be interesting to see how he will bring back the winning years for the Pistons who are revamping their coaching staff and line-up. Question: Is he the next Isiah Thomas?

N0.9 CHARLOTTE BOBCATS Kemba Walker (Connecticut) PG 6-1 172 lbs. – After winning the NCAA Basketball crown, Walker is drafted by Michael Jordan to be the starting point guard of the Bobcats. Kemba is a proven leader, scorer, defender and distributor.  He might a bit undersized but he is a winner and he has shown that he can compete in the face of great adversity. Question: Will he start immediately?

N0. 10 MILWAUKEE BUCKS Jimmer Fredette (BYU) PG 6-2 195 lbs. -The 3rd straight point guard drafted will be playing in Sacramento next year.  He will most likely play 1-2 with the Kings.  With the presence of Tyreke Evans, his shooting skills will be very useful. He led college basketball in scoring last year.  His defense might be questionable but the Kings are bent on having a high scoring team next year. Question: Is his offense enough to sell tickets?

 

 

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