Given their dominance and the watered down international competition due to injuries and players backing out of the Olympics, we’re going to take a look at how Team USA would matchup against a team comprised of players from the rest of the world. We will use the current construction of Team USA for these purposes.

World Team:
Point guard: Steve Nash, Tony Parker
Shooting guard: Manu Ginobli, Thabo Sefolosha
Small forward: Luol Deng, Nicolas Batum, Danilo Gallinari
Power forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Serge Ibaka
Centers: Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Andrea Bargnani

Potential other players: Al Horford, Anderson Varejao, Luis Scola, Nene Hilario, Andrew Bogut, Marcin Gortat, Chris Kaman, Jose Calderon, Andrei Kirilenko, Ersan Ilyasova

Looking at the bevy of international talent in the NBA, most of the talent is in big men. There are handful of centers that aren’t on the roster that could make it, but a roster limit of 12 restricts the choices.

Nash and Parker both are very talented point guards and bring a different style of play to the game. While Nash’s scoring has declined, he still is one of the premier passing point guards in the league, and in the wide open play of international competition, his ability to get his teammates open shots will be at a premium. Parker had arguably the best season of his career last year, and has become exceedingly adept at running the pick and roll. The problem Parker and Nash will run into is neither of them is considered a great defender, and staying in front of the three-headed Team USA point guard monster, will prove problematic. The best bet these two have is to keep putting pressure on the offensive end.

The international pool of players is extremely shallow at shooting guard, so beyond Ginobli, there was no real clear choice. Going with Sefolosha at least provides the team with one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league, which will allow the team to at least mitigate some of the damage done by the Team USA guards. Ginobli is one of the best sixth men in the league, but he is forced to start in international play. While he isn’t as consistent as the scoring threats on Team USA, working with Nash and Parker, he will be able put up some points.

Small forward features three talented players who each bring a different facet to the game. Deng will likely start on this squad, and like Sefolosha, he is one of the better perimeter defenders in the league, but also can provide some scoring. He has steadily rounded out his game during his time in the NBA, and will help the World squad on both ends of the floor. Batum is very good in catch and shoot situations, and his length will help bother some of the Team USA players. He is very good at finishing near the rim and will provide some three-point shooting. European players generally are labeled as soft, but Gallinari actually plays tough, draws fouls, and will provide some scoring off the bench.

Power forward features arguably the greatest international player of all time in Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk is getting up in age, but he still has one of the best mid-range games in the NBA, featuring his unblockable fadeaway. While he is not too much of a factor on defense, Dirk rarely wastes possessions and rarely turns the ball over. He will often draw an opposing team’s best defensive player as well as force team’s to double team him, freeing up his teammates. Ibaka has played both center and power forward in the league, but given the depth at center, his talents are better served at power forward. He is an amazing shot blocker as well as rebounder, and his role on the team will be to protect the rim.

The Gasol brothers are both extremely talented, and some of the best passing big men in the league. While Pau is a more accomplished scorer, Marc has really rounded out his game. Neither of them is exceptionally quick by any means, which hinders the ability of the World team to run up and down the court, but when running offensive sets, both players can have the offense run through them. Choosing Bargnani over Horford, Kaman, Gortat, and Bogut, was just a matter of expanding the skill set as those players largely are redundant of the Gasol’s talents. Bargnani truly lives up to the soft-Euro label, but he can stretch the floor and is a deadly outside shooter.

World Team Starting Five:
PG: Tony Parker
SG: Manu Ginobli
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Pau Gasol

Team USA Starting Five:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Tyson Chandler

Team USA would still likely win the majority of games against this team, but the World Team features a lot of talented players, and would definitely play competitively in the international style of play. What has been the benchmark of this Team USA has been their defensive pressure. They frequently force turnovers as well as wasted possessions, but as seen against Brazil with point guard Marcelo Huertas, Team USA can have some trouble with adept passing guards that can take advantage of their aggressiveness on defense. Overall, it would be interesting to see a matchup of this construction, similar to the Ryder Cup in Golf broadened to include more than Europe. It would certainly make for interesting basketball, but also demonstrates just how far international talent in the NBA has come in the 20 years since the Dream Team.

Yesterday the NBA released the schedule for the 2012-13 season. With all the drama and hyped-up stories we have seen during this off-season, there looks to be some must-see games during the season, so we’ve highlighted a few of them below. Several of these games will appear on national television, so be sure to catch them throughout the season.

1. Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat – October 30

Coming off a hotly contested Eastern Conference Finals, the reigning champs take on the Celtics to start the season. With the off-season acquisition of Ray Allen, the Heat look to be an even better team, and you can bet Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo will do anything in their power to start the season 1-0.

2. New York Knicks @ Brooklyn Nets – November 1

A brand new stadium, a brand new logo, and a brand new team will host their crosstown rivals in the home opener. This will likely be the start of a long-standing rivalry between the two, and the league made a great choice to pit them against each other for the first game of the season.

3. LA Clippers @ LA Lakers – November 2

With this still-developing rivalry, most of the games between these two should be pretty interesting. Both teams added key pieces and will likely have improved from last season, so seeing them compete so early in the season could be a precursor to a potential playoffs matchup.

4. New York Knicks @ Houston Rockets – November 23

After a tumultuous summer, Jeremy Lin plays his first game against the team that made him a star. Knicks fans were sad to see him go and Houston fans were elated with his arrival, and Lin himself said he felt that the Knicks never made a true push to keep him. Expect him to make a big splash in this one.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves @ Portland Trailblazers – November 23

These two teams went back and forth over RFA Nicolas Batum this summer, with Portland matching Minny’s offer. Brandon Roy came out of retirement to sign with the TWolves and will play his first game in Portland wearing something other than a Rip City jersey. While probably not the greatest contested game of the season, this one should prove to have some interesting storylines, including how the fans will treat Roy’s return.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat – December 25

At least we all know one present we’ll receive this Christmas. OKC and Miami face off for the first time since the NBA finals in a game that could very well preview the 2013 Finals. OKC will have something to prove in this one, but you can bet the Heat won’t go down easily.

7. LA Lakers @ Phoenix Suns – January 30

Steve Nash makes his return to Phoenix after 8 seasons with the team. Not that this should be much of a matchup with the strength of this Lakers team, but seeing if the Phoenix fans resent Nash for moving to their conference rival should up the stakes.

8. Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls – February 28

Derrick Rose went down in Game 1 of the matchup between these two teams during the first round of the playoffs and could very well return around this time. Joakim Noah said recently he felt extra motivation for the Bulls’ games against Philly after the Sixers fans cheered when Noah went down with an ankle injury in the same series. Expect Chicago to do everything in their power to take this one.

9. New York Knicks @ Denver Nuggets – March 13

Carmelo Anthony makes his long-awaited return to Denver after his trade demands two seasons ago. With the Knicks a somewhat middling team last year without many improvements this offseason, as well as Denver’s strong top-to-bottom lineup, both the story and the game should be fun to watch.

10. Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers – March 20

LeBron James will return to Cleveland with a ring on his finger, and Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert will have to eat his words for claiming Cleveland would win a title before Miami. You have to admire his passion, but I doubt there was a single person across the country who believed this would pan out. Winning a championship will either have exacerbated Cavs fans hatred for James or it will have allowed them to move on and celebrate their hometown hero. I’d guess the former…

11. LA Clippers @ Sacramento Kings – April 17

Okay, this definitely isn’t the most exciting matchup on this list, but the reason it makes the cut is because this could turn out to be the Kings’ final game in Sacramento. Depending on the in-season developments, Kings fans may be dealing with the loss of their franchise, so this has the potential to be an emotional game.

12. Dwight Howard @ Orlando Magic – Brooklyn-November 30/Dallas-January 20/Houston-March 1/Lakers-March 12

Count me in the group who believes Howard will be dealt to one of the above teams before the All-Star break. While we don’t know where he will end up, Howard’s antics over the past year have put off fans across the NBA, but you can bet Magic fans will be all over him in his return.

Got any games you’re excited to see this season? Comment below!

This is a guest post written by Adam Levy of the blog The City of Broad Shoulders

Think about it: how many times have you gotten into a conversation or an argument with someone about whether or not the Bulls would have won eight straight championships had Michael Jordan not retired to play baseball? For me, it must be a good five to ten times and counting. It was only a few years ago when I got into a heated debate with two Rockets fans about this very topic. Punches were nearly thrown and veins began popping out of our necks and foreheads. Fortunately for me, those punches were not thrown, as I would have easily gotten my ass kicked.

This topic has been debated amongst diehard fans, casual fans, people who think they know basketball because they’ve heard of some guy named Jordan, writers, analysts, and scrubs off the street. It has probably also been debated amongst current players, former players, coaches and even front office personnel. The main argument for the Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon. Of the six championships the Bulls won, they never had to play a team with a legitimate center (Vlade Divac, Clifford Robinson, Tom Chambers, Shawn Kemp/Sam Perkins whom were both true power forwards, Greg Ostertag twice). Olajuwon averaged 29-11-4-4 during the ’94 playoffs and 33-10-5-3 during the ’95 playoffs. That’s fair. The main argument for the Bulls: Michael Jordan. The Rockets didn’t have him. The best player in the world retired right smack-dab in the middle of his prime after winning three straight championships. No team could have stopped him no matter how hard they tried.

Of course, no one really knows what would have happened had Jordan not retired during the summer of ’93. However, that doesn’t mean we should stop arguing about it. What fun would that be? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion – as long as they can back it up with some sort of logic. For all these years, I’ve always argued just for the sake of arguing – some of it out of bias for my hometown Bulls and my sick obsession with M.J., some of it out of thinking that a Jordan-led Bulls team was truly better all-around than the Rockets. But, being the number-loving guy that I am, I surprisingly never took the time to come up with an answer from a statistical point-of-view. So, I asked myself, “What are the chances the Bulls would have won championships in 1994 and 1995 with an unretired, cannibalistic Jordan?”

To figure this out, I used a very similar approach (that I learned about in a book called Mathletics) to one of my posts from May, titled By the numbers: Chances the Bulls get to the Finals with a healthy D-Rose. I used Microsoft Excel Solver to power rate each NBA team during every postseason from 1990-1995 using season-long data from nba-reference.com. I calculated the home team’s margin, prediction of each game, and the squared error of each game, which equals (home margin – prediction)^2. The sum of the squared error acts as the “target cell” in Solver and must be minimized in order to come up with accurate team ratings. Assuming that the average NBA playoff team had a rating of 0, you can see below that the Bulls, as expected, received the highest playoff rating during each of their first three championship runs with 15.88, 20.54 and 9.59, respectively. The Rockets, of course, rated the highest during the 1994 and 1995 postseasons with 5.74 and 16.08, respectively.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s take all this in for a second. Based on just the numbers above, it’s no coincidence that the Bulls went from making everyone their bitch from 1991-93 to just above average in the two postseasons that followed. They also ranked first overall in offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons and second overall in 1992-93, then plummeted to 14th overall in 1993-94 and 10th in 1994-95. The impact that MJ had on the Bulls can obviously go without saying. Even without him, though, they finished their first Jordan-less season with 55 wins and the third seed in the playoffs. Had Hue Hollins not made one of the most controversial foul calls in the history of the NBA against Scottie Pippen during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls would have likely won the series against the Knicks and could have been one step closer to playing the Rockets without Jordan. But, it clearly didn’t work out that way, and they were sent packing before the Finals for the first time in four years.

Anyways, it’s time to get back on track and calculate the chances that the Bulls would have beaten Houston using Excel’s @RISK. The first step was forecasting the average scoring margin for home and away games. There was no right way to do this, so I had to get creative. I figured the most logical way would be to:

1. Take the Bulls’ average playoff rating over those three seasons above (15.34) and put it up against the Rockets’ ratings in their respective championship seasons (5.47 in ’94, 16.09 in ’95).
2. Assume the Bulls would have had home court advantage (5.85 points) both years because they finished with only three less wins than Houston in ’94 (55 to 58) and the same amount of wins in ’95 (47 each). I’d like to think that the Bulls would have won at least three extra games each year had Jordan been playing.
3. Assume they would have beaten every Eastern Conference opponent because it just makes my life easier.

For home games, I took (Home Edge + Bulls Rating – Rockets Rating). For away games, I took (Bulls Rating – Home Edge – Rockets Rating). The projected margin was then calculated using the average forecast and standard deviation (Mathletics states that ”12 points is the historical standard deviation of actual scores about a prediction from a ranking system”). If that number was greater than 0, then the Bulls were given a 1 (indicating they won) and were given a 0 if the number was less than 0 (indicating they lost). If the sum of the wins was greater than or equal to 4, then the Bulls would have won the series. With that being said, take a look at the 1994 Finals simulation results:

After running 1000 iterations, the Bulls won the series a ridiculous 966 times, meaning they would have had a 96.6% chance of beating Houston with Jordan playing. In other words, had the Bulls played as well in the 1994 postseason as they did the previous three seasons, the Rockets would have stood virtually no chance of winning. Seven championships instead of six? Yes please.

The 1995 playoffs were a completely different story. Houston played with much more of an edge after finally winning a championship the year before, and Hakeem Olajuwon was simply unstoppable, as he solidified himself as the best center in the game. Jordan also came back and played in the playoffs, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Check out the 1995 Finals simulation results:

This time, the Bulls won the series only 504 times – you can’t find a more even matchup than that. The split was nearly dead even at 50/50 so, based on numbers alone, it’s very hard for me to argue for any one side. However, I will say this: I understand that Jordan came back near the end of the season and played in the playoffs, but he wasn’t quite the same player that everyone was accustomed to watching until the playoffs actually started. He was very rusty in a majority of the regular season games he played in and shot a career low 41% from the field.

Yes, Jordan’s numbers against Charlotte and Orlando that postseason prove that he finally got his mojo back (31.5 points per game), but the team’s chemistry wasn’t even close to where it once was during their three-peat. The Bulls had added Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr since Jordan left, and they lost Horace Grant and John Paxson. It was probably very difficult for Jordan to adjust to playing with a completely different group of players and vice versa. Imagine playing two years with Scottie Pippen leading your team and then watching him hand over the reigns, just a month before the 1995 playoffs, to a legend who takes about 22 shots a game and approaches every play, every set and every opposition unlike anyone you’ve ever seen. It takes longer than a month to get used to, so the Bulls entered the playoffs during a honeymoon period, and Shaquille O’Neal’s Magic took advantage. Needless to say, they went on to win a NBA-record 72 games the next season and obliterated everyone en route to their fourth of six championships (finished the postseason with a 15-3 record). Surely, a little chemistry, as well as a little Dennis Rodman, never hurt anyone. Well, except for any women who claim victim to Rodman’s misdemeanor and domestic violence charges. But that’s besides the point.

Look, I don’t want to take anything away from the Houston Rockets. They were an incredible team led by two Hall of Famers in Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler and supported by Kenny Smith, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and Mario Elie. After Jordan, Olajuwon may have been the best player in the ’90s and is widely considered the greatest defensive player of all time. Coming up with probabilities is fun and all, but it’s not a final indicator of who would actually win the series. The games would still have to be played. Maybe the Rockets weren’t going to lose that year no matter who they went up against, but I still can’t help but think about what could have been.

From Charles Barkley to Karl Malone to John Stockton to Patrick Ewing to Reggie Miller to Dominique Wilkins to Shawn Kemp to Brad Daugherty to Tim Hardaway, the list of Hall of Famers or great players that never won a ring because they couldn’t beat M.J.’s Bulls is endless. Had Jordan never retired to play baseball, who’s to say that Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler wouldn’t have joined that list as well?

And this may be one of the best signings of the entire offseason.

Of course, there have been plenty of bigger stars to sign new contracts this year, including Deron Williams, Roy Hibbert, and even the Lakers’ own Steve Nash. But this move has the potential to push LA to the NBA Finals in West and firmly plants them in the conversation for title contenders.

Before signing Jamison, the Lakers had a very strong starting squad that included Kobe Bryant, Nash, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. However, that was mostly it. The rest of the team includes  Metta World Peace, likely the fifth starter who, while strong on defense, is deficient on the offensive end, Steve Blake, Josh McRoberts, and a slew of rookies and sophomores.

Now, the Lakers have a very potent offensive weapon to come off the bench, which makes a strong team even more threatening.Not to mention the fact that this squad improves greatly if they are able to swap Bynum for Howard, a deal that is looking increasingly likely

Adding Jamison allows them to sit two of their stars at once while not having as much concern about a sharp drop in scoring. Bryant, Bynum, and Gasol add +9.1, +10.1, and +6.5 net points to the Lakers respectively when on the floor. When two of them are on the bench, the team’s scoring takes a considerable hit. Bringing in a player like Jamison, who averaged 17.2 points along with 6.3 boards on a meddling Cleveland team last year, punches up the bench scoring considerably.

Jamison comes at a cost of only $1.4-million for next season, significantly below what he could have garnered from other teams. Such is the benefit of a title contender courting a player who hasn’t been in the playoffs for two years and has never made it past the second round. Not to mention this is only a one-year deal, so if Jamison doesn’t work out for LA, they aren’t saddled with anything long-term.

This seems to be exactly the kind of low-risk, high-reward signing that can be a difference maker for a team. The question is, does it give the Lakers enough to get past the Oklahoma City Thunder?

The answer to that question is difficult. It would seem the Lakers top 5 players, Bryant, Bynum, Nash, Gasol, and Jamison, are superior to OKC’s top 5, Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, and Kendrick Perkins. Not to mention the fact that Bynum and Gasol’s production should only improve with Nash running the point.

However, the age difference between the two teams is certainly a factor, with the average age of those Laker players at 33, while the OKC top 5 is only 23.  Plus, while the Lakers advantage in the past has been their extensive experience in the playoffs, OKC is coming off their first NBA Finals this past season.

It’s difficult to say which is the better squad before the season starts, though based on last season the nod should likely go to OKC. But, whereas before the Jamison signing it looked to clearly be 1 and 2, the rankings now seem more appropriate as 1a and 1b.

No team has been more active this offseason than the Houston Rockets. Leading up to the draft, they stockpiled picks in hopes of trading for Dwight Howard, and they’ve continued that push well into free agency. Thus far, they have been unable to create a package enticing enough for Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan to pull the trigger. Reports have suggested that the Rockets would be willing to take on a slew of bad contracts (Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Duhon, and Glen Davis) in order to acquire Howard. Recently, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has dispelled this notion, and as the Los Angeles Lakers have stepped up their efforts to acquire Howard, the Rockets may strike out in their grand plan.

As of last night, the New York Knicks have confirmed they will not be matching the Rockets’ offer sheet to Jeremy Lin. From a marketing perspective, Lin is a home-run signing, his arrival almost coincides exactly a year past Yao Ming’s official retirement. Lin will likely start at point guard for the Rockets, after they shipped out the unhappy Kyle Lowry as well as let Goran Dragic sign with Phoenix. While Lin had his share of struggles, his successes stemmed from running point in Mike D’Antoni’s open, fast-paced style of offense. The Rockets will ideally run a similar style of play this season, and Lin will be surrounded with a lot of young, athletic players. He is only 23 years old, so there is plenty of room for growth, but expect a season of inconsistencies from an extremely young team, led by an inexperienced point guard.

The next likely domino to fall for the Rockets is the signing of Omer Asik. There have been mixed signals from the Chicago Bulls’ camp on whether or not they will match the offer sheet, and if they do elect to pass, Houston will have one of the better defensive centers in the league. The Rockets used the Gilbert Arenas provision that allowed them to offer a “poison-pill” structured contract to both Lin and Asik, but does not as adversely affect their books as it would the Bulls.

Lin and Asik are likely the only sure-things for next season’s roster. So given these moves and Morey’s unsuccessful search for a bonafide star the past few offseasons, if they aren’t able to acquire Howard, how will the Rockets fair next season, and should Rockets fans be upset they missed out on Howard?

Next season, the Rockets will go through a lot of growing pains as most of their players in their rotation are younger than 25. But they have a ton of potentially good players in Lin, Asik, Royce White, Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Jones, Donatas Montiejunas, and Marcus Morris. The Rockets will also likely find themselves in the lottery again next season and own a future Toronto Raptors lottery pick, allowing them to collect even more talent.

While the NBA Summer League is generally no indication of future success, you would still rather see your young players succeed than not. Thus far, Lamb, Jones, White, and Montiejunas have all played well and allowing this core of players to develop together could prove very worthwhile down the road for the Rockets. Each player has a different skill set, and as they play more, they should mesh well together.

Given this, should the Rockets put all their efforts into acquiring Howard? While Howard is a superstar, the cost of trading for him will strip the team of almost all it’s assets. A team of Lin-Howard-Asik with whatever combination of Magic players they are forced to take back is not a championship caliber team. Morey has always targeted stars, but at a certain point, the cost of acquiring one outweighs the reward. Rocket fan’s will ultimately be frustrated with missing the playoffs for consecutive seasons, but trading for Howard may be a short-sighted move, especially given Howard’s comments that he would not sign an extension.

So Rocket’s fans as well as NBA fans, if you’re Daryl Morey, which route would you take? Going all in for Howard or building the team internally?

Now that the NBA Draft has passed and free agency has begun, we’re going to hold a league-wide player draft. Basically, if you were starting a team and you could pick any NBA player, who would be your franchise player? Our writers, Seth Birkan and Jeff Dennhardt, each selected their top 30 choices for drafting a new franchise and who they would build around based on age, what they’ve accomplished already, and future projections.

Also the numbers listed are Player Efficiency Rating as well as Estimated Wins Added, which measures the number of wins a player adds to a team’s season total above what a ‘replacement player’ would produce. Thoughts? Opinions? Comment below!

While it was difficult to exclude guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, or Kevin Garnett, for the purposes of this exercise, all of them are advanced in age that it made more sense to take younger guys that will be in the league for many more years.

The 2012 Free Agency Period is still in its infancy. We’re currently in the moratorium period where, although teams can agree on deals with players, nothing can be signed until July 11. A number of moves have been made with certain high profile players landing with new teams. Here are the five teams/signings that have made the biggest impact:

1. Steve Nash signs with the Los Angeles Lakers
In perhaps the most surprising move we’ve seen so far, the Lakers were able to pull off a sign-and-trade to bring Phoenix PG Steve Nash to LA. Nash is on the tail end of a magnificent career, and he wants to go out with a championship. So, it makes perfect sense for the Lakers to acquire a top tier point guard and one of the best shooters in NBA history. Kobe Bryant has never had the opportunity to play with an elite point guard, so there will likely be a big of an adjustment period. But, Bryant and Nash are two of the smartest players in the NBA, so I expect them to figure it out rather quickly. Nash also figures to give big ups to the games of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol with his ability to shred defenses with a perfectly executed pick and roll, which will be a somewhat new element added to the Lakers offensive arsenal. While it doesn’t help the Lakers’ PG defense, Nash is certainly an upgrade over Derek Fisher or Ramon Sessions. LA has put themselves right back in the championship hunt with a single move.

2. Brandon Roy signs with the Minnesota Timberwolves
This is a huge make-or-miss move by the TWolves, but I think it will pay off. Roy was forced to retire from the Portland Trailblazers prior to last season due to chronic knee issues, but after a year off and surgery from the same doctor who treated the knees of Bryant and Yankees’ 3B Alex Rodriguez, I have to believe Roy will be able to compete at a high level. This move makes Minnesota a much more complete team, with a roster led by Roy, Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, Derrick Williams, and a number of other role players, which very well may propel them into the playoffs. While I don’t love the 2-year, $11 million deal (it seems a little high for a player who believed his career was over just a year ago), this was an impact move that could very well put Minny over the edge.

3. Houston Rockets utilize poison pill contracts
While they’ve put themselves in a somewhat dire situation at PG, the Rockets have gone all out with their use of what has been termed ‘poison pill contracts’ this offseason. Essentially, they are offering deals to restricted free agents that are extremely heavily back-loaded, meaning that if the player’s original team wants to match, they are going to take a hard hit to the salary cap in the final year of the contract. The reason this strategy is so ingenious is that, while the matching team must pay out the contract as is, the Rockets’ salary cap is his by the average of the contract over the years instead of a lump sum in the final year. Houston has already leveraged this move with Bulls’ center Omer Asik and Knicks’ guard Jeremy Lin. Both of those teams may match, but will be hit hard in the wallet for it. Not only does this give Houston the chance to pry solid free agents away from their original team, but it gives them the added benefit of financial advantage a few years down the road if they do lose out on the contract. While this issue will likely be resolved in the next CBA (it appears as though it was relatively unforeseen in this past summer’s discussions), the Rockets are using it to its fullest extent this season.

4. Brooklyn Nets trade for Joe Johnson
While Johnson has one of worse contracts in the NBA, this was a good move for the Nets. Not only did the Nets get a significant upgrade at the 2, they were also able to keep assets in Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, and Marshon Brooks. Even more, the move did enough to convince All-Star Deron Williams to sign an extension with the team after they gambled in acquiring him two seasons ago. In moving to a new city, the Nets had to make a splash this offseason, and this was the right direction to go. Brooklyn’s lineup actually figures to have one of the better starting 5s in the East next season and will have a good shot at making the playoffs if they can remain healthy. On top of all that, the Nets still have the chance to complete a deal for Dwight Howard, giving them their own Big 3 with Johnson and Williams. This was a step in the right direction for a team that has been dismal the last few seasons and Brooklyn still has the chance to further upgrade their roster.

5. Ray Allen (very likely) signs with the Miami Heat
So I know this isn’t officially a done deal at this point, but all indications are that Allen will ink a deal with the Miami Heat. It seems hard to believe he’d be willing to return to a Boston team where he will play second fiddle to Avery Bradley and have to compete with Jason Terry for minutes, so expect to see this deal announced within the coming days. This is a huge upgrade for the Heat, who are getting a player that, if healthy, remains one of the deadliest jump shooters in the league. The added outside threat should clear up the lane for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and make an already potent offense even more effective. Allen also has a winning pedigree, so bringing him in to play with the defending champions should pan out to be a solid move.

Dwight Howard has looked more like Lex Luthor than Superman as late. With the back and forth that occurred between Howard and the Magic last season, culminating in Howard agreeing to sign an extension and remain with the team for another year, seemed to be a fair resolution for the time being.

But, it seems that it was actually the worst possible decisions for both sides. The Magic are now all but forced to trade Howard, even after firing head coach Stan Van Gundy and retooling the front office.

And Howard’s reputation only gets worse.

For a player who was known as a jokester in his first eight seasons, Howard’s reputation seems to be on a downward trend rivaled only by “The Decision.” And we all know what it took to get LeBron James past that. The difference between the two is that James was simply given bad advice to make leaving Cleveland such a public event. But he still donated the proceeds from that event to charity.

Howard’s problem, in contrast, could aptly be named The Indecision.

The problem with Howard is that he originally refused to flat out say he wanted to leave Orlando, a fact which the majority of the NBA has known for at least a full season. Had he just come out last year and been upfront, saying he was going to test the free agent waters, he’d likely be in a much better situation than he is now. Perhaps the James saga scared him off from being so straight forward, but he’s worse off for it.

Instead, Howard chose to give hope to the city of Orlando, when he likely had very little intention to remain there in the long run. While the situation with Van Gundy, including his infamous interview with reporters where he admitted Howard had asked for his firing (a claim that Howard denies but is more likely than not the truth), likely didn’t help Howard’s chances of remaining with the Magic, the root of the problem is that Howard doesn’t believe he can win in Orlando.

I don’t blame Howard for wanting to leave and the Magic’s front office certainly hasn’t helped by signing a cascade of terrible contracts, such as Hedo Turkoglu, Quentin Richardson, Chris Duhon, and Glen Davis. But the way he has gone about it will likely impact him in fans eyes for a long time. As good as Howard is as a player, he isn’t of the same caliber as LeBron James, whose abilities seem to transcend the sport.

Also, the most recent rumors of Howard claiming the Magic blackmailed him into signing the one-year extension, along with his “demands” that he will only accept a trade to one team, are only working to further tarnish his reputation.

The most recent rumors from around the NBA say that the Brooklyn Nets may indeed be able to put together a package for Howard, which would include Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Marshon Brooks, and three first round draft picks. But that may not even be the best group Orlando could get in return for the All-Star center. And don’t be at all surprised if the Magic actively shy away from a trade with the Nets because of Howard’s antics.

What’s transpired with Howard is bad for both the city of Orlando and the NBA as a whole. If superstars want to leave their team, they have that right; no one should be forced to work in a situation they don’t enjoy, no matter what the line of work is. But doing so in a way that does harm to a team that the player supposedly believes in and respects isn’t the right way to go about it.

The backlash Howard is going to face from this saga could severely tarnish his legacy. Perhaps the only way to overcome it will be to dominate the league with his own Big 3 in Brooklyn. But, Howard may never even get that chance.

New Orleans Hornets – B
Selections: Anthony Davis 1(1), Austin Rivers 1(10), Darius Miller 2(16)
The pick of Davis is obviously an A+, but selecting Austin Rivers with the tenth pick is questionable. While, the Hornets believe he can play along side Eric Gordon, they are similar players. Rivers had more turnovers than assists last season, so hoping for him to develop into a point guard might be false hope. If they were adamant about selecting a point guard to help get Davis the ball, Kendall Marshall would’ve been a better selection. Miller could help replace Trevor Ariza’s defense as well as provide another three-point shooter.

Charlotte Bobcats – A
Selections: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 1(2), Jeff Taylor 2(1)
Leading up to the draft, the Bobcats had been shopping the second overall selection to potentially move down and collect more picks. In the end, they kept the pick and made the right choice with MKG. While Bradley Beal was tempting as he should be able to provide immediate scoring, Kidd-Gilchrist should help the Bobcats in a lot of areas on and off the court. Taylor was a very good defender in college and has the body and athleticism to sustain this in the NBA. He is not a bad scorer and should provide the Bobcats with another solid wing player.

Washington Wizards – B
Selections: Bradley Beal 1(3), Tomas Satoransky 2(2)
Beal is a great selection and should finally provide John Wall with a competent scorer beyond recently departed chuckers Nick Young and still present Jordan Crawford. Washington should be more competitive this season, but they could’ve added another talented player with their second round pick instead of stashing someone in Europe for a couple seasons.

Cleveland Cavaliers – C
Selections: Dion Waiters 1(4), Tyler Zeller 1(17)
While Waiters may prove to be the best shooting guard in the draft, the Cavaliers passed up numerous talented players to take him fourth overall. The Cavaliers never personally saw him workout or brought him in for interviews because Waiters camp ceased any activity once he received a promise from another lottery team, which brings even more scrutiny to the selection. Waiters is not the ideal shooter either, but he will help with scoring with his ability to get to the basket. Zeller cost the Cavs three picks, but he is athletic and runs the floor well, which should make Kyrie Irving happy.

Sacramento Kings – A
Selections: Thomas Robinson 1(5)
The Kings potential deal surrounding the fifth pick was contingent on whether or not Thomas Robinson would still be available, and as he was, they selected him. In terms of perfect fits, few teams found such a match as the Kings did with Robinson. Robinson appears to be the most NBA ready prospect and his attitude and aggressiveness should pair well with Demarcus Cousins. The Kings hit a home run with this pick.

Portland Trailblazers – B+
Selections: Damian Lillard 1(6), Meyers Leonard 1(11), Will Barton 2(10)
The Blazers had a hole at point guard and Lillard should be able to come in and fill that immediately. He is an exceptional scorer and if he can improve his passing ability, has the potential to become a dynamic scoring point guard a la Russell Westbrook. Leonard is a project, but he has good range for a 7-footer as well as very good athleticism. If he is able to put it all together, he will be a nice asset for the Blazers. Barton was a good value pick in the second round, he was known as a scorer at Memphis and he should be able to provide the Blazers with that off the bench and eventually may start for them.

Golden State Warriors – A+
Selections: Harrison Barnes 1(7), Festus Ezeli 1(30), Draymond Green 2(5), Ognjen Kuzmic 2(22)
The Warriors were elated Barnes fell to them and now with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Barnes, the Warriors have three excellent scoring options. While Andrew Bogut should help the Warriors defense next season, the addition of Ezeli adds another solid defensive big man for them which will allow the Warriors to monitor Bogut’s minutes. Green is a swiss-army knife type of player that should be able to help the Warriors in a lot of areas and is generally just a good player to have in your locker room. Kuzmic is another Euro-stash player that may provide value down the road.

Toronto Raptors – B
Selections: Terrence Ross 1(8), Quincy Acy 2(7), Tomislav Zubcic 2(26)
Ross may have been a reach over Jeremy Lamb and Austin Rivers if they were looking for a shooting guard, but he is very athletic as well as a good shooter. The Raptors were one of the lowest scoring teams last season, so the addition of Ross and last year’s pick Jonas Valanciunas should be a nice shot in the arm. Acy is a scrappy player that will add some much needed physicality for the Raptors. There was no way Bryan Colangelo wasn’t going to draft a European player, but Zubcic is another project who could pay dividends in a few years.

Detroit Pistons – A
Selections: Andre Drummond 1(9), Khris Middleton 2(9), Kim English 2(14)
With the ninth pick, Drummond made a lot of sense. At a certain point, the guarantees of a player become greatly diminished and Drummond has the potential to be one of the best players in this draft. Drummond also fills a need as they have a true seven-footer to pair with undersized Greg Monroe. Middleton was another great pick, he is an underrated scorer with length, size, and defensive potential that mirrors Tayshaun Prince. The Pistons recently traded Ben Gordon, so the arrival of English will help mitigate the loss of Gordon’s outside shooting. Overall, a very solid draft for the Pistons who have made some strides in rebuilding lately.

Houston Rockets – B
Selections: Jeremy Lamb 1(12), Royce White 1(16), Terrence Jones 1(18)
The Rockets are always in search of a star, but they were unable to parlay their three first round picks into player such as Dwight Howard. They may still seek a trade once free agency starts, but for now, they made three solid selections. Lamb  has the potential to become the best shooting guard in this draft, so getting him with the 12th pick was a steal. White was one of the more talked about names leading up to the draft with teams trying to trade up to get him. He is PF, but he is unusual in that he doesn’t have to be scoring or rebounding to be effective as he is a point-forward. His versatility will allow the Rockets to utilize their guards off the ball. Jones is also intriguing because he has the potential to be one of the better players in the draft, but the effort is not always there. If he can put it all together, he could be a valuable asset for the Rockets.

Phoenix Suns – B-
Selections: Kendall Marshall 1(13)
Marshall probably was drafted higher than he should’ve been, but with Steve Nash likely leaving this summer, Marshall is a good fit to run the offense. He is entirely a pass-first point guard, who will struggle on offense and defense, but his ability to set-up his teammates will ease the transition without Nash. The Suns know what they’ll get from Marshall, which is good in one sense, but his upside is limited.

Milwaukee Bucks – B
Selections: John Henson 1(14), Doron Lamb 2(12)
Henson was the Bucks number one target as they really wanted a big man despite trading for Samuel Dalembert. While he will likely never fill out his tall frame, Henson will immediately help with shot-blocking and defense as well as allow Drew Gooden to play his more natural position of power forward instead of center. Lamb was a good value pick as he adds some size and efficient shooting to an otherwise diminutive backcourt with poor shot selection.

Philadelphia 76ers – B
Selections: Moe Harkless 1(15), Arnett Moultrie 1(27)
Harkless is a sleeper prospect who may prove to be one of the better players in the draft, but for now he has a lot to work on. The one thing Philadelphia needed was a good shooter, which Harkless is not (although he is better than Evan Turner). Regardless, Harkless should provide some athleticism and he has good size. Philadelphia was enamored with Moultrie, so when they saw him slipping, they immediately jumped to get him. While Moultrie can do a lot of things, he isn’t particularly great at any of them. He is athletic and has a lot of potential, so selecting him 27th is a great value for the potential reward.

Orlando Magic – B
Selections: Andrew Nicholson 1(19), Kyle O’Quinn 2(19)
Nicholson could develop into a good stretch four with some post-scoring, but the Magic already have some of that in Ryan Anderson. The alternative would have been to select a point guard given Jameer Nelson’s potential departure or some shooters to help spread the floor. O’Quinn played his way onto the draft radar with Norfolk State’s first round upset of Missouri in the NCAA tournament. He is very heavy footed, but he likes to play with his back to the basket, and if Dwight Howard does leave, they will definitely need that.

Denver Nuggets – B-
Selections: Evan Fournier 1(20), Quincy Miller 2(8), Izzet Turkyilmaz 2(20)
Fournier has the potential to develop into a good player, but for now he is has to add a lot of bulk to transition to the NBA. For a young, up-and-coming team that made the playoffs last season, the Nuggets should’ve added someone who could help them immediately. Miller was a great value in the second round and if he can move beyond his prior injury history, he could develop into a good player. Turkyilmaz will assuredly play in Europe for the next few seasons before they consider bringing him over.

Boston Celtics – B
Selections: Jared Sullinger 1(21), Fab Melo 1(22), Kris Joseph 2(21)
Sullinger fell from a potential lottery pick to 21 for the Celtics, and if his back concerns never materialize, he is a complete steal. He will be able to provide the Celtics with some low-post scoring, which they sorely need as well as some much-needed rebounding. Melo was drafted for his defensive presence, and should make an immediate impact there, but his offensive game is very raw. He will add some size to their frontline, and if Garnett returns, Melo will allow the Celtics to manage his minutes. Joseph is a decent prospect, but will likely find himself in the D-League.

Atlanta Hawks – A-
Selections: John Jenkins 1(23), Mike Scott 2(13)
Jenkins will immediately help the Hawks three-point shooting, but he is entirely one-dimensional. The picks in the later part of the first round are meant to find speciality players, and Jenkins speciality was a need for the Hawks. Scott had a very successful senior year at Virginia, and if he had been two-three inches taller, he would have been a first round pick. He will help the Hawks rebounding, and his ability to score with his back to the basket as well as from the paint will help their offense.

Dallas Mavericks – C
Selections: Jared Cunningham 1(24), Bernard James 2(3), Jae Crowder 2(4)
Cunningham is one of the best athletes in the draft and has the potential to develop into a nice combo guard. With the likely departures of Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, the Mavericks were in need of a guard, so Cunningham was a good selection. James has the best draft story of any draft prospect as he served three tours in Iraq, but as an NBA prospect, he offers limited upside. He will add some toughness and rebounding, but there’s not much else there. Crowder is a hard-working, undersized player who may struggle to find a position in the NBA. Given who was left on the board early in the second round, the Mavericks could’ve done better.

Memphis Grizzlies – B
Selections: Tony Wroten Jr. 1(25)
Point guard was a need for the Grizzlies, and Wroten has a lot of potential. He has drawn a lot of comparisons to Rajon Rondo as they both came out of college with a terrible shot, and if Wroten can develop into half the player Rondo is, it’s a win for Memphis. Wroten is very athletic, which allows him to excel at driving to the basket.

Indiana Pacers – D
Selections: Miles Plumlee 1(26), Orlando Johnson 2(6)
Plumlee tested out very well at the NBA combine, but his production at college was very pedestrian. He was a reach this high especially with players like Perry Jones and Arnett Moultrie still on the board who possess way more upside. At best, Plumlee will develop into a good bench player, but in the first round that’s generally not what you’re going for. Johnson is very long and athletic, and as a four-year college player, his transition to the NBA shouldn’t take too long. He will help them at the two-guard where they really need more bodies.

Oklahoma City Thunder – A
Selections: Perry Jones 1(28)
Jones dropped immensely in the draft once a report about his knees came out, but at this point in the draft, he is a low-risk, high-reward selection. The Thunder should be a good fit for Jones as they run such a high-tempo offense that his athleticism and scoring potential could be maximized. Also, the Thunder players should expect Jones to play at his highest level, which is often not the case for him. Given the point in the draft, Jones is a great pick.

Chicago Bulls – A
Selections: Marquis Teague 1(29)
Teague has immense potential and given the injury to Derrick Rose, point guard was a need. This likely spells the end for one or both of C.J. Watson or John Lucas, which will allow Teague to get some minutes in his rookie season. Ideally the Bulls would’ve been able to find a capable scorer, but the options were limited at the end of the first round. Teague was considered a mid-first round pick, so for the Bulls to get him at 29 is a great value.

Utah Jazz – B
Selections: Kevin Murphy 2(17)
Murphy was a phenomenal scorer in college and draws a lot of comparisons to Kevin Martin. The Jazz are a very young team, so bringing in a four-year college player was a smart decision. Murphy should help them with outside shooting as well as scoring.

New York Knicks – C
Selections: Kostas Papanikolaou 2(18)
Papanikolaou will likely stay over in Europe for a few seasons, but he has some potential. It’s a very low risk pick for the Knicks in the second round, and he could develop into an asset down the road.

Los Angeles Clippers – C
Selections: Furkan Aldemir 2(23)
The end of the second-round has become primarily a point to draft Euro-stash players and this is no different. Aldemir is an accomplished rebounder, but for now he is a project. The Clippers traded Aldemir’s rights to the Rockets for cash.

Brooklyn Nets – C
Selections: Tyshawn Taylor 2(11), Tornike Shengelia 2(24), Ilkan Karaman 2(27)
Taylor had a strong senior season, capped off with a run to the NCAA Championship game. He has the potential to develop into a pretty good combo guard if he can improve his decision-making, and might not be a bad backup point down the road. The two European players will likely stay overseas before they think of bringing them over to the NBA.

Minnesota Timberwolves – B
Selections: Robbie Hummel 2(28)
Hummel lost two seasons in college to injury, but he was able to play last season. He is a good shooter for a big man, and will be able to contribute immediately for the Timberwolves. Given how late they took him, it’s a no risk pick.

San Antonio Spurs – A
Selections: Marcus Denmon 2(29)
Love this pick for the Spurs. Denmon is coming off a strong season after leading Missouri to their best record in school history. He is a great shooter and if any team can utilize good shooters it’s the Spurs. Given the team and the point in the draft, this is a great selection.

Los Angeles Lakers – C
Selections: Darius Johnson-Odom 2(25), Robert Sacre 2(30)
Johnson-Odom is an extremely tough guard who can score as well as defend. His size might hurt him at the NBA level, but he has the potential to be a decent complimentary player. Sacre is very heavy-footed, but he’s big and score with his back to the basket.

Miami Heat – D
Selections: Justin Hamilton 2(15)
Hamilton is a big body that the Heat sorely need, but he is a project that needs a lot of work. He has worked out well and had moments last season at LSU, but for now, he will likely play in the D-League. The Heat had the chance to add someone like Arnett Moultire, Draymond Green, or Jeff Taylor, but wanted to avoid the guaranteed contract. The move was questionable given the fact one of those guys could’ve filled a need for them.

Portland Trailblazers: Damian Lillard
Portland owns two picks in the top eleven, and they will draft a big with one of them. While new general manager Neil Olshey can exercise some patience in rebuilding, Lillard would provide an immediate upgrade to the Trailblazer’s backcourt. If Andre Drummond is still hanging around, the Blazers may consider taking him, but the potential boom/bust nature surrounding Drummond may force Olshey’s hand into taking Lillard who could start at PG immediately.

Phoenix Suns: Kendall Marshall
It seems very likely that the Suns will part ways with Steve Nash this offseason, but drafting Marshall will allow them to maintain their style of play. While Marshall is not as good offensively as Nash is/was, he excels at setting up his teammates. Marshall has good size for a point guard that will allow him to sustain his success against bigger and better competition at the NBA level.

Chicago Bulls: Tyshawn Taylor
The Bulls pick will almost assuredly be a backcourt player, and Taylor fits the bill. Taylor really struggled during parts of last season, but towards the end of the season, he really came on strong. What really makes Taylor a good fit is his ability to score and distribute. The Bulls will have to make a decision on C.J. Watson, but regardless, depth is needed in the backcourt.

Four future All-Stars:
1. Anthony Davis – The best player in this draft by far, and one of the best prospects in the past ten years. Davis will make an immediate impact and likely play in multiple All-Star games before his career is over.

2. Bradley Beal – Beal is a very good shooting guard prospect, and beyond his scoring, he is a good rebounder. He can develop into a 20 points per game scorer, and into one of the more dynamic two guard players in the league.

3. Damian Lillard – Lillard is tough to project because point guards generally take longer to transition into the NBA, but also he comes from a small school. On the other hand, he posted the second highest PER in college last season behind Davis, and he has tested and worked out well during the pre-draft process. In a few years, Lillard could develop into a poor-man’s Russell Westbrook.

4. Terrence Ross – Ross is one of the more underrated prospects in the draft, but he is capable of becoming a dynamic scorer in the NBA. He has great athleticism and size, which translates well to the NBA, and once Ross develops some consistency in his shooting, he will make his mark in the league.

Four busts:
1. Perry Jones – Jones has all the physical tools to become a good player in the league, but the drive and work-ethic is never consistent. While talent can sometimes trump effort in college, making it in the NBA requires both. Jones can receive the best coaching in the world, but the mental aspect cannot be taught.

2. Andre Drummond – Drummond, like Jones, has had moments when he’s clearly the most talented player on the floor, but those moments are few and far between. The same concerns that surround Jones, relate to Drummond.

3. Jared Sullinger – Beyond the recent report regarding his back problems, Sullinger’s size will cause him more problems than anything. While, he can be effective in the NBA, he will struggle going against much bigger and stronger NBA players.

4. Dion Waiters – Waiters can be a good NBA player, but his spot on this list relates more to where he’s been projected to be selected than anything. He may be a top eight pick come this Thursday, but I don’t believe he is a better NBA prospect than Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Ross, or Austin Rivers, all of whom will be drafted after him.

Four impact second-round picks:
1.  Terrel Stoglin – Stoglin likely should have returned to college for his junior season, but he entered the draft and may even go undrafted. But, he’s incredibly good at scoring, and could definitely help a team’s second unit.

2. Jared Cunningham – Cunningham is being considered by a few teams towards the end of round one, but if he falls into the second round, he would be a steal. He is one of the best athletes in the draft, and with time could develop into a solid combo guard.

3. Mike Scott – Scott is undersized to play PF in the NBA, but he can consistently hit mid-range jumpers as well as provide hustle plays. If he is able to develop a defensive presence to complement his offense and work-ethic, he could become a solid bench player.

4. Khris Middleton - Middleton did not have a good season last year, but he will likely still be drafted at some point in the second round. While, his shot struggled last season, he has the athleticism to score in a variety ways as well as develop into a good defensive role player.

Four best shooters:
1. John Jenkins - No player hit more three pointers last season than Jenkins who made 129-288 (45%) from behind the arc. His elite shooting skills should translate well to the NBA and will likely be drafted towards the end of round one.

2. Kim English - English comes from the high-scoring Missouri offense where he made 78-165 (48%) from three and shot 52% from the field. He has good size and should fit in well as a shooter off the bench in the NBA.

3. Bradley Beal - Beal may get drafted as high as number two and he has drawn comparisons to one of the all-time greatest NBA shooters in Ray Allen.

4. Terrence Ross - Ross has a phenomenal shooting form as well as the athleticism and size to develop into a very good SG/SF. He really came on strong towards the end of the season, helping Washington advance to the NIT semifinals.

Four best motors:
1. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - MKG is not especially great at one thing, but he is good at a lot of things. What separates him from other prospects is how much energy he plays with. He will do all the small things that help a team win and as he develops other aspects of his game, he has the chance to be a very good NBA player.

2. Jae Crowder - Crowder played forward in college, but his size will really hurt him in the NBA. He is likely a second round pick, and should make a team just based on effort. He rebounds well for his size and continually plays hard.

3.  Quincy Acy - Acy reminds me a lot of what Reggie Evans has become in the NBA. He can come off the bench and provide some energy, defense, and rebounding in short spurts and should be selected in the second round.

4. Jeff Taylor - Taylor is an intriguing prospect because he has the potential to be very good. He is one of the best athletes in this year’s draft and his defensive potential alone should help him succeed in the NBA.

Four immediate impact players:
1. Anthony Davis - This is the obvious selection as Davis should immediately start at center for the Hornets. He will instantly upgrade their defense and will contend for leading the league in blocks in his rookie season. As his offense develops, he could become one of the best two-way players in the league.

2. Harrison Barnes - Barnes struggled at times last season, but he is a great athlete, very smart, and works hard. Depending on where he lands in the draft, he has the potential to score 15-18 points per game his rookie season.

3. Jeremy Lamb - UConn was a mess last season, which did not help Lamb’s progression at all, but given his size and ability to score he should transition well to the NBA.

4. Thomas Robinson - It will take time for Robinson to adjust to playing against bigger and stronger players, but once he does, he will instantly help a team with rebounding and eventually scoring.

Four sleepers:
1. Tony Wroten Jr. - Wroten was one of the top high school prospects two years ago, and he had some success last season at Washington, but scouts do not love his shot, shot selection, or point guard skills. Nonetheless, he has an amazing athlete that could prove people wrong with maturity and coaching.

2. Jeff Taylor - Taylor was discussed above, and I think many teams around the NBA might view him as primarily a defensive player similar to Thabo Sefolosha, but his offense has improved while at Vanderbilt and he could become a good player on both ends.

3. Moe Harkless - Harkless is projected to be picked somewhere in the first round, but he has not received a lot of hype. He has good size and only played one year in college, but with some seasoning, his versatile skill-set might make teams regret passing on him.

4. Quincy Miller - Miller probably should have returned to college and given his prior injury history, team’s are shying away from him. What he does have is incredible length and if he could bulk a little he could become a good SF in the league.