LOCK ‘EM UP, NBA DRAFT REVIEW

The dust has settled from the NBA draft and last week we put a spot light on four players. Before the draft we took a look at these young men (and secretly hoped all of them would be Indiana Pacers). Our fantasies did not come true, but why not take a look at the reality of where these young men wound up…

1. Kyrie Irving (Duke) – As most anticipated, Kyrie was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was widely regarded as the best player in the draft. Personally I am a Bill Simmon’s zombie and will credit him with the following from espn.com: “You know, because any time you can grab a freshman point guard who missed two-thirds of the season when you have $20 million of point guards on your roster, you have to do it.” That may speak to the quality of this year’s draft.

2. Alec Burks (Colorado) – He went number 12 to the Utah Jazz. He went to Colorado, and outside of Denver, it is about as close as you can get. Salt Lake City is amazing, and the Jazz have been nothing but consistent. This may be my favorite pick of the draft by any team because it is projected (in my opinion) to be a low risk/high reward situation.

3. Jimmer Fredette (BYU) – I thought about making naming this article “Jimmer Got Sac’d”. This is not looking like a good deal for Jimmer. He appears, by everything that I have read, to be a Jason Terry-type player who can come off the bench and be instant offense. HOWEVER, he goes to a team who traded for him and essentially put the pressure on him to be an NBA franchise savior. This does not play out well. Ask Harold Miner.

4. Norris Cole (Cleveland State) – The Miami Heat just hit a home run. This is a great pick and I truly believe that Norris Cole is going to be an NBA player for a long time. My second favorite pick of the draft. Congrats, Norris Cole made me hate the Heat less.

In truth, there were few winners in this year’s draft. Not only was the talent pool exceptionally low, but there is a lock-out impending. However, these are four quality young men you can root for, and if anything, we hope all works out for them. Let’s all hope there is no lock out and these stars light it up! Unlikely, but hell, in spite of the circumstances the NBA cashed in on an insanely high viewer rating. Thank you, The Decision!

FOUR PLAYERS IN THE NBA DRAFT TO WATCH

The NBA Draft is tonight. Normally, a giant “who cares” would follow the preceding statement. However, this year is interesting. Don’t get me wrong, there are no expectations of a LBJ, DWade, Carmelo, Bosh 2003 draft. With a potential for a lockout, and essentially unknown talent coming in the draft, who knows what is going to happen or where these players are going to go. With that, here are four players you want on your team (in no order although they are numbered)...

1. Kyrie Irving (Duke) – He is a 6’ 3” PG from Duke who played with seemingly an understanding of the game of someone much older than his actual age. However, there is a big question mark in the limited sample size we have from his talents. He was injured and missed a good portion of the season, including crunch time games. How much do we know about him other than he is a great athlete with good insights? Regardless, that is a good plate of putty to mold into an established NBA point guard.

2. Alec Burks (Colorado) – Colorado pulled out more than one upset win this year and Alec Burks is a big reason. Although many think they were served an injustice by being left out of the Big Dance, they should still can consider the 2010-2011 campaign a success. The dude can flat out play and the 6’ 6” sophomore can play either point or shooting guard. While he may not be a franchise player, he may be able to be a key addition especially in the next 2-3 years.

3. Jimmer Fredette (BYU) – In my opinion, the greatest unknown of the draft because of his unorthodox playing style. He kind of reminds me of Adam Morrison (from what I’ve seen), and we have witnessed the struggles Morrison experienced in the league. However, there is something about a guy who loves to hit difficult shots, and knows how to win. In The League, that can be a great asset. I say give Jimmer a chance.

4. Norris Cole (Cleveland State) – Following Butler all year, and living in Cleveland last year, I was able to see a few Norris Cole games. I’m not sure what all the scouts say, but I am predicting the greatest steal of the draft being Norris Cole because he is projected to go so late…and he is a great talent. There is something to be said for a player who can carry his team on his back, and Norris Cole has that skill.

So there you go, as a fan of any team if any of those are on the board, you can safely root for your team to take them. We will meet again tomorrow to look at how these four official Outside the Inside of Sports picks fit into their teams. Until then, happy drafting!