2013 Lottery Mock Draft

     It's that time of the year again. You know, the time of regrettable suits and awkward handshakes with David Stern. The time when words like motor, upside and wingspan get thrown around like candy in a summer parade. It's time for the NBA Draft!

     On the eve of the draft, I'm doing a mock draft of my own. With a slate of pre-draft trade rumors, I waited as long as I could, but in about 24 hours, the draft will be in full swing. With so much uncertainty in a weak, yet deep draft, I'm sticking to just the lottery picks. Here's who I think will be the first 14 names called tomorrow night. 

1. Cleveland Cavs- Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky. 

Noel's draft stock was uncertain after his season-ending knee injury in February, but then for a few months, he was close to a consensus number one pick. Now, it's back to uncertainty, but I still take him first if I'm the Cavs. Seven foot athletes don't come around often. And while his offensive game is raw, what big man is polished when they enter the league? Only 19, Noel will get stronger and can be the defensive centerpiece of a team with one of the best young backcourts in the league. For big men entering the NBA, I focus mostly on shot-blocking and rebounding. And if the Cavs take Noel, they'll get college's best shot-blocker from last season.   

2. Orlando Magic- Victor Oladipo, SG, Indiana. 

Originally I had Trey Burke going here, but a looming Eric Bledsoe for Arron Afflalo deal (which makes sense) was enough for me to make Oladipo the number two pick. The Magic need a ton of help, so why not take one of the sure bets in this year's draft. Oladipo will give it his all every night, and he's the best perimeter defender in the draft. The offense needs work, but if he can develop a consistent three-pointer, Oladipo will one of the best young two-way players in the league. All the Magic can do is improve on their NBA-worst record from last season. Orlando gets hustle and leadership with Oladipo. 

3. Washington Wizards- Otto Porter, SF, Georgetown. 

 I said Oladipo was a sure bet in this draft, Porter is another one. He did it all last season for the Hoyas, and I think he can keep up his good work while staying in D.C. By the end of last season, the Wizards were absolutely one of the eight best teams in the East. With some lottery luck, they fell into the third pick, and Porter is falling into their laps here. Porter is a smart player who will do great with his space on the floor in the NBA. Space that will be plenty available while playing with John Wall and Bradley Beal. He's as NBA ready as anyone in this draft, and Porter is the final piece of a potentially great perimeter in D.C. 

4. Charlotte Bobcats- Alex Len, C, Maryland. 

The Bobcats had the worst roster in the league last year, yet only get the fourth pick in the draft. Luck definitely hasn't been on Charlotte's side in the MJ era. So why take a project center who just had surgery on his foot? The Bobcats need help everywhere, so drafting the potential in Len cannot really set them back too much. He's a natural center, something that is becoming more rare in today's NBA. If Len works out, he's Brook Lopez, but better on defense. If he busts, then he's like a dozen other big men. McClemore makes sense here too, but there will be plenty of scorers in next year's stacked draft. A draft in which the Bobcats will surely be picking top five in. 

5. Phoenix Suns- Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas. 

McClemore's gifts weren't always apparent on a balanced Kansas team last year, but when they were apparent, this kid could explode. A lights-out, yet streaky shooter, McLemore will be the best player available if he's there at number five. For Phoenix, who is a franchise quietly in bad shape, taking the best player available is a good strategy. Goran Dragic is an underrated point guard and the Suns best player. He can create shots for McLemore, who needs to be more aggressive as a pro. He's one of the best shooters and athletes in the draft, which is why McLemore is first on some analysts' big boards. 

6. New Orleans Pelicans- Trey Burke, PG, Michigan. 

I can't see college's best player from last season slipping any further than sixth in this draft. I've been in on Burke as a pro since before last season, and his heroic showings in the NCAA tournament only reinforced that. The Pelicans already have a decent backcourt on paper. Eric Gordon is a proven scorer and Greivis Vasquez was one of the most improved players last season. But Gordon has constant durability issues and Vasquez is not a pure point guard. In making Burke the first Pelican drafted, New Orleans gets the best point guard of the class and a guy who can get to the hole and possibly set up a lethal pick-and-roll with Anthony Davis.



7. Sacramento Kings- Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV. 

I wish I saw more of Bennett in his one year of college. But hey, that happens when you play in the Mountain West for a one and done team in the NCAA tourney. Bennett, a Canadian national, is a tweener who's more power forward because of his strength. With this tweener label, you might steer clear of Bennett with Derrick Williams in mind, but a consistent three-point shot is the difference between Williams and Bennett. The Kings have a lot of holes in their roster as usual. The versatile Bennett makes sense here because he can play both forward spots.



8. Detroit Pistons- C.J. McCollum, PG, Lehigh. 

McCollum's signature game came two years ago, when he lead 15th seed Lehigh to a win over Duke. He spent most of his senior year on the bench with a broken foot, but some impressive workouts have made McCollum the best small-school player in this draft. The obvious comparison is Damian Lillard, who came out of Weber State to win rookie of the year last season. McCollum might be a better shooter than Lillard, which is why he will be a combo guard in an NBA full of point guards already. Paired with Brandon Knight in Detroit, McCollum will look less like Lillard and more like Ben Gordon in his days with the Bulls.



9. Minnesota Timberwolves- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Georgia. 

With such a great name, it's hard to imagine how KCP remained anonymous this past season. In a weak year for the SEC, he was the conference's best player on a bad Georgia team. He's a natural shooting guard and gifted scorer, who fills a need in Minnesota. It's no secret that the Wolves want to move up to grab Oladipo or McLemore. But if the teams at the top won't budge, the Wolves would be smart to stand pat and take Caldwell-Pope at nine.





10. Portland Trail Blazers- Shabazz Muhammad, SG, UCLA. 

Muhammad entered the season as one of the two best freshmen. Things haven't gone as smoothly from there, as his one year at UCLA was filled with controversy. Some say that Muhammad is no longer a lottery pick, but I think his NBA talent keeps him in the top ten. His strength and offensive game are the positives, but characters issues have weighed him down. On a talented Blazers team with strong leadership, Muhammad can step in at shooting guard or sixth man and help Portland try to sneak into the playoffs.

11. Philadelphia 76ers- Cody Zeller, PF/C, Indiana. 

Clearly the Andrew Bynum trade didn't work out for the Sixers, so why not take a swing at a big man in this draft? There's no doubt that Zeller needs to get stronger, but he's still an NBA athlete who can run the floor like few seven footers. With a frontcourt that really only consists of Spencer Hawes, the Sixers need help. For all the criticism that he took after Indiana's early exit last season, Zeller fits the mold of an NBA big man, and will be helped by a good point guard in Jrue Holiday.





12. Oklahoma City Thunder- Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh. 

Adams was not a great college player by any means. Every lottery has at least one project, and Adams is that guy. Fortunately, when you're a championship contender, you can afford to draft projects. From New Zealand, Adams has size, strength and athleticism, but he's not close to putting it all together. If taken by the Thunder, he will likely be a D-league guy. This pick is OKC's last piece of the Harden deal, and while they clearly missed the Beard last season, they won't miss Adams while he develops.




13. Dallas Mavericks- Michael Carter-Williams, PG, Syracuse. 

The Mavs aren't used to picking in the lottery in the Mark Cuban era, but that's the case this year. MCW is a top ten player in the draft, and if he falls to number 13, Dallas should take him. Darren Collison wasn't the answer at point guard last year, but maybe the 6'6" Carter-Williams is. He's a gifted passer who can get into the lane, and his defense will be good since he's a Syracuse guy. The Mavs will surely make a few moves in free agency, but adding MCW to this veteran team would be the best possible start to their offseason.




14. Utah Jazz- Shane Larkin, PG, Miami. 

With Larkin, the main question is size. Should the Jazz use their top pick on a guy who might be six foot. Well, unless they fall in love with Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee or a foreigner, I say yes. The Jazz already have a loaded frontcourt in what is a guard's league. By pairing Larkin in a backcourt with a bigger, experienced guard, the Jazz will have something. Last year, on a Miami team full of seniors, it was Larkin, a sophomore, who was their leader. NBA teams have to like that.


So there it is, picks 1-14. Please feel free to comment and start a debate on any of my selections. And don't forget to watch the draft tomorrow, 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Heat Repeat

It's a party in South Beach! The Miami Heat are back-to-back NBA champions after their Game 7 win last night over the Spurs. To no one's surprise, LeBron James won Finals MVP after a 37 point, 12 rebound showing in Game 7 that came complete with the clutch jumpers he has worked so hard at. So let's look back at the Heat's season, the Finals (mostly games 6 and 7) and the legacies after an epic 2012-2013 NBA season. 

 
If the 2013 Heat are not on the short list for NBA's all time great teams, they're on the slightly longer list. NBA history points to Jordan's '96 Bulls, Larry's '86 Celtics and Magic's '87 Lakers as probably the three greatest teams of all time. But can the '13 Heat join a conversation with the Shaq-Kobe 2000 or 2001 Lakers, the Moses Malone-led '82 Sixers and the Bad Boy Pistons two championship teams? Probably. The NBA is at its strongest right now since the early 90s and maybe ever. With almost ten first rate superstars in the league, LeBron's '13 Heat come as a product of his best season (so far). Combine James with a second star in Dwyane Wade and lethal three-point shooting, this Heat team could challenge any NBA squad that's considered to be all time great.

And how about that Finals? Has their ever been more different emotional swings over the course of seven games? Between talking heads pressing countless "panic buttons" for both teams, Danny Green being prematurely named Finals MVP, Wade and Manu Ginobli turning in nightly Jeckyll and Hyde performances, and insane second half runs, this was already a historical Finals. But Tony Parker's crazy shot in Game 1 aside, this wasn't exactly hyper-entertaining. Sure the great players made it seem like we were watching close games when in reality games 2-5 were in blowout territory. But everything changed in games 6 and 7. 

   
You know you're left for dead when your own fans start filing out, the yellow rope is around the court and the Larry O'Brien trophy is sitting in a tunnel. That's how close we came to a Spurs fifth championship and litany of questions about LeBron's 1-3 Finals record and the future of Miami's Big Three. But then came a delicious little sequence called: LeBron 3-Kawhi miss-Bosh board-Allen 3 to send Game 6 into overtime, where a headband-less LeBron carried the Heat through to Game 7 and avoiding a dramatic-for-the-wrong-reasons-ending and the label of Greatest Regular Season Team To Not Win A Championship. All the crap Ray Allen got for joining the Heat was wiped away with one of the greatest shots ever by one of the greatest shooters ever. Can i get a Jesus Shuttlesworth chant? 

   
And of course we remember Game 7, which ended about 24 hours ago. Two great, yet exhausted teams playing with more heart than skill in possibly the biggest NBA game since 1998. It wasn't pretty, few Game 7s are, but with an all time performance from LeBron and a great sideshow from Wade and Shane Battier, the Heat outlasted the Spurs 95-88 to send Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich to their first Finals defeat. In the end, the Heat had the best player in the world. And in the NBA, that's one hell of an advantage. 

   
So what's next for our Finals participants? The Heat will likely look similar next year. It's hard not to retain a core after two straight championships. Allen and Birdman will likely return to South Beach, while the same cannot be said for Mike Miller. Miami's summer will be more relaxing than every other team's, with a Greg Oden signing as the main free agency storyline. The Spurs next year will be old once again, although that wasn't a problem this year. The most uncertainty revolves around Ginobli, who clearly cannot be counted on consistently. One thing that San Antonio learned from this tough defeat: Kawhi Leonard is a stud. The quietest Spur did not flinch in these NBA Finals. He was the Spurs most consistent player and absolutely has star potential. But let's finish on a hot note with the Heat.

   
Take one look at the championship shirts. WHITE HOT is the resounding message. Although the shirt may be referring to summer temperatures in Miami, I see WHITE HOT as a bragging team laying claim to the league's best player. A guy who, with every season, ventures more into the Jordan-Russell superstar pantheon than anyone since MJ himself. Take on look at LeBron holding his two trophies. Not only is it good to be WHITE HOT, but it looks damn refreshing.

Just because the season is over, doesn't mean we are. Stay posted for a mock draft later this week.   

Can Kidd Coach?

During this two day break from basketball that seems to be taking forever, let’s step away from the Finals and take a look at the most interesting story of the 2013 NBA Coaching Carousel. Jason Kidd, the greatest Net of all-time, returning to the team with which he spent his best years…as a coach. Just 10 days after retiring as a player, Kidd has decided to stay on the bench (which is where he should have spent this Knicks playoff run) and coach the Brooklyn Nets. Will he be the man to elevate the Nets from first-round exit team to legitimate contender?

It’s impossible to predict exactly how Kidd will do in Brooklyn because he’s never coached on any level before, but why not root for him to succeed? Two former players to lead the bench without ever having coaching experience are some of the NBA’s most likable and charismatic coaches. Doc Rivers, who won a championship in 2008 in Boston and is another name in the Carousel this year, is a top five coach in the league, and it’s his understanding players that is his best quality. Mark Jackson has gone from player to coach with a pit-stop as a commentator to become the leader of a promising young Warriors team. It’s his preaching style that he learned as a tough point guard that he uses for his youthful Warriors team. And Kidd was a much better player at point guard than both Rivers and Jackson. He’s an elite floor general of all time.

Just before hiring Kidd, sources said the Nets were impressed with his interview. I bet this interview involved some sort of promise he made: That he can not only get through to Deron Williams, but get him to play the best basketball of his career. Williams went from once dueling  Chris Paul for Best Young Point Guard to becoming a “coach-killer” and falling out of the top PG conversation in the last few years. In Brooklyn, D-Will’s supporting cast isn’t ideal, but Kidd knows that all too well. The Williams-Kidd relationship will be the key that Kidd’s success as a coach hinges on. You have to think that Kidd can get the most out of Williams and in doing that, also make Brook Lopez more dominant at center. With all the coaching vacancies/uncertainties around the league, you could do a lot worse than a Williams-Lopez-Johnson core in a big market.

Hiring a guy who’s never coached before can be seen as risky. But after a first-round exit, the Nets are dangerously close to NBA no man’s land, so there’s really no risk at all. I’m in on Kidd.

Finals Preview: The Legacy Game

     Well, it's finally here. The NBA Finals begin tonight. Die-hard fans have been watching since October for this. Casual fans will flock to TV sets across America to see who will be crowned NBA champion. And thousands of haters will be spite-watching this year, as the Heat and Spurs are two of the most widely hated teams in the NBA (along with the Lakers). 

     Like any Finals series, we can break it down in a multitude of ways. Individual matchups, strategies or even post-game wardrobes, every angle of Heat-Spurs will be beaten to death before the opening tip tonight. But with each team boasting an all-time great, one thing that comes to mind is legacies. The careers of LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker and even Gregg Popovich will all be greatly affected by what happens in these Finals. So win or lose, what will happen to the legacies of the big names in this series. 

LeBron James

     It all starts with LeBron when it comes to the NBA, and this article is no different. Win or lose for Miami, LeBron's play will be the hot topic. Let's start with the possibility of winning. If Miami wins, the MVP will be LeBron. At this point, it's hard to see him not-dominating against a Spurs team who's best defensive answer for him will be second-year Kawhi Leonard. A win makes him a two-time champ, and multiple rings are always important for a great NBA legacy. A win also makes him a virtual lock for best player of the decade, even if we're not halfway through it yet. And as if he wasn't fully confident in his abilities, back-to-back championships will reinforce what he, and everyone else knows: That this dude can play.

     But what about a loss? The 2011 Finals backlash already showed us what happens when LeBron loses a Finals where he's supposed to win, but 2013 won't go down the same way. He's a different beast now, and he can't possibly play that badly again. A loss here may not even be his fault, yet it will be enough to give Skip Bayless and Co. plenty to talk about this summer. And even though, the Heat would never trade LeBron, a Finals loss will bring about major personnel changes in Miami. Which brings us to...

Dwyane Wade

     Wade has not been at his best in these playoffs. In fact, he's played the worst basketball of his career. But everyone would forget the banged up 2013 version of Wade if the Heat coast to another championship (and Wade's third). If Miami wins, Wade will likely be the active, driving, cutting force that he was in Game 7 versus Indiana. But if they lose, he may be panic-traded. It's clear that he has lost a step at age 31, and you don't get any younger in this league. Wade has never been the ideal sidekick for LeBron, but a Finals loss may get Pat Riley to start searching for one. Luckily for Wade, he won't be the main scapegoat with a Heat loss, but of course, he won't get much glory if they win either.

Tim Duncan/Gregg Popovich

     If the Spurs win, an already much-closer-than-people-think Kobe-Duncan comparison will get even more interesting. Championships 14 years apart is an insane accomplishment. But when you consider his efficiency, All-Star selection and All-NBA selection, Duncan has already been pretty insane this year at age 37. Even though he's played center for the last decade, Duncan is regarded as the greatest power forward of all-time. A fifth championship will make it that much harder for someone to take that title from him.

     Like Duncan, Coach Pop is an all-time great who will always be underrated because of a Laker counterpart. He's a seasoned, crusty coach who seems destined to destroy the concept of in-game coaching interviews. If the Spurs win, people will say that he rode Duncan to five rings. But Timmy D will be the first to say that Pop was just as (if not more) valuable to the Spurs success. A San Antonio loss? All Duncan and Pop would lose is their perfect Finals record. And 4-1 still isn't bad. People would say that Duncan and the Spurs just couldn't compete with the high flying Heat. Translation: They're old!!! -- which they are. 

Tony Parker

     Parker may be getting overlooked in this series, which is odd because he's the Spurs best player and he just destroyed the Grizzlies. Parker's 2007 Finals MVP performance wasn't enough to elevate him into the elite point guard status, but maybe a win here will. The NBA now is a more point guard-focused league than it was in 2007. With Rose, Rondo and Westbrook missing these playoffs with injuries and Chris Paul suffering a disappointing first-round exit, Parker would be primed for elevation with another Finals MVP. If the Spurs lose, Parker was likely swarmed by LeBron for much of the series, and his penetration was ineffective due to Spurs role players missing 3's. 

     A Spurs over Heat outcome would definitely produce more stories, but here's one for the 2013 Heat as a whole. If they can pull off a dominating series win over the Spurs, they immediately become one of the greatest NBA teams of all-time (and the 2013 Pacers would also get a ton of respect as a result). Either way, the 2013 Finals look to be historical. And since no preview is complete without a prediction...Heat in 6. 

Don't Mess With (NBA teams in) Texas

With the Spurs sitting in the comfortable position of awaiting their Finals opponent, they have regained their stranglehold once again on the Lone Star state. For years the Texas Triangle was easily the most daunting road trip in the NBA. Facing the Duncan-Parker-Ginobli Spurs, the Yao-McGrady Rockets and the fully-in-his-prime-Dirk in the span of four days was no fun for anybody. A complete changing of the guard in Houston and a talent drop-off in Dallas put the Spurs in control of Texas once again. But after this season, there could be a new talent infusion in Texas as Dwight Howard and Chris Paul could be leaving L.A.

Let’s start with what we know about Howard. He can make the most money if he signs with the Lakers. He has obviously not fully recovered from back surgery yet. And most frustratingly, he changes his mind almost daily. So it is hard to predict what he will do. But we know he is open to becoming a Rocket. Word is that James Harden went to L.A. on a recruiting trip a few weeks ago and Howard recently followed the Beard on Twitter for what it’s worth. Houston is now trying to trade rookie Thomas Robinson to clear cap space for Howard.

Houston  has to seem attractive to Howard. The opportunity to play with a legit star in Harden, along with a fun system and solid role players in Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin is getting harder to pass up as the Lakers 2013-2014 season looks bleak right now. In a way, Houston is like a better version of the 2009 Magic team that Howard carried to the Finals. We know that three-point shooters around Howard works as a winning team in this league. And pairing him with Harden may just form a championship contender.

Now, on to Paul. CP3 is reportedly upset that he is being blamed for the Clippers firing Vinny Del Negro after their first round exit. This Clips are treading in dangerous water now. Paul has already turned down one extension with them, so it’s conceivable that he’d turn down another one, even though L.A. can pay him more than any other team. For the pitbull that he is on the court, Paul has a spotless reputation in the NBA. There’s no way he wants to be known as a coach-killer. Chris (and Cliff) Paul may be taking their assists somewhere else next season.

Dallas makes the most sense for Paul. He gets a top five coach in Rick Carlisle, an owner willing to spend in Mark Cuban and a Finals MVP sidekick in Dirk Nowitzki. Doesn’t his compare favorably to an unknown commodity at coach and immature, raw big men in Blake Griffin (who Paul has been at odds with) and DeAndre Jordan? A Paul-Nowitzki Mavs team with cap space would be an attractive free agent destination. And who better than CP3 to make everything gel?

It was a sad L.A. story for Paul and especially Howard. And in order to overtake the Spurs in the West, they may have to join them in the Lone Star state to fulfill their championship aspirations.

Heat-Pacers Preview

Yes, the Eastern Conference Finals are happening. After the Pacers dispatched the Knicks on Saturday night, the matchup of Miami-Indiana was set, and yet Game 1 was slated for Wednesday, making the Heat wait a week between series’ for a second time in these playoffs. But finally, with the game tomorrow, we can preview Heat-Pacers, a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Semis.

The Pacers impressively took out the Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks in six games by using their length offensively and defensively to get better quality of shots and hold New York to low shooting percentages. Like the Knicks, the Heat play small-ball, with their most dynamic player as a stretch 3-4. So they’ll be able to do the same thing to Miami as they did to the Knicks, right?

Not really. Miami isn’t New York. LeBron James is not Carmelo. And Dwyane Wade, albeit banged up, is a much more reliable second scorer than J.R. Smith. Staying hypothetical, let’s go over how the Pacers might beat the Heat.

George Hill at the point may be able to get hot from 3, exploit the Heat’s defensive traps and become an reliable perimeter scorer that Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole struggle to defend. Lance Stephenson may be able to make life miserable on Wade, forcing the ill-advised fadaways that Wade has resorted to with his injured knee. Paul George might just be able to defend LeBron himself, causing the King to shoot under 50 percent and making his passes to openshooters less effective. David West may out-muscle Miami, and become an X-factor in the frontcourt. And Roy Hibbert just might fully use his size advantage against Chris Bosh, and go for 20 points every night, along with five blocks on the defensive end. That all sounds great for Indiana and coach Frank Vogel, but one thing, THIS IS A FLAWED PACERS TEAM.

They only score 92 PPG. They’re a lock for 15+ turnovers. The Heat will out-shoot them from 3. George, a first time All-Star this year and bright young player, will have to make a monumental leap if he hopes to go toe-to-toe with LeBron on both ends. Hibbert, a quality center, is not regarded as a consistent star in the NBA because of his inability to use his size to his advantage every game. And if things go right for Indiana and these are close games late in the fourth quarter, the advantage will still go to the team with the world’s best player on it.

Prediction: Heat in 5

Heat defeat Bulls; Take 3-1 series lead

Was it the Marquis Teague tip into the wrong basket? Or the nine point third quarter? Or the Norris Cole 3 to end that third quarter? Any of these things could sum up the Bulls’ night, as they very much looked like an undermanned team, getting throttled 88-65 against Miami.

After shooting just 25 percent for the game, you have to wonder if this Bulls team is running on empty. Their catalyst, Nate Robinson, who had been at the center of huge wins in Game 4 versus Brooklyn and Game 1 against the Heat, scored zero points, on 0-12 shooting. Their emotional leader, Joakim Noah, had six point on only one made basket. After getting blown out for the second time in three games, it looks like Game 5 in Miami could be it for the Bulls’ season.

As for the Heat, they coasted through most of the second half, holding the Bulls to that nine-point third quarter and leading by 19 to begin the fourth. LeBron James lead all scorers with 27 points, to go with seven boards and eight dimes. The Heat were uncharacteristically sloppy for parts of the second and third quarters, but their defense kept the Bulls from ever really being in the game.

Chris Bosh, who scored 12 points in the first half, was LeBron’s main sidekick early on. In the second half, everyone got in the scoring mix for the Heat, as LeBron started settling in and finding open shooters. Dwyane Wade, whose six points all came in the third quarter, looked banged up after a small collision in the first half. His health will be a concern as Miami goes forward.

So after shocking the Heat and winning Game 1 in Miami, the tide has turned on the Bulls and they had back down 3-1. Game 5 is Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.