| NFL | |
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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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| NBA | |
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Hidden Gems By Ron Jumper The second round of the NBA Draft is usually a complete mystery as to what order it will occur in. The draft usually has already run out of top-level talent and you begin to recognize the names less and less. However, this season the second round could actually produce some interesting prospects. The list below is the top prospects being projected in the second round. Steve Novak 6'10" SG/SF Marquette Kevin Pittsnogle 6'10" PF West Virginia Dee Brown 6'0" PG Illinois Hassan Adams 6'4" SG Arizona James White 6'7" SF Cincinatti Paul Davis 6'10" PF/C Michigan State Ryan Hollins 7'0" UCLA Leon Powe 6'7" PF California Craig Smith 6'7" PF BC Daniel Gibson 6'2" PG Texas Gerry McNamara 6'2" PG Syracuse I find it interesting that with no high schoolers in this draft that these guys, who are all seniors except for Powe and Gibson, are projected in the second round. Its like they are being punished for staying all four years. Novak is no different than a rookie from Europe, he is 6'10" with a perimeter game. Novak posseses the second best shooting stroke in the draft behind J.J. Reddick, who scouts believe for some reason should be in the lottery. It is sad to see how little of importance shooting is to the game anymore. Dee Brown has to be just as good as Jordan Farmar, Rajon Rondo, or Kyle Lowry. Brown is a lightning quick, experienced, and talented point guard. Honestly, tell me this guy wouldn't make a great NBA point guard. James White and Hassan Adams should be a higher draft pick on athleticism alone. Just so I understand how this works, we only draft Nigerians, Europeans, and high schoolers with athleticism now, right? That makes sense... Ryan Hollins, Paul Davis, and Kevin Pittsnogle all have good size and upside. Usually, guys with the all-around game, especially Davis and Pittsnogle, can get drafted a little higher. With Shelden Williams rumored to go as high as 5th, I can't see how these guys can be that far behind. I'm really getting tired of teams drafting solely on potential, why not draft a guy with the intent of him giving you contributions off the bench or playing a certain role for your team. Haven't NBA teams wasted enough money and draft picks having high schoolers and Europeans sit on the bench until their guaranteed contract is up? If it is up to me, I'm taking one of these guys. I have another issue to discuss about the business decisions that make up the NBA Draft... In the NBA draft, with so much speculation and money involved, teams and players like to give themselves more clear options to look at by promising a player they will draft him if he is on the board when they make their selection. The problem with most promises is that the draft never goes in the right order to where the guy you promised is either still there or a better guy has dropped so it would be hard to pass on him just to keep your word. Players may not care about a particular promise other than just to know where they might land in the draft. If a guy is going to be picked between 8 and 13 regardless, he doesn't care if Seattle promised him at pick 10 because he is going to be drafted anyway. In rare cases, players drop way down after a promise is not kept and if he falls into the second round it can be a risky situation for the player. The thing to remember, before you feel bad for the players, is that plenty of players change teams via free agency or by demanding trades. We complain about players not having loyalty in sports either. The thing to remember is that this is a business, not a sport. June 15, 2006 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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