NBA draft

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Jabari Parker Duke NBA draft 2014

Editor’s Note:
This is a guest post by Ron of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.Com. For more fantasy basketball updates, you can follow Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ Page or like it on Facebook.

We all made several predictions about the upcoming 2014 NBA Draft. And although there were some difference, at least we believed we were certain about the top three spots. And then Joel Embiid’s injury came to completely change the picture of this upcoming, loaded draft. Let’s see how things shape up after Embiid’s game – changing injury, since injuries are always a serious business so getting legal help for this is necessary as the enlightened on the statute of limitations says, and there are professional lawyers that could really help us with this.

No.1: Jabari Parker
Parker is characterized as the most NBA – ready player, a ready – made star who can start making his presence felt from Day 1 of his NBA career. If that wasn’t enough for the Cleveland Cavaliers to select him at the top of the upcoming draft, then Joel Embiid’s injury came to seal the deal. Parker now stands the most chances to be the top pick. Those who are currently suffering from injuries, you can fight the pain with products like cbd edibles.

No.2: Andrew Wiggins
With Embiid out of the equation, Wiggins will definitely land in one of the top two spots. Assuming that the Cavs pick Parker, the Milwaukee Bucks, who hold the second pick will select Wiggins. The Kansas product can pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee’s perimeter to form a young duo with tons of potential.

No.3: Dante Exum
Exum is another player who will benefit from Embiid’s injury, as he is now considered a lock for the top three. The Philadelphia 76ers, however, are not benefited at all. Philly wanted to land Wiggins and now, they will have to settle for a guy like Dante Exum at No.3. He is a 6’6” guard who can play either of the two backcourt positions. If the 76ers select him they could either place him alongside Michael Carter-Williams or trade one of the two.

No.4: Noah Vonleh
Vonleh just recently climbed to No.4 and he is now considered as the top big man prospect of the upcoming draft. The Orlando Magic will be more than happy to pick a player like Vonleh thus placing a capable forward to pair with Victor Oladipo. The Magic also hold the 12th pick of the upcoming draft, one they can use to pick a point guard.

No.5: Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is projected to get selected somewhere around the fifth and sixth spot. If the Utah Jazz don’t try to move up, selecting Embiid will make sense for them. Utah is a young team which aims to build its future rather than to contend for a playoff spot next season. So, Embiid can be a great investment for the future.

No.6: Marcus Smart
The Boston Celtics have been linked to Marcus Smart since the start of the season. The 6’3” guard is a NBA – ready prospect who can provide instant help to the C’s next season. But Smart can also be developed and be a solid piece of Boston’s rotation, as the team tries to complete its rebuild.

No.7: Julius Randle
There has been much speculation about the Los Angeles Lakers and their seventh overall pick. The Lakers are rumored to be involved in a potential Kevin Love trade together with the Golden State Warriors and in this case they will send their seventh pick to the Dubs. However, if this deal doesn’t go down, the Lakers will most probably select Julius Randle, a prospect they have been eying and working out for months now.

No.8: Elfrid Peyton
Peyton saw his stocks exploding during the last couple of weeks. He suddenly entered the top 10 and at the moment he seems like a great choice for the Sacramento Kings at No.8. The 6’4” guard could be a great replacement for Isaiah Thomas.

No.9: Doug McDermott
McDermott is another player who gained a few spots in the mock drafts as of lately. He is an excellent shooter and he could be a great pick for the Charlotte Hornets at No.9. He is projected to at least make the top 10.

No.10: Aaron Gordon
Gordon slipped to the last spot of the top 10 since Embiid’s injury. He is still considered to be one of the best big men who will enter the league through the 2014 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the 10th pick can add him to their arsenal and pair him with Nerlens Noel.

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Jabari Parker Duke NBA

Jabari Parker made it official today by announcing his intention to enter the 2014 NBA draft, surprising…well, no one, really. Parker is expected to be a top 5 pick in the draft and could even be considered a number one possibility. Parker seems to have the most mature game of any of the early entries although that likely means he’s about as good as he’s going to get, which is still good enough to make an NBA team better.

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Joel Embiid Kansas basketball NBA draft

In a move that most expected after his solid year, Kansas’ Joel Embiid has declared for the NBA draft. At his news conference on Wednesday, Embiid shared his reasons for turning pro: “Looking at different scenarios and gathering info of what was best for me … either way was best for me. Talking to my mentor, it was best the choice.”

There was quite a bit of speculation leading up to this announcement that Embiid might have had a change of heart after it seemed a near certainty that he would make this move earlier in the season. Embiid suffered nagging injuries this season but still managed to average almost a double-double as a freshman. Many consider Embiid the number one pro prospect in this year’s draft with this announcement.

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TJ Warren NC State NBA draft

By Marcus Shockley

Well, it’s official. T.J. Warren has declared for the NBA draft:

North Carolina State University sophomore forward T.J. Warren announced Tuesday that he will forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2014 NBA Draft.

Warren, the ACC Player of the Year in 2013-14, averaged 24.9 points per game and shot 52.5 percent for the Wolfpack. He set school records for points in a single season (871) and games with 20 or more points in a season (31).

I remember watching T.J. as a high school junior and thinking that teams were sleeping on him and that his scoring ability reminded me a lot of Paul Pierce. By the time TJ was a senior, he’d gathered offers from several major schools, and decided on NC State. Just a few days before he announced his decision, he talked to me in this video interview about his current thinking.

T.J. will be a solid pro player. Scouts and coaches have been doubting his ability since he was in high school, but his ability to score has been proven repeatedly. The one nagging thing that he’ll have to work on at this point is his foul trouble. But that will come, in time.

Best of luck to T.J. at the pro level.

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Rasheed Wallace Assistant Coach

Rasheed Wallace was once famous for catching alley-oops at UNC and then became (in)famous for being a player either loved or hated while collecting technical fouls like it was a hobby during a lengthy NBA career.

Now Wallace will join the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach, which might be a good move considering that much like Jason Kidd, Wallace has always been a leader on the teams he’s played for. However, unlike Kidd, he’ll have time to learn the coaching side of things without having to be the main guy on the sidelines just yet.

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Dwight Howard has left Los Angeles, looking to find a better fit or just a different fit with the Houston Rockets, but Chris Kaman is returning to L.A., this time as a Laker. Kaman spent several seasons with the Clippers, before Lob City, but has returned to play for the purple and gold with a one year contract.

It was Kaman’s departure that actually cleared the way for the Clippers to create their ‘Lob City’ style, as he was part of the trade that brought Chris Paul to the franchise.

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Cleveland fans have a long history of being treated poorly by their sports franchises, and it turns out that before the days of digital video and always-available scouting reports, the Cavs scouted their expansion draft with trading cards. After reading the story, it’s less crazy than it sounds, and but it’s still pretty astounding.

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The NCAA July “LIVE” period is in full effect starting this week, and all over the country AAU tournaments will be filled with players, coaches and scouts. Basketball Elite will have scouts at several major events this week, and if you can’t get a coach, parent or scout on the phone this month, this is why. It’s a crazy month.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers shocked many pundits and draft analysts last night by choosing Anthony Bennett as the top overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. While many considered this year’s draft to be a weaker draft, that’s a bit of a misnomer; most drafts don’t bring in elite stars, but rather bring in several solid players, several players who will ultimately be journeymen and role players, and quite a few players who won’t be in the league after five years. This is true every year, so why the 2013 draft would be considered significantly weaker is just conjecture.

At any rate, this draft is the last for commissioner David Stern, who won’t be missed, and leaves a league that is rife with unprofitable teams and a business structure based on a few players rather than solid team properties like every other league in the world. During Stern’s tenure, the NBA has limped along with weak profit margins – while the NFL’s profit margin has exploded over the $1 billion mark, and Major League Baseball has almost half a billion, the NBA is just around $183 million in profit (on $4.1 billion in revenue…you have to work really hard to lose that much margin, but Stern has managed to do it), just barely ahead of the NHL. Despite so many people writing that Stern is a fantastic commissioner, the reality is they aren’t business people. After all, a lot of people thought interest-only home loans with adjustable rates were a great idea, too.

But back to the NBA and it’s heralded draft night, there are almost certainly players who will be much better than the pundits think, and time will continue to tell which teams are horrible at evaluating players. The draft also set off several massive trades which may ultimately prove that Danny Ainge and the Celtics know more about building a team than most of the league.

So while no championship is won on draft night, it does show patterns for teams, and it’s always interesting to see which teams consistently blow it while others walk away with solid contributors every year.

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