2005 NBA Draft Revisited

2005 NBA Draft Revisited
A LayupDrill.com Exclusive
Looking back, leading up to the 2005 NBA Draft, most expected it to be one of the deepest drafts of this decade. Three seasons into their careers, many have not disappointed. LayupDrill.com takes a look back at this star-studded draft, and asks you to play general manager. If you had the 3rd pick in the draft, who would you have taken, Deron Williams or Chris Paul?

The Original Top 10 Picks Read more

2009 NBA Mock Draft Part 1

This is the first LayupDrill.com 2009 NBA Mock Draft. As both the NBA and College Basketball seasons progress, expect to see more and more mock drafts, including projections of the entire draft, and team by team breakdown of the needs. For now, in early December, I will focus on the projected lottery picks for next June’s draft.

1. Blake Griffin - PF - Oklahoma
Blake is the best pro prospect in college basketball today, and he is only a sophomore. He has dominated teams this season, even when drawing double teams. At 6′10 and 240 lbs, Griffin looks to be ready to start in some NBA rosters right now.

2. B.J. Mullens - C - Ohio State
You can’t teach height, and if your team is in the market for a young center, Mullens is your man.

3. Hasheem Thabeet - C - UConn
Read the comment on B.J. Mullens.

4. Stephen Curry - G - Davidson
Curry will surely be a fan favorite in the league, but what position will he play? He will have to improve his ball handling to be a true point.

5. James Harden - G - Arizona State
Many fans in the east never get a chance to see this explosive guard play, but Harden is the truth.

6. Jordan Hill - F - Arizona
Another potential first team All-American. Hill can light it up with the best of them.

7. Brandon Jennings - G - Rome
If Jennings decides to test the NBA waters next season, how high will he go? His play overseas could hurt his draft stock.

8. Earl Clark - F - Lousiville
A leader on the court and off, Clark will be a steal toward the end of the lottery.

9. Jrue Holiday - G - UCLA
UCLA has a knack for developing NBA ready point guards. Holiday is no exception.

10. Ty Lawson - G - North Carolina
The man who runs the show for the best team in college basketball could be another Raymond Felton in the pros.

2002 NBA Draft Revisited

2002 NBA Draft Revisited
A LayupDrill.com Exclusive
The 2002 NBA Draft seemed to be one no different than any other. Promising college upperclassman from big name universities, mixed in with high school phenoms and international superstars placed together to help carve out the future of the league. Yet, looking back, the 02 draft may be one of the weakest in this decade. Read more

1998 NBA Draft Revisited

1998 NBA Draft Revisited
A LayupDrill.com Exclusive

It was the first draft after the Bulls Dynasty wrapped up their second three-peat. It was the draft that preceded the start of the Kobe/Shaq era. Yet this draft did produce some very interesting picks. LayupDrill.com takes a look back at what the players drafted have done, and re-organize the draft based on their success to date. Read more

2008 NBA Draft Winners

The 2008 NBA Draft is in the books, and while it is much too early to come down with a verdict
on the players or the teams who chose the players, there are some early winners and losers.
LayupDrill.com predicts the 5 biggest winners of this years draft.

1. Minnesota - Though some will question trading the draft rights of OJ Mayo for Kevin Love, the deal works wonders for the Wolves present and future. Wolves GM Kevin Mchale was able to shed the bloated contracts of Marko Jaric, Greg Buckner, and Antoine Walker in return for one of
the best shooters in the league in Mike Miller, servicable forwards Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal, and Love.

Adding Love to a team that has some great young talent in Al Jefferson, Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, and Corey Brewer shows the rebuilding effort is in full effect. Fans of the wolves should be happy at this deal, and be patient. They are what the Blazers were 2 seasons ago. Now if they somehow can win the lottery next year, they will be a playoff contender in a few seasons.

2. Chicago - Yeah the Bulls had the first pick, and though they were loaded in the backcourt prior
to selecting Derrick Rose, you have to take the best available talent. Rose, a native of Chicago, will not only give the fans something to believe in for the underachieving Bulls, but also will make Loul Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah better. Chicago will let Chris Duhon go, and possibly look to move Ben Gordon as well, but things are looking up in the Windy City.

3. Los Angeles - No, not the Lakers, but the Clippers. LA’s other team made a splash in the free agent market by landing Baron Davis, and picked up Eric Gordon and big man DeAndre Jordan in the draft. The last piece of the off season puzzle for the 23 win Clippers will be if they can resign their cornerstone of the franchise Elton Brand. If they can, LA may have 2 playoff teams playing in the Staples Center next season.

4. Miami - Pat Riley may not have openly been the biggest Michael Beasley fan before the draft, but LayupDrill.com expects Beasley will have the biggest immediate impact of any top 10 draft pick next season. Adding Mario Chalmers sures up their bench and was a steal in the 2nd round. With Wade coming back off an injury plagued season, watch out for Miami to make some seriouos noise in the East.

5. Portland - The Blazers also went the way of Minnesota in unloading bloated contracts in return for future picks. The Blazers started by trading the rights to Brandon Rush, along with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts for Jerryd Bayless, the flashy guard from Arizona with amazing potential. The Brandon Roy/Jerryd Bayless backcourt will be an all star duo for years to come.

Whose really number 1

The Number 1 of all Number 1s….

Ranking the Number 1 picks since 1990…

With another NBA Draft on the books, I like to take time to sit back and reminisce on
the drafts of the previous few years, and see who wound up living to their potential, and who a bust. LayupDrill.com is proud to reveal our Top 10 Number 1 picks since 1990.

10. Derrick Rose - Chicago Bulls - 2008
A shock to some by putting a player who has not played a game yet in our top 10 number 1s. Rose has the potential, and we stress potential, to be that good. Chicago has a point guard for the next decade.

9. Larry Johnson - Charlotte Hornets - 1991
“Grandmama” dominated the college hardwood with UNLV before making his splash into the NBA with the young expansion Hornets. His 9 season career was respectable, averaging 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 48% from the floor. Johnson showed flashes of greatness during the playoffs for Charlotte in 1994-95 season, as well as when the Knicks made their miracle run to the NBA Finals.

8. Elton Brand - Chicago Bulls - 1999
The most coveted free agent of the 2008 off season is a career 20-10 guy. Brand spent only 2 seasons with the team that drafted him, before being shipped out to the LA Clippers, and becoming the cornerstone to the franchise. Brand’s sole playoff appearance came in 2005-06, where he was arguably the best player on the court in every series he played in, averaging 25.4 points and 10 boards a game. The 2 time all star has the best yet to come in his career.

7. Chris Webber - Orlando Magic - 1993
I still remember watching the 1993 NBA draft, where Chris Webber donned the Orlando Magic hat, and thinking The Magic were going to have the most dominant front court the league had seen in years, teaming Webber and Shaq together. Of course, we would learn a few hours later that Chris would be shipped to Golden State for Penny Hardaway. It was in Oakland that Webber made his initial impact on the NBA in a major way, winning Rookie of the year, and leading the Warriors to the playoffs in his first season. Webber would leave Golden State for stops in Washington, Sacramento, Philiadelphia, and ending his career in Detroit. The 5 time all star never made it to the NBA Finals, coming close with the Kings, to be denied by the Shaq and Kobe led Lakers. C Webb came along way from the infamous no timeout - timeout against North Carolina in the NCAA Title Game.
Read more