Buckeye Basketball Brief: Bucks open up Big Ten season, dominate Northwestern
December 29, 2011WFNY Top 10 Cleveland Stories of 2011: #2 Ohio State Hires Urban Meyer
December 29, 2011
Heading in to the 2011-12 season, we figured we would get the ball rolling on some admittedly early NBA Draft talk. Unless the 1-1 Cavaliers shock the world (150/1 odds as NBA Champion, bettering only Toronto), it is widely assumed that the team will be selecting fairly early in the lottery once again. That said, we’re going to provide WFNY readers with some thoughts on who should be a target of Chris Grant come this spring.
We will update this not-so-big board on a bi-weekly basis – feel free to comment, critique or debate in the comments below. Do enjoy.
| Player | Thoughts |
| 1 |  Harrison Barnes, SG (North Carolina) |
Barnes was on the verge of being knocked back down to No. 2 on this list before he caught wind of such demotion and dropped 26 points, 10 boards, two steals and a block on the Texas Longhorns. It’s bizarrely frustrating that he can’t dominate teams like Nicholls St and Appalachian St, but this makes two of his last four games of the 20-point variety. He’s still getting the benefit of the doubt due to his slow start last season, but Barnes certainly has to kick his game up a notch once the ACC slate is in full gear. It also helps that the man who would’ve passed him… | |
| 2 |  Andre Drummond, C (Conneticuit) |
…Laid down an absolute egg of a game (four points on five shots, seven rebounds) on Wednesday night against South Florida. Drummond would have been back atop this not-so-big board had it been published a day earlier; he had averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and nearly three blocks over his last three contests. His 24, eight and five-block night against Holy Cross was the Beast Mode type of game we have all been waiting to see from the kid who projects to be an All-Star NBA center. He still needs to bulk up and be as dominant as his frame allows, but this kid would look great in Wine and Gold. | |
| 3 |  Jeremy Lamb, SG (Conneticuit) |
Where Drummond opted to disappear against South Florida, Lamb seized all opportunity by putting up 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting and getting to the line eight times in what wound up being a close contest, iced by the UCONN guard. Take it away USF coach Stan Heath: “Obviously, Lamb is Lamb. When Lamb’s playing like that, that’s what a pro looks like.” A few GMs have Lamb ranked higher than Barnes when it comes to wings and if he can keep on producing, with Barnes relying wholly on jump shots and mystique, this list will reflect such. | |
| 4 |  Anthony Davis, PF (Kentucky) |
Again, I’ve been looking for a reason to move Davis – who many want to consider the consensus top pick – up this board, but can’t find one. One part scheduling, as Kentucky hasn’t played in a while, but another part lackluster play against better opponents as evidenced by his 13 combined points against UNC and Indiana. Hopefully, by this time in two weeks, we’re all talking about that epic Anthony Davis game against Chattanooga which is set to go down this weekend. 2012 should bring us good things from this big man. The ball is in his court. | |
| 5 |  Bradley Beal, SG (Florida) |
While I’m still very high on last week’s No. 5, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky hasn’t played and Bradley Beal surely has. In his last four contests, Florida’s swingman has averaged 17 points, five rebounds, and almost three steals per contest while piling in 12 combined three-pointers. Six free throw attempts against No. 22 Texas A&M show that his game is solely predicated on launching three-balls, and the boards/steals combination show that this kid has the hustle (along with the skill) to make a difference at the next level. It’s easy to point out that he’s only 6-foot-3 until you see the work this kid is doing on the defensive end. |
Some additional thoughts on…
Perry Jones, PF (Baylor) – THATS the Perry Jones I’ve been waiting to see. I love the kid’s talent, but he continues to underwhelm as seen in his four-point (2-for-9) outing against West Virginia two games after his six-point night against the vaunted Paul Quinn (University?) Tigers. PJIII’s inconsistency is too frustrating to garner top-five consideration at this stage.
Thomas Robinson, PF (Kansas) – More for TD than anything, if we’re going to be mentioning power forwards at all, Robinson deserves some love. Averaging 17 points and 12 boards per game with a block and a steal, the Jayhawks power forward has definitely stepped in admirably for the departed Morris twins. Though the team lost in an upset, Robinson’s 21 and 18 agasinst Davison was a pretty nice line in the box score. Returning to Kansas this season was the best decision this kid will ever make.
Kevin Jones, PF (West Virginia) – Not necessarily for the first-round pick, but West Virginia’s Jones is one worth keeping an eye on. Typically, 6-foot-8-inch power forwards won’t draw a lot of attention from NBA scouts, but if anything is going to open up a few eyes, it’s going to be a 28-point, 17-rebound game against Perry Jones and No. 7 Baylor. This kid is consistently putting up solid lines, averaging 20.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Count me in.
Tony Wroten Jr, PG (Washington) – Wroten, presently, is looking at a mid-to-late first round selection come draft day. The reason I wanted to mention him here is because he is also presently the top point guard prospect in the country. If anyone decides to tell you that the Cavaliers should have went a different route this past summer and “took a point guard next year,” please remind them of this little tidbit.
Austin Rivers, SG (Duke) – I knocked Lil’ Doc for his shooting woes earlier in the year, so it’s only fair that I add him back into the discussion if only to mention his latest string of double-digit scoring outings coupled with adequate (read: not terrible) efficiency from the floor. I know it sounds like I’m picking nits here, but the fact that he doesn’t do anything else with above-average skill is also worrisome. I’d like to see at least averages of three boards or assists with well over a steal per game.
Required Watching
12/29 Elon at (6) UNC – 7pm EST, ESPNU
12/29 (10) Florida at Rutgers – 7pm EST, ESPN2
12/30 Western Michigan at (5) Duke – 7pm EST, ESPN2
12/31 (2) Ohio State at (15) Indiana – 6pm EST, ESPN2
12/31 (4) Louisville at (3) Kentucky – 12p EST, CBS
1/3 (9) Connecticut at Seton Hall – 7p EST, ESPN3
Previous Not-so-Big Boards:
Previous Not-so-Big Board 1.1
Previous Not-so-Big Board: 1.0
20 Comments
I love this feature and you do a great job with it. If the Cavs get one of the top 4 guys you have listed I’ll be thrilled. Anthony Davis still feels like the big prize to me, closely followed by Barnes with the UConn kids right behind as some good consolation prizes.
We’re two games into the season and you’re doing draft stories? Wow.
@ 2 Welcome to Cleveland.
This team isn’t going to win a championship, why not ?
@ 2 welcome to WFNY
This has been going on since December 1st.
“We will update this not-so-big board on a bi-weekly basis” WFNY
@2
Actually he was doing draft stories well before the start of the season and count me as someone who says it’s welcome analysis.
Scott, your inclusion of Wroten as an example of how good/bad this class’s PGs are made me notice that the NSBB-1.2 is almost all SGs and PFs.
If that’s the case, should the Cavs consider the positional strength of the 2012 vs. 2013 draft when drafting for needs, or are we still taking BPA regardless of positional availability in 2013?
I’m basing my NSBB off of Cavalier-specific needs. Thus, wings and centers will get a large boost in relative value and Davis, despite being the “consensus top pick” has yet to crack the top three.
Note that the “additional thoughts” section is by no means a 6-10 as it is some discussion points on guys who have been getting some additional buzz over the course of the year.
What the Cavs do remains to be seen. Given the first-overall pick, I would expect them to take BPA, even if that means Davis. That said, I’m not sure that they will and – I maintain – the depth at PF in this draft continues to be the ONLY reason the team may live to regret picking Tristan Thompson fourth overall this past year.
Andre Drummond should be #1. And given the Cavs position, Im not a fan of drafting based on need. For example, dont pass on Anthony Davis because we have Tristan.
Okay, the people have spoken. I rescind my eye-rolling.
So how’s that 2013 draft shaping up?
i’m a big fan of pedigree. i like Peyton over Leaf without a second thought. I love this Rivers kid. I know it’s not the biggest need, and it would cripple our backcourt defensively but i LOVE his game.
They should pick RGIII why is he not listed???!!!??????
You do realize this is a basketball column right?
Harrison is probably the worst choice for the Cavs. He can’t create his own shot in college. His handle is really weak and he hasnt shown the ability to finish through contact or draw fouls at a rate that says he’ll be a go-to scorer in the league. He’ll probably be a great Luol Deng-style complimentary guy but in a draft with so many potential top-level talents, taking him on a team so bereft of talent is a bad look. Jeremy Lamb has more NBA-level tools than Barnes. Better handle, better shot off the bounce, better finisher.
@JM yes, it was a joke. I figured the excessive punctuation would give it away but I guess not
Interesting that there is no mention of Jared Sullinger in the top 5.
Dusty – please reference the first NSBB for information on Sullinger. Will be considerably less interesting after doing so.
DH I’m with you on Barnes. I keep trying to make myself like him, but I feel like he belongs on the Island of Misfit Toys. “Who wants a Charlie in the box? Who wants a wing player who can’t create his own shot?”
Also we might want to start preparing ourselves for the fact that the Cavs could very well be drafting in the 5-10 slot instead of 1-5. New Jersey is going to be dreadful and Detroit is every bit as bad as the Cavs, and never underestimate the T-Wolves desire to match the Browns in destroying the careers of athletically gifted young men.
If the Cavs do end up picking in the 5-10 range, my top choice would be Beal. However, his play in the Rutgers game was aweful and really exposed his largest problems this year, namely inconsistency from 3 (who would have guessed) and turnovers.
One thing to remember with Beal, though, is that he’s been playing the entire year at the SF position, so he’s proven to be effective against taller players.
With the draft so PF heavy I think the cavs can still get one of the better wing guys aka Lamb or Beal.
I’m with DH on Barnes, he’s all hype, but I could see him falling as the holes in his game become more apparent
No mention of gilcrest from Kentucky or Buford of Ohio state….