Rookies

[Fresh8]

Yo,
I just read about the early entrants in the draft for this season and a few names caught my eyes cause i know that I have heard of them before. Can anyone tall me who they are, are they good, etc., etc.

I think some of them will be late picks but tell me if they could be picked by the Lakers and be good for the team.

Carmello Anthony
Mario Austin
T J Ford
James Lang - I think he's mini Shaq, isn't he 315 pounds 6'11"
Rick Rickert
Luke Ridnour

[Matthew]

TJ Ford is a classic point guard. He led him team to the final four before losing to the eventual champs. I think he could be a top 5 pick, but I'm praying the knicks can steal him later on in the draft.

Carmello anthony is a great player, he led his team to the final four and the national championship. Great player, I couldn't see many weaknesses at all. Some could make a good arguement as to why he should be a number one pick, but i will be very suprised if he isnt taken in the top four.

I wish I could tell you about those other guys but i hardly watch college bball, except for the tournament which is where i saw those guys shine.

[Rens]

From what I've read, the one thing scouts are a bit hesistant about Melo is his defense, since Syracuse appearantly played a solid zone all the time, they don't know how well he could defend in the NBA. But that's not a big issua I'm sure, and he'll likely get picked 2nd or 3rd depending on workouts. I don't think he'll even fall out of the top 3.

[Matthew]

The only way i think he could fall out is if TJ Ford's stock rises and a team wants a point guard.

As for his defense, I guess that wont be too big of a problem becuase in the nba you can use a "half" zone.

[Andrew]

Isn't Ford sub-six foot though? I seem to remember reading he's about 5'10"?

That usually tends to scare teams away, since most teams prefer to use their lottery picks on forwards, centres, or big guards/swingmen if they are available.

[Rens]

Isn't Ford injured as well?
Of the top 3 I can only see Darko ending up at 4, if workouts show he's really as raw as some people that have seen him play say. Still his potential and him being a true 7 ft post player will likely make him remain a top 3 pick.

Now that I think of it, I still don't really see any team picking Ford over any of the top 3. Convince me please?

[Matthew]

Iverson is 6 foot and he was the number one pick ahead of Marcus Camby, Shareef and other big men from college. I don't think being 6 foot will hurt him too much. It wont help him either, but i doubt it'll hurt his stock alot.

[Rens]

I was just looking at nbadraft.net for some more info, and I noticed some interesting rises and falls:

• Lampe went from top 5 to 8, he's just so very raw. Only 17 I think.
• Mike Sweetney is at 9 now to the Knicks, he used to be in the 15-20 range I think.
• Barbosa... why hasn't he been the talk of this board? He used to be a 2nd rounder, but now he's already up to 12. "Ultra aggressive point guard". I'll believe it when I see it, but workouts might push him even higher, or might prove he's not all that and make him fall to the 2nd round with this years pretty strong crop of PGs.
• Varejao has fallen all the way to 21. Must be his 2 pt performance (or was it even worse) in the final four.
• Kendrick Perkins should go to college.
• 13 international players in the 1st round.

Can anyone give me some info on this guy, Uche Nswondu-Amadi? Looks like a legit NBA body and a possible good contributor, but he's only listed at 56.

[Andrew]

Iverson is 6 foot and he was the number one pick ahead of Marcus Camby, Shareef and other big men from college. I don't think being 6 foot will hurt him too much. It wont help him either, but i doubt it'll hurt his stock alot.

He's the only 6'0" guard taken with the first pick in NBA history. I believe he's only the second guard to be taken with the first pick - at least, he was the first since Magic Johnson in 1979.

More often than not, guards (especially those hovering around 6 foot) are passed over, unless they're expected to be very good (and a lottery team needs a new point guard).

[carlos]

I think Varejao and Lampe aren't as good as people think. Lampe plays in a second division team in Spain, alhotugh he is only 17. Varejao doesn't play in Barcelona, he only plays final minutes but is an important player in his national team.