Nerlens Noel & Michael Carter-Williams Represent Positives For 76ers In 2013

Expectations aren't to high for the Philadelphia 76ers this season but that’s a good thing for their 2 new young pieces in Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. In a year that will be looked at as a throw away year in Philly will be a time for Carter-Williams and Noel to gain valuable experience and learn to play at the NBA level. Both are 1 and and done players and are coming into the league solid in some areas but still need to polish up on a lot of other things.

Nerlens Noel played just over 20 games at Kentucky before tearing his ACL. In that span of time he collected 106 blocks and was threatening to break Anthony Davis school record of 186 set the year before him. Noel due to injury slipped from going 1^st in the draft all the way down to 6^th and was drafted by the Pelicans. Not to long after being drafted he was later traded to the Sixers for all-star point guard Jrue Holiday. On a very thin Sixers roster Noel will get playing time and brings the uncanny ability to block shots and be a rim protector. At the NBA level guys are a lot bigger,stronger and faster so it will be interesting to see how Noel performs in his 1^st year. “I'm going to make them pay” said a confident Nerlens Noel about the 5 teams who passed on him because of his injury. We will have to wait till about December to see if he holds true to his word as he continues to recover from his ACL injury.

The Sixers traded Jrue Holiday because they because it was time to rebuild and they believe in the talent of Michael Carter-Williams. At 6'6 Carter-Williams already has an advantage over most guards in the size department and posses the ability to do a lot of things well such as rebounding where he averaged 4.9 rebounds per game last season at Syracuse. Carter-Williams in terms of skill set has a lot of things to like such as his ability to post up pretty much any point guard he wants. Another things is his ability to switch on pick and rolls onto bigger players. If he keeps the right attitude MCW could be a solid help defender he has all the tools. His biggest weakness is his ability to shoot the basketball efficiently last season in college he shot 39% form the the field and 29% behind the 3 point line. Once he get a reliable Jump shot the sky is the limit for this guy.

So the Sixers will be bottom feeders this year in the association but thats not a bad thing. Getting these guys minutes without the pressure or expectation of winning this year is a good thing. The 76ers will lose a lot of games but being horrible this year my land them Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker then before you know it you have a nice young solid foundation of good young players.

Revisting The 2012 NBA Draft Class

With the NBA Draft coming up in a few weeks I thought this would be a great time to revist the 2012 draft class and how the Rookie seasons went for a few players from that class. So lets get to it.

#1 Pick Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)

As the New Orleans franchise looks towards the future they have a lot to be excited about with the name change to the Pelicans and Anthony Davis to build a whole franchise around. Davis didn't put up gaudy numbers but he definitely showed flashes of what he could be through out the season on the defensive side of the floor. Davis is surely a conerstone for the young franchise and Tom Benson has a lot to look forward to moving ahead. Davis just needs to make sure he stays healthy.

Stats: 14 PPG 8 Rebounds 2 Blocks

#2 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte Bobcats)

When the Charlotte Bobcats drafted MKG at number two overall they knew they were getting a guy who had a high motor, was very durable and has some upside. In the Early part of the year he was showing people the type of player he could player he could be on a regular bases when he put up 25 points and 12 rebounds in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. The season was very up and down for Gilchrist and he had a hard time getting into rhythm at times due to Coach Mike Dunlap being inconsistent with his minutes. MKG still has to fine tune that horrendous jumper but in time he should become a very productive NBA player, maybe even an All-Star.

Stats: 9 PPG 2 Assists 6 Rebounds

#3 Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)

Bradley Beal when playing for the Gators was known as a perimeter shooter so to put that ability with John Wall's explosiveness in the back court was a big deal for the Wizards organization. The only problem was John wall didn't return from injury till January so people had to wait to see the tandem play. When they did play the Wizards played near 500 basketball. Beal shot 38% from the perimeter during his rookie season and played a big role for the Wizards over the in wins over the Heat and Thunder. Beal can only get better from here as he adjusts to the NBA game.

Stats: 14 PPG 2 Assists 4 Rebounds

#4 Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Last season the Cavs were looking for someone who was going to be a great back court partner with franchise guard Kyrie Irving and while on the court near Kyrie, Dion Waiter was just that. He showed people throughout the course of the year that he can score the basketball consistently. The only problem with him shooting the ball so much is that he is a volume scorer and needs to work on being more efficient. In his rookie season though Dion Waiters has shown the Cavs that he can be a reliable back court partner for Kyrie Irving.

Stats: 15PPG 3 Assists 2 Rebounds

#5 Thomas Robinson (Sacramento Kings/Houston Rockets)

Of all the players in this draft class nobody was more unlucky then Thomas Robinson. He spent time Sacramento and Houston this season and couldn't find minutes anywhere consistently. Now he will probably be leaving Houston as the Rockets make their push for Dwight Howard. Robinson has all the tools to make him a productive player in a rotation he is tough,Strong and can guard multiple positions. Wherever he gets a fair shot T-Rob will make the most of it and that team will get a solid player.

Stats: 5 PPG 5 Rebounds

#6 Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers)

This was considered a reach at the time Blazers made the pick but once all the media hype faded and the games began Lillard quickly put the doubters to rest and ran away with the Rookie of the Year award. He has franchise player written all over him and the Blazers management has to feel good about having someone to build around for years to come. Lillard can still improve but he had as good as rookie season as I've ever seen breaking Stephen Curry's rookie three point record.

Stats: 19 PPG 7 Assists 3 Rebounds

#7 Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors)

Not going to lie coming out of UNC I was never high on Harrison Barnes but many people were coming into this season. As the season went on he got better and pretty much proved everybody right and served as the backbone for a Warrior team that made the Playoffs this year for the 1^st time since 2007. Barnes has range,explosiveness and a high basketball IQ he will definitely be an All-Star one day he converted me into a fan this season after contributing in the postseason.

Stats: 9 PPG 4 Rebounds 1 Assist

#8 Terrence Ross (Toronto Raptors)

Terence Ross is very athletic and can shoot from outside in his 1^st season with the Raptors he saw an adequate amount of minutes. He can be a solid bench player and still has some upside but I don't seem as a starter in Toronto especially with Derozen at the 2.

Stats: 7 PPG 2 Rebounds

#9 Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)

10 years down the road when people look at this draft Andre Drummond could be the best player in it he has that potential. The #1 pick in this draft Anthony Davis has a player efficiency rating of 21.80. Andre Drummond has a Player Efficiency rating of 21.69 while playing 8 minutes less then Davis. He is listed a 6'10 270 pounds at the age of 19 which means that as I’m typing this post Drummond is growing into a 7 footer. Early in his rookie season Drummond sat on the bench but as he got minutes he showed the NBA what he was about like when he dropped 18 points and 18 Rebounds on the Milwaukee Bucks.He certainly has all the tools in the world to be one of the best centers in the league and with a front court partner like Greg Monroe Detroit Basketball can be happy about the days ahead.

Stats: 8 PPG 8 Rebounds 2 Blocks

So the 2012 draft class brought some pretty solid players. It will be interesting to see what these young talented players do going forward.

Why the Charlotte Bobcats should draft Thomas Robinson

Its obvious that Mike Dunlap and the Charlotte Bobcats have a lot of issues they need to adress with NBA draft next week Coming off the worst season in league history where the team went 7-59. As a diehard long suffering fan, realist and basketball fan I think without a doubt we should draft Thomas Robinson with #2 pick out of that great Kansas basketball program.Thomas Robinson posses a lot of attributes that will help this team take steps forward to be successful. He is a guy who can run the floor and I believe under this up tempo style that coach Dunlap is implementing  Robinson will flourish. His body is cut from the Lebron James mold he is 6,7 244 pounds of muscle and pure man strength. His body allows him to be versatile allowing him to play the small and power forward positions. Also he has the ability to guard all 5 postions on the floor due too his body, athleticism and defensive instincts. Although Anthony Davis is the consensus #1 pick Robinson feels differently, when Davis was spotted wearing a black t-shirt that said “check my stats” Robinson said that “if you wanted to check stats Id be the number one pick easily-if that’s what you want to do”.He continued saying “I should get one of those shirts.I’ll get a shirt that says numbers don’t lie”.Although his offensive game still needs work Thomas Robinson’s combination of talent,heart,versatility and confidence makes him the obvious guy to select with the #2 pick for the Charlotte Bobcats.