NBA Draft 2012 – Fansmanship

Former UCSB Star Orlando Johnson Drafted 36th to Kings Then Traded to Pacers

Luke Johnson — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:36:52 +0000

I feel like I know Orlando Johnson personally. Covering a game last year the star hit a winner against my beloved Cal Poly Mustangs.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtRYIoMYN1A

This was nothing new.

The reigning Big West Player of the Year averaged 19.8 points per game as a senior, finished as the Gauchos’ all-time leading scorer, sixth all-time in three point field goals and as the only player in school history to score 500 points three straight years.

He entered his senior season on the James Naismith Award Watch List after showing well on last Summer’s U.S. National team during the World University Games. By mid-season he was on the watch list for the John R. Wooden award and projected as high as a mid to late first round draft pick. All three accomplishments drove his name through the ranks of NBA officials and placed a stamp of approval on the 23 year-old’s future as an NBA player.

Johnson’s 6’5″ frame is bound with tremendous hops and an NBA-ready pull up game. He can get himself open with his speed and for a player of his size, rebounds well off the miss.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWB9PLHdduo

The guard’s NBA dreams came to fruition last week drafted 36th to the Kings. After he was traded to the Indiana Pacers five minutes later, Johnson wasn’t phased.

According to this article by Adena Andrews of ESPN.com, Johnson said of the Pacers, “I got a chance to meet with their representatives. I really liked their style. I just want to get into the rotation.”

And I’m certain he will.

Considering the guards ahead of him: former Bearcat Lance Stephenson, Duke star Dahntay Jones and veteran Leandro Barbosa, that’s more than a realistic expectation. I expect the gifted scorer to make wavelengths in the Pacers’ sometimes offensively parched system.

Johnson’s comparison to former Big West star, Lucious Harris, is encouraging. Harris spent eleven years in the NBA with four different teams. He was a catalyst off the bench as a rugged role player with an ability to hit a 15 to 20-foot jump shot. The Long Beach product’s best season came in 2002-2003 with the Jason Kidd-led New Jersey Nets, when he started 25 games and averaged 10.3 points per game.

OJ just hopes to excel; suffering loss more than most people by the age of 13, losing his mother as an infant and then four family members the following year to a house fire. The next year after that he lost his grandmother. Basketball has been a safe haven for the Seaside, California guard, who according to UCSB coach Bob Williams, is “the hardest worker,” “coachable,” and “all about winning.”

At the euphonious center of everything are his four brothers, who according to the guard “took care of everything for me and the only job for me to do was to get my high school and college diploma.” That commitment to family is what makes Johnson’s progression into the NBA ranks so special.

“When he’s selected,” said Johnson’s oldest brother Damon Sr,”I will look up and thank my mother and grandmother for ordering his steps, protecting and guiding him this far and letting them know that we finally made it.”

NBA Draft Dull and Uneventful

Luke Johnson — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 23:36:19 +0000

Last night’s NBA Draft was dull and uneventful. Yawn…

By the second overall pick I knew what kind of a draft this was — one wrought with players who in three years will be playing overseas or sitting at the far ends of NBDL benches. While Anthony Davis (First overall to the New Orleans Hornets) and a few others have variant forms of star potential, the rest of the party lacked the pungent flare necessary to leave a lasting impression. The draft had no blockbuster moves despite swirling speculations that players such as Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Luol Deng could have been had by the evening’s highest bidder.

Instead, the biggest move of the evening was the trade of Mavericks 17th pick Tyler Zeller and combo guard Kelena Azubuike to the Cavaliers, for 24th pick Jared Cunningham, 33rd pick Bernard James and 34th pick Jay Crowder. Nobody batted an eye at news of the trade, other than it involving a three term war veteran in the 27 year old James. The young man served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar, before landing with Leanord Hamilton’s Florida State Seminoles squad.

Picks worth your attention

Anthony Davis, F, Kentucky Wildcats, 1st pick overall to New Orleans Hornets: While I don’t think Anthony Davis is the kind of big man who will ever dominate the pros (think offensive game of Kenyon Martin with the defensive intangibles of Tyson Chandler), I do think he will make an impact from day-one with the Hornets. His long frame and outrageous vertical leap, will allot him countless blocks both on the perimeter and in the key. He’ll be the defensive game changer getting athletic scorers like Jarett Jack and Eric Gordon in the open floor, while following up tempo misses with crowd pleasing dunks. He is extremely thin, weighing just 225 at 6’11”, and doesn’t have the type of body (long wing span with underdeveloped chest – frame and elongated bicep make up) to fill out the way I think people are hoping he will. That alone will be the difference between a big like him and a rugged bang-on-the-block big like Dwight Howard or Al Jefferson. Best case scenario: Quick, thinner, more versatile version of Tyson Chandler.

Bradley Beal, G, Florida Gators, 3rd pick overall to Washington Wizards: I hate the comparisons to Ray Allen. Not only is it outlandish to compare any young player to a legend (think Harold Minor or Jerry Stackhouse to MJ) like Ray Allen, but badly assessed anyway. Beal shot just 33% from the three point line last season and unlike Allen, has a developed left and right hand dribble. But he isn’t the spot shooter Allen was, and doesn’t have the motor to demand the ball like a franchise player. Beal’s second rated (meaning: team oriented, living on the coattail of another) personality is a perfect fit for Wizards alpha point guard John Wall. Matching him with an outside scorer like Beal, allots Wall ample driving space. It also gives the young point guard a kick out option and better spaces the floor for the efficient Nene. Beal’s most uncanny gift is his crash of the offensive glass, which paired with Nene, Kevin Seraphin and athletic wing Trevor Ariza, should concoct one of the best rebounding team’s in hoops. Best case scenario: Streakier, more lock down defending version of Eric Gordon.

Harrison Barnes, F, North Carolina Tar Heels, 7th overall to Golden State Warriors: Unfortunately Barnes is the bad byproduct of a media obsession. From day-one at North Carolina, fans, the media and critics alike, believed Barnes would set a mark as great as Michael Jordan or James Worthy in Tar Heel blue. What they forgot to reconcile was his inability to dribble, his spotty three-point shot and his poor defensive mechanics (side to side shuffle, upright positioning). While the media mud slung him as a failure, the rest of us college hoops fans adored him for what he was: a fill-it-up, late-game “give me the damn ball” kind of scorer. The move from Carolina to the uptempo Warriors couldn’t fit the Sean Eliot-like wing any better. Barnes fell in love with the spot up three in transition while playing for Roy Williams and should get much of that with a three point gunning led attack under coach Mark Jackson and star point guard, Steph Curry. Barnes improved his three point shooting his sophomore year and has always been a lights out mid range gunner. Placed with Curry and last year’s athletic pick, Klay Thompson, should make for one high octane affair in Oakland. Best case scenario: Stronger, better finishing Sean Elliot; More quiet tempered Stephen Jackson.

Jeremy Lamb, G, Connecticut Huskies, 12th overall to Houston Rockets: I fell in love with Lamb last year when he and Kemba Walker led the Huskies to a surprising National Championship. For so many reasons: His step back pull up game, his cool and collected demeanor, his athletic reach defensively on the perimeter, his long stride (Durant-like) and most importantly, his ability to play second fiddle with another great player. Lamb is the most complete offensive player in all of this year’s draft, and he’s the most ready to make a difference now. While Lamb will never be the go-to guy on any team, I do believe he’ll be that efficient 2nd or 3rd piece and quietly dropping 17 to 20 points. He’s lean and active, takes the big shot, and has a fluid mid air finisher in the open floor. My definite pick for the draft’s biggest steal. Best case scenario: Less physical Rudy Gay.

John Henson, F, North Carolina Tar Heels, 14th overall to Milwaukee Bucks: John Henson is John Henson’s own enemy. Actually, John Henson’s parents are John Henson’s own enemy. If you have ever seen the 6’11” shot blocking, rebounding, rim rattling freak, you will love him as a basketball player but I doubt his rail thin body’s ability to hold up for the entirety of an 82 – game NBA season. If he can somehow learn when to sacrifice his body and when not to, the Bucks could have themselves a better-scoring Marcus Camby. I like Henson’s upside on offense. He’s quick and can dribble fairly well for a man of his size. The Bucks’ up-tempo, high volume attack with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis fits him superbly. Best cast scenario: Think Marcus Camby averaging 14 points per game.

Jared Sullinger, F, Ohio State Buckeyes, 21st overall to Boston Celtics: The big man known as “Sully” or the “Big Teddy Bear,” has been rung through the ringer. One week before the NBA draft, Sullinger, a two time All American 1st team winner and prolific low post player, was red flagged by medical advisers because of a lingering back issue. Projected to be a top-5 pick after his Freshman season, Sullinger became a perfect example of a kid losing stock for staying put in college. And, while we applaud him for that, we feel sorry for him as well. No post player was as efficient and consistent as the 6’9″ forward the last two years at the collegiate level. “Sully” led two top-tier Buckeye teams in scoring and finished in the top-3 in the Big Ten in rebounding. While he is athletically impaired, he has tremendous foot work, strong hands, an array of post moves and a nice fifteen to twenty foot face up game. His wide frame allows him enough of a cushion to work his way around more athletic big men and for a slower forward, he plays above average post defense. If KG does in fact retire, we’ll know the verdict on Sullinger right away. Best case scenario: Al Horford with the athletic limitations of Glen Davis.

Biggest Bust Picks

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist , G, Kentucky Wildcats, 2nd overall to Charlotte Bobcats: Kidd-Gilchrist is not a shooter nor is he an offensive weapon. He’s a defender who happens to get in the open-court from time to time with tremendous strength. But he’s raw. He relies far too heavily on his strength to get him where he needs to go, which in today’s NBA, will land him in foul trouble.

Terrence Ross, G, Washington Huskies, 8th overall to Toronto Raptors: What seperates Ross from John Jenkins (23rd to Hawks) or Jenkins fellow Vandy vet, Jeff Taylor (31st to Bobcats)? Both players were had for cheaper and have the collegiate experience and NBA-ready stroke necessary to hit the deep three. Ross is not an athlete, he’s a compact shooter with limited depth. Lorenzo Romar produces players who fit within his kabob of miss meshed talent, making very average offensive players seem better than they actually are.

Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois Fighting Illini, 11th overall to Portland Trailblazers: Leonard is a product of being big, wide and strong. But he has clumsy big man feet and the lack of a true post move. Remember Yinka Dare?

Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina Tar Heels, 13th overall to Phoenix Suns: This means without a shadow of a doubt, Steve Nash will be wearing someone else’s uniform next season. To draft Marshall, a back up point guard at-best and a very poor man’s Beno Udrih this high, you have to be one desperate organization.

Miles Plumlee, C, Duke Blue Devils, 26th overall to Indiana Pacers: I thought Leanord was bad, but this is worse. This is a pick on school name alone. Plumlee, a product of Coach K, never played more than 20.5 minutes per game and finished with a career point average of 6.4 points per game. He’s really wide; that is seriously the best I’ve got when it comes to assessing his game.

The Ghost of Greg Oden Haunting NBA Hopeful Jared Sullinger

Luke Johnson — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 17:25:07 +0000

Oh boy. Oh boy. Here we go again.

Another great talent with poise and NBA-ready footwork around the rim has been haunted with the angry ghost of Greg Oden. The former number one draft pick in 2007 out of Ohio state, yet to find his footing in an NBA uniform.

Oden was the heir apparent to Bill Russell and a pick above the formidably freakish, Kevin Durant. But knee issues have belittled the one-and-done seven-foot college star to bench-warming and wishing, while Durant, carries the NBA as a whole on his sharp, bone-thin shoulders.

And now, just a month out of this year’s NBA draft, another soft tempered, smooth as silk big man and Buckeye, Jared Sullinger, has been red flagged with health concerns. According to Slam Magazine, doctors have found a lingering back issue to be more than just growing pains. And while the twenty year old 6’8″ 270-pound big man’s father swears the back issues aren’t serious, the rest of the league is left to wonder whether or not Sullinger will be more bust than bang in an NBA uniform.

Sullinger was projected early-on as a lottery pick. The two-time All American, averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds on 53.0% shooting during his two-year collegiate career. Sullinger improved his defensive foot-work after his freshman season, fouling less and increasing minutes on the floor. A bit undersized with average explosiveness around the rim, the big man also improved his step-out game, hitting on 40.0% of his three point attempts during his sophomore season.

It was fair to say Sullinger wasn’t an NBA superstar in the making. But what he was/is a talent with the right team-oriented temperament to make a splash right away in the NBA. His comparisons include current Hawk, Al Horford, or a more explosive version of Emeka Okafor. And that might be the very thing that saves him.

The only difference between Oden and Sullinger is found in their pre-NBA comparisons. Oden was supposed to be the man who took the mantel from Dwight Howard and brought to memory former legend, Bill Russell. He was picked by a Trail Blazer team that already sported Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge as the faces of the franchise.

Sullinger on the other hand, had recently slipped to the latter half of the lottery because of his average athleticism. Doctors have advised teams not to pick him in the first round, but a team with the guts to grab him in the late teens or somewhere in the early to mid twenties, could have themselves a game changing diamond in the rough, a’ la Dejuan Blair or Paul Millsap.

Is this Buckeye curse found in the Columbus drinking water? Is Thad Matta a Hudu Shaman spelling big men with poor knees and back issues? Or is simply the summation powers of poor music taste?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=h27NIkjnMRY

Whatever the reason, Buckeye fans are left to wonder yet again, whether or not one of their talented bigs can translate his superior skill set beyond the college game.