HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Alex’s Weekly Update: Boston College’s Reggie Jackson, UCLA’s Malcolm Lee, Michigan’s Darius Morris, Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert and Kansas’ Josh Selby are all jockeying for position against each other. What’s interesting is how much they all have in common. They’re all between 6-3 and 6-6, which would make them big point guards or short shooting guards, but they can’t seem to convince anyone they belong at one position over the other. For instance, Lee told reporters at the Nets practice facility that he was a point guard, but Nets GM Billy King said he saw him as more of a combo.

Of the group, Jackson, Jenkins and Selby are the best outside shooters, but it’s anyone’s guess who the best defenders are. Morris, Lee and Shumpert can each smother opponents with their size (all stand over 6-5) while the lightening-fast Jackson has a remarkable seven-foot wingspan.

Right now it’s anyone’s guess who will be taken in the first round and who could fall. Jackson, for instance, canceled a handful of workouts that simultaneously fueled speculation he was both rising and falling. After all, cancelling workouts can mean one of two things: 1.) He has a first-round promise from at least one team; or 2.) His knee injury is preventing him from working out, which would ultimately hurt his draft stock.

Decisions on these players will be going down to the wire on draft night, so be thankful that you’re not in their shoes on June 23rd.

Joel’s Weekly Update: This is shaping up to be one very entertaining draft. None of us really have any idea whatsoever where any of these players are going to land, and the draft is just a week away, which means we’re in for a great number of surprises. I’ve been told a couple different times the last couple of days that it’s not even a sure thing that Kyrie Irving is the top pick. If the surest thing in this draft isn’t even a sure thing, then what else could possibly be?

All four major international prospects (Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo, Jan Vesely, and Donatas Motiejunas) each have their own particular brand of potential, but how their games will translate to the NBA is anybody’s guess. At least two, probably three, and maybe even four lottery teams are going to take huge gambles on these guys instead of going with someone more proven, and that’s where a lot of the fun is going to begin. We know that Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Singler and Marcus Morris are all going to be solid pros, but will these international guys? What about the unproven younger college ballers like Enes Kanter, Tristan Thompson, or Tobias Harris?

It’s that mystery, plus the parity of all the guys taken from pick #3 through to somewhere in the early second round, that makes this draft so intriguing. In the coming seven days, a few things will start to solidify, and we’ll hear some things about players teams have settled in on. Until then, though, we’re all left guessing, and that’s part of what makes this particular draft so much fun.

Luke’s Weekly Update: There are tons of question marks in 2011 NBA
Draft and, outside of Kyrie Irving going first overall to the Cleveland
Cavaliers, you can count on very little. You should bet on even less. One of
the more intriguing players in the class is freshman Josh Selby. A terrific
athlete, Selby is known for his attacking style and ability to score the
basket ball. While he’ll have to work on his inconsistent perimeter shooting
(he shot .362 from behind the arc as a freshman), there is no doubt that the
former Kansas Jayhawk can get to the rim and finish creatively. His ability
to put pressure on opposing defenses with his aggressive play and
outstanding athleticism makes him a captivating prospect but injury and
inconsistent play during his one year in Lawrence are also factors.

Add to that the fact that Selby clearly has a shooting guard’s mentality
but is packaged in a point guard’s body (measuring in at the Draft Combine
at 6-3 with shoes on) and expect his stock to have slipped from a year ago,
when he was expected to be a top-ten pick. Some media outlets have him
slipping all the way to the second round. When 100 percent healthy, there is
no doubt that Selby can provide a team with some scoring punch, but his
efficiency (or lack thereof) at the college level is certainly going to
scare some teams away. Whoever drafts Selby will be getting a player with as
much talent as any player in the draft. The question is whether or not he
can become as good a player as he is an athlete.

Yannis’ Weekly Update: After months of assuming that Kyrie Irving would be the number one pick, things have become a little bit more interesting at the top of the draft as both Derrick Williams and Enes Kanter have auditioned in Cleveland for the top selection.

In reality, this isn’t all that surprising. The Cavaliers have a lot of needs to address. With Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions point guard is actually one of their stronger positions, so they’d be making a mistake if they didn’t at least look at Williams and Kanter.

Williams is NBA-ready with the motivation and talent to justify his Rookie of the Year and All-Star aspirations. Kanter is a young promising low post player who plays much older than his age. He hasn’t played competitively in over a year, but on the bright side he’s well rested with a solid skill set that hasn’t just upped and disappeared.

Even with all that said, though, don’t expect either of them to unseat Irving as the top selection. Irving is the best player in this draft class. He’s got incredible upside along with the ability to help the Cavaliers a great deal immediately. Picking him will create a logjam at the point guard position, but that’s something the Cavs will have plenty of time sort out.

Solid point guard play is becoming a necessity to win in this league. Irving was the best lead guard the NCAA had to offer at the beginning of the year and was spectacular despite being out of shape due to a previous injury in the NCAA tournament. The Cavs may not be committing to him yet, but they know they’d regret passing on him more so than any other prospect.

Steve’s Weekly Update: Florida State’s Chris Singleton received his Green Room invite to New York, meaning he is now projected to be one of the top 15 players selected. This makes things a little interesting on the heels of hearing that Jimmer Fredette, who is rumored to have a commitment from the Utah Jazz at #12 has accepted an invite as has Klay Thompson. Sources close to the process also say Tristan Thompson has received an invite as has Kawhi Leonard.

It’s safe to assume Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker are on the list, which has yet to be released by the NBA, meaning 10 slots are taken.

International big men Jonas Valanciunas and Jan Vesely are expected to take up two more, leaving three spots for the likes of Alec Burks, Marcus Morris and Bismack Biyombo.

The problem is neither Burks nor Biyombo have received an invite yet according to sources.

League insiders say this was one of the hardest classes to nail down invites for and there was a real deliberate process taken to make sure than none of the guys brought in by the NBA get embarrassed on draft night and sit for a prolonged period of time.

There is still a huge amount of uncertainty going into Thursdays draft mainly because Minnesota is still very much trying to move the #2 overall picks, and word is they have opened talks on the #20 pick as well.

With both of those picks likely to be moved in the next week the landscape of the draft could change radically, especially if the #2 overall pick is used on someone other than Derrick Williams.

On the international front both Jan Vesely and Bismack Biyombo will be holding workouts this weekend in New York for select teams. Vesely is said to be undergoing a full battery of blood work and a Combine-style physical, the results of which will be released to teams his camp approves.

Biyombo, on the heels of an underwhelming workout in Italy last week will showcase his game for a handful of teams on Monday, including the Toronto Raptors.

With the draft less than a week away, things get interesting from here.