Around the League

Dwight Howard Photo ShootThe Miami Heat held up the championship trophy on June 20th, and a week later the 2013 NBA Draft was held in Brooklyn. Since then some veteran stars have relocated while others chose to remain with their current squads. Here’s a quick hits edition of the five most influential signings of the past few weeks:

The most speculated upon player this off-season was Dwight Howard. Entering his 10th pro campaign, the 27-year old, 7X All-Star, 5X Rebounding champ and 3X Defensive Player of the Year chose to depart the glitz and glamour of the Lakers and hitch on with the Rockets and head coach Kevin McHale. Howard was never truly comfortable in LA and it showed. He griped about Mike D’Antoni’s offense and his misuse. Nonetheless, Howard still led the league in boards, and when motivated he’s easily the best 5-man in the league.

Mikhail Prokhorov promised a winner when he bought the Nets a few years ago. With the acquisition via trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the rebuilding Celtics, Brooklyn now has the most talented first 5 in the league with PG Deron Williams, SG Joe Johnson and C Brook Lopez. KG and The Truth may not have much left in the tank, but they will bring leadership and championship pedigree to a franchise that has struggled in the standings for so many years. And come the 2014 playoffs, these two won’t back down from anyone, including LeBron.

Phoenix Suns v Los Angeles ClippersThe Cleveland Cavaliers have the best young lead guard in the NBA in Kyrie Irving. And now they’ve gambled on the mercurial Andrew Bynum, who, when healthy, is one of the two or three best centers in the league. Only 6 million of Bynum’s two-year, 24-million-dollar contract with the Cavs is guaranteed, which is important in this case considering that Bynum played zero minutes last year for the 76ers due to knee issues. Entering his 9th year, Bynum is only 25 years old and has two championship rings from his time with Kobe and Co. If he can stay healthy this could be the best free agent signing of the summer.

The Golden State Warriors upset the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and then a few weeks later signed free agent Andre Iguodala away from them. Entering his 10th year, the above-average defender Iguodala brings a toughness and well rounded game to coach Mark Jackson’s relatively young team. Iggy’s career averages are impressive:  15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.9 apg and 1.7 spg. He is a strong, sturdy wing player who has played in all 82 games five times in his career.

I’m going to combine a player and coach for my final pick – Chris Paul and Doc Rivers. Paul is the best point guard in basketball and pushed hard for the Clippers to go out and get the respected Rivers. After 9 seasons in Boston, including a title and another trip to the Finals, Rivers expressed interest in departing the rebuilding C’s. He found the perfect landing spot with “LA’s second team.” The talented Clips are on the verge of making the jump to title contender. However, if CP3 had decided to leave via free agency, LA would have slipped back to average in the talent-heavy Western Conference.

Czar Trivia

Will the third team be a charm for newly signed Rocket Dwight Howard? Here are some fun facts to welcome Howard to Houston:

  • The total area of Houston is so large it could contain the cities of New York, Boston, and San Francisco combined.
  • Howard will be in good company if his rigorous NBA schedule keeps him too busy to cook. H-Town residents eat out more times a week than folks in any other American city.
  • Houston is home to the world’s largest livestock show. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo attracts more than 2.2 million visitors each year.
  • When the Apollo 11 moon lander touched down, Neil Armstrong said, “Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed,” making “Houston” the first word said on the moon. And Houston’s official nickname is appropriately “Space City.”
  • Dwight won’t get bored during the off-season. Houston is one of only five cities with professional resident companies in all four major performing arts disciplines: the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Ballet and The Alley Theatre. Located downtown, the 17-block Theater District is home to eight performing arts organizations. With 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,580 movie seats, it’s second only to NYC as far as its concentration of seats in one area.

On the Road with Mike

Was great to catch up with some friends in Cleveland this week before heading to Ukraine. Grabbed breakfast with my multi-talented broadcast partner Matt Devlin, who was in town for the Blue Jays vs. Indians series. Also had a terrific dinner at Chef Rocco Whalen’s restaurant Fahrenheit with Hall-of-Fame Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. And I met up with legendary MLB shortstop Omar Vizquel at restaurateur Terry Tarantino’s La Dolce Vita.

NBA Draft 2013

The 2013 NBA Draft will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight. Unlike last year’s draft, there’s no consensus No.1 overall pick this June. Round-ball prognosticators have described this class of NBA hopefuls as very deep, but lacking any true star power at the top. And many experts have stated that this draft has been the hardest to predict in recent memory. So the league’s 30 GM’s must navigate a particularly turbulent sea of unknowns to determine the right fits for their franchises and how to maximize value when they cash in their chips.

Copyright 2013 NBAE - Photo by Steven Freemant/NBAE via Getty Images

Who will go #1? Will there be more than the usual amount of trade activity and position switching among the lottery teams? Will teams go for best available player or focus on filling positional needs? Will established playoff squads flip a veteran starter for a pick in order to avoid the more punitive luxury tax that kicks in next season?

Though it’s anyone’s guess which uniforms this crop of future NBA stars will be wearing at the end of the night, here’s a breakdown of 10 players who will most likely will be selected in the top half of the first round.

Copyright 2012 NBAE - Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty ImagesNerlens NoelNoel played in only 24 games for Coach Calipari at Kentucky this season due to a torn ACL. The 6’10” freshman center has A+ physical attributes and a huge upside. With a 7’4” wingspan he averaged 4.4 bpg at KU. Noel can rebound and defend vertically and horizontally. However, he weighed in at 206 pounds recently and that combined with his ACL issue may scare off some teams. If he doesn’t go #1 overall to the Cavs, Noel won’t fall more than a few slots.

Alex Len:  The 7’1” Ukrainian performed well in his sophomore season at Maryland. He added weight to his sturdy frame which helped compliment his overall production. Len can score, board and block shots. He possesses soft hands and a good touch around the rim. When asked to guard an opposing big or to protect the rim, Len’s 7’4” wingspan allows him to alter shots and change the dynamic in the paint. He has a chance to go to Cleveland with the top pick.

Otto Porter:  The 6’8” Georgetown sophomore may be the most polished, NBA-ready player in the draft. Porter has the full package of size, smarts, perimeter shooting and defense. He often served as a point forward in college and can initiate the offense when asked to. However, his doubters have wondered whether Porter has much upside or if he has maxed out in terms of skill. It appears quite likely that the Wizards will grab Porter with the third pick and keep him in D.C.

Copyright 2012 NBAE - Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty ImagesBen McLemore:  The 6’5” red-shirt freshman is a top-of-the-chart athlete and possesses a natural jump-shot. He has a pure 2-guard’s build and at times exhibited shut-down defensive ability. McLemore averaged 16.4 ppg and shot better than 50% from the field. He’s been sliding a bit recently due to reports of poor workouts, but McLemore should go no later than pick 6.

Victor Oladipo:  The 6’4” Hoosier made a gigantic leap from his sophomore to junior years. Formerly known as a defensive stopper and elite athlete, he added to his offensive game this past season, averaging 13.6 ppg on an amazing 60% shooting from the field. Oladipo can now stroke the 3 and get easy buckets in transition and with drives to the rim. His on-court motor was unmatched in college, and he’s been compared to Dwyane Wade by Tom Crean, who coached both of them. Look for Oladipo to be off the board before pick 8.

Anthony Bennett:  The 6’7” strong-framed UNLV freshman is possibly the most versatile offensive player in this draft. He hits the offensive glass, can nail the 3, finish in the open court and post up with either hand. Bennett put up 15.8 ppg and 8 rpg in his lone collegiate season. On an experienced team, he quickly became their alpha baller. Some analysts believe that at the pro level he won’t have a true position, too small for the 4 and not really a wing 3. But Bennett’s mental toughness will be a definite asset at the next level. He’s a top-10 pick.

Photo courtesy of Adam GlanzmanC.J. McCollum:  The 6’3” senior combo guard from Lehigh University participated in only 12 games last season due to a broken left foot. However, in those 12 contests McCollum averaged 24 ppg on 50% from the field and 51.6% from 3. He is the Patriot League’s all-time leading scorer, and has been on the pro radar for the last couple seasons. McCollum’s stock may be hurt because of the lower D-1 competition he faced. The rare senior in the draft, McCollum is a leader and player willing to assume whatever role his team requires. This unselfish and mature teammate should be off he board by pick 11.

Trey Burke:  The 6’1” sophomore Wolverine is considered by most to be the best PG prospect in the draft. The 2013 National Player of the Year led Michigan to the NCAA title game. He averaged 18.6 ppg and 6.6 apg as the floor leader of a talent-rich squad. Excellent in the pick and roll, with a deadly pull-up jump shot, Burke faced quality defenses focused on stopping him last year in the competitive Big 10. It’s worth mentioning that he stepped up in crunch time on several occasions last season. This very confident lead guard with a good sense for game flow should be gone by pick #9.

Cody Zeller:  The 7’ Indiana sophomore tested as the top athlete among big men at the combine. In the toughest conference in the country, he put up 16.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 1.3 bpg. Behind a complete offensive game, Zeller got to the free throw line 7.2 times per game this season. He runs the floor extremely well for a 7-footer and has tremendous balance and coordination around the low post. Zeller also possesses the proverbial high hoops IQ. Some teams have expressed worry about his short arms and small hands, but look for Zeller to be a top-12 pick.

Michael Carter-Williams:  The 6’6” sophomore PG from Syracuse may be the most controversial player among NBA scouts. There are those who think he’s the best point guard in the draft. They see the wonderful size he brings to the lead guard role, his 7.3 apg and 2.8 spg (both top-5 in the NCAA last year) and his leading the ‘Cuse to the Final Four. Others note his 44% shooting from the field and 29% from the 3 and the fact that he’s turnover prone. His doubters also don’t believe he can become a proficient enough scorer to keep defenses honest. Williams could go anywhere from 7 to 14.

Beyond the Lottery

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