The sports world is heating up now, with tons of big headlines from the World Cup's Round of 16 to the rapid approach of the 2010 NBA Free Agency period. Now that the NBA Draft is over, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the future of the National Basketball Association are the main topics of discussion. Today, more talk about free agency has come up concerning the Knicks and the Bulls. One ESPN article explains that the Knicks are pursuing Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson as well as LeBron, while another article says that Chicago is the front-runner for the King and Chris Bosh. I know I have all summer to talk about this, so I want to continue with the NBA Draft. I think that the this draft class was pretty good top to bottom, but nothing incredible besides John Wall. Here are some draft picks that caught my attention.
Eric Bledsoe - #18 by the Thunder (traded to the Clippers)
Now I wasn't crazy about the Clippers drafting Al-Farouq Aminu at #8, but I think they made a terrific trade ten picks later to get the former Kentucky Wildcat. I think Bledsoe is one of the biggest sleepers and most underrated players in this draft class. He was in the shadow of John Wall, so he's not as well known as he should be, and this kid was a big reason why Kentucky had such a successful season. He will be a contributing backup point guard to Baron Davis and will learn from Davis over time. I'm looking for Bledsoe to be one of the top point guards in the NBA for years to come.
Ed Davis - #13 by the Raptors
Toronto's choice to draft the former UNC Tar Heel means that they are ready to move on if and when Chris Bosh chooses to play elsewhere. Although North Carolina may very well be my favorite sports team, I have always felt that Davis has been a little overrated. I think he can make a decent career coming off the bench, but he really reminds me of Brandon Wright in 2007, who has not played up to the hype in his first three NBA seasons. He's 6'10", but not a very powerful player at just 225 lbs. Everyone says that he has a ton of potential, but I'm not so sure he does.
Willie Warren - 2nd round, #54 by the Clippers
Again, I didn't think they made a solid draft choice with Aminu, but their selection of Warren was excellent. Warren was a projected lottery pick last season before he withdrew from the draft. This year, he played only 21 games due to suffering a knee injury that required surgery. However, I think that the Clippers landed another big sleeper in this draft with Warren: while his durability may now be a question, his points, rebounds, and assists per game all went up from his freshman year. I am extremely surprised this two-year Oklahoma Sooner was drafted so late. I think he'll thrive in the NBA, and it may help that he'll begin his career with former OU teammate Blake Griffin.
Ekpe Udoh - #6 by the Warriors
I spoke a little bit about Udoh in my last post, but to elaborate, I'm not sure Golden State made the right move with him because I think he's a little overrated. Like Al-Farouq Aminu, I'm not saying that he is going to struggle, it's just that I don't think he is worthy of a Top 10 pick. I'm high on Greg Monroe, who was on the board when the former Baylor forward was taken, and think that Monroe was the next best big man in the draft after Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins. He's not very strong for a 6'10" guy, and I feel that the power forwards and centers in the pros are going to be able to overpower him in the paint.
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