23. Sacramento Kings – Omri Casspi 6-9 211 SF Israel Intl.
# Birthday: 6/22/88
# NBA Position: Small Forward
# Class: International
# Ht: 6-9
# Wt: 211
# Team: Maccabi Tel Aviv
# Hometown: Rehovot, Israel
NBA Comparison: Andres Nocioni/Hedo Turkoglu
Strengths: Since last year Casspi has improved his game both offensively and defensively … He attacks the basket more. On top of his scoring mentality he has became more aggressive and tough under the rim (his body has not improved that much since last year, but his game definitely has) … Very long and athletic player with excellent frame, plus leaping and slashing ability … Its very difficult to guard him due to his size and ability to play inside/outside … Casspi will beat bigger opponents off the dribble due to his quickness and take advantage of smaller opponents by posting them up inside … Improved his shooting ability since last year; Casspi is dangerous from outside and can hit open jump-shots from 16-17 feet (he is much quicker getting his shot off) … Solid 3 point shooter who does not hesitate to shoot 3s if he is open (45% 3PT)… His combination of skills and quick first step allows him to beat defenders off the dribble anytime … Casspi possesses great body control when driving to the basket … Good finisher under the basket 70.8 FG% (loves finishing with dunks at the rim if possible). Not afraid of contact and draws many fouls (solid free-throw shooter at 76.1 FT%). Very quick at running the transition game and beating his opponents for layups or dunks (he scored many baskets in transition this year). In rebounding, he improved going from 3.2 RPG last year to 4.6 RPG … Casspi improved his ability to box out and use his long arms when going for rebounds … His toughness and size makes him solid at the defensive end … He does a good job at the SF position and staying in front of his man … His lateral quickness is solid. Competitive player who plays with a great amount of energy every time he steps on the court …
Weaknesses: Casspi lacks body strength for the NBA (his body has not improved since last year) … He has difficulty guarding stronger opponents in Euroleague and in the Israeli league … Has to work to improve his shooting mechanics and be a more consistent outside shooter … Not good at taking his defenders off the dribble and creating his own shots … Needs to improve as a help side defender as well as getting better in the passing lanes … Although he improved his rebounding ability, he needs to become much better … Limited passing ability; has to learn how to find teammates more … Gets criticized for being a bit of a prima donna type. Will he be willing to be a team player on the NBA level or will the desire to be a star keep him from being a succesful contributor?
Stevan Petrovic – 5/3/2009
Duration : 0:1:41
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Technorati Tags: 23th, aviv, by, casspi, Drafted, first, highlights, israel, israeli, kings, maccabi, omri, pick, prospect, round, Sacramento, tel
3. Oklahoma Cty Thunder – James Harden 6-5 222 SG Arizona St. So.
# Birthday: 8/26/89
# NBA Position: Shooting Guard
# Class: Sophomore
# Ht: 6-5
# Wt: 222
# Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
# High School: Artesia
NBA Comparison: Manu Ginobili/Brandon Roy
Strengths: Very smooth and crafty wing player Used his sophomore season to add new dimensions to his game, and he proved to be a steady and consistent scoring threat One of the most mature and NBA ready players of his class He has great feel and understanding of the game, knows when he has to be a facilitator and when he has to take over the scoring load As much as he brings in terms of scoring, his vision and playmaking ability may be his most impressive attributes He makes great reads and is extremely unselfish Has a developed body that is prepared to handle the rigors he will face in the league In ISO situations he has a variety of deceptive and shifty moves that allow him to get by defenders Out of the triple threat he is difficult to defend because his jab step is long and he sells his shot fake extremely well Off the bounce he incorporates a nice crossover as well as in&out and behind the back dribbles to get into the lane His jumper has shown great improvements, he has added range as well as consistency from the outside His strength is a great asset because he is not afraid to use his body, either on drives or when playing with his back to the basket Has good balance and body control when finishing around the basket He has become a difficult matchup, because he looks to take advantage of mismatches, and enjoys playing with his back to the basket Has a great feel for the ball, on the glass and in the passing lanes
Weaknesses: Ended the season with two very poor performances in the NCAA Tournament, which has unfairly taken some luster off of a great season (he faced zone defenses on both occasions and it forced him to play out of his comfort zone) Does not posses the great size that many have at his position His leaping ability and quickness are only marginal, which forces him into tough and contested drives and makes it hard for him to get by people Even though he has worked on his drives going right, he is still not nearly as comfortable and effective as he needs to be Defenders have a much easier time cutting of his driving lanes when he does go right His midrange game will need to become more polished, his ability to make shots off the dribble before the helpside D rotates will be key He has become turnover prone at 3.4 per game, but this is mostly a result of being asked to do too much
Borko Popic – 5/17/2009
Duration : 0:5:32
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Technorati Tags: 2009, 3rd, Arizona, CITY, draft, Drafted, first, harden, highlights, interview, James, nba, oklahoma, pick, prospect, Ricky, round, Rubio, state, thunder, university
57. Phoenix Suns – Emir Preldzic 6-8 220 SG/SF Slovenia Intl.
* The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired the draft rights to forward Emir Preldzic, the 57th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for cash considerations.
# Birthday: 6/9/87
# NBA Position: SG/SF
# Class: International
# Ht: 6-8
# Wt: 220
# Team: Fenerbahce Ulker
# Hometown: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Stevan Petrovic – 1/25/2008
Strengths: Preldzic possesses good shooting touch and a nice feel for the game … Very long and fundamentally skilled young player … He can hit 3 point shots as well as mid-range jumpers with accuracy (good spot-up shooter) … His shooting touch and mechanics are fluid. Emir can handle the ball in the open court and be a point forward when needed or push the ball in the fast-break; He can also drive the ball well and has sufficient ball handling skills … He reads the defense and defenders well and recognizes when to drive to the basket and when to pull up for the jump-shot … He shows good body control while driving to the basket … Showing some slashing ability. A team player who sees the court well and knows how to make the right pass … His length and quick reflexes helps him to be active on the boards (anticipates where the ball is going to land well). Moves well laterally and has quick feet.
Weaknesses: A tweener. His lack of a true position hurts his chances … Very skinny player for his size … Lack of both upper and lower body strength really hurts him offensively and defensively too … Mediocre athletic ability at his best … Doesnt like contact or to bang under the basket for position, which also hurts his ability to post up. His frame is average and may be a guy that loses mobility with added weight … Has to become a more consistent shooter Offensively he must work on his inside game and find his go-to move.
Notes: Born in Bosnia but grew up in Slovenia and a Slovenian citizen. Had his coming out party at the 2006 U20 Euro Championships leading Slovenia to 3rd place (Bronze) finish averaging 20.3 ppg (2nd overall).
Duration : 0:1:15
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Technorati Tags: 2009, 57th, acquired, bosnia, by, Cavaliers, Cleveland, draft, Drafted, emir, fenerbahce, herzegovina, highlights, nba, overall, phoenix, pick, preldzic, prospect, rights, round, second, slovenia, Suns, the, turkey, ulker
http://www.jalenrose.com/
http://twitter.com/jalenrose
Jalen Rose and the ESPN Sportscenter team analyze Ricky Rubio’s game and whether he can become a dominant point guard in the NBA.
Duration : 0:7:4
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Technorati Tags: 2009, analysis, draft, ESPN, first, jalen, jalentv, nba, pick, Preview:, Ricky, Rose, round, Rubio, sportscenter
NBA first round draft pick Jerryd Bayless can dribble, shoot lights out, dunk and pass — but he’s also 19 and close with his parents and big brother Justin.
Jerryd keeps in touch with Justin — who is working as a Wall Street investment banker in New York — by sharing live video on his cell phone through AT&T Video Share.
He says getting knocked around by Justin and his friends in practice when they were 15 and 16 and he was just 11 helped put him on the path to the NBA.
Duration : 0:2:49
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Technorati Tags: Arizona, AT&T, basketball, Bayless, blazers, draft, first, indiana, Jerryd, nba, portland, round, share, sports, trail, video, wildcats
55. Portland Trail Blazers – Patrick Mills 6-0 175 PG St. Mary’s So.
# Birthday: 8/11/88
# NBA Position: Point Guard
# Class: Sophomore
# Ht: 6-0
# Wt: 175
# Hometown: Canberra, Australia
# High School: AIS
NBA Comparison: Damon Stoudamire/Fat Lever
Strengths: Mills is a tremendously quick PG with good ball-handling skills … A tremendous competitor who rises to the challenge in big situations. He proved that he is very difficult to stop at the open court and loves pushing the ball (vs. USA at the Olympics) … A fundamentally sound and skilled player. Mills is always looking to score and he is more of a shoot first-pass second PG 18.4 PPG … Has a quick first step … Possesses a good outside jump-shot as well as NBA range … Solid mechanics on his shot … Sets up his defender well to get open when coming off the screens; if he sets his body and feet are squared to the basket he is difficult to stop (vs. Gonzaga 6-8 for 3PT) … Mills can create shots off the dribble at any time due to his ball handling ability and his cross-over … Has a good ability to play the pick and roll with a big man and making the right choices, helped by his quickness and passing skills … Possesses solid passing ability and court vision; can find open teammates cutting to the basket or passing the ball to the low post 3.9 APG … Defensively he is very tough and has long arms that helps him get steals (does a good job of playing passing lanes) 2.2 SPG. Good leader on the floor. A tremendous FT shooter .859% … Possesses great International experience playing on Australian National Team in the Olympics (where he was the surprise leading scorer) as well as FIBA U19 World Championship … A tremendous character guy who teams see as a perfect back up PG …
Weaknesses: Lack of size and strength … Not a true PG at this point as he is better at scoring than running a team … Relies too much on his outside shot and can be a very inconsistent shooter .338 3PT% … Takes too many contested and wild shots … Questionable decision maker. Has to do a better job of attacking the rim and finishing under pressure … Avoids contact under the basket …
Stevan Petrovic 6/25/09
Duration : 0:2:1
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Technorati Tags: 2009, 55th, australia, blazers, by, draft, Drafted, highlights, mary's, Mills, National, nba, olympics, overall, Pat, Patrick, patty, pick, portland, prospect, round, second, St, team, the, trail, trailblazers
http://rockinsteady.wordpress.com
Stephen A. Smith is once again engaged at the NBA Draft. This time, we meet a new pal: Lil’ SAS! Like Lil’ Penny, but less funny.
Duration : 0:6:57
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Technorati Tags: a., conley, draft, durant, first, heckled, hecklers, horford, jackson, nba, noah, oden, round, second, Smith, stephen
http://www.nba.com/games/20090507/ATLCLE/boxscore.html
CLEVELAND(AP) From his corner cubicle in Cleveland’s locker room, LeBron James kept his eyes riveted on the flat-screen TV. He wanted to see every replay.
There was his no-look pass to Wally Szczerbiak. There was his reverse dunk in the final seconds of the first quarter. And then there was his majestic, step-back 3-pointer to beat the halftime horn, a shot he admired before playfully swinging his arms back and forth.
Seeing it on tape for the first time, James smiled, stood and repeated his arm-swinging gesture.
It’s all easy. Maybe too easy.
James scored 27 points, ending the first and second quarters with last-second baskets, and Mo Williams added 15 points as the untested Cavaliers overpowered the Atlanta Hawks 105-85 on Thursday night to open a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal.
“I’m having fun,” James said. “I’m having a ball.”
Now a perfect 6-0 in the postseason, the Cavaliers tied a league record by winning their sixth consecutive playoff game by double digits. The only other team to do it was the 2004 Indiana Pacers. Cleveland also matched the 1986 Los Angeles Lakers by winning three straight games by at least 20 points in a postseason.
“I don’t want to say I’m surprised,” James said of Cleveland’s playoff dominance. “We’re just a really good team. We’re really confident and we believe in each other.”
Maurice Evans scored 16 points and Mike Bibby had 11 for the Hawks, who were missing center Al Horford and forward Marvin Williams because of injuries. If that wasn’t bad enough, leading scorer Joe Johnson rolled his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return.
X-rays were negative, but Johnson wore a walking boot as he and his teammates went to their bus before heading home for Game 3 on Saturday.
“I can’t see me not playing,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to let this opportunity go by. We’re down 0-2. I want to be out there for my teammates. Hopefully in 48 hours it will feel a lot better.”
While the rest of the NBA exchanges elbows, flagrant fouls and menacing stares in the playoffs, the Cavaliers are looking for a fight.
So far, they can’t find one.
Just like Game 1, this was easy for the Cavs.
Named MVP earlier this week, James’ 3-pointer at the end of the half opened a 24-point lead that swelled to 36 in the third. James and the Cavaliers starters spent the entire fourth quarter lounging on the bench as Atlanta’s reserves outplayed the Cavs’ backups in 12 minutes of garbage time.
The series switches to Philips Arena, where the Hawks went 31-10 during the regular season and beat Cleveland once. That was on Dec. 13, when the Cavaliers were just finding out how good they were and the Hawks were at full strength.
Atlanta coach Mike Woodson refused to use injuries as an excuse.
“We’re just not playing well right now and they are playing at a high level,” he said. “We got a chance to go home, regroup, play in front of our fans and see what we’re made of.”
(Rest of series schedule)
Game 3-05/09/09Cavs @ Hawks (8:00 pm ET, ABC)
Game 4- 05/11/09Cavs @ Hawks (7:00 pm ET, TNT)
Game 5- 05/13/09 Hawks @ Cavs (TBD, TBD) IN
Game 6- 05/15/09 Cavs @ Hawks (TBD, TBD) IN
Game 7- 05/18/09 Hawks @ Cavs (TBD, TBD) IN
IN- if necessary
Duration : 0:2:30
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Technorati Tags: 2009, anythony, at, atlanta, bibby, brown, browns, brutal, bryant, Cavaliers, celtics, chokeing, Cleveland, delonte, draft, fiba, finals, flagrant, fouls, game, gold, Hawks?, James, joe, johnson, Josh, kobe, lakers, Lebron, may, medal, Mike, MLB, mo, mvp, nba, NFL, paul, playoffs, redeem, reffs, round, Smith, soccer, suckish, team, teams, USA, vs, wade, west, williams, woodson, world
37. San Antonio Spurs – DeJuan Blair 6-6 277 PF Pittsburgh So.
# Birthday: 4/22/89
# NBA Position: Power Forward
# Class: Sophomore
# Ht: 6-6
# Wt: 277
# Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
# High School: Schenley
NBA Comparison: Paul Millsap/Anthony Mason
Strengths: Powerful post player with tremendous rebounding ability Uses his wide base, long arms and soft hands to inhale every rebound in his area Has a true NBA skill, rebounding Particularly dangerous on the offensive glass (averaged an astounding 5.6 offensive boards per game in his sophomore year) Big personality. Plays the game with great love and passion. Appears to really have fun playing the game, almost always has a big grin on his face An intimidating post presence, despite not possessing great leaping ability Enjoys physical contact and understands how to position himself for rebounds An excellent passer for a post player. Difficult to double team, has a strong court sense with excellent vision and passing skills An efficient offensive player Has a tremendous pair of mits, allowing him to grab boards and gather in post passes with ease … Post skills are strong. He understands how to create space against shot blockers by leaning into them (as he showed matching up with Hasheem Thabeet) One of those type of players who seems to have better touch around the basket with contact Converts a lot of And 1s Extremely A natural leader and strong competitor who wills his team to wins and consistently comes through in the clutch A solid set of post moves. Very comfortable playing in the paint and using fakes to get defenders off balance and off their feet … An underrated athlete.
Weaknesses: Concerns linger about his ability to get in better shape and stay in shape. Will he be another John Hot Plate Williams or Robert Tractor Traylor? Lacks great mobility at his current weight, hindering his ability to play an up tempo game … And in turn would fit best with a half court oriented team at the NBA level … It remains to be seen how much quickness and mobility he can add by dropping some weight At 6-6.5 is severely undersized at the post position although his 7-foot-3 wingspan allows him to play a few inches bigger Doesnt have great explosiveness either which makes creating shots against bigger and more athletic players a challenge At times showed his inexperience late in the year making careless mental errors in key moments Needs to become more efficient from the line (61% FT) Should also look to add a more consistent mid-range shot Excess weight makes it difficult for him to face the basket and get by opponents or get to rebounds out of his position His defensive ability is also diminished by his lack of foot speed … Extremely strong willed, which is both a positive and a negaitve. He goes to the beat of his own drum which could be a real detriment if he’s unresponsive to coaching and taking instruction …
Aran Smith 5/11/09
Duration : 0:2:22
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Technorati Tags: 37th, Antonio, blair, by, dejuan, Drafted, highlights, pick, pittsburgh, prospect, round, San, second, Spurs
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