Yardbarker: DeAndre Jordan

NBA Draft Day Excitement: Open Thread

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:10:35 -0500

There's nothing else really going on in the Sports Media department so I'm just going take this spot to add any draft day items and post another mock draft. I have nothing to do but watch Soccer and count down to live-blog and the Bulls going on the clock. Our First Item: Yi to the Nets for Richard Jefferson!!!! The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed in principle to trade Yi Jianlian to the New Jersey Nets for Richard Jefferson, two league sources told SI.com. The Bucks also are...

2008 NBA Draft Live-Blog

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:10:34 -0500

Well here we are folks. It's one of the most enjoyable nights of the year and it's become a fun tradition here at AA. There will be photos, videos, analysis and fun all evening long, so comment early and comment often. We'll get underway around 7pm but in the meantime feel free to click through last year's draft. Last Year's NBA Draft Live-Blog Great it's only 6:30pm and Dickie V is already yelling about the age limit and CDR being underrated. It's going to...

Random Thoughts

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:20:45 -0500

-Every day when I came home from work for the last few weeks I've been watching--and suprisingly enough, enjoying--Euro 2008. I've never been much of a Soccer fan but I have to say, once you start to understand the game it is incredibly enjoyable. I don't have any profound statements to make about the game, strategy or anything like that but I will say this... Germany: if you want to be a championship team why would you hire a coach that dresses like an indie-rock star? ...

Nba Mock Draft ~ Final Version

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:37:23 -0500

Picks 1-30 Mocked with Deadly accuracy... I hope also rumours of possible draft day trades and rumours updated in real time Players on the Rise based on Workouts, OJ Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon, Brooks Lopez Players falling based on their Workouts, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Javale Mcgee, Deandre Jordan Suprise pick of the draft, Mario Chalmers goes 13th in my Mock

AA's 2008 Mock Draft

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:42:07 -0500

Hey why not right? Thursday is one of my favorite days of the year and there isn't much going on today outside of a bunch of apologies. Below is my attempt at a Mock Draft but before I get into it here are a few thoughts.... Thought #1: I don't know why, but this draft looks even weaker than the Kwame Brown Draft. If I was picking past spot seven or eight I would just put the names on a dart board and fire randomly. Thought #2: Most Drafts are heavy on guards but there are about 40 G...

2008 NBA Draft Odds

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:47:47 -0500

Sportsbook and BetUS have minimal, boring odds up on Thursday's draft. Luckily, Bodog comes through with an extensive selection.

While I am trying to determine what is and isn't a good bet, please be advised that my knowledge of the situation comes from reading this Chad Ford column, and looking at DraftExpress and NBADraft.net.

It should be noted that Ford, while having the most accurate mock last year, only called 12/30 picks correctly. This stuff is really hard to call, especially when you get past the first few picks.

Unless otherwise specified, these props are regarding who will be taken in each slot, regardless of who is picking there. The actual props don't have the team name (except for #2 and #10), which I have added in parenthesis.

Who will be the #1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft? (Bulls)
Michael Beasley, +375
Derrick Rose, -600

We've been slowly moving in this direction for almost two months now, since it was essentially a coin flip. All indications are that Rose will be the guy, but I wouldn't want to pay -600 to find out.

What will Miami do with the #2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft?
Draft Michael Beasely and Keep him, 2/7
Trade Pick or Draft Michael Beasley and Trade him, 4/1
Draft O.J. Mayo, 9/2
Draft Any Other Player, 3/1

This is kind of surprising, isn't it? This obviously isn't exactly insider information, but Ford says:

We continue to hear that the Heat will probably trade the No. 2 pick if Rose is off the board.Seems pretty straight forward, doesn't it? I suppose that we probably tend to overrate the possibility of guys getting traded, but +400 on that seems like a pretty good price here. I certainly wouldn't take the other side at -350.

Who will be the #3 pick? (Timberwolves)
Mayo, 2/5
Kevin Love, 9/2
Jerryd Bayless, 7/1
Brook Lopez, 3/1
Other, 8/1

Given the uncertainty of the Draft, I don't think there's a whole lot I would take at -250, and certainly not this. All three mocks have Mayo going here, but Bodog is obviously prepared for that scenario.

Might "Other" be a decent choice here? I am asking--I have no idea. Is there a scenario where the Heat keep their pick and select someone other than Beasley? It seems like maybe the Heat to trade their pick at +400 and "Other" at +800 would be a good combo, with one hedging the other.

Who will be the #4 pick? (Sonics)
Bayless, 5/6
Russell Westbrook, 3/2
Lopez, 3/1
Eric Gordon, 5/1
Other 8/1

Ford has them taking Westbrook, NBADraft.net has Bayless, and Draft Express has Lopez. I get the impression that the Sonics themselves have no idea who they are going to take.

I wouldn't bet on any of the players here, but what about "Other"? I know this is getting repetitive, but are we that sure that Rose-Beasley-Mayo are going to go 1-2-3?

Who will be the #5 pick? (Grizzlies)
Love, 5/9
Gordon, 3/2
Lopez, 5/1
Other, 13/4

Sounds like they're either going to take Love or Gordon. I have nothing to add here.

Who will be the #6 pick? (Knicks)
Bayless, 5/6
Westbrook, 5/6
Danilo Gallinari, 3/1
Joe Alexander, 6/1
Other, 9/2

This is interesting. As you may remember, there was a time that Gallinari was the heavy favorite here, at -150. A lot has transpired since, apparently. Ford says:

We had Danilo Gallinari at the Knicks in our first mock draft, but dropped him when a Suns source said that Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni wasn't a big fan. Apparently Gallinari's workout, combined with some research, has changed that opinion. Gallinari has worked out well everywhere and it sounds like the Knicks are comfortable with him here.

So, there you have it. Chad Ford endorses Gallinari at 3:1.

Who will be the #7 pick? (Clippers)
Gordon, 10/13
Westbrook, 3/1
Alexander, 11/2
D.J. Augustin, 8/1
Other, 2/1

Sounds like this will probably be Gordon, although there's no way I'd pay -130 for it, especially since Ford has Bayless going here.

Who will be the #8 pick? (Bucks)
Alexander, 1/2
Lopez, 7/2
Westbrook, 11/2
Augustin, 8/1
Other, 3/1

The whole world thinks they are taking Joe Alexander. Unfortunately, that includes Bodog.

Who will be the #9 pick? (Bobcats)
Lopez, 10/11
Augustin, 11/2
Donte Greene, 11/2
DeAndre Jordan, 10/1
Other, 10/11

Man, wasn't Lopez expected to go #3 at one point? That didn't last.

The three mocks have Westbrook, Lopez, and Love going here. Other seems like a decent value.

What will the Nets do with the #10 pick?
Draft Danilo Gallinari, 1/1
Draft any other player, 10/13
Trade pick, 4/1

"Any other player" at -130 has to be the play here. It's the 10th pick in the draft, how can they be so confident that a) Gallinari will be available, and b) they'll take him?

Who will be the #11 pick? (Pacers)
Augustin, 13/10
Anthony Randolph, 4/1
Brandon Rush, 11/2
Greene, 15/2
Other, 1/1

John Hollinger would not take Randolph here.

Ford has them taking Augustin. Not at +130 though.

Who will be the #12 pick? (Kings)
Randolph, 5/4
Rush, 7/2
Darrell Arthur, 9/2
Roy Hibbert, 5/1
Other, 6/5

They are supposedly looking at Hibbert; NBADraft.net has him going here, and Ford mentions him as well (although he has them taking this guy).

Who will be the #13 pick? (Trail Blazers)
Rush, 6/5
Greene, 3/2
Nicolas Batum, 10/1
Other, 5/6

Ford thinks the Blazers will either trade this pick (they do that a lot), take Rush, or take some French guy named Alexis Ajinca. DraftExpress has Ajinca going here as well, while NBADraft.net has Rush.

13th pick, only three non-field players, a team that loves to trade, and two of three mocks having a guy in the field selected. Other at -120 seems like the way to go here, does it not?

Who will be the #14 pick? (Warriors)
Kosta Koufos, 1/1
Arthur, 5/2
Greene, 9/2
Marreese Speights, 8/1
Other, 6/5

It is Koufos or Greene here, apparently. I liked it better when the lottery was only 13 teams.

Bodog has some more props, about whether guys will get drafted in the first or second round, and which players will get traded in the offseason. Go check them out, if you want, but those are categories I can't even fake knowledge in.

NA Basketball Player Prop Betting [Bodog]

Photo: NBA.com

Hairy Guate needs Help!

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:33:26 -0500

OK, Muffin Fans, the Hairy Guate needs your help winning the NBA Mock Draft contest on Yardbarker.com. The victor gets a signed Greg Oden Jersey. Let's just say this prize was destined for me as a lifelong Blazer fan. This jersey would go beautifully with my Clyde the Glyde poster and Arvydas (most underrated player in history) Sabonis jersey. So here is my mock draft as of today. Gimme some input people and help the muffin bring home the bacon. 1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose (PG)-Rose...

2008 NBA Mock Draft

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:12:22 -0500

Below is The Sports Muffin's 2008 NBA Mock Draft. 1. Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose 2. Miami Heat Michael Beasley 3. Minnesota Timberwolves OJ Mayo 4. Seattle SuperSonics Jerryd Bayless 5. Memphis Grizzlies Eric Gordon 6. New York Knicks Anthony Randolph 7. Los Angeles Clippers Kevin Love 8. Milwaukee Bucks Joe Alexander 9. Charlotte Bobcats Brook Lopez 10. New Jersey Nets Danilo Gallinari 11. Indiana Pacers DJ Augustin 12. Sacramento Kings Russell Westbrook 13. Portland Trail Blazer...

The West Region, Ben Howland, Brian Dohn, and the #2 Center in the Country

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:21:33 -0500

I seriously think Texas A & M is going to be UCLA's hardest game until the Final 4. I'm sure you all know that Kevin Love was the #1 Center in the country coming out of high school last year. Do you know who #2 was? I do. He goes to A & M. And He's a beast inside.

Preview for Thursday`s NCAA Tournament Games

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:08:01 -0500

With the NCAA Tournament officially underway with an opening round win by Mount St. Mary`s over Coppin State, let`s look ahead to some intriguing matchups on Thursday, the first day of the First Round: (12) Temple at (5) Michigan State: What a way top start off a tournament with a classic 5-12 game with potential for an upset. Temple comes out as out of the hottest teams in the country and are finally playing to their ability. Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale are two very underrated players in the NCAA`s and will be the keys to the Owls success in this game. On the Spartans side, no question that guard Drew Neitzel is what makes this team go. He needs to run his Michigan State squad against a tough Temple defense. If Temple can slow down the game and slow down Michigan State`s offense, an upset may occur. SFB Prediction: Temple wins 69-63 (9) Kent State at (8) UNLV The 8-9 matchup has produced some very good games and these teams are usually the most evenly matched. UNLV won the Mountain West title this year and Kent State won the Mid-American. The Golden Flashes of Kent State were very impressive in their Bracket Buster win over fellow tournament team, St. Mary`s, and perhaps is the game that put them into the NCAA Tournament. With four starters averaging in double figures, Kent State is a dangerous squad. However, the Rebels of UNLV are just as capable to win this game. Wink Adams averages over 16 points per game and is a great playmaker. SFB Prediction: Kent State wins 85-83 in overtime (13) Oral Roberts at (4) Pittsburgh So the Pittsburgh Panthers come into the Big East Tournament as the #7 seed and win the whole thing and get a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have players like Levance Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. So they have a great team with great momentum, right? Well remember in 2005, Syracuse went along a similar path and were upended by feisty #13-seeded Vermont in the First Round. Could this happen again with Oral Roberts pulling off an upset? Robert Jarvis is a phenomenal guard for the Golden Eagles and this team has been to the tournament before (similar to Vermont when they beat Syracuse). A lot of comparisons to that matchup in 2005, so don`t be so sure the Big East post-season champs will move in so easily. SFB Prediction: Pittsburgh wins 78-69 (11) Kansas State at (6) USC When sports fans saw the Kansas State Wildcats will be playing the USC Trojans in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, everyone thought of the matchup between the Wildcats` Michael Beasley and USC`s O.J. Mayo. Both these players are outstanding and will most likely be Top 5 picks in this year`s NBA Draft. However, I say look at the supporting cast matchups for this game. USC`s Taj Gibson, Davon Jefferson and Dwight Lewis versus Kansas State`s Bill Walker and Jacob Pullen may be what determines the outcome of the game. USC is more deep and balanced than the Wildcats, but Beasley can potentially just take over the game. SFB Prediction: USC wins 75-62 (9) Texas A&M vs. (8) Brigham Young Gotta love these 8-9 matchups. The Texas A&M Aggies started off the year very solid and were ranked in the Top 25, but have tailed off towards the end of the year. The Aggies have 6 players averaging more than 8 points per game starting with leading scorer Josh Carter and ending with center (and NBA prospect) DeAndre Jordan. The BYU Cougars were the runner-up in the Mountain West Conference and they have 3 players averaging more than 13 points per game. Center Trent Plaisted is a monster inside and an on the glass scoring 15.6 points per game and pulling down just under 8 rebounds per game. This is another great 8-9 matchup. SFB Prediction: Texas A&M wins 71-67 (10) Arizona vs. (7) West Virginia The Arizona Wildcats are one of those teams that many think do not belong in the tournament. Well, even though their Pac-10 Conference record does not show it, this team is battle-tested (#2 strength of schedule) and talented. Potential 1st round NBA Draft pick Jerryd Bayless scores just over 20 points per game and forward Chase Budinger is a great all-around player. But the West Virginia Mountaineers have a forward named Joe Alexander, who had 34 points against Connecticut in the Big East quarterfinals. The key to this game will be whether Alexander can score for the Mountaineers and if Budinger can stop him. SFB Prediction - West Virginia wins 83-82 in overtime (12) George Mason vs. (5) Notre Dame Everyone picking their bracket this year remembers how the George Mason bracket absolutely tore the bracket apart 2 years ago in 2006 with their Final Four run. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell are still left over from that starting lineups that beat Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut in the Big Dance. But this still is not the same team from 2 years ago and they can thank William & Mary for upsetting Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Semi-finals in order for Mason to make it to the tournament once again. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have forward Luke Harangody leading the way, averaging about 21 points and 10 rebounds per contest this season. Harangody may be a little too much for the Patriots to handle, but don`t be surprised to see Mason bust another bracket. SFB Prediction: Notre Dame wins 78-68 Enjoy the games on Thursday and fill out your bracket on Sports Fan Base.com!