| 16 February 2011
And now the next 10...
11. Cole Aldrich
Cole will be a specialist defensive big in the mould of the Big-Z, but more athletic, backing up a better C on a team with considerable depth.
However, Cole will be playing in one of two cities; Utah or Indiana. Of that last part, I have no doubt.
12. Xavier Henry
People will see Xavier as a test-case for why College players sometimes need to fight management. Why? Because he'll be the starting 2 guard who is a lockdown defender with a deadly J - basically the cross of Ronnie Brewer and Ben Gordon.
That is, in short, the type of SG EVERY team wants...
13. Ed Davis
Davis will be another that will be, in hindsight, considered a "should have gone top 10" pick. He'll be averaging a double-double but with defensive stats to go along with it.
If we were to draw a comparison think Kenyon Martin with better shooting ability, or Tyrus Thomas minus the insanity.
14. Patrick Patterson
My magic ball tells me Pat will be traded, as the Rockets tend to do, but will land with a team that values an unselfish, highly skilled, tough, big man who isn't afraid to come off the bench and hold fort while the starting PF grabs some rest.
Think Big Baby, only with 1% body fat, a much higher IQ, and less selfish.
15. Larry Sanders
Larry Sanders is my other sleeper in this draft class. He could be and should be, a 15/15/3 player in 5 years with extraordinarily high %'s playing alongside another dominant big man in Bogut. I think this is what Milwaukee envisioned when they drafted him and I don't begrudge that as he was clearly one of the most promising talents in the class behind Favors and Monroe.
Comparisons for him are hard, but I like to think Josh Smith minus the stupid long range shooting, but more of the inside dirty work.
16. Luke Babbitt
Luke will be out of the NBA plain and simple. Whilst he's a deadly shooter, so was Adam Morrison and that's just not enough for a player playing at that position to hang his hat on unless you can get a gig at Golden State or Phoenix.
So in short that's his only chance - Golden State fo Phoenix as the future Vlad Rad or Channing Frye.
Sorry Luke.
17. Kevin Seraphin
Kevin will be the backup PF in Washington, having spent two seasons in the D-League honing his game. He will be the brain to McGee's... Well.... Reach? And that will be enough to make Washington a defensive team in the coming future.
I honestly don't have a comparison as he is so very raw, but think Larry Sanders now but slightly better.
18. Eric Bledsoe Bledsoe will be the main man in LAC, with Baron taking a pay cut to stay on and agreeing to be the 6th man with Bledsoe coming into his own. Bledsoe will not be a crazy assist maker, but along with Gordon they will combine for 16 assist per night in some form and that's a good start for any team. Bledsoe will be strong and will have developed a post game by this as well, creating problems for oppositions with Gordon/Davis/shooters on the perimeter and Jordan/Griffin down low.
I think he'll be like Andre Miller - capable of anything, on any given night depending what you need.
19. Avery Bradley
Cut and playing overseas. Bradley simply won't make it, will have been traded whilst still on his rookie contract, and won't be offered another one.
He's good, but not NBA good.
Sadly for him, this was an easy call to make.
20. James Andersen
Starting at SG for the Spurs. All the old elite will be gone and this will now be his team. He's not an all round SG like Wade/Gordon/Allen but he will be a high volume scorer who adds the odd steal/assist.
Imagine Ben Gordon as a Bull, but in a SG's body and I think that will be Andersen in 5 years.
