Sports Poets Society

Playmaker e tiratori in sostanza, giocatori che andranno ad occupare gli spot di 1 e 2: D’Angelo Russell , il play di Ohio State che non scenderà oltre la 4 (Lakers alla 2, 76ers alla 3 o Knicks alla 4?), e di  Mario Hezonja , l'ala/guardia del Barcellona, con ogni probabilità i top nei rispettivi ruoli. Andiamo a dare un’occhiata a Mudiay, Booker e Payne, ma non solo… di Davide Fumagalli , Basketcaffe.com Emmanuel Mudiay (PG; Guangdong Southern Tigers, Cina) Un anno fa, dopo il Nike Hoop Summit 2014 dove aveva dato spettacolo, il playmaker texano di origini congolesi era considerato la numero 1 di questo Draft. Poi le sue quotazioni sono scese, un po’ per la crescita di Okafor, Towns e Russell, e un po’ per la decisione di rinunciare al college a SMU da coach Larry Brown (non si sa se per problemi di eleggibilità a livello NCAA o se per contribuire da subito all’economia della famiglia), firmare un contratto di sposnosrizzazione da 10 milioni di dollari con la Under ...

Grande curiosità attorno ai lunghi: salvo sorprese i primi chiamati saranno Karl-Anthony Towns e Jahlil Okafor, ma non saranno i soli. Tra gli altri il rim protector Willy Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), il tecnico Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin) e il progetto dal potenziale semi-infinito Myles Turner (Texas) di Davide Fumagalli , Basketcaffe.com WILLY CAULEY-STEIN (C, Jr. - Kentucky) Centro di oltre 210 cm per 110 kg da Kentucky, è un atleta spaventoso, con braccia lunghe, verticalità infinita, coordinazione e grande velocità nel correre il campo, doti che ha conservato dall’esperienza come wide receiver del football. Nelle tre stagioni a Kentucky con coach Calipari non è mai andato in doppia cifra per punti o rimbalzi però, in circa 25 minuti di utilizzo medio, ha prodotto almeno 8 punti con 6 rimbalzi, quasi 2 stoppate e circa il 60% al tiro. Non rientrano nei numeri però la "presenza" nei pressi del ferro, in difesa e in attacco, i tiri alterati, la mobilità, gli aiut...

di Davide Fumagalli, Basketcaffe.com Justise Winslow (Duke), Stanley Johnson (Arizona) e Trey Lyles (Kentucky) dovrebbero andare entro le prime 15 posizioni, Dekker, Oubre e Looney nel primo giro, addirittura entro le prime 20 Justise Winslow (SF, Fr. - Duke) Ragazzo di Houston, mancino e grande fan di James Harden, è destinato ad una solida carriera come ala piccola NBA . Non diventerà una star ma è un giocatore solido, capace di fare tutto, alla Andre Iguodala : il freshman texano è stato forse il migliore è più continuo nella cavalcata di Duke verso il titolo NCAA dove il suo fisico e il suo atletismo si sono rivelati immarcabili prima per Gonzaga e poi per Wisconsin. Ha braccia lunghe e sfiora i due metri, in attacco sa tirare da tre (deve diventare più sciolto e sicuro), attaccare i recuperi e andare verso il ferro grazie al collaudato euro step . In difesa è molto mobile, stoppa, è un notevole rimbalzista (6.5 in stagione) ed è bravissimo a giocare sulle linee d...

1. Stanley Johnson - #11 INDIANA SF / 6-7 / Arizona / Fr. - 13.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.7 apg The Pacers are said to be targeting Willie Cauley-Stein and may look to move up a few spots to grab him. Another option would be Cameron Payne , who's seen as a younger version of George Hill. They are mentioned as a team that will also look to trade out if the player they want is not available. Johnson would give Indy, or a team trading into this spot, a versatile wing capable of becoming an excellent defender with intriguing ability to create off the dribble . Twitter:  Comparison: Metta World Peace Global Ranking: 11th Salary: $1,964,800* ------------------------------------------------ 2. Sam Dekker - #12 UTAH SF / 6-9 / Wisconsin / Jr. - 13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.2 apg The reality for Utah is that they have to take into consideration which players will take to living and playing here, as Salt Lake City's low-key community just isn't for every player. ...

Mock: 1  Minnesota - 7-0  250 C/Fr. Kentucky Karl-Anthony Towns     Birthday: 11/15/95     NBA Position: Center     Class: Freshman     Ht: 7-0     Wt: 250     Hometown: Piscataway, NJ     High School: St. Joseph's     NBA Comparison: Andrew Bogut/Vlade Divac Strengths: Center prospect with the size and skill set to make a strong impact at both ends of the floor in the NBA ...  Hard worker, smart kid, with strength of character ...  Shows desire and a competitive nature ...  Possesses a great feel for the game ...  Offensive game oozes potential with a text book shooting form, great touch and ability to hit outside and mid range jumpers effortlessly and consistently ...  Has even implemented a steadily improving hook shot into his repertoire ...  His length and strong body gives him excellent ability to re...

Karl-Anthony Towns (born November 15, 1995) is a Dominican-American basketball player who played his senior season for St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey during the 2013–14 season and college basketball the University of Kentucky . He was named to the Dominican Republic national basketball team Olympic squad as a 16-year-old . - Early years Towns was born in Piscataway, New Jersey to an African American father Karl-Anthony Towns, Sr. and a Dominican mother Jacqueline Cruz .  He attended Lake Nelson Seventh-Day Adventist School , he then went to Theodore Schor Middle School after transferring in from Our Lady of Fatima School in 2009. Towns’s father played basketball for Monmouth University and coached basketball at Piscataway Technical High School, where the precocious Towns practiced with the junior varsity team as a fifth grader. - High school career As a freshman at St. Joseph High School, Towns led the basketball team to a state championship ...

Sporting News' Sean Deveney releases his latest NBA Mock Draft as of Monday, June 22. 1  KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS C Kentucky -  Minnesota Timberwolves  We’ve held out as long as we could with Jahlil Okafor as the top overall pick, and there are still scouts who insist Minnesota would make a mistake to pass on his polished, deft offensive game. But Towns’ athleticism and potential makes him worthy of the No. 1 spot, too, and either way, the Timberwolves figure to have an impressive young big man to go along with Gorgui Dieng . 2  JAHLIL OKAFOR C Duke -  Los Angeles Lakers  The Lakers will consider Kristaps Porzingis and D’Angelo Russell with the No. 2 pick, but it is unlikely that they could pass on the consensus top-two pick. Okafor has a smooth interior game that should help bolster the Lakers’ rebuilding quickly.  Okafor wants to set the NBA back 20 years 3  KRISTAPS PORZINGIS PF  Sevilla -  Philadelph...

Il Draft non è una scienza esatta, ma guai ai dirlo agli scienziati NBA. Devono pescare dentro o fuori lotteria giocatori-franchigia o merce pregiata da scambiare per puntare al titolo. E si giocano la carriera passando da ragazzini appena usciti dal college, o scremati dal mercato globale che la NBA contemporanea tanto dimostra di apprezzare. E poi è la cerimonia in sé un evento, officiato da Adam Silver al secondo draft da Commissioner della lega che ha ereditato dal suo mentore David Stern.  La prima scelta assoluta sarà una lotta tra i due migliori centri usciti dal college: Karl-Anthony Towns di Kentucky e Jahlil Okafor, neocampione NCAA con Duke. E a contenderseli saranno Minnesota con la uno e i Lakers con la due.  Phila chiama con la tre, New York con la 4 e puntano a rifare il backcourt: ai Sixers piace il play mancino D'Agleo Russell, di Ohio State; i Knicks hanno già provinato Justise Winslow, guardia tiratrice da Duke. Anche loro, come Towns e...

By Matt Moore | NBA writer June 24, 2015 12:41 pm ET  Karl-Anthony Towns: #1 MINNESOTA / #2 LAL  - NO #3 Phila / NO #4 NYK   The Big KAT is going to end up with the Timberwolves most likely, and that's not a bad thing. The Wolves are a bit stocked down low, but Towns will clear out room for himself immediately . He'll also be paired with Andrew Wiggins, who can share the star-player burden, and there's also Ricky Rubio to find him for dunks and get him the ball. The Lakers, though, would be perfect for Towns . An organization with a rich history of Hall-of-Fame big men, Towns would get to play next to Julius Randle, who would complement his skills perfectly, and learn from Kobe Bryant about what it takes to win. Towns would never worry about the team going into the luxury tax, or making moves to surround him with talent. Byron Scott would love him, and at the very least he'd get the ball all the time under Scott . The Sixers would be a terrible fit for...

WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN, C - KENTUCKY / 7 FEET / Junior The backbone of the nation’s top-rated defense, Cauley-Stein can bang with bigs down low or step out and defend guards . Though limited offensively, he is efficient (58.0% from the field) and rarely forces shots . R.J. HUNTER, SG - GEORGIA STATE / 6' 6" / Junior From Damian Lillard to Elfrid Payton , top mid-major talent has had a nice NBA run. That will continue with Hunter, a relentless scorer (20.1 PPG) who just needs to polish his three-point shot . BOBBY PORTIS, PF - ARKANSAS / 6' 11" / Sophomore While playing comparable minutes to last season, Portis has significantly improved his scoring (17.7 points per game, up from 12.3) and rebounding (8.8, up from 6.8) and is connecting on 44.4% of his three-pointers. JERIAN GRANT, PG - NOTRE DAME / 6' 5" / Senior In December 2013, Grant, then the Irish’s leading scorer , was suspended for the rest of the season for academic reasons . Reins...

Once Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell settled on a position, his draft stock started soaring  BY CHRIS MANNIX, Sports Illustrated OHIO STATE coach Thad Matta knew D’Angelo Russell could play. A lanky, 6' 5" guard , Russell was a cornerstone for back-to-back national tournament champion Montverde (Fla.) Academy ; a McDonald’s All-American ; and a willing passer with extrasensory court vision, yet someone who could score when necessary. Where he’d play for the Buckeyes would require some thought. “In D’Angelo, I saw a guard, ” says Matta. “He wasn’t a true point, but he had such an understanding of the game . You just knew it would sort itself out.” Has it ever. In four months Russell, 19, has evolved from a highly touted prospect without a defined position —ranked No. 18 by Rivals.com last May—to the nation’s best freshman point guard and one who has the tools to star at that spot in the pros. If you asked NBA general managers about D’Angelo in November, they mi...