<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><div align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%">Top 10 2007 Draft Prospects</span> By: CelticBalla32</div> The 2007 NBA draft class is just as good as it is talked up to be. While we are unsure if every stud underclassmen will come out this year or not, I think there is more of a chance that they will come out rather than not. Most of the top freshmen would have come out last year had the age limit not been in place. What I am going to do is break down who I believe are the top 10 prospects in this year?s draft class in order. Also note that these are the top 10 prospects, where potential is a huge factor. Some guys that won?t be on the list are better players than some of these guys right now, but again ? these are the top prospects, not necessarily the best players. Without any further ado, let?s get this show on the road, shall we? 1. Greg Oden (Ohio State, Freshman Center) Oden has phenomenal shot blocking ability, and his timing is beautiful. He is a very strong man, and he gets position with ease. He?s an excellent rebounder on both ends. His combination of size, strength, and athleticism is outstanding, and very rare. He can finish with both hands well. The potential is unlimited. He does need to improve his offensive assertiveness and low-post arsenal, and maybe extend his shooting range to 10-11 feet, but this kid is a once in a decade opportunity. True centers like this just don?t come along often nowadays. 2. Kevin Durant (Texas, Freshman Forward) His size and freak athleticism is unbelievable. He can score in any way, shape, or form. He has great range. His jump shot is unblockable due to his height, athleticism, and length. He is a very good rebounder. He is an above average defender who can block shots. He knows he?s a star and he has a scorer?s mentality, but he is not a selfish player. He is a good ball handler. He runs the floor well. He has a lot of heart and expresses his passion for the game every time he takes the floor. Kevin Durant has NBA franchise player written all over him. 3. Brandan Wright (North Carolina, Freshman Forward) He is a freak athlete. He is very quick for a big man. Despite his lanky frame, he will be a good rebounder in the NBA due to the good positioning. He has large wingspan. He?s a smart player. He has a very soft touch but will also finish emphatically if he has an opening. He does need to add a little weight, improve defensively, and try and develop more of a killer instinct, however. I see him as the Chris Bosh of this draft. What I mean by that is that he is overlooked by the superstar talents in front of him, but he could very well be an multi-time NBA All-Star. 4. Julian Wright (Kansas, Sophomore Forward) Julian is an absolute freak athlete and a great finisher. He?s an excellent defensive player who can lock someone down 1-on-1 or play the passing lanes, he also has great anticipation/reaction skills. His basketball IQ is off the charts. He?s a good rebounder. He is a very good passer for a forward. He is a solid ball handler who is very unselfish. He runs the floor very well. He must improve his consistency at the offensive end, he must improve his jump shot, and he must learn to try and take over offensively more than he does, but Julian Wright is an excellent all-around player that does everything well on both ends, and will be a very good player in the NBA. Think Andrei Kirilenko with a better offensive game. 5. Al Horford (Florida, Junior Forward) First off, he?s a very hard worker. He is very strong and he is a very tough player. He is an excellent low post defender. He can score in the post, although his offensive game needs to be polished. He has great hands and is an excellent rebounder. He does need to work on his post game, he does need to develop some consistency, and he does need to maybe get a bit quicker, but Horford is hands down one of the most NBA-ready players in this draft class. 6. Joakim Noah (Florida, Junior Forward) He is a born leader, with as much passion for the game as anyone on the court. He?s a very skilled defensive player and a very good shot blocker. He?s very athletic and a quick leaper. Good rebounder on both ends of the floor, works very hard. He needs to work on his offensive game immensely, he needs to refine his shooting mechanics, and he must get stronger. He may not be a star in the NBA, but he will be a very key component on a winning team and he will always be a leader. 7. Yi Jianlian (China, Forward) He?s very long and athletic, and is very mobile for a 7 footer. He has a very soft touch, good shooting mechanics, and good shooting range. His ball handling skills are great for his size. Runs the floor very well. He must add weight and get stronger, he must improve defensively, and he must develop some kind of go-to move or two in the post. We are also not 100% certain what will be his primary position in the NBA (small forward or power forward), but he has boatloads of potential. That size mixed with those natural skills and athleticism will turn out to be at least something decent. Will he be more than decent? Only time will tell, but most people associated with him think that he will be a good player in this league. 8. Thaddeus Young (Georgia Tech, Freshman Forward) He?s a very good athlete. He can score in multiple ways: he?s got a nice shooting touch, 3-point range, and he?s a good finisher. He?ll need to work on his ball handling before he can penetrate with full confidence. He has impressed me thus far with his passing ability. He?s not afraid to draw contact. Like most freshman, he needs to develop consistency out there. He also needs a little work defensively and needs to improve his ball handling skills, but Thaddeus has a ton of potential. Will he be an All-Star type? It is possible, but you can never be too sure. As of right now, he?s just a guy with that potential stamp, but he sure has a lot of it. 9. Spencer Hawes (Washington, Freshman Center) Hawes is a legit 7 footer who can really score in the post. He has the ability to knock down some 15-18 foot jumpers on a pretty consistent basis. He?s an excellent passer for a 7 footer. He is one of the most consistent freshman in the country. He?s a very solid shot blocker. He does need to get a bit quicker, he sometimes settles for outside shots rather than scoring in the post (which he can do), and he is just an average rebounder. You look at comparisons of this guy all over the place, and you see Brad Miller. To me, that is spot on, I think he will have a similar career and be a very similar player. 10. Marcus Williams (Arizona, Sophomore Guard) He can play both guard positions effectively. He?s a good ball handler with pretty good court vision. He is definitely an above average shooter, if you leave him open he can really hurt you. He creates mismatches with some guards due to his height. He?s a very solid athlete. He could add some more weight, improve his shot selection, and defensive desire, but this kid is going to be a player. He will be a starter, maybe not right away, depending on where he goes, but with his skill set, athleticism, and size, he will be a very solid player in this league. On the Bubble: Jeff Green (Georgetown), Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut), Alando Tucker (Wisconsin), Al Thornton (Florida St.), Josh McRoberts (Duke).</div> I'm the "draft guy" at another website, celtics247.com. So, I wrote this little article. And yes, I know that I changed my rankings a bit from when I put my top 10 in the old topic here on BBW about the top 10 prospects. But, what do you think of it?
This kid thinks he's nice with all the articles and sh*t. Nice article man, very well written, especially since for the most part I agree with it.
I made one revision, I took off Josh "Overrated as hell" McRoberts from the On the Bubble spot. I can't believe I forgot to put Acie Law on here, I can't believe it. And ME especially, I love Law. Anyway, the final draft is up on the site now! http://celtics247.com/blog/?p=423
Josh McRoberts has a better chance to be a top than Acie Law. Take Hasheem Thabeet's worthless ass from the bubble too, the only bubble he'll be on is the 2nd round bubble.
Great article CB32 you know a lot about college basketball, BCB you should write a top 10 draft article and compare it to CB32 since both of you are like college basketball analysts.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ Mar 6 2007, 11:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Josh McRoberts has a better chance to be a top than Acie Law. Take Hasheem Thabeet's worthless ass from the bubble too, the only bubble he'll be on is the 2nd round bubble.</div> Whether I like Hasheem Thabeet or not, I still have to put him there and you know it. You even put him on your top 10 prospects list in that other thread you made a while ago. I hate Thabeet, he's making the biggest mistake of his life, but he still has the potential.
Great article bro, I will talk to Combs about putting this up on the homepage.Posted by BCB on March 4th:<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Josh McRoberts has a better chance to be a top than Acie Law. Take Hasheem Thabeet's worthless ass from the bubble too, the only bubble he'll be on is the 2nd round bubble</div>Posted by BCB on February 1st:<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>1. Greg Oden2. Kevin Durant3. Brandan Wright4. Al Horford5. Thaddeus Young6. Joakim Noah7. Darrell Arthur8. Yi Jianlian9. Julian Wright10. Hasheem Thabeet</div> :g:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Mar 6 2007, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Great article bro, I will talk to Combs about putting this up on the homepage.Posted by BCB on March 4th:Posted by BCB on February 1st: :g:</div> Information has come out about Thabeet in the last month Tony.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AiRuPtHeRe? @ Mar 6 2007, 04:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>By the way Alando Tucker has been playing, he should be top ten now.</div> There's no way Alando Tucker will be a top 10 pick if Thaddeus Young, Josh McRoberts and Spencer Hawes come out early. Hell who knows if Crittenton will come out or not.
If Crittenton comes out early, the kid's gotta be a top 20 pick if not lottery. He's got great size and his offensive game and passing is pretty damn advanced for a freshman. Surely he won't come in and dominate in the NBA, but I think he's going to be a pretty damn special player.
I'd definitely put Jeff Green above Marcus Williams. But I don't know as much about NCAA basketball. Very nice list though.
I think you've got to mention Acie Law. He might be the best PG prospect in this class. He shoots over 50% for a PG, and he's got an amazing shot too. He's also a good passer...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ Mar 6 2007, 09:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think you've got to mention Acie Law. He might be the best PG prospect in this class. He shoots over 50% for a PG, and he's got an amazing shot too. He's also a good passer...</div> I put Law in the On the Bubble section, I made that one revision before putting it up on the website. But either way, Law is not a top 10 PROSPECT. There are some players on this list that are very good college basketball players, but may not have as high a ceiling as others mentioned. Law doesn't have that crazy potential. I love Acie Law, and yes, I believe he's the best point guard in the country, but his ceiling is not as high as a lot of these guys.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Mar 6 2007, 09:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I put Law in the On the Bubble section, I made that one revision before putting it up on the website. But either way, Law is not a top 10 PROSPECT. There are some players on this list that are very good college basketball players, but may not have as high a ceiling as others mentioned. Law doesn't have that crazy potential. I love Acie Law, and yes, I believe he's the best point guard in the country, but his ceiling is not as high as a lot of these guys.</div>I understand that he may not have the ceiling that other people do, but sooner or later these teams need to start drafting more on what they see already, rather than potential. I have seen more busts from people with "potential" than players like Acie Law that play good basketball, have good basketball skills, and their "ceiling" might not be as high as that "potential" guy.If I confused you, just take a look at the Bulls who drafted Chandler and Curry on potential, that never fruited while those two were in Chicago. Sure, they might be playing good ball these days, but while they was in Chicago I never saw that potential come to pass. Then they started drafting players like Hinrich, and Duhon, and these guys who's potential might not be as high as others in the draft, but are solid basketball players. I think teams need to start paying more attention to these type guys, and try to get players like Law who will be a solid NBA player in my mind.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (carolina_kid22 @ Mar 8 2007, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I understand that he may not have the ceiling that other people do, but sooner or later these teams need to start drafting more on what they see already, rather than potential. I have seen more busts from people with "potential" than players like Acie Law that play good basketball, have good basketball skills, and their "ceiling" might not be as high as that "potential" guy. If I confused you, just take a look at the Bulls who drafted Chandler and Curry on potential, that never fruited while those two were in Chicago. Sure, they might be playing good ball these days, but while they was in Chicago I never saw that potential come to pass. Then they started drafting players like Hinrich, and Duhon, and these guys who's potential might not be as high as others in the draft, but are solid basketball players. I think teams need to start paying more attention to these type guys, and try to get players like Law who will be a solid NBA player in my mind.</div> Right.. and I understand all of that, but this isn't about team needs. This isn't about the most solid players. The article clearly specifies that these are the top PROSPECTS, therefore the word "potential" is the main factor in all of it.
