NBA Draft has more talent than 'Dancing With the Stars'
Now that Ohio State center Greg Oden has finally declared for the NBA Draft - big shocker - the official discussion of "Who is No. 1?" between Oden and University of Texas forward Kevin Durant can commence.
But just to build the suspense even more and aggravate just about everyone who will read this, let's hold off on the big two and discuss the rest of the NBA hopefuls.
Even without superstars Oden and Kevin Durant, this year's draft is chock full of talent.
This year's class, for lack of a better word, is stupid-deep and could even rival the drafts of 1984 (Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton) and 2003 (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade) as one of the best all-time.
I begin the discussion close to home.
As much as it pains me to say it, the University of Florida will likely have three players taken in the Lottery, the first 14 picks of the draft, as if the Gators have not been lucky enough already.
Freakishly talented forward Al Horford and guard Corey Brewer would be welcome additions to any of the 14 downtrodden teams.
As odd as it may sound, forward Joakim Noah may be the least attractive - no pun intended - of the three Gators.
Joakim Noah's biggest drawback, besides the weave, is his age. Remember boys and girls, rookies who come into the league at 22 years old are pretty rare, and many often look down on them.
Staying in the East - the Far East - we come to China's Yi Jianlian. NBADraft.net's Matthew Maurer had this to say about the 7-footer:
"Rarely does Jianlian force the issue. Instead, he lets the game come to him," Maurer wrote on the Web site. "Despite his vast improvement, Jianlian needs to continue to develop his upper-body strength."
This reeks of Yao Ming. Jianlian needs two or three seasons to see whether he develops into a serious 7-foot threat or Shawn Bradley.
A couple of Elite Eight contenders should also crack into the Lottery, including North Carolina forward Brandan Wright, Kansas forward Julian Wright and Georgetown players Roy Hibbert, center, and Jeff Green, forward.
All four of these players got to show their skills deep into March Madness and decided to leave school early for the league.
The Wright brothers (no relation, but eerily similar players) have potential as big as their wingspans at just 19 years old. Needless to say, NBA scouts are foaming at the mouth to snatch up one of these high-flying ballers.
Many consider juniors Hibbert and Green polished and NBA-ready.
A couple of talented but completely opposite point guards should also crack into the first 14.
Texas A&M's Acie Law enjoyed a tremendous four years with the Aggies and helped take the program from obscurity to the Sweet 16 with his consistent and clutch play.
Ohio State's Mike Conley Jr. jetted on the first thing smoking after Oden and fellow freshman Daequan Cook made the jump.
Conley is lightning-quick and given the right circumstances - like the Buckeyes' overtime win in the second round against Xavier - he can take over a game. Think Allen Iverson without the tattoos and issues with talking about practice.
And what about the big boys, two of the most heralded prospects in the history of the NBA?
First off, both Oden and Kevin Durant are tremendous athletes and will no doubt go on to succeed no matter where they go.
But if I had the first pick in the draft I would take Mr. Kevin Durant. The dude is unbelievable.
Not only did he take home every major award college basketball has to offer as a freshman, he also averaged a double-double per contest, scoring 25 points with 11 rebounds per game.
And yes, Oden will have an easier transition to the NBA because he will be playing the same position, but Kevin Durant really has no position - he can score from anywhere.
How many 6-foot-10-inch players do you recall shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line?
That's not fair.
He may not really have a position, but he could invent a new one. Before it's all said and done, there could be a "Kevin Durant" position reserved solely for ridiculously tall, athletic players who can dribble past you or just pop the shot in your face.
The sky's the limit for K.D. And believe me, he could probably touch it … if he wanted.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com called Kevin Durant "the most complete prospect to hit the draft since LeBron James."
Would you pass on that? I wouldn't.
When we talk about the 2007 NBA Draft, we are talking about talent for days, people. And this is just in the first 14 picks. I haven't even really scraped the prospect surface.
There are still players to talk about, like Florida State dunk machine Al Thornton, Southern California swingman Nick Young, Mighty Oregon Duck Aaron Brooks and Finland phenom Petteri Koponen.
There are just too many players and not enough time.
Maybe I will do another column on the bottom half of this year's draft. Then I could mention Glen Davis.
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