Rumors came out of the NBA Combine this week that Shabazz Muhammad's draft stock was falling, and falling fast. Once thought to be a potential target for the top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, many experts have Muhammad going outside the top 10, some even questioning his status as a lottery pick.
One analyst mentioned that the only thing keeping Muhammad at the top of the draft was his name, which has been hyped since he was a high school superstar, drawing comparisons to a young Kobe Bryant. Across basketball circles, one train of thought is that based upon Muhammad's year at UCLA, he has not actually done much to deserve the high selection many predict he will receive.
However, I disagree with way of thinking.
Let's flashback to last NBA season. Entering the year, Harrison Barnes was the odds-on favorite to be the number one overall pick after he returned to UNC for his sophomore year, even though he was likely to be a top-5 pick. Barnes did not have a bad year, but he did not blow anyone away like many expected. Essentially, Barnes failed to meet unrealistic expectations for the season and experts dismissed him as overrated, backing away from him as an potentially elite NBA player.
The problem with phenoms like Barnes and Shabazz is that we expect every great high school player to be the next Kevin Durant or Lebron James, and if they fall short of those high expectations they are failures. That isn't logical at all.
Shabazz Muhammad has the potential to be a very productive NBA player, but he needs to in the right situation and he cannot be forced to be "the guy." If you are drafting Shabazz to carry your franchise on his back to a title, you are doing it wrong.
Here is how Shabazz helps you as a team, or specifically, how he helps the Cavs:
At 20 years old, he already has an NBA frame at 6'6, 221 pounds with a 6'11 wingspan. He has a tireless work ethic. Stories developed out of UCLA that Muhammad constantly pushed his teammates, and had no issue with calling out guys who were taking shortcuts. He excels in catch and shoot situations. He also moves very well off the ball
The knock on him offensively is that he cannot create his own offense. But if you are the Cavs, you should not care if he can create his own offense, because as long as Kyrie and Dion are on your team, you should not need to rely on Muhammad to run the offense or create off the dribble.
So in essence, his weakness will be hidden by our other young talent. Finding fits like this and gathering complementary talent is exactly how success is achieved by winning teams.
His defense was cause for concern at times while at UCLA, but it was not for lack of talent. At times he appeared to disappear on that end of the floor. That is on coaching, and Ben Howland got fired for a reason.
Muhammad was cited as one of the most impressive players at the combine during defensive drills. In a healthy organization, character issues can be masked. And under a defensive-minded coach like Mike Brown, young players will learn the importance of playing with intensity on that end of the floor.
So, does this mean I would take him over Nerlens Noel or Otto Porter? Probably not. But if the ping-pong balls don't bounce our way on Tuesday and we end up at 5 or 6, I think there is a strong case for Shabazz as our pick.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Streaking Indians blank Mariners 6-0
(AP)
CLEVELAND -- Cy Young himself wouldn't want to mess with the Indians right now.
Justin Masterson struck out a season-high 11 in seven shutout innings and Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs off Felix Hernandez as Cleveland toppled yet another former Cy Young Award winner on Sunday with a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Brantley connected in the second inning off Hernandez (5-3), who failed to go at least six innings for the first time this season.
The Indians, who improved to 17-4 since April 28, are 7-1 this season against Cy Young recipients. They've knocked off Hernandez, R.A. Dickey, David Price, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Bartolo Colon and Justin Verlander. The Indians are taking pride in knocking off trophy-winning pitchers.
"We just take it as a challenge," Indians first baseman Nick Swisher said. "We've got that scrappy-type and gritty-type of team. It may not always be pretty, man, but somehow we're going to find a way to get it done. We just love coming to the ballpark right now.
"Things are rocking," Swisher said.
Before the game, Brantley said the Indians talked about taking down another trophy-winning pitcher.
"We're loose and we're not holding nothing back," Brantley said. "Everybody has smiles on their faces. We just want to make sure we enjoy this. We're playing great baseball right now and we just want to keep it up."
Staked to an early lead, Masterson (7-2) was dominant for the second straight start. He allowed three singles, easily outdueled Hernandez and ran his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 19. He shut out the New York Yankees 1-0 on four hits in his previous outing.
"From the very first pitch of the game he came out firing," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He was not only firing, but he was pitching. He was using both sides of the plate. He was using a two-seamer, four-seamer, throwing breaking balls to both sides of the plate. He kept going up, down, in, out. He worked ahead."
The AL Central-leading Indians are a baseball-best 20-7 since April 20.
"We've got a good thing going in here," Swisher said. "We've got a lot of confident, excited guys and we're going out and proving that."
Following walkoff wins in the first two games of the series, Cleveland took the drama out of this one early, building a 5-0 lead after two innings against Hernandez.
The 2010 Cy Young winner, who left his previous start after six innings with back stiffness, came in with the league's lowest ERA (1.53) but it rose to 2.07 after he gave up six runs and eight hits in five innings. Hernandez struck out eight, including the final three batters, but he was wasn't on his game - and neither were the Mariners.
Seattle was only charged with one error, but the Mariners made several mental mistakes that helped the Indians.
"You're going to have games like that when a couple of things happen and you make a couple of mistakes," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "That's what happened to us. It was one of those days for Felix and one of those days for us."
It's not like Masterson needed much help.
The big right-hander overpowered the Mariners, who couldn't catch up to his 97 mph fastball and only had two runners reach second base against him. The Indians were hoping Masterson could develop into their ace, and so far this season he's been the dependable front-of-the-rotation starter they desperately needed.
"His stuff is dominant," Francona said. "He's been consistent, but consistent at a level with his velocity, breaking ball, ability to hold runners. He's just done everything."
Pitching with a six-run lead, he got stronger as the game progressed. He struck out five of the last six batters he faced and fanned seven in the last three innings.
Last season was a struggle for Masterson, who went 11-15 with a 4.93 ERA.
So what's he doing better?
"Everything," he said, laughing.
Brantley's three-run homer with two outs in the second gave the Indians a 5-0 lead over Hernandez.
The right-hander, who needed 35 pitches to get through the first, retired the first two hitters on groundouts before Michael Bourn singled and went to third on Jason Kipnis' base hit to center. Brantley then drove an 0-1 pitch into the Indians' bullpen in center for just his second homer.
It was a stunning development against Hernandez, who came in having allowed just four earned runs in 44 innings over his past six starts.
In the eight starts against the Indians, the former Cy Young winners have a collective 8.21 ERA.
A fundamental gaffe by Hernandez allowed the Indians to add a run in the fourth. With Mike Aviles at second after a double, Drew Stubbs topped a ball into the dirt that catcher Jesus Montero fielded in front of the plate and threw to first for the out. Aviles never slowed coming around third and scored easily because Montero got caught up the line and Hernandez failed to cover home.
"That's just beautiful right there," Masterson said. "Those are the type of things you want to see, and that's what defines this team and makes it so special."
On the Cavs, Draft-Day Trades and Veterans
With the NBA
lottery coming up on Tuesday, and the Cavs possessing four picks in the 2013
NBA Draft, there is much speculation as to what GM Chris Grant should do on draft
night.
A recurring
cry from certain media and segments of the fan base is that the team needs to package
their pick for a proven commodity. They claim that the time to win is now and
the Cavs need veteran leadership more than an unproven rookie. All of this is part of a grand scheme to lure
Lebron away from South Beach in the summer of 2014.
However, I
happen to find myself in the group of Cavs fans who have no desire to mortgage
this franchise’s future upon Lebron James. We tried that once. It didn’t work
out so well.
(This is not to
say that I would not take back the best basketball player on the planet without
hesitation, just simply that I do not buy for a second that James has
any interest in returning to Cleveland.)
I not buy
into the notion that we need to win for Lebron. But furthermore, I do not see
how trading for a veteran puts Cleveland in a position to win championships
when guys like Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters hit their prime.
I decided to
take a look back at some of the draft day trades from the past, where teams
swapped vets for their high pick. The results were astoundingly lop-sided, as
the team trading the pick virtually always lost. Let’s take a look at a few:
- Pau Gasol for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, 2001 by the Atlanta Hawks. Gasol, taken third overall, blossomed into one of the best big men in the NBA playing in Memphis and Los Angeles. The Hawks never appeared in the playoffs with Abdur-Rahim.
- Rudy Gay for Shane Battier, 2006 by the Houston Rockets. Gay, taken eighth overall, is not quite an NBA superstar, but is a talented wing in the NBA. Gay has been arguably the second-best player from the draft class behind LaMarcus Aldridge. Battier was not terrible in Houston, but the Rockets never made it out of the first-round and Battier was never more than a role player.
- Nene for Antonio McDyess, 2002 by the New York Knicks. Nene developed into a very serviceable starting center during his time in the league after being the seventh selection in the 2002 NBA Draft. McDyess, on the other hand, averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per game. He only appeared in 18 games for New York, starting just six times. He was later traded to the Suns.
These are
just a few of many regrettable draft-day trades in recent memory.
The Cavs
should look to grab a young talent that could fulfill a role 2-3 years from now
rather than rush to win games this season. The team should have a chance to
make the playoffs this year, but there is no need to risk the long-term viability
of the franchise in order to win an extra few games this season.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Cleveland drives home another walkoff win
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians are finding ways to win these days even when something goes wrong.
Jason Kipnis scored the winning run in the ninth inning when Brendan Ryan's throw pulled catcher Jesus Montero off the plate, sending the Indians to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
Cleveland pulled out the win after closer Chris Perez allowed two-out solo homers to Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak that tied the score in the top of the ninth.
''We made it more exciting than it needed to be, but there is something to be said for being resilient,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''Rather than feeling sorry for yourself when you get punched in the gut, we came back to win.''
Kipnis, who won Friday's game with a three-run homer in the 10th, sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single against Oliver Perez (1-1). He moved to third on Asdrubal Cabrera's double and Nick Swisher was walked intentionally to load the bases.
Mark Reynolds then hit a sharp ground ball that forced Ryan to make a diving stop, and he was unable to get the forceout at home.
''That was a very uneventful walkoff, but a win is a win,'' Reynolds said. ''I just tried to put the ball in play somewhere. When I hit it I said to myself, 'please get through,' then it was 'please make a bad throw,' and Then 'please get there.' ''
Reynolds hit his 12th homer and finished with three RBIs as the Indians won for the 16th time in their last 20 games.
''That's baseball,'' Reynolds said. ''We were like, 'Oh well, let's go win it in the ninth. If not, we've got a good bullpen.''
After Kipnis scampered home to end the game, Mariners manager Eric Wedge came on the field to discuss the call with home plate umpire Mike Winters. He quickly went back to the dugout.
''The throw beat him, but Monty came off the plate early,'' Wedge said. ''You have to stand on the plate. You have to, but he came out a little bit early. We got the ground ball we wanted - Ryno made a great play - but we didn't get it done.''
Chris Perez (2-0) retired the first two hitters before Ibanez homered to right, cutting the lead to 4-3. Smoak then homered to center on a 1-1 pitch.
''The one to Ibanez was a mistake,'' Perez said. ''I missed my spot terribly. The one to Smoak, I was trying to throw it on the corner but I missed high. It's frustrating, but it's not one of the worst games I've ever had.''
It was Perez's second blown save in eight chances this season and wasted a strong start by Zach McAllister, who allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings.
Reynolds singled in a run in the first against Joe Saunders and drove a 3-2 pitch over the 19-foot high wall in left field in the fifth. Reynolds, signed as a free agent in December, is tied for the AL lead in home runs.
Michael Bourn and Kipnis each singled in a run in the sixth, but Ryan belted a two-run homer in the eighth to keep Seattle in the game.
Saunders allowed four runs and 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings, continuing his road woes. The left-hander is 0-4 with an 11.25 ERA in five starts away from Safeco Field this season, compared to 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in four home starts.
Asked about his problems pitching away from home, Saunders said, ''I'm gonna sacrifice a chicken before my next road start. ... This is just kind of a fluky thing.''
The Indians and Mariners exchanged baserunning blunders in the middle innings.
Montero hit a leadoff single in the third and moved to second on Ryan's base hit with no outs. But Montero strayed too far from second when Endy Chavez took a strike while squaring around for a bunt attempt. He was tagged out in a rundown and McAllister retired the next two hitters.
Cabrera committed his own baserunning mistake after he led off the fifth with a single. Ibanez caught Swisher's high fly ball in front of the wall in left. Cabrera, thinking the ball was going to be for extra bases, was doubled off first.
The Indians chased Saunders in the sixth. Mike Aviles started the inning with a double and remained at second when Yan Gomes singled through the left side. After a sacrifice and with the infield playing in, Ryan fielded Bourn's ground ball behind the mound but his throw home was too late to get Aviles. Kipnis then blooped a single to left that scored Gomes.
Smoak led off the eighth with a double and scored when Ryan connected for his first homer of the season. Rich Hill recorded the final two outs of the eighth for Cleveland.
Indians Walkoff Win
(AP)
Cleveland - Jason Kipnis had made a habit of hitting first-inning home runs this season. On Friday night, he tried something different.
Kipnis hit a three run homer with two outs in the 10th inning off Lucas Leutge to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
The home run was the seventh of the season for Kipnis. The first five came in the first inning before he homered in the eighth in Wednesday's win over Philadelphia. His walkoff shot Friday came on an 0-1 pitch and capped out a two-out rally that began with a walk and an infield hit.
"This was outstanding," said Kipnis, who was mobbed by his teammates at home plate. "This was one of the more fun nights I've had on a baseball field."
The Indians have won 15 of 19 and are 10-2 at Progressive Field since April 30. Vinnie Pestano (1-0), activated from the disabled list before the game, worked around a one-out walk in the 10th.
The game drew a crowd of 34,282, a total boosted by a postgame fireworks show and $1 hot dog promotion. The Indians are last in the majors in attendance despite being 18-7 since April 20. The biggest crowd of the season since the home opener was not lost on Cleveland's players.
"That was awesome," Kipnis said. "I was just as amped up as they were rounding first base. You never want to put too much emphasis on different wins, but we knew we had a big crowd. To get a win in front of them and to get it like this in front of them, hopefully it brings some back, because we had a lot of fun tonight."
The Indians posted their third walk-off win of the season and are 4-0 in extra innings.
"There were no words coming out when I was rounding (the bases) and screaming," Kipnis said. "It was just sounds, just gibberish screams."
Added Indians manager Terry Francona: "Watching the guys jumping all over each other is fun."
Drew Stubbs, who homered in the fifth, drew a walk off Luetge (0-1). Stubbs broke for second with a 1-2 count on Michael Bourn, and Leutge threw to first baseman Justin Smoak, but Stubbs beat the throw to shortstop Brendan Ryan. Bourn hit a slow roller past the mound and second baseman Dustin Ackley's throw to first was late.
"That was the matchup we wanted, lefty-on-lefty there, but he (Luetge) just spun one up there and they took advantage of it," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "Speed got us there in the 10th. The kid (Stubbs) did a heck of a job getting to second base, and Bourn is just so fast."
The Mariners fell short of reaching the .500 mark for the first time since they were 4-4 on April 8. Raul Ibanez's two-run homer in the sixth tied the game, and the bullpens on both sides took over.
Chris Perez retired the side in order in the ninth. Perez, who has been nursing a stiff shoulder, was pitching for the first time since May 11. Pestano had been on the DL since May 1 with a sore right elbow.
Mariners relievers Charlie Furbush and Carter Capps combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Capps struck out Mark Reynolds to start the 10th. Luetge got Michael Brantley to ground out before running into trouble. Seattle lost for just the seventh time in 19 games.
Ubaldo Jimenez allowed two runs and struck out a season-high nine in five innings. He was pulled after Smoak led off the sixth with a single. Rich Hill was brought in to face Ibanez, who homered to right on an 0-1 pitch to tie the game. Jimenez, who had won three consecutive starts, struck out five of the first seven batters he faced. Seattle rookie Brandon Maurer allowed three runs in six innings. The right-hander matched a career high with six strikeouts.
Jason Giambi's sacrifice fly gave Cleveland the lead in the second. Maurer's wild pitch allowed another run to score. Kendry Morales' solo homer into the second deck in right field cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth. Stubbs homered in the fifth to give Cleveland a two-run lead.
Nick Swisher drew a leadoff walk in the second and took third on a double by Carlos Santana. Swisher scored on Giambi's fly ball to right, which also move Santana to third. Santana scored when Maurer bounced a pitch in front of the plate with Brantley batting.
Morales, who flirted with an extra-base hit down the right line before lining out to Jimenez in the first, homered on a 2-0 pitch with one out in the fourth.
Stubbs' drive to right with one out in the fifth landed in Seattle's bullpen, barely clearing the wall.
Kipnis and Ryan collided in the third. Kipnis banged his head into the right leg of Ryan as he dove into second on a failed steal attempt. Ryan applied the tag, but both players were down for a couple of moments after the play as the two managers and trainers ran on the field. Kipnis and Ryan remained in the game.
Mariners outfielder Michael Morse was a late scratch with an irritated eye. Endy Chavez took his spot in right field and batted eighth.
Cleveland - Jason Kipnis had made a habit of hitting first-inning home runs this season. On Friday night, he tried something different.
Kipnis hit a three run homer with two outs in the 10th inning off Lucas Leutge to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
The home run was the seventh of the season for Kipnis. The first five came in the first inning before he homered in the eighth in Wednesday's win over Philadelphia. His walkoff shot Friday came on an 0-1 pitch and capped out a two-out rally that began with a walk and an infield hit.
"This was outstanding," said Kipnis, who was mobbed by his teammates at home plate. "This was one of the more fun nights I've had on a baseball field."
The Indians have won 15 of 19 and are 10-2 at Progressive Field since April 30. Vinnie Pestano (1-0), activated from the disabled list before the game, worked around a one-out walk in the 10th.
The game drew a crowd of 34,282, a total boosted by a postgame fireworks show and $1 hot dog promotion. The Indians are last in the majors in attendance despite being 18-7 since April 20. The biggest crowd of the season since the home opener was not lost on Cleveland's players.
"That was awesome," Kipnis said. "I was just as amped up as they were rounding first base. You never want to put too much emphasis on different wins, but we knew we had a big crowd. To get a win in front of them and to get it like this in front of them, hopefully it brings some back, because we had a lot of fun tonight."
The Indians posted their third walk-off win of the season and are 4-0 in extra innings.
"There were no words coming out when I was rounding (the bases) and screaming," Kipnis said. "It was just sounds, just gibberish screams."
Added Indians manager Terry Francona: "Watching the guys jumping all over each other is fun."
Drew Stubbs, who homered in the fifth, drew a walk off Luetge (0-1). Stubbs broke for second with a 1-2 count on Michael Bourn, and Leutge threw to first baseman Justin Smoak, but Stubbs beat the throw to shortstop Brendan Ryan. Bourn hit a slow roller past the mound and second baseman Dustin Ackley's throw to first was late.
"That was the matchup we wanted, lefty-on-lefty there, but he (Luetge) just spun one up there and they took advantage of it," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "Speed got us there in the 10th. The kid (Stubbs) did a heck of a job getting to second base, and Bourn is just so fast."
The Mariners fell short of reaching the .500 mark for the first time since they were 4-4 on April 8. Raul Ibanez's two-run homer in the sixth tied the game, and the bullpens on both sides took over.
Chris Perez retired the side in order in the ninth. Perez, who has been nursing a stiff shoulder, was pitching for the first time since May 11. Pestano had been on the DL since May 1 with a sore right elbow.
Mariners relievers Charlie Furbush and Carter Capps combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Capps struck out Mark Reynolds to start the 10th. Luetge got Michael Brantley to ground out before running into trouble. Seattle lost for just the seventh time in 19 games.
Ubaldo Jimenez allowed two runs and struck out a season-high nine in five innings. He was pulled after Smoak led off the sixth with a single. Rich Hill was brought in to face Ibanez, who homered to right on an 0-1 pitch to tie the game. Jimenez, who had won three consecutive starts, struck out five of the first seven batters he faced. Seattle rookie Brandon Maurer allowed three runs in six innings. The right-hander matched a career high with six strikeouts.
Jason Giambi's sacrifice fly gave Cleveland the lead in the second. Maurer's wild pitch allowed another run to score. Kendry Morales' solo homer into the second deck in right field cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth. Stubbs homered in the fifth to give Cleveland a two-run lead.
Nick Swisher drew a leadoff walk in the second and took third on a double by Carlos Santana. Swisher scored on Giambi's fly ball to right, which also move Santana to third. Santana scored when Maurer bounced a pitch in front of the plate with Brantley batting.
Morales, who flirted with an extra-base hit down the right line before lining out to Jimenez in the first, homered on a 2-0 pitch with one out in the fourth.
Stubbs' drive to right with one out in the fifth landed in Seattle's bullpen, barely clearing the wall.
Kipnis and Ryan collided in the third. Kipnis banged his head into the right leg of Ryan as he dove into second on a failed steal attempt. Ryan applied the tag, but both players were down for a couple of moments after the play as the two managers and trainers ran on the field. Kipnis and Ryan remained in the game.
Mariners outfielder Michael Morse was a late scratch with an irritated eye. Endy Chavez took his spot in right field and batted eighth.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Browns ink Backup Hoyer
Former Michigan State Spartan Brian Hoyer is headed home to Northeast Ohio on a two-year deal with the Browns. The Saint Ignatius Alum was released by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week.
Hoyer is expected to compete with Jason Campbell for 2nd string on the Browns' depth chart. The move signals the end for another Shurmur-era player, as Thad Lewis is likely done in the Orange and Brown.
Hoyer started one game in Arizona last season. The Browns are Hoyer's fourth NFL team, as he has played in New England and Pittsburgh in addition to his brief stint in with the Cardinals. On his career, he's got a 59.4 completion percentage, 616 passing yards, 2 TD's and 3 interceptions.
Hoyer is expected to compete with Jason Campbell for 2nd string on the Browns' depth chart. The move signals the end for another Shurmur-era player, as Thad Lewis is likely done in the Orange and Brown.
Hoyer started one game in Arizona last season. The Browns are Hoyer's fourth NFL team, as he has played in New England and Pittsburgh in addition to his brief stint in with the Cardinals. On his career, he's got a 59.4 completion percentage, 616 passing yards, 2 TD's and 3 interceptions.
Draft Combine Buzz: Day One
A few quick rumors from Day One that may be important for the Cavs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was given a First Round promise by one team, per ESPN's Chad Ford. The Cavs are one possibility as Antetokounmpo is projected as a mid/last first round selection. The Cavs are rumored to have high interest in him with the 19th pick.
Rudy Gobert might be a freak. The French big man reportedly measured in over 7', but more impressive was the 7'9 wingspan that was blowing up Twitter yesterday. He also looked solid in some of the drills, as one analyst noted Gobert seemed to disrupt every shot in his vicinity. Look for the Euro to creep up draft boards as we inch closer to June 27th.
Victor Oladipo reported measured in at 6'4 in shoes, which has experts backing away from early projections of him as a SF. Official measurements are not released until the end of the combine.
Shabazz Muhammed's stock continues to drop. Many rated Muhammed as the #1 prospect in the country coming out of high school, but after a less than stellar season at UCLA and a bizarre scandal involving his age, Muhammed's draft stock has taken quite a hit. After struggling in the shooting drills yesterday, many analysts were questioning whether he will even be chosen in the lottery.
Otto Porter told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix yesterday three teams which he believes are his best fit. He listed Cleveland, Phoenix and Orlando as desired destinations. Although the Cavs will not be meeting with Porter at the combine, many see Porter as a likely candidate for the Wine and Gold next season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was given a First Round promise by one team, per ESPN's Chad Ford. The Cavs are one possibility as Antetokounmpo is projected as a mid/last first round selection. The Cavs are rumored to have high interest in him with the 19th pick.
Rudy Gobert might be a freak. The French big man reportedly measured in over 7', but more impressive was the 7'9 wingspan that was blowing up Twitter yesterday. He also looked solid in some of the drills, as one analyst noted Gobert seemed to disrupt every shot in his vicinity. Look for the Euro to creep up draft boards as we inch closer to June 27th.
Victor Oladipo reported measured in at 6'4 in shoes, which has experts backing away from early projections of him as a SF. Official measurements are not released until the end of the combine.
Shabazz Muhammed's stock continues to drop. Many rated Muhammed as the #1 prospect in the country coming out of high school, but after a less than stellar season at UCLA and a bizarre scandal involving his age, Muhammed's draft stock has taken quite a hit. After struggling in the shooting drills yesterday, many analysts were questioning whether he will even be chosen in the lottery.
Otto Porter told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix yesterday three teams which he believes are his best fit. He listed Cleveland, Phoenix and Orlando as desired destinations. Although the Cavs will not be meeting with Porter at the combine, many see Porter as a likely candidate for the Wine and Gold next season.
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