Official Measurement thoughts

That's the measurements that are official. The thoughts are just mine. The measurements have been released. And while I'm linking to them, I'm also going to mention that Draft Express is by far the best draft resource on the web. They have far more statistical information than anyone. They do great analysis and keep things very much up to date.
On the measurements, I try not to get too up or down over them. If a player can't rebound or score inside, the fact that his 7'3" wingspan just became public knowledge hardly makes him better prospect. They're more useful to scouts than they are to someone like me, but they're part of the information we have on each prospect so they have to be considered. Here are things that caught my eye:

• Blake Griffin has relatively short arms. This could be a big deal, as his defense has been soft. He's been the concensus top pick, but has never carried a can't-miss label. This is something that could get the Clipps to give players like Rubio or Thabeet another look.
• Taj Gibson may have moved himself into round one. His numbers have always been pretty strong anyways and now he has that 7'4" wingspan to brag about. With bigs being so scarce, I'm sure some team will see fit to add his long, shot-blocking body to their mix.
• Tyreke Evans and James Harden have a chance to be freakishly good NBA players. Both have posted strong numbers and both stand 6'4" with a wingspan of around 6'11". Players with dimensions like this who put up great numbers are ones to watch.
• Jeff Adrien has put himself back into the discussion. Maybe just the 2nd round discussion, but a 7'2" wingspan does get some attention.
• There are no wories about Dejuan Blair. He's 6'6" in shoes with arms that are 7'2". With the skills he's shown that's big enough.
• Other players who would seem to be helped by this information Austin Daye, Earl Clark, James Johnson, Damion James, Derrick Brown and Gerald Henderson.
• I don't see where any player would be terribly hurt by any of this. Ty Lawson possibly, but he's a PG and measurements mean less there. Most of the big guys look to be big enough and none of the small players.
  

The PG sweepstakes

After Blake Griffin goes to the Clippers the PGs will quickly start falling off the board. There could be as many as 5 PGs go in the top 10. Rubio, Jennings, Flynn, Curry, Holiday and Lawson have all been mentioned in recent mocks as possibilities. Here's a look at each situation in the top 10:

• LA Clippers: Would happen only if the Clippers traded down and it would likely only be Rubio. Going here would mean hoping they're able to pull off a Baron Davis trade then hoping the league's worst franchise can get their act together. Not a real good place to be.
• Memphis: There's a young PG on he roster in Conley and there's also SG OJ Mayo who seems to think he's a PG. This is also an organization that's been poorly run. Again, a prospect's best hope would be that the Grizz take a pass on him.
• Oklahoma City: Westbrook is a strong incumbent, but that's the only real drawback. This is a talented, young team that seems to have a pretty strong future.
  
• Sacramento: Despite their weak season, this wouldn't be a terrible destination. Any player going here would be likely to start immediately and be given time to grow. They may be down now, but have a smart GM and aggressive owners who should get that corrected.
• Washington: Any PG coming here would be sharing the playmaking with Arenas. That makes it seem like it might be a better place for a passing SG like Harden or Evans. Again best to hope the Wiz look elsewhere.
  
• Minnesota: The job is open and that's a good thing. They have some good big guys, which also makes a PGs' job easier. The problem is they have the same management in place that bungled the Garnett era, so team success isfar from being a given here.
  
• Golden State: Good spot. This is a good, young team that plays in a fast-paced offense. There would be some sharing of the duties with Ellis, but Baron Davis excelled in such a role so that shouldn't be a big deal.
• New York: Pretty much the top destination for any young PG. Whoever gets drafted, and they reportedly have eyes for Curry, is going to be given the role that made Steve Nash an MVP. Playing for D'Antoni should be the dream of any young PG. The player who lands here will be an immediate ROY candidate.
• Toronto: There's a nice offense to run, but they have a pretty good PG in place in Calderon. So this job will be that of a reserve.
• Milwaukee: Since Sessions appears to be leaving, the Bucks will be looking for a replacement. PGs have done well under Skiles, so this is probably a good place to go. Probably 2nd to NY in best team to go to of the top 10 spots.
  

Calathes to Greece

This is sort of a bummer, at least for American basketball fans. This is one player I was really looking forward to watching play. From reading various reports it sounds as if Calathes might be trying to work the system a little. That instead of heading back to Florida he'll bide his time in Greece and negotiate with select NBA teams he wants to play for. Of course this team of his choosing would have to be in a position to draft him either this year or next, but if he makes it clear that he'll only play and work out for certain teams he should be able to land with a team of his choice. Or at least avoid a team he wants nothing to do with. Since few teams will waste a draft pick on a player they know won't be playing for them, this could be a smart move. If this is true, what Calathes is doing is playing his junior season for cash overseas against a slightly higher level of competition. Again this is a smart move. He has little to prove at Florida. Cripes, if that season he just had isn't going to impress the scouts there's little else he can do that will.
This is something the NBA and NCAA should get used to. Right now the NBA and NCAA are squeezing their players. They have them on a rookie pay scale and have placed an age limit on entrance into the league. Next year the NCAA will impose a much shorter time frame on players deciding for the draft. The NBA is rumored to be thinking about cranking the age limit up to 20. And, oh yes, the NCAA still doesn't pay players for their services. The Associations are perfectly within their rights doing these things, but they have to remember that every action has a reaction. In this case the reaction is starting to be players going overseas to play for cash.

Wall to Kentucky

Well that happened quickly. By "that" I mean John Calipari getting the Wildcats back to the top of the college basketball heap. I watched John Wall in a few post season all-star games and he was clearly the best player on the court every time I watched. He's a big PG who runs an offense like a seasoned pro. He seemed more focused on setting up teammates than scoring, which is one of the best things any PG can do. Obviously I'm going to wait until I get some NCAA stats before I call him the next big thing, but this is clearly a great thing for Kentucky.
It also could be a great thing for Wall who is going to play for the same coach who made Derrick Rose the top pick in the draft after his freshman season. Add him to Pat Patterson and what was possibly already the top recruiting class and it's easy to see Kentucky as the championship favorite going into the season.

Tisdale and Griffin

Wayman Tisdale passed recently. He represented all that was good about college basketball. He was a top flight star who stayed in state to play ball. He was as successful off the court as a musician as he was on it. He remained a vocal, high-profile supporter of Oklahoma athletics. A very impressive man who passed on way too young in life.
As a prospect back in the '85 draft, Tisdale was somewhat overhyped. He went 2nd after Pat Ewing. At the time this seemed like a good pick, but Tisdale never dominated like many thought he mght and his NBA career was somewhat disappointing. No matter that his career numbers are very similar to Xavier McDaniel's who went 4th in the same draft and never had the bust label placed on him. But with Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley and Karl Malone all coming off the board after Tisdale, it's clear the Pacers would have been up for a redraft had Doc Brown and his DeLorean shown up at their door.
This brings us to the current Okla PF phenom and certain top draft pick, Blake Griffin. Griffin wears the same #23 as Tisdale and plays the same position. Both are primarily scorers and rebounders with mediocre defensive numbers. Both stayed in state to play ball. Griffin is also a much better prospect than Tisdale was at this point in their careers. Griffin's teams don't play at the fast pace that the Sooners of Billy Tubbs did, which was one factor in Tisdale--and Stacey King 4 years later-- being a little more hyped than he deserved. Griffin is also a higher percentage shoter and much better rebounder. So I don't think we're looking at any Oklahoma PF jinx with Griffin.

What happens if the Timberwolves win the lottery?

Would the T'wolves draft Blake Griffin #1 or trade the pick? The reason I ask this is the T'wolves already employ a few productive, but weak defensively, PFs. That's pretty much their entire frontline. Jefferson, Love, Smith and Gomes all fit this profile. I mean every team has several smallish PFs, but the T'wolves two most valuable players, Love and Jefferson, play basically the same role as Griffin. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to flip picks with say OKC for a few extra draft picks down the road? Then they could take a Thabeet, Rubio or Harden and fill a need with their own pick. Just wonderin'. Or perhaps I'm just hoping for a little drama to be injected into ths draft.

The bigs get thinner

The past few days saw an already depleted draft get thinner as Pat Patterson, Jarvis Vanardo and Michael Washington all returned to college. While this should make the 2010 draft that much more awesome, it means any team looking for cheap, immediate help inside this summer best scour the D-leagues.
The most interesting decision is that of Patterson. Things are going to change next year at Kentucky. It's not a question of whether Calipari gets them back to elite level, it's when. With 2 of the nation's top big men in Cousins and Orton coming in, Patterson should get more time on the perimeter. This past season he was the Wildcats only inside player and he did a solid job, hitting over 60% of his shots and posting strong rebounding numbers. Next year he should have some chance to flash some perimeter skills. This is probably necessary for him, because he's on the small side for a PF. The bad side of this situation for Patterson is he could find himself buried in the wave of talent being brought in by Calipari or fail miserably as a perimeter player and become irrelevant come draft day 2010. But this is probably a gamble he has to take. Had he stayed in the 2009 draft, it appears his spot would have been in the 15-20 range. If he brings a more varied offensive game to the camps next year he'll be a much hotter item.

Pace adjustments

I recently finished the pace adjustments and just wanted to post a few fallout notes:

• Players most hurt were Wayne Ellington and James Johnson. Both players were marginally on the good side with a couple of their numbers, but were knocked back to the pack after the adjustment. All Carolina and Wake players declined some, but Ty Lawson remains an impressive prospect.
• Georgetown did not get the bump they have in past years, so it appears what we see is what we get with Greg Monroe. He's going back to college, so those rebounding numbers might improve yet.
• James Harden's numbers were seriously boosted. He's back at the top of the SG rankings and safely in the top 5 of this draft, pending a closer look.
  
• The Big 10 plays a real slow game. Other than Michigan State, all Big 10 schools got a boost. It's not enough to make BJ Mullens look much better, but Kevin Coble and Mark Davis might get a closer look from me next year because of it.