you can be in, but I'll randomize your draft order- some people prefer the last pick, so I want to avoid having people angleshoot by signing up late to ensure it


Randomized 2-12 and got 8, so you'll pick 8. New order:

1. Digables
2. Your Mom
3. charder30
4. Nicholasp27
5. Assani Fisher
6. TheDean1
7. JMurder3
8. SBlum2711
9. GimmeDat
10. Krayz
11. PlzBeAlvl
12. mjw0586

i do live in Omaha, so I'll be a homer and take the most sure thing in this draft. Give me the soon to be 3 time All-American, a guy that can score inside, shoots it better than probably anyone in the country, and rebounds well. 23 and 8 the last two years, shoots 55% from the field and 49% from 3 - all on a team without one other consistent offensive threat. His athleticism is questioned, but he dominated an extremely athletic Wichita St team (41 pts on 15 of 18 from the field) that a few weeks later was in the final four. Reports were that he more than held his own playing the NBA talent at the USA mini camp this summer. Every year his game has improved and if we see another jump, then this guy will truly be unstoppable.

Your Mom:

Doug McDermott, SF Creighton



For good measure, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uhtd9Z-M8Y

Good job on the extra rand Assani

doug mcdermott is not a surprising pick but i wouldn't take him in round 1

Might as well not even rig if you're taking McDermott

My lawnmower gonna be in orbit if someone comes in late and rands before me when I'm in batter's circle

I started doing a little research for the draft, & was intrigued by McDermott, and was wondering how a player like that would be valued & wondered if he'd be a bad 2nd round pick. Then I saw that he was drafted in the 1st round in last year's draft, and I decided nevermind.

He performed worse than people projected him last year. I think he was an all american the year before?

Edit: yup and 2013. I don't think he's that good though maybe someone else can enlighten me how he back-to-back'ed. He's certainly a dominant midmajor guy. Though if he hasn't gone NBA that's a false positive in some sense.

I just don't like McD so early after seeing him play vs tough competition the last couple seasons in the tourney

The guy is just a very good basketball player. He's tall, shoots about 50% from 3, has a very solid post game and can just score the basketball better then most. When are we going to stop the whole "he plays at creighton, he's not good" thought process. Last year he had 30 against Wisco, 29 against Arizona St, 34 against Cal, 27 against Cincy, all in wins too. While I agree #2 overall is a reach, he certainly is a 1st round talent ainec.

I initially had McD ranked #6 on my board, but after seeing these articles I moved him up to #4(and nearly up to #2):

http://www.omaha.com/article/2013072...JAYS/130729193

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/7/2...gordon-hayward

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...-to-next-level


cliff notes: McD killed it in Las Vegas playing alongside NBA players, everyone calling him an absolute elite shooter and saying he definitely has a role in the NBA


edited to add- LOLOLOL@ this being one of the quote's in the CBSSports article:

add to it that in this format, i think he's even more dangerous. creighton hasn't had one other decent scorer the last two years.

Marcus Smart


Dude is a straight up winner. Go ahead and say hes not efficient and I will lol @ you. Could have been the #1 pick if he came out last year. Basically his only weakness is his 3 point shot. Hopefully he either takes less of them or improved it. He is extremely physical and just overpowers college guards. He has great court vision and is probably the best defending guard in all of college basketball. And the guy wins. If you read any writeup on Smart it will talk about how amazing of a competitor is and what a great leader he is.


USA U19 writeup:
Before Smart came to OKstate they were an awful team finishing 15-18. After Smart came they instantly turned into a top 20 team finishing ranked 17th. Smart also led his team to back to back high school state championships.

I'm taking Randle, who has equity to be the top college player this year

i'm here, need to decide between 2 guys

I like Randle. I think he'll be the #1 option in a stacked UK offense

I'll go with Jabari Parker.

hmmm, this pick is pretty tough. i can see the argument for dougie fresh being top 5 now. i would have taken randle + smart over him, but there aren't many people standing out here.

i'm taking adreian payne. i think he's the best player available and he also keeps my drafting options flexible going forward. he can play either the 4 or 5 and has no fundamental weaknesses. he can block shots, he can rebound, he can hit 3's, he is an excellent finisher at the rim (80% last year!). he pairs well with roughly every other big in the nation.

i think there's a strong case he was the 4th best b1g player last year (behind cody/dipo/burke). he scored really efficiently in a medium usage role (this shouldn't change w/ his shooting + finishing ability) and anchored the 7th best kenpom defense in the country. i obviously think he will be the best player in the conference next year with those 3 gone.

I had a write-up done up for someone else actually, because I was pretty positive this guy was going.

As a U of A alum, I gotta go Aaron Gordon. Will do a write-up shortly.

i was under the impression that gordon is young and mega unpolished and his pro prospects dwarf his EV for freshman performance

i think randle/smart are the correct 2/3 picks and then parker was a fine pick but gordon feels like spew.

With the 8th overall pick I will be taking...



By far the best defensive player in the country imo and is the 2nd best point guard in the country behind Marcus Smart. He makes it a nightmare for other PG's to play their game and his defense alone makes him a first round talent. He's been mr. consistency for the past 3 years, being at the helm for 96 wins in his career so far. I'd be lying if i said I didn't have my doubts about Craft in years past but time after time he has proven me wrong. What really put me over the top on Aaron was that big shot he had against Iowa State last year. I was astonished Thad Matta didn't make sure the ball was in Deshaun Thomas or Lenzelle Smith's hands in the final seconds of the game, but Aaron Craft showed he had the onions and the clutch gene and drilled the game winner. I'm thrilled to have Aaron fill the 1 for me.

i thought about aaron craft for a while, he was on my short list of 3 that i tossed around.

Everything I've read he should be a top 10 player this year, with top 2 or 3 upside. Anyway, write-up:

Aaron Gordon Forward, U of A, Freshman

First of all...watch this video:



Yeah, lol sort by highlight video, but I want a guy who can do those things.

Let's see what the experts say about him:

Draft Express:

Jason McIntyre, who had him ranked as the 4th best player in college basketball this year (behind Wiggins, Smart & Randle):

ScoutHoops:

nbadraftnet

Yes, his ball-handling & shooting aren't fully developed, & if he does develop them he will be ridiculously scary, but in the meantime, he's a nightmare match-up for any opposing player, especially at PF. He has the size & phsyique to bang on the inside immediately:



The athleticism to stay with anyone on the wing, and his absolute floor is a guy who can crush in the fast break, be a plus plus defender/rebounder, & be a solid passer with a decent post game.

You can't teach dem hops with dat size...





His main comp coming in is a more skilled Blake Griffin...



Even Gordon's floor is really nice and easy to build around. If he improves in any of his areas of weakness, though, as one can expect from a really hard-working 6'9 athletic freak who just turned 18 today (happy bday AGo ), he's going to be dominant this year, & a steal at 7.

Gordon my #2 overall

I'm very very unsold on him as a NBA prospect but I think he's gonna beast a ton in college

He's done whatever he wanted on offense the few games I've seen him in and has an unbelievable alpha dog attitude about basketball. Not necessarily the best thing but I think it just means he's gonna be a bulk stats freak in college and probably overrated a bit going in to the NBA

and the dunks

:30 secs

Craft is a great pick. He's the best small guard defender in the country including nba players.