....cough....Jared Jeffries rising up the board.

[KB21]

The great one, Jerry West, loves him and Drew Gooden according to Andy Katz at ESPN. The Grizzlies are apparently considering Jeffries and Gooden with that #4 pick, but they may favor Gooden.

On ESPN's big board, Jeffries has risen to the #5 overall spot.

The rumored lottery at this time:

01. Houston Rockets -- Yao Ming C China

A big mistake if this happens, IMO. The 7-5 stick figure will never play a complete season in the NBA and won't be good enough to offset the trouble dealing with China will bring. Should trade the pick for Lamar Odom.

02. Chicago Bulls -- Jay Williams PG Duke

The Bulls will get Williams and have themselves a point guard who is a better scorer than floor leader. A good player, but a little overrated.

03. Golden State Warriors -- Mike Dunleavy Jr. SF Duke

Antawn Jamison is talking with Dunleavy in attempt to keep him in the draft and make him receptive to playing in Golden State. Would be a great pick for the Warriors!

04. Memphis Grizzlies -- Drew Gooden PF Kansas

Has shown enough of a face the basket game to make teams think he can play SF. Still, will probably be a power forward in the league and force the imminent move of Pau Gasol to center.

05. Denver Nuggets -- Nikoloz Tskitishvili SF Beneton Treviso

If he's so good, why couldn't he get any playing time in Europe? Doesn't have the experience Pau Gasol had. A long term project, IMO.

06. Cleveland Cavaleers -- Caron Butler SF Connecticut

The best player in the draft, IMO. Gives the Cavs a much needed scorer and may help convince Andre Miller to stay.

07. New York Knicks -- Chris Wilcox PF Maryland

Physically imposing player with great defensive ability and a lot of raw offensive talent. Extremely athletic.

08. LA Clippers -- Hilario Maybiner C Brazil

The best of the foreign players in the draft, IMO. Tremendous athlete with dominant ability in the paint. Provides excellent insurance and a possible upgrade to Michael Olowokandi. Could be another Alonzo Mourning.

09. Phoenix Suns -- Jared Jeffries SF Indiana

A complete steal at this point. One of the top 5 players in the draft, he combines a plethora of basketball skills and has the ability to play 5 positions.

10. Miami Heat -- DaJuan Wagner PG Memphis

Lack of top athletic ability is hurting him, and he will have to learn the point guard position. How long will Pat Riley stick with him? Very overrated player.

11. Washington Wizards -- Qyntel Woods SG NEMCC

Versatile shooting guard/small forward type of player that could facilitate a move of either Rip Hamilton or Courtney Alexander at some point.

12. LA Clippers -- Amare Stoudamire PF Cypress Creek HS

The Clippers latch onto the idea of drafting big players and build a very strong bench behind Brand and Olowokandi.

13. Milwaukee Bucks -- Melvin Ely C Fresno State

Second best center in the draft, behind Hilario Maybiner. Defensive stalwart who has a good low post offensive game. Only 6-10, but thick.

[Admin]

Who is the last player from the University of Indiana to do anything in the NBA? This isnt a sarcastic question, but really I cant think of any off the top of my head and the only one that comes to mind is Hendu, and well we know about him.

[Guest]

Again,Jefferies=Robert Horry

[Guest]

Isiah?

[ATLien_]

How is Dejuan Wagner overated KB? Give me some explanation. I don't think he is anymore overated than anyone else in this draft. Anyone that can break their right hand and still score 20 something with just their left hand is not overated in my opinion. Maybe he needs some seasoning but I don't think he is overated.

[Admin]

He isnt overrated! In fact in a couple of years people will be wondering why they passed him up. I dont know much about Qyntel Woods to be honest so I dont want to make this statement for sure, but I believe that Wagner is the best player in this draft. He is a slightly less quick, but stronger version of Iverson that can actually run the point. If Wagner had 2 more years to develop like Jay Williams did and in a major school like Duke people wouldnt think twice about which of these guys to take. Maybe I am a little too hard on Jay Will ever since he bricked from the free throw line, but I just dont have a good feeling about him. I think he will be a good player, but never an all-star.

[Guest]

Everyday the BS starts to thin...these GMs have been bluffing for weeks but reality is hitting home and nobody wants to blow their lottery pick on a dud, especially a foreign dud.

Gasol and Parker were great picks, but were they the standard or the exception to the rule? Sure, there are another handful of Europeans that can play in the NBA but will they be franchise players? Have they played year in year out against the best amateur talent in the world?? NO!

So, its no surprise to me that on the day of reckoning all the BS will hit the fan and those that carried their teams the farthest against the best will go first.

Phenoms are exceptions: Ming, Tskischivilli maybe, Hilario b/c no big men - but these teams have Paul Pierce syndrome. And are not going to pass on proven, solid college players.

Thats why Wagner and Woods are suddenly dropping a few slots, they havent shown as much and didnt lead their teams anywhere. Wagner went to the NIT but what is the that, the best of the worst.

[Guest Walter]

He already fell down the board once (i.e. at nbadraft.net from #5 to #11) so he pretty much can only go up. However, I don't see him "moving up" in the more recent mock drafts. In reality he is worthy of a mid-lottery pick (5-9) and always has been despite his fall in mock drafts and subsequent rumored rise.

Does that make him better than Gasol, which I assume was part of the motivation for bringing up that some GMs like him? Hell no! Perhaps a more poignant question...Ya think the GM that "loves" Jeffries in Jerry West would trade Gasol for or to draft him? HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

W

[Guest Walter]

"Everyday the BS starts to thin"

...and ESPN mock draft is the place where you can see the BS thinning. Not!

"Gasol and Parker were great picks, but were they the standard or the exception to the rule?"

I don't know...ask Nowitski, Peja, Turkoglu, etc.

"Sure, there are another handful of Europeans that can play in the NBA but will they be franchise players?"

Is Jeffries a "franchise player"? This seems to be what you are suggesting. Tskatkiiliski (sp?) is more of one that Jeffries. "Nene" may be also. Yao? Yes, moreso than Jeffries if only because he's 7'5".

"Have they played year in year out against the best amateur talent in the world?? NO!"

They've only had the best coaching and played against the best amateur and professional competition Europe and world including the US can provide since they were age 13 and they've only been professionals since age 16. Young, up and coming US players do not get the coaching foreigners do, nor do they play against the higher level of competition or compete as professionals like foreigners. "The best amateur talent in the world". Have you played HS basketball. You're lucky if a star player is ever challenged. European young star players play play with and against seasoned professionals. This is a non-argument for you.

"So, its no surprise to me that on the day of reckoning all the BS will hit the fan and those that carried their teams the farthest against the best will go first."

Huh? What does this mean. Give me something to bite my teeth into. Will Jeffries be drafted before a 19 year old in Tskischivilli (sp?)? This all sounds like common sense except you'd have to draft Juan Dixon #1 if you stood by it.

"Phenoms are exceptions: Ming, Tskischivilli maybe, Hilario b/c no big men..."

So only foreign players are the "phenoms", phenoms are the "exception" (meaning they should or shouldn't be picked high?), and being a phenom a bad thing?

"- but these teams have Paul Pierce syndrome. And are not going to pass on proven, solid college players."

Have you watched the draft lately? Brown, Chandler, Gasol, and Curry were the 1st 4 picks last year. Gasol did take his team places. Are you including HS teams? Anyhow, I'd still rather have Nowitski over Pierce and Paul Pierce seems more the exception than foreign players being draft pick values relative to their many more domestic counterparts.

W