2013 Draft Early Preview

Springtime is here, so as a hoops fan you know it's time for March Madness to rage on, and for NBA teams to jockey for position at both ends of the standings. There isn't much drama this year for playoff spots, so the 14 lottery teams already know who they are and looking towards the offseason. Cleveland and Toronto have already shut down or rested key players to "avoid injuries" and definitely not to "sort of tank, just a little." :-|

Every draft has its own flavor, and even if that flavor is "epic fail" (yuck) it's fun to go over. Here are some themes to give you a taste of what the 2013 NBA Draft has to offer:

Noel, Noel

What to do about the shot-blocker with the 9-foot standing reach and soul-shaking Kid-n-Play haircut? He wasn't exactly killing it at both ends with the Kentucky Wildcats this year, but hyped freshman Nerlens Noel clearly has length, mobility, and a knack for swatting weak stuff into the fifth row. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL midseason and will likely be out of commission for the majority of his rookie season, assuming he declares for the draft at all. The team who picks him will need to be patient, but if he slips past the second pick overall he becomes an absolute no-brainer steal. For more information on how a good defensive big man can change the game, watch some tape involving the 2010-2011 Mavs and enjoy some vintage Tyson Chandler (HINT: they beat LeBron in 4/6 games, something presently unimaginable).

Wide, not deep

Spoiler alert for the inevitable "Lottery Tier" articles coming up later this year: tier 1 is empty. Like the 2011 draft (also known as, the "I swear, nobody knew how good Kyrie was before he played for the Cavs" draft), this isn't always a death-knell. Noel is the closest, and may end up being a first-team All-NBA defender real soon, but his injury is legitimately scary. Personally, I find this type of draft more exciting. As for those second-tier guys? There's plenty of them. Teams in the late lottery and beyond may be pleasantly surprised with their board this year.

Bracket Busts

So far, it has not been a particularly strong NCAA tournament for top draft prospects, and that is being very kind. Shabazz Muhammed (so bad UCLA fired their coach), Anthony Bennet (only 4-11 from the field in his final game), Marcus Smart (as many TOs as FGs in loss to Oregon), and Otto Porter (missed 12/17 shots against 15-seed Gulf Coast) got bounced before the Sweet 16 and Ben McLemore (0-9 against the Tarheels) has been mute. There are a few exceptions, but many more players have hurt their stock that helped with tourney play. Keep your eye on the Big 10 guys (two stars for Indiana and a pair of guards from the Great Lakes State), they may leapfrog some early exiters with a deep run.

Top Five right now (no particular order):

• Nerlens Noel, C, University of Kentucky
• 19 year-old Freshman
• Terrific defensive prospect, see above
• Anthony Bennet, PF, University of Nevada Las Vegas
• 20 year-old Freshman
• Bruising forward with good range who loves to get the ball and score
• Players with his physique (undersized, skilled and athletic power forwards) have an over-achieving tack record early in their careers (Millsap, pre-injury Elton Brand, etc.)
•  Victor Oladipo, wing, Indiana University
• 20 year-old Junior
• Prototypical athletic wing, though possibly a bit short (combine wingspan measurement will be key)
• Great defensive prospect, middling but improved offensive player
• Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas University
• 20 year-old Freshman
• Natural scorer and shooter, good athlete
• Not an assertive leader
• Marcus Smart, PG, Oklahoma State University
• 19 year-old Freshman
• Tough lead guard with a knack for scoring, good defense
• With the wild success of Damien Lillard this year (in some ways a similar prospect though Smart isn't as good an athlete and is several years younger), someone will draft Smart very high