NBA Draft 2013: Final Pre-draft Predictions

Here are some quick predictions on the morning of the 2013 NBA Draft:

• Noel should go #1. Let's not over think this, he's far and away the best prospect.
• Oladipo should go #2. His defensive ability and character are worth the risk offensively.
• I think we'll look back and be surprised by whoever ends up the best PG out of this class. I think Burke and MCW both lack a true NBA skill ("willingness to take insane 30 footers" and "size" are not skills) and will wash out.
• Ben MacLemore has tremendous Darko potential. I have serious doubts about him succeeding as a professional basketball player.
• Anthony Bennet has become under-rated because of his shoulder injury. He may slide to 6-8 in the draft and end up being the second or third best pro.
• There won't be as many significant trades as you think (there almost never are).
• The Thunder will seem overloaded with talent after landing a "slider" at 12 and a high-upside pick at 29, but neither will contribute significantly to their inevitable deep playoff runs in the next couple seasons.
• Cody Zeller's subpar defensive rebounding in college is a major problem. He will struggle to stay on the floor at the NBA level.  
• All the excuses for Alex Len's poor production don't add up. Add in the foot problem (ankle stress fracture is a repetative stress injury, not a freak accident injury like Noel) and I have serious doubts about him as a top 10 prospect.
• 3DA guys (3 point shooting, wing defense, athleticism) who might be in the rotation for playoff teams next season: Reggie Bullock and Tim Hardaway Jr..
• Boston will do something strange with the #16 pick. Tony Mitchell? Greek Freak? Ricardo Ledo? I think they'll swing for the fences on this one.
• Dieng has become underrated because of his age and poor offense. He's a rotation player right away for defense and rebounding.
• Jeff Withey will have a better pro career than Kelly Olynyk despite being drafted 10-20 spots lower.
• That Caldwell-Pope rebounded and scored efficiently on a terrible team with defenses geared to stop him - at age 20 -  is a great sign. I'd consider taking him as high as 6 overall (ahead of Len), projecting as a future starter.

The Pelicans, in Brief

The New Orleans Pelicans are an up-and-coming team featuring a fresh new name, a budding star* in Anthony Davis, an elite** two-way guard in Eric Gordon, and one of the brightest young minds in basketball with head coach Monty Williams. They also own the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, which happens to have about 7 players worth of a top 5 pick.

With their two core guys able to play multiple positions in today's NBA, the Pelicans are in an ideal spot to draft the best player available. Here's a look at some players who fit really well:

Alex Len is a skilled center with good size and athleticism. While Anthony Davis can play center, if his rookie season was any indication, Monty Williams would prefer to have him at power forward next to a true man-in-the-middle center. Robin Lopez played well last year, but Len has a much much higher ceiling.

Anthony Bennett can really score, and offensively he could be a real mismatch as a small forward. He reminds me of a stronger version of Michael Beasley, without the crazy. That's a pretty enticing package.

Trey Burke could be a nice solution at point guard. He is a strong enough shooter to rotate ball-handling duties with Eric Gordon.

Ben McLemore has talents which overlap Eric Gordon pretty strongly. Neither quite has the size to guard small forwards or the pure point abilities to run the team, so there's a bit of a problem with fit. However, I think a trade could be worked out with the Phoenix Suns to swap Eric Gordon for the #5 pick and some contracts. This would have to take place later in the summer, as Gordon signed an offer sheet with the Suns and cannot be traded there for one full calendar year.





* IF HE CAN STAY HEALTHY
** IF HE CAN GET AND STAY HEALTHY