NBA Draft Day

Lots of activity and rumors are swirling around on D-day. Couple of thoughts:

• With the looming CBA lockout approaching, look for more European and International players to be picked so teams can keep cap space and store them in Europe for a couple of years.
• Trades: I think there will be one major deal that's get done, and i think it will probably include the Suns, Lakers, or the Spurs. The Lakers and Spurs are desperately trying to get a little younger and althetic on the wings. The Suns have tons of value in Arizona product D Williams, but the twolves taking on Nash seems unlikely. Gasol should be staying put also, but Odom should be a little worried.
• Barring a trade, the fun starts after the 2nd pick. The Jazz might trade out, or take Kanter or Knight.
• Players that are rising quick, Klay Thompson and Chris Singleton, who teams might trade up to get.
• AHHH Jimmer! I think a team will get tempted and take him in the lottery. I've also heard the Knicks might try to trade up and get him.
• Kenneth Faried, Kemba Walker, and Kawhi Leonard. Solid players that aren't generating alot of buzz. The latter two are top 10 picks.
• Here's some players that could go from early teens all the way to the mid 20's: Jimmer, Burks, Morris twins, Jordan Hamilton and Jonas Valanciunas. Jonas is projected top 5, but his contract in Europe may have teams take a pass on him.
• Finally, every pick except 1 has been rumored to have trade implications, so look for lots of chatter with each pick. 7-11 should be a really coveted spots as teams will try to add a Klay Thompson or Jimmer or an international big.

NBA Mock Draft 2.0

The order has been determined, and Cleveland comes out a big winner, getting the 1st and 4th picks. The number 1 selection seems certain, but it might get crazy for the rest of the lottery leading up to the June 23rd draft. Top 12 picks coming at you:

1 Cleveland- Kyrie Irving

2 Minnesota- Enes Kanter

3. Utah- Brandon Knight

4. Cleveland- Derrick Williams

5. Toronto- Jonas Valaciunas

6. Wizards- Chris Singleton

7. Sacramento- Kemba Walker

8. Detroit- Tristan Thompson

9. Charlotte- Marcus Morris

10. Milwaukee- Jimmer Fredette

11 Golden State- Kenneth Faired

12 Utah-Bismack Biyombo

Early look to Fantasy Football Big Board

Well, heres to football and hoping something gets sorted out soon. 12 guys who are atop my list, even though we are about 3 months away from the start of fantasy fanatics season.

1 Adrian Peterson

2 Michael Vick

3 Chris Johnson

4 Maurice Jones Drew

5 Jamaal Charles

6 Roddy White

7 Aaron Rodgers

8 Michael Turner

9 Arian Foster

10 Tom Brady

11 Andre Johnson

12 Calvin Johnson

And the correct answer is

The deadline for underclassmen to make the final decision to stay or enter the draft and forgo their eligibility has passed, and there might be a few players who might regret their decisions in June.

Terrence Jones- Jones's decision was factored by the possibly lockout, but with that said, he has to like 4 top freshman coming to Lexington to join him, Darius Miller, and Doron Lamb to be a top 3 pre-season team in every poll.

Shelvin Mack- Butler takes a huge step back in losing Mack and Howard this year. Mack is a second round pick, and he must of thought his stock could have fallen if he had came back for his senior year.

Ashton Gibbs- Gibbs would be making a huge mistake if he stayed. Now that he's back, Pitt will have another top 25 team and compete for the title in the Big East once again, as Jamie Dixon always seems to have veteran and tough built teams.

Tristan Thompson and Corey Joesph- Prime to be national contenders and Big 12 favorites, UT took a major step back as they lose these two and also Jordan Hamilton.

Fantasy Super Heros

4 guys who have started off the season hot and are probably available in your league:

Ike Davis- Davis is in his sophomore year starting at 1b for the Mets, and he has really taken off. Him and his .345 Ba is all the Mets really have to cheer about at this point in the season.

Brett Anderson- Anderson has an ERA just a tad above 1.50 and has gone at least 6 innings in all of his starts. He has always shown talent, but health has derailed his seasons in the past.

Michael Pineda- One of the biggest surprises so far, Pineda has flourished in the Mariners rotation, which he wasn't even suppose to be in. 3-1, 1.78 ERA for the MARINERS?! Holy Hell...

Darwin Barney- Blake DeWitt who? Cubbie fans are loving the tandom of Barney and Starlin in their lineup, with Barney hitting .329 and becoming a solid duo with Castro at the plate at Wrigley. Now if Starlin could learn to field a ground ball....

NFL Draft Mock Top 7 Picks

This year's draft doesn't bring the excitement with possible trades and swapping of picks not going to happen because of the oh-so-exciting Labor Deal issue, but that doesn't mean there's no surplus of talent available. My mock draft for the first 7 picks on Thursday:

1. Panthers-Cam Newton- This guy is the prime example of a hit or miss. He has shown character issues and ran draw plays half the time in college, and now has to be the face of a franchise? With that said, his physical ability and football IQ is hard to ignore, and the Panther's organization really likes him and knows it will be hard to grab another talented Qb later in this draft.

2.Broncos- Marcell Dareus- The Broncos have 3-4 solid options here, but Dareus is the right pick. Adding him to the line, plus Dumervil coming back from injury equals a solid pass rush in the 3-4 out in Denver.

3. Bills-Von Miller- I think Miller might be the one who everyone remembers from this draft. His game is very similar to Lance Briggs and can fit into the 3-4 well to help rebuild the Bill's D.

4. Bengals- Blaine Gabbert- The lure of grabbing one of the top Qb's is too much for the Bengals to say no, especially with Carson Palmer still a question mark.

5. Cards- Patrick Peterson- The Cards were hoping for one of the QB's, but Peterson has way to much value to pass up. Peterson may be the next great shut down corner in the league with his size and hands, plus his returning skills are an added bonus.

6. Browns- AJ Green- The city of Cleveland will finally catch a break as Green falls to them. He reminds so many scouts of Calvin Johnson and will be a great target to help develop Colt Mccoy.

7. 49ers- Prince Amukamara- The Niners were atrocious in defending the pass last year, so Prince will fit in. The Niners will hope though that possibly Peterson or Miller falls to them, or might go with Bowers outta Clemson.

2011 NCAAB Early Rankings

Still hungover from Final Four fever? A quick dose of the way too early top 8 to help ease your pain.

1. Kentucky- Coach Cal's class coming in next year is his best so far, with 4 of the top 15 freshman in the country heading to Lexington. Add in upperclassmen Liggins, Vargas, and Darius Miller, plus the possibility Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones returning and this team has all the pieces to be a national contender.

2. UNC- Zeller and Henson have announced they will return, and now the key player is Barnes, who has hinted he will stay. If UNC returns all starters and with plenty of guard talent off the bench, we'll be looking at the ACC favorites. Also look for the talented freshmen PJ Hariston and James McAdoo to look nice in the tar heel blue jerseys.

3. Duke- I got the Devils right behind their rivals. Rivers, Dawkins and Curry will be the best 3 guard rotation in the country and all the Plumlees will be a force down low. Coach K will also get some solid contributions from 2nd year players Hariston and Thornton.

4. Texas- Depending on if Tristian Thompson and Cory Joesph declare for the association, the Horns will be the favorites in the "new" Big 12. Still, Myck Kabongo has all the hype to join past great Texas PGs like DJ Augustin and TJ Ford. A back court with Kabongo, Joesph and Hamilton shooting and penetrating on the perimeter plus Thompson down low is a hard team to match up with.

5. OSU- Aaron Craft will get a lot more credit with John "Threebler" now gone. Buford steps into the go to sharpshooter and keep an eye on freshman Amir Williams down low next to a guy named Jared Sullinger, who should be the pre season favorite for the Naismith award.

6. Syracuse- Another strong recruiting class by Coach Boeheim, who is a top 5 coach for recruiting, specifically for fitting into his 2-3 zone and shooters on the perimeter. The only loss on this team is Rick Jackson, who leaves big feet to fill. Can this be the year the Orange finally get back to the Final Four?

7. Kansas- They always seem to be a top 15 team year in and year out. Morris brothers are gone but Thomas Robinson is ready to burst out. Taylor and Elijah Johnson should have big years, but the big piece is whether Josh Selby comes back next year. I think he can be a top 5 PG in the country with the right attitude and commitment to workouts in the summer.

8. Lousville- The Card's lose Preston Knowles 15 ppg, but Peyton Siva and Terrence Jennings really excite me. Siva showed loads of poise against Big East foes last year, and with freshman Wayne Blackshear and Kyle Kuric with him on the perimeter, Siva now has 3 options: Lob to Jennings, pass it to Kuric for the 3, or drive and take it himself.

Teams to watch

Mizzou- If Kim English and Laurence Bowers return for their senior years, the Tigers will have 2 scorers in Enlgligh and Denmon to go with an all senior starting lineup to run, "the fastest 40 minutes in basketball."

Xavier-Tu Holloway is back to take the A-10 by storm again. He has pieces around him also and it wouldn't surprise me if they climb into the top 10.