Well, the 2013 NBA Draft came and went, and boy, was it bizarre.
In a draft that was widely accepted as extremely weak, there was no shortage of surprises and trades. As I’m writing this, I was just traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for two Slim Jims and a half empty Gatorade.
Never can any spectator recall a surprise with the first selection as Cleveland gave us when they named Anthony Bennett as their No. 1 draft choice. All of the so-called experts’ mouths were left ajar and for the first time…at a loss for words.
In reality though, this was a weak draft. There wasn’t a clear overall ‘can’t miss’ prospect and many times teams were trying to get out of this draft and get a coveted first round pick in next year’s loaded draft class.
With that said, there are definitely some winners and definitely some losers. At CraveOnline, we have missed our calling as NBA scouts, and to be honest, judging by some of the selections and decisions by NBA GMs, I’m confident we are just as qualified. So let’s take a look at some players that are most likely to become stars out of this class and some players that are destined to end up in a league somewhere in Tailand.
Most Likely To Be Stars
Ben McLemore (7th pick-Kings)
I think the Kings were probably stunned that McLemore fell to them at the seventh spot. In my opinion, he is hands down, the most talented player in this class and the most likely to become an All Star at the next level. While at Kansas, the 6’5’’ guard had no problems putting the ball in the basket and averaged nearly 16 points per game. A combo of McLemore and DeMarcus Cousins should give Kings fans a reason to buy tickets.
Anthony Bennett (1st pick-Cavaliers)
Was there a bigger winner on draft night than Anthony Bennett? I don’t think so. Even Bennett was stunned to hear his name called first by David Stern. Bennett was an absolute beast in his one season at UNLV. He put up 16 points per game while grabbing 8 rebounds a night. The Cavs deserve some kudos for choosing a fantastic piece with amazing upside, to add to the young nucleus of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waters, and Tristan Thompson. Cleveland is slowly putting together the next Oklahoma City Thunder, it seems.
Trey Burke (10th pick- Timberwolves/traded to Jazz)
The Jazz had to be thrilled to land the National Player of the Year in Michigan’s Trey Burke. With a huge gap in talent at the point guard position in the draft, the Jazz, who in desperate need for a point, got their man. Burke is a clutch player and a tremendous leader on the floor. Jazz fans, I suggest you YouTube Burke’s amazing block in the NCAA Championship along with his three-pointer near the midline against Kansas this past season. I’m sure he will give you many more highlights throughout his career.
Most Likely To Be Busts
Cody Zeller (4th pick-Bobcats)
Michael Jordan has zero business running an organization. This pick is even further proof that Jordan and Bobcats management are the most incompetent group in the NBA. Cody Zeller? Did they even watch him play last year? Zeller gets dominated by bigger and athletic players. Maybe take a look at the Syracuse game that ended Zeller’s career at Indiana. It was an absolute block party. Zeller will be the biggest bust in this group.
Nerlens Noel (6th pick-Pelicans/traded to 76ers) [Pictured Above]
Nerlens Noel was expected to be the first player chosen in the draft. His entire camp expected the famous flat top to be headed to Cleveland but those expectations were rocked when the Cavs, along with the next four teams, decided to go in a different direction; the camera caught his disappointment every step of the way.
Many will look at his torn ACL that ended his season at Kentucky as the reason he dropped and that is perfectly normal. Besides being worried about Noel being injury prone and expecting him to miss half of the 2013-2014 season, NBA teams had to have studied film on Noel’s offensive game. Despite being a tremendous shot blocker and great defender in college, Noel’s offensive game was raw, and at times non existent, and certainly not worthy of a top pick. He won’t be the type of bust Cody Zeller is going to be but he isn’t going to have the star career he expected either.
Kelly Olynyk (13th pick-Mavericks/traded to Celtics)
This big goof gained recognition for leading Gonzaga to a no. 1 ranking last year and for his haircut that rivals Mitch Kramer from Dazed and Confused. This pick was made for the Celtics in what appears to be motivated by nothing other than ‘team suicide.’ After Thursday night’s trade that officially ended the best Boston era in 20 years by sending Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets, this pick was made to insure total failure and a top pick for 2014.
Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter@JoshuaCaudill85 or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports.
