Caleb's Call

Caleb's Top Ten NBA Draftees: Reviews and Predictions

2010-06-26T17:13:00.016-04:00

Here is a review of the top 10 players from the NBA Draft. I will have the team, player, a description, and then give my call on whether or not they will overachieve, meet expectations, or underachieve. Click on the team name to go to its web site, the player to go to his ESPN draft page, and the college to go to its official athletic site.
1. Washington Wizards John Wall -PG Kentucky Analysis: Wall is everything he has been hyped up to be. He is extremely athletic which will help him run the fast break and drive to the basket, he is a quick thinker allowing him to create for his teammates, and at 6'4" he has the size to give other NBA point guards hell. Wall can also defend, as he averaged 1.8 steals per game at Kentucky. However, there is a downside. Turnovers were a problem for him, averaging 4 a game, and he is very inconsistent shooting the ball, which, as Rajon Rondo can tell you from the NBA Finals, can become a serious liability.
Caleb's Call: Meet Expectations: With such high expectations that it is hard to say Wall will overachieve. He will be a great player, but this is the toughest time to be a point guard in the NBA with so many superstars at that position. Wall is not above serious weaknesses, and unless he overcomes those, right now it is generous just to say he won't underachieve.

2. Philadelphia 76ers: Evan Turner-SG Ohio State
Analysis: Averaging 21 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1 block at Ohio State in a very deep Big Ten Conference, Turner knows how to fill the stat sheet. He is very athletic and can play the 1, 2, or 3. Being 6'7" also helps. Unlike many other athletes that have size and speed, Turner is also a good shooter, hitting 36 percent from 3. However, like Wall, he has a turnover problem, as he averaged 4.4 a game his last year at Ohio St.
    Caleb's Call: Overachieve: Turner will be the best player in this draft. He is a more complete player than Wall, as he can shoot better and play more positions. He does have a turnover problem like Wall, but it is not as big a liability for Turner since he will not be the point guard on his team.

3. New Jersey Nets: Derrick Favors-PF Georgia Tech
Analysis: Favors has a rare combination of size, speed and strength as a 6'10" power forward weighing 245 pounds. He showed in college he can score, rebound, and defend, averaging 8 rebounds per game and 2 blocks, and 1 steal. With a .611 FG pct., he is great near the basket. However he needs to work on his free throws, shooting .629 from the stripe. He is also raw and left college as a freshman which was probably too early.

   Caleb's Call: Underachieve: Although Favors has great potential, but because he didn't spend enough time in college to properly develop a game, he will never become a superstar franchise player. At best he could become like Eddy Curry. I want to see him succeed, but fundamentally he was not ready for the NBA. Playing on the Nets also won't help him.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Wesley Johnson-SF Syracuse
Analysis: Johnson is everything you want in a wing player. He can shoot outside, defend, score, and distribute. Playing alongside Kevin Love, Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, and Johnny Flynn will also be a big help. Minnesota each year continues to add weapons. He plays the same position as Corey Brewer, but there is no reason they can be on the same team and rotate in and out. This will provide much needed depth for the Timberwolves.
    Caleb's Call: Meet Expectations: As great as Johnson can be, he will be competing against other wing players in the NBA just like him with even more size. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony to are just a few names. He also won't be able to maximize his potential while having to compete with Brewer for playing time.

5. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins-C Kentucky
Analysis: Cousins averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds at Kentucky in only 23 minutes of play per game. He also played with Patrick Patterson down low, which took away even more potential numbers. at 6'11" and 292 pounds he has the strength and outmuscle his opponents, but he will not have as easy of a time doing that in the NBA. He is also, like Favors, still raw, and has trouble controlling his emotions, but his passion can also be used for good.
    Caleb's Call: Overachieve: Playing alongside Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes would seem to limit Cousins's potential, as well as coming out as a freshman and a little raw. However, his ultimate strength and emotion will make him a great player in the NBA. He comes a across as a better version of Kendrick Perkins. Watch out for this guy in three years, as he needs a little time to develop.

6. Golden State Warriors: Ekpe Udoh-PF Baylor
    Analysis:A defensive force downlow for Baylor Udoh will provide the same help to a team that has always struggled defensively. However, he is very raw offensively and will have to work on not being a liability on that side.
    Caleb's Call: Meet Expectations: Udoh could be another Hasheem Thabeet, but he is not as raw, and will fit perfectly into Golden State's system providing defense and a post presence that they have seriously lacked in the past.
7. Detroit Pistons: Greg Monroe-PF Georgetown
Analysis: Monroe almost averaged a double-double at Georgetown, but his athleticism is in question and needs to be proven in the NBA. Playing in Detroit is also not a great place to be developed. The Pistons are becoming the new Knicks.
    Caleb's Call: Underachieve: Despite dominating in college, Monroe played in the overrated, slow Big East. He was exposed in the tournament by just a mildly athletic Ohio team. I could be wrong, but Big East forwards are always overhyped in the draft,. and Monroe seems to fit the stereotype.

8. Los Angeles Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu-SF Wake Forest
Analysis: Aminu is a typical wing player who has great athleticism for his position at small-forward, as he can also rebound and block shots better than most small forwards. However, he is a bad shooter, shooting .273 from the three point line.
    Caleb's Call: Meet Expectations: Aminu's contribution will depend on what the Clippers do with Travis Outlaw and Rasual Butler, both free agents this summer. He is a bit of a tweener between the 3 and the 4, but as long as the Clippers can compensate for his lack of shooting he will be a big contibuter to them defensively and in the paint.

9. Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward-SF Butler
Analysis: Hayward is able to use his size to get in the paint and rebound. He only shot .294 from the 3 pt. line last year at Butler, but it appears to have been a fluke as he shot .448 the previous year and above .800 both years from the free throw line.
    Caleb's Call: Meet Expectations: Similar to Andre Kirilenko, and Hayward's offense will be enhanced playing alongside Deron Williams. Utah has a good replacement now when AK gets hurt, as they have a bright outlook for the future.

10. Indiana Pacers: Paul George-SF/SG Fresno State
Analysis: George can play the 2 or the 3. He is very athletic, a great shooter, and can defend. However, he can be a little streaky outside. He improved dramatically from his first year to his second at the free throw line from .697 to .909, but his 3 pt. pct. dropped from .447 to .353.
   Caleb's Call: Overachieve: Playing alongside Danny Granger, George will be a 6'9" SG, providing more size for the Pacers in the backcourt. His defense, averaging 2 steals a game at Fresno St., will be his strong point, and if he becomes a more consistent shooter there will be no weaknesses in his game. Eventually he will be an all star alongside Granger in this league. They will make a great 2-3 duo. NBA Draft Review permalink

Top Five Reasons LeBron James Should Stay with Cleveland

2010-06-20T18:01:00.006-04:00

As the NBA's free agent period approaches, any team with sufficient cap room is going to try to go after LeBron James and so many other superstars on this year's market. The Knicks, Clippers, Nets, and Bulls are the four most notable teams trying to lure James away from Cleveland.

James has made it clear that his goal is to put himself in the best position to win a championship. This hints that he, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade might try to sign with the same team.

While this would be exciting to watch, James has no business leaving where he is. Here are the top five reasons he should stay:

5. How can he be sure that he will sign with another superstar?
Free agents tend to follow the money, so if James signs with the Knicks expecting to play with Bosh and Wade, there is the possibility they will take bigger contracts elsewhere. then what? Two years ago, Baron Davis signed with the Clippers expecting to play with Elton Brand, then Brand followed the money for Philadelphia, leaving Davis in a horrible situation. Let's hope this does not happen to James.

4. Ohio is where he grew up
Hometown stories are always fun to cheer for. James is not specifically from Cleveland, but Akron is close enough. He is already the biggest celebrity from Ohio, especially in Cleveland. Don't forget back in October when James criticized former Cleveland Browns Receiver Braylon Edwards, and that week the Browns traded him to New York. James has so much power in Cleveland he can affect the football team. He could probably tell the mayor what to do if he really cared to.

3. He Owes it to Cleveland
This is similar to the last reason, but it focuses on the city itself. The last Cleveland professional sports team to win a championship was the Browns in 1964. Since then, Cleveland sports teams have seen enough heartbreak. "The Drive" against the Browns obviously tops the list, as well as their move to Baltimore. But there are also the Indians, who lost two World Series in the 1990s. James has a golden opportunity to change that with the Cavs.

2. Cleveland Invested so Much in Him
Ever since the Cavs drafted him, they have made drastic personnel changes to fit his needs, including signing Mo Williams, keeping Zydronaus Ilgauskas, signing Shaq, and trading for Antwan Jamison and Delonte West. Recently, they fired their coach and GM in order to try to keep him around. They are one move away from being a championship team. Adding a player who can defend the wing and shoot outside consistently would solve their playoff woes.

1. Staying in Cleveland is Important to his Legacy
The greatest of the great athletes in every sport usually stay with their teams and try to build them up into championship contenders. Peyton Manning took over a dysfunctional Colts franchise and turned them into a Super Bowl team. Michael Jordan took over the Bulls and turned them into a dynasty. If James wants to be mentioned in the same league as these people, he should try to make it work with the team that drafted him instead of just giving up because of having to overcome some obstacles. Manning had to overcome six playoff losses and didn't win a championship until he was 30. Jordan had to overcome the Pistons in the middle of his career and didn't win a ring until he was 27. At age 25, James should man up and face his obstacles with Cleveland instead of taking the easy route by trying to sign with a team full of superstars. It will be harder, but much more rewarding and better for his legacy.
Top 5 Reasons LeBron Should Stay Permalink

NFL Holdouts

2010-06-19T20:11:00.004-04:00

To the average fan, NFL players may come across just as greedy as other professional sports athletes, but looking deeper into the numbers, football players have much more reason to holdout than players in other sports.

Chris Johnson, the star running back for the Titans, is currently holding out for $30 to $40 million guaranteed over a long term deal, which on paper looks horrible. However, over a lifespan, Johnson would not have a luxurious lifestyle off his current salary at $550,000 a year. Even the best running backs are very lucky to last ten, years, but let's assume Johnson did with that salary. He would finish his career with $5.5 million to last him the next 30 to 40 years of his life, which which would mean an average salary of about $150,000 a year, which is by no means a small salary, but it is far from being able to spend and blow money like crazy the way some athletes do. That does not even take into account that Johnson would be in the top income tax bracket for his salary, despite it only lasting ten years, nor does it consider the medical bills he is sure to face after a long football career.

Johnson's salary, however, is not even close to the situation facing most NFL players. The average lifespan of an NFL player is three to four years, and the average salary is $770,000 according to the NFL players' association. That would mean the average NFL player makes around $3.5 million to last his entire life. Does a holdout for a long term deal with a big contract now still seem extremely greedy?

In comparison with the NFL, take a look at the average salaries and career lengths in basketball and baseball. The average length of an NBA player is not much longer than an NFL player, according to nba.com, but the average NBA salary is more than $5 million a year. Also, CBSSports and The New York Times reported that the average salary of an MLB player is $1.5 million over six years. NFL players also are likely to face many more long term health effects than other sports, although baseball players might catch up thanks to the steroid scandal.

That's my call on NFL contracts. What's yours? NFL Contracts Permalink