For the last two weeks, the nation has watched the best talent in college basketball showcase its skills in the NCAA Tournament. Beyond the upsets, the busted brackets and the buzzer beaters, the tournament provides the public with a final look at the players who will become the future of the NBA.
And for NBA teams hoping for a high draft pick this June, the tournament is the last chance to see college prospects in live game action. History has shown that a franchise can turn itself around with just one spectacular draft pick, and March Madness, with its intense win−or−go−home format, is a great opportunity for NBA front offices to evaluate college stars and search for the player who will vault their teams back to the top.
The New Jersey Nets are one team that is in dire need of a game−changing superstar. The Nets are rapidly falling toward the NBA record for ineptitude this season, and at an unbelievable 9−64 are currently tied for the record of the fewest wins in an NBA season. But even with their abysmal record, the Nets still have some talent on their roster that suggests that the future is bright.
Headlined by an All−Star caliber point guard in Devin Harris, who has averaged 17.0 points and 6.9 assists this season, and at 27 years old has not yet reached his prime, New Jersey boasts a youthful backcourt. The Nets also have one of the most talented pure centers in the Eastern Conference in Brook Lopez, and a proven scorer in Courtney Lee.
The Nets plan to move into a brand−new arena in their new home of Brooklyn, N.Y. in 2012, and while their current roster is filled with talent, they will have a chance this June to draft a player whom they hope to be the face of their franchise in transition. Just as the Cleveland Cavaliers struck gold with their first−overall pick of LeBron James, the Nets would like to find their own superstar to grace billboards across Brooklyn.
In the NBA Draft Lottery, in which the actual draft order is set, the team with the worst record at the end of the season gets a 25 percent chance at landing the first pick. And if the ping−pong balls bounce in their favor, the Nets' front office will have to make a tough decision.
Kentucky point guard John Wall is considered by most to be the hands−down No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but Wall and Harris are both natural point guards, and both would feel out of place at shooting guard.
The Nets have close to $23 million in cap space for the offseason, so they will be able to revamp their franchise virtually overnight. They can potentially sign a top−tier free agent, like a Joe Johnson or a Carlos Boozer, draft Wall or Ohio State's Evan Turner — arguably the frontrunner for the Naismith College Player of the Year award — and immediately have a playoff−caliber team.
Turner, at 6−foot−7, is the only legitimate contender to usurp Wall's status as the No.1 prospect in the draft, and is arguably college basketball's most talented player. He runs the point, handles the ball like a small guard, can take his man off the dribble and finish or pull up for a jump shot. His game is very similar to that of Portland Trail Blazers forward Brandon Roy — who himself was a top−five pick in the draft — and it could potentially be a wise choice for the Nets to take Turner instead of Wall at the first pick, should they win it in the lottery.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with 14 wins this season, are in line to receive the second pick in this year's lottery. Coming off what many consider to be a confusing and mismanaged draft last June, the Timberwolves need to get this one right.
Last year, Minnesota had the fifth− and sixth−overall picks in the draft and selected a pair of point guards with similar skill sets in Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio. While Flynn has shown flashes of excellence this season, Rubio decided to play in Spain for two more years. If the Timberwolves don't select Wall, they will probably go for a swingman like Syracuse's Wesley Johnson.
Johnson, this year's Big East Player of the Year, will be among the most dynamic players chosen in the draft. Johnson averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this year while shooting 41.5 percent from three−point range. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim referred to Johnson as the most athletic player he has ever coached, and the Syracuse guard would be a perfect fit for a Minnesota team that is in desperate need of a young scorer in its backcourt. But considering their surprising draft choices last season, the Wolves might spice up the first round once more with another unorthodox pick.
The Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards are also among the NBA's bottom feeders and will look to turn things around at the draft in June. The Warriors' selection of Stephen Curry last year has panned out nicely, as Curry has averaged a solid 16.5 points and 5.6 assists per game.
The Warriors have one of the NBA's best scorers in guard Monta Ellis, but the franchise is starving for a presence in the post. Golden State should look closely at Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors, Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins and Georgetown's Greg Monroe.
Of the three, Monroe is the most skilled — he has superior passing ability for a big man and has a nice touch from 18 to 20 feet from the basket. Cousins, the physically strongest of the three, would also be a valid option. At 6−foot−11, the Kentucky center has shown glimpses of brilliance on the offensive glass and on defense, but some inconsistent play and questions about his attitude have kept him from being discussed as a possible No. 1 overall pick.
Players still in the Final Four, such as West Virginia's De'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks, Duke's Kyle Singler and sophomore "Baby−Faced Assassin" Gordon Hayward of Butler, will all be monitored closely by NBA scouts this weekend in Indianapolis. For these players, this weekend's games will be the final chance to show NBA scouts that they have the capacity to excel in clutch situations.
As to which players step up and show their mettle with millions of people watching, that will remain to be seen.
