Tuesday Bolts – 6.22.10
ESPN had current players do a mock and Nick Collison drafted James Anderson and Damion James for OKC, two Big XII guys: “Although there are not a lot of wing minutes available here, we need more knock-down shooters to space the floor for our scorers. I saw him hit a ton of jump shots live against my Jayhawks this year in Stillwater” … “You can never have enough guys who battle and compete. We could use some more size, but you can’t take guys just because they look good on paper. I love his activity and how he pursues the ball off the board.”
Ziller’s newest mock has OKC taking Kevin Seraphin at 21: “Seraphin hasn’t been working out for teams due to injury, but teams have seen enough to know this cat could be a solid power forward in the NBA. Even though the Thunder seem on the cusp of contention, they can wait around for a potential starter in the frontcourt.”
This second round mock on Yahoo! has OKC taking my man: “Booker knew how to fill up a stat sheet. He led the Tigers in scoring (15.2 points) and rebounds (8.4) as a senior and finished second on the team in assists. He has a power forward’s game but measured just 6-foot-7½.”
The KC Star’s mock: “Solomon Alabi (Florida State), Center (7-1, 240) – The Thunder are very skilled on the wings and in the backcourt so they should be looking for another big body and the raw Nigerian big man with a defensive upside is a nice value pick here. Think: Dikembe Mutombo.”
How good was the class of 2006? Eamonn Brennen tells us: “It’s been four years since the class of 2006 washed ashore on the college hoops coastline. You may remember the biggest names: Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. took Ohio State to the precipice of a national championship. Kevin Durant had one of the most impressive freshman seasons in the history of college basketball. Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington brought North Carolina back to the top. The list goes on.”
Frank Hughes on prospect Ryan Richards: “But not Ryan Richards. This is all new to him. The Englishman has been hunkered down in the lower reaches of European basketball where very few have heard of him, much less know at exactly which age he started to participate in a game that uses hands instead of feet. It wasn’t until the pre-draft camp in Chicago last month that Richards, 19, really became a known commodity, and now everybody in the league is trying to familiarize themselves with this 6-foot-11, 230-pound lefty who may have earned himself a spot in the first round.”
Ian Thompson has OKC taking Eric Bledsoe at 21: “An explosive combo guard with the potential to be a strong perimeter defender, Bledsoe will be joining a program that is already crowded with young talent. The sink-or-swim environment of Oklahoma City should help bring out his potential.”
