Lebron James Nike Commercial 2010

It doesn't take much for Lebron James to receive criticism these days. His new Nike commercial will definitely generate buzz. It is a little surprising that he did a commercial like this, considering his image is tarnished in most peoples eyes. When your the villain, you don't have to worry as much about what people will say or think, so Lebron is free to be himself. I love the concept of the commercial and believe he is reminding us all, he is still in control.

NBA Preview

With the NBA kicking off next week, it is time for my 2010-11 NBA season preview. I can't think of another season that has been as anticipated as this year. Obviously, there has been a major shift in power from the West to the East. Just to name a few names...Carlos Boozer left Utah for Chicago, the Celtics added Shaq O'Neil, Delonte West and Jermaine O'Neil, Amare Stoudamire left Phoenix for the big apple,and the Miami Heat acquired Chris Bosh and Lebron James. We are coming off a summer that paid Joe Johnson over 120 million dollars over 6 years, Hakeem Warrick 18 million dollars over four years, Channing Frye 30 million dollars over five years,Rudy Gay roughly 82 million dollars over five years and Darko Milicic 20 millions dollars...so you get the point. For the last two years we have been hearing about a possible lockout season in 2011 and how crappy teams finances are but GM's had no problem dishing out these contracts. Funny how that works...

Anyway, without seeing a game yet, I'm going to assume we are about to witness some of the best basketball since Michael Jordan was with the Bulls. Without further ado, here are my season predictions...

MVP: Lebron James

A lot of people are assuming Kevin Durant is ready to take the NBA MVP crown. I would like to give everyone a reality check. Lebron James is the best basketball player on the planet. Please do not confuse that with the best winner on the planet. In terms of statistics on a night in and night out basis, there is no better player in the world. Kevin Durant is a great player and a rare talent but he does not have the all-around game that Lebron James has. Lebron will have better stats and a better record.

Defensive Player of the year: Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard will own the defensive player of the year award until he gets injured or old. He consistently is in the top of the rankings in rebounds and blocks. He is also a big name so he will always get the nod over players like Gerald Wallace and Josh Smith. The only hope is if one year Rajon Rondo steals it from him. If Howard could ever get his offensive game together, he would be a serious contender for the MVP award.

Rookie of the year: John Wall

This was a tough one. I love John Wall as a point guard and I also love his former teammate DeMarcus Cousins has a dominant big man. It should also be mentioned that Blake Griffin is entering his rookie season. The three of them will dominate the rookie of the year race but Wall will come out on top for two reasons. He plays point guard, which is the NBA's most popular position to date and he also plays on a team where he was handed the keys to the city. DeMarcus Cousins is a great talent but he will share minutes with the full front court the Kings have. Blake Griffin will dominate at the power forward position but he is surrounded by Chris Kaman, Baron Davis and Eric Gordon(had a breakout summer with USA team). John Wall will play with an uninterested Gilbert Arenas and a decent supporting cast of guys who wouldn't start on more than half of the teams in the NBA. Not to mention he is the point guard so he runs the show.

Most Improved Player: Michael Beasley

Call me biased but I think Michael Beasley will have a breakout season. All the pressure he has had is officially off his shoulders. When the Heat traded him, he was written off as a top young NBA talent. He was shipped to a confused franchise with no leader or franchise player. If anything, he will flourish just because there will be more shots available and he doesn't have to worry about Dwyane Wade giving him disgusted faces after every mistake.

Now for my NBA team rankings by conference. By no means is this how I think the playoff picture will turn out but it is how I rank the best teams in each conference. As we know from last year, the Celtics were the best team in the East but they did not play that way during the regular season. So keep that in mind...

Eastern Conference

1.Miami Heat
2.Boston Celtics
3.Chicago Bulls
4.Orlando Magic
5.Atlanta Hawks
6.Milwaukee Bucks
7.New York Knicks
8.New Jersey Nets
9.Charlotte Bobcats
10.Washington Wizards
11.Indiana Pacers
12.Philadelphia 76ers
13.Cleveland Cavaliers
14.Detroit Pistons
15.Toronto Raptors

Western Conference

1.LA Lakers
2.Oklahoma City Thunder
3.Utah Jazz
4.San Antonio Spurs
5.Portland Trailblazers
6.Dallas Mavericks
7.Houston Rockets
8.Memphis Grizzlies
9.LA Clippers
10.Phoenix Suns
11.Sacramento Kings
12.New Orleans Hornets
13.Denver Nuggets
14.Minnesota Timberwolves
15.Golden State Warriors

There you have it. Only time will tell what really happens.

This is how you become famous over night

Hit of the year

Austin Rivers

High school basketball star Austin Rivers recently signed with Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils. Rivers' name may be familiar to you because he is the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Rivers is currently the number one ranked player in the class of 2011 by ESPN. He has plenty of highlight videos on youtube but if you haven't seen any, this one will make you an immediate fan:

G.O.A.T

If your a fan of sports video games I'm sure you know NBA 2k11 hit the shelves yesterday, October 5th. There has been a lot of early hype about this game, so of course I reserved my copy and purchased it yesterday. I'm here to tell everyone to believe the hype. The game is awesome and easily the best sports game I have ever played (I've been playing sports games for over 10 years). This was not just an updated version of last years game with a few gimmicky features added like in most games. This is truly a brand new version of the 2k series with all the things fans loved in the previous versions plus more to love. If your a fan of basketball you will love the game. This is as close to real as a sporting game gets to date. If your more of an arcade style kind of person, don't buy this. This is not your type of game, trust me. I have found myself getting mad because little tricks I used to do in the past don't work anymore (like passing through two defenders to my man standing under the basket). Then I come to my senses and remember that wouldn't happen in real life. I'm not going to talk about the game anymore because no words I say can do it justice. Just go buy it!


And if your still not sold, I forgot to mention Michael Jordan is in the game...Enough said

I'm Back!!!

After a brief absence from the blogging world, I have returned with more personal insight on the sports world. Check back frequently because I will be posting new material several times a week.

I Don't Know If This Is Cool Or Creepy

My two cents about Lebron

It has been a couple of weeks and the smoke is finally starting to clear. If you thought you were dreaming, you weren’t. Lebron James really did take his talents to South Beach and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Throughout his career I have been a loyal Lebron supporter, and I will continue to support him. No, I’m not an unreasonable fan that chooses to blindfold myself when it comes to his faults. I have no problem calling out LBJ, but in the end I will support him. With that being said, here is my two cents on Lebron’s departure from Cleveland and his arrival in Miami.

First, “The Decision.” It was a bad idea. Everyone knows it. No one outside of Lebron’s camp knows what the real intentions of the one-hour special were, and to be honest, I don’t want to know. It was nice that the money raised was donated to the Boys and Girls Club, but in my opinion, that was a bullsh*t attempt at covering up how egotistic the whole spectacle was. I’m sure the money they received was legitimate, but why bother with the cover-up? If you are convinced that you need a one-hour special to announce your plans for the future to the world, just do it. No need for a cover up.

All that said, I have no problem with Lebron doing something special to announce his decision. Although, I’m convinced that a half-hour special would have been much more appropriate.

Anticipation for “The Summer of Lebron” or “Lebron Free Agency 2010” has been building up for the last two years. In a year when names such as Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rudy Gay, Joe Johnson, David Lee, Dirk Nowitzki and more were all free agents, Lebron was singled out and put above everyone else. Many people will argue that Dwyane Wade is the third best player in the NBA, but no one was calling this the “Dwyane Wade Free Agency” or even the “Lebron and Dwayne Free Agency.” This whole time all eyes were on Lebron. So of course, Lebron and his camp soaked that up and did what they thought would create the most publicity.

Athletes and agents announces their signing decisions through sports media informers and team informants. Lately, people have been announcing their decisions on Twitter, but that is getting old. Too many people have done it. So, if you’re a sport’s biggest name why not do something different, something new, something that will be remembered?

In comparison, if you are a follower of college football recruiting and high school football, you know that ESPN shuts down one of its channels for about 4-6 hours for a national signing day special. For all the top-150 players who have not yet signed with a team, they announce what school they will be playing for on national television. I understand that this is a bunch of future prospects and not just one person, but if athletes that haven’t proven anything past the high school level get to go on television and announce where “they are taking their talents,” why can’t arguably the world’s best basketball player have a one-hour program announcing where he is going?

Moving on to another part of the criticism I disagree with, many ask how could he do that to Cleveland? Why would he do that to Cleveland? After all Cleveland has done for him how could he do that? I think the one-hour program may have been a bit harsh for Cleveland fans to watch, but I don’t think it was the end of the world. Whether he announced it on TV, through Chris Broussard or Twitter, Cleveland was going to be hurt. Also, why should he feel bad for Cleveland or treat Cleveland any different then all the other teams that recruited him? He doesn’t owe Cleveland anything. He didn’t ask to play there, he was drafted. He gave Cleveland some of the best years of basketball it has ever seen, even bringing hopes of a championship. He brought business and revenue to the city, and gave out-of-towners a reason to visit. For anything Cleveland and the Cavaliers organization did for him, he did just as much (if not more) for them by becoming a basketball icon. Yes, he is leaving Cleveland behind and the city will most likely suffer dramatically from his departure, but he is his own man and the city shouldn’t rely on one person, especially an athlete.

On to my next issue…Since the media is portraying Lebron’s, “The Decision,” as a complete debacle, people are now questioning those who Lebron has surrounded himself with, specifically his management team. However, for seven years Lebron appeared to have been doing all the right things. Many people jumped on him for not shaking hands or showing up to talk to the media after Orlando eliminated the Cavs two years ago, but even that was forgiven by most. So, with seven misstep-free years, why is it now ok to judge Lebron’s character and business team? Lebron has enjoyed the pedestal that the media themselves placed him on. So, big deal, we should blame ourselves for making him larger than life.

I’ve heard people say that Lebron isn’t who they thought he was. NEWS FLASH! Most of these athletes aren’t exactly how they are portrayed to be. We watch them play a sport and partake in a few interviews. Sometimes, we see an article with a few revealing quotes, but unless you actually hang out with these people, you don’t know them. Most of what you see is based on a public image created for the viewer, whether it be realistic or not. Lebron’s crew that everyone hates—they actually know him. His mom actually knows him, Chris Paul actually knows him, but we the fan do not. We know the super athlete that smiles a lot. In a professional environment do most people act the same way they do at home or with their buddies? Probably not.

On to my final issue…Why are people mad that Lebron chose to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? For the last five years, everyone has been saying that he needs a better supporting cast. So what is wrong with leaving Cleveland (the city that no other top free agents wanted to go to) and joining two of his good friends who happen to be elite players as well? Why should he stay in Cleveland or go to Chicago or build something in New York? Outside of Chris Paul, ESPN has reported several times that Dwyane Wade is one of Lebron’s best friends. Who wouldn’t want to play with their best friend, someone who they already have chemistry with, someone that has a championship and knows how to win?

Many people say that he should have wanted to beat Dwyane Wade and Bosh rather than play with them. It’s not like he still doesn’t have to beat Kobe in L.A., or KG in Boston, or Dwight in Orlando, or Derrick Rose (who I think is a top-five point guard in the league) in Chicago. The team that Miami has put together has only guaranteed publicity, not a championship. If Miami happens to win four or five of the next six championships, good for them. I don’t think it will make basketball any less entertaining, and I don’t recall people complaining when the Bulls dominated basketball year after year. The Bulls won six championships in eight years, and it could have been more if Jordan didn’t take a break. So if Miami dominates, good for them. And if this doesn’t pan out the way most people think it will, then good for the rest of the league. I personally think that they will win at least four championships just because Wade and Lebron will run teams out of the gym by themselves. Also, because Lebron can play and match-up against four out the five positions on the court, Miami will be a match-up problem for most teams.

Ok seriously, my final issue…The stats. Everyone wants to know about the stats. Can Lebron or Wade handle their stats taking a hit? Who will take the last shot of the game? How will Lebron and Wade mesh when they have the same skill set? First, just because they are together doesn’t mean their stats will take a huge hit. No, Lebron and Wade both won’t average 30 points, but they can both average in the high 20’s and still fill the stat sheet the way they have been doing. Who will take the last shot? WHO CARES! There are two of some of the best finishers in basketball on the same team. They could do eany-meany-miney-mo, or just give the ball to whoever is open. Seriously, with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh on the same team, how many games are really going to come down to the last shot? I’d say not many, and when the time comes I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Lastly, how will Lebron and Wade mesh when they have the same skill set? That question is not valid because they don’t have the same skill set. They are both freakish athletes and are at their best when getting to the rim. But obviously, that isn’t all they do. Wade is lightning fast, hence the nickname “Flash,” and he has developed a jump shot from anywhere on the floor. Lebron is a great passer for someone his size, and can play on the wing and in the post. Both play above average defense, are unselfish and love to get out on the break. Where is the problem here? I mainly focused on Lebron and Wade because those two are scary enough by themselves, and the addition of Bosh only makes things worse for opposing teams. If you found yourself asking any of the questions I have brought up in this article, maybe you should just admit that you are mad that Miami assembled a team of super stars in their prime. As for Lebron, I don’t agree with everything he has done in this process, but I am happy that he made his own decision based on his own preferences instead of making a decision based on what would have looked best to the public eye. I’m not a Miami Heat fan, but I like what they have done and I learned quickly to enjoy it because once the season rolls around, this will be very entertaining. On top of that, who knows when we will ever get to see something like this again.

That’s my two cents.

D.C. Fan

For those that support the sports teams of our nation’s capital, you have a lot to be happy about lately. I remember growing up with D.C. faithfuls who seemed to be disappointed year-round. The Capitals always stunk, the Redskins usually generated offseason buzz that sizzled out on the field a few months later, D.C. United wasn’t worth watching, the lack of a D.C. baseball team pushed desperate fans to adopt the Baltimore Orioles, and the Wizards, even at their best, were never a real contender.

However, 2010 marks a new day in DC. While much is still to be proven, the Washington locals are excited about the near future of their beloved teams.

This year’s NFL offseason started with a shocker in Washington. The division rival Philadelphia Eagles agreed to trade quarterback Donovan McNabb, an 11-year veteran and team leader, to the Redskins for a second round pick and a future third or fourth round pick. Seemingly every year there are discussions that McNabb will be shipped out of Philly, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be traded to a team in the same division, let alone a rival.

McNabb was not the only addition to the Redskins—Mike Shanahan returned to coaching after his brief time away from the game following his contract termination in Denver. Shanahan brings many years of playoff experience and a Super Bowl ring. He plans to develop a winner’s mentality in Washington, and with Shanahan and McNabb as the team’s leaders, Washington appears to be headed in the right direction.

The Nationals started the season with an astonishingly good record, surprising most. D.C. fans have become accustomed to poor baseball, as the Nationals general managers consistently traded away any proven talent for young prospects. These one-sided trades often led to empty seats at Nationals Stadium and a city full of disgruntled fans. This year it appears that bad fortune has finally left the Nationals dug out. For the first time in the team’s five-year tenor, the Nationals have the chance to finish the season above .500. After a fast start, the wins haven’t come easy for the hometown team, but all is not lost based on rookie Stephen Strasburg’s 14-strikeout debut in June. Unfortunately for the Nationals, Strasburg can’t pitch every game, and even if he could, that may not be enough because the bats have not been swinging lately for the Nats.

Outside of Strasburg, the Nationals had the pleasure of holding the number one draft pick this year. They decided to take highly heralded 17 year-old Bryce Harper. At just 17, Harper stands at 6’3 and weighs a solid 205 lbs. He has remarkable power for someone his age and many call him the Lebron James of baseball.

Currently at 43-58, winning just three of their last 10 games, it appears the Nats are taking a step in the right direction and will likely surpass their abysmal 59-103 record from last season. Things may not be great right now, but the future is bright.

The rebirth of hockey has hit the metropolitan area in the last couple of years also. Die-hard fans have been on a roller coaster ride over the last ten years, watching the Caps go from being a playoff contender in the early 2000s, to completely rebuilding a few years later (in 2004 the team tied for the second worst record in the NHL), to becoming a consistent title contender for the last three years.

The last decade has represented two eras for the Capitals. The new era is led by hockey sensation Alexander Ovechkin, who has lived up to all the expectations of a number one overall pick.

Over the last three seasons, the Capitals have seen an improvement in their overall record, finishing 28-40-14 in 2006-07, 43-31-8 in 2007-08 and improving to 50-24-8 in 2008-09. This year, the Caps posted the best regular season record in franchise history, finishing 54-15-13, and advancing to the playoff quarterfinals.

The city of Washington is in desperate need of a championship, and as it stands, the Capitals are the most likely team to bring one home.

The Washington Wizards are looking to start a new era of their own.

In recent years, the Wizards have seen early exits out of the playoffs, particularly when they ran into the “Cleveland Lebrons.” The former Cleveland all-star has shattered Wizard fan’s hopes and dreams several times, ranging from the creation of the infamous “crab dribble” to the release of Jay-Z’s song about DeShawn Stevenson’s underachievement.

Apparently the Wizards’ solution to last year’s playoff woes was to avoid it completely and not even make the playoffs this year.

Mid-season, the franchise player Gilbert Arenas pulled a gun out on teammate Javaris Crittenton over an alleged money dispute. After weeks of poor publicity and ill-handled press conferences, Arenas was ultimately punished with a short stint in jail and a season- long suspension.

However, that was just the beginning. When it rains, it pours, and Washington felt like Seattle this season. It was time to rebuild, so off went Jamison to Cleveland. Then Caron Butler and “Brenda” Haywood were packaged together and shipped to Dallas. In return, the Wizards received expiring contracts and role players.

With no star and no identity, the Wizards finished 26-56. Did I mention the team’s long-time and loved owner, Abe Pollin, died at the age of 86? Pollin owned the Wizards for 45 years before he died last November.

At this point the Wizards needed a blessing from the basketball gods, and luckily for them, their prayers were answered. The team won the NBA lottery and selected college-standout John Wall. Wall is an amazing talent and will be the Wizards first true point guard in a long time; and with the NBA slowly becoming a point guard-driven league, Wall will excel.

Unlike Kwame Brown, the Wizard’s 2001 first pick bust, Wall is a can’t miss, no risk and high reward type of prospect. At 6’4 with superb athleticism and passing ability, Wall should be the floor general for the Wizards the next 12-15 years. He is truly the real deal. It won’t be a quick turnaround, but behind Wall, the Wizards are preparing themselves to be a contender again in the near future.

Being a Washington sports fan can be frustrating at times, but for now things don’t look so bad. Hopefully, the near future will bring a championship home to D.C.

Franchise Year 2

So it turns out that I won our draft competition with a total of 30 points to Justin's 28. To recap, we each created a mock draft predicting the order in which the NBA executives would choose the players of the draft class of 2010. For every pick that was spot on, we awarded 3 points. For a pick that was one slot too high or low - 2 points, and for a pick two slots away - 1 point. We only mocked the first round and I won for a third time out of our four total contests the last four years.

Second order of business...

Justin won the first year of our Franchise competition in which we each chose five players from the 2009 draft who we thought would be particularly successful at the next level and charted their statistical prowess. We based scoring on each team of five's cumulative marks in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and three-pointers made with respective team win totals as a tie-breaker. Justin's team won five categories to my one making him the year one Franchise champion.

Justin's team included Tyreke Evans, James Harden, DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Terrence Williams.

My team included Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague, Gerald Henderson and a reach on Patty Mills that failed to pan out - to say the least.

The plan is to drop two players and add three each year until our rosters have ten players a piece. Each year we will count the cumulative totals of each team's statistics to determine the winner for that year. Stats from previous years will not count in determining the winner for each year. For instance, last year's totals will not have any affect on this year's competition.

Last year we selected our players before the draft, however, this year we opted to make selections after the draft but before summer league moving forward.

Team Justin dropped Sam Young and Dejuan Blair while adding Evan Turner, Derrick Favors and Al-Farouq Aminu. This gives Team J a 2010 roster of Evans, Harden, Williams, Turner, Favors and Aminu.

Team Chad dropped Gerald Henderson and Patty Mills (who I still think has a chance to be a solid pro) while adding Demarcus Cousins, Wes Johnson and Luke Babbitt. Thus, the Team C 2010 roster includes Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Wes Johnson, Luke Babbitt and Demarcus Cousins.

First over picks are not available to be drafted in the Franchise competition.

If you're scoring at home, the overall competition score is now 3-2 in favor of Team C (3 draft comp wins for Team C versus 1 draft comp. win and 1 franchise year win for Team J.)

Basketball Notes

Well "Lebron Day" has come and gone. King James rocked the sports world by leaving Cleveland to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The move made sense but for some people it was hard to accept. Depending on who you ask, Lebron James is the biggest name in basketball. You would think players would lineup to play with one of the leagues biggest stars but that wasn't the case. In fact, Lebron couldn't even talk his good friend Chris Bosh into coming over to Cleveland. There is no way I am the only person that thinks it is weird that Lebron had to leave his team (a team that has had the best regular season record two years in a row) in order to feel he could seriously compete for an NBA championship. Regardless of the decision, I support the road Lebron has taken. He showed that it is not all about money (he is not taking a max deal) and he is truly most concerned about winning. I find it funny that everyone got on Lebron for never winning a championship but now that he puts himself in a serious position to win a championship for the next five years, a lot of people are mad that he sacrificed being the superstar (it has been labeled a cop-out). I guess you can't please everyone, oh well. We will see how Miami surrounds their big three.

Bill Simmons posted an article today and if you haven't read it yet, you should take a look.

So what happens to the Cavs now?
For the past seven years we have heard about Lebron James weak supporting cast. So with James headed to South Beach, what does this mean for the Cavs. At this point they have no franchise player and no one to fill James role, so I suggest they start over. They possess several assets that many competitive teams may be interested in. I say they shop the whole team and try to accumulate young talent and draft picks. This is a team with no nucleus and with all the big named free agents signed, it appears the Cavs are the biggest loser this summer. Their owner should put up a clearance sign that says "everyone must go." Who knows they could land high school sensation Harrison Barnes, who many scouts have compared to Kobe Bryant. You never know, the basketball can't possibly just leave this team in the dark, something positive should come from this (optimistic thinking).

Lastly, what are the chances Shaq is calling Lebron and Wade asking for one more shot?

Time Capsule

Here is a link to an article I wrote for NBA.com about four years ago.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/difference_makers_070921.html

Interestingly enough, four of these guys stuck in the league. One of them, Amir Johnson, was even successful enough to "earn" one of the most outrageous of this summer's ridiculous contracts, signing with the Toronto Raptors for five years and $34 million. In any case, I'm proud to say I saw something in these fellows even as they struggled through the muck of D-league play.

Image of the Week

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Wesley Johnson with the fourth overall pick in last weeks draft. I'm not sure if Johnson has superstar potential but he definitely has a unique style. Check out his draft day outfit.

Final Mock Draft

My commentary in my last mock was fairly lengthy, so I’m going to keep it short this time. If you read the last one, you know what I think about each of these players.

1. Washington Wizards – John Wall PG
2. Philadelphia 76ers – Evan Turner SG
3. New Jersey Nets – Derrick Favors PF
4. Minnesota Timberwolves – DeMarcus Cousins C
5. Sacramento Kings – Wesley Johnson SF
6. Golden State Warriors – Greg Monroe PF/C
7. Detroit Pistons – Ed Davis PF
8. LA Clippers – Al-Farouq Aminu SF
9. Utah Jazz – Luke Babbitt SF
10. Indiana Pacers – Avery Bradley SG/PG
11. New Orleans Hornets – Paul George SF
12. Memphis Grizzlies – Patrick Patterson PF
13. Toronto Raptors – Ekpe Udoh PF
14. Houston Rockets – Cole Aldrich C
15. Milwaukee Bucks – Xavier Henry SG
16. Minnesota Timberwolves – Gordon Hayward SF
17. Chicago Bulls – Larry Sanders PF
18. Oklahoma City – Daniel Orton C
19. Boston Celtics – Dominique Jones SG/PG
20. San Antonio Spurs – Hassan Whiteside C
21. Oklahoma City Thunder – Eric Bledsoe PG
22. Portland Trail Blazers – Damion James SF
23. Minnesota Timberwolves – Elliot Williams SG
24. Atlanta Hawks – Kevin Seraphin PF/C
25. Memphis Grizzlies – Craig Brackins PF
26. Oklahoma City Thunder – Quincy Pondexter SF
27. New Jersey Nets – James Anderson SG
28. Memphis Grizzlies – Mikhail Torrance PG/SG
29. Orlando Magic – Armon Johnson PG
30. Washington Wizards – Jordan Crawford SG