2015 NBA draft

[Da Coach]

The 2015 NBA Draft is this Thursday, June 25. It takes place in Brooklyn, NY.

http://www.nba.com/draft/

Here are some mock drafts-

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft-extended.php

http://www.nbadraft.net/2015mock_draft

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/06/18/mock-draft-second-version/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt13a

Most mock drafts have 6 or 7 Kentucky players in the 2 rounds of the draft, with as many as possibly 4 of them going in the first dozen picks. There are some interesting international players who could surprise people (watch for Latvia's 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis to go in the top 5 or 6 picks), and a lot of big men projected to go in the first round. National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky is projected to go anywhere from #10 to #20 because of the depth of big men.

The Bulls have only 1 pick at #22. They have had some recent success in past years drafting between #20 and #30. Nikola Mirotic was the #23 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft (by the Houston Rockets and traded to the Bulls on draft night), Jimmy Butler was the #30 overall pick in the 2011 draft, and Taj Gibson was the #26 overall pick in 2009. Tony Snell was their 2013 pick at #20.

[Da Coach]

With the 2015 NBA Draft just a little more than 1 day away, here is an updated mock draft from CBSSports.com

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25223077/timberwolves-making-mistake-by-passing-on-okafor-to-take-towns

They have Rashad Vaughn going to the Bulls at #22. He is an athletic 6'6" 2-guard who lead UNLV in scoring as a freshman, and is a very good shooter. Some mock drafts show Sam Dekker dropping to the Bulls at the #22 spot. But, I think he'll be gone by then. But IMO, the Bulls need a wing player who shoots well from the perimeter. Mike Dunleavy was their most reliable outside threat this past season, but he is now a free agent and he'll be 35 next season.

[Da Coach]

As expected, the NBA Draft last night featured a lot of big men going high in the draft, and a lot of obscure foreign names in the later 2nd round.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2015-actual-draft

There were 4 Kentucky players in the first 13 players picked, and a total of 6 in the draft. Not only was starting center Karl Anthony-Towns (10.3 ppg average) picked as the #1 overall pick, their 2nd string center, Willie Cauley-Stein (8.9 ppg average) was picked #6 overall, 6'10" PF/C Trey Lyles (8.7 ppg) was picked #12, and 7' 3rd or 4th string center Dakari Johnson, who never started a game and averaged just 6.7 ppg, went in the 2nd round.

There was such an emphasis on big men that Dallas even drafted a 7'2" IMG Academy player from India, Satnam Singh (#52 overall), who nobody expected to get drafted, and who was not rated anywhere near the top 100 players available.
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/satnam-singh-bhamara (videos embedded)

He is the first player from India ever drafted.

This could have more to do with marketing Dallas Mavericks merchandise to the 1.25 Billion people in India who now might have one of their own to follow in the NBA. Mark Cuban is known as a good businessman, and this pick seems to me to have his fingerprints all over it. Satnam Singh is big, but he is just not very good, and I would not be surprised if he spends the season in the Development League and never plays a significant role for the NBA team.

BTW, the Bulls drafted 6'11", 245 pound power forward Bobby Portis from Arkansas. They did not expect him to be available by the 22nd pick (he was rated to go anywhere from 9 to 15 in the draft) and the Bulls never had him in for any kind of visit or workout. But he appears to be a steal at the 22nd pick. He lead the Arkansas team in scoring and rebounding this past season as a sophomore, averaged 17.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg, and even shot 47% from three.
Bobby Portis- http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/draft/...g-bobby-portis

[tornado]

only 3 foreign kids in the 1st round

[Da Coach]

One other minor surprise in last night's NBA Draft- Kansas center Cliff Alexander, from Chicago Curie HS. Just a few months ago he was a lock for a lottery pick, and many rated him as a top 5 pick. But he was declared ineligible late in his freshman season at Kansas when allegations arose about his association with professional agents. His stats at Kansas were a little underwhelming (7.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg), but he was still projected to be a high lottery pick even after his season ended early at KU.

But then he was only measured at 6'8", small for a player with a center's game, and had poor workouts for NBA teams. Then he supposedly suffered a knee injury during a workout for the Lakers. But what hurt him the most was a couple of interviews in which he exhibited a troubling attitude and blamed his misfortune on the NCAA, Kansas, his coaches and anyone else he could think of. In the end, his draft stock fell and he was projected near the bottom of the 1st round, but he went completely undrafted. He was #1 on Jay Bilas' "Best Available Players" list for the last 20 picks of the draft, but still no team drafted him.

http://www.foxsports.com/kansas-city/story/kansas-jayhawks-kelly-oubre-was-a-diamond-at-nba-draft-cliff-alexander-sure-got-it-rough-062615

[tornado]

although there were health concerns, he didn't go pro fully as a choice - but as a necessity - he was going to be declared ineligible to play in college due to taking money from agents..

[Da Coach]

Again, for the 3rd straight year, there was not a single player drafted from any of the 13 Division I college programs in Illinois. Meyers Leonard (11th pick in 2012) was the last one.

And I believe (correct me if I am wrong) Meyers Leonard in (#11 in 2012) and Wilson Chandler (#23 in 2008 ) have been the only Illinois D1 college players drafted in the 1st round since Patrick O'Bryant went #9 in the 2006 NBA draft.

Plenty of Illinois prep players have been drafted high in recent years. This year Jahlil Okafor (#3), and Frank Kaminsky (#9) were lottery picks. In 2014 Jabari Parker was the #2 overall pick. In 2012 Anthony Davis was the #1 overall pick and Meyers Leonard was #11. In 2011 Iman Shumpert was #17. In 2010 Evan Turner was drafted #2 overall. And in 2008, Derrick Rose was #1 overall.
That is a pretty good collection of talent from Illinois getting drafted very high in recent NBA drafts, but none of them attended college in their home state.

[tornado]

BTW, the Bulls drafted 6'11", 245 pound power forward Bobby Portis from Arkansas. They did not expect him to be available by the 22nd pick (he was rated to go anywhere from 9 to 15 in the draft) and the Bulls never had him in for any kind of visit or workout. But he appears to be a steal at the 22nd pick. He lead the Arkansas team in scoring and rebounding this past season as a sophomore, averaged 17.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg, and even shot 47% from three.
Bobby Portis- http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/draft/...g-bobby-portis

Bobby Portis had a pretty awesome night last night in the NBA Summer League
he had a dominating game with 25 pts, 15 rebounds, and a couple blocked shots..
six of his rebounds were offensive rebounds - and some people have compared his energy around the basket and his rebounding efforts to Dennis Rodman - or, actually, a Dennis Rodman who can score.
If that is indeed the case, then the Bulls may have scored again on a late 1st rounder like they did with Jimmy Butler.

[tornado]

.... Latvia's 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis ....

Knicks got heavily criticized by media and even their own fans for taking the Latvian Porzingis but he is about the only bright spot.
Anyone see the Knicks-Heat game last night? Porzingis tried to get his teammates involved but they shoot so poorly. He still almost had 20 & 15 despite endless double & triple teams when he got the ball, and he's just a rookie getting better. On top of that he may be their best 3-pt option.

[tornado]

... Jahlil Okafor ...

looks like Jahlil Okafor got lured into a street fight by some jerk taunting him

https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/sixers-rookie-jahlil-okafor-involved-in-street-fight-in-boston/158277120

Hope he learns lesson - don't bother with jerks like that - being such an ignorant jerk is its own worst punishment...

[Da Coach]

I don't know what will happen to Okafor. The TMZ video shows him punching a guy in the face pretty hard and knocking him flat.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/11/26/jahlil-okafor-street-fight-kos-man-in-boston-video/

But the thing that some find more offensive is the guy with Okafor (reportedly a teammate) wearing his pants down below his ass-

[Da Coach]

NBA rookie Jahlil Okafor's problems may be getting a little more complicated. It's now being reported that he used a fake ID to get into a bar. He is only 19

http://chicago.suntimes.com/basketball/7/71/1140728/report-jahlil-okafor-tried-use-fake-id

[tornado]

He also just got stopped for speeding...
108 mph over the Ben Franklin Bridge between Phiily & Camden, NJ

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14248533/jahlil-okafor-philadelphia-76ers-stopped-speeding-ben-franklin-bridge