The NBA draft is getting underway now, which means that it is time for our annual roundup of faint praise, backhanded compliments, and snickering passive-aggression directed at the gifted players about to become honest professionals. Players are listed in the order of Chad Ford's latest mock draft. 1. Anthony Davis, Kentucky "As he continues to fill out physically and adds bulk to his upper and lower body, Davis will likely have more success establishing position in the paint." (Draft Express) 2. Thomas Robinson, Kansas "I expected him to maybe have a shot at winning conference Player of the Year, I really did. … But the national Player of the Year attention that he's getting certainly would have been a dream, and I would have never anticipated that." (Bill Self) 3. Bradley Beal, Florida "You hate to hear of a shooting guard whom some scouts say doesn't have a great looking shot." (Sam Smith, NBA.com) 4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky "MKG is a culture guy. He is not the draft's best scorer, he has an ugly jumper and he's not particularly polished." (Chad Ford) 5. Andre Drummond, Connecticut "Why would a team that's bad enough to be picking so (early) want to play it safe, anyway? I don't know if Drummond will ever develop into a high-level offensive player in the NBA, but he is already, at his young age, physically ready to play, and you can't say that about a lot of college seniors." (Seth Davis) "I don't think he's immature, he's just underdeveloped." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 6. Damian Lillard, Weber State "One thing I can't argue is whether Lillard should be the top point guard taken this year. He clearly has less flaws than the other first-round hopefuls at his position." (Yahoo) 7. Dion Waiters, Syracuse "Dion really plays best and is most explosive when we try to keep his minutes in a certain area." (Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim) 8. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina "This is a man's league and I don't know for sure if he's the type of guy who will step on you when you're down." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 9. John Henson, North Carolina "I think he made some jump shots, and yet I think that is fool's gold sometimes. Our chances are better with Reggie [Bullock] or Harrison [Barnes] shooting, and John [Henson] rebounding." (Roy Williams) "He's not Ray Allen or anything, but he's not Reggie Evans anymore, either." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 10. Austin Rivers, Duke "Some players, they learn one punch. When you take that punch away, they get knocked out. He needs to use that aggressive mentality to work on new things about his game. … I hope he gets a demanding coach at the next level who pushes him to keep adding to his game. That's how he'll become great. If he reverts back to just doing the thing he does well, his chances lessen that he's a good player in the NBA." (Mike Krzyzewski) 11. Tyler Zeller, North Carolina "Zeller isn't a sexy pick." (Chad Ford) 12. Meyer Leonard, Illinois "Leonard, though emotionally a little immature, is a very gifted 7-foot center who will be a great complement to the uptempo Ellis/Brandon Jennings backcourt. Additionally, staying close to his Robinson, Ill., hometown could be an added bonus, as Leonard struggles with self-confidence at times." (Doug Gottlieb) 13. Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut "I liked him much better when he played off Kemba Walker as a freshman." (Chad Ford) "His body is no worse than Rip Hamilton's was." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 14. Terrence Ross, Washington "Really good players have an identity and they're known for something. For Terrence, when he's making shots that is his identity. Not that he's not a good player and he does other things, but that's still his identity." (Washington assistant coach Jim Shaw) 15. Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State "George Karl may want to push for fellow former Tar Heel Kendall Marshall here, but size trumps smarts for this pick." (Fran Fraschilla) 16. Perry Jones III, Baylor "He's such a neat kid." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 17. Terrence Jones, Kentucky "If he wants to exert himself, Jones is hard to handle." (NBA.com) 18. Moe Harkless, St. Johns "Best Case: Trevor Ariza, Worst Case: Devin Ebanks" (Draft Express) 19. Marquis Teague, Kentucky "It will take him some time to figure it out, and Teague needs to improve his shot and middle game, but he is the selection here." (Jay Bilas) 20. Kendall Marshall, North Carolina "I think he either ends up being really good like Andre Miller or he's UConn's Marcus Williams." (Chad Ford ) "Andre Miller's contract is up with the Nuggets this summer. In most every way, Marshall is the perfect replacement. They have similar builds and games." (Chad Ford) 21. Royce White, Iowa State "White returned to Ames drawing favorable comparisons to Billy Owens, Boris Diaw, Antoine Walker, and other silky forwards capable of maneuvering through the post and on the perimeter." (Grantland) 22. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State "Weight will always be an issue with him, and heavy guys historically end up having problems." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 23. Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure "From a coaching standpoint, when you need a basket, you can draw something up for him, and you know he'll get a good look. It's not going to go in every time, but you know you're going to get a good look." (St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt) 24. Fab Melo, Syracuse "He is a decent shooter." (Jim Boeheim) 25.Tony Wroten Jr., Washington "As his Huskies teammate Terrence Ross said Monday, if you have a chance to be drafted in the first round, you have to take it." (Steve Kelly, Seattle Times) 26. Draymond Green, Michigan State "When you talk about defense, I'd be the first to tell you, he's not our best defender, but he might be by far our best cerebral defender." (Tom Izzo) "His shot's not broken." (Anonymous scout, SI.com) 27. Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt "I don't think he gets enough credit. He's an athletic player. He is going to play for money." (Former LSU coach Trent Johnson) 28. Evan Fournier, France "They can leave him in Europe for another year while they figure things out, if necessary." (David Thorpe) 29. Will Barton, Memphis "Best Case: Manny Harris, Worst Case: Rawle Marshall" (Draft Express) 30. Quincy Miller, Baylor "Of the two Baylor guys, he may actually have the better shot of making it." (Chad Ford) Relatedsportsbooks for footballtop nfl betting sitesncaa football bettingbetting on nba onlinenew mlb betting sitesbest betting sites for nhlbet on ufc gamessoccer betscopa america bet
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