Alex Kennedy of Hoops World took the time to answer a few questions about the 2010 NBA draft for us. We thank him for taking the time!
1. For basketball fans like me who don’t really watch much college ball, how
would assess the strength of this draft class? Sounds to me like there’s some
solid role players and contributors, but not tons of stars to be had.
There’s no question that this is one of the deepest draft classes in
recent years. It’s really hard to tell how many stars will emerge in this
class because so many underclassmen left school early. Who knows how good
players like Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, Xavier Henry, or Hassan Whiteside
can become? They left school early to avoid a potential lockout next year
but if these players had developed and gotten more exposure, many experts
agree that these are lottery talents we’re talking about.
Outside of the unproven players with a lot of upside, there’s no question
that a lot of these guys will be impact players at the next level. One
executive recently said that there was no drop off in talent at number
eight to number twenty-two in this draft. Others said that there was a lot
of first round talent available in the second round. This may not be a
class that contributes a ton of stars to the league but there’s a good
chance we see many of these players on NBA rosters for years to come.
2. Any thoughts on the Kevin Pritchard firing? How odd was it that he did
the draft knowing he would be fired after?
I knew that Pritchard would be fired shortly and that Portland was already
searching for his replacement but I could not believe the team chose to
fire him an hour before the draft. Their timing really surprised me and it
was somewhat ironic since the draft, in recent years, has really been
dominated by Pritchard’s moves. I give credit to him though, he did an
excellent job landing Luke Babbitt, Elliot Williams, Armon Johnson, and
Ryan Gomes despite the circumstances.
3. Who’s that second round pick that is most likely to be a glue guy in the
league?
Darington Hobson is the player to watch, in my mind. Several teams tried
to move up and select him in the first round but couldn’t work out a deal.
He slipped to Milwaukee at thirty-seven but he’s going to an excellent
glue guy. He has played with Brandon Jennings in the past and his biggest
strength is ball movement so Scott Skiles is going to love him from day
one. He has the work ethic and decision making necessary to make it in
this league. He’ll contribute as a rookie but his biggest contributions
will likely come down the road when some of Milwaukee’s other wing players
are gone and he gets some more minutes.
4. Could John Wall and Gilbert Arenas play together? Lots of people say no,
I personally feel like it could work. Couldn’t Gilbert be a catch and shoot
guy, then take over the ball when Wall sits?
At this point, Gilbert Arenas needs to adapt his game to John Wall rather
than vice versa. Wall is the new face of the franchise and Arenas needs to
realize that. In the past, if you didn’t fit in with Arenas then you were
on the trade block but that’s not the case anymore. I think they’ll be
able to work together once roles are defined. Wall is a great point guard
and while he may be great with the ball in his hands, he doesn’t
necessarily need it to be effective. I think Arenas will provide scoring
and thrive outside of the distributor role and if they can get on the same
page, they could be one of the best backcourts in the league.
5. In watching the draft, what’s your favorite moment of that night? I
mean, besides the Sexy Silver fan chants.
I had gotten close with a lot of the players in the class, more than
usual, so hearing their names called had to be my favorite moment. Meeting
a lot of these guys throughout their college careers or during workouts
this summer, it’s great to see them finally reach their goal and have all
of the hard work pay off.
Covering it for HOOPSWORLD was great. I had never been a part of draft
coverage and breaking down each of the picks, running the Draft Diary in
the days leading up, and analyzing the picks on my Twitter was a lot of
fun too.
But Al-Farouq Aminu’s glasses and Wesley Johnson’s pants are up there as
well.
Alex Kennedy is an NBA writer for HOOPSWORLD.com and can be heard on ESPN 1040 in Tampa. Also, follow him on Twitter.