I will keep an eye on Barbosa and Travis Outlaw. No special reason. I actually never saw them play. I just think Phoenix and Portland had some of the best scouts in the world. They always seemed to find something really good in the mid to late 1st round (especially with the athlete types). So I think what they picked are going to be good (means surprises at their spots). BTW do people know what reasons made Randolph picked so low in his draft at that time (#19... compared to Griffin at #7)?
Randolph was picked so low because of height concerns (closer to 6'8", I believe) and some questions about his past...thus he made a perfect pick for Portland.
Outlaw is a great athlete, who lacks fundamentals. He won't be getting much, if any PT for Por though.
I think Sweetney is going to have a great year. He's a very capeable big man and he's playing in the east. I expect more than decent numbers from him.
Hayes. He would have been picked higher had there not been the Georgia problems that led to them not being in the postseason.
How about the obvious guys? Most experts, read experts, not casual fans, are cautious to expect too much from LBJ because of the past failings of high school rookies. I think his numbers will be much better than KG, Bryant, or Tmac's, and slightly better than Amare's. And look for Milicic to be a starter about 20 games in and have a better season than expected too. As for the rest, you look for talented guys going into situations tailor made for them, I'll start with the lottery picks, although it's debatable if they are actually surprises. Anthony will do very well but that's not a surprise; Wade will score just cause someone has to in miami; Ford in Milwaukee should be fine offensively, the whole team will be horrible defensively, Banks will start in Boston. After the lottery it's a complete crap shoot, here's a few guesses: Gaines in Orlando could start, Barbosa could be good in Pheonix when Hardaway gets injured again (it's gonna happen) Luke Walton might be the rookie that accomplishes the most in the playoffs Also, look for lottery picks Hinrich, Hayes, and Pietrius to have bad seasons because of crowded positions like Williams, Dunleavy, Wilcox did this year (2 of the teams are actually repeats, Yikes!). I don't think anyone outside the lottery actually fail because there won't be many expectations for them
Outlaw's stats will look just like this http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3619/career Woods and Outlaw seem to be birds of a feather.
This guy is going to be the truth. Some team question his strength, but he will show people that he's a beast. His work ethic and ability to get to the foul line will always make this guy a good scorer no matter who hold him. He creates contact and converts his ft's. Most say they wanted Collison, but to a mn and no disrespect to Ford and West, Sweetney was the best player in college hoops last season.
Anyone think Carmelo won't be that good? People keep saying he lacks "blow- by ability" and that he needs to learn it. Is that something he can really learn? What good is a shooting guard or small forward who can't drive to the basket?
Reece Gaines. Playing next to T-Mac should give this smart player plenty of opportunities to cut to the basket, plus not too much pressure to be the second scoring threat (Giricek, Gooden). The Magic are starting to look like a major force in the East.
No one is talking about David West. He could help immediately. Also, if Delfino plays for the pistons next season, He could contribute too
Randolph was a freshman at Mich St. Also, I don't think he even started the games. He was a monster on the boards but who knew he was going to be this good.
