Who is the biggest threat to overtake Blake Griffin for #1 overall?

Okay stop kidding ourselves Griffin has established himself as the #1 player for the upcoming draft so I think it is time to talke about his biggest potential challengers. In no particular order

1.)BJ Mullens C Ohio State-So far is very unimpressive but he has the upside.
2.)Hasheem Thabet C UCONN-Looking good so far.
3.)Austin Daye SF/PF Gonzaga-probably the biggest mystery. He has the size skills and talent to dominate but doesn't. His potential is through the roof.
4.)Ricky Rubio PG Overseas-There is always one european prospect that sneaks into the #1 overall talk.
5.)Greg Monroe C/PF Georgetown-Probably the most impressive freshman other than the undersized Samardo Samuels. Like Mullens has the upside but unlike Mullens he actually looks good out there.
6.)James Harden SG Arizona State-Anyone who has watched him play knows he is the real deal.
7.)Demar Derozan SG USC-Another upside freshman
8.)Samardo Samuels PF/C Louisville-undersized big man is like Zach Randolph can score with the best of them but can't guard my locker.
9.)Brandan Jennings PG-playing overseas.
10.)Cole Aldrich C Kansas-has looked good so far.

Greg Monroe will overtake him. Greg will measure out to atleast 6'10", is already a better passer, shotblocker, and at the least is equal in the rebounding department. Greg's offensive skills are a good 3 years ahead of Blake's and after a year of playing in Georgetown's modified Princeton the gap will be even wider.

Greg will rise because he will be playing in The Big East, which is the best conference in the nation, and can compete with many Pro leagues when it comes to talent.

I am not so sure that Monroe will be able to overtake him Griffin but man Monroe is impressive. I think anyteam would be happy to get Monroe. I know Griffin is a lock to be a 20-10 all-star power forward and I love his game to but Monroe is poised and smart and has the upside I know this is going way out on a limb but Blake Griffin could be the next Karl Malone but Greg Monroe has a lot of Tim Duncan qualities so............

[QUOTE=tbp82]I am not so sure that Monroe will be able to overtake him Griffin but man Monroe is impressive. I think anyteam would be happy to get Monroe. I know Griffin is a lock to be a 20-10 all-star power forward and I love his game to but Monroe is poised and smart and has the upside I know this is going way out on a limb but Blake Griffin could be the next Karl Malone but Greg Monroe has a lot of Tim Duncan qualities so............[/QUOTE]
Why don't you post more? 11 posts in almost 2 years. College/nba draft forums need some life.

Me.

[QUOTE=tbp82]Okay stop kidding ourselves Griffin has established himself as the #1 player for the upcoming draft so I think it is time to talke about his biggest potential challengers. In no particular order

1.)BJ Mullens C Ohio State-So far is very unimpressive but he has the upside.
2.)Hasheem Thabet C UCONN-Looking good so far.
3.)Austin Daye SF/PF Gonzaga-probably the biggest mystery. He has the size skills and talent to dominate but doesn't. His potential is through the roof.
4.)Ricky Rubio PG Overseas-There is always one european prospect that sneaks into the #1 overall talk.
5.)Greg Monroe C/PF Georgetown-Probably the most impressive freshman other than the undersized Samardo Samuels. Like Mullens has the upside but unlike Mullens he actually looks good out there.
6.)James Harden SG Arizona State-Anyone who has watched him play knows he is the real deal.
7.)Demar Derozan SG USC-Another upside freshman
8.)Samardo Samuels PF/C Louisville-undersized big man is like Zach Randolph can score with the best of them but can't guard my locker.
9.)Brandan Jennings PG-playing overseas.
10.)Cole Aldrich C Kansas-has looked good so far.[/QUOTE]


why do we repeat the same damnn thing each year college numbers dont mean shyt in the nba ask michael beasley and the heat for taking him over mayo

its about talent NBA ready game

like next year Jennings is going to be Rookie of the Year so he should be the first pick best talent nba ready so pick him he going to have the best career dont get caught up with college numbers ppl

Nobody. He is a lock as far as I am concerned. I love his numbers. I love his game. I love his size. Some say he is slow but he moves more than fine to me.

I don't want to make this an Orange Juice Cheeseburger Hold The Mayo thread but why would the heat regret taking Beasley over Mayo. Last I checked all Mayo was doing was scoring a lot of points on one of the worst teams in the league. If anything The Grizzlies stink because they weren't able to move up and get Beasley who would have fit a need at Power Forward and allowed them to keep Mike Miller. Now I love Mayo's defense and he can score with the best of them but to argue they should have taken him over Beasley is kinda out there. Back to Blake Griffin if he would have been in the draft he might have actually went #2 to Miami

[U]At this point[/U], no one. He has loads of potential and is averaging a near 20/20 and 3 steals.

His athletism is amazing.. he kind of reminds me of a Boozer, but with more length..

blake is gonna face off against demar derozan tonight at espn :) :cheers: I'm expecting a 20/20 game from blake griffin :cheers:

y dont anyone think tyler hansbrough is a top 10 pick? i mean i dont watch ncaa much, but from wut i see he is a star.

James Harden if anyone, but I think Blake's got it locked up.

It all depends on who is drafting. If they need a point, I think Rubio or Jennings could be good enough to be seriously looked at with the first pick. Besides those guys, I think Thabeet has got huge upside and teams love size.

Harden is a good player and will probably go high, but there are a million good SG. I actually think that is the thing that may hurt Griffin because you can find talented forwards all over the world, but a talented 7-3 C or a talented PG hard much harder to find.

What you are talking about Month H is really more of a height issue than it is a talent or even position issue. If Blake measure's 6'9 without shoes then he will be listed at 6'10 and now all of a sudden he goes from being a protoype Power Forward to being a 6'10 Forward/Center (Examples Emeka Okafor, Amare). The pre-draft measurements can be cruicial.

That is why I said teams love size. Of course there are way more talented 6-4 SG than there are 6-3 PG, and way more talented 6-9 PF than 7-1 C. The best player on almost every college basketball team is 6-2 to 6-9, and those that play point are more likely to be high scorers. It is harder to find a Rubio, Jennings, or Thabeet than it is Harden, Griffin, Aminu, DeRozan, Monroe, Budinger, James, Clark, Morgan, Smith, and dozens of others.

[QUOTE=lilojmayo]why do we repeat the same damnn thing each year college numbers dont mean shyt in the nba ask michael beasley and the heat for taking him over mayo

its about talent NBA ready game

like next year Jennings is going to be Rookie of the Year so he should be the first pick best talent nba ready so pick him he going to have the best career dont get caught up with college numbers ppl[/QUOTE]

you mayophile, beasley had the highest ceiling in the draft outside of Rose

but as to the question, no one. There is no one with the talent, passion, or upside of Blake Griffin this year

Nobody!

Blake Griffin will finish his sophmore season with 20+ppg and 12+rpg while shooting over 60%FG.

I see a prime Blake Griffin to be as good as Karl Malone in the offensive side and averaging Dennis Rodman rebounding numbers.

Blake Griffin will cause havoc once he gets in the Nba.

Motor, determination, leadership, fearless, work ethic, etc = Blake Griffin

blake griffin is number 1 no matter what hes that more dominant than the others ..but if bj mullens starats to show more than him because of his
size and atheltism

Official team information:

"

I think a lot of people are going to be dissapointed with how Griffin's career ends up if you think hes gonna be a top 20 player in the league. hes gonna measure 6-8 and a quarter and in my opinion if ur gonna be that size you need to have a legit face up game. i.e. Boozer or West and thats something i dont think he got. We'll see. juss my opinion. Give me Harden. Fool plays like a Manu type

Eprizzle, you are right about his height, but Griffin has a face up game. I think he even has enough of a face up game to play SF. He doesn't have the outside shot, but he can dribble well, is athletic enough to get to the hoop, and he can pass which is important in case he gets doubled. I agree that people are going to disapointed in his career, but he will be pretty good.

I have a feeling Blake Griffin is gonna prove all of you wrong. He's gonna be an instant 15-10 or a 15-8/9. He has the killer instinct, the work ethic, the motor, the determination, and motivation to be one of the great ones.

[QUOTE=beau_boy04]Official team information:
as the best max leap (no limit on steps) by reaching 27 inches above the rim.
[/QUOTE]
:ohwell: That sounds like a bit of a stretch.

Blake Griffin end of 2008 scouting report!

[url]http://ww.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=476[/url]

GREG MONROE

I think blakes going to be the #1 overall pick, but i think by tourney time monroe will give him a run for his money.

but really depends on whoes picking for the #1, cuz rubio can also make a case here.

but me personally if i had to pick a pg in this years draft i would pick brandon jennings in a heart beat.

if i had to pick

1. Monroe
2. Blake
3. Jennings
4. J. Harden

WOW! what a team that would make!

monroe > blake
jennings > rubio

Only two players have a chance to take the #1 spot from him...

[IMG]http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04W09aFgcu4QF/340x.jpg[/IMG]

He's getting better lately... I'll see him in person again on the 25th.

[IMG]http://www.periodistadigital.com/imgs/efep/20081204/1751156w.jpg[/IMG]

Personally I'd take Rubio out of the three available. 6'8 ultra-athletic power forwards in the NBA don't work out so well. Mullens has the highest "ceiling" and is showing marked improvement, however, I don't think he has the drive to be a great player. I think Rubio is most likely to be a good to great player out of the three. All he needs to work on is his body and shot and I think he'll have no problem.

Sorry buddy but BJ Mullens would be the next Kwame Brown if he went #1 overall. I understand fully that BJ is 7 foot and you can't coach that but #1 overall would be crazy. Deandre Jordan was more athletic and had as much if not more potential and he fell to the second round. Personally I think Mullens is like a Chris Kaman who when healthy is a solid contributor. If I have the 3rd pick or lower (assuming Griffin, Monroe, and Harden are 1,2,3 with Monroe and Harden being 2,3 not necessarily in that order) then I will start talking about Mullens but to pick him over Griffin or Monroe would be crazy and picking him over Harden would be a stretch as well (unless it was a position of need ie you already have a shooting guard).

Ricky Rubio ahahahahahaahaha. Seriously he better send thank you letters to Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and Derrick Rose because it is laughable to think someone who even consider taking him over Blake Griffin (unless Griffin measures 6'7 but then Monroe shoots to the top of the board).

This was my thread but really the only player (at this point) that looks like a threat to Blake Griffin is Blake Griffin. If he measure's shorter than expected (which to me would be 6'7 without shoes as I expect him to measure 6'8 without shoes) then Greg Monroe shoots to the top of the board. With Harden, Rubio, and Mullens (based on height alone) getting some whispers to Monroe's thrown (Griffin would probably drop to #2 or #3 at worse).

[QUOTE=tbp82]Sorry buddy but BJ Mullens would be the next Kwame Brown if he went #1 overall. I understand fully that BJ is 7 foot and you can't coach that but #1 overall would be crazy. Deandre Jordan was more athletic and had as much if not more potential and he fell to the second round. Personally I think Mullens is like a Chris Kaman who when healthy is a solid contributor. If I have the 3rd pick or lower (assuming Griffin, Monroe, and Harden are 1,2,3 with Monroe and Harden being 2,3 not necessarily in that order) then I will start talking about Mullens but to pick him over Griffin or Monroe would be crazy and picking him over Harden would be a stretch as well (unless it was a position of need ie you already have a shooting guard).

Ricky Rubio ahahahahahaahaha. Seriously he better send thank you letters to Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and Derrick Rose because it is laughable to think someone who even consider taking him over Blake Griffin (unless Griffin measures 6'7 but then Monroe shoots to the top of the board).

This was my thread but really the only player (at this point) that looks like a threat to Blake Griffin is Blake Griffin. If he measure's shorter than expected (which to me would be 6'7 without shoes as I expect him to measure 6'8 without shoes) then Greg Monroe shoots to the top of the board. With Harden, Rubio, and Mullens (based on height alone) getting some whispers to Monroe's thrown (Griffin would probably drop to #2 or #3 at worse).[/QUOTE]

Do me a favor and name all of these 6'8 ultra-athletic power forwards that have worked out in the NBA in recent history...

Then again, when you compared Deandre Jordan to BJ Mullens you showed your knowledge... Rubio is the real deal.

Is is hard to find one that is Uber-Athletic as you put it but 6'9 or less Power Forwards who have worked out (yet aren't as athletic as Griffin) are Paul Millsap Utah, Carlos Boozer Utah, Elton Brand 76ers, David Lee Knicks, David West Hornets, Udonis Haslem Heat Zach Randolph Clippers, Ben Wallace Cavaliers, Kenyon Martin Nuggets. Now all of these guys are not all stars but they have worked out. I know what is coming next the mid-range jumper thing but if you have watched Blake you have seen him hit the college 3 this year. He has even developed a nice little Tim Duncan bank shot as well. Even though I answered your question I don't think it is a fair question. I think your question is just as absurd as me asking you to name all the 7 foot white centers (Mullens) who have worked out in recent memory a list that would be smaller than the 6'8 power forward list or I could say name me the players from international ball that have worked out in recent memory (a list that is comparable to the 6'8 list). These are not fair questions that is why I don't ask them.

Mullens has no chance to go #1 overall this year over guys like Monroe, Griffin, Harden etc... If he is smart he would do what Griffin did. Stay in school one more year, improve your game and be a lock for the top 3 in the draft the following year.

Griffin will go #1. After that, it's pretty much up in the air. I think it'll be between Teague, Harden, & Monroe.

Griffin will be # 1 unless some team is crazy.

[QUOTE=tbp82]Is is hard to find one that is Uber-Athletic as you put it but 6'9 or less Power Forwards who have worked out (yet aren't as athletic as Griffin) are Paul Millsap Utah, Carlos Boozer Utah, Elton Brand 76ers, David Lee Knicks, David West Hornets, Udonis Haslem Heat Zach Randolph Clippers, Ben Wallace Cavaliers, Kenyon Martin Nuggets. Now all of these guys are not all stars but they have worked out. I know what is coming next the mid-range jumper thing but if you have watched Blake you have seen him hit the college 3 this year. He has even developed a nice little Tim Duncan bank shot as well. Even though I answered your question I don't think it is a fair question. I think your question is just as absurd as me asking you to name all the 7 foot white centers (Mullens) who have worked out in recent memory a list that would be smaller than the 6'8 power forward list or I could say name me the players from international ball that have worked out in recent memory (a list that is comparable to the 6'8 list). These are not fair questions that is why I don't ask them.[/QUOTE]

First off Griffin is shorter than probably all those guys except for Wallace/Martin. Also, David West is a shooter. I can do the same thing with the 7' white center argument and list decent players... Andris Biedrins, Chris Kaman, Andrew Bogut, Spencer Hawes along with players who have played PF and C in their careers like Pau Gasol or players who are shorter than 7' like Brad Miller or now Kevin Love. Of course Griffin is the better player of the two at this exact moment by miles, but if BJ Mullens starts coming on strong and declared for the draft, he could be picked over Griffin on potential, that's all I'm saying. I'm not saying anyone is going to surpass Griffin in this draft, only that if someone does I'd expect either Ricky Rubio or BJ Mullens would be the guy.

Mullens has been playing well in his last 5 games (I'll watch him live tomorrow)
averaging 14.2 PPG 5.8 RPG, and 1.6 BPG on 72% shooting playing 25 MPG. I think he's going to start busting out soon.

patirck patterosn

A few questions for FOS.

1)Why do you think Griffin is so short? He looks taller than Beasley and when he played Jerome Jordan (6'10 or 7'0) he didn't look that much shorter.

2)Even is Griffin measures low and Mullens starts playing well how does he jump Greg Monroe?

3)What are your thoughts on Austin Daye he is another upside player?

Only person I can think of is this Rubio hype. If he's really that good, then I can see the switch for him. It'll be like Dwight over Emeka. At the time, Emeka was supposed to be the no-brainer pick.

Rubio hype I still say Monroe has best chance but anyway Howard over Emeka wasn't that big of a shot as many many scouts, articles, even an articles in Sports Illustarted about Sebastian Telfair and another about Howard's AAU team all suggested that Howard was the likely choice for #1 pick. Orlando made it clear from Day 1 that they were picking between Howard and Okafor.

[QUOTE=tbp82]Rubio hype I still say Monroe has best chance but anyway Howard over Emeka wasn't that big of a shot as many many scouts, articles, even an articles in Sports Illustarted about Sebastian Telfair and another about Howard's AAU team all suggested that Howard was the likely choice for #1 pick. Orlando made it clear from Day 1 that they were picking between Howard and Okafor.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it was. Everyone on this board was calling Emeka's number cause he was a college beast, he had just won the championship at UConn and was projected to be a Tim Duncan like player. Dwight was just seen as a kid who had athleticism and needed to mature. Emeka dominated him in the tryouts, being much stronger than him and more polished. Dwight also had percieved "maturity" issues cause he kept saying he wanted to "evangelize the NBA and cast out sin.

It's easy for you to sit here and look back and say that Orlando made the right decision but at the time, most people on this board said it was the poor choice.

I'm pretty sure Rubio isn't coming out this year, he just got a fat contract in Europe. 2010 or 2011 NBA Draft for him. I've seen him play and he's a tad overrated at this point anyways, although he is entertaining and creative. Could potentially be like Steve Nash with much better defense but not as good of a shooter. Will probably go #1 in 2010.

BJ Mullens doesn't have a chance of going #1 this year, he could really, really, REALLY use another year or even two of college. Wait until Jared Sullinger gets there and combine with him for a NCAA champeenship maybe. Really the only reason I can think of for him [I]not[/I] to stay one more year (like Blake), is the risk of having a serious injury and screwing himself out of any NBA money.

Brandon Jennings would probably be dominant in the NCAA, Arizona would probably be a contender, and he would possibly be considered the Derrick Rose-style #1 pick PG. Alas, he went to Europe, and now a lot of scouts won't see as much of him and NBA fans definitely won't see much of him. He killed much of the hype he earned in highschool. There ain't no NCAA tournament to redeem himself, so I highly doubt he gets picked #1, even by a team that could use a PG.

James Harden I haven't seen much of, except that overtime win against UCLA, but all he did was draw a bunch of fouls. He reminds me somewhat of Paul Pierce, but I haven't really seen enough of him to judge. Others say Manu. There is an outside chance for him to be #1 if Blake measures too short to be a F/C and the team drafting already has a top tier PF.Like if my Raptors were drafting #1, I think he'd be a good pick because we have no wings.

Greg Monroe is the real contender. He is an impressively skilled and intelligent player who will measure at least 6'9, more likely 6'10, without shoes. From what I've seen he is absolutely vital to any success Georgetown has. His versatility,skill, size and potential could vault him to #1 if Blake measures at 6'8 or lower sans shoes, or if the drafting team has a well-established PF and thinks they could use Monroe as a F/C.

And of course Blake Griffin himself, a beastly college player, definitely has the athleticism, strength, rebounding instincts, intensity, and wingspan to be a very good NBA PF, and if he measures above 6'8 and develops a reliable face up game, he could be an All-Star. He reminds me of Lebron physically, they're probably about the same size, but obviously Blake has far less skill and coordination, and is somewhat less athletic (might have more brute strength, though). If Blake is like Mr. Beasley and is under 6'8, he could have problems, but would still be good.

I can't think of anyone else who could go #1, barring someone absolutely going off in the tournament (I'm looking in your direction Curry).

BJ Mullens is freaking terrible. He should go in the second round if he comes out this year, no joke.