Tagged As: basketball, NBA, Sports, Cavs, Lakers, Ricky Rubio, Blake Griffin

Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers are having terrific seasons. The Boston Celtics, second in the Eastern Conference, have clinched a place in the playoffs and the Los Angeles Lakers are blowing away the competition despite the now annual Andrew Bynum late season injury. About this time fans can choose to focus on the playoffs or the lottery, and this year everyone would rather be focusing on the playoffs.

The class is just not that great this year. Only one player, Blake Griffin is considered a sure thing, and only two others are considered worth exploring. These two are Greg Monroe, a freshman power forward from Georgetown, and Rick Rubio, a young guard playing in Spain.

It is not that the rest of the players are not going to make decent NBA players, but nobody really wants to pay them Lottery salaries to become good role players off the bench.

Instead the 14 teams that do not make it to the playoffs will have to hope to land in the top three. Here is a quick overview of the three prospects those teams will be drooling over.

Blake Griffin

Position: Forward

Height: 6-10

Weight: 251

Griffin is the star player for the current number six team in the country according to the AP Top 25. He is averaging 22.1 points and 14.2 rebounds for the Oklahoma Sooners and is truly a player to notice. Guys who average 20-10 in college are rare because the game is shorter and the style of play is slowed down. Still Griffin is among the best interior scorers in the nation and he leads the country in rebounding.

It is his strength and athleticism that make him such a commodity. He has been compared to Carlos Boozer with more air. I have even heard comparisons to Charles Barkley. Hopefully these comparisons only extend to the players’ talent and not the personality conflicts each seems to drudge up wherever they go.

And no player profile would be complete without a highlight reel posted from YouTube

Rick Rubio

Position: Guard

Height: 6-4

Weight: 180

Ricky Rubio has been playing professional basketball since he was 15 years old in 2005. He now plays for DKV Joventut in the Spanish ACB League and has impressed scouts during international play. He simply has not dominated the European game yet, but has been making strides, coming back from injury. Looking at stats in Europe is pointless, but if you must you must notice that he has been terrorizing opponents in his last four games.

This heralded European prospect is loved for his wingspan, playmaking ability (compared to Pistol Pete Maravich), basketball IQ, floor leadership, craftiness when driving to the basket, and midrange jump shot. Of course, every prospect ahs negatives. Rubio is a poor outside shooter and a little weak (something that can be tuned with experience) as well as a somewhat lack of athleticism and lateral quickness (something that can only be improved a little bit).

Here is Giants RCk8’s ode to Ricky…

Greg Monroe

Position : Forward

Height: 6-11

Weight: 250

This Georgetown freshman is playing for a team that has been disappointing experts since the Big East season began. They were 9-4 before playing conference opponents and 7-11 since. It would be a shame to have to watch the NIT Tournament to see him in action, but that might be the case. Monroe is averaging 12.7 points and 6.6 boards as a center in college. These are impressive numbers for a freshman who has to adjust to a level of play significantly better than anything he saw in high school.

The lurking question with regards to Monroe has been his heart. Players can have all the talent in the world, but if they do not want it bad enough they are buried on the bench quickly in the NBA. Monroe has been showing some desire this season to go along with being left handed, having a 7-2 wingspan, possessing a good jump shot, having good back to the basket moves, and having a nice first step. His heart, rebounding, and toughness have all been questioned.

Some ESPN highlights posted by BXSportsCenter on YoutTube…

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