2008 Draft

From Rags to Riches: A tale of two cities

For the 2008 NBA draft, the Miami Heat landed the 2nd pick overall while the Chicago Bulls shocked everyone (even their own front office staff) and grabbed the #1 pick overall. It would seem that the Dicken’s classic could apply here, as both the franchises in Miami and Chicago stand to gain some good fortune with whichever player they choose. For Miami, that decision is ultimately Chicago’s.

This year’s draft class is characterized as a pretty strong draft, but it is outclassed by the top two prospects – Kansas State’s Michael Beasley and Memphis’ Derrick Rose.

Beasley is a freakish athlete with a quirky personality. He helped bring K-State to their first ever appearance at the “Big Dance” and even gave them a chance to shock some teams in the NCAA tournament. Ultimately, his time on campus was brief, but he averaged 26.2 PPG, 12.4 RPG and recorded 28 double-doubles on his way to grabbing Freshman of the Year and First Team All American honors.

Then there is Derrick Rose, who is being touted as the next great point guard for the NBA. He possesses both speed and athleticism; power and poise. He, like Beasley, put together a tremendous freshman season leading his Memphis Tigers to the NCAA Final where they lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in dramatic fashion. Rose averaged 14.9 PPG, 4.7 ASTs and shot 47% from the field. Selected as a finalist for the Wooden award, Rose was named Third Team All American and won Freshman of the Year for his conference.

After Rose and Beasley, who are slated to go 1-2, there is a lot of talent but not a lot of certainty as to where it will play out. Mock drafts abound, and most have some combination of Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), Brook Lopez (Stanford), OJ Mayo (USC), and Eric Gordon (Indiana) following. It is also not a certainty as to how much of an impact these players will have for their future NBA franchises. There are some raw talents like LSU’s Anthony Randolph and Texas A&M’s DeAndre Jordan both intriguing scouts.

Then there are unknown talents like Italy’s Danilo Gallinari, who is a small forward with some point guard skills, excellent shooting and a mature game.

Clearly, the 2008 NBA draft is characterized by tiers – franchise changing level (Beasley and Rose), solid NBA talents (everyone else), intriguing unknowns with upside (Gallinari, Randolph).

Visit us in the Draft Chamber for more updates and discussion on the upcoming NBA draft.

Miami Heat Needs

The Heat have several needs based on their current roster situation. Basically, they have no underlining strong area of concern, but could use more depth and consolidate some of their scoring power into a few players. The goal remains to build around Dwyane Wade, but also to remain financially flexible in anticipation of the 2009-2010 offseason when Wade will be eligible to be a free agent. So will some big names like Chris Bosh and Lebron James.

The Heat have needs at:

  • PG (currently Marcus Banks is under contract with Chris Quinn and Jason Williams eligible for free agency)
  • PF (Haslem is serviceable, but limited offensively. If the Heat want to get back to contention, they will have to find a way to get past Boston’s Kevin Garnett.)
  • C (Unproven Joel Anthony, who has upside as a defender and shot blocker, will look to find some recipe for success with Mark Blount. There remains a possibility of an Alonzo Mourning return, which would greatly boost their depth and make this spot less of a priority.)

Miami Heat Draft Possibilities

The Heat will look to find more depth for each position. Here are some possibilities in regards to the NBA draft class of 2008 based on need.

PG, Derrick Rose would be an excellent talent although concerns over how well his game would compliment Wade’s remain. Another prospect that has garnered interest is USC’s OJ Mayo who continues to impress physically, but questions remain about whether or not he can play at a higher level than he has shown. His skills as a combo-guard may be more immediately tangible in the offense with Wade. There is also Jerryd Bayless, who is a very quick, smart and clutch point guard while at Arizona.

PF Michael Beasley has the tools and the game to succeed, but questions over his height (6′7″) and maturity remain as concerns. Still, the best prospect in the draft, and the best power forward by far. The next closest would be Kevin Love who plays PF but could also play some center, too, due to his less athletic style of play. After that, the prospects fall off a bit with Mareese Spreights, who is banking more on his perceived talent than tangible skill. He did practice with Al Horford and Joakim Noah while at UF.

C The most immediate option would be Brook Lopez, but likely will not sniff a #2 pick rating. Would remain an option if the Heat acquire another draft pick, then again there are several other possibilities such as Kevin Love, Robin Lopez or even Roy Hibbert from Georgetown.

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