It’s time of the year again and his year’s draft class is exuding with talent and they’re all ready to take their skills to the next level.
The NBA Draft is an annual event where thirty teams from the NBA can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players but international players are also eligible to be drafted. College players who have finished their fourth year are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility.
International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called “early-entrants” or “early-entry candidates”.
All players must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft, and a player who completed basketball eligibility at an American high school must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.
Restrictions exist on players signing with sports agents and on declaring for, then withdrawing, from drafts; most of them are enforced by the NCAA. The Draft consists of two rounds with a total of sixty players to be selected. No player may sign with the NBA until he has been eligible for a least one draft.
Out of the 30 prospective players three are tied to go #1
- Nerlens Noel Center for University of Kentucky
- Alex Len Center from Maryland
- Otto Porter Forward from Georgetown
CAVS GET THE #1 PICK
Each player has stand out qualities that have been valued by the teams they once played for.
Sophomore Alex Len from Maryland standing at 7’1 is a Ukraine native. Growing up training as a gymnast he didn’t discover his talents on the court until he was 13. Len played for the Ukraine national team at the 2010 FIBA Europe under 18 championships because Len played in that league he served a 10 game suspension at the beginning of his freshman year with Maryland due to NCAA amateurism issues.
Len has showed us how passionate he is about the game by playing on an injured left ankle on March 16,2013 scoring 20 pts, 7 rebounds against North Carolina in the ACC tournament semifinals and on April 2 he finished his season with 16 pts ,9 rebounds, 6 blocks against Iowa in the national invitation.
Once the season ended Len got an MRI that revealed different results from his X-Ray that was taken early March. It showed that he had a partial stress fracture so he decided to undergo surgery to stabilize it so that he can be useful in the upcoming NBA season. Sources state that this will not affect his draft stock.
ALEX LEN HIGHLIGHTS
Sophomore Otto Porter from Georgetown standing at 6’8 is no stranger to the game of basketball. Born and raised in St. Louis Missouri. Porter was born into a family of ball players. Father Otto Sr. holds Scott County Central high-schools first title in 1976 and holds the high-school record of 1,733 rebounds and his mother Elnora Timmons was named all State in 1985.
In high-school he earned all-state honors as a Junior and Senior leading the Braves to three straight class 1 state championship games giving Scott Central its state record 5th title overall. Porter finished his high-school career with an outstanding 2,482 pts. Georgetown coach John Thompson states
“I’ve said many times that he was the most prepared freshman that I’ve had,” Thompson says. “That relates as much to his mentality as it does to his physical tools and his physical readiness. He understood that he had to compete. He understood nothing was going to be handed to him. He understood that you have to participate and be good in every aspect of the game.
“That mental toughness that he brought from days and months and years of getting beat up and pushed around by his uncles and father and family made him ready to compete. He was ready to compete at this level.”
Not only is he being looked at as the #1 prospective but also #3 with the Washington Wizards. Porter has been said to be the best player no one knows about well I can almost guarantee that he will be a house hold name come next season.
OTTO PORTER HIGHLIGHTS
Freshman Nerlens Noel from the University of Kentucky standing at 6’11 was born to Haitian immigrants in Everett Massachusetts. The youngest of three, brother Jim who plays for the NFL Seattle Seahawks and Rodman linebacker for North Carolina State, Noel choose a different sport to capitalize on and that he did. Noel was originally apart of this year’s recruiting draft class but reclassified to the 2012 college recruiting class.
Before he stepped on the court as a Wildcat he was rated #1 player in the class of 2012 by ESPN and #2 by SLAM. He was also selected to play in the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classics. Known for his blocking abilities throughout his high-school career, as a Freshman Wildcat he set the UK single game record of 12 blocks.
Even though on February 12 he tore his ACL in his left knee against the Florida Gators he is the favorite to go #1 in this year’s draft class, which will be twice in a row that the Wildcats take the #1 spot (Anthony Davis went first last year with the Charlotte Bobcats) but if he doesn’t he still remains in the top 5 going #4 with the Charlotte Bobcats.
NERLENS NOEL HIGHLIGHTS
Noel also attended superstar NBA legends Charles Oakley and Cliff Robinson kicked of the first night of the NBA finals with the “Grillin’ and Chillin’ Cook-Off” which was presented by Millers Ale House, Sirrus / XM Radio’s BOTTOM LINE SPORTS SHOW and The Robinson Network. Notable Special appearances included basketball legend Penny Hardaway, sportscaster Lindsay McCormick, FOX Sports NBA TV series COURTSIDE JONES, Speedy Claxton, Anthony Avent, Tate George and other current and former NBA and NFL players. Kathy Wakile of Bravo’s “HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY” and VH-1′s “BASKETBALL WIVES”, Meeka Claxton, also participated in the activities as well as author of Penny Hardaway’s new book, “On These Courts”, Wayne B Drash, on hand for a book signing.
Noel with our very own Melissa Mahler 
HERE’S THE TOP 30 DRAFT PROSPECTIVES
- Nerlens Noel ( C) , Alex Len (C) , Otto Porter (F)
- Orlando Magic: Ben McLemore (SG, Kansas)
- Washington Wizards: Otto Porter (SF, Georgetown)
- Charlotte Bobcats: Nerlens Noel (C, Kentucky)
- Phoenix Suns: Victor Oladipo (SG, Indiana)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Trey Burke (PG, Michigan)
- Sacramento Kings: Anthony Bennett (PF, UNLV)
- Detroit Pistons: Michael Carter-Williams (PG, Syracuse)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG, Georgia)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Cody Zeller (PF-C, Indiana)
- Philadelphia 76ers: C.J. McCollum (SG, Lehigh)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Steven Adams (C, Pittsburgh)
- Dallas Mavericks: Sergey Karasev (SG, Russia)
- Utah Jazz: Dennis Schroeder (PG, Germany)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Shabazz Muhammad (SG-SF, UCLA)
- Boston Celtics: Kelly Olynyk (C, Gonzaga)
- Atlanta Hawks: Shane Larkin (PG, Miami)
- Atlanta Hawks (via Houston Rockets): Rudy Gobert (PF, France)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Lakers): Jamaal Franklin (SG-SF, San Diego State)
- Chicago Bulls: Gorgui Dieng (C, Louisville)
- Utah Jazz (via Golden State Warriors): Mason Plumlee (PF, Duke)
- Brooklyn Nets: Allen Crabbe (SG, California)
- Indiana Pacers: Reggie Bullock (SF, North Carolina)
- New York Knicks: Jeff Withey (C, Kansas)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Tony Mitchell (PF, North Texas
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF, Greece)
- Denver Nuggets: Tim Hardaway, Jr. (SG, Michigan)
- San Antonio Spurs: Lucas Nogueira (C, Brazil)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Ricardo Ledo (SG, Providence)
- Phoenix Suns (via Miami Heat): Pierre Jackson (PG, Baylor)
You all played very well this season and we look forward to seeing you succeed at the next level, See you boys on Thursday GOOD LUCK!
@La_KJ @playerinsiders
