Power forwards for the NBA draft

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 26, 2008 | by Scott Howard-Cooper McClatchy Newspapers

Kevin Love is the son of a former NBA big man and the nephew of a Beach Boy, a star recruit in high school and an immediate media magnet as a standout in one season at UCLA. He knows spotlights.

So he appears unfazed about the one trained on him now, the one that has scrutinized Love beyond the standard level of analysis for a player about to be picked in the lottery, because he is not just any player about to go high in the draft.

He's the one who will go near the top while showing the most indications of being really ineffective.

Any player can be a lottery bust, but Love is the one in the Class of 2008 who offers the most advance concern while also being greatly praised.

Such a talented passer that he is already being compared to the best big men ever in that category, a physical presence inside combined with a soft shooting touch. But he plays below the rim and he's not nearly athletic enough. He's bound to get shots blocked and lose out on rebounds an impact power forward should get.

Is Love the next Wes Unseld as a 6-foot-8 brute while picking defenses apart with precision outlet passes ... or is he an overhyped prospect who will get shut down by the bigger, faster, quicker NBA players?

Said Love himself, when asked about the doubts he faces: "I don't know if it's necessarily about my skills. But there has been a lot of question about my athleticism."

Not enough to keep him from near the top of the list of the best prospects at power forward. But enough to make him the most interesting of the ranked candidates.

1. Michael Beasley, Kansas State, 6-9 freshman: Unquestionably the top-rated big man in the draft. Beasley has a level of strength and athleticism that projects into someone who will be a major offensive weapon able to score inside and out and also be productive on the boards. It will be a surprise if he goes later than No. 2.

2. Love, UCLA, 6-8: Some teams have said he could go as high as No. 3 to Minnesota. However, No. 5 to Memphis seems more realistic.

3. Anthony Randolph, LSU, 6-9 1/2 freshman: His height, wiry frame, agility and ball-handling skills easily prompt comparisons to a young Lamar Odom. That means the potential for a long, productive career (Odom is most hindered by an inability to consistently assert himself, not by his body or talent) but also the concern of whether Randolph is a true power forward. Even he doesn't think so.

4. Robin Lopez, Stanford, 7-0 sophomore -- The twin and college teammate of likely lottery pick Brook Lopez could end up playing center in the pros as well. By any description and they're largely interchangeable positions with a lot of teams Robin defends and rebounds with a non-stop motor. His offensive game is lacking.

5. Marreese Speights, Florida, 6-10 sophomore -- Speights went from the anonymity of 57 minutes total as a freshman behind future lottery picks Al Horford and Joakim Noah to becoming a possible top- 15 selection on a sophomore season of strength and mobility.