"Just Make it Count" 2012 NBA Draft Outlook...

With the Miami Heat winning the 2012 NBA Championship the NBA has entered into another era a new generation. So has this year's NBA Draftees on Thursday June 29th former NCAA Collegiate player's will be turning the new pages in their life. This is a life changing moment for both the players and the NBA. The first draft of the Miami Heat era. In the 1980's we had the Celtics- Lakers, in 1990's we had Pistons and Bulls, 2000's brought us the Lakers and now 2010's will bring us the Miami Heat so that's why this draft is so important. Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Garnett are getting older while the new breed Durant, Carmelo, and James have taken the crowns. The 2012 NBA Finals was a good example of that as the new breeds met in for a Larry O'Brien trophy. So who will be the players from the 2012 draft that will help strengthen this generation of the NBA? Who are the role players and who are the future Superstars in the 2012 NBA Draft?


1.) Consensus 2012 NBA Draft #1 player off the boards ready to fly a Jet to New Orleans Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis played point guard as a kid in High School has grown 10inches over the past 5 yrs. Potential prolific NBA shot blocker. Has to grow into his game in the post limited offensively. Most of his offense struggles come from his growth spurt once he settles in with his height and truly learns the game watch out. I don't feel it will be automatic but he will make a difference during some games with the New Orleans Hornets during his rookies season after that the shies the limit.   


The one concern we had in New Orleans was how Okafor and Davis would mesh together. Now that thought is gone as Okafor was recently traded to the Washington Wizards making room for Davis to be the unquestioned Center in the Hornets locker room. The sense of ownership will fit Davis well in the Big Easy and allow him to mature at a faster pace.  Anthony Davis by consensus is the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. 


2012 NCAA Awards include the following:. 

• 2012 National Player of the Year (AP,Naismith, Robertson, Rupp, TSN, Wooden)
• 2012 Defensive Player of the Year (Driesell& NABC)
• 2012 Freshman of the Year (Macy andUSBWA)
• 2012 Pete Newell Big Man Award
• 2012 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2012 SEC Player of the Year (SEC coaches,TSN and AP)
• 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year (SEC coaches and TSN)
• 2012 SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP)
• 2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Year (SEC coaches)

2.) Thomas Robinson believes he is the best available player in the 2012 NBA Draft and so do we at JMC Sportsbook. Thomas Robinson is a man child and probably the most NBA ready player in the 2012 NBA draft. Michael Jordan and the Bobcats can't screw this one up right? There's also rumors about the Bobcats moving out of the #2 slot and the CATS have been busy leading up to the draft. Bobcats recent trade with the Detroit Pistons has us believing the Bobcats are looking to take Thomas Robinson. The Bobcats traded Corey Maggette for Ben Gordon adding an outside shooter to the roster possibly preparing to draft a big man in the draft. This takes away my #3 player and soon to be prolific NBA shooter Bradley Beale.  In Robinson the Bobcats receive a player hungry to be an all star at the next level best value for your buck Thomas Robinson. Michael Jordan this is no Kwame Brown.

• 2012 Associated Press First Team All-American^[9][10]
• 2012 CBSSports.com First Team All-American^[11][12]
• 2012 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
• 2012 Associated Press Big 12 Player of the Year
• 2012 Sporting News First Team All American
• 2012 ESPN.COM National Player of the Year
• 2012 NABC First Team All American
• 2012 John R. Wooden Award Finalist^[11]
• 2012 Naismith College Player of the Year Finalist^[11]

3.) Bradley Beal many scouts have him pinned as the next Eric Gordon with a twist of Ray Allen type player in the NBA. The former Florida Gator averaged 14.8 pts per game  and 6.7 rebs while gathering several freshman awards under the tutelage of Billy Donovan.  As a high school senior at Charminade College Preparatory in St Louis Beal average 32.5 pts and was placed as top high school player in the "Show-Me State". As a shooter he has possible longevity in the NBA real solid player. Look for him to join the Washington Wizards back court next to John Wall. 

• SEC All-Freshman Team (2011–12)
• First-Team All-SEC (2011–12)

4.) Harrison Barnes the kid from Chapel Hill North Carolina home of the Tar Heels watching the young man in college was a joy.  Criticized for his down falls after Kendall Marshall was injured last season. Barnes still showed that he was a scorer and at #4 his a good pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cavaliers draft 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irvin last season and he blossomed. So if the knock about Barnes is the fact he needs to play next to a point guard Cavs have a good one to help him along the way.  Barnes averaged 17.3 pts, 5.2 rpg, and 45% FG. Needs to work on free throw shooting 73.9% college career shooter at the charity strip. 

• 2012 Second Team All-American (NABC)
• 2012 First Team All-ACC

5.) At #5 we are currently torn between John Henson and Michael Kidd- Gilchrist both players should be available at this point and good big man are hard to find at the pro level. John Henson has great potential and can form a inside nucleus plaing next to Demarcus Cousins once the Kings figure out their system Sacramento has enough young pieces to shock  teams in the Western Conference. Last season the Kings drafted Jimmer Fredette and Isiah Thomas searching for a point guard of the future. Isiah  outplayed Fredette in their 2011 rookie campaigns for the Kings but something tells us the Kings might still be searching for a PG and the Kings already have their big man in Cousins down low on the blocks to do the dirty work. 

• 2x ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2011, 2012)
• First team All-ACC (2012)

Drafting MKG at this position would be excellent for the Kings as MKG would solve the back court situation for the Kings. Drafting MKG allows Tyreke Evans to move back to his natural position while adding solid play on the wing. MKG is going to be a veteran type heads up player who can help provide leadership on a young team. Yes, rookie providing leadership and the Kings need it. Coach Calipari called him the hardest working player in the Kentucky locker last season... 

6.) Of course we could be wrong with all the shaking and moving NBA  teams have done leading up to the NBA draft look for trades and moves to continue. This is going to be a unique draft after Davis and Robinson as most teams will no longer be earching for the best talent on the board but looking for missing puzzle pieces instead. Owners in 2012 are most interested in signing players that can compliment the future direction of the franchise. Individuals who owners and GM's feel can add that additional spark the franchise was missing in 2011. Due to the perceived lack of talent teams will also be moving players looking to add picks for future drafts. 


2012 Trades Prior to Draft:  


New Orleans Hornet traded Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza to Wizards for Rashard Lewis, 2012 second round pick (?-?) on 2012-06-20


Houston Traded Chase Budinger, rights to Lior Eliyahu to Timberwolves for 2012 first round pick (?-?) on 2012-06-26


Detroit Pistons traded Ben Gordon and a 2013 protected first-round draft pick to the   
Charlotte Bobcats for swingman Corey Maggette. 2012-06-27

Sense Anthony Davis is the consensus #1 2012 NBA Draft recipient we saved his highlight's for last here's the Anthony Davis highlight reel...

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Miami Heat: LeBron James "The King Has Arrived"

     LeBron James finally gets to wear his crown after the Miami Heat defeated the "Young Thunder Cats" OKC Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals. This calls for a lot of jubilation in Miami and most notably cements LeBron James legacy. The most anticipated and heralded athlete in NBA history has grown from a prince into a KING. To steal a quote from the Great Muhammad Ali "THE KING IS HERE, THE KING IS HERE" LeBron James is definitely a bad man.

     Criticized for not winning in the big moments, criticized for excepting the spot light but not delivering in the moment, chastised for being just a little bit too uncomfortable finding his role in Miami. Welp don't look now but the King has arrived! Short comparison: Michael Jordan had to grow in order to defeat the Bad Boy Pistons before obtaining his legacy and King James had to defeat his immaturity and bad stigma to finally wear the Kings robe. No LeBron James was not the King the last 9 years good player MVP yes but KING no King's wear rings. Now LeBron has his ring, now the LeBron jokes about the 4th quarter is done its over. 

      LeBron James master NBA Finals performance 28.6 pts, 1.6 spg, 7.4 apg, 10.2 rebs, 82.6 ft% and 47.2 fg% will go down as possibly the best game to game NBA Finals performances of all time. LeBron James was consistent in all 5 2012 NBA Finals games while accepting the challenge of guarding one of the youngest and brightest stars OKC Thunder's Kevin Durant. King James 3rd NBA Finals appearance was the charm as the greatest athlete on the planet finally harnessed the demeanor and attitude of a Prince ready to take the throne. 

     So what happened during the 2012 season that allowed LeBron James to take the throne? look no further than the leadership of Dwayne Wade. With nagging injuries hampering Wade during the 2012 NBA Season LeBron had the opportunity to prove that he was the same phenom and NBA MVP that departed the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010. LeBron took the Miami Heat to another level starring in the same "KING to Throne" role he played in Cleveland. The phenom dominated the basketball court and returned to the paint, his home driving and crashing the boards controlling the paint with aggression. Wade the elder statesmen noticed the impact and decided to take a step back while mentally growing forward. Leaders know when to lead and leaders always allow others around them to grow in order to achieve victory. 

    Look for the dynamic duo LeBron James Batman   King James, Dwayne Wade Robin Flash, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat to be one of the GREATEST teams ever assembled in NBA history. Great is not just a saying it reflects what you've done. "LeBron James is now a great his done it". Now in 2012 King James has taken his place on the NBA throne and surpassed the hype.

     LeBron James we criticized you because we knew you were more, we criticized you because we believed, we criticized because we realized your greatness before you could mentally accept it and most of all we criticized you because we loved you. Congrats to LeBron James "THE KING IS HERE, THE KING IS HERE" and his definitely a bad man NBA fans take note "The King Has Arrived"...

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James Harden "Game" Distracted by Love Affair...

Trina "Diamond Princess" and James Harden...

The #1 question regarding James Harden is what is going on not with the Beard but with his game? James Harden NBA Sixth Man of the year has been an instrumental part of the young Thunder's success blazing a thunderous trail to the NBA Finals. James Harden averaged 16.8 pts, 3.7 asts, 4.1 rebs, and 49.1% fg per contest on his way to 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

During the NBA Playoffs James Harden continued his stellar performance posting 18.3 pts, 4.3 asts, 5.5 rebs, and 50% fg ousting the defending 2011 NBA Finals Champion Dallas Mavericks in a 4 game sweep. Harden then faced Metta World Peace and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. In a hotly contested battle between the Lakers and Thunder Harden posted 16.0 pts, 2.2 asts, 4.6 rebs, and 35.8% fg while dodging elbows and playing against his "new" arch nemesis. Against the Lakers we can look at Harden's field goal percentage 35.8% as a knock but Harden's best performances was yet to come as the Thunder headed into the 2012 Western Conference Finals with the San Antonio Spurs.

Western Conference Finals James Harden sub-plot was well scripted as he faced off versus Sixth Man extraordinaire Manu Ginobli in a battle to prove who was the best NBA Sixth Man. During the Western Conference Finals James Harden was prime averaging 18.5 pts, 3.7 asts, 5.5 rebs, and 49.3% fg. Harden proved once again that he was the new star on the block outshining Manu Ginobli and the San Antonio Spurs winning four straight games and grabbing the momentum in route to the Thunder's first NBA Finals appearance and creating Thunder history.

 During the Spurs series different stories started to    emerge as Lil Wayne complained about how Thunder execs did not welcome his presence at the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City. No one put the pieces together at the time but this story started to evolve into a outspoken head scratcher. What was Lil Wayne doing in OKC? "no offense but OKC is not just some random location you go on vacation or to discover the roots of hip hop". Why would Lil Wayne be attending a Thunder series game when his "Daddy" Birdman is a devoted Miami Heat fan?

In May of 2012 a story popped up about Lil Wayne possibly having late night rendezvous with rap artist Trina (James Harden's GF) spotted at a late night Miami nightclub. Shortly after rumors circled underground  that Lil Wayne was in OKC visiting Trina Harden's girlfriend.

 The web of deceit has been sewn the fabric stitched but yet no one wants to bring up the obvious. Yes, playing under the bright lights of the NBA Finals can be a difficult task knowing the world is watching as you perform on the NBA's grandest stage. Yet, this is nothing different its Hardens everyday work right? Harden is not new to the bright lights since his college career at ASU Harden has been in the spotlight his oversized Beard and old man style has never wavered his always been a solid performer.

James Harden is currently averaging 11.7pts , 3.7 asts, 3.3 rebs and 40.7% fg in the NBA Finals versus the Miami Heat. Notice there's a lot of Miami connections going on here as Birdman Jr. continues

Trina and James Harden

 to be a distraction in the mind of James Harden. Trina is also a Miami area artist so now the fix is in. Birdman probably wagered up to $1 million on the Miami Heat winning the 2012 Finals and Lil Wayne knowing the bet is out to distract Harden. The best way to distract Harden is making amends with Trina Lil Wayne's former fling. So if the Miami Heat win Lil Wayne "Birdman Jr." aka Mr. Kiss My Daddy should be crowned NBA Finals MVP. Trina if you really love James Harden put Lil Wayne in check because this is costing Harden an NBA Championship on the world biggest stage the 2012 NBA Finals "after all Lil Wayne only kisses his Daddy"....

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OKC Thunder Creating History?

Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Nick Collison and the crew. The 2012 Western Conference Champions have created history their own history. A history that belongs to the fans in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Thunder have been in existence for four seasons writing history in a city they can call their own.

The trip to the NBA Finals is a quick victory for a young franchise. Led by 23 and 22 year old super star buddies Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Thunder's historic four years has been awesome for the city, their franchise and their fans. Sam Presti has organized an energetic bunch of NBA professionals. A young squad with veteran savvy combining Durant, Westbrook, and Harden with 6 NBA Championship rings Derek Fisher and Kendrick Perkins. Now the Thunder seek their first championship in franchise history chasing history into the Oklahoma sunset.

OKC Thunder have done more for Oklahoma City fans in four years "2 Western Conference Finals trip +1 NBA Finals Appearance" than most teams have done in 50 years worth of history. Oklahoma City Thunder can go on to become one of the best franchises in NBA or sports history. Media Networks are whispering that if Durant wins the NBA Championship he could go down as one of the best players in NBA history. So  if the OKC Thunder abandon the history of the Sonics could OKC  Thunder go down as possibly the best franchises in sports once Durant, Westbrook and Harden retire?


This is why the Sonics history should remain in Seattle a franchise that won the 1979 NBA Finals and celebrated with a parade in downtown Seattle. Sonics fans have fond memories of the Sonics the sunny days but as a pure franchise the fans of Seattle have also endured heartbreak. I blame Howard Schultz for some of those hearbreaks but I also remember upset loyals fans in 1994 as Dikembe Mutombo laid on the court floor grasping the basketball.

The hard times can not be remembered as Sonics moments and the good times re-manufactured in "STAT BOOKS"  as part of  Thunder history. No one announced the Nuggets beat the Thunder but when great moments scroll on the bottom of the  "Have Your Cake and Eat It Too" screen and stats are shown it's included as Thunder history.

Sonics history belongs in Seattle Jack Sikma, Dale Ellis, Nate Mc Millan, Lenny Wilkens, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier Mc Daniel, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp are Seattle memories. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden memories belong to the fans of OKC. The Sonics faced Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman in 1995 not OKC Thunder.  The Sonics history is too valuable and rich for it to be passed off as some type of OKC adoption papers. Sonics history has a home in Seattle.

Shawn Kemp's and Gary Payton's jerseys will never hang in the rafters in OKC the players will never be retired in Thunder Blue and Orange. OKC holding onto to the history of the Sonics is bad for coaches, fans, players and the organization. Seattle will have a Sonics team again, the City owns the name, so where is the spite coming from why does Clay Bennett insist to hold on to history? Thunder history looks great in OKC don't destroy what OKC fans, players, coaches and organizational staff are building. Leave Sonics history in Seattle it works out for both cities and fan bases.


Keeping OKC Thunder history separate from Sonics history is the key ingredient between Russell Westbrook being the best PG in franchise history or #4 on the franchise list. I was told holding onto to the history of someone else can do that to a player. OKC Thunder "create history don't be history" Fours Years 2 Western Conference Finals and a square off with LeBron James in the 2012 NBA Finals. Leave Sonics history in Seattle be an intervator mold your own history. Sonic fans will never die and neither will the message as long as Thunder continue to thrive and OKC fans make t-shirts. Sonics voices will be heard and as the NBA Finals continue the voices will become louder. SuperSonics fans and former Greats of the Sonics franchise will never accept OKC and OKC should not except Sonics history. Both sides should unite and tell Clay Bennett and David Stern what we really feel......