Congratulations to the three (four drafted) new Milwaukee Bucks taken in the 2010 NBA Draft! Today is truly a Sunday Funday for these guys and their families:
1st Round (15th Overall): Larry "Hey Now" Sanders
Position: Power Forward
Age: 21
Birth date: November 21, 1988
Birthplace: Fort Pierce, FL
School: Virginia Commonwealth (Colonial Athletic Association)
Class: Junior
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 222 pounds
Reach: 9'4"
Wingspan: 7'6"
Analysis: There was a run on my draft crushes right before the Bucks picked (Xavier Henry, Ed Davis, and Patrick Patterson) so Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond took Larry "Hey Now" Sanders. Fortunately, the Bucks needs (power forward) and best player available (Larry Sanders) lined up. Unfortunately, Sanders didn't start playing basketball until his sophomore year in high school so he will be a work in progress. That said, Sanders has improved every year since picking up the game. Last year Sanders averaged 14.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks during his junior year at Virginia Commonwealth University. Instead of going to New York for all of the NBA Draft hoopla (no pun intended), Sanders pulled a Joe Thomas (former Wisconsin Badger left tackle) and hung out with family and friends instead. I hope Sanders stayed home because he is a family man, not because he thought he might fall to the 2nd round. People love to talk about Sanders' wingspan but as it turns out, he has only a slightly above average wingspan. Sanders is 83 inches tall with a 90 inch wingspan. The human wingspan is normally 1.07 times a person's height, so Sanders is only slightly above average since he should have at least an 88.81 inch wingspan according to the "1.07 Rule". Sanders is a little thin for a power forward but runs the floor well for a big man which makes him an ideal fit to run with Brandon Jennings and company.
Quick tangent: As Jordan Crawford fell in the first round, if I were John Hammond I would have tried to package any or all of my second round picks to move into the first round and select Crawford. May be I am biased since I saw Crawford do a bunch of damage in person but of the guys taken in the second half of the first round I think he has the best chance to be an All-star. Plus, the price for late first round draft picks was cheap this year. For example, a few days before the draft the Miami Heat traded the 18th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and Daequan Cook to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 32nd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. That trade had to be available to John Hammond, instead he held onto his three second round draft picks.
2nd Round (37th Overall): Darington "John" Hobson
Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward
Age: 22
Birth date: September 29, 1987
Birthplace: Las Vegas, NV
School: University of New Mexico (Mountain West Conference)
Class: Junior
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 204 pounds
Reach: 8'9"
Wingspan: 6'9"
Analysis: Hobson is a very versatile combo guard, which is exactly what the Bucks need. At 6'7" and 205 pounds, Hobson is almost a carbon copy of John Salmons. The only real red flag with Darington Hobson is that he attended 7 schools in 5 states since starting high school. That is a lot of moving around in a small amount of time, was Hobson moving around on his own volition or against his wishes? On the positive side of the ledger, Hobson was player of the year in the Mountain West Conference and the first person to lead New Mexico in scoring (15.9), rebounding (9.3), and assists (4.6) in the same season. Hobson put together a pretty impressive season last year as one of only two NCCA Division 1 players (Ohio State's Evan Turner was the other one) to average at least 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. There were some other players involved in the trade but the Bucks essentially acquired the right to pick Hoboson from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jodie Meeks. See above for my draft crush on Crawford, so this pick will be judged on whether Hobson, Meeks, or Crawford has the best NBA career?
2nd Round (44th Overall): Jerome "Traded" Jordan
Position: Center
Age: 23
Birth date: September 29, 1986
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
School: University of Tulsa (Conference USA)
Class: Senior
Height: 7'1"
Weight: 244 pounds
Reach: 9'5"
Wingspan: 7'5"
Analysis: The Bucks need a back-up center. Bogut is supposed to return healthy next season, but there is no guarantee he will be completely healthy. Furthermore, the Bucks do not have another true center on the roster so I am not too sure why they shipped off Jordan to the Knicks for cash. May be I am biased because I recently had my honeymoon in Jamaica but I think the Bucks should have held onto Jordan. I know the economy is in the tank but we traded a guy named Jordan for money, it just doesn't feel right.
2nd Round (47th Overall): Keith "Tiny" Gallon
Position: Power Forward
Age: 19
Birth date: January 18, 1991
Birthplace: Houston, TX
School: Oklahoma University (Big 12)
Class: Freshman
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 302 pounds
Reach: 9'8"
Wingspan: 7'5"
Analysis: Gallon has battled weight issues throughout his entire career. Gallon weighed as much as 350 pounds in high school at Oak Hill Academy where he played with Brandon Jennings. Fortunately Gallon has lost some weight recently, but he still tips the scales at 302 pounds. Let's hope Gallon is more like Glen "Big Baby" Davis than Robert "Tractor" Traylor. Taking Gallon in the middle of the second round is the quintessential boom or bust pick. If Gallon can drop a little weight, the Bucks might have gotten the steal of the draft in the second round.
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