Five first round picks that won't get a second NBA contract

Joe Alexander was the rising star of the 2008 NBA Draft.

The 6'8" forward was a first round afterthought for much of the season before a series of monster performances -- including scoring 29 or more points four times in a five game stretch in March -- and a Mountaineer postseason run to the Big East semifinals and the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 sent his draft stock soaring. That tends to happen when you lead a middle-of-the-pack Big East team to wins over Pitt, UConn, Arizona, and Duke in a three week span.

Alexander's stock shot even higher in the draft combine. Not only had he become a star at the collegiate level, but he was a physical specimen. His 38.5" vertical (and over-12 foot max reach), his combine-best 2.99 second 3.4 sprint, and his combine-best 24 reps of 185 lbs on the bench press had scouts drooling.


That success and potential has yet to translate to the NBA, however. Thanks to a series of injuries and a lack of production when healthy, Alexander became the highest-drafted player to have the organization that drafted him opt against picking up the third-year of his rookie contract. (For those unfamiliar, the way the rookie wage scale works is that a first-round pick receives a guaranteed two-year contract at a slotted salary with team options for the third and the fourth years.)

Who in this draft class projected as a first-rounder is at risk of not making it to their second NBA contract?

Marshon Brooks, Providence: There is no questioning that Brooks was an explosive scorer for Providence, but the way he scored in college doesn't necessarily translate well to the NBA. In college, he had free reign to shoot whenever and from wherever he pleased. In the NBA, he will be a role player asked to hit spot-up jumpers, an area of his game he struggles. In college, he played in an uptempo system that allowed him to use his long-strides and massive wingspan to beat defenders in transition settings. At the next level, his lack of a quick first step and his mediocre explosiveness around the rim will hurt him in a half court setting. Perhaps the biggest issue is on the other side of the ball. He wasn't asked to play much, if any, defense in college. Can he defend in the NBA?

Jordan Hamilton, Texas: As a sophomore, Hamilton developed into one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the Big 12, when he was the focal point of the Longhorn offensive attack. But as a freshman, Hamilton was as much of a risk on the offensive end as he was a strength. Hamilton struggles with the term shot selection. His mindset is to score, score, score, and that hurt Texas at times when freshman Hamilton needed to take a backseat to Avery Bradley, Damion James, and Dexter Pittman. In the NBA, Hamilton will be playing a role more similar to the one he played as a freshman than the one he played as a sophomore. Can he handle being the third or fourth option offensively? And, like Brooks, Hamilton will be a liability on the defensive end.


Chandler Parsons, Florida: At 6'10" with a three point stroke and the ability to handle the ball and create open shots for his teammates, Parsons is an intriguing prospect. There aren't many players in this draft class with his kind of versatility, skill set, and physical tools. The problem with Parsons is that while he does a lot well, he isn't great at anything. He doesn't have one skill that is NBA ready. The little things that he did on the court to help Florida win games aren't going to translate to the NBA. He seemingly got lost in the shuffle in college playing with Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. What happens at the next level?

Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech: On paper, Shumpert looks great. He is a 6'6" combo-guard with a massive wingspan, a 42" vertical, and the strength of a post player. He's also a player that averaged 5.0 apg as a freshman playing a secondary role and 17.3 ppg as a junior is a leading role. But anyone that watched Shumpert play can tell you, he struggles with his shot selection -- forcing far too many jumpers for a player that is a sub-par jump shooter -- and his decision making. He's also a player that played on three disappointing Georgia Tech teams, including one that got an NCAA Tournament bid despite a sub-.500 ACC record.

Klay Thompson, Washington State: There is no question about Thompson's ability to shoot the basketball. Simply put, he has range for days. Combine that stroke with his height (6'7"), his high-release point, and his ability to use off-ball screens to get open, and its no wonder that the son of Mychal Thompson was able to score in bunches at the college level. The problem is that, for the past two seasons, Thompson has seen his performance, specifically his efficiency, slip in Pac-10 play. If he struggled to handle the physicality of the Pac-10 -- the weakest of the six major conferences -- will he be able to handle defenders at the next level?

(And since no list is complete without one):

Bold Prediction: Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State: Leonard, like Alexander, is a physical specimen. He's a smooth player with a terrific motor who has a wingspan typically seen on seven-footers. He's much more athletic than the numbers he posted at the NBA Draft combine -- sitting out the drill work while waiting for 45 minutes in a cold gym is not a way to prepare to test your vertical. There are a lot of things that Leonard can do on a basketball court, but most of those traits -- his defense, his rebounding ability, his hustle -- are the result of those physical tools. Leonard is a power forward trapped in a small forward's body. If he doesn't develop his jumpshot and his ball handling ability, can he play on the perimeter in the NBA?
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Hoops Housekeeping: Missouri's shooter, Florida's boardsman may miss time

Yesterday, we did a bit of Hoops Housekeeping, catching you up on some injuries and lineup changes. Here are three more newsworthy injuries to keep in mind this week.

Chandler Parsons: Parsons was the SEC's leading rebounder heading into Saturday's game against Tennessee, but he was hobbled early in the first half thanks to a knee he took to the thigh from Alex Tyus. They are calling it a deep thigh bruise (essentially a really, really bad charlie horse), but don't let the name fool you, the injury is fairly severe. Parsons is still on crutches and the bruise has started to bleed.

"I would say he's out right now," Donovan said on the SEC teleconference, "for how long I don't know. But I don't envision him practicing until at least possibly Thursday or Friday, maybe. And how well he responds over the next three or four days will determine whether or not he can play on Sunday."

The good news is that Florida won't play until Sunday, and that's against LSU.


Marcus Denmon: Missouri's leading scorer is questionable for tonight's game against Texas Tech. He took an elbow to the eye from Laurence Bowers in the second half of Missouri's win over Oklahoma on Saturday and did not return. He needed two stitches to close the wound.

"Marcus yesterday participated in shooting, no contact," Missouri head coach Mike Anderson told reporters. "So he'll come in this morning, and we'll check him, but it seemed like his eye was swollen a little bit, but not as much as we anticipated, so we'll know more today. We'll know more on his status later on today."


Delvon Roe: The oft-injured Michigan State big man took a nasty spill late against Penn State has he tried to finish a layup that got Draymond Green his triple double. His right knee got trapped under neath him as he fell, but there apparently is no ligament damage.

"That is real positive news for us," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "[He is] "not going to be playing at the level he was playing at no matter what he does."

"I don't know if he can play 20 minutes or none. I have no clue. I don't hide injuries like other people do. I'm not trying to trick them."
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Florida comes up clutch once again; no call costs Vanderbilt?

For the third time in SEC play, Florida as taken to overtime.

And for the third time, the Gators made enough plays late in the game to pull out a 65-61 victory over Vanderbilt.

Impressive for a team that doesn't have a go-to scorer, right?

Tonight it was Kenny Boynton's turn. With 1:04 left in overtime, Boynton -- who may be the most clutch sub-30% three point shooter in the country -- buried a three from the corner to give Florida a 63-61 lead. After a controversial no call on a John Jenkins three (more on that in a second), Chandler Parsons grabbed an offensive rebound off of his own miss with 15 seconds left. He hit two free throws that all but sealed the game.


Parsons has been terrific since the turn of the calender. In nine games (eight in SEC play), he is averaging 12.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 3.7 apg. That includes his 18-point, 11-rebound performance tonight.

Florida has played 11 games this season decided by six points or less (if you include their double overtime win against Georgia). They are 8-3 in those games, winning six of the last seven. Four of those wins -- Florida State, Xavier, Tennessee, Georgia -- came against quality competition on the road. Its the reason that Florida has vaulted into sole possession of first place in the SEC East, two games ahead of Tennessee in the win column.

Vanderbilt, on the other hand, drops to 3-4 in the SEC East and dangerously close to the edge of the bubble. Tonight's game was one that the Commodores desperately needed, which is why head coach Kevin Stallings was so upset about the no call on Jenkins' airballed three pointer.

"He doesn't shoot many air balls," Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said. "I've watched him play for a long time and I haven't seen many air balls come off that kid's hand."

Kenny Boynton had this to say about the no-call: "I think I got him, but I think on the other end they missed some fouls, too. If they called it, they called it. I think I jumped too high and he kind of tried to draw it. It was a foul, but they missed it."

To be fair, if there was a foul, it would have drastically changed the outcome of the game. Instead of Florida having possession, up two, with 45 seconds left, Jenkins would have been headed to the line for a chance to give Vandy the lead. Boynton, on the replay, didn't make contact with Jenkins arms, but his left hand gave the shooter a bit of a shove.

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Vernon Macklin waves a terrible towel

We've all been ball-tapped before.

It sucks.

There's no way around it. That first 90 seconds after getting hit in the pills is some of the worst pain anybody can ever feel. As soon as the pain subsides, usually you look directly for the attacker and try to return the favor.

Chandler Parsons was put in a lose-lose situation on Tuesday night.

You see, Parsons hit a clutch three-pointer in double-OT of Florida's win at Georgia, but was then slapped in the balls by an errant Vernon Macklin towel swing. But becuase Vernon is on his team, and was on the bench, Parsons could not return the favor. You know what, just watch the video, because something like this is hard to put into words.



Is that how you reward a teammate for hitting a clutch shot?

I wonder how hard Chandler Parsons ball-tapped Macklin when they got to the locker room?


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POSTERIZED: The Chandler Parsons Project

I'm not sure if Chandler Parsons is related to Alan Parsons, but you'd have to figure they might be.

Why?

Because they both have created pure awesome-ness





But was it as good as one of these?:

POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas


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Chandler Parsons 75-footer hides Florida's struggles

Hard to believe that just three days into the 2010 calendar year we may already have its best shot.

Up 61-59 with just 2.3 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts for Florida, NC State's Farnold Degand missed the second of two free throws. Chandler Parsons grabbed the rebound and, well, why am I writing this? There's a reason I embed videos.

Watch:



Great shot.

Mr. Parsons, welcome to Sportscenter's top 10.

But what highlight buffs don't realize is that Florida, who at one point in the season was nearing the top 10, shouldn't need a 75 foot heave to beat NC State. But until Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker learn that, as 26.3% and 30.3% three-point shooters, they shouldn't be taking a combined 13 threes per game, the Gators are not going to play up to their potential.

And given the athletes on this team, and the tempo that Donovan wants to play, that potential is fairly substantial.
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