It's that time of year. The NBA playoffs are underway, and we're a little over a month away from the NBA Draft. I don't know many Cyclone fans that are really that enthusiastic about the NBA, but it does seem like they all want to know two things:
1. Where does Brackins end up?
2. Does Gilstrap get drafted?
Before we look at potential answers to #1, I will go ahead and give my thoughts on #2. I really do not think Gilstrap will get drafted. He's athletic, but not polished. It is easy to find someone with his abilities in the draft pool. I think he'll play pro ball in Europe, or maybe the D-League. He could even end up with a 10 day contract here or there in the NBA as well.
Now, to look at #1, here are a couple of mock drafts that give us a clue as to what to expect:
- NBADraft.net has Brackins going #41 to the Miami Heat
- Chad Ford from ESPN (insider article), only has the First Round, with "the next five out". I'm not going to give any specifics, but Brackins is not included in the Top 30 + 5...
- Continuing with ESPN insider articles from Chad Ford, Brackins is the #42 prospect by him.
- Mynbadraft.com has Brackins going #41 to the Miami Heat as well.
- DraftExpress.com has Brackins going #40 to the Indiana Pacers
So, the consensus is that Brackins going to go early-to-mid 2nd round. The big dropoff from last year to this year, is he struggled with consistency. He has the rep of being a streaky player, with little upside. I think before, he had limited upside, but he was viewed as a bigtime player, as he scored 42 against Kansas, and was able to have big game, after big game in 2008. This year's draft class is also stronger than last year's.
We're still a month and a half away, so we will see how it all shakes down. I hope it works out, because he's likely not getting guaranteed money, and will have to try and stay on the team after training camp.