I’ve mentioned on several occasions my fondness for NBA mock draft sites. Over the years I’ve discovered several are accurate with their picks 1 through 10. We are no way near June 2013; the collegiate basketball season is yet to be played. Four of the seven mock draft sites picked Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel as the number one pick in the 2013 draft. This 6-11 216 pound center/forward would become the next one and done at Kentucky? Of course this is null and void unless he has a “Dwight Davis” year. This has nothing to do with Kentucky repeating as national champions. Noel must prove to NBA scouts he is ready to play at the next level. Why did I just use that cliché, “play at the next level” I hate that term plus everybody realizes it’s the NBA!    
　
Who buys $300 basketball shoes? Evidently from what Nike reports more people than I might have thought. The LeBron X will be available in the fall with a retail price of $315 but a model without the technology will be available for $180.

“According to the WSJ, Nike attributes the price hike to rising labor costs in China and a jump in cotton prices. Nike's basketball division saw a 17% increase in year-over-year revenue from May 2011 to May 2012. Nike footwear in North America saw a 15% increase in revenue in that same period. sneaker prices are up 9.4% across the board since this time last year, the WSJ reports, and people are still buying them. So it's only natural that Nike would test the $300 limit to see if sneaker heads will still bite.” (Wall Street Journal)

“What happened to PF Flyers? What happened to Chuck Taylors? What happened to the Shaq Dunkmans? What happened to the Starbury shoes? The $315 shoe will allow the owner to track quickness, vertical leap and explosiveness with sensors relaying the information. "How high you jump, how quick you are and how hard you play. So you can compete against your friends, your rivals and yourself, every time you play. Nike plus basketball allows you to see your game like never before.” (Scott Gleason, USA Today Aug 21, 2012)

I’m sure if you are gainfully employed, love basketballs shoes and have plenty of disposable income I can see this. Would any parent scrape money together to purchase these for junior? Buy Nike stock maybe?

The strange journey of Michael Jordan’s son continues. The University of Central Florida has been placed on
1-year probation for recruiting violations. Senior Marcus Jordan is enrolled at school however he’s not on the basketball team. The 6-3 Jordan was the second leading scorer for the UCF Knights last season, he scored at a 13.7 ppg average. Jordan could have gone the same route of Alex Oriakhi; UConn was placed on probation for academic reasons. NCAA rules now permit a student-athlete to transfer to another university if his school is placed on probation. In addition the player is immediately eligible to play no waiting period.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov intends to “own” New York City, he’s begun a war of words with Knicks owner
James Dolan. He referred to Dolan as “that little man” in a recent interview. I have no idea how tall Dolan is however Prokhorov is 6-8. This is the latest salvo in his attempt to win the hearts and minds of Knick fans. “In Prokhorov's introductory news conference in 2010, he said, "We will turn Knicks fans into Nets fans." Later that year, a billboard was erected right across from the Knicks' home, Madison Square Garden, with Prokhorov and minority owner rapper Jay-Z below "the blueprint for greatness.” It will be very interesting how this plays out on the basketball court, the off-season upgrades would appear to favor the Nets (Matt Ehalt ESPN.com)

I feel sorry for Greg Oden; he came into the NBA with so much expectation. One scout even went so far as to state “he might be the next Bill Russell.” You might say how in the world could someone miss (scouting report) the mark that greatly? It appears Oden is on the NBA scrap heap, the Blazers who drafted him in ‘07 having released him earlier this year. At one point I remember reading a report the Heat were looking at signing him, to date no such signing has occurred. Oden stated “he might be prepared to sit out this season” which might be his only course of action. He might be next spotted on a high school basketball court rather than an NBA court. He’s working on a degree which would eventually lead to becoming a high school PE teacher. 2007 seems such a short time ago at a time the Blazers were forced to make a choice for the number one pick.

This is strictly my imagination at work and what might have occurred leading up to draft night. The Blazer front office including the coaching staff is trying to decide who to draft with the number one pick. One voice says, “do we draft Kevin Durant from Texas or Greg Oden from Ohio State? Another voice states Durant appears to be a prolific shooter but the guy is 6-10 and only 215 pounds, opposing players will break him like he’s a twig. Then a third voice pipes in, Oden has limited offensive skills but he’s 7-0 and 257 pounds, he could provide that defensive and rebounding presence we could use.” Of course you know the rest of the story, multiple surgeries and so many missed games it’s difficult to count. It might be pointed out his high school and college teammate Mike Conley Jr. was drafted as well. Conley has carved out a fairly decent career playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, no superstar numbers but he can play at the NBA level. Many (including yours truly) were unable to see the potential of this 6-1 185 pound point guard while at Ohio State, I thought he might be mistaken leaving early.