I’m tired of the debate … let’s rank the NBA players

LSU hoops hires former Colonels assistant
June 26, 2012
Hornets expected to pick Davis with No. 1 pick
June 26, 2012
LSU hoops hires former Colonels assistant
June 26, 2012
Hornets expected to pick Davis with No. 1 pick
June 26, 2012

OK, OK, I give up.

I won’t deny it anymore.


I’m sort of a dork.


Sure, I love sports and that causes some to think I’m the basic 25-year-old guy.

But dig deeper to the core and one can see a lot of very nerdy tendencies.


For starters, I own every episode of Walker Texas Ranger on DVD.


That’s not an exaggeration – every, single one.

From Caleb Hooks to Victor LaRue (I know you don’t know who these guys are), I’ve seen Chuck Norris smash every bad guy one-by-one.


Like seriously – who does that besides geeky dwebes, right?


Second, I also own every WrestleMania and every episode of both Saved by the Bell and Married with Children – all on DVD.

So to summarize, Chuck Norris, Hulk Hogan, Zack Morris and Al Bundy are my heroes.


Yep, let’s face it: I’m a dork.


But one facet of my nerdy ways is my inspiration for today’s column – video games.

Anyone who has ever played a sports video game knows that there is an option to have a fantasy draft built into each game.


What this means is that you can wipe every team’s roster clean and start over from scratch with a draft in which every player in the world is fair game to be picked.


With tomorrow being the NBA Draft, I thought it’d be a good opportunity to have some fun and do a fantasy draft for today’s NBA.

It’s a highly controversial topic for hoop fans, so it should be interesting to see how things shake out.


Sure, this will never ever happen, but I promise some of my selections will cause buzz at some Tri-parish water coolers this week.


Here goes.

Casey’s Corner 2012 NBA Fantasy Draft:


1. New Orleans Hornets – Kevin Durant – I can hear the outrage from every Heat fan in the world (none of which were Heat fans three years ago, I might add). They are yelling that I am bananas for not picking LeBron James No. 1 overall. Maybe, maybe not. I go with Durant because he is several years younger than James and is more committed to excellence. The kid has gotten better every season and by the time he’s in his late 20s, it’s not going to be pretty.


2. Charlotte Bobcats – LeBron James – This would be super interesting to me. Michael Jordan would NOT want to pick LeBron unless he absolutely had to. But the gap between James and the next best player is huge. There’s no way you can pass on James at No. 2 if he doesn’t go No. 1.

3. Washington Wizards – Kevin Love – People like to say Kevin Love is just a good player on a bad team. But a 23-year-old, 3-point shooting big man who averages 26 points and 13 rebounds per game is a guy I want on my team.


4. Cleveland Cavs – Dwight Howard – Howard would possibly be the No. 1 choice if he were 100 percent. But with back issues, he slips to No. 4 and to owner Dan Gilbert, who has plenty experience with flip-flopping superstars.


5. Sacramento Kings – Derrick Rose – The Kings have been pretty committed in the past decade to flashy, me-first guards who don’t play a lick of defense. No offense to the former MVP, but this is a good fit.

6. Portland Trail Blazers – Kobe Bryant – To me, this was the hardest pick in the entire draft to slot. For one or maybe even two seasons, Bryant is still an elite-level player. But for how much longer can he be effective? If this were a real draft, this would be a real quagmire.


7. Golden State Warriors – Chris Paul – This one was sort of easy. Paul is a legitimate superstar point guard. The Warriors’ coach Mark Jackson was one of the best guards in NBA history. That’d be a match made in heaven.

8. Toronto Raptors – Carmelo Anthony – There is no way on earth that I would take ‘Melo at No. 8. I think he’s a ball hog who does very little to help a team win games. But the Raptors like volume scorers and there is no better volume scorer in the NBA than Anthony.

9. Detroit Pistons – Blake Griffin – After spending the past half-decade in downright NBA abyss, the Pistons would love the excitement that Griffin could bring to their club.

10. New Orleans Hornets – Deron Williams – I leaned toward Andrew Bynum with this pick, but then I thought of just how good Durant would be if he had an actual true point guard. My, that’d be a scary one-two punch.

11. Portland Trail Blazers – DeMarcus Cousins – Cousins is rough around the edges but immensely talented. Already with Kobe Bryant on deck, that’d be a good pairing for Portland.

12. Milwaukee Bucks – LaMarcus Aldridge – The powerful finesse power forward is one of the most unappreciated players in the league. It’d make too much sense if he ended up in an often-overlooked city.

13. Phoenix Suns – Monta Ellis – Steve Nash spoiled Phoenix fans for the past decade. Ellis is the exact opposite in terms of skill-set, but he is just as explosive.

14. Houston Rockets – Dwyane Wade – As a diehard Rockets fan, it’d bubble my guts if my least favorite player in the NBA ever played for Houston. But he’s too good to fall past No. 14.

15. Philadelphia 76ers – Tony Parker – This guy could have been the NBA MVP this season and no one would have complained. He’s just so darned underrated.

16. Houston Rockets – Andrew Bynum – With Wade already on board, Houston would get Bynum to give its Yao Ming/Tracy McGrady pipedream one last hoorah.

17. Dallas Mavericks – Dirk Nowitzki – I know it’s taking the easy way out, but could Dirk really play for anyone other than Dallas? It’d almost seem surreal if he ever moved onto another roster.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves – Rajon Rondo – No one played harder and tougher in the 2012 playoffs than Rondo. If surrounded by a supporting cast void of senior citizens, who knows how good he could be.

19. Orlando Magic – Chris Bosh – When alone on a team, Bosh can do some serious damage. In a fantasy draft scenario, he’s actually a steal at No. 19. The talent pool is seriously thinning once you go about 15-deep in this thing.

20. Denver Nuggets – Josh Smith – If Smith could ever find his niche, he could be a force. If anyone in the NBA could break his habits, it’d be coach George Karl.

21. Boston Celtics – Al Jefferson – With the first of consecutive picks, the Celtics would grab Jefferson, who was an original prospect of theirs early in his career.

22. Boston Celtics – Russell Westbrook – I know that in reality Westbrook wouldn’t fall this far. But I’m just not overly in love with point guards who shoot 10-15 bad shots a game.

23. Atlanta Hawks – Pau Gasol – Gasol is old and on the decline. But in a league free of solid big men, he could still dominate a good 75-80 percent of the NBA’s teams.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers – James Harden- Earlier in our proceedings, the Cavs snagged Dwight Howard. To keep him happy, they get Harden, whose inside and out style would perfectly suit the big, dominant big man.

25. Memphis Grizzlies – Brandon Jennings – I don’t know if Jennings alone could lead a team to the playoffs. But he’s a nice, young player who can do special things with help.

26. Indiana Pacers – Manu Ginobili – I don’t know this for certain. Heck, I may be downright wrong. But I just have a feeling Indiana executive Larry Bird loves Ginobili’s erratic style. This seems like a natural fit.

27. Miami Heat – Greg Monroe – With LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh all gone from our fantasy scenario, the Heat would be well served to just start from scratch and pick the Louisiana-based big man who can blossom into a superstar.

28. Oklahoma City – Danny Granger – Granger is the prototypical good NBA player. He doesn’t do anything great. But he’s not bad in any facet, either.

29. Chicago – Rudy Gay – It is my belief that the Grizzlies are better when Rudy Gay isn’t in their lineup. But there’s no disputing that his raw talent and ability could help another franchise.

30. Golden State Warriors – Luis Scola – At No. 7, the Warriors picked up Chris Paul. To round out our draft, they’ll nab Scola, who’s gritty play would go along perfectly with the point guard’s fiery personality.

There it is – my NBA fantasy draft.

Anyone willing to mold their own can feel free to send one in.

Nerds stand up and unite for this worthy water cooler conversational cause.