2014 NBA Draft: Best destinations for top 5 prospects

[tps_title]2014 NBA Draft: Best destinations for top 5 prospects[/tps_title]

As the 2014 NBA draft nears, five names have consistently come up as the probable top 5 picks. These five players are the cream of this year’s crop and each is a potential franchise player. However, while the ping pong balls have not spoken, we’ve come up with our thoughts on where and where they would fit best.

[tps_title]Andrew Wiggins to the Philadelphia 76ers[/tps_title]

Andrew Wiggins was already on the Sixers’ radar as early as September 2013. In the middle of the Sixers’ record-breaking losing streak this season, CBSSports.com reported this:

In the midst of a 20-game losing streak, the Sixers have had Wiggins atop their board all year, and believe he’d be the perfect complement to Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, and Thaddeus Young. The athleticism on that team would be crazy.

Michael Carter-Williams is no doubt an All-Star caliber player. So is Thaddeus Young and potentially the returning Nerlens Noel, but none of them have the hype and the flare of an Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins is the son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and Canadian track star Marita Payne. He is often described as the closest thing to LeBron James since the King himself. His skill set and athleticism have been described as once-in-a-lifetime. He even was on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he played his first NCAA game. The star quality of Wiggins is what the city of Philadelphia has been missing since Allen Iverson left. Wiggins won’t only sell tickets, he has a tremendous upside that could turn them into serious contenders. The frontline of Noel, Young, and Wiggins would be exciting and deadly with MCW running the show, forming a young core for a bright future.

[tps_title]Joel Embiid to the Milwaukee Bucks[/tps_title]

“Whoever picks me, I will be happy,” said Joel Embiid to KUSports.com. Statements like that one make this Cameroonian very likeable and admirable. His humility almost hides the fact that he is probably going to be the next big thing in the NBA.

When the Bucks extended Larry Sanders’ contract, 2014 was supposed to be his breakout year, but with his poor showing, off-the-court troubles, and basketball injuries, it’s pretty clear that Milwaukee needs to move in another direction. While trading Sanders may be difficult, his uncertainty is one they can’t wait for, especially after the Bucks’ most recent disappointing season.

The good thing is that Brandon Knight is steadily developing. Khris Middleton has proven to be a potent scorer, Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, and Nate Wolters are slowly getting adjusted, and veterans like Ersan Ilyasova, Carlos Delfino, and Zaza Pachulia provide experience. Drafting Joel Embiid would give them the perfect franchise player to build the team around.

With the new ownership in Milwaukee, the new season should signal a new beginning. When the Bucks won their only title in 1971, they had a great center named Lew Alcindor. Embiid could bring that era back to the Bucks.

[tps_title]Dante Exum to the LA Lakers[/tps_title]

During an interview, Dante Exum said this to LakersNation.com:

If I get the opportunity to go to L.A. and play for the Lakers, and just to be in an environment where you have a great player like Kobe. Obviously picking his brain and what he’s done. How he’s kind of adapted over the years because he’s definitely in the talk of one of the greatest players of all-time. To be trying to like mentor in a way to like kind of a rookie. I think that would be the best option.

A lot of young kids dream to play in the bright lights of Hollywood, but most of them do not have the flashy razzle and dazzle style that would epitomize the Showtime brand of basketball that ruled Los Angeles during the ’80s. Kobe Bryant had that in the ’90s, and he’s become the face of the Lakers franchise.

Dante Exum is Australian, but his game is very much LA-material. A point guard of his size reminds us of a young Penny Hardaway. He’s got tremendous athleticism, quick speed, great passing, and the ability to finish. His first step is explosive, and although he is not a great dunker, he finishes with an array of moves with both hands. His versatility can slide him to the No. 2 spot in the draft, and he’s going to be lethal once he improves his shooting.

Exum is as old as Kobe was when he entered the NBA. It would be great for him to play alongside Bryant before the Mamba retires and turns over the baton of leadership to him.

If Exum by chance goes to lala land, it would be a fairy tale ending in Tinseltown.

[tps_title]Jabari Parker to the Boston Celtics[/tps_title]

There is no doubt that among the top prospects of this year’s draft, Jabari Parker is the most NBA-ready, skill-wise and physically. Former NBA star Grant Hill agrees, via SportingNews.com:

He is talented, he is a good person. The thing that impressed me is the way he uses his size and strength — he is NBA-ready, physically. He is a special player and I think he will be a great NBA player.

Parker would be a star player on any team. ESPN’s Chad Ford on Parker:

Forget for a second that [Ainge] and Parker are both Mormon and Ainge has been an informal adviser to Parker in the past. With a super-skilled frontcourt of Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk, and an athletic backcourt of Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley, Parker fits great in between — especially for Celtics fans who aren’t sold on Jeff Green as the Celtics’ future.

Parker could be the second coming of Carmelo Anthony as a scorer, with an even better approach.

Not that Ainge is going to draft based on religion, but the connection between management and player is important. And it’s here for Ainge and Parker. Another connection is that Nick Pagliuca, Parker’s freshman teammate at Duke, is the son of Steve Pagliuca, who is the co-owner of the Celtics.

With Rajon Rondo’s future in Boston still uncertain, the Celtics need an immediate star. Even though Andrew Wiggins may have the bigger hype around him, Parker has a lot of links to Boston that would make him feel at home there. As for the Celtics, Parker is the surest thing as an instant star player that Ainge needs badly to rebuild the winning tradition.

[tps_title]Julius Randle to the Utah Jazz[/tps_title]

Along with Jabari Parker, Randle is the other prospect who is declared as the most physically ready for the NBA. ESPN’s Chad Ford describes Randle, via USAToday.com:

When you look at the motor that he has and the NBA body that he has and his ability to rebound, those are attributes that NBA GMs salivate over.

Randle is not the best prospect out there, but he has the physicality NBA teams salivate over. Even though the Utah Jazz have Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors as big men, Julius Randle gives them more strength in the shaded lane. BleacherReport.com describes the scene:

Randle would come into Utah and compete to start at power forward immediately, providing a physical presence in the paint while being able to bang down low, rebound and score.

Randle plays like Zach Randolph, with a little Lamar Odom, and that versatility at the 4-spot is going to dominate the paint, something that a Marvin Williams can’t do. Utah was 23rd in the NBA in rebounding, despite having Favors and Kanter. Having Randle on the team will change that drastically.

Randle sets greats picks and is ideal for both pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops because he can finish strong and hit the mid-range jump shot. Trey Burke should have more assists next season if the Jazz are lucky enough to nab Randle.

Remember that Utah built its best team ever around a star whose physicality was like Randle in Karl “The Mailman” Malone. Let’s just hope that the Jazz get Randle in the 2014 NBA Draft and that he can deliver the title that Malone didn’t.

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