5 Steals Of The 2014 NBA Draft

Written by Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

The 2014 NBA Draft was one of the deeper ones in recent memory. With so many talented players, there was undoubtedly going to be some players that fell further down the draft board than originally expected. Those players would become steals for the teams in which laps they fell into. Here are the five biggest steals from the 2014 NBA Draft.

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Cleanthony Early, Small Forward, Wichita State: The former Wichita State forward was expected to go anywhere from 14-24 in the first round. His scoring ability from the perimeter and interior was strong, and he rebounded well for his position. He also plays both ends of the court, as he is as much a capable defender as he is scorer.

The only negative that people had would be his transition from college power forward to NBA small forward, with his ball handling being the only thing holding him back. It also caused his falling into the second round, where the New York Knicks picked him up with the 34^th pick. The rest of the NBA’s loss will be the Knicks gain as they finally have a small forward option behind Carmelo Anthony, who is returning to the team.

Early will have a chance to learn from one of the best scoring and rebounding small forwards in recent NBA history, and have the ability to grow as a player without immense pressure of a high pick. Sure he would have rather went earlier, but this is a strong landing spot for the former Shocker.

Early should have a role right from the start with the Knicks as a reserve wing. He fills a huge hole the Knicks had, as Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. can stop being played out of position and back to their normal spots in the backcourt. If given the chance to grow, which he should have with the Knicks, Early has a chance to become a more than solid contributor at the NBA level.

Jordan Clarkson, Point Guard, Missouri: Clarkson was another second-round pick that made a surprising tumble down draft boards on draft night. The athletic combo-guard put on great performances in the pre-draft process, but still found himself waiting to have his name called until the 16^th pick in the second round.

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Clarkson needs to continue on developing his jump shot, but he should have plenty of chances to grow as he landed on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are desperate for a youth infusion, especially in the backcourt, and Clarkson should help with that.

He has excellent ball-handling skills, and can score from anywhere on the court. Even with the lack of a consistent jump shot, his size and athleticism combination from the point guard position gives him a big edge.

With a roster in transition, the Lakers have found themselves a strong piece to get them back to relevance. Clarkson should come in and be productive right away and see plenty of minutes on a Lakers team with very few other options.

Gary Harris, Shooting Guard, Michigan State: Harris falling to the 19^th pick in the first round was one of the bigger surprises on the night. The Denver Nuggets will reap the benefits of that slide, getting Harris in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.

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Harris is one of the only true two-way players in this draft. Offensively, he is strong and physical. He may be a little undersized, but he finishes at the rim with great efficiency because of good athleticism coupled with his physicality. He can score from the mid-range as well, with the only knock being his jump shot is a little streaky. It is a problem that can be fixed, but if he continued attacking the way he’s capable of it should not hinder him much.

Defensively, Harris is just as strong. His motor is always running, as he never takes plays off on either side of the court. His size hinders him slightly defensively, but he does not back down and sticks with it.

He will have an opportunity to grow in his first season behind the recently acquired Arron Afflalo, who is one of the better two-way guards in the NBA currently. Harris can learn from him and is in a great situation with the Nuggets.

Kyle Anderson, Forward, UCLA: This was too perfect a pick and is arguably the biggest steal in this draft. The point-forward from UCLA landed in the perfect situation with the San Antonio Spurs. This landing spot will be what makes Anderson into a lengthy career veteran instead of a three-year flame out.

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The Spurs have the perfect mentor on the team already in Boris Diaw, as Anderson is essentially a Diaw clone. The versatility Anderson has will be a huge asset to the Spurs and the system they employ under Gregg Popovich. Like Diaw, Anderson possesses excellent court vision and has a sneaky offensive game. He is strong at the mid-range, but also has a vastly improving three-point shot that is becoming a strength.

He has some things to work on, as his athleticism and quickness are not strengths. This causes him at times to be a liability on defense, as he cannot keep up with the smaller, quicker players he is sometimes forced to guard against.

Another thing people will point out as a negative is the unique qualities he has as a player, but that is irrelevant here. The Spurs are the perfect system for him, and he should succeed right away given the support group there and the way he plays. This was a perfect landing spot for Anderson and makes him a big sleeper to succeed.

Marcus Smart, Point Guard, Oklahoma State and Julius Randle, Power Forward Kentucky: 

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These two make the list as not exactly the exact definition of a sleeper or steal, but as players who will surely out perform their draft slot. With a draft this loaded, players are surely to fall and these are two that slipped a little bit. The Boston Celtics and Lakers, two storied franchise in a hole right now, will benefit and kick start their rebuilds.

For Smart, he has a great chance to learn from Rajon Rondo, if the Celtics do indeed keep them. Neither are strong shooters, but the tenacity both bring attacking the basket and on defense, head coach Brad Stevens can make it work.

Randle will have an opportunity to play right away with the Lakers lacking many assets and Pau Gasol leaving this offseason. He is easily the most talented big man on the roster, and his work ethic and playing style should endear himself to the uber-talented and competitive Kobe Bryant.

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New York Knicks Announce Summer League Roster and Schedule

Written by Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Garrett Ellwood/NBA

The New York Knicks will be participating in the 2014 Las Vegas Summer league yet again this season. The league will run from July 11^th-July 21^st, and will be the first opportunity to see the new rookie class and some of the young players with bright futures. The Knicks, like all other teams, will play at least five games in the tournament-style format that will be held at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus.

The Knicks will be bringing a loaded backcourt to the summer league, which should prove positive results as the summer league is more about showcasing offense than defense. They have a number of young players that fans will be seeing in action for the first time, including second round draft picks Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. This will also be the first time Knicks’ fans can see Shane Larkin in action, and 2013 All-Rookie First Team selection Tim Hardaway Jr. Here is the rest of the Knicks roster for the summer league.

Three other Knicks from last season, Jeremy Tyler, Cole Aldrich and Shannon Brown, will join the four players mentioned above, in addition to Langston Galloway, Jordan Henriquez, Zane Johnson, Cameron Moore, Will Sheehey, Brandon Triche, and Jordan Vandenberg.

The scheduled Knicks games right now will be:

July 11^th: 1 PM ET vs. Dallas Mavericks

July 12^th: 1 PM ET vs. Portland Trailblazers

July 14^th: 1 PM ET vs. Charlotte Hornets

The next games the Knicks play will be determined by how well they perform in the three games scheduled.

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New York Knicks' 2014 NBA Draft Recap

Written by Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Shannon Stapleton Reuters

For a team that was shut out altogether from the 2014 NBA Draft just 48 hours ago, the New York Knicks made quite a splash. President Phil Jackson was said to be coveting picks in this draft, and wanted in. He was able to do that after swinging a trade with the Dallas Mavericks that saw Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler shipped to Dallas for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, and Wayne Ellington and two second-round draft picks. Jackson and the Knicks made the most of those draft picks, selecting Cleanthony Early 34^th and Thanasis Antetokounmpo 51^st. Jackson did not stop there, as he also purchased the 57^th pick from the Indiana Pacers and selected French center Louis Labeyrie.

The catch of this draft is obviously Early. Early, the four-year collegiate player who played his last two seasons with the Wichita State Shockers, slid in the draft to the Knicks benefit. He was pegged by many analysts to be a shoe-in for the first round, going anywhere from late in the lottery or the early 20’s.

Early is a versatile scorer, who can fill it up from the interior and perimeter. He has an improving three-point shot, which will expand his offensive game even more if he is a threat from long range. He is also a strong rebounder, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

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Early also made a statement when it mattered most, playing for a Shockers team that lost only once this past season. He had a monster game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament, pouring in a season-high 31 as he 12-17 from the field.

Early showed good athleticism at the NBA Combine, registering a 40 inch-vertical leap during drills. That was one inch higher than Aaron Gordon, who is said to have all-world athleticism.

Early does have some things to work on, namely his ball handling. He could struggle at first getting to the rim with his shaky handles, which is one of the reasons he fell in the draft.

Even with that, he is a player that could help the Knicks right away, with or without Carmelo Anthony. He will add much needed depth behind Anthony if he decides to re-sign, but if he leaves Early will have a great opportunity to grow with plenty of minutes and shots being available. He will have a chip on his shoulder and will look to prove all of the teams that passed him over wrong.

With their second pick of the night, the Knicks selected the brother of Milwaukee Bucks’ 2013 first round pick Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka The Greek Freak. While Thanasis does not have the same ceiling as his brother, he is a strong wing player that is NBA ready defensively.

Standing 6-feet-6 inches tall, Thanasis is super athletic, using that to his advantage defensively. He showcased that athleticism on multiple occasions in the NBA D-League last season for the Philadelphia 87ers. He has a massive wing span of seven-feet, which enables him to finish well at the rim when couple with the athleticism he possesses.

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He needs to improve his jump shot and offense overall, but defense right now is his calling card. Second round picks have an uphill battle making NBA rosters, but when you have the defensive intensity such as Antetokounmpo teams will notice, especially one as starved for defense as the Knicks. Outside of Iman Shumpert, there are not many players you would say are defensive gifted on this roster. It will be what helps him get noticed by the coaching staff and make the roster this coming season.

As for Labeyrie, there is no much to be said. There is a chance he will never make an appearance in the NBA. Last season, playing for Paris-Levallois, the 6-foot-10 inch Frenchman averaged 2.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game. Nothing to really get excited about here.

The Knicks had a successful draft, especially judging from where they stood as recently as Wednesday morning. It is fair to say that Jackson has made a splash thus far in his first offseason in the front office, as he continues to change the culture in New York. The Knicks are finally beginning to stockpile some useful assets, and you should expect that to continue. The Knicks are loaded currently on the wings and in the backcourt, making more moves by Jackson expected. Things are finally looking bright for the Knicks after so many years of poor executive decisions being made, and Jackson is the driving force.

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