2016 NBA Draft Rankings

We're a month and a half away from the 2016 NBA Draft and the battle for the #1 spot is as close as it gets.  LSU freshman Ben Simmons has been the front-runner for most of the season, but his lack of an outside shot combined with the miserable performance of his team this season have opened the door for Duke's Brandon Ingram.

Ingram has all the skills, but his wiry frame is the biggest question mark at the next level.  How long will it take him to add the necessary strength to battle the game's best?  How long will it take Ben Simmons to consistently be able to knock down open jumpshots?  It's a tough decision, and I have to admit that right now if I had the #1 pick I wouldn't know who I'd take.

This list is sure to change right up until the May 25th deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and return to school.  Several on this list have already stated their intentions to return to school, but I'm waiting until the deadline passes to finalize the list.

2015-2016 PLAYER RANKING LIST
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight	Year
1	Brandon Ingram	SF	Duke	6'9”	195	Freshman
2	Ben Simmons	SF	LSU	6'10”	240	Freshman
3	Jamal Murray	SG/PG	Kentucky	6'5”	180	Freshman
4	Ben Bentil	PF/SF	Providence	6'9”	235	Sophomore
5	Dedric Lawson	SF	Memphis	6'8”	195	Freshman
6	Domantas Sabonis	PF	Gonzaga	6'11”	240	Sophomore
7	Dejounte Murray	SG	Washington	6'5”	175	Freshman
8	Jaron Blossomgame	SF	Clemson	6'7”	215	Junior
9	Buddy Hield	SG	Oklahoma	6'4”	208	Senior
10	Henry Ellenson	PF	Marquette	6'10”	245	Freshman
11	Denzel Valentine	PG/SG	Michigan St.	6'5”	220	Senior
12	Kris Dunn	PG	Providence	6'3"	205	Junior
13	Daniel Hamilton	SF/SG	UCONN	6'6”	175	Sophomore
14	DeAndre Bembry	SF/SG	St. Joe's	6'6”	200	Junior
15	Malachi Richardson	SG	Syracuse	6'6”	190	Freshman
16	Brice Johnson	PF	UNC	6'9"	225	Senior
17	Carlton Bragg Jr.	PF/SF	Kansas	6'9”	220	Freshman
18	Peter Jok	SG	Iowa	6'6”	200	Junior
19	V.J. Beachem	SF	Notre Dame	6'8”	200	Junior
20	Taurean Prince	SF	Baylor	6'7"	215	Senior
21	Tyler Ulis	PG	Kentucky	5'9”	155	Sophomore
22	Isaiah Whitehead	SG	Seton Hall	6'4”	195	Sophomore
23	Ivan Rabb	PF/SF	California	6'11”	210	Freshman
24	Caris LeVert (injury)	SG	Michigan	6'7"	200	Senior
25	Troy Williams	SF	Indiana	6'7”	206	Junior
26	Michael Gbinije	PG/SG	Syracuse	6'7”	200	Senior
27	Malcolm Brogdon	SG	Virginia	6'5”	217	Senior
28	Malik Beasley	SG	Florida St.	6'4”	185	Freshman
29	Georges Niang	SF	Iowa St.	6'8"	230	Senior
30	Jaylen Brown	SF	California	6'7”	217	Freshman
31	Thomas Bryant	PF/C	Indiana	6'10”	245	Freshman
32	Elgin Cook	SF	Oregon	6'6”	206	Senior
33	Demetrius Jackson	PG/SG	Notre Dame	6'1”	195	Junior
34	Josh Hart	SG	Villanova	6'5”	205	Junior
35	Dillon Brooks	SG/SF	Oregon	6'5”	205	Sophomore
36	Gary Payton II	PG	Oregon St.	6'3”	175	Senior
37	Bennie Boatwright	SF/PF	USC	6'10”	220	Freshman
38	Allonzo Trier	PG /SG	Arizona	6'4”	185	Freshman
39	Edmond Sumner	PG/SG	Xavier	6'5”	183	Freshman
40	Malcolm Hill	SF/SG	Illinois	6'6”	230	Junior
41	A.J. English	SG	Iona	6'4”	190	Senior
42	Wayne Selden	SG	Kansas	6'5”	230	Junior
43	Sheldon McClelland	SG	Miami	6'5"	200	Senior
44	Perry Ellis	SF/PF	Kansas	6'8"	225	Senior
45	Diamond Stone	PF/C	Maryland	6'10”	246	Freshman
46	Tyler Lydon	SF	Syracuse	6'8”	205	Freshman
47	Ryan Anderson	SF/PF	Arizona	6'9"	230	Senior
48	Isaiah Miles	SF	St. Joe's	6'7”	227	Senior
49	Yogi Ferrell	PG	Indiana	6'0"	178	Senior
50	Dorian Finney-Smith	SF	Florida	6'8"	218	Senior
51	Thomas Walkup	SG	Stephen F. Austin	6'4”	195	Senior
52	OG Anunoby	SF	Indiana	6'8”	215	Freshman
53	Grayson Allen	SG	Duke	6'5”	205	Sophomore
54	Trevon Bluiett	SG/SF	Xavier	6'5	205	Sophomore
55	Devonte Graham	PG	Kansas	6'1”	165	Sophomore
56	Romelo Trimble	PG	Maryland	6'3”	175	Sophomore
57	Damion Lee	SG	Louisville	6'6"	200	Senior
58	Deyonta Davis	PF/C	Michigan St.	6'10”	245	Freshman
59	Isaac Hamilton	SG	UCLA	6'5”	185	Junior
60	Jarrod Uthoff	SF	Iowa	6'8”	208	Senior
61	Jakob Poeltl	C	Utah	7'0”	235	Sophomore
62	Devin Williams	PF	West Virginia	6'9”	255	Junior
63	Ron Baker	SG/PG	Wichita St.	6'3”	222	Senior
64	Zak Irvin	SG/SF	Michigan	6'6”	215	Junior
65	Charles Cooke	SG	Dayton	6'5”	192	Junior
66	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Purdue	6'9”	260	Freshman
67	Justin Jackson	SF	UNC	6'7”	185	Sophomore
68	Johnathan Motley	PF	Baylor	6'9”	230	Sophomore
69	Zach Auguste	PF/C	Notre Dame	6'10”	242	Senior
70	A.J. Hammons	C	Purdue	7'0"	261	Senior
71	Jabari Bird	SG/SF	California	6'6”	190	Junior
72	Patrick McCaw	PG/SG	UNLV	6'7”	185	Sophomore
73	Luke Kennard	SG	Duke	6'5”	180	Freshman
74	Cheick Diallo	PF	Kansas	6'9”	218	Freshman
75	Kyle Wiltjer	SF/PF	Gonzaga	6'10"	240	Senior
76	Raymond Spalding	PF	Louisville	6'10”	200	Freshman
77	Dyshawn Pierre	SG	Dayton	6'6”	210	Senior
78	Nigel Hayes	SF	Wisconsin	6'7”	250	Junior
79	Melvin Johnson	SG	VCU	6'4"	195	Senior
80	Wesley Iwundu	SF/SG	Kansas St.	6'7”	210	Junior
81	Joel Berry	PG	UNC	6'0”	185	Sophomore
82	Eric McClellan	SG	Gonzaga	6'4”	196	Senior
83	Davon Reed	SG/SF	Miami	6'6”	208	Junior
84	Isaiah Taylor	PG	Texas	6'1”	170	Junior
85	Jamel Artis	SF	Pitt	6'7”	220	Junior
86	Daniel Ochefu	C/PF	Villanova	6'11”	245	Senior
87	Tyler Dorsey	PG	Oregon	6'4”	180	Freshman
88	Tyler Davis	C	Texas A&M	6'10”	270	Freshman
89	Chinanu Onuaku	C	Louisville	6'10”	220	Sophomore
90	Keita Bates-Diop	SF	Ohio St.	6'7”	190	Sophomore
91	Ben Moore	SF	SMU	6'8”	185	Junior
92	Danuel House	SG/SF	Texas A&M	6'7"	195	Senior
93	Eric McCree	SF	Louisiana Tech	6'8”	220	Junior
94	Dwayne Bacon	SG	Florida St.	6'6”	209	Freshman
95	Andrew White III	SG	Nebraska	6'6"	210	Junior
96	Winston Shepard	PG+	San Diego St.	6'8"	210	Senior
97	James Webb III	SF	Boise St.	6'9”	198	Junior
98	George King	SG	Colorado	6'6”	220	Sophomore
99	Abdel Nader	SF	Iowa State	6'6”	225	Senior
100	Michael Carrera	SG	South Carolina	6'5"	212	Senior

Roy Williams: More Than Just a Basketball Coach

In the past I've been very critical of Roy Williams. On many occasions over the years I've pointed out strategic errors and lineup mistakes he made that cost UNC basketball games. While many of the things I said had some validity, I wasn't seeing the whole picture clearly. I wanted Roy out as coach as soon as possible, and I wanted the Boston Celtic's (then Butler) coach Brad Stevens, Wichita State's Gregg Marshall, or Villanova's Jay Wright to take his place. 

I've since changed my tune, and it's not just because Coach Williams once again has OUR Tar Heels playing for another National Championship. A change in myself has allowed me to truly see Roy Williams' contribution to the University, its basketball players, and the world from a much different perspective.

Roy Williams is a teacher. He's a developer of men, and he has a huge impact on the world. When I watched the players' senior speeches, particular Marcus Paige's, I fully realized the value of this man I'd directed way too much negative energy towards in the past.

Marcus Paige is a thoughtful young man who poured his heart out to his Hall of Fame coach, giving him tons of credit for all the words of wisdom and life lessons he'd passed down during Paige's four-year career. Roy Williams had clearly helped Marcus get to a much better place mentally than the point I found myself at his age, and I felt compelled to write a sort of apology and acknowledgment letter in his honor.

Marcus Paige's Senior Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95h6bjoyOks

My Mental State at the Time

I'm an extreme competitor and I hate losing. When I wrote those harsh criticisms of Roy Williams several years ago, I was going through a tough period in my life. I was angry, and I was subconsciously looking at everything from a very negative point of view. I was also searching for any way to make myself feel better, and pointing out the shortcomings in a person held in high regard was something I guess I thought would do that. Call it depression, call it hate. Whatever tag you want to place on it doesn't really tell the story.

One of those articles several years ago (More on Bleacher Report)
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1523288-north-carolina-basketball-a-plea-to-roy-williams

I see this same mentality in a large segment of this country's population. It's extremely destructive, and it's leading us and the rest of the world down a dark path. This kind of outlook and behavior is a cry for help, a sign that things are not right in a person's life. We must seek to improve in this area, and we need to make it a priority now.

As we inch closer to this year's Presidential election, it's become clear that it's a battle between differing mental states. Bernie Sanders represents love, understanding, and caring for all human beings, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz pure hate, discrimination, and selfish greed, and Hillary Clinton the middle-dwelling pawn willing to say whatever it takes to win and continue the status quo. It's a time where we need to understand just how similar we all are, and come together for the common good with a leader who has EVERYONE's best interests at heart.

I realize now that Roy Williams is the kind of leader that puts caring for ALL of his players and their well-being ahead of everything, and sometimes winning takes a backseat. As a cutthroat competitor this will always drive me a little crazy, but I've gained a much better appreciation for the things Coach Williams does extremely well and the huge impact he has on other people's lives.

Ironically 'Ol Roy will lead the Tar Heels against Jay Wright and Villanova in an attempt to win his 3^rd National Championship tonight. While I still disagree with some of his basketball decisions from time-to-time, he's got this UNC team playing at its best entering the last game of the season. Win or lose, Coach Williams has done an amazing job preparing his players for something much more important than basketball.

At a time when my home state (and country) seems determined to divide its population, spread hate and discrimination, and stir up negativity at an alarming rate, I urge you to really think about what you stand for and what kind of world you want to live in. Go out and use your unique gifts to leave an impact on the world, and try to make it one that lifts other people up and makes the world a better place. Roy Williams certainly does.

Roy Williams' Senior Night Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oWu5T_rg5w

2016 NBA Draft Rankings Heading into the NCAA Tournament

It's hard to believe the likely #1 pick in this year's NBA Draft won't be playing in the NCAA Tournament, but Ben Simmons' LSU Tigers were an absolute disaster this season.  It would be shocking to see head coach Johnny Jones keep his job after adding such a miserable season to his already lengthy list of underachieving squads, and it appears the Tigers have chosen to go ahead and give up on this season rather than accepting an NIT bid.  Just embarrassing.

2015-2016 PLAYER RANKING LIST
Rank	Player	Position	Team	Height	Weight	Year
1	Ben Simmons	SF	LSU	6'10”	240	Freshman
2	Brandon Ingram	SF	Duke	6'9”	195	Freshman
3	Denzel Valentine	PG/SG	Michigan St.	6'5”	220	Senior
4	Jamal Murray	SG/PG	Kentucky	6'5”	180	Freshman
5	Henry Ellenson	PF	Marquette	6'10”	230	Freshman
6	Buddy Hield	SG	Oklahoma	6'5”	208	Senior
7	Ben Bentil	PF/SF	Providence	6'9”	235	Sophomore
8	Jaron Blossomgame	SF	Clemson	6'7”	215	Junior
9	Isaiah Whitehead	SG	Seton Hall	6'4”	195	Sophomore
10	Malcolm Brogdon	SG	Virginia	6'5”	217	Senior
11	Dedric Lawson	SF	Memphis	6'8”	195	Freshman
12	Carlton Bragg Jr.	PF/SF	Kansas	6'9”	220	Freshman
13	Malcolm Hill	SF/SG	Illinois	6'6”	230	Junior
14	Brice Johnson	PF	UNC	6'9"	225	Senior
15	DeAndre Bembry	SF/SG	St. Joe's	6'6”	200	Junior
16	Daniel Hamilton	SF/SG	UCONN	6'6”	175	Sophomore
17	Kris Dunn	PG	Providence	6'3"	205	Junior
18	Jaylen Brown	SF	California	6'7”	217	Freshman
19	Allonzo Trier	PG /SG	Arizona	6'4”	185	Freshman
20	Domantas Sabonis	PF	Gonzaga	6'11”	210	Sophomore
21	Malik Beasley	SG	Florida St.	6'4”	185	Freshman
22	Trevon Bluiett	SG/SF	Xavier	6'5	205	Sophomore
23	Isaiah Miles	SF	St. Joe's	6'7”	227	Senior
24	Peter Jok	SG	Iowa	6'6”	200	Junior
25	Tyler Dorsey	PG	Oregon	6'4”	180	Freshman
26	Ivan Rabb	PF/SF	California	6'11”	210	Freshman
27	Taurean Prince	SF	Baylor	6'7"	215	Senior
28	Malachi Richardson	SG	Syracuse	6'6”	190	Freshman
29	Sheldon McClelland	SG	Miami	6'5"	200	Senior
30	Caris LeVert (injury)	SG	Michigan	6'7"	200	Senior
31	Michael Gbinije	PG/SG	Syracuse	6'7”	200	Senior
32	Wayne Selden	SG	Kansas	6'5”	230	Junior
33	Devonte Graham	PG	Kansas	6'1”	165	Sophomore
34	Devin Williams	PF	West Virginia	6'9”	255	Junior
35	Deyonta Davis	PF/C	Michigan St.	6'10”	245	Freshman
36	OG Anunoby	SF	Indiana	6'8”	215	Freshman
37	Dillon Brooks	SG/SF	Oregon	6'5”	205	Sophomore
38	Charles Cooke	SG	Dayton	6'5”	192	Junior
39	George King	SG	Colorado	6'6”	220	Sophomore
40	Nigel Hayes	SF	Wisconsin	6'7”	250	Junior
41	Tyler Ulis	PG	Kentucky	5'9”	155	Sophomore
42	Perry Ellis	SF/PF	Kansas	6'8"	225	Senior
43	Georges Niang	SF	Iowa St.	6'8"	230	Senior
44	Chris Boucher	PF/C	Oregon	6'10”	200	Junior
45	Gary Payton II	PG	Oregon St.	6'3”	175	Senior
46	Josh Hart	SG	Villanova	6'5”	205	Junior
47	Wesley Iwundu	SF/SG	Kansas St.	6'7”	210	Junior
48	Thomas Bryant	PF/C	Indiana	6'10”	245	Freshman
49	Yogi Ferrell	PG	Indiana	6'0"	178	Senior
50	A.J. English	SG	Iona	6'4”	190	Senior
51	Danuel House	SG/SF	Texas A&M	6'7"	195	Senior
52	Jalen Jones	SF	Texas A&M	6'7”	220	Senior
53	Caleb Swanigan	PF	Purdue	6'9”	260	Freshman
54	Dorian Finney-Smith	SF	Florida	6'8"	218	Senior
55	Edmond Sumner	PG/SG	Xavier	6'5”	183	Freshman
56	Demetrius Jackson	PG/SG	Notre Dame	6'1”	195	Junior
57	Isaac Hamilton	SG	UCLA	6'5”	185	Junior
58	A.J. Hammons	C	Purdue	7'0"	261	Senior
59	Grayson Allen	SG	Duke	6'5”	205	Sophomore
60	Jabari Bird	SG/SF	California	6'6”	190	Junior
61	Jarrod Uthoff	SF	Iowa	6'8”	208	Senior
62	Jakob Poeltl	C	Utah	7'0”	235	Sophomore
63	Damion Lee	SG	Louisville	6'6"	200	Senior
64	Cheick Diallo	PF	Kansas	6'9”	218	Freshman
65	Romelo Trimble	PG	Maryland	6'3”	175	Sophomore
66	Davon Reed	SG/SF	Miami	6'6”	208	Junior
67	Kelan Martin	SF/SG	Butler	6'6”	215	Sophomore
68	Marcus Georges-Hunt	SG	Georgia Tech	6'5"	218	Senior
69	Johnathan Motley	PF	Baylor	6'9”	230	Sophomore
70	Raymond Spalding	PF	Louisville	6'10”	200	Freshman
71	Patrick McCaw	PG/SG	UNLV	6'7”	185	Sophomore
72	Tyler Davis	C	Texas A&M	6'10”	270	Freshman
73	Troy Williams	SF	Indiana	6'7”	206	Junior
74	Tyler Lydon	SF	Syracuse	6'8”	205	Freshman
75	Tevin Mack	SG/SF	Texas	6'7”	200	Freshman
76	Diamond Stone	PF/C	Maryland	6'10”	246	Freshman
77	Chinanu Onuaku	C	Louisville	6'10”	220	Sophomore
78	Bennie Boatwright	SF/PF	USC	6'10”	220	Freshman
79	Dejounte Murray	SG	Washington	6'5”	175	Freshman
80	Keita Bates-Diop	SF	Ohio St.	6'7”	190	Sophomore
81	Jameel Warney	PF	Stony Brook	6'8”	255	Senior
82	Zak Irvin	SG/SF	Michigan	6'6”	215	Junior
83	Ben Moore	SF	SMU	6'8”	185	Junior
84	Melvin Johnson	SG	VCU	6'4"	195	Senior
85	Ron Baker	SG/PG	Wichita St.	6'3”	222	Senior
86	Isaiah Taylor	PG	Texas	6'1”	170	Junior
87	Michael Young	SF	Pitt	6'9”	235	Junior
88	Luke Kennard	SG	Duke	6'5”	180	Freshman
89	Zach Auguste	PF/C	Notre Dame	6'10”	242	Senior
90	Daniel Ochefu	C/PF	Villanova	6'11”	245	Senior
91	Eric McCree	SF	Louisiana Tech	6'8”	220	Junior
92	Alex Hamilton	PG	Louisiana Tech	6'4”	190	Senior
93	Damyean Dotson	SG	Houston	6'5”	202	Senior
94	Wade Baldwin IV	PG	Vanderbilt	6'3”	194	Sophomore
95	Andrew White III	SG	Nebraska	6'6"	210	Junior
96	Tyrone Wallace	PG/SG	California	6'5”	200	Senior
97	James Webb III	SF	Boise St.	6'9”	198	Junior
98	Stephen Zimmerman	C	UNLV	6'11”	214	Freshman
99	Dwayne Bacon	SG	Florida St.	6'6”	209	Freshman
100	Jamel Artis	SF	Pitt	6'7”	220	Junior