It's go day for Alec Burks. Time to get paid; time to become a professional. Time to take the baton from Chauncey Billups and become the new face of CU's NBA presence.
I haven't looked forward to an NBA draft this much since the '08 draft when my Bulls drafted the great Derrick Rose.
Coach Tad Boyle is excited too; he's got a get-together planned in his house with the other CU coaches to watch the draft. Considering what happened the last time he held a get-together to watch presumably good news about the Buffs, maybe he'd be better served by watching it alone in a darkened room. But, CU can't get screwed by the basketball world again, right?
Most experts have the overly-talented Buff swing-man going in the lottery (top 14 picks), and the NBA seems to agree, having invited him to the Newark green room. However, as the past week has gone on, pundits like ESPN's Chad Ford have slowly slipped the overly talented swing-man out of the top half of the first round (Ford now has Alec at # 18 to the Wizards). While they admit he may go as high as 7th, concerns over his shooting must be forcing him down the board. In a draft system based on upside, I find this hard to fathom; with more time to work on his game, I feel Alec will be a fine shooter, and his ability to get to the rim and the free throw line already separate him from competing talent.
The prevailing consensus had been that Burks would go to Milwaukee with the 10th pick. I mentioned a few weeks back that they really seemed to like Alec, but it now appears that they may have fallen in love with Washington State's Klay Thompson. Two thoughts: Alec is better, and will have a better career, than Thompson. Additionally, if Milwaukee and Golden State, who have the 11th pick, pass on Alec, then whatever team gets him in the middle-part of the first round will be getting a steal.
I think my dream scenario would be a combination of him falling and the Nuggets trading up to get him. This would allow me to watch him on a continued basis. However, while the "Rich and Creamy's" are apparently talking of moving up, I doubt they'd move up too high for Alec. I'll stick with my gut and say Milwaukee comes to their senses; Alec deserves to be a lottery pick, and he will be.
Prediction: Milwaukee with #10
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