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TSN Basketball Analyst

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FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS:

1. DRAFT LOTTERY: If you're a fan of small-market franchises or just hate the New York Knicks, you had to love the lottery last night, watching the Knicks fall to fourth and small-market Minnesota grabbing the first pick. The reigning Rookie of the Year, Andrew Wiggins, will have a fun running mate next year, but in spite of that, they're a ways off in the ultra competitive Western Conference. If you're a Raptors fan, you're pleased that Atlantic Divsion rivals Philly and New York have to pick third and fourth and the top two overall picks go out West. The look on Knicks GM Steve Mills's face said it all last night. President Phil Jackson has lots of work ahead of him starting this Summer.

2. D'ANGELO RUSSELL (Ohio State): So much discussion of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor means that this man gets overshadowed a bit. I'm a big fan of this combo guard. Russell is very skilled and lightning quick. Considering how the NBA game is played today, Russell's someone that you shouldn't sleep on one bit and might end up being the guy when teams at the top two spots evaluate long and hard over the next five weeks and get swayed in that direction. I see him being a really good pro guard in time. The young man has a legit game.

3. JOHN CALIPARI (Kentucky): His stock is at an all-time high and he's enjoying the spotlight. Calipari's name has been linked to the New Orleans Pelicans job, but he firmly stated that he's happy at Kentucky after agreeing to another contract extension. He's a smart guy - all this helps recruiting. High school recruits see his name linked to a pro job and his long-term security at Kentucky, as well as the abundance of pros he's turning out and it helps his recruiting pitch all the more. Any kid he recruits, he's automatically right at the top of the list. A good salesman.

4. ONE AND DONE: Loved the force that Northwestern Athletic Director, Jim Phillips, spoke with when describing the need for college athletics to take a firm stand against the 'one and done' concept. Even John Calipari, who has benefited big time from it, spoke out about it on a few occasions. You look at a wonderful academic institution like Duke University and they've got three 'one and done' guys. We're not talking about some low academic football factory, we're talking Duke, a top 15 American university. It's become rent-a-player. Student-athlete? No such thing in these cases. I'm not sure how this all gets fixed, but it has to get straightened out and, in some way, the NBA and the players' union are going to have take a cooperative look at what is taking place.

5. SAM DEKKER (Wisconsin): You hear fellow Badger Frank Kaminsky mentioned a whole lot more, but this guy has a nice pro game. Dekker has good shooting range, is an athletic, rugged rebounder, a solid defender and can create a bit. He's very confident and plays with an edge that helped lead his team to back-to-back NCAA Final Fours. The scouts I talk to see his stock rising and some are mad that the secret is out on him now.  He played in a structured style for coach Bo Ryan, but when folks get to his creativity as a player, they realize there is much more there than we saw in college.