"I'm taking my talents to Charlotte."

Some teams in the NBA are a blast to watch.  Some have you staring blankly at your television set, desperately holding your bladder in fear of missing the best play of the year.  Some have that superstar, that go to guy that everyone wants to watch, whether he makes the game winning shot or misses the big bucket.  Some, just plain old stink.  <--- That dunk basically describes the Bobcat's season.  It has been a dismal year for the team out of Charlotte, who yield the league's worst record at 4 - 27.  Should the lottery be kind to them before this coming draft , and let's assume it will, they could be set on draft day to complete the dreams of a young college basketball player.  A player who's dream it has long been since he could say the word basketball to be the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft.  The question is, who should the Bobcats, or any team that lands that first pick, take?  To answer that question, we go to five of the best college basketball players from this year, who all have a viable option at being the game changer the Bobcats need.


College basketball player: "You want me to play at Charlotte?"

David Stern: "Absolutely."

College basketball player: "Now I understand why LeBron took his talents to South Beach."


5. Austin Rivers - Point guard, Duke University

Point guard Austin Rivers has made an immediate impact on the Duke roster

Personally, I've been a fan of him ever since he donned his father's Atlanta Hawk jersey at the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest last year.  Rivers is just a freshman.  He was the most highly touted freshman out of high school, playing ball at Winter Park High School in Florida, leading them to back-to-back state championships.  If his name sounds familiar, it's because his Dad is Doc Rivers, the coach of the Boston Celtics.  This kid has instantly made an impact on the Duke roster.  He is one of those players that Coach K stumbles upon that makes a sweet crossover past an opposing senior player, and leaves the crowd chanting "He's a freshman!"  Much like Duke players of the past, such as J.J. Reddick and Kyrie Irving, Austin Rivers has jumped right into his role as the team leader, and has already created quite a highlight reel for himself at Duke.  Did you see his game winner against UNC?  Check it out.  You can't teach that kind of confidence.  While Rivers is just a freshman, and freshman players at Duke are not normally known for leaving school for the NBA early, Irving walked away last year and is now playing well for the Cleveland Cavaliers and could win Rookie of the Year honors.  This has to be tempting for Rivers, who could decide to make the same decision when it comes time to declare for the draft.  Wouldn't it be sweet if he went to the Celtics!


4. Bradley Beal - Shooting guard, University of Florida

Freshman Bradley Beal has led all Gator players in minutes this season

While a shooting guard isn't exactly a position the Bobcat's need the most help at (let's remember they need the most help at just about every aspect of their game), the notion that they could get an opportunity to nab Florida freshman Bradley Beal might sway their decision.  Beal played at Chaminade College Prepatory School in St. Louis.  In his senior year, he was recognized as the top player in the state of Missouri and was named the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year.  He averaged 32.5 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game, which to anyone who has ever attempted at playing the game of basketball knows those statistics are just ridiculous.  Since coming to the University of Florida, Beal has played more minutes than any other player on the team's roster, even more than star player Kenny Boynton.  Beal has averaged 14.5 points a game at Florida, and has been named the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week six times this season.  The only reason I have Beal ranked higher than Rivers in this list is because there is a real shot at Beal leaving early.  Current NBA players that have hailed from the University of Florida, such as Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer, have all seen great success playing professional ball.  Their success could be enough to draw Beal away from college. 


3. Thomas Robinson - Forward, University of Kansas

Forward Thomas Robinson is a favorite to be the top pick in this years draft

Thomas Robinson is one of the premiere prospects for the NBA Draft this year.  Only a sophomore at Kansas, Robinson is averaging a double-double, with 17.7 points per game, and 11.8 rebound per game.  Many feel he could enter the NBA and have an immediate impact with any team who decides to take him.  He is at the top of the running for national player of the year, a guaranteed future All-American, and has helped lead his Jayhawks to a 22 - 5 record and the 5th overall ranking in college basketball.  Robinson's story is as tragic as it is remarkable.  During his freshman season, in the span of four weeks, Robinson lost his grandmother, his grandfather, and his mother.  Any normal person would have broken down, any normal person would have given up, and any normal person would never have returned to the basketball court and done the things that Robinson is doing, that would surely make his family proud.  This kid is special, his coach said it himself.  "He really believes that, when he steps on the court, if he plays well he can be the best guy on the floor, regardless of the situation," said Kansas Head Coach Bill Self. "I'm not sure a guy who played 14 minutes a game last year should feel that way entering a season, but somehow or other, he did."  If you want to read more on Robinson's amazing story just check out the article here.  I highly advise that you do.  We could be talking about this kid for a long time.


2. Jared Sullinger - Power forward, Ohio State University

Jared Sullinger decided to return to Ohio State after a successful freshman season

Many thought last year that Jared Sullinger would leave Ohio State and head for the NBA.  He was the unprecedented best player in college basketball and many believed if he had declared he would have easily gone first overall in the draft.  However, Sullinger shocked the basketball world when he announced he would return to Ohio State for his sophomore season.  Sullinger wanted to bring a championship to Ohio State.  He failed when his team lost to Kentucky in the tournament.  Rather then opting out, Sullinger said he would not leave Ohio State until he had helped them bring home the gold.  That is a tremendous demonstration of character.  This kid is doing whatever it takes to win and you can see the competitive drive he has.  Any team in the NBA would kill to have a player of that caliber on their team.  Sullinger has averaged 17.2 points per game and 9 rebounds per game this season.  He has continued to play at the level he did during his freshman season.  If Ohio State makes a run in the tournament this year and finds a way to win it all, you can expect Jared Sullinger to declare for the NBA Draft.  The Charlotte Bobcats would be more than overjoyed to have a player who is willing to sacrifice so much to win.

1. Anthony Davis - Power forward, University of Kentucky

Anthony Davis is the most complete player in college basketball

The Kentucky Wildcats are 26 -1 and sport the best record in college basketball.  When you sport the best record, you most likely sport the best player.  Anthony Davis is everything you could want in a basketball player.  He is fast and strong.  He plays defense as well as anybody in the country.  He can score from the perimeter, in the paint, and basically anywhere on the court.  The Charlotte Bobcats would get a fine pick if Davis decides to declare for the NBA Draft.  The odds are pretty good that he will.  Davis plays for John Calipari, the longtime coach of the University of Memphis, who is now the head coach at the University of Kentucky.  Calipari has a history of recruiting players who are considered "one and done."  This means that the player plays one year for him, and then runs off to go play ball with the professionals.  Remember Derrick Rose?  Same deal.  He was the first overall pick by the Chicago Bulls and has now made them one of the most fearsome teams in the league, as well as taking home last year's MVP honors.  Davis will more than likely have a similar story.  If he declares, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Bobcats decide to take him with the first overall pick.  I don't think they could wrong with him in their lineup. 

From Superman, to the KIA Optima, to Twitter, the NBA Dunk Contest has come a long way

Once upon a time, Spud Webb was dunking balls as if he had lowered the rim on the net that sat outside on his drive way.  The only difference was this net was still 10 feet tall, and instead of sitting on his driveway, it sat in the home of the NBA Dunk Contest.  Spud Webb was merely 5'7, and in the world of basketball, they call that dwarfism.  His size never kept him from achieving greatness however, and the one time Atlanta Hawk surprised the media and the world when he won the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest, beating out his fellow teammate Dominique Wilkins. 

At 5'7, Spud Webb could still dunk with the best of them.

What Webb did back then was breath taking.  It was exhilarating.  It drew "Oh's" and "Ah's" from the crowd like Siegfried and Roy when they flew a white tiger across the room.  Today, the Dunk Contest is even more entertaining.  Today, you have Dwight Howard donning a Superman uniform and force feeding the rim the ball.  Today, you have Blake Griffin leaping over the hood of a KIA Optima, catching an alley-oop pass from fellow teammate Baron Davis while a gospel choir sings "I Believe I Can Fly" by R Kelly.   And today, you, the fan, can pick the Dunk Contest winner from the sanctuary of your own home, by simply using a Twitter account.

In article published on ESPN, writers Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon discussed the layout of this years Dunk Contest along with the 24 hour news coverage that has been called "Lin-sanity",  due to the tremendous amount of media presence surrounding heralded New York Knicks point-guard Jeremy Lin.  While the story on Lin is a great one, we will save that for another day.  The part of the article that was so interesting, was how the winner of the Dunk Contest will be selected this year.

Point-guard Jeremy Lin has become a media sensation in helping the Kicks reach a 7-game win streak.

In the past, the Dunk Contest winner was appointed by the judges, who gave each dunk a score of 1 to 10 based on how well the dunk made their eyes pop from their sockets.  This year however, the fans will be able to vote for their favorite dunk contest winner via the social networking site, Twitter.  While Blake Griffin will not be returning to defend his crown, the crowd at the game as well as those crowded around their television sets, will be able to decide who takes the crown by tweeting their favorite dunker, voting online, or sending a text message.  Many people are concerned that the ability to vote for the Dunk Contest winner will affect the outcome.   You have to think though, when have the fans ever disagreed with the judges ruling?  Never.  Bring on the new champion.