Things are looking up for Kevin Durant and the Warriors after acquiring DeMarcus Cousins. (AP)

When DeMarcus Cousins couldn’t get a call from NBA teams during the free agency period, he picked up the phone himself, called the Golden State Warriors and offered his services for below market value.

The Cousins signing nearly shut down the internet, as the basketball community threw up their arms in disgust and basically surrendered the upcoming season to the defending NBA champs. The rich got richer. The Warriors are favorites, according to online experts, to three-peat and capture their fourth championship in five years.

Here’s the obvious fact. The Warriors are historically great. They were great before Cousins joined them, and they will be great whenever Cousins becomes available on the court. The Dubs don’t need Cousins to win a third straight championship. It would be like giving Amazon founder Jeff Bezos a $1 billion to add to his $147 billion fortune.

And here’s another fact. Cousins will not be the same player following surgery on his Achilles tendon. Few, if any, NBA stars have bounced back from an Achilles tear and return to All-Star form. The injury caused many, like Isiah Thomas and Patrick Ewing, to retire. Kobe Bryant was never the same player after he tore his Achilles. Dominique Wilkins came the closest to getting back to All-Star form, but even ‘Nique had to alter his game. He became strictly a jump shooter.

Cousins can still be an effective role player for the Warriors. But he won’t be the Boogie Cousins who averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds over his last three healthy seasons. We should drop the Boogie out of Cousins. He’ll just be plain old DeMarcus.

OneManFastBreak.net predicts the eight teams that’ll make the playoffs in the West for the 2018-19 season.

Western Conference

1-Golden State Warriors – Just checking to see if Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are still on the roster. OK, check. Then there’s nothing much to say here except, “good luck to the rest of the league.” The Dubs will cruise to the best record without breaking a sweat. Wake me up in the spring when the playoffs start. Prediction: 58-24

2-Oklahoma City Thunder – Oklahoma City is still basking in the glory of re-signing Paul George. Once the smoke clears from the PG13 free agency celebration, the Thunder will realize they’re still one piece away from being able to knock off the Dubs. OKC didn’t address its most glaring weakness: shooting. General manager Sam Presti needs to deal one of his wing players for a pure shooter who can space the floor and give Russell Westbrook and George more driving lanes. The addition of point guard Dennis Schroder allows Westbrook to slide over to shooting guard — his more natural position. Prediction: 55-29

3-Denver Nuggets – After finishing ninth in 2018, the Nuggets are in position to kick the door open and bust through the playoffs. Coach Mike Malone’s system is perfectly suited for center Nikola Jokic, who one of the most unique players in the league. The Nuggets have a deep roster with a good mix of young and old talent. Point guard Jamal Murray is ready for a breakout season and Paul Millsap adds a veteran presence on and off the court. Prediction: 54-28

4-Los Angeles Lakers – Some “experts” are saying the Lakers are going to miss the playoffs. Those “experts” should have their media badges revoked. How can you leave out the Lakers when the franchise added LeBron James to go along with a boatload of talented young studs ready to have breakout seasons? LeBron is good for at least 15-plus wins on top of what the Lakers got a year ago. There will be some growing pains, but ultimately this new version of Showtime will be very good and may be a year away from becoming title contenders. Prediction: 51-31

5-Houston Rockets – The Rockets came within one game of advancing to the NBA Finals, pushing Golden State to seven games in the conference finals. But instead of adding pieces to a championship-caliber team, the Rockets did the opposite. They failed to re-sign Trevor Ariza, a veteran 3-and-D player with championship pedigree, and added Carmelo Anthony, an aging star whom they would later drop like a laundry bag. Prediction: 50-32

6-Utah Jazz – It turns that losing Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Hayward is a good player, but not a great one. The Jazz may have found that great one in Donovan Mitchell. The second-year guard exploded onto the scene, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year race and leading Utah to the second round of the playoffs. Mitchell has become the single face of a franchise that’s used to having dynamic duos. Prediction: 48-34

7-New Orleans Pelicans – Anthony Davis’ game surged when Cousins went down with a season-ending injury. The Brow was among the league leaders in points (28.1), rebounds (11.1) and blocks (2.6), and he ramped up his game during the postseason that pushed the Pels to the second round. The acquisition of Nikola Mirotic paid immediate dividends as he blended well with Davis as a stretch-4. Guard Jrue Holiday is starting to gain national attention, especially on defense after he did a number on Damian Lillard in Pels-Blazers playoff series. Prediction: 47-35

8-Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are so good they can probably take three YMCA guys to the NBA playoffs. Lillard made his first All-NBA First Team last season and was even in the discussion for MVP. A disappointing first-round playoff exit at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans was a reality check for the Blazers They were exposed by a bigger, more athletic team. Blazers may be running in place, built more for the regular season. Prediction: 46-36

Last two teams out: San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves

Andrea Bargnani was wide open on the wing, but Melo ignores him and takes a contested shot. Bargs has been a much better shooter (50.9% to 42.4%) than Melo this year, and there’s a wide open lane for him to either drive or make an entry pass if he doesn’t want to shoot. Just an awful play by Melo.

Amare Stoudamire, never known for his defense, inexplicably made one of the worst defensive plays you’ll ever see. Pistons guard Peyton Siva got the ball about 8-9 feet from Amare, near the 3-point line. Amare looked at him but then turned his back to look at the hoop, assuming Siva was going to shoot. Siva puts the ball on the floor and drives right by Stoudemire, but N.Y. was bailed out on the play when the rookie point guard was called for travelling. Watch the play:

New York is now 3-8 for the season, losing to Detroit, 92-86, on Tuesday and falling to Indiana in overtime, 103-96, Wednesday. Anthony scored 30 points against the Pacers, but needed 28 shots to do it. Anthony has made just 18 of his 48 shots in his last two games.

The Wizards came into their game against Minnesota desperate for a win, and squeaked out a tight come-from-behind victory, 104-100, after trailing by 12 at halftime. They were playing well over .500 ball with Wall in the lineup last year before ending the season on a six-game losing streak. The team traded for center Marcin Gortat before this season started, eying a possible No. 6 or 7 seed in the playoffs. But poor shooting (43.3%, 20th in league) and awful defense (104.1, 26th in league) has plagued them so far.

Wall (14 points, 16 assists) kept up his top-notch distributing, now second in the league at 9.8 assists. Nene had 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and was 7-for-12 from the field. Bradley Beal poured in 25 points to lead Washington in scoring. Kevin Love had 25 points, 11 boards and four assists for the T-Wolves.

The Rockets destroyed the Celtics, 109-85, behind newly emerging stud power forward Terrence Jones (24 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and 10-for-12 shooting). In his last five games, Jones is at 12.2/10.0/2.4 blocks, 53.2% as the Twin Towers lineup of Dwight and Omer Asik has quickly been discarded — Asik now seeking a trade. The ragtag Celtics shot 32.3%, as their starting backcourt of Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford combined to go 6-for-30 (20%).

Sacramento got by Phoenix, 107-104, at home as DeMarcus Cousins (more below) was montrous inside and Ben McLemore (19 points, five rebounds) and Isaiah Thomas (19 points) chipped in as well. A shin bruise kept Eric Bledsoe out for the Suns, but Gerald Green (23 points, four assists, two blocks) had a fine effort in his place.

In a rather forgettable game, the Heat beat the Hawks, 104-88, even though Dwyane Wade rested. Atlanta had 24 turnovers in the game, and the only performance worth noting for either team was 15 points and 10 rebounds from Hawks backup PF Mike Scott — no relation to the Houston Astros star pitcher from the mid 1980s who shares the same name.

The Michael Jordan Award  — DeMarcus Cousins —  27 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 9 FTM, 4 steal, 2 block, 0 treys, and 9-for-18 shooting…While the consistency isn’t quite there yet – three of his first 10 games this year have been sub 12 points and sub 8 rebounds – Cousins (21.8/9.7 this year) is slowly becoming a regular 20/10 guy who can sprinkle in a few dimes, thefts, and fly swats. I’ve seen him make very nice passes before, but this year he’s only averaging 1.5 assists per game after coming in at 2.7 last season. But regarding steals (1.9) and blocks (1.5), he’s been splendid so far. He’s also shooting 47.8%, a career-high. As for his team, they’re now starting rookie SG Ben McLemore and ex-UCLA defensive specialist Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at SF, after trying guys like Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Marcus Thornton in the starting lineup alongside Cousins and Vasquez, the only Kings to start all year.

The Nikoloz Tskitishvili Award —  Markieff Morris —  3 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 FTM, 0 steal, 0 block, 0 treys, and 0-0 shooting in 11 minutes…He also accumulated five fouls in those 11 minutes. The inconsistency of the lesser players in the NBA is fascinating. Remember a week or so ago and I was talking about how impressive this guy was over his last four games (22/8, 69% shooting). Now, in his last three games, he’s grabbed just 10 total rebounds while making only four of 17 shots. His twin brother Marcus (they’re both Suns) was quite nice for Phoenix last night, though. He poured in 19 points in only 24 minutes, though it was rather hollow – 3 rebounds, 0 dimes, steals, and blocks.

The Allan Houston Hollow Man Award — J.R. Smith — 18 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 FTM, 1 steal, 0 block, 2 treys, and 7-for-15 shooting in 34 minutes…J.R. has only played five games so far this year after sitting out the first few games while still recovering from left knee surgery. The early returns are ugly, like most of this season for N.Y. He’s shooting 27.9% on 68 total shots, with just 11 dimes.

Todd Robinson is the publisher of Speedburner on Sports. Click here to read more of his articles.

Center DeMarcus Cousins averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds last year with the Sacramento Kings. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Sacramento Kings have turned into the new Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA.

They have endured six straight losing seasons and the Maloof brothers seem content in counting their money and not really doing much to field a competitive team. Life in Sacramento revolves around watching grass grow, paint dry and deciding what to do on a Friday night. Unless you’re into barn dances and bonfires. The Maloof brothers don’t even want to be there, as they have tried to move the franchise. It’s the only game in town and residents have little choice for pro sports alternatives. I mean, seriously …. the Sacramento River Cats?

There is more optimism in Oakland with the Golden State Warriors since Jerry West was brought in as a special adviser, helping transform the Warriors into a legit playoff contender — as long as they stay healthy.

The Kings are coming off a 22-44 campaign and they actually have some nice pieces in Tyreke Evans (16.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game) and DeMarcus Cousins (18.1 points, 11 rebounds), but they just don’t seem to fit well together. They had a nice feel-good story with Isaiah Thomas (11.5 points and 4.1 assists), but he is their starting point guard. However, he’s just not a difference-maker, something that is all too common on the Kings roster. They have lots of talent, but something is just not right with this team.

I do like their signing of Aaron Brooks after he spent last year in China. He is the best PG on the roster, even if he isn’t a natural point. But Brooks is just 27 and had a good season in 2009-10 (19.6 points and 5.3 assists) with the Houston Rockets. He could be starting very quickly if Thomas struggles in his sophomore season. At just 5 feet 9, he is a defensive liability. Brooks isn’t much taller at 6 feet, but he does a good job on the defensive end of the court despite his lack of size.

Thomas Robinson was their top draft pick and he will be a player to watch. He could replace Jason Thompson in the starting lineup at power forward.

Keith Smart might be a good coach one day, but fixing the broken Kings may be beyond his capability. He knows basketball, but the players have no real reason to listen to him, especially problematic players such as Cousins and Evans.

Projected finish in the Pacific Division: Fifth (they might win 28-30 games)

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

John Calipari (left) and Rick Pitino shake hands before the start of the 2012 NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals fell to John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats in the national semifinals Saturday. It was a gallant effort by the Cardinals, but in the end the Wildcats’ enormous talent was just too much to overcome.

Kentucky has been without a doubt the best team in college basketball in 2012, boasting six potential NBA players and the likely top two picks in the upcoming draft in freshman center Anthony Davis and freshman forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist are the foundation of Calipari’s 2012 NCAA championship team that also includes pro prospects Marquis Teague (also a freshman), Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones and Darius Miller. Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist are expected to enter the 2012 NBA draft after just one season in Lexington. The one-and-done trend is something Calipari has embraced and thrived under the past few seasons.

It started with Derrick Rose in 2008, followed by Tyreke Evans (2009), John Wall (2010), DeMarcus Cousins (2010), and Brandon Knight (2011). Rose and Evans each played one season for Calipari when he was at Memphis, while Wall, Cousins and Knight each played one season for Coach Cal at Kentucky. All five were college basketball superstars, and all five were NBA lottery picks.

Even though Calipari has made the one-and-done concept a trendy thing in college basketball, not all coaches are following that blueprint and one of them is Pitino.

“I marvel at what John does. I couldn’t do it. I can’t say ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’ in seven months. It’s just not me,” Pitino said. “I love getting to know Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith. I feel like they’re my children now, like they’re a part of my life. But it’s not like [Calipari] doesn’t feel that way about his guys.”

Pitino added: “I like to see people grow. I like that emotional attachment of the players. Every person’s different. I marvel at what [Kentucky] can do with that. I could just never do it because emotionally I get attached to these guys and I wanna see them grow as people.”

This season’s Louisville squad doesn’t have a single McDonald’s All-American on the roster, while Kentucky’s roster is littered with them. But that’s how Pitino likes it. The best pro prospect from his program the past decade is Francisco Garcia, and he’s more of a role player in the NBA.

But before we feel badly for Pitino let’s not forget 1996. That’s the year he coached Kentucky to a national championship with a loaded roster. In fact, nine players from that team – Tony Delk, Derek Anderson, Ron Mercer, Walter McCarty, Antoine Walker, Nazr Mohammed, Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard, and Wayne Turner – played in the NBA.

Pitino may be saying he prefers the three- or four-year player now, but if a high school All-American verbally commits to Louisville, Pitino will certainly won’t turn him down.

Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins will be a force to be reckoned with the Sacramento Kings. (GETTY IMAGES)

When it comes to evaluating basketball talent, there are few in the NBA who are better than Geoff Petrie. The Sacramento Kings’ president of basketball operations was responsible for drafting Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu, Gerald Wallace, Jason Williams, Kevin Martin and 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans.

Petrie may have picked up another gem in this year’s draft in No. 5 overall pick DeMarcus Cousins, who could be the next Moses Malone – a bigger and more tattooed version. For those who don’t know Moses Malone, shame on you. He was one of the original basketball beasts, a three-time NBA MVP and named one of the 50 Greatest Players.

Malone wore an intimidating scowl when he stepped on the court and played with a brick on his shoulder. Cousins is cut from the same mold. He walks into the arena as if his someone had just stolen his bike. Cousins possesses a little nasty streak and, just like Malone, almost relishes physical contact.

The 6-foot-11 center out of the University of Kentucky has been beastly so far in the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and his supposed attitude problem has been nonexistent so far. In fact, the Kings’ summer league coaches have been raving about Cousins’ work ethic and has showed some outstanding leadership skills, something that was a big question mark during pre-day workouts and a big reason why Cousins dropped to No. 5 in the draft. Otherwise, if you base it on talent alone, Cousins was arguably the second-best player in the draft behind John Wall, his teammate at Kentucky.

The 19-year-old from Mobile, Ala., attacks the boards like Malone. He’s not a quick leaper but knows how to use his body and rebounds extremely well in traffic. And just like Moses, Cousins has a great knack for getting to the free-throw line.

“He’s a very intelligent player,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said about his young big man. “He’s very agile, he’s got quick feet and he knows where the players are around him. And he’s a great rebounder. He’s going to be an outstanding player.”

Moses Malone was the MVP of the 1983 NBA Finals against the L.A. Lakers. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

There are two things you can’t teach: Speed and size.

Wall has the speed and Cousins has the size.

You can’t criticize Washington for taking Wall, who is an absolute blur on the court, but the three teams who passed on Cousins – Philadelphia, New Jersey and Minnesota – will ultimately regret their decisions. While Evan Turner, Derrick Favors and Greg Monroe struggle to adjust to the NBA game, Cousins has assimilated very well.

“Oh, we’re real happy with him,” Westphal said. “Nothing about his stats or anything else, what impresses me is he really knows how to play. He really has a great feel for a 19-year-old, usually that’s one of the last things big guys learn is the feel for the game.

Can you say 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year? It’s very possible, giving the Kings back-to-back top rookies.

Westphal says the arrival of Cousins expands Sacramento’s options in the frontcourt. If Cousins plays center he could play alongside up-and-coming power forward Jason Thompson, and if slides to the power forward spot he could pair up with 7-footer Samuel Dalembert, Sacramento’s newest acquisition.

Add 7-foot rookie Hassan Whiteside and 6-9 Carl Landry and all of a sudden the Kings are now equipped to handle division rival L.A. Lakers, who boasts 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in their starting lineup and 6-10 Lamar Odom off the bench.

“Now we’ll be able to protect the paint a lot better,” Westphal said.

In Cousins’ debut in the Las Vegas NBA summer league on Monday, he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in just over 26 minutes of work in the Kings’ 97-68 blowout of the Detroit Pistons at Cox Pavilion. He thoroughly outplayed fellow rookie Greg Monroe, who simply couldn’t handle Cousins in the low block.

Cousins followed that solid performance with another double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against the Lakers on Tuesday at Thomas & Mack Center. Matched up against Lakers second-round pick Derrick Caracter, who has played well this summer, for much of the game Cousins displayed an array of low-post moves, a soft touch near the basket, and a face-up game knocking down mid-range jump shots. He only shot 8-for-20 from the field, but skill set was obvious.

And he also squashed any reports that he was overweight. He was listed at 292 pounds during the draft, but he might already shed a few pounds and looked fit enough to dominate. He showed his athletic ability when he blocked Caracter’s shot with his left hand, hustled down the court, bowled over two Lakers and flipped a one-handed shot for a basket.

Cousins is already ahead of the curve when it comes to drawing double teams and kicking the ball out to teammates. Early in the first quarter against the Lakers, Cousins drew a double team and dropped off a nice no-look pass to a cutting Omri Casspi, who finished the play with a dunk.

It probably won’t be the last time Cousins and Casspi will be hooking up for a dunk.

Last year, Petrie and the Kings landed two gems in the draft in Evans and Casspi. With Evans, Casspi and Cousins, Sacramento now has its own version of The Three Kings and could be serious challengers to the Lakers in the Western Conference. Just like old times.

And just like Moses, the Kings are hoping Cousins can lead them to the Promised Land.

Zzzzzzz. Zzzzzzz. Is the draft over yet? Man, that was a snoozer. I think ESPN should re-hire Stephen A. Smith just to give the draft a jolt. That was like watching paint dry. Or, maybe ESPN should hand the draft over back to TNT so we can listen to Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley make fun of all the picks.

Outside of Jeff Van Gundy, who was easily the funniest guy on the set, the draft coverage put me to sleep, not to mention the inordinate amount of sleeper picks (sleeper in a bad sense) NBA teams kept writing down on the card for Commissioner David Stern, and the bald guy who took over later in the evening, to read and announce to a very intoxicated crowd at Madison Square Garden who kept chanting “Jeff!…Van!…Gundy! “Jeff!…Van!…Gundy!”

The NBA Draft was the same old story: the good teams did well and the bad teams … well, to quote Barkley, they were terrrrrible! It’s impossible to opine how well or how poorly each did based on one night, but I’m going to do it anyway because it’s entertaining. OneManFastBreak.net breaks down the winners and losers of draft day.

WINNERS

— Sacramento Kings: GM Geoff Petrie is one of the best talent evaluators in the business and he landed the second-best player in the draft in Kentucky big man DeMarcus Cousins with the No. 5 pick. The Kings play in a division that includes the world champion Los Angeles Lakers, who boasts one of the biggest and tallest frontcourts in the league, so it was extremely important for the Kings to get bigger and stronger up front to compete with the Lakers. Cousins (6-11, 290) can complement 2010 Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, giving the Kings a solid inside-outside punch for the next 10 years. There were questions about Cousins’ lazy attitude, but as Van Gundy pointed out, you can’t be lazy when you average 10 rebounds in 23 minutes. The Kings also took Marshall center Hassan Whiteside (6-11, 215) with their second selection, adding more length to their roster.

— Washington Wizards: The Wizards instantly became better by selecting Kentucky point guard John Wall (6-4, 195) at No. 1. Wall is not only the best player in the draft, but he is also the most charismatic. He is a leader and plays with a ton of energy, which the Wizards severely lacked last season after Gilbert Arenas was sent home for bragging about his gun collection in the arena. Washington also improved its roster by reportedly bringing in guard Kirk Hinrich, who is expected to be dealt next month by the Chicago Bulls to the Wizards in a cap-clearing move. With Wall, Arenas (assuming he’s on board with the team this season) and Hinrich, the Wizards have a dynamic three-guard rotation. The Wizards also added two physical frontcourt players in Clemson’s Trevor Booker (6-7, 240) and frenchman Kevin Seraphin (6-10, 255).

— Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC enters the 2010-11 season one big man away from seriously contending for an NBA title. Heck, they took the Lakers to six tough games with Nenad Krstic as their starting center so anyone with a pulse should be an upgrade. Thunder GM Sam Presti picked up Kansas center Cole Aldrich (6-11, 245) via a trade from New Orleans and then traded for 20-year-old center Tibor Pleiss (7-0, 220) of Germany. Aldrich is a strong rebounder and defender, and should contribute immediately for head coach Scott Brooks. Pleiss is a project they can stash in Europe for a year or two. Euroleague guru Fran Fraschilla compares him to Rik Smits. And for their second-r0und selection, the Thunder drafted Louisiana Tech’s Magnum Rolle (6-11, 225). You can’t go wrong drafting a guy named Magnum.

— Los Angeles Clippers: This is the only time of the year when the Clippers trump the Lakers on the front pages of the L.A. sports sections. The Clippers hold a draft lottery party every year, it seems like, and most of their picks normally end up as fodder for stand-ups at The Laugh Factory on Sunset Strip. But this season, whoever is doing the picking, the Clippers made some solid decisions. Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu (6-8, 205) is a capable small forward and Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe (6-1, 190) is not a starting point guard, but he could be a decent backup. But the biggest news of the day in Clipperland is that Blake Griffin, last year’s top overall pick who missed the entire season because of a knee injury, has been cleared to play.

— San Antonio Spurs: Year in and year out, head coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford make excellent picks in the draft and this season is no different. With the 20th overall selection, the Spurs took Oklahoma State shooting guard James Anderson (6-5, 210), who many consider as the best shooter in the draft and San Antonio badly needs guys who can put the ball in the basket. Then, with the 49th pick, the Spurs nabbed center Ryan Richards (6-11, 230) from England. San Antonio has a history with picking international gems, and Richards could turn out to be a steal.

LOSERS

— Portland Trail Blazers: Billionaire owner Paul Allen fired GM Kevin Pritchard on the day of the draft. Then, to add salt to the wound, he made Pritchard work the rest of the night. On his final shift as Blazers GM, Pritchard selected Memphis guard Elliot Williams (6-4, 180). A lame pick for a lameduck GM. But who could blame him? The Blazers also traded small forward Martell Webster to Minnesota for forwards Luke Babbitt (6-9, 225, Nevada) and Ryan Gomes. Gomes could be a nice player, but Babbitt could be another Luke Jackson.

— Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves keep taking athletes who like to run, but then they try to fit them in a triangle. It won’t work. I’d like to think Syracuse forward Wesley Johnson (6-7, 195), taken fourth overall, will be a stud but, for some reason, I keep seeing Hakim Warrick or John Wallace. Outside of Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse players tend to flame out in the NBA and Johnson could fall into that category.

— Orlando Magic: The Magic selected Kentucky center Daniel Orton (6-10, 255) in the first round. Orton averaged 3 points a game as DeMarcus Cousins’ backup and had trouble with keeping his weight down. Now, unless Orlando has plans of trading Marcin Gortat, they now have a logjam at the center position. Dwight Howard, obviously, is the starter and Gortat is an excellent backup. So where does that leave Orton?

— Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks not only didn’t address their needs in the frontcourt, but they seem to be planning for life without All-Star Joe Johnson. Atlanta swapped first-round picks with New Jersey, acquiring scoring guard Jordan Crawford (6-4, 195), and then took Pape Sy (6-7, 225) from the Senegal in the second round. Jordan Crawford is basically Jamal Crawford, so the Hawks have too many Crawfords on the roster.

— New York Knicks: The Knicks might as well have taken the day off because they basically have put all their chips in the LeBron James sweepstakes. Andy Rautins (6-5, 193) and Landry Fields (6-5, 185)? Are you kidding me? That’s the best they can do? It’s LeBron or Bust in NYC.

— University of Kentucky: Coach John Calipari was shedding a tear a little bit Thursday night. For one, he was happy his guys all went in the first round. Secondly, he knows he’s got some serious rebuilding (or reloading) in Lexington. But don’t feel too bad for Coach Cal because he’s got another stout freshman class coming in this season.

OneManFastBreak Editor and Publisher Joel Huerto rates the 10 best prospects in the 2010 NBA Draft (all measurements were taken from the draft combine in Chicago):

10) KEVIN SERAPHIN, C, FRANCE (6-9, 258): This 20-year-old Frenchman is the most intriguing prospect on the draft board. He is raw but has a lot of athletic ability for a center. He rebounds well and is a very good shot-blocker, but only averaged 15 minutes a game in the French league. Because of the recent success of his fellow countrymen, such as Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Mikael Pietrus and Nicolas Batum, NBA teams will surely take notice of France’s newest import.

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9) EKPE UDOH, C, Baylor (6-9, 240): Udoh is a specialist with limited offensive skills but has a 7-5 wingspan. He was a tremendous shot-blocker (3.7) and above-average rebounder (9.8) for Baylor. At 23, he’s a bit older than some of the other prospects so it gives him an advantage in terms of off-the-court maturity and his interviews went extremely well. Even though his offense is way behind his defense, he can face up and shoot a mid-range jump shot.

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8) COLE ALDRICH, C, Kansas (6-9, 236): Though he is listed at 6-11, Aldrich measured at 6-9 at the combine. The height difference may cause some NBA GMs to shy away from Aldrich, which would be a mistake. Aldrich is a hard-nosed player who defends and rebounds extremely well. He has a very similar game to former Jayhawk Nick Collison, who has done pretty well playing center and power forward in the Association.

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7) AL-FAROUQ AMINU, SF-PF, Wake Forest (6-7, 216): Aminu is a tremendous athlete who can finish at the rim. Teams that need a small forward or wing player will love Aminu. He is an excellent leaper and runs the floor extremely well, making him really valuable to up-tempo teams such as the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleands Hornets. Aminu doesn’t have much of an outside shot, so most of his points are on put-backs, dunks, layups or short jumpers.

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6) WESLEY JOHNSON, SF, Syracuse (6-6, 206): I’m still on the fence with Johnson. When he’s good, the Big East player of the Year is a smooth player who can jump out of the building and drain an outside shot from behind the arc. But when he’s bad, he gets pushed around and gets timid when the game gets physical. With exception of Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse players under Jim Boeheim have traditionally not fared well in the NBA. Johnson could either develop into Rudy Gay or become another Hakim Warrick.

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5) GREG MONROE, SF-PF, Georgetown, (6-10, 247): Monroe is the most versatile big man in the draft and has a game similar to NBA All-Star Chris Bosh. He posted decent stats during his sophomore year at Georgetown despite playing in the rigid Princeton Offense. Monroe is a very good passer for a big man and is very comfortable playing around the perimeter. The Sacramento Kings worked him out and were thoroughly impressed with his shooting range. He was dropping threes from the NBA line. Georgetown players usually do well in the NBA – ex. Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson – and Monroe should continue that Hoya tradition.

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4) DERRICK FAVORS, PF, Georgia Tech (6-9, 245): Favors was the MVP of the 2009 McDonald’s High School All-American Game, which included Lance Stephenson, DeMarcus Cousins, Xavier Henry, Avery Bradley and Keith “Tiny” Gallon. Favors shared the spotlight at Georgia Tech with Gani Lawal, another 2010 draft prospect. Favors, 18, can play with his back to the basket or face up and shoot from the free throw line. He added 20 pounds of muscle during his one year at Georgia Tech, and that shows he’s got a great work ethic. Some compare Favors to Amare Stoudemire.

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3) EVAN TURNER, G-F, Ohio State (6-6, 214): A lot of experts compare the 2010 NCAA POY with Portland’s Brandon Roy because of his cool demeanor. Turner is probably the most polished prospect in the draft and could start for most teams right now. He has an NBA-ready mid-range game and can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward. The knocks on Turner are that he appears to be soft and is not a great athlete. But then again, some had those similar reports about Roy.

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2) DEMARCUS COUSINS, C, Kentucky (6-10, 291): Almost all mock drafts have Evan Turner as the second-best player on the board, but I disagree. Cousins has the size and strength to play center in the NBA and could to be a dominant pro. If it wasn’t for his “attitude problem,” he could very well be the No. 1 pick. Cousins is a true low-post player and tenacious rebounder. But there’s a warning label with Cousins. He could be the next Moses Malone or the next Mel Turpin. Most draft boards have Philly selecting Turner, but the Sixers already have a boatload of perimeter players in Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams and 2009 first-round pick Jrue Holiday. Don’t be surprised if new head coach Doug Collins takes a chance on Cousins.

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1) JOHN WALL, PG, Kentucky (6-3, 195): Wall is an absolute freak: a unique blend of size, speed and athleticism. TNT’s David Aldridge compares Wall to a quicker and more athletic Gary Payton. He just has the “it” factor. He can create his own shot, is fearless going to the basket and has a 6-9 wingspan. His mid-range game and 3-point shot still needs a little work, but so does 90% of the guards in the Association. Wall is brilliant with the ball in the open court and should thrive in an up-tempo system. The Wizards can easily slide Gilbert Arenas to shooting guard and hand the PG duties to Wall and let him run.

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MORE DRAFT OPINIONS:

— Overrated – ERIC BLEDSOE, G, Kentucky (6-0, 191): He’s not a point guard and he’s not a shooting guard. In short, he’s headed for the D-League.

— The best Wildcat other than Wall and Cousins – PATRICK PATTERSON, SF, Kentucky (6-8, 239): More of a power forward than a small forward, but should be a lottery pick.

— Should have stayed in school – DANIEL ORTON, C, Kentucky (6-9, 269): Orton barely played in his one year at CSFP (Calipari School For Pros) and would have greatly benefited is he played another season.

— Potentially great or potentially disastrous – RYAN RICHARDS, PF-C, England (6-10, 230): Did well during the combine, but his lack of experience still scares many scouts.

— Sleeper picks – JON SCHEYER, PG, Duke (6-5, 180) and GREIVIS VASQUEZ, PG, Maryland (6-5, 195): Scheyer is a big-game player who has great size for a point guard. Think J.J. Redick with better handles. Vasquez is a tough, gritty player who won’t back down from a challenge and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

— Best shooter – XAVIER HENRY, SG, Kansas (6-5, 210): Henry and Oklahoma State’s James Anderson are the two best shooters in this year’s class. Henry shot a better percentage from behind the arc and feels more comfortable playing in a halfcourt game.

The one-and-done theme in college basketball is about as fashionable and trendy as smart phones and HD TV. Everybody wants to experience it despite the cost.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari is not a big fan of the recent rash of freshman bolting for the NBA, but he has learned to accept it.

“I had a ball coaching them. Now I’m gonna be honest with you, at times it was like coaching eighth-graders because we were so young,” said Calipari, who also lost freshmen Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton and junior Patrick Patterson to the draft.

“It’s kinda like being a father. You’re teaching, you’re working. You’re sad to see them go, but you’re proud of them. But I wish they were staying for two more years.”

Calipari knew Wall and Cousins were rent-a-players for the Wildcats’ program so he maximized their time at UK by putting them in prominent roles on offense and defense. It’s now the way of college basketball. Put the ball in the hands of young players and live with the consequences.

But is that good or bad for college basketball? Calipari is certainly not enamored with it.

“Let me say this…I don’t agree with the rule,” said Calipari, who went through the same one-and-done drill with Derrick Rose in 2008 and Tyreke Evans in 2009. “I think kids should be able to go directly to the league if that’s what they choose to do. And if they go to college, they should stay two years or maybe three. The way it is right now is really hard.”

He added: “Our system of play, dribble drive and what we’re teaching, they can get it. When they get it, they can really play unleashed.”

Dick Vitale, ESPN’s longtime TV analyst and a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has more than once professed his disdain for this rule in which players cannot enter the draft unless they’re 19 years old.

This NBA rule has forced high school players, who had no intention of attending college, to enroll in four-year universities and stay there for a year before leaving for the NBA.

But Sonny Vaccaro, a sports marketing guru and the father of the summer league circuit, found a loop hole. He has encouraged high schoolers to head overseas and get paid for a year or two before trying their luck in the NBA draft.

Former prep star Brandon Jennings successfully executed Vaccaro’s plan as he signed a pro contract with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian League and, one year later, found himself back in the States. Jennings is now a Rookie of the Year candidate and instantly became the face of the Milwaukee Bucks.

But not all have enjoyed Jennings’ rags-to-riches success. Recently, San Diego prep player Jeremy Tyler left before his senior year in high school and signed with a professional team in Israel. Tyler reportedly left his pro team and his future seems clouded.

So far none of this year’s high school McDonald’s All-Americans have opted for Europe, but most likely more than half of them will opt for the NBA draft after the 2011 season.

Three of those prep studs – Josh Selby (Lake Clifton HS, Baltimore, Md.), Terrence Jones (Jefferson HS, Portland, Ore.) and Brandon Knight (Pine Crest HS, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – have Kentucky on their wish list so Calipari will have a fresh crop of “diaper dandies” to lead the program. Again.

Unless the rules change, this is the way of college basketball and coaches better learn to live with it.

Kentucky’s John Wall may be the most spectacular backcourt player this season and teammate DeMarcus Cousins may be the most physically gifted post player in the country, but Ohio State’s Evan Turner is the most complete.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta told SI.com that Turner, a 6-foot-6 junior swingman, is a very “intelligent player with a refined sense of moment that allows him to deliver whatever his team needs.”

There is nothing on the basketball that Turner can’t do. Sound familiar? Yup, very LeBron-esque. Turner can handle the ball and score on his own or create shots for his teammates. Because of his versatility, he is too big for guards and too quick for forwards. And his ability to play four positions affords Matta the luxury to use his best player on multiple sets.

Turner also has a competitive drive that rivals all the great players who have come before him, as well as a knack for making big shots. During the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan held a 68-66 lead with 2.2 seconds left and it appeared the Buckeyes were going to get clipped by the hated Wolverines. But Turner had the final say.

He took the inbounds pass near midcourt, took two dribbles and drained a jump shot from about 27 feet to give Ohio State a buzzer-beating 69-68 victory. Turner held up his goose neck as his teammates rushed to congratulate him, almost signifying that the game was in his hands and he delivered a victory.

Matta believes the key to Turner’s success is his thirst for perfection.

“He’s one of those guys who’s very critical of his game and is not afraid to admit he has faults,” Matta told SI.com. “A lot of kids don’t want to admit that, ‘Hey, I’m not good at this.’ And they sure as heck don’t want to work on it. Evan is a kid who knows the game, he knows what he needs to get better at, and he’s going to put in the work.”

Hard work has put Turner on an elite level, and it is his near flawless game that puts him head and shoulders above the competition. OneManFastBreak.net picks the eight best players in college basketball for 2010. Let’s call it OMFB’s Elite Eight.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

— Evan Turner (6-6, junior, Ohio State) – The Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the season. He led the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding and second in assists, third in steals (1.8) and fifth in field goal percentage (54%).

THE REST OF THE FIRST TEAM

— John Wall (Kentucky, 6-4, freshman, guard) – Was fourth in the SEC in points per game (16.4), first in assists (6.4) and third in steals (1.8). NBA scouts love his size for a point guard, as well as his natural ability to lead a team. Kentucky coach John Calipari says Wall is his hardest worker and has the highest GPA on the team.

— DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky, 6-11, freshman, forward/center) – Was ninth in scoring in the SEC (15.3), second in rebounds (10.1), sixth in field goal percentage (54%) and fourth in blocks (1.8). The top offensive rebounder in the SEC with a 4.1 average. An emotional player who can sometimes drift in and out of games. But when his mind is right, he is a force under the basket.

— Scottie Reynolds (Villanova, 6-2, senior, guard) – Was fifth in the Big East in scoring (18.5) and seventh in free throw percentage (82%). More of a scoring point guard, which explains why he doesn’t get many assists (3.3). He is listed at 6-2 but he might be more closer to 6-0. Syracuse’s Wes Johnson may have won Big East POY, but Reynolds was by far the best player in the conference.

— James Anderson (Oklahoma State, 6-6, junior guard) – A unanimous All-Big 12 first team selection. Led the Big 12 in scoring with 22.9 points per game. He averaged 24.1 points in conference and had five 30-point games and 17 25-point efforts. He is the second Oklahoma State student-athlete to garner player of the year honors, following Tony Allen in 2003-04.

— Cole Aldrich (Kansas, 6-11, junior, center) – A member of the Jayhawks’ 2008 National Championship team. The junior center finished second in the Big 12 with 110 blocks and a key component on the Jayhawks’ third-ranked defense nationally. Aldrich anchored a Kansas squad that limited the opposition to 37% shooting.

— Greivis Vasquez (Maryland, 6-6, senior, guard) – Coming back for his senior turned out to be a wise move for combo guard from Venezuela. He averaged almost 20 points a game and 6.3 assists per game, and was named ACC Player of the Year. He has really good size for a guard, which makes him very attractive to pro scouts. Should be a first-round pick in the NBA draft.

— Wes Johnson (Syracuse, 6-7, junior, forward) – The transfer from Iowa State has bumped up his scoring average from 16.5 during the regular season to 24.5 for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. He is the Big East Player of the Year and is a big reason why Syracuse is in the Sweet 16. He is projected to be a high first-round pick in the NBA draft.

DeMarcus Cousins of Mobile, Ala., lists Memphis as his top college choice.

The 2009 McDonald’s All-American boys basketball were recently named and of the 24 names in the West and East rosters, two stood out because of what it said under the last column – undecided.

Lance Stephenson of Lincoln High School from Brooklyn, N.Y., and DeMarcus Cousins of LeFlore High School from Mobile, Ala., have yet to sign with a college team next season, and all three have a boat-load of teams they are considering.

Cousins, a 6-11 versatile center who could potentially turn out to be the best player of this year’s high school class, has mentioned Memphis, Kentucky, Kansas State and Washington as his top three, but Memphis is the front-runner. Stephenson has about six or seven schools aching to land the best prep prospect to come out of New York City since Sebastian Telfair.

The complete rosters for the McDonald’s All-American Game in Miami:

EAST TEAM

13 Kenny Boynton, Jr. G 6-3 190 American Heritage School, FL (Pompano Beach, FL) Florida

32 Dominic Cheek G 6-6 185 St. Anthony High School, NJ (Jersey City, NJ) Villanova

15 DeMarcus Cousins C 6-11 265 LeFlore Magnet High School, AL (Mobile, AL) Undecided

34 Derrick Favors F 6-9 235 South Atlanta High School, GA (Atlanta, GA) Georgia Tech

24 Milton Jennings F 6-9 215 Pinewood Preparatory School, SC (Cottageville, SC) Clemson

4 Ryan Kelly F 6-10 217 Ravenscroft School, NC (Raleigh, NC) Duke

33 Alex Oriakhi C 6-9 240 Tilton School, NH (Lowell, MA) Connecticut

30 Peyton Siva G 6-0 175 Franklin High School, WA (Seattle, WA) Louisville

1 Lance Stephenson F 6-6 220 Abraham Lincoln High School, NY (Brooklyn, NY) Undecided

7 Dexter Strickland G 6-3 180 St. Patrick High School, NJ (Rahway, NJ) North Carolina

11 Dante Taylor F 6-9 230 National Christian Academy, MD (West Chester, NY) Pittsburgh

2 Maalik Wayns G 6-1 185 Roman Catholic High School, PA (Philadelphia, PA) Villanova

WEST TEAM

1 Avery Bradley, Jr. G 6-3 180 Findlay College Prep, NV (Puyallup, WA) Texas

3 Abdul Gaddy, Jr. G 6-3 183 Bellarmine Preparatory School, WA (Tacoma, WA) Washington

31 Keith Gallon C 6-9 293 Oak Hill Academy, VA (Huffman, TX) Oklahoma

13 Xavier Henry G 6-6 225 Putnam City High School, OK (Oklahoma City, OK) Memphis

22 John Henson F 6-10 200 Sickles High School, FL (Odessa, FL) North Carolina

33 Wally Judge F 6-9 230 Arlington Country Day School, FL (Landover, MD) Kansas State

5 Tommy Mason-Griffin G 5-11 192 James Madison High School, TX (Houston, TX) Oklahoma

32 Mason Plumlee F 6-11 220 Christ School, NC (Winona Lake, IN) Duke

1 Renardo Sidney, Jr. C 6-10 250 Fairfax High School, CA (Los Angeles, CA) USC

21 Michael Snaer G 6-5 200 Rancho Verde High School, CA (Moreno Valley, CA) Florida State

12 David Wear F 6-10 225 Mater Dei High School, CA (Huntington Beach, CA) North Carolina

24 Travis Wear F 6-10 230 Mater Dei High School, CA (Huntington Beach, CA) North Carolina