NBA: 2012 Preseason Stats, Recap, Analysis, & Awards

The NBA preseason has officially wrapped up and the 2012-13 regular season is set to tip off tomorrow on October 30th. Instead of a preview for the regular season and playoffs, let's recap the highlights of the preseason:

Standings -

Best Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (6-1), Toronto Raptors (6-1), Golden State Warriors (6-2)
Worst Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (0-8), Charlotte Bobcats (1-7), Orlando Magic (2-6)

Statistical Leaders -

Points Per Game (minimum 5 games played):
1 - Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks (20.4)
2 - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (20.4)
3 - David Lee, Golden State Warriors (17.3)
4 - Glen Davis, Orlando Magic (16.9)
5 - Kevin Martin, Houston Rockets (16.5)

Assists Per Game (minimum 5 games played):
1 - Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers (8.8)
2 - Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics (8.3)
3 - Greivis Vasquez, New Orleans Hornets (7.4)
4 - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (6.8)
5 - Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers (6.5)

Rebounds Per Game (minimum 5 games played):
1 - Omer Asik, Houston Rockets (11.5)
2 - Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls (10.1)
3 - Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets (9.9)
4 - Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (9.4)
5 - Tie between Kosta Koufos, Denver Nuggets/David Lee, Golden State Warriors/Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic (8.7)

Notes:
-Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers committed 10 turnovers over the 2 games he played in. That's a preseason-high average of 5 turnovers per game.
-Ray Allen of the Miami Heat made all 12 of his free-throw attempts and led the preseason with a perfect 100 percent free-throw percentage.

Rookies -

The Good/Great (minimum 3 games played):

-Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets (1st pick, 1st round, 2012)
14.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 46.6 FG% - 32.4 minutes per game
The first overall pick of the 2012 draft played about up to par with his expectations.

-Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (6th pick, 1st round, 2012)
16.2 ppg, 5.8 apg, 2.5 rpg, 45.8 FG%, 95.0 FT% - 31.5 minutes per game
The co-MVP of the 2012 NBA summer league is off to a hot start and is currently my pick for Rookie of the Year in 2013.

-Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors (7th pick, 1st round, 2012)
10.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 49.2 FG%, 48.0 3P% - 25.1 minutes per game

-Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons (9th pick, 1st round, 2012)
9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 62.3 FG% - 16.5 minutes per game

-Meyers Leonard, Portland Trail Blazers (11th pick, 1st round, 2012)
6.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 76.2 FG%, 86.7 FT% - 15.7 minutes per game
Rookie bigman's averages aren't overwhelming, but he played efficiently and demonstrated superior shot selection.

-Andrew Nicholson, Orlando Magic (19th pick, 1st round, 2012)
10.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 47.1 FG% - 20.3 minutes per game

-Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics (21st pick, 1st round, 2012)
10.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 56.1 FG%, 84.6 FT% - 26.1 minutes per game

-Perry Jones III, Oklahoma City Thunder (28th pick, 1st round, 2012)
9.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 57.1 FG% - 21.3 minutes per game

-Jae Crowder, Dallas Mavericks (34th pick, 2nd round, 2012)
11.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.9 spg, 1.6 apg, 47.2 FG% - 22.1 minutes per game

-Quincy Acy, Toronto Raptors (37th pick, 2nd round, 2012)
1.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.5 spg, 100 FG% (3-3 FG's) - 6.0 minutes per game
This bigman from Baylor made excellent use of limited preseason minutes with the Raptors. He strikes me as hard-working.

-Tyshawn Taylor, Brookyln Nets (41st pick, 2nd round, 2012)
8.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, 50.0 FG% - 17.7 minutes per game
I've gotten some good vibes from this rookie point guard that almost won the 2012 NCAA Championship with Kansas earlier this year.

-Brian Roberts, New Orleans Hornets (Undrafted, 2008)
9.1 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.6 rpg, 80.0 FT% - 23.4 minutes per game
This 26-year-old guard particularly impressed me from what I saw from him in the preseason. In my opinion, he outplayed lottery pick Austin Rivers.

-Chris Copeland, New York Knicks (Undrafted, 2006)
15.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 51.7 FG%, 81.3 FT% - 24.8 minutes per game
This 28-year-old rookie came out of nowhere to have a solid preseason with the Knicks. His best game was a loss to Boston in which he scored 34 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Rookies Who Struggled (minimum 3 games played):

-Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats (2nd pick, 1st round, 2012)
5.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.2 turnovers per game, 31.9 FG% - 20.9 minutes per game
I am a fan of Kidd-Gilchrist's game and I think that he should still have a solid rookie season.

-Austin Rivers, New Orleans Hornets (10th pick, 1st round, 2012)
7.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 27.1 FG%, 11.8 3P% - 27.0 minutes per game
I haven't felt very good about Rivers since he was in high school. He strikes me as a player who wants to control the ball and be a star, but he doesn't seem to have the talent to do that at the NBA level. He doesn't seem like he's in any shape to be a contributor and actually help an NBA team win games.

-Royce White, Houston Rockets (16th pick, 1st round, 2012)
2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.5 turnovers per game, 27.3 FG% - 12.3 minutes per game
This rookie who is afraid of flying and suffers from anxiety didn't impress during the preseason.

-Fab Melo, Boston Celtics (22nd pick, 1st round, 2012)
0.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.0 turnovers per game, 12.5 FG% - 5.9 minutes per game

-Marquis Teague, Chicago Bulls (29th pick, 1st round, 2012)
0.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.0 turnovers per game, 18.2 FG% - 5.6 minutes per game

Notable Players Who Got Cut -

-Jonny Flynn & Terrence Williams, Detroit Pistons (Free Agents)
Both young players who were first-round draft picks in 2009. Though both of them have had trouble playing up to their expectations, I'm surprised that both of them were waived.

-Darnell Jackson, Utah Jazz (Free Agent)
Personally, I'm a fan of the 26-year-old bigman who won an NCAA Championship in college with Kansas, but he didn't play very well and even got ejected at the end of one game.

-Chris Smith, New York Knicks (Free Agent)
The younger brother of J.R. Smith was held back by an injury that has him out for 3-6 months.

-Anthony Carter, Denver Nuggets (Free Agent)
I'm guessing that this last preseason was the 37-year-old's last taste of the NBA. However, I am a fan of Carter's scrappy playing style.

-Derrick Brown, San Antonio Spurs (Free Agent)
Brown is a talented, young forward that I feel is being overlooked because he was on that awful Bobcats team last season.

-Blake Ahearn, Indiana Pacers (Free Agent)
This 28-year-old guard hasn't quite been able to make it in the NBA, but has played very well in the D-League. He averaged 23.8 points and 5.1 assists with the Reno Bighorns last season.

-Chris Douglas-Roberts, Los Angeles Lakers, then the Dallas Mavericks (Free Agent)
This talented young player got a bit unlucky and hasn't been able to capture a spot on an NBA roster. CDR was a member of the Derrick Rose-led Memphis squad that lost to Kansas in the 2008 NCAA Championship.

-Eddie Gill, Milwaukee Bucks (Free Agent)
The 34-year-old point guard hasn't played in the NBA since 2009.

-Adam Morrison, Portland Trail Blazers (Free Agent)
Read: "NBA: Blazers Waive Adam Morrison"

Preseason Awards (Opinion) -

MVP: David Lee, Golden State Warriors
-He averaged 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. His team finished with a 6-2 record, third best in the preseason.

Rookie of the Preseason: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Have any thoughts on the 2012 NBA Preseason? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

NBA: 2012 Draft Recap

The 2012 NBA Draft took place yesterday and I will recap some interesting parts of it:

Anthony Davis was chosen by the Hornets with the first pick of the draft. This shouldn't have surprised anyone because he had been the consensus number one pick for a while.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was chosen second by the Charlotte Bobcats. I think the Cats made a good choice here. Now that Ben Gordon is also on the team, I think that they have a serious shot at the playoffs next year if they play things right.

The Cavs would have probably chosen Kidd-Gilchrist if he was available at the fourth pick, but instead they chose Dion Waiters from Syracuse. I was surprised by their choice here. If I was their GM, I probably would have chosen Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson, or someone else.

The Kings chose Thomas Robinson with the fifth pick. Robinson was the second pick in some mock drafts, but slipped in the actual draft. I think that the Kings made a good choice here, considering that they're not overly strong at the power forward position.

The Blazers chose Damian Liliard with the sixth pick. I think this was a good choice because Liliard is a point guard and Portland has had some recent troubles at that position.

I think that Harrison Barnes was the perfect choice for the Golden State Warriors at pick number seven.

The Hornets chose Austin Rivers with the tenth pick in the draft. I think this was a good move. I imagine that Davis and Rivers will both be starters next season and if Eric Gordon is re-signed, they might even be able to make the playoffs.

The 76ers chose Moe Harkless with the 15th pick. Harkless averaged 15.3 points per game as a freshman at St. Johns and I think that he can be a great player in the NBA, but the Sixers already have Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala, so he might struggle to get minutes.

The Celtics chose Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo with the 21st and 22nd picks. I think those two players are underrated and with help the Celtics with size, rebounding, shot-blocking, and post defense. Sullinger and Melo could just help Boston stay contenders next season.

Miles Plumlee was drafted by the Pacers with the 26th pick in the first round. Indiana is now forced to give guaranteed money for multiple years to a player that averaged 6.6 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior in college at Duke. Good job, NOT!

Perry Jones III slipped to the 28th pick last night and was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many bloggers are writing about how tragic it is that he was drafted so late. Jones had been red-flagged because of alleged knee problems among other negatives. I think that this was a great pick for the Thunder. Even if Jones turns out to be terrible on the NBA level or his knee messes up his career badly, OKC should still be contenders for years to come. Jones is young and still has a lot of potential. He could blossom into a star and be mentored by Kevin Durant and others on the team.

The Raptors chose Quincy Acy with 37th pick in the second round of the draft. Acy is a hard worker and a good rebounder. He could put up decent number and develop into a solid player if he is signed by the team.

Quincy Miller, a freshman out of Baylor, was drafted in the second round by the Nuggets. Miller is young and needs time to develop, but has a lot of potential.

Tyshawn Taylor was chosen by the new Brooklyn Nets with the 41st pick. Taylor helped lead Kansas to the NCAA Tournament Championship along with Thomas Robinson. He is a point guard and his minutes, assuming he's signed, will depend on whether Deron Williams resigns with the team or not.

Justin Hamilton was picked with the 45th pick and his rights are owned by the Miami Heat. I don't think that Hamilton will end up being good in the NBA. Look at his stats and compare it to his age, height, and minutes. He doesn't seem like a very efficient player and if he ends up actually being signed by the Heat, I expect him to be a non-factor.

Reggie Hamilton went undrafted. I hope he catches on with an NBA team for the Summer League. I could list a bunch of teams that should have chosen Hamilton in the second round, but it would be pointless.

Have any thoughts on how the 2012 NBA Draft turned out? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.