NBA Draft Grades 2012: Los Angeles Clippers Receive 'B' Rating

The Los Angeles Clippers didn't have a lot to worry about in this year's NBA Draft, having just one solitary pick towards the end of the second round. No trades were made, no moving up had occurred, but the Clip Show still managed to nab one of the top European talents as Furkan Aldemir was selected No. 53 overall.

With no penny-pinching tactics in sight from Donald Sterling (yet) this 6-10, 230 pound 21-year old Turkish phenom played for his country in the 2011 European Championship, leading the tournament with 15.9 rebounds a game and averaged 14.8 points along with 1.7 blocks. Obviously the Clippers like what they saw in Aldemir:

"He's long, he's a young kid," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He's good around the basket. He ran good. He's got some length. He's got some upside to him. You want to take the best guy possible at that position. That was the position we were in at that time."

Over at NBADraft.net, Mike Misek has complied his list of 2012 NBA Draft Grades, giving the Clippers a solid 'B' for their efforts.

Here is Misek with the commentary:

Aldemir is big bodied banger who rebounds well and hangs around the hoop. In the TBL, he averaged 8 points and better than 6 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. He fouls too much and does not have much range, but can stay in Turkey for a few years to continue his development. For what it is worth, Furkan Aldemir, Izzet Türkymaz, and Ilkan Karaman all were on the U20 Turkish national team at the European Championships in 2010. The team won four of its nine games. Aldemir is the one that was regarded by scouts as the legitimate prospect for the majority of the season.

Pairing a guy like this with the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul would be quite the matchup on the floor, especially with the defensive prowess that Aldemir brings to the table. They had the offense, and now have a solid, big defender to go along with it.

For more on the Clippers, make sure that you check out Clips Nation to get in on the action.

NBA Draft 2012: TV Schedule, Time, Results, Grades And More

Who's ready for the 2012 NBA Draft? It's taking place in the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers have picks, but neither of them are until very late in the draft. Can either

2012 NBA Draft TV Coverage (all times PT)

ESPN

Coverage of the draft starts at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN as well as on ESPN3. Round 1 will begin approximately at 4:30 p.m.

NBA TV

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., NBA TV will air their Draft Preview show, couting down to the beginning of the 2012 NBA Draft. All day prior to of the draft though NBA TV will air replays of their two NBA Draft Specials:

2012 NBA Draft Preview: The Lottery (previews the top 14 prospects along with predictions) - starting at 3:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.

2012 NBA Draft Coming Attractions (highlights the top picks in this year's Draft along with predictions) - starting at 4:00 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 10:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m.

First Round Draft Order:

1. New Orleans Hornets

2. Charlotte Bobcats

3. Washington Wizards

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Sacramento Kings

6. Portland Trail Blazers

7. Golden State Warriors

8. Toronto Raptors

9. Detroit Pistons

10. New Orleans Hornets

11. Portland Trail Blazers

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Phoenix Suns

14. Houston Rockets

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. Houston Rockets

17. Dallas Mavericks

18. Houston Rockets

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Boston Celtics

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Cleveland Cavaliers

25. Memphis Grizzlies

26. Indiana Pacers

27. Miami Heat

28. Oklahoma City Thunder

29. Chicago Bulls

30. Golden State Warriors

Second Round Draft Order:

1. Charlotte Bobcats

2. Washington Wizards

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Golden State Warriors

6. Sacramento Kings

7. Toronto Raptors

8. Denver Nuggets

9. Detroit Pistons

10. Portland Trail Blazers

11. Portland Trail Blazers

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Atlanta Hawks

14. Detroit Pistons

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. New Orleans Hornets

17. Utah Jazz

18. New York Knicks

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Golden State Warriors

23. Los Angeles Clippers

24. Philadelphia 76ers

25. Dallas Mavericks

26. Toronto Raptors

27. Brooklyn Nets

28. Minnesota Timberwolves

29. San Antonio Spurs

30. Los Angeles Lakers

For more on the Suns, head over to Bright Side of the Sun.

Lakers Draft Rumors: Wisconsin PG Jordan Taylor A Potential Target

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to have a long summer ahead of them as figure out how to regroup from what the team views as a disappointing showing during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season. Unlike most other teams, however, there is only so much the Lakers will be able to do via the 2012 NBA Draft. They only hold one pick in the entire draft, a second-round pick that will be the No. 60 overall selection.

Over at Lakers Nation, Gil Alcaraz has a great profile on a potential Lakers target at No. 60. Alcaraz theorizes that the Lakers may be targeting Wisconsin Badgers point guard Jordan Taylor. Here's his take:

More than anything, Taylor provides promise as an NBA point guard because he's smart with the ball and rarely makes costly mistakes. He averaged only 1.6 turnovers per game in 2011-2012 and has great ball security, something that the Lakers desperately need to improve on. He's not the best passer available and can be a bit streaky at times when it comes to shooting, but could definitely entice some teams with his potential to be a late-second-round sleeper.

What makes Taylor a bit off-putting as a prospect is his lack of explosiveness on offense. Even with a reliable jumper, Taylor struggles to get to the rim and doesn't have the quickness or agility to consistently get a step on his defender. His offensive production in the NBA will be limited to jumpers, which the Lakers already have enough of coming from Kobe Bryant. The Lakers need a point guard who can penetrate the defense and open up passing lanes, which isn't exactly Taylor's forte.

Alcaraz notes that Taylor may not be the flashiest point guard, but at No. 60 in the draft, he may have exactly the type of high ceiling the Lakers could potentially do well with.

For Los Angeles Lakers coverage stick with SB Nation Los Angeles and Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll. SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub has all your other basketball needs covered.

NBA Mock Draft 2012: Los Angeles Clippers To Take SF Kim English According To Latest Predictions

The 2012 NBA Draft is coming quickly, and with that come the mock drafts that try to predict where players will end up. The latest mock comes from Sheridan Hoops, who feels that the Los Angeles Clippers will take small forward Kim English out of Missouri with their only pick of the draft, which will be the 53rd overall selection.

As staff writer Joe Kotoch writes, there are many good things about English that makes him a good fit for the Clippers.

"English is a solid all-around player that can shoot. English has high IQ and can play all along the perimeter, which would help the Clippers."

There are many other small forwards that are predicted by this mock to go in the following picks after the Clippers, including Kris Joseph of Syracuse, Khris Middleton of Texas A&M and Hollis Thompson of Georgetown. These are all names that Clippers fans will want to keep tabs on.

For more on the Los Angeles Clippers, visit Clips Nation.

2012 NBA Draft: Mock Draft Shows Lakers Selecting PF Mike Scott

The Los Angeles Lakers are predicted to pick power forward Mike Scott in Sheridan Hoops' latest mock draft. The senior out of Virginia would be able to contribute to the offense immediately.