Tonight's NBA Draft--Top Prospects and Dwight Howard's Shadow



 

Tonight at the 2012 NBA draft, the New Orleans Hornets will probably embrace the unibrow and draft Anthony Davis from Kentucky (pictured above).  He is 6-10 and projected as a power forward or center in the NBA, with a wingspan that matches most seven footers.

Aside from the gifted Davis, most athletes in this draft seem to be role players more than be potential NBA superstars.  This is why the Houston Rockets, stockpiling picks with the 12th, 16th, and 18th selections, instead of loading up with young talent, are probably gearing up for an attempted blockbuster trade with the Orlando Magic to acquire center Dwight Howard.  Next week's first big free agent move could involve former Fighting Illini star guard Deron Williams.  It is most likely he will sign with the Dallas Mavericks, teaming with Dirk Nowitzki, or remain with the Nets and their move to Brooklyn if they are able to land Dwight Howard via trade or another major free agent acquistion.

Focusing back on the draft, barring injury, the centerpiece from Kentucky's National Championship squad should be ready to be a major defensive and rebounding force from the moment he steps on the court.  If Davis can add a decent medium range jumper to an already good post game repertoire, the Hornets may have a Tim Duncan-like contributor in their future.

 Other intriguing players in the 2012 Draft include:

• Davis' college teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a 6-7 small forward that does everything well except, unforunately, shoot, but creates opportunities with creativity, defense, and hustle;
• Kansas's 6-10 power forward Thomas Robinson, who has a polished short range game and, despite not being the most physically gifted player in the draft, is a proven winner;
• Austin Rivers, the 6-5 guard from Duke who has the potential to be a big scorer or at least a respectable backup guard; and
• Jeremy Lamb, who had a disappointing 2011-12 season with Connecticut, nevertheless has decent size for a shooting guard (6-5), a good three point shooting stroke, and he made key plays on both ends of the floor in the Huskies' 2010-11 National Championship run.

Who I consider dark horse contenders for making it in the NBA include the guard with perhaps the most pro-ready ability to create and score, Florida's Bradley Beal; perhaps the best athlete in the draft that sometimes disappears in key stretches of a game, center Andre Drummond from Connecticut; ever-hustling 6-7 defender and rebounder from Michigan State, Draymond Green; a project at center with promising flashes of offense, Illinois' Meyers Leonard; the big scorer and assist man from Weber State who may not have had enough time versus strong competition, guard Damian Lillard;  and a skilled low post man with back injury issues, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger.

Although much of the pro basketball fanfare may be for Dwight Howard's future home and the free agent market in the coming weeks, there are some talented potential draftees who could quickly contribute to their NBA team destination.  What general managers and scouts must do, as they usually have to, is avoid listening to hype and would-be pundits and draft who fits best for their respective teams.  Fortunately for New Orleans, they have an easy choice to make for their No. 1 pick.

PROMETHEUS--movie review by Gordon Stamper, Jr.

Prometheus

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Jon Spaihts & Damon Lindelof

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbinder, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce

Rated 'R' (graphic sci-fi violence, profanity, and sexual situations)

A 20th Century Fox release

124 minutes

Lately speculative fiction has been making a comeback--a welcome one for me--in the movie theaters both artistically and at the box office, mostly thanks to the genre-crossing hit with social commentary, The Hunger Games.  Prometheus is not as successful in terms of story, but its technical prowess, acting, and lack of fear in dealing with grand concepts make it worthwhile viewing for sci-fi fans and non-squeamish adult moviegoers.

The movie basically serves as the prequel to the Alien series, but those expecting wall-to-wall chest bursting and aliens with dripping maws will be disappointed.  Prometheus begins with a possible theory of the creation of life on Earth that those familiar with ancient astronaut theories and History Channel late night television may appreciate the most.  Next, near the end of our current century, scientists/explorers Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace, the original screen Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with another strong action performance, both in acting and athleticism) and Charlie Halloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discover over 35 millenia-old cave drawings in Scotland, which depict a similar scene--the worship of, or interaction with, a giant humanoid being and the depiction of a star system--to many unrelated archeological finds worldwide.  This seems to inspire a corporate space expedition mainly funded by an elderly tychoon (Guy Pearce, nearly unrecognizable in heavy old age makeup) and led by Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron).  The recognizable H.R. Giger creatures have a small role to play in what follows, but mostly the film concerns itself with belief and faith, the origin of life, and answering the question, what is the real motivation of the voyage and the motivations behind what they find in the hostile alien landscape.

Ridley Scott's latest film at least technically matches up with his finest efforts.  Prometheus was filmed in 3D and is best seen in that format, with sequences involving life's creation, a desert storm in space, and the discovery of holographic celestial navigation maps.  Partial credit for the 3D success should go to cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (Dark City, Sweeney Todd, and Alice in Wonderland, among many credits) for managing to work with a dark palette and still delivering coherent and crisp imagery.

As for acting, Ms. Rapace and Michael Fassbinder, as the Peter O'Toole Lawrence of Arabia emulating android, steal their scenes, and fortunately they are the actors with the most significant plot and screen time.  Other crew members acquit themselves well, but Ms. Theron is wasted in a relatively minor plot-device role.

Although the screenwriting is not as smart as it positions itself to be, the movie generally works as speculative fiction and "serious" science fiction.  There are some effective suspense-thriller moments and selective violence in the latter third of Prometheus' running time, but overall the tone is more haunting and meditative, focusing on issues of faith and the origin of the species.

For those expecting buckets of gore and nonstop alien splattering, you may just want to revisit Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character and James Cameron's Aliens instead.  If you desire to see well-executed 3D imagery and suprisingly thought-provoking plot elements, this may be your film for Summer 2012.

Overall rating:  ***1/2 out of ****