The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

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NBA Coaching Changes and Retirements

The NBA season is over, and it’s time for some change! During the season we saw the Kings part ways with Aiden Anderson (hiring Stephen Silas), the Knicks fire Scott Brooks (hiring Monty Williams), and the Raptors firing Nick Nurse (hiring Darvin Ham). Now in the offseason, we’ve seen a few more coaching moves happen.

Here are the coaches that were either fired or had their contracts allowed to run out.

• Hunter Wilson, Hornets – After 4 seasons of up and down, but ultimately disappointing, basketball Wilson is let go and Charlotte will try to finally play up to their potential.
• Oliver Gordon, Bulls – Gordon has been fine with the Bulls and the problems have been mostly about talent, not his coaching. But after 4 years, it’s time for a change and he wasn’t brought back.
• Ryan Williams, Pistons – Williams has overseen much of Trevor Merchant’s career but Detroit leadership decided to let his contract expire to bring in someone to make Detroit a true championship contender.
• Kenny Atkinson, Suns – Atkinson was the interim coach in Phoenix and was expected to be retained, but it was decided to go with someone else after they disappointed in the postseason.

Here are the coaches who were re-signed or hired.

• Billy Donovan, SuperSonics – Donovan was brought back for his wealth of experience with developing young talent and the hope is that he can help the Sonics reach the heights that the Honu have.
• Nick Nurse, Pistons – Nurse brings years of experience and a championship to Detroit and will look to help them win another title.
• Aiden Anderson, Suns – Anderson was canned by Sacramento midway through the season after they were miserable despite all the talent on the roster. The Suns’ management believes that Sacramento was a mess and Anderson isn’t at fault here.
• Mike Brown, Bulls – Brown hasn’t had a head coaching job in years, but Chicago hopes that his wisdom and experience can help them succeed once again.
• J.B. Bickerstaff, Hornets – This is Bickerstaff’s first job and he brings a defensive mindset and intensity that has been sorely missing in Charlotte the last few years.

These coaches are on the hot seat and need to show more next season if they want to keep their jobs.

• Jacque Vaughn, 76ers – he led the 76ers to ANOTHER disappointing playoff exit, though some are starting to wonder if this is a player problem, not a coach issue.
• Edgar Washington, Thunder – The Oklahoma City front office should probably examine themselves before putting blame on Washington, but everyone saw how disappointing they were with LeBron and Durant last season. Noted coach killer LeBron James has retired and if Washington can’t get this team to play to its potential, he may be gone.
• Melvin Hunt, Trail Blazers – Hunt hasn’t been bad, but the Blazers haven’t been good. It’s not looking likely his contract will be renewed.

We saw a number of NBA veterans retire, including these players:

• LeBron James, age 40, 21 years in the league, last played for the Thunder
• Stephen Curry, age 37, 15 years in the league, only played for the Warriors
• Kyle Lowry, age 39, 17 years in the league, last played for the Sonics
• LaMarcus Aldridge, 16 years in the league, last played for the Bulls
• Draymond Green, 35 years old, 11 years in the league, last played for the Suns
• Brandin Collucci, 24 years old, 2 years in the league, last played for the Grizzlies (this incident effectively ended his career)

As could be expected, both LeBron and Steph were inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was known that this was LeBron’s final season as he only staved off retirement to play with Bronny. It was far less expected for Steph Curry to retire as even the team expected he would be back for 1-2 more years as the Warriors are on the cusp of being an NBA Finals team. However, he’s accomplished enough (is probably the 9^th, 10^th, or 11^th best player in NBA history) and has decided he wants to go out on a high note and spend more time with his kids and be present as they grow up. It leaves

Here's some nice images of the two of them to celebrate all they’ve done.

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League Meetings

The biggest news to come out of this year’s league meetings was the official announcement of league expansion in the 2027-28 league season, 2 years from now. The NBA will officially be expanding further into Canada with the long awaited return of a Vancouver team as well as a foray into French Canada with Montreal getting a team. Details on the exact team names are light, but we did get 2 teaser images.

We can learn a few things from these images.

1. Vancouver seemingly has shades of red and blue as primary colors, but they definitely seem like unique shades compared to the many other red and blue teams in the league. Additionally, the accent color is more of a cream than a true white.
2. Montreal has orange as a primary color and at least white as a complementary/accent color.
3. Montreal is using a medieval font, while Vancouver has a much more “aggressively painted”-type font.
4. Both appear to have a very zoomed in and very faint overlay of an eye visible over the city skyline. Presumably both will feature mascots that are some type of beast.

We did hear that at least 1 league owner was furious with the proposed mascot for the Vancouver franchise, but details have not yet leaked.

It will be very exciting to add another team to the Pacific Northwest to add to the natural Portland-Seattle-Vancouver rivalry, and Toronto-Montreal is a wonderful and historic rivalry.

Rule Changes
In addition to the expansion news, it was also decided that the Rising Stars game will no longer be USA vs World but instead Rookies vs Sophomores and rosters have been expanded to 13 players per team as the league grows.

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2025 NBA Draft Lottery Preview

There’s always some excitement and intrigue to the draft lottery and this year is no different. The biggest storyline outside of “who will get the top pick” is where the Clippers 3 lottery picks (all slated for the top 7) will end up. The Raptors pick is top 3 protected, but the other two top 5 picks both have no protections on them – a disaster for the New York Knicks.

In addition to the Clippers, the SuperSonics, Bulls, and Jazz are hoping to have a chance to turn their fortunes around by getting the #1 pick in this year’s draft. However, it’s also a year where there isn’t a slam dunk obvious top guy. So maybe being in the top 5 is just as good as there’s a group of top players.

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2025 NBA Draft Lottery Results

Picks 16 through 11 were exactly as predicted, but we had our first big change at pick 10 as the Hornets have vaulted up into the top 4. For a team full of talent but coming off a disastrous season – and with De’Aaron Fox and Jerry Sparks hitting free agency – this could be a great way to help fix things.

Immediately after that the Spurs and Raptors also jumped into the top 4 and saw the Pacers grab pick 9. This is terrible news for the Clippers as the Raptors’ pick was top 3 protected and with 3 of the top 4 picks already determined, there’s only 1 spot remaining for the Clippers or any other of the teams projected for the top 4.

And then the Clippers roller coaster continued! Their #5 odds didn’t turn into #8, but instead turned into a top 4 selection. This means the Jazz, Bulls, and SuperSonics all got bumped out of the top 4. Terrible luck!

When it came time for the top 4, the Hornets and Clippers ended up 4 and 3, meaning that the San Antonio and Toronto fans were praying that the top pick was theirs…and it’s the Spurs!

The Raptors are like the Knicks last year, lucky that their pick protections kicked in and gave them a top pick. Here’s how DraftExpress is mocking out the top 10 picks:

1. Spurs – Andre O’Hara, C, LSU
2. Raptors – Tayfur Izzet, SF, Turkey
3. Clippers – T.J. Gogerty, PF, San Diego State
4. Hornets – Jack Millage, SF, Georgia
5. SuperSonics – Raphael Borges, SG, UConn
6. Clippers – Jaime Chatfield, SG, Marquette
7. Bulls – Jazz Grace, SG, Tulane
8. Jazz – Jasko Bowman, PG, Tennessee
9. Pacers – Denis Markov, C, Ukraine
10. Rockets – Lyle Cortez, SG, Marquette

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Coaches Corner: Episode 15 – July 10, 2025

It is KDKA Channel 2’s distinct privilege to present Coaches’ Corner with Pittsburgh’s adopted son, Ognyan Dragomirov. Live from Los Angeles, California, here is the head coach of Loyola Marymount University.

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Oggy:
Welcome and ‘zdraveyte’ to another Coaches’ Corner! It’s the dog days of summer and Dinko is off doing important things somewhere, so it’s just me today!

Well, not just me, we’ve got our friend producer Dave here to help out again today.

Producer Dave:
Howdy howdy.

Oggy:
…yes, well howdy to you too Dave. It’s summer, the students are gone, and I’m spending a lot of time at the beach. We’ve got a few players here doing some summer workouts, but this is a good time for me to take a break and is why Dinko isn’t with us today. So Dave, what do the viewers have for us?

Producer Dave:
Alright, we’ve got a few really good ones today. This one is from Alejandro in Orlando. “Coach, we just saw Taquan St. Fort lead the Cavaliers to an NBA title. Discerning fans will remember that St. Fort’s final college game was a loss to your Stetson team. How did you do what the NBA couldn’t manage to do? What’s the secret to stopping St. Fort?”

Oggy:
Oh boy, that’s giving me some excessive credit. Taquan didn’t have the greatest game against us, but he also had much less help at DePaul than he does in Cleveland. And he’s not even the leader of the Cavs – that’s Darius Garland. But with all that said, St. Fort has gotten so much better this season and I am really impressed by how well he uses his size. He plays so smart and doesn’t give up much to quicker players and has the footwork of a 10 year veteran, not a rookie.

In our game against him, we put a lot of focus and attention on stopping him and making the rest of the team beat us, and they just couldn’t. It was nothing special, I just think we were a good team and Jeremie Scott had a great game.

Producer Dave:
Staying on the NBA theme, we’ve got a question from Damond in LA. “Coach, it seems like nobody knows who the top pick in this draft should be. Who would you pick?”

Oggy:
This year’s draft is going to be fun. The lottery definitely shook things up and I know several of the locals are excited to se what the Clippers do with picks 3 and 6. If I were to choose the player I like the most it would be San Diego State’s T.J. Gogerty. He’s 6’11” and extremely athletic and can play the 3, 4, or 5. I got to watch game tape of him several times as the Aztecs matched up against teams on our schedule, and he jumped out of the screen. With his length and explosiveness, it was hard to contain him and he’s a reliable shooter on top of that. I imagine that an NBA coaching staff like the Spurs will be able to get the most out of a player like T.J.; Tulane’s Jazz Grace and Turkey’s Tayfur Izzet are also exciting prospects to me.

T.J. Gogerty takes a shot against UNLV.

Producer Dave:
Personally, I’m hoping that LSU’s Andre O’Hara can be a Shaq-like player in the NBA. But let’s get to our next question from Sidney. “Coach Dragomirov, Loyola Marymount alum and huge Lions fan here. In fact, I organize the LMU fan club and get-togethers for alums in the Denver area. We’re all grateful for the progress last season, but we’re very excited for the recruiting class you brought in this year. Can you tell us more about each of the freshmen and what you expect from them?”

Oggy:
Thanks for all you do for the university and fans Sidney. You’re right to be excited. I’m excited! The headline name of our class was obviously the Hawaiian wing Lucious Estrada. I expect him to be a 3-level scorer for our team. If matched up against a smaller player, he can score near the basket, and he’s a solid 3 point shooter. He’s also only a freshman, so I can’t wait to help him improve his game. Our goal is to make him a first round pick in the NBA draft and we’re already talking about the steps he needs to take to get there.

Then we have the long one: Allen Wentt from Albuquerque. We don’t have much height in the program and Wentt brings that in a big way. At 7’1” he’ll give us good rim protection, rebounding, and allow Reid [Christensen] to slot back into the 4. I was proud of Reid for how well he played the 5 last year, but he was giving up several inches in every single game.

Lastly, we have JJ Giles. We believe in him enough to put him in our rotation this season and not redshirt him, but he’s still a bit raw and will need to work on his jumper and playing against college level defenses. He was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted in high school, and his game will need to be rounded out a bit in the WCC.

One exciting note that you may not be aware of. We have 8 scholarships available to use for next year, so these 3 new players are going to have an entire new team around them for next season. I know that’s the kind of thing that gets fanbases really excited. It’s like having multiple first round picks in the draft.

Producer Dave:
Speaking of the future, we’ve got a good question from professor Jay Salazar in the LMU history department. “Coach, while we’re grateful for your time here, you’ve developed a reputation for looking to move onto bigger and better things quickly in your career. How much longer can we expect you to stay at Loyola?”

Oggy:
We don’t dodge the hard questions here on Coaches’ Corner. If you’re respectful and appropriate, you’ll be heard. And I really appreciate that the staff here cares enough to ask the question.

That reputation I have is deserved and honestly a philosophy I’ve been upfront with to my employers. I left Northern Colorado in the wrong way – though I have no regrets about moving to Stetson. Leaving Stetson after 3 seasons was extraordinarily difficult: you saw how well that team did this year. It was so much fun to coach Lennox Evertsen, Marko Nevill, and crew. But I want to be always learning and growing. Loyola represented growth for me. It’s a school with a beautiful basketball tradition, a stronger conference, and in a recruiting hotbed. If I could put the Lions back on the map when it came to basketball, that’s a win-win situation for me and the community.

So how long will I stay at LMU? I can’t give you a firm number, but I can tell you that the administration and I have mutually agreed that 3-4 years feels like a good number. Turning the program around, building up a great talent base, and achieving some success here is very important. If Duke comes knocking after 2 years, I think the school will understand if I leave…but I don’t expect that to happen. So instead, we’re going all in on winning the conference in 2027 (my third season here) and making the NCAAs.

If I leave the school after 3-4 years, that likely means something really good has happened, and that helps everyone.

Producer Dave:
Alright, last one for the day. We can’t go without having you comment on your brother’s career. This is from Chuck in Buffalo, NY. “Why didn’t Dinko get the St. Bonaventure job? How has he been passed up twice by relatively local schools?”

Oggy:
It’s starting to be a trend that I have to comment on Dinko’s job decisions, and I’m not sure if that’s my fault or his. But I am loyal to my viewers and a certified loudmouth, so I am happy to talk about this.

First off, I think the Bonnies made a mistake. Matt McMahon has done well at Murray State, but I think my brother has done even better in his time at St. Francis.

Second off, yes, Dinko would have been willing to take this job. It’s a 3 hour drive from Pittsburgh, which is just close enough to make it workable – though it’s harder than St. Francis – and St. Bonaventure is in a very good conference in the Atlantic 10.

Third, I think the reason the Bonnies didn’t go after Dinko was a lack of experience. He’s only got 6 years of head coaching experience and all of it is at a small school. He’s also only brought in a single 4-star prospect and did this after the hiring window. It’s understandable that a school would want more proof that he can succeed before moving on…but I still think they’re wrong.

Producer Dave:
That’s it for questions today.

Oggy:
Thanks Dave, you’re a more pleasant co-host than Dinko. I appreciate you all, keep up the great questions, and I’ll see you later.

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Pre-Draft Player Movement

The draft is just a few days away and a few teams decided that moves needed to be made while the draft picks were still just picks and not actual players. These were big moves and will shake up the NBA next season and beyond.

Jimmy Butler gets traded to a new contender
Steph Curry retiring has forced Golden State’s front office to rapidly adjust what their roster plans are. Instead of finding a way to build around Steph – and possibly trading away players like Klay Thompson (SG, 81 ovr) – they now need to make re-signing Jarrett Pressley (PG, 84 ovr) their #1 priority and will build around he and De’Andre Ayton (C, 88 ovr). The retirement also impacted Jimmy Butler, who famously took a steep discount to stay in San Francisco and compete for a title. With Steph gone, he felt well within his rights to ask for a trade and Golden State felt it was a win-win situation to oblige.

Looking at contenders around the league, the Mavericks were the best fit for a deal and by including Toronto they were able to create a package that seemed to help everyone. Dallas got Jimmy, Golden State got a lottery pick and other assets, and the Raptors were able to unload 1 of their 4 first round picks and get several future picks in exchange.

Dallas gets: Jimmy Butler (SF, 82 ovr)
Golden State gets: #13 pick, Sasha Zagorac (SF, 78 ovr), Seth Curry (PG, 78 ovr), 2027 2^nd rounder
Toronto gets: 2028 1^st rounder, 2026 2^nd rounder, 2026 2^nd rounder, 2028 2^nd rounder

So what’s next for the Warriors? They now have picks 13 and 29 in the first round, will keep Klay around and have added lil’ bro Seth Curry which should be a feel-good story for the fans. They can likely get an impact player with those picks and in free agency they may be able to add a player like Lonzo Ball (SF, 83 ovr) if the cap space can work out.


Donovan Mitchell issues ultimatum and gets rewarded
Donovan Mitchell (SG, 91 ovr) made 2^nd team All-NBA at the deepest position in the league and his Jazz went 42-40 and were the 10^th seed in the play-in. Tired of being surrounded by an aging Rudy Gobert (C, 81 ovr) and a series of castoffs, Mitchell told Utah leadership he was done. Make a deal this summer, or he’s not playing. To Utah’s credit, they decided to react immediately and try to cash in before the draft and free agency to see if they could make something out of the situation.

They found a willing partner in the Milwaukee Bucks, and it’s hard to tell if the Bucks were shrewd or desperate with this deal. Are they over-reacting to a 2^nd round playoff exit? Or do they really need to change things up before their window with Giannis passes?

Utah was able to get two solid starter and rotation pieces in Matt Forney (PG, 81 ovr) and Donte DiVincenzo (SG, 78 ovr), both of whom were key parts of Milwaukee’s two recent titles and are good shooters. They also added 3 unprotected picks. #28 this year as well as 2026 and 2028.

Expect Mitchell to play more point guard in Milwaukee with the rest of the lineup being Malcolm Nahra, Khris Middleton, Giannis, and Clint Capela. In Utah, look for them to make more moves in an effort to rebuild on the fly and remain competitive in the West.


More to come…
The draft is just around the corner, but we’re hearing a few things.

1. Rumblings out of Dallas that they aren’t done and they are looking at a number of options including a sign-and-trade involving Kristaps Porzingis.
2. Philadelphia may think that their core of Simmons, Embiid, and Harris needs to be split up.
3. Charlotte has De’Aaron Fox and Jerry Sparks as UFAs. Will either be back? What are their plans and what is Charlotte’s plan?
4. There are several very interesting free agents:
   1. Boston’s Damian Lillard and Marcus Smart
   2. Memphis’ Lonzo Ball
   3. Atlanta’s James Harden
   4. New York’s Brandon Ingram
   5. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving
   6. Denver’s Jamal Murray and Jonathan Isaac
   7. Oklahoma City’s Seth Valsin
   8. Hawaii’s Tyler Herro

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Please spend a few minutes to answer the annual Bulgarian Brothers survey. Your answers help to shape the dynasty in a few small ways. https://forms.office.com/r/QbMPc1Fiv1

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The Inside Scoop – NBA Draft Edition

The Inside Scoop is based on TheDominator273's awesome spreadsheet to add random events to your MyLeague.

Tayfur Izzet will be spending 2 more years in Europe
Izzet is in consideration to be the #1 pick in the draft, but that was when teams thought they’d only need to wait 1 year for his services. He recently signed a lucrative deal to stay an additional year with Fenerbahce in Turkey and so NBA teams won’t get to see the talent wing until 2027.

J.S. Diakite surprises at the combine
The Michigan State Spartan must have ate his Wheaties or something. He showed up a full inch taller than expected, coming in at 6’6” and his wingspan was several inches more than scouts thought it would be. Projected to be a mid-first-round pick, this could be the thing that vaults him into the lottery.

Marques Atangana disappoints
Contrasted with Diakite, Atangana was disappointing. The Chattanooga big man – and we mean big: he’s 7’0” 300 pounds – must not have been working on his body at all and was slower, weaker, and less explosive than expected. He was already a long shot to get drafted, but this may have sealed his fate.

Barney Bryant will miss 2 months with surgery
It was already unlikely that NBA teams would be interested in the Washington State recruit, but needing his knee scoped has confirmed this. Bryant will need to find somewhere in Europe or Asia to play professionally.

BONUS: Mock Draft
Here’s the final mock from Draft Express. It’s…something. It shows how uncertain experts are about the top of this draft that the player who was #1 two months ago (Jazz Grace) is now projected to go 7^th.

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Please spend a few minutes to answer the annual Bulgarian Brothers survey. Your answers help to shape the dynasty in a few small ways. https://forms.office.com/r/QbMPc1Fiv1

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2025 NBA Draft

For the first time in years, we don’t know who the first pick is going to be. It almost seems like we have no clue and every report contradicts another. Only head coach Trent Pederson, assistant coach Tim Duncan, and the rest of the front office knows what they will do, and it’s likely that there are a variety of opinions within their leadership. They have 2023’s #2 and 3 picks in Horace Wolfe (PF, 80 ovr) and Raynell Ere (C, 79 ovr) and so it feels weird that they’d consider drafting Andre O’Hara out of LSU, but over a third of the mocks have him taking O’Hara, as if he was Shaq. But O’Hara is not Shaq, and it’s not clear he will be clearly better than Wolfe or Ere. They also have Ashton Uthoff (SG, 78 ovr) from Australia, who was last year’s 4^th overall pick, as well as Lorenzo Cummings (PG, 77 ovr), who was 2022’s #8 pick. However, neither of those players are promising enough to keep the Spurs from taking a guard or wing. One idea put forward is that they’ll pass on taking Jazz Grace, Tayfur Izzet, Jack Millage, or another perimeter player and instead look to trade down and get some extra value.

It turns out they did trade down, and it was to the Charlotte Hornets! Both Jerry Sparks and De’Aaron Fox are free agents, though at least 1, if not both, are expected to come back to Charlotte. But the Hornets leadership felt they HAD to have a player in this draft. Who did they give up the #4 pick, a top 10 protected pick next year, and DeMar DeRozan (SF, 79 ovr) for?

It was Tulane’s own basketball artist: Jazz Grace. A very solid 2-way player, the big question is: where will he fall on the spectrum of Donte Divincenzo to Dan Majerle to Dwyane Wade? If it’s the first 2, the pick is a disappointment. If it’s latter, it’s a grand slam. Can he be 70% of D-Wade? We’d say this pick is a reach, but any pick in this draft could be arguably a reach in the top 5.

Up next are the Toronto Raptors, who need anything that will improve their team.

The Raptors picked LSU big man Andre O’Hara. He’s a dominant inside presence, but the NBA expects more from its big men now. Is this the right pick for the Raptors, or would they have been better off taking a chance on a guard with high upside?

The Clippers have the first of their glut of picks and have the luxury of the 3^rd and 6^th picks.

They selected Turkey’s Tayfur Izzet, knowing they won’t get him on their roster for 2 years as he’s playing for Fenerbahce. However, they felt it was worth waiting for what they believe to be a sure thing. Worst case Izzet is a DeMar DeRozan-type player, but more athletic. If he can develop a three point shot, he’s even been called a shorter Kevin Durant.

This is certainly a bummer for the Spurs, who were rumored to want Izzet, but they have plenty of remaining options for them to choose from and won’t regret their trade down unless Izzet turns out to be a Luka Doncic-type player.

San Antonio grabs San Diego State’s T.J. Gogerty. At 6’11”, he can play the 3, 4, or 5, is an amazing athlete, and is a reliable shooter. Gogerty has a lot of flexibility in terms of his role and is a great pick by the Spurs here as they look to build to the future and finally become a competitive team again. If Michael Porter Jr chooses to leave in free agency, Gogerty may even start right away.

Next up is the league’s worst team: the SuperSonics. They have the tantalizing Bobby Drake and some other interesting players, but they desperately need more talent.

Side note: I gotta fix that headband clipping into his skull

In some ways Caron Williams is an underwhelming pick by the Sonics. Do they need another imposing big man with limited skills outside of the paint since they have Juan King? On the other hand, he’s 7’2”, relatively athletic, and is viewed as having more upside than many remaining players.

But we have an exciting development next: the Clippers second pick. Do they have someone else in mind?

The Clippers hope they got a diamond in the rough in Villanova’s stretch 3 Diamond Barisic. He’s got decent upside if he can improve as a shooter, because he has the strength to play inside despite his smaller stature. Here were the next few picks:

Pick 7 (Chicago Bulls) – Dommanic King, PG, Illinois
Pick 8 (Utah Jazz) – Jack Millage, SF, Georgia

The Pacers grabbed the Arizona Wildcats’ well-rounded playmaker Max Crawford with the 9^th pick. As with all prospects in this draft, he’s a bit of an unknown and could be a bust, but could also be a perennial All-Star. He certainly has the passing, dribbling, and shooting skills to succeed in the NBA.

Let the “old man” or “birth certificate” jokes begin as the Rockets select the 22 year old with graying beard Jaime Chatfield out of Marquette. Chatfield was a sharpshooter in college and Houston hopes his game translates to the pros.

Here were the next few picks:

Pick 11 (Portland Trail Blazers) – Serge Heard, SF, Boston College
Pick 12 (Washington Wizards) – Jasko Bowman, PG, Tennessee

With the pick the Warriors acquired in the Jimmy Butler trade, the Warriors go with championship pedigree and grab a player from Duke: the shaggy haired, nearly albino, Jimmy Tran. He has great ballhandling and a good mid-range game, but will need to grow as a shooter and get more well-rounded in the pros.

Pick 14 (Houston Rockets) – Halston Price, SF, BYU
Pick 15 (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Ralfeal Dux, PG/SF, Maryland

The Bulls take the chance at pick 16 to pick Raphael Borges, the SG from UConn who was projected to be a top 5 pick and ended up in a free fall. Compared to Jamal Crawford, he could develop into an explosive scorer for the Bulls. At the very least, they added a very smart player at the end of the lottery.


Pick 17 (New York Knicks) – Darrall Sheridan, C, BYU
Pick 18 (Toronto Raptors) – Lyle Cortez, SG, Marquette
Pick 19 (Los Angeles Lakers) – Denis Markov, C, Ukraine

With pick 20 the Raptors select a player that they may have to wait years to see play, but is being compared to John Wall. If that turns out to be true, Vladimir Tomasevic would be a steal.

Pick 21 (Memphis Grizzlies) – Churchill Gillingham, C, Florida
Pick 22 (Los Angeles Clippers) – T.J. Reid, SF, Pittsburgh
Pick 23 (San Antonio Spurs) – Femi Cooley, PF, Cleveland State
Pick 24 (Atlanta Hawks) – J.S. Diakite, SF, Michigan State

The Mavericks grab NBA ready big man Keonta Alloway from Marquette. With Andre Drummond possibly leaving in free agency and rumors flying around Kristaps Porzingis, this gives them some insurance.

Pick 26 (Phoenix Suns) – Peja Tarlac, PG, Serbia
Pick 27 (Boston Celtics) – Petie Murray, SF, UConn
Pick 28 (Utah Jazz) – Broderick Caporn, PF, Florida State
Pick 29 (Golden State Warriors) – Wayne McCollum, SF, Villanova

The Honu’s biggest weakness is size and true rim protection, and they are hopeful that Oregon State’s 7’2” Raphael Mallory can help solve that problem for them.

Pick 31 (Orlando Magic) – Dion Christopher, PG, Richmond
Pick 32 (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Micheal Coles, SG, Louisville

Here are a few interesting second round picks.

Pick 33 (Washington Wizards) – Byron Westphal, SF, Oregon
Pick 34 (Portland Trail Blazers) – Melvin Wheeler, SF, Providence
Pick 36 (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Isaac Evtimov, SG, Oregon State
Pick 41 (Houston Rockets) – Jud Francis, SG, North Carolina
Pick 43 (Memphis Grizzlies) – Odie Jeffries, PF, Tennessee
Pick 48 (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Matt Cranford, SF, Arizona
Pick 49 (Charlotte Hornets) – Carlton Burke, PF, Stephen F. Austin
Pick 50 (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Tony Temple, SG, UCLA
Pick 51 (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Ashley Legge, PF, Arizona State
Pick 52 (Memphis Grizzlies) – Britton Armstrong, PF, Bowling Green
Pick 53 (Sacramento Kings) – Rudy Chapman, PG, Syracuse
Pick 55 (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Walter Borges, SG, Kansas
Pick 57 (Philadelphia 76ers) – Smackey Linebaugh, SG, Pittsburgh

If we were to make “all-round” teams from the draft based on their ability to start day 1, here’s the two teams. Indiana stands out with 3 players on this list! Perhaps we’ll see the quality of their drafting pay off in a few years.

First Round	Second Round
Max Crawford (#9 to IND)	Freddie Chandler (#39 to IND)
Tayfur Izzet (#3 to LAC)	Jud Francis (#41 to HOU)
T.J. Gogerty (#4 to SAS)	Melvin Wheeler (#34 to POR)
Caron Williams (#5 to SEA)	Jessie Connolly (#42 to MIN)
Andre O’Hara (#2 to TOR)	Timon Ravello (#46 to IND)

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[Tovarich]

Re: 2025 NBA Draft

Two Oregon State players in a draft? What is this, 1981?

[studbucket]

Re: 2025 NBA Draft

LOL. The Beavers haven't even been good in CHoops, but they have a couple talented players.

Maybe Oggy can get there next. The PAC would be fun.

[Tovarich]

Re: 2025 NBA Draft

LOL. The Beavers haven't even been good in CHoops, but they have a couple talented players.

Maybe Oggy can get there next. The PAC would be fun.

Jay John is usually a safe bet to be fired around year 4. Then they hire Drake or MTSU or someone of the like and stumble into one good season every 5-6. I think the last Oregon State player to be drafted is Jared Cunningham who is a true FR on the original rosters for season 1.

[studbucket]

Re: 2025 NBA Draft

Looks like OSU's coach was fired after year 3: https://forums.operationsports.com/f...ty-62.html#494

They hired a coach from Boston to replace him.

[studbucket]

2026 NBA Draft Sneak Peek

With the 2025 draft in the books, here are 10 players I find interesting in next year’s draft. These are not the 10 best players – several will probably be second round picks. Instead, these are players that have something interesting about them and I wanted to share them with you.

Jakob Hutchinson, C, Pittsburgh – Hutchinson is amazingly tall: 7’4”. He’s not projected to be a great pro, but at that height if he can move OK a team should find a use for him.

Jermaine Faulk, SG, Louisville – 3 years ago Faulk won National Freshman of the Year. Now he’s part of Louisville’s returning “core 4” and wants to win a national title. He should be a top prospect in this year’s draft.

Jerald Armstrong, PG, Kansas – At 6’6” with great athleticism, it’s almost unfair that Armstrong is a point guard.

Kinzey Braun, PG, Michigan State – Michigan State’s diminutive point guard is a good shooter and will need to show he’s one of the draft’s best to overcome his 5’10” frame.

Joshua Berrelleca, SF, San Francisco – The 6’10” SF has been a pain in the side of the WCC for years now, but can his size translate well to the NBA? Scouts are skeptical.

Magnum Crites, SF, UNLV – Part 1 of the Running Rebels’ infamously-named duo of wings, Crites is uber-athletic and has high upside.

Demon Bowen, SF, UNLV – Less athletic than his fellow wing but relentlessly tenacious, Demon has lived up to his name.

Mani Akins, PG, Arizona – 6’6” and with a great offensive mind, Akins is a player many teams are excited about.

Bubba Hanson, SF, Boston College – We don’t have many rules around these parts, but one of them is that if you’re name is Bubba and you’re entering the NBA draft, we’ll highlight you.

Dipo Werner, C, Arizona State – Like Hutchinson, Werner has limited upside but great height at 7’3”. It will be interesting to see if a team takes a chance on the Sun Devil.

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[studbucket]

Drago’s Dominators

It’s year 4 of the Drago’s Dominators camp and it’s as strong as it has ever been. Names that headlined this camp included:

• 5* Smush Oneil from Pittsburgh*
• 4* Ellis Hanson from Morgantown, WV
• 3* Roberto Gonzalez from Easton, PA*
• 3* Lee Kelly from Buffalo, NY
• 2* Milton Mayes from Huntington, WV*

* = returning camper

We also saw 4 of last year’s campers get offered scholarships this summer:

1. 4* RJ Bartlett from Cleveland signed with West Virginia and comes in at 76 ovr
2. 3* Jakari Cassler from Washington, DC signed with Coppin State and is 69 ovr
3. 3* M.C. Diaz from Erie, PA signed with Buffalo and is 79 ovr
4. 3* Kendrick Keller from Cincinnati signed with Vanderbilt and is 56 ovr

Of the former campers that have gotten playing time in their 1-2 years in college, Gregory Smith (C, 70 ovr) of Kent State is doing the best, with 50 games started and an average of 5 points and 3 rebounds per game.

Alumni Showdown
The camp wraps up as always with Dinko and Oggy’s former players coming together to face off on the court. Team Oggy won easily last year, but Dinko isn’t bothered as he seems to always have the edge in the real Drago Derby. Here’s the rosters for this year’s teams, which are the first to include players from Loyola Marymount.

Team Dinko	Team Oggy
Gerardo Bethel, SG (69 ovr)	Arnaud Dahi, PG (71 ovr)
Vern Quick, SG (73 ovr)	Lennox Evertsen, SG (72 ovr)
Muhamed Payne, SF (72 ovr)	Delvon Jahnke, SF (67 ovr)
Stephane Diakite, SF (74 ovr)	Brendon Pocius, SF (74 ovr)
Floyd Akindele, C (69 ovr)	Herbert Nashif (PF, 79 ovr)
Chris Thompson, PF (72 ovr)	Marko Nevill, PG (68 ovr)
Noah Almond, PG (68 ovr)	Jerimie Scott, C (67 ovr)
Erwin Willingham (72 ovr)	Daron Wagner, C (73 ovr)
Bobby Valdez (70 ovr)	Andres Swanson, SF (63 ovr)
Tobias Roberson, PG (68 ovr)	Brandon North, SG (59 ovr)
Fernandez Markovic, SF (71 ovr)	Donovin Mascoll, C (68 ovr)
Zygis Keita, PF (61 ovr)	Atila Kann, SG (61 ovr)
Casey Tyler, SG (61 ovr)	Rex Fischer, PG (59 ovr)

It was another fun alumni game with Vern Quick and Mohamed Payne teaming up to score 35 combined points and lead Dinko’s team to a 63-61 win in double overtime. Herbert Nashif mixed right into the group of Stetson players, as he, Neville, Evertsen, and Pocius combined for 46 points.

Here are some highlights:

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[studbucket]

The Inside Scoop – Free Agency Edition

The Inside Scoop is based on TheDominator273's awesome spreadsheet to add random events to your MyLeague.

Andrew Wiggins is done with the Raptors
He never wanted to be traded way from Detroit, and being stuck on a terrible Raptors team, even for a Canadian, has been very frustrating. With it pretty clear the team won’t be competing this year, he’s refusing to report to camp and has asked to be traded to a team that has a chance to get a top 4 seed in either conference. In addition to some former stops (Golden State, Miami), it’s also being speculated that the Bucks, 76ers, and Pelicans may be interested in adding the versatile wing.

O’Donnell is stirring the pot in Orlando
In a surprising story, Jaan O’Donnell reportedly went straight to the front office with a proposal: trade for Trevor Merchant, and give up whatever is needed to bring him here. Jameer Trammell, Dejounte Murray, Mo Bamba – they’re all expendable to O’Donnell. He is convinced that Trevor Merchant will bring Orlando a championship and he will sacrifice anything to get him there. The problem is, he’s untradeable. Unless Detroit was offered Giannis or someone, there’s no way Merchant is leaving the Motor City. Orlando leadership listened to O’Donnell’s pleas and even made a perfunctory phone call to the Pistons, but the answer was just what they expected.

But now there’s a different problem. Word got back to Trammell and Murray that O’Donnell viewed them as trade chips in his own schemes – and they both feel they are more important to the Magic than he is. Many on the team feel his actions were inappropriate and the locker room is not as harmonious as they were last season.

Guerschon says go!
Having tasted success as part of the French national team, Guerschon Yabusele is tired of being an afterthought in the NBA. Like O’Donnell, he went to the front office with grand plans and an idea…but his were a little less specific than the former Duke star’s. He told the Bulls: let’s go all out and start to contend now! Go out and get a star, and let’s invigorate this city!

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