After showing some incredible athleticism and at times, lights out perimeter shooting during his redshirt freshman season in Lawrence, McLemore was drawing rave reviews, was regularly compared to future NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen, and even was potentially projected as the #1 overall pick in Thursday’s Draft.

But even after averaging a team high 15.9 ppg, 5.2 reb, shooting .420 3PT%, earning consensus All American status, and being a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award, McLemore as the top pick was still a longshot, considering that a shooting guard hasn’t been taken #1 in over 40 years.

According to multiple sources, McLemore has flat-out bombed in interviews and was a non-factor in workouts.  He was particularly brutal in Phoenix, who has the 5th pick pick on Thursday, to the point that noted ESPN Draft guru Chad Ford went on record calling out McLemore for his lack of preparation leading up to Draft day……

“McLemore remains in the top 5, but I’m starting to have my doubts. I love the talent. But his lack of preparation for the draft is hurting him. Multiple sources told me that his workout in Phoenix was not impressive; he wasn’t in shape, and he struggled to keep up in the workout. I heard similar things in Orlando. McLemore is in a tug-of-war right now between adviser Rodney Blackstock and his agency Rivals. It’s kept McLemore out of the gym and for the most part, out of workouts. How much will all of this affect the draft stock? I’m told teams are worried.

McLemore and Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel are arguably the two players in this year’s draft that have superstar potential down the road but his lack of a killer instinct has already begun to hurt his stock.

Character issues have begun to come up as rumors persist that his AAU coach once took money from an agent and he has been labeled as a kid that let’s others have too much say in how to handle things, which is disappointing.

It wouldn’t be the first time that a team has “dug up some dirt” on a prospect in hopes that the prospect falls a bit lower in the draft, so they could draft him for themselves but there are far too many teams reporting the same issues.

One Mock has McLemore falling as low as #7 to Sacramento even though has has a textbook release on his jumper and compares favorably with the all time 3 point king.

Check out some Ben McLemore highlights….

Ben McLemore ’12-’13 Season Highlights:

Ben McLemore Kansas Dunk Montage:

Many fans and experts initially balked when the Cavaliers selected Duke’s Kyrie Irving, who suffered through injuries and played in only 11 games on the collegiate level, with the top selection in 2011.  But they quickly changed their tune after seeing just how talented and NBA ready the former Blue Devil point guard was in winning the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Then last season, Cleveland once again secured another Lottery pick and selected Syracuse’s 6th man Dion Waiters as an additional building block besides Irving in the backcourt.  Waiters definitely had his detractors as he struggled early in the season but finished strong to rank statistically among the top rookies from the ’12-’13 season.

With promising young players in tow like Irving, Waiters, and former Texas big man Tristan Thompson, it has been widely speculated that the Cavs would focus on selecting the best big man available in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

For the majority of the last few months, injured Kentucky shot-blocker Nelens Noel had been considered the top prospect on the board, according to THD’s latest 2013 NBA Mock Draft 3.0.  In limited action during the regular season, the dominating, defensive oriented 7 footer showed he has the athletic ability to change the game like very few players before him, especially when it comes to defending the painted area.

But similarly to fellow formerly highly touted collegiate freshman Shabazz Muhammed, Noel’s stock has slid as of late amid concerns that he wasn’t able to work out for any teams because he is rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered midway through last season.

It was reported that Noel injured the same knee in high school, and considering the recent history of oft injured big men in the Draft Lottery(see Greg Oden), it would be completely rational if the Cavs were to explore all of their options prior to Thursday night’s selection.

Enter Maryland’s 7 foot, multi-talented big man Alex Len, who made some tremendous strides in his two seasons playing for the Terps.  Len is much more talented offensively than Noel, and nearly 50 lbs heavier, considering his listed weight of 255 lbs.

In one lone, head-to-head matchup early in the ’12-’13 college season, Len dominated Noel to the tune of 23 points, 12 boards, and 4 blocks,  while Noel tallied just 4 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

To be fair, Len only scored 20 points against one other opponent the remainder of the season and had mediocre stats of 11.9 ppg, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game as a sophomore, while Noel would go on to set the Kentucky record for blocked shots in a game with 12 and was leading the nation in blocked shots(4.4) before suffering a season ending ACL injury in February.

While Noel is projected to be out until at least December, Len should be fully recovered from ankle surgery in time for NBA Training Camp in late September or October.

Would Nerlens Noel or Alex Len be a better fit alongside Top 5 NBA point guard Kyrie Irving?

Nerlens Noel 2013 Kentucky Highlights:

Alex Len Maryland Highlights:

Especially in a year where most experts agree that there are no real All Star caliber superstars, it is even more important for teams to leave no stone unturned in an attempt to get the best value for their pick, which may even include dipping into either Division II, III, or the NAIA .

In the past, there have been very few players to make it to the highest level of basketball from smaller schools in the subdivisions like former NBA Defensive POY Ben Wallace, Darrell Armstrong, and Ronald”Flip” Murray.  In addition, according to the NBA, only 9 players have ever made the jump from Division III straight to the Association.

Because of some tremendous financial restraints from the multi-year contracts handed out to Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler, the New York Knicks may be one of those teams willing to dip deeper into the lower levels of college basketball or even trade out of their #24 pick in the 1st Round in an effort to sign a player on the cheap.

Based on a recent article in the NY Post, the Knicks haven’t had to look very far as they have their sights set on an athletic 7 foot center from nearby Long Island, who just happens to be a Division III standout at Farmingdale State University.

Not much footage is available of senior AJ Mathews, but several teams in addition to the Knicks have shown significant interest in the suddenly promising prospect who wasn’t even invited to the Chicago pre-draft camp earlier this month.

Now this isn’t a joke, or some publicity stunt like a few years ago, when a Division III player that averaged a paltry 2 ppg entered his name in the 2010 NBA Draft, in an effort to impress his friends and tell his grandkids that he once was in the same draft as John Wall and Evan Turner.

In addition to the Knicks looking for a back-up point guard to spell both Ray Felton and the aging Jason Kidd in this year’s draft, another big with a penchant for defense and rebounding may fit the bill, especially with Stoudemire looking like a shell of his former self, Rasheed Wallace retiring, and Marcus Camby nearing 40.

Albeit against lesser competition, Mathews fits a definite need as the Division III All American 1st Teamer averaged 22.4 ppg, 16.3 reb, 3.75 blocks, aided by a phenomenal 7’3 wingspan.  He has reportedly already signed with the famous Arn Tellem agency as he has an individual workout scheduled with the Knicks this week.

Check out THD’s latest 2013 NBA Mock Draft 3.0, with up to date predictions of your favorite players and teams.

AJ Mathews ’12-’13 Senior Season Highlights:

With he official draft order now set, we can take into account team needs in making our selections.  While there may not be a stand-out star at or near the top of this year’s draft, it is deep as far as talent throughout the 1st Round.  Top prospects for the #1 selection include Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel, Kansas’ Ben McLemore, Georgetown’s Otto Porter Jr, and Michigan’s Trey Burke.

He was the nation’s top ranked high school player, by far the most prolific amateur scorer, and was projected by virtually every source as the unanimous #1 pick in 2013 NBA Draft, all prior to playing one minute of college basketball.

After continually showing out and dunking over the competition in every HS game shown on ESPN, some experts even proclaimed that Muhammed could be the second coming of future NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

He spurned several other high major programs like Kentucky and Duke to remain closer to home out West, committing to the fabled UCLA Bruins to be part of coach Ben Howland’s #1 ranked recruiting class prior to last season.

He accomplished every major HS basketball award last season including National POY, McDonald’s All American Game and Jordan Brand Classic MVP, as well as winning the 2012 Powerade Jamfest Dunk Contest, as HS’s best dunker.

But NCAA fans would have to wait to witness the prolific scorer as Muhammed was initially ruled ineligible, then was forced to sit out UCLA’s first 3 contests after accepting “illegal benefits” as an amateur player.

During the early going of the season, Muhammed appeared out of shape and struggled before finishing the season at a respectful 17.9 ppg and 5.2 rebounds and leading the Bruins back to the NCAA Tournament.

While most picked apart his game, constantly criticizing his averaging less than 1 assist per game, the real shocking news was that Shabazz was actually already 20, a year older than initially revealed, announcing that his father lied about his age to make him a more appealing prospect, raising character issues.

Fast forwarding to the 2013 NBA Draft Combine, and Muhammed’s stock again appears to be on the slide as quite a few NBA GM’s have gone on the record stating that the once prized HS prospect may not even be selected in this year’s Lottery and is more likely a mid 1st Round selection over concerns about attitude and lack of passing skills.

Most are concerned about a perceived selfish attitude and demeanor but he fact remains that even in a down crop of NBA prospects, Muhammed remains one of the few players, along with Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel and Kansas’ Ben McLemore with star potential in this year’s Draft.

In reality, Shabazz is still a rather young 20 years old, and can fill up the basket at arguably the best rate of any player coming out of college this season.  While his expectations have undoubtedly been lowered, I still think a comparison to Houston’s James Harden may be a good one, as a rare left-handed prolific scorer.

He measured out a legit 6’6 in shoes with a 6’11 reach at the 2013 Draft Combine but had a surprising 10% body fat, one of the worst in attendance.

Where will Shabazz Muhammed get drafted and what are his pro prospects?

Shabazz Muhammed UCLA Highlights:

Shabazz Muhammed 2013 Draft Scouting Report:

This year’s field, through the first month of the season, has been dominated by some outstanding play from a number of players all still vying for the #1 pick like Indiana’s Cody Zeller, Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel, UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad, and North Carolina’s James Michael-McAdoo.

As such, these Mock Draft rankings are based on potential with this year’s Draft order based on current team records from the NBA regular season and outstanding trades, without taking into consideration for team needs as of yet. These are only my choices and not the consensus picks of all of The Hoop Doctors writers, with that said here is my 2013 Mock Draft:Version 1.0.