SU Basketball: Ryan Nassib To...Michael Carter-Williams?

There's nothing more exciting than the NBA draft lottery! And by nothing I mean everything is more exciting.

But this pointless exercise made solely for television revenue, and to melt our brains further, has come and gone. And with the lottery set, we now have a better idea of where Michael Carter-Williams could be playing ball next fall.

Felonious Phunk breaks down his thoughts on the draft here; recommended reading for the NBA fan or an NBA draft novice.

My thoughts? Here's a quick take on which team or teams may be calling the former Syracuse point guard during next month's draft:

1. Cleveland - No
2. Orlando - No
3. Washington - No
4. Charlotte - Nein
5. Phoenix - Nah
6. New Orleans - Pelicans (!) - Maybe
7. Sacramento - Likely
8. Detroit - Probably not*
9. Minnesota - No dice
   
10. Portland - Six words: Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard.
11. Philadelphia - Het
12. Oklahoma City - Nada
13. Dallas -Likely
14. Utah -Maybe

New Orleans, Sacramento, and Dallas (in draft order) are probably the three most likely destinations for Carter-Williams. Those teams need help at point and a six-foot five guard with a you-first attitude is a rare commodity in the NBA. Sacramento, especially if it stays at the seven spot, makes the most sense to me given it's a team likely needing to replace Tyreke Evans. But I certainly think Carter-Williams to either the Pelicans (!) or the Mavericks would be ideal too. Utah, in need of guard help, would be interesting to see how much of a deterrent Carter-Williams' inconsistent shooting is to teams.

*(As we'll see, some of the experts are on Carter-Williams landing in Detroit, a scenario I don't totally understand seeing as that the Pistons already have a young guard in Brandon Knight. And if you're thinking the same thing about New Orleans and Austin Rivers, you're forgetting one thing: Austin Rivers is horrible at basketball.)

And that's the thing, while there is a lot of evidence of his talents there is just as much evidence to Carter-Williams' flaws. Potential is like a drug to NBA general managers, but it could be a rather interesting draft -- where Carter-Williams could be a surprise, similar to Dion Waiters going fourth to Cleveland last year, or he could be someone that falls out of the lottery.

Sounds familiar, right?

But enough about me, what do the experts think?

CBSSports:

Jeff Goodman: No. 8, Detroit:

He has stayed in contention for the top 10 despite shooting 39.3 percent, thanks to the lure of being a 6-5 point guard with vision who can handle. Hoping to address the obvious problem, Carter-Williams has been working on his perimeter game since the end of the season.

Matt Moore: No. 13, Dallas:

Hey look, another point guard for Rick Carlisle to destroy.

(Yikes!)

NBA Draft Net: 14, Utah:

Carter-Williams is a true point guard with tremendous size. At 6'6 he reminds some of the high school version of Shawn Livingston that many became so enamored with before his tragic knee injury. Though not quite the talent, MCW's ability to set teammates up for baskets is special for a player his size. His length, having a near 6'9 wingspan really helps his cause defensively. He has a lot of work to do on his outside shooting and must prove that he can hang with the speed of today's NBA PGs. He would likely pair well with a small 2-guard like Monta Ellis...

Fox Sports: 14, Utah:

At 6-6 he reminds some of the high school version of Shawn Livingston that many became so enamored with before his tragic knee injury. Though not quite the talent, MCW's ability to set up teammates for baskets is special for a player his size. He has a lot of work to do on his outside shooting and must prove that he can hang with the speed of today's NBA PGs.

NBA.com: 8, Detroit:

He has stayed in contention for the top 10 despite shooting 39.3 percent, thanks to the lure of being a 6-5 point guard with vision who can handle.

ESPN - Chad Ford - No. 7, Sacramento:

Carter-Williams is a high-risk, high-reward player. He has elite size for his position, proved to be a terrific athlete at the NBA draft combine and sees the floor well. In addition, he's a rangy defender who averaged 2.8 steals per game last season.

High-risk, high reward.

The theme for most draft picks, but one that seems to suit Carter-Williams perfectly. The top 14 is close to a lock, but the experts aren't exactly in unison on where the former Syracuse point guard will fall in that lottery; high-risk, high-reward.

We've heard this before, recently even...

It all kind of rings a little like Ryan Nassib's NFL draft experience. The former Orange quarterback being touted as high as number 8, but also being thought of as an early second round talent.There were a lot of mixed thoughts about Nassib, who then turned into one of the biggest story lines throughout the 15 three day draft last month.

Now there is no way Carter-Williams will fall too far, as most everyone agrees he's a top tier talent, in one form or another (plus, there are only two rounds in the NBA draft, so it's unlikely Carter-Williams would fall out of the top 20 or so).

But I do think he'll be in for a wild time come draft night. Which, good or bad, will make for a more excitement than watching ping pong balls flopping around.