[Another great FanPost, as bleedingblueandgold takes in some of the top names in the upcoming draft. -TL] 

It's getting to be one of my favorite times of the year.  The conference tournaments are coming to an end and Selection Sunday is right around the corner.  This means a lot of couch time, a lot of delivery food, and a lot of channel surfing between games.  Tournament time for me begins the real talent evaluating process.  It is the first time you get to see the prime time players doing their thing under the big lights.  With a potential top five pick for the Blue and Gold, I used this time to really look hard at the players they could potentially draft.  These players were John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins from Kentucky, Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech, Evan Turner from Ohio State, Greg Monroe from Georgetown, and Wes Johnson from Syracuse (from earlier in the week).  I'm going to look at each player and write about them in the order in which they impressed me after the jump.

John Wall - The recent hype I've been hearing is that people are starting to wish more for Evan Turner than John Wall.  While I love Turner and his total game there is no comparison for has a better NBA skill set.  Wall already possesses NBA elite speed, court vision, and ability to finish around the rim.  He has a game that is too fast for college ball which screams stud at the next level.  Watching him play reminds me a lot of Derrick Rose in college with a better mid game range game.  He has the tendency to get ahead of himself which leads to silly turnovers.  I also noticed he finishes with both hands very well.  He had no fear driving right into Jarvis Varnado and laying it in with his left.  The one thing he needs to work on is his three point shooting.  This will force defenders to come up closer on him allowing hims to drive around people with ease.  John Wall is still without question the top player in this draft and will become a fixture at the all-star game year after year.

DeMarcus Cousins - This guy is a monster.  As much as it kills me to be so impressed with two Kentucky kids, Wall and Cousins are the real deal.  At 6'11 and 280 lbs. is size makes him an instant impact player in the NBA.  What makes him so impressive though is the way he runs the court and his soft touch around the basket.  He has great footwork and moves very gracefully.  Most kids this size are mechanical and works in progress offensively. DeMarcus will be able to score at the NBA level right away.  Although his free throw shooting was atrocious the days I watched him, his season average wasn't bad and he should sit around 70% with a little work.  This is huge for a guy who should be fouled all the time a la Shaq or Dwight Howard.  He also brings it defensively.  He explodes of the ground for a man his size which makes him a great rebounder and shot blocker.  The negative on him is that he has an attitude and low work ethic.  While watching, he made a few mature plays and seems to be under control.  There was a scuffle in the Tennessee game where came in and played peacemaker.  This is who I was most impressed with this weekend and believe he should be the second pick.  Guys with this much size and skill are a dime a dozen.

Evan Turner - Being a Big 10 guy I love watching him play on TV all the time.  Evan is a great all around basketball player who has few weaknesses.  He scores with both hands around the rim and has an uncanny ability to get there. He lacks elite speed but it doesn't seem to hinder him much. He dribbles the ball well in traffic and has a nice set of go to moves.  He shoots the ball great at the mid level range but needs to work on his three point shot.  The thing I like most about him which makes him a great fit with Indiana is his won't lose attitude.  Turner is at his best at game time and loves having the ball and making plays.  A game time player with the ability to create for himself sounds like a perfect fit in a Blue and Gold uniform.  Like Wall, Turner has the ability to try and make too many plays which leads to a lot of turnovers.  He handles the ball more than he should because Ohio State lacks a true point guard and at the NBA level he will handle it a lot less.  Reminds me most of Brandon Roy because of his ability to play point guard at the small forward level.  

Derrick Favors - Favors ranks ahead of Wes Johnson only because of positional needs for the Pacers.  Derrick Favors is incredibly athletic and at 6'9 and 250 lbs. makes NBA executives gush.  His size and athleticism make him an elite rebounder and shot blocker.  He is the recipient of a lot of alley oop dunks and scores a lot off offensive rebounds.  He has a nice skill set down low and good footwork for a kid his size which should allow him to develop into a good low post scorer but as of right now is a little raw with set plays.  At the current state of the Pacers I would love for a player who could come in a help right away and while Favors would help defensively, his offensive help still may be a few years down the road.  He reminds me a lot of Josh Smith in his early years and I think that we could develop into that type of player with some work.

Wes Johnson - I have tried watching Johnson on multiple occasions to really get a feel for his game.  I must admit of all the people I watch he is who I am most skeptical of.  He seems to really flourish in Jim Boeheim's system.  He us very long and athletic which the NBA always has room for and he seems to really understand the game.  He never seems to rush things and plays within himself.  He has nice touch on his jumpshot and also finishes well arounf the basket.  His length plays a big role in his ability to defend and blocks a lot of shots.  He needs to put on some weight to be able to bang down low more.  While there isn't much he doesn't do well at the college level, I think he lacks the star potential these other young men have and think that he need a few years before he becomes an impact player.

Greg Monroe - I love watching Monroe play.  He is a NBA power forward who can put the ball on the floor and is a great passer.  He has the skill set of guard in a big body.  While this is pretty to watch it can also become his own worst enemy.  He can play soft and fall in love with his skills instead of just using his big body (6'10 and 245 lbs.).  His jumper could use a little but of work but is still pretty good.  He is left handed which for a power forward who likes to drive makes him a tough matchup for other bigs.  Monroe is a very pretty player but may lack the killer instinct to ever become great.  This is also an issue for the Pacers so Monroe may not be the best fit.  He will fit best where he can play within the system and not be a go to guy.

As the Pacer's continue to struggle I count the days until the NBA draft.  It will be nice to actually draft a ready difference maker instead of hoping to hit on a nice prospect in the 11-13 range.  I know it's been talked about a lot on Cornrows but the Pacers really do need to lose to ensure the future improvement of the franchise.