Press Pass will not make cards this year because most of the top picks have signed deals with Upper Deck and Topps. Here is a breakdown of who is with who:
 

TOPPS EXCLUSIVE PLAYERS

GREG ODEN
BRANDAN WRIGHT (UNC)
YI JIANLIAN
NICK YOUNG

UPPER DECK EXCLUSIVE PLAYERS

KEVIN DURANT

Greg Oden-Center-   World class talent. Best Center prospect to enter the draft since oh, I don't know, Shaq.  Uses his body very well to gain position. Above average shot blocker.  Very good rebounder. If he develops more post moves he will be very difficult to stop. More of a block to block guy; will not pull a fade away jumper like Hakeem or Ewing.

Card values should be ON FIRE when they come out. I'd imagine his first autograph  rc's to be in the $200-500 range. Possibly higher then that.  TOPPS has signed an exclusive deal with Oden. Don't buy Upper Deck products looking for Oden autograph rookies.

UPDATE:  Gred did not play all that well in the summer league in Las Vegas. He had 10 fouls his first game and 9 fouls the second. You are allowed 10 fouls in the summer league. Still, he is very young. I don't see him averaging 15 points this year. His offensive game is just too limited for now.  Should have a BIG impact on the defensive end of the floor.

A couple of his Topps draft day RC card, autographed and serial ##'d to 50 have sold on ebay. Here is what they've gone for:

July 2:  $755.00
July 7:  $780.00
July 8:  $829.00
July 13: $631.11

UPDATE 3/28/08:

Oden when down with a knee injury that required micro-fracture surgery.  He is a young guy and should be able to bounce back. Amare had the same surgery and looks good. Older players have not faired well after the surgery. Players like Jamal Mashburn, Chris Webber and Alan Houston were never the same.

Let's hope Oden heals up and comes back strong next season.


Kevin Durant-Foward- His offensive game is awesome. Can score inside and out in college. Can post-up with his back to the basket. Can hit a fadeaway. Can hit a turn-around jumper. Should develop NBA 3 point shooting range. Very long arms. Not really a leaper, but his arms make up for that. Rebounds well for his size and strength. His weekness is that he is physically weak. Could not bench press 185 pounds at the pre-draft camp in Orlando. Very thin shoulders. How will this translate to the NBA? Will he rebound the ball as well against much larger players? Will he be able to score inside and be able to post up stronger players?  Who is he going to defend on the other end of the floor? He is way to thin to guard some of the larger, stronger, small and power forwards in the league.

His card values may exceed Oden's. He has the potential to be a 25 point a game scorer if he can take the punishment inside and get to the free throw line.  He is with Upper Deck so he will have some SWEET cards!

UPDATE 3/28/08: 

Well....... I've seen him play a few times. Not really impressed with his shot selection. That should improve. He seems like kind of a ball hog. I even noticed that in the rookie/sophmore game where he rarely passed, and he had this way about him, that HE thought he was the best player on the court.  But that wasn't really the case. BUT, there have been players like him. I can remember screaming at my t.v. watching a young Kobe Bryant taking wild fade aways when he had wide open teamates under the hoop.

I think it is going to take a little time with this kid. He needs good coaching and good players around him. He needs a coach who can say, "you ain't taking those fadeaways son."  We'll see if P.J. is that coach.

Al Horford-forward-Florida- Nice NBA body. Should be able to make an impact right away. I wouldn't go as far and say he will be a star. Some have him going #3. I wouldnt pick him that high. I think he will be a solid NBA player, but not a star.

I would sell Horford's cards if I got one before the season started. I think he will be over-shadowed by more spectacular players. He might put up solid numbers but I don't see his cards getting anywhere near Oden or Durants.

UPDATE 3/28/08:

I like this kid now that I see him more. Too bad he is stuck in Atlanta where he hardly ever gets any exposure. He is one to watch out for!

Joakim Noah-Center/forward-Florida. I would take this guy on my team any day. Plays hard. Defensive minded. Great team defender. Looks like he can defend the pick-and-roll well. Would be an asset to every NBA team. BUT-his offensive game is very limited. If he ever averaged 15 points a game in an NBA season I'd be SHOCKED!

Another guy who I would sell early. He is name that people know because of his career at Florida. Because of his limited offensive game, I don't ever see his cards getting wildly high. SELL SELL SELL if you pull a big rookie of his early on in the season.

UPDATE 3/28/08:

This is a goofy kid, who has been playing well lately.  He seems like a guy who will be good for a good quote, which will keep him in the news as his career goes on.

Yi JianLian-Forward-China.  I've only seen a couple youtube highlight tapes of this guy. From what I have seen, he actually has a good NBA body. Spends time in the weight room. The comparisons to Kevin Garnett seem crazy, and probably are. The jury is out on this guy. Says he is 19, but many believe he is really 22 years old. Wants to play on a 'big market' team like Boston, New York or L.A.  Not really sure on what kind of skill set he has because I haven't seen him play before.

His cards should be interesting to watch. I would guess that they will be fairly hot. If his cards are the same price as Joakim Noah, then I would sell the Noah's I have and buy Yi's cards because he has a greater potential to be a star in the league with his offensive game; and global appeal.

UPDATE 3/28/08:

I like this guy too. Text book form on his jump shot. He is like Horford, too bad he is stuck on the Bucks. Most people never get to see this guy. Still has some things to work out in his game. If he can pick up the american game, and language like Yao has been able to look out!

Nick Young-Shooting Guard. Any guy that says he wants to play like Kobe Bryant on the court, I kinda like. Has a lot of confidence. Looks like he should be able to develop the outside and mid-range game. Nice shooting motion. Like I said the kid doesnt lack confidence. But he isn't the high-flyer/dunker that Kobe is. Will he take it to the hole, like a Dwayne Wade and a Kobe Bryant, and get to the foul line to pump up his PPG?  Or will he settle for jump shots from the outside? 

If I pulled a card of this guy I wouldn't know what to do. I'd almost want to go back and watch some college tapes and see his style of play more. If I felt like he could turn out to be a 20-25 PPG guy, then I'd keep the card. He is confident and should be popular with fans. 

Corey Brewer-Guard-Florida.  I really like this guys game. Long arms, I think he is around 6-9.  Good 1 on 1 defender. Will make an impact on any NBA team on the defensive end right away.  The things that are a bit of a question mark is his shooting.  Very inconsistant. May not ever develop NBA 3 point range.  I don't know, I kinda see this guy as a Larry Hughes kind of player. Good, solid player, but his offensive game may hamper his popularity among collectors.

I like this guy, so if I pulled a card of his I'd see what they were selling for on ebay. Probably sell it, and then go scoop some up when he cooled off.

Mike Conley Jr. - Point Guard. Ohio State.  Nice, solid point guard. May be rated too high.  Not all that tall. Not extremly quick. Only averaged 9 points per game while teamate Greg Oden was hurt this season at Ohio State. That isn't good. I don't think he has the court vision like a Steve Nash.....or even Chris Paul or Deron Williams. He should be a nice solid player. But I wouldn't put too high an investment in him.

UPDATE 3/28/08:

I was wrong about the quickness issue. He is fast. Good solid PG.

Acie Law- Point Guard. I think Nick Van Exel when I see this guy. Maybe not a 'true' point guard, but he can get it done. Clutch player. Will he be better then Conley?? Don't really know, their supporting cast will determine that.

Javaris Crittenton-Point Guard. L.A. Lakers.  A small disclaimer, I'm a Lakers fan and this will be heavily biased. Bigger, stronger then both Conley and Law. Was the #1 rated Point Guard coming out of High School, rated higher then Conley. Played the triangle offense (which the Lakers run) for all 4 years in High School. Very nice shooting motion. Averaged 15 points a game as a freshman at Georgia Tech. Very, very high upside. Jordan Farmar is a point guard the Lakers drafted in the 1st round last year. Will they keep both? Is either one trade bait??

If Crittenton's cards are considerably lower then Law's or Conley's, you'd better get some of Javaris, cause he has a higher upside then both of those guys, and could be playing in L.A. for a long time to come.

UPDATE 3/28/08:

Well................... While this kid was with the Lakers he showed flashes of talent. Very quick. Very quick with his dribble. Good jump shot. Questionable decision making at times. Tried to be too flashy at times. World of talent. While I hated to see him go, getting Pau Gasol, for Crit, Kwame, 2 1st round picks, and some change, is a fantastic deal for the Lakers. 

We'll see how this kid develops. He could be a star in this league, he has that much talent.