Kentucky vrs Kansas:

[bajaden]

For those interested in seeing a nice matchup early in the season Kentucky, with 5 potential first round picks on the roster with 6'10" Anthony Davis, 6'6" Michael Gilchrist, 6'2" Marquis Teague, 6'8" Terrence Jones, and finally 6'4" Doron Lamb, with the possiblity of 6'9" Kyle Wiltjer sliding in as well, goes up against Kansas in its first realy test of the season.

Kansas features at least one first round pick in 6'9" Thomas Robinson. Their pg, 6'3" Tyshawn Taylor is a sure 2nd rounder. 6'5" Ben McLemore and 6'3" Elijah Johnson could be drafted as well. The game is on ESPN at 6 o'clock Pacific.

At 5 o'clock Pacific on either ESPN 2 or ESPN U Florida takes on Ohio ST. Keep you eye on 6'4" freshman, Bradley Beal. He's most likely a lottery pick in the next draft. Florida also has 6'9" Patrick Young. Ohio state of course has 6'9" Jared Sullinger, who suspossedly has lost around 20 pounds. They have 6'6" William Buford, a sure 2nd rounder and possible 1st rounder. At the point they have Aaron Craft, one of the better PG's in the nation..

Enjoy!

 

[Vlade4GM]

The length and quickness of Gilchrist/Jones/Davis on the defensive end is so sick.

 

[bajaden]

The length and quickness of Gilchrist/Jones/Davis on the defensive end is so sick.

I've been very impressed by Davis. You can tell he's just scratching the surface of whats possible by him. Gilchrist is one of the best man defenders that I've seen in a long time. He has a non stop motor. If he can learn to shoot the ball from the outside, he'll be a star if not a superstar at the next level. He has everything else going for him. He handles well and is a good passer. But most of all, both Davis and Gilchrist are very, very unselfish. Jones looks like a man on a mission this year. Totally team oriented.

Don't leave out Teague. He has serious handles, and is a pass first PG. Like Gilchrist, he really needs to work on his outside shot. His biggest plus is his defense. He's another terrific defender. If Kentucky can get everyone on the same page, they're going to be hard to beat.

 

[whozit]

I've been very impressed by Davis. You can tell he's just scratching the surface of whats possible by him. Gilchrist is one of the best man defenders that I've seen in a long time. He has a non stop motor. If he can learn to shoot the ball from the outside, he'll be a star if not a superstar at the next level. He has everything else going for him. He handles well and is a good passer. But most of all, both Davis and Gilchrist are very, very unselfish. Jones looks like a man on a mission this year. Totally team oriented.

Don't leave out Teague. He has serious handles, and is a pass first PG. Like Gilchrist, he really needs to work on his outside shot. His biggest plus is his defense. He's another terrific defender. If Kentucky can get everyone on the same page, they're going to be hard to beat.

Jones and his scowls were getting annoying. Not knowing him or his background, my impression of him during the game the other night was a wannabe bad-bleep pretty boy. Hopefully, my perception was off, way off, because something of his behavior brought Tracy McGrady to mind.

 

[bajaden]

Jones and his scowls were getting annoying. Not knowing him or his background, my impression of him during the game the other night was a wannabe bad-bleep pretty boy. Hopefully, my perception was off, way off, because something of his behavior brought Tracy McGrady to mind.

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I think you have a legitimate issuse. He's always been a very intense player, which I like, but I thought his body language was a little overboard in this game. That part wasn't normal for him. It possible he was getting razed by some fans for his 3 am auto accident he had last week. Don't know! I do like him as a player. Offensively he still needs some polish, but he has the size and strength to guard PF's and the quickness to guard SF's. I'm not completely sure of his final destination position wise. But he's tough, and he's an above average athlete for his size.

If it makes you feel any better, I think what you saw was more of an abberation than the norm.

 

[Vlade4GM]

There was a chance for Jones to be a 3, but I think with Kentucky, he just won't get enough opportunity to really hone in his perimeter skills enough to be a enough of a mismatch at the 3. I think he has the size, strength, and length to be a good hybrid 4 though, in the Josh Smith/Lamar Odom mold. He's showing an improved post-up game, and that's very important for his progression into the PF position.

I love Davis, he's still skinny and yet he can still play finish down low and grab rebounds. He seems to have the frame to get a lot bigger too. My one disappointment was that he only measured out to be only 6'9.5 in shoes, I hope that big growth spurt wasn't the end of his growing.

 

[bajaden]

There was a chance for Jones to be a 3, but I think with Kentucky, he just won't get enough opportunity to really hone in his perimeter skills enough to be a enough of a mismatch at the 3. I think he has the size, strength, and length to be a good hybrid 4 though, in the Josh Smith/Lamar Odom mold. He's showing an improved post-up game, and that's very important for his progression into the PF position.

I love Davis, he's still skinny and yet he can still play finish down low and grab rebounds. He seems to have the frame to get a lot bigger too. My one disappointment was that he only measured out to be only 6'9.5 in shoes, I hope that big growth spurt wasn't the end of his growing.

Hard to say whether he'll grow anymore of not. He's only 18 years old I believe, so its very possible. Right now I'm looking at him as a PF, and I have no doubts he can play that position. He has a decent midrange jumper, which he has yet to use very much. Anyway my point is that his current height wouldn't be a disadvantage at the PF position. Now if he grows another 2 inches and adds another 25 or 30 pounds, then I'll start seeing him as a center. He wouldn't look bad next to Cousins on the floor. He's a shotblocking machine.

Note: He does have a 7'4" wingspan according to the measurements from the Adios Nations event.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Hard to say whether he'll grow anymore of not. He's only 18 years old I believe, so its very possible. Right now I'm looking at him as a PF, and I have no doubts he can play that position. He has a decent midrange jumper, which he has yet to use very much. Anyway my point is that his current height wouldn't be a disadvantage at the PF position. Now if he grows another 2 inches and adds another 25 or 30 pounds, then I'll start seeing him as a center. He wouldn't look bad next to Cousins on the floor. He's a shotblocking machine.

Note: He does have a 7'4" wingspan according to the measurements from the Adios Nations event.

His height and length is good enough, but I'm thinking about the Garnett comparisons and Garnett is at least 6'11 in shoes. He does seem to have a short heck/neck so maybe his shoulder height is actually more telling. He should have at least a 9'2 reach. There's no doubt he'll be able to be a PF though, the way he's just so naturally taken to being a big is unbelievable.

 

[bajaden]

His height and length is good enough, but I'm thinking about the Garnett comparisons and Garnett is at least 6'11 in shoes. He does seem to have a short heck/neck so maybe his shoulder height is actually more telling. He should have at least a 9'2 reach. There's no doubt he'll be able to be a PF though, the way he's just so naturally taken to being a big is unbelievable.

Yeah, I agree. I was very surprised how well he fits into his body. Most times when a player grows that much in a short period of time, it takes a while for the brain to catch up. But he seems to be up to speed right now. He needs to polish his offense, especially his jumpshot, but he has plenty of time for that. Defensively he's a beast.