I think the best thing for Drummond is to stay another year in college. But the main reason most people think he'll declare, is because UCONN is under suspension, and can't compete for the NCAA title. As for Henson, if were picking somewhere between 14 and 22, I think he'd be a good pick, but if we end up at 5 or 6, I don't take him that high. I'll be curious to see how far Sullinger drops, if he drops, and I think he will. He basicly got shut down by Withey, a player projected as a second round pick. It has to hurt him.
It's early, but anybody have a draft wish list yet?
- Thread starter bluntsnbball
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Is this a for real diagnosis? I have had experience with basketball players with general anxiety and they have a very difficult time focusing on the game. They get distracted by the crowd, etc. and of course their confidence sucks, to use a clinical term. 
White has been diagnosed with anxiety. He's Mr. Triple Double - lead the team in pts, assists, rebounds, and steals; plus he's 6'8, handles like a guard and build like a tank. Either he has learned to (with medication maybe?) focus, or even more amazingly, managed to kick butts while being very distracted.
Ahhh! Makes sense! Thus the post following the Cody Zeller post. I'll be surprised if Zeller declares for the draft, but you never know. If he stays, then I agree with Gilles, Indiana would have to be one of the favorites going into next season. Of course if Kentucky lands Noel and Muhammad, then they'll be one of the top teams again.
Yup he's staying.
I like that PG they got coming, Yogi Ferrell.
Shabazz seems well on his way to UCLA to teamup with Kyle Anderson and maybe Tony Parker. would be nice to see UCLA come back to the top.
I'd be really suprised if Noel doesn't go to Kentucky though seeing the impact and attention Anthony Davis just had in a pretty similar role.
Although I gotta say - having watched Noel play 3-4 games now, i'm not really that impressed with him - atleast not as much as his hype got me thinking I would be.
There's a kid in his highschool team that impressed me ALOT more to be honest - Wayne Selden. he's just like 15 years old - but boy i'll tell - this kid is gonna be a top pick in the draft once he declares without a doubt in my mind. fantastic player. he's so strong and aggressive and has an amazing body and build for a highschool kid at the SG position.
I like that PG they got coming, Yogi Ferrell.
Shabazz seems well on his way to UCLA to teamup with Kyle Anderson and maybe Tony Parker. would be nice to see UCLA come back to the top.
I'd be really suprised if Noel doesn't go to Kentucky though seeing the impact and attention Anthony Davis just had in a pretty similar role.
Although I gotta say - having watched Noel play 3-4 games now, i'm not really that impressed with him - atleast not as much as his hype got me thinking I would be.
There's a kid in his highschool team that impressed me ALOT more to be honest - Wayne Selden. he's just like 15 years old - but boy i'll tell - this kid is gonna be a top pick in the draft once he declares without a doubt in my mind. fantastic player. he's so strong and aggressive and has an amazing body and build for a highschool kid at the SG position.
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Not sure what you expected to see from Noel. I've been very impressed with him. He didn't impress in the Nike Summit game that much, but he was a late entry and didn't get much practice time. Still blocked 5 shots in a short amount of time. The kid that impressed me was Andrew Wiggins, a 6'7" SF from Canada. That kid is the real deal. He's in the class of 2014, unless he can find a way to move up a year.
Well all the Anthony Davis talk, he doesn't come near AD imo in his feel for the game on both offense and defense, that desire to play every possession and get the stop and grab rebounds etc.
Again, it wasn't like I thought he's a scrub - but from what people talked him to be I was kinda dissapointed especially in his HighSchool games i've watched.
He's a pretty solid passer from the high post/elbow though - and I think he's more athletic and has a better build then Davis to develop into... but i'd want to see him play with much more intensity out there and not dissapear as much or try play defense for the spectacular plays\blocks rather then to get a stop - which is what Davis does and he doesn't from what i've seen.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but still.
Agree about Wiggins, this kid is legit. what a player, and for a 16-17 year old too - what he showed was just impressive... he could dominate the collage game right now if he was able to go there.
He really took it to Shabazz and looked even more mature in his game then Shabazz - who's prolly the most relentless aggressive scorer I can remember btw - and while I really love that edge he plays with and that "I gotta score" mentality he's got - thats also a nicer way to say selfish and me-first me-second-never met a shot he didn't like kind of player at times.
He'll need to learn how to tame himself and his will to score the ball everytime he gets it. Good thing he's teaming up with Kyle Anderson who will have the ball in his hands most of the time and force him to play off the ball more and allow him to feed him and be incharge of sharing the wealth.
But anyways other then Wiggins and Shabazz that Dario Saric kid was the one I was most impressed with.
That kid was putting Magic Johnson-esque moves out there with his passing and playmaking ability.. he was just so damn impressive for a kid who didn't even turn 18!
His ability to see the play develop 3-4 plays before anyone else for a 6'10 kid is remarkable, he just captured my eye from the moment he touched the ball for the first time with his playmaking, vision and passing ability - but also showed he's a strong rebounder, can put the ball on the floor, can shoot, can drive.. just an all-around game.
I read about him and he also seems like a fantastic rebounder in general throughout his career so far whenever he played - so those 14 rebounds are not some fluke.
Question marks about him are on the defensive end ofcourse and how will he be able to adjust - but man even if he doesn't his offensive skills are enough to make him a great player in the league as is.
He's a top 10 prospect whenever he enters the draft imo. this kid's gonna be a triple double threat in the future.
Again, it wasn't like I thought he's a scrub - but from what people talked him to be I was kinda dissapointed especially in his HighSchool games i've watched.
He's a pretty solid passer from the high post/elbow though - and I think he's more athletic and has a better build then Davis to develop into... but i'd want to see him play with much more intensity out there and not dissapear as much or try play defense for the spectacular plays\blocks rather then to get a stop - which is what Davis does and he doesn't from what i've seen.
Maybe my expectations were too high, but still.
Agree about Wiggins, this kid is legit. what a player, and for a 16-17 year old too - what he showed was just impressive... he could dominate the collage game right now if he was able to go there.
He really took it to Shabazz and looked even more mature in his game then Shabazz - who's prolly the most relentless aggressive scorer I can remember btw - and while I really love that edge he plays with and that "I gotta score" mentality he's got - thats also a nicer way to say selfish and me-first me-second-never met a shot he didn't like kind of player at times.
He'll need to learn how to tame himself and his will to score the ball everytime he gets it. Good thing he's teaming up with Kyle Anderson who will have the ball in his hands most of the time and force him to play off the ball more and allow him to feed him and be incharge of sharing the wealth.
But anyways other then Wiggins and Shabazz that Dario Saric kid was the one I was most impressed with.
That kid was putting Magic Johnson-esque moves out there with his passing and playmaking ability.. he was just so damn impressive for a kid who didn't even turn 18!
His ability to see the play develop 3-4 plays before anyone else for a 6'10 kid is remarkable, he just captured my eye from the moment he touched the ball for the first time with his playmaking, vision and passing ability - but also showed he's a strong rebounder, can put the ball on the floor, can shoot, can drive.. just an all-around game.
I read about him and he also seems like a fantastic rebounder in general throughout his career so far whenever he played - so those 14 rebounds are not some fluke.
Question marks about him are on the defensive end ofcourse and how will he be able to adjust - but man even if he doesn't his offensive skills are enough to make him a great player in the league as is.
He's a top 10 prospect whenever he enters the draft imo. this kid's gonna be a triple double threat in the future.
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Btw the way things are shaping up - I would guess Tony Parker goes to UCLA and Kentucky gets thier hands on Anthony Bennet.
If that happens Kentucky have a more then solid starting 5 with Harrow-Goodwin-Poythress-Bennet-Noel, with Wiltjer somewhere in the mix aswell... I would not put it past that type of team with Cal behind them reaching the Final Four at all or even winning it all - that's a very talented and strong team to have.
Poythress is a fantastic player, 1 and done imo and a top 10 talent - and Noel and Bennet are a perfect match for a frontcourt and would be one of the best frontcourts in the nation off the bat, with Bennet having the type of body and game to dominate early at the collage level with his brute strength and ability to shoot the ball aswell as bang inside also being a high character kid - with Noel covering for his height and for everyone else in the Anthony Davis role defensively.
If that happens Kentucky have a more then solid starting 5 with Harrow-Goodwin-Poythress-Bennet-Noel, with Wiltjer somewhere in the mix aswell... I would not put it past that type of team with Cal behind them reaching the Final Four at all or even winning it all - that's a very talented and strong team to have.
Poythress is a fantastic player, 1 and done imo and a top 10 talent - and Noel and Bennet are a perfect match for a frontcourt and would be one of the best frontcourts in the nation off the bat, with Bennet having the type of body and game to dominate early at the collage level with his brute strength and ability to shoot the ball aswell as bang inside also being a high character kid - with Noel covering for his height and for everyone else in the Anthony Davis role defensively.
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I'm really high on Saric, he's 6'10, can handle, board, shoot, and has great vision and IQ. He has a Larry Bird feel to him with his court awareness, but that's obviously setting the bar too high.
Wiggins has superstar player written all over him, he's got the potential for the whole package. I expect him to move into the 2013 class, and I can't wait to see what he can do at the college level. It's good to see Canada producing some top level talent, that always inspires more young players from that area to get involved in basketball, which produces more talent.
Zhelin looked impressive as well, good strength, good touch, and was assertive. I really pull for all the Chinese prospects, and I think Zhelin has a chance to be at least a solid back up center. Considering how much Jianlian has bombed, that could prove to be quite an accomplishment for Chinese basketball.
The thing that I found weird about Noel is that he's a legit 6'11 with a 7'4 wingspan, but only has a 9'1.5 standing reach. Seems like a Marcus Camby/Joakim Noah type.
It was too bad Stephen Adams couldn't have made any of the all-star games.
Wiggins has superstar player written all over him, he's got the potential for the whole package. I expect him to move into the 2013 class, and I can't wait to see what he can do at the college level. It's good to see Canada producing some top level talent, that always inspires more young players from that area to get involved in basketball, which produces more talent.
Zhelin looked impressive as well, good strength, good touch, and was assertive. I really pull for all the Chinese prospects, and I think Zhelin has a chance to be at least a solid back up center. Considering how much Jianlian has bombed, that could prove to be quite an accomplishment for Chinese basketball.
The thing that I found weird about Noel is that he's a legit 6'11 with a 7'4 wingspan, but only has a 9'1.5 standing reach. Seems like a Marcus Camby/Joakim Noah type.
It was too bad Stephen Adams couldn't have made any of the all-star games.
I have no idea if Noel will be as good as Davis or not, but, lets be honest, there aren't that many Davis types out there. So I guess my expectations are a little less than yours. I try not to judge players against other players. I think its a formula for disappointment. But that aside, I agree with you on Saric. I haven't followed european basketball much in the past, although I'm trying to upgrade myself in that area going forward. For those that don't know who were talking about. Saric, a 6'10", 18 year old, projected PF, is considered the best prospect in european basketball. This was the second time he participated in the Nike Summit game. And he was very impressive. The kid can score the ball from just about anywhere on the court, he has very good handles for a 6'10" player, and he's a terrific passer with very good court vision.
Defensively, its hard to pass judgement, as not much defense is played in these type of games. But rather than bore everyone with my lack of knowledge on the kid, here's an article with some video thats fairly inclusive.
http://prospect-central.blogspot.mx/2012/04/dario-saric-1-teenage-basketball.html
Defensively, its hard to pass judgement, as not much defense is played in these type of games. But rather than bore everyone with my lack of knowledge on the kid, here's an article with some video thats fairly inclusive.
http://prospect-central.blogspot.mx/2012/04/dario-saric-1-teenage-basketball.html
Curious, what was horrible? The actual decision, or the way he reported the decision? Frankly, his decision to go to Kentucky isn't that big a surprise. And while I thought his way of announcing it was a little overly dramatic, the hair will grow back in, and if he plays up to expectations, everyone will soon forget the announcement.
Adams played in a couple highschool all star games last year, and outplayed Kaleb Tarczewski in one of them. Don't remember which one. I just remember that I was very impressed with Adams. He is from down under, which is a long plane ride, or he may have had other commitments.
I thought that 9'1.5" standing reach looked a little short as well. I guess we'll eventually see at the NBA combine, in a year or two. Marcus Camby and Joakim Noah isn't bad company though. To be honest, I think he's a better athlete than either of them. For what thats worth.
I thought that 9'1.5" standing reach looked a little short as well. I guess we'll eventually see at the NBA combine, in a year or two. Marcus Camby and Joakim Noah isn't bad company though. To be honest, I think he's a better athlete than either of them. For what thats worth.
I think he's going to HS in the US right now, and the reason I heard that he passed on McDonalds and NHS was that he had to focus on his schoolwork. I like Adams, he seems to have a good attitude and he looks like really mold-able clay: he's got the size, length, touch, hands, and athleticism.
The only thing I can think of is that his height is inflated by his head/neck length, because his shoulders don't look that broad. Not bad company at all, but you're probably getting just a role player offensively.
The only thing I can think of is that his height is inflated by his head/neck length, because his shoulders don't look that broad. Not bad company at all, but you're probably getting just a role player offensively.
Yeah, I'm with you on this one. He really impressed me last year. He made Tarczewski look bad by comparison, especially athleticly, and Tarczewski is ranked in the top ten nationally and only third among centers behind Noel and Austin. Besides, I would never pass judgement on how good a player will turnout when they haven't even played one game in college yet.
Just heard Chad Ford announce that Drummond has declared for the draft. No big surprise there. Read a funny story on Twitter. Apparently Shabazz Muhammad lost 4000 followers in the two hours after he chose to play at UCLA. However, Noel has picked up 15,000 followers since he chose Kentucky. How fickle fans are! Kentucky has grabbed the number one spot in recruiting with the signing of Noel. I'm going to post the final standings later in the prospects fourm. For those that follow such nonsense.