Prospect watch 2011

[bajaden]

I'm trying to compare up my mock with other mocks of other draft sites, and I see there's quite a few outliers here...so I'd like to get the board's opinion on these players: 1) John Henson, 2) JaJuan Johnson, 3) Travis Leslie, 4) Aaric Murray, 5) Kyle Singler, 6) Xavi Rabaseda, 7) Rick Jackson, 8) Lacedarius Dunn, 9) DJ Kennedy, 10) Josh Selby, 11) Klay Thompson, 12) Iman Shumpert, 13) Gary Flowers, 14) Jimmer Fredette. To put it short, I'm high on all of these players listed above.

Baja, yeah I'm a bit skeptical about John Henson's ballhandling, lack of range and awful free throw shooting, but I keep going back to his ability to wreak havoc with his length without picking up fouls, and he rebounds extremely well--I remember his pre-college comparisons were of Durant, and physically with the length I can definitely see it. He's definitely raw but the defensive potential/production is already there, and I'm really captivated. Granted, this all seems like Anthony Randolph/Brandan Wright part deux--great athlete, little brain--but I still like both of those players, and if groomed right Henson's just made for the NBA game.

Also, I'd like to add that I'm more down on Perry Jones, Marcus Morris, Tristan Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Brandon Knight, Jordan Hamilton and Mason Plumlee. Like to see opinions on these guys as well.

Well now that you've listed just about every player in the draft, just kidding, you'll have to give me some time to look at my notes. Most of the them I could do off the top of my head, and I've just covered a few of them in some of my previous posts. Obviously there are some that I've seen more than others since they don't all get the same amount of network time. Although I do catch some on thier own broadcasts. My biggest problem is that I only have 2 DVR's and 3 tv's, and a wife that likes to watch at least one of them. But I'll start with Marcus Morris, since I've seen him play quite a bit.

He's listed at 6'9" and is the twin brother of Markieff Morris who is listed at 6'10". Of the two Marcus is the better offensive player. He's one of those unspectatular, fundamentally solid guys, that at the end of the game he's going to have 15 pts and 5 or 6 boards and you won't remember how he got them. And there's something to be said for that. It means he just takes whats there and doesn't force things. He's a good defender postionally, but he's not going to block many shots in the NBA. He has a variety of post moves and is a good jumpshooter out beyond the college 3 pt line. So you have to guard him where ever he is on the floor. He has a solid body and is very strong. Doesn't have great hops and isn't a very good rebounder for his size. Some of that is because he plays away from the basket more than his brother does. He's a decent to good athlete and he runs the floor well. He handles the ball well enough for his position and is an OK passer.

He's one of those guys that could get to the Pro's and turn into something like Carlos Boozer, because he has a similar game, or end up being just another slightly taller version of Sheldon Williams. I'm having a hard time getting a feel for his potential. My gut tells me that he's close to reaching it already. Hopefully for his sake, I'm wrong.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Ironicly Perry Jones is a very similar player to Terrence. He just happens to be taller. The other difference is that I think Terrence plays with more intensity than Perry does.

The intensity difference between the two Joneses was something I noted as well. I'm encouraged for Terrence that you see some basketball talent to go with his athleticism.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Yeah, I agree with your description of Marcus Morris. Reminds me of another fellow Jayhawk, Drew Gooden, actually, and sort of like Darrell Arthur...an offensive-minded big man who's decent at rebounding and making a few defensive plays, but nothing extraordinary. I too believe he's near his ceiling here, he doesn't seem to have too many parts of his game that he can really improve on. I'm quite concerned about his free throw shooting and his foul proneness, and because of that I do think there's a ceiling on his offense and defense. But he'll probably make a decent role player in this league if he continues in this trajectory, probably have a 10-year career out of it.

We'll go to the other brother, Mason Plumlee...another guy I have questions on. I think he's a poor offensive player, as he's really hampered by extremely poor handles and some really bad free throw shooting, and I'm a little concerned about his foul rate too. He does have this foundation of rebounding, making defensive plays, and finishing, and as an athletic 6'11" player that will get him in the league, but I'm not sure if he can be that enforcer type. I still think he'll be drafted #15-20 if it started today, but I personally think that would be overdrafting him (I think he's more of a early second round value sort of player). But it's early, just an initial prognosis.

 

[Uncia03]

As far Terrence Jones, he's one of my personal favorites. He's a SF and has good size and length for that position. He's a very good athlete that plays with intensity and seems to have great stammina. He has great shotblocking timming and is a very good rebounder for his position. He handles the ball well for a 6'8"/6'9" player and is also a very good passer. He's more of make it up as you go scorer at the moment. In other words, he just sort of takes advantage of whats there. His biggest weakness is his jumpshot. He's actually fairly consistent with it despite somewhat ugly form. So he has good touch or feel for the shot, which is the important thing. The shot itself can be corrected.

As I said he's a very good athlete, and he runs the floor well. He also appears to have good hops. He has the build of a SF and looks like an NBA player. At the moment I have him in my top three, which is Terrence Jones, Perry Jones, and Jarred Sullinger. I'm omitting Irving because I have serious doubts about his throwing his name into the hat. But if he does, then I'll add him into the mix.

I want to like Terrence Jones, but I just don't at the moment (for our team). Now I've only watched him play 3 times, but my concern is whether or not he has the outside shot that we desperately need. As you mentioned he's got great timing for blocking shots and is a good rebounder. It seems as if the majority of his impact is in the paint, and with Cousins and Tyreke, we need an impact player who can do things outside the paint.

He looks to be a very good athlete. His athleticsm seems to be more of the power variety. Good hops, but he looks really strong out there.

So I guess I peg his skill-set as more of the PF variety, rather than the SF variety, and that biases me against him at this point in time. You also mentioned that he's a good passer, and I definitely agree with that, I would just like to see him show that he can do the things which could help our Kings team. I'll be watching the game tomorrow against Pennsylvania so we'll see how he fares.

As far as Perry Jones goes, he just looks so smooth out there. He's got that rangy, ultra-athletic hops thing about him which really appeals. He doesn't have near the strength that Terrence Jones has, but his handle is so good for his size, and I guess the way he pulls up for his jumpers looks more SF-ish to me. And of course, he's a good rebounder, which you'd hope for considering his size and athleticism.
Unfortunately, his outside shot also needs major work, and I do question his intensity. I missed the Florida St game (wish I could watch it), but I saw the losses to both Gonzaga and Washington St, and in both I was hoping to see him get aggressive, take the team on his back and will them to win. I know that falls more on Dunn, but I'd still like to see more intensity from him.

As far as Sullinger goes....does he have a place on the King's team? Seems as if he'll be a below-the-rim post PF, in the mold of perhaps Al Jefferson. Would Jefferson be a good fit for our team with Tyreke and Cousins?
At the moment, I just don't think he's a good fit, so I'm not excited by him. But he's just tremendous on the low block. He is just ultra-talented at using his lower body to clear space to work in the post. I just don't think that Cousins and Sullinger could work as a C/PF combination on the defensive side of the floor, and they would duplicate a lot of each other's strengths.

I actually like Chris Singleton a lot, though I don't think he's a top 5 pick. Defensively he actually reminds me a little of Artest. He has nowhere near the bulk that Artest does, (though he has more length) but he's got really quick hands and quick feet for a guy his size.
And like Artest, you can see him trying to make an impact on the offensive end and sometimes wish that he would not force things, and focus on the defense. He is a good rebounder as well, which is a plus.

I'm really hoping that one or two players emerge this year who are top 5 talents that also will fit really well with both Tyreke and Demarcus. No-one has popped up for me yet, but there is still a lot of time left.

 

[bajaden]

I want to like Terrence Jones, but I just don't at the moment (for our team). Now I've only watched him play 3 times, but my concern is whether or not he has the outside shot that we desperately need. As you mentioned he's got great timing for blocking shots and is a good rebounder. It seems as if the majority of his impact is in the paint, and with Cousins and Tyreke, we need an impact player who can do things outside the paint.

He looks to be a very good athlete. His athleticsm seems to be more of the power variety. Good hops, but he looks really strong out there.

So I guess I peg his skill-set as more of the PF variety, rather than the SF variety, and that biases me against him at this point in time. You also mentioned that he's a good passer, and I definitely agree with that, I would just like to see him show that he can do the things which could help our Kings team. I'll be watching the game tomorrow against Pennsylvania so we'll see how he fares.

As far as Perry Jones goes, he just looks so smooth out there. He's got that rangy, ultra-athletic hops thing about him which really appeals. He doesn't have near the strength that Terrence Jones has, but his handle is so good for his size, and I guess the way he pulls up for his jumpers looks more SF-ish to me. And of course, he's a good rebounder, which you'd hope for considering his size and athleticism.
Unfortunately, his outside shot also needs major work, and I do question his intensity. I missed the Florida St game (wish I could watch it), but I saw the losses to both Gonzaga and Washington St, and in both I was hoping to see him get aggressive, take the team on his back and will them to win. I know that falls more on Dunn, but I'd still like to see more intensity from him.

As far as Sullinger goes....does he have a place on the King's team? Seems as if he'll be a below-the-rim post PF, in the mold of perhaps Al Jefferson. Would Jefferson be a good fit for our team with Tyreke and Cousins?
At the moment, I just don't think he's a good fit, so I'm not excited by him. But he's just tremendous on the low block. He is just ultra-talented at using his lower body to clear space to work in the post. I just don't think that Cousins and Sullinger could work as a C/PF combination on the defensive side of the floor, and they would duplicate a lot of each other's strengths.

I actually like Chris Singleton a lot, though I don't think he's a top 5 pick. Defensively he actually reminds me a little of Artest. He has nowhere near the bulk that Artest does, (though he has more length) but he's got really quick hands and quick feet for a guy his size.
And like Artest, you can see him trying to make an impact on the offensive end and sometimes wish that he would not force things, and focus on the defense. He is a good rebounder as well, which is a plus.

I'm really hoping that one or two players emerge this year who are top 5 talents that also will fit really well with both Tyreke and Demarcus. No-one has popped up for me yet, but there is still a lot of time left.

I can't argue with much of what you said. Good analysis. I will admit that when I'm grading players or projecting them, I'm not doing it with what the Kings needs are. I don't think that would be fair to the player. I'll leave it to management to decide how someone fits or not. I like Perry Jones a lot, but so far what he brings to the table hasn't translated into anything that impacts the final outcome of Baylors games. On the other hand, Terrence Jones does impact the outcome of Kentucky's games. So to me thats the major difference between the two. Both players need to work on their outside shot, and to be honest, I think both players have a chance to be stars in the NBA. Lets not forget that both are just 18 years old.

There's no doubt that Sullinger is a below the rim player. But if you draft him, I think you have a sure bet for a very good basketball player on your hands. If he doesn't fit perfectly, then someone, somewhere, will want him. So he has value. But if you look at the Lakers, they have Bynum, and Gasol who both play within 15 feet of the basket, so it really depends on what type of offense your running. I could easily see Cousins at the high post the way Vlade used to set up. Lets not forget that both Vlade and Webber liked to play inside the arc, and that worked out just fine. If you playing some kind of motion offense, its not that big a problem. If your just going to play isolation basketball, then it is.

 

[bajaden]

Well back to answering Arby's Roast Beef's request for opinions on his list of players. Makes me salivate every time I look at his name. Anyway, lets do D.J. Kennedy...

I picked him because he's one of my favorite players that doesn't get much noteriety. And unless St. Johns makes a huge splash in the tournament, he probably won't be anymore than a second round pick. Which is fine with me because he's one of those that I have pegged as a player I'd want in the second round.

For those not familiar with Kennedy, he's a 6'6" SF/SG. I believe his position in the NBA will be at SG. If your looking to get more athletic then he's your guy. Runs the floor like a deer and is a very good transition player. Good finisher around the basket. Shooting percentage wise, he's a good shooter. My problem with him is that he's very streaky from beyond the arc. By that I mean, he'll go 4 for 4 in one game, and then go 0 for 4 in the next. In one of the games I watched this year he was 3 or 4 from beyond the arc. And in another, he was 1 for 5. So you get my drift. But he has a good looking shot and he is shooting over 38% from beyond the arc, so I don't see it as a problem at the next level.

He's a very strong player for a SG and he definitely has an NBA body. I could definitely see him posting up at the next level. He's a good defender and has the athletic ability to defend at the next level. He's averaging about 1.5 steals a game and he rebounds extremely well from the SG position. His ballhandling could use improvement, but its more than adequate at the college level. His passing ability is decent to good. Right now, I'd say that if he can improve his ballhandling, his ability to create his own shot off the dribble could take his game to a higher level.

As you can see, I really like him. I'm sure some scouts would say that his ceiling is lower because he's Junior in college, but to my mind, your getting a player thats closer to being ready to step in and play right now.

 

[Kingster]

Well now that you've listed just about every player in the draft, just kidding, you'll have to give me some time to look at my notes. Most of the them I could do off the top of my head, and I've just covered a few of them in some of my previous posts. Obviously there are some that I've seen more than others since they don't all get the same amount of network time. Although I do catch some on thier own broadcasts. My biggest problem is that I only have 2 DVR's and 3 tv's, and a wife that likes to watch at least one of them. But I'll start with Marcus Morris, since I've seen him play quite a bit.

He's listed at 6'9" and is the twin brother of Markieff Morris who is listed at 6'10". Of the two Marcus is the better offensive player. He's one of those unspectatular, fundamentally solid guys, that at the end of the game he's going to have 15 pts and 5 or 6 boards and you won't remember how he got them. And there's something to be said for that. It means he just takes whats there and doesn't force things. He's a good defender postionally, but he's not going to block many shots in the NBA. He has a variety of post moves and is a good jumpshooter out beyond the college 3 pt line. So you have to guard him where ever he is on the floor. He has a solid body and is very strong. Doesn't have great hops and isn't a very good rebounder for his size. Some of that is because he plays away from the basket more than his brother does. He's a decent to good athlete and he runs the floor well. He handles the ball well enough for his position and is an OK passer.

He's one of those guys that could get to the Pro's and turn into something like Carlos Boozer, because he has a similar game, or end up being just another slightly taller version of Sheldon Williams. I'm having a hard time getting a feel for his potential. My gut tells me that he's close to reaching it already. Hopefully for his sake, I'm wrong.

Can Terrence Jones guard 4s? It sounds like he could be more of an immediate impact on the defensive end from what I'm reading. If he can come in and provide immediate impact on D, then maybe net-net he would be immediate improvement over what we have now, at least with the 3s and 4s that just kill this team? No? Yes?

 

[bajaden]

Can Terrence Jones guard 4s? It sounds like he could be more of an immediate impact on the defensive end from what I'm reading. If he can come in and provide immediate impact on D, then maybe net-net he would be immediate improvement over what we have now, at least with the 3s and 4s that just kill this team? No? Yes?

I would say yes, depending on the 4 your talking about. For instance I think he'll have a more difficult time guarding a Pau Gasol than he would a Paul Milsap. He's listed at 6'8", and there's no way to know his true height until the combine. But he appears at least that tall if not taller when you watch him play. He also appears to have long arms (opinion again), and he definitely has very good hops. In other words he's a very good athlete, with great foot speed for his size. Unlike his brother from another mother, Perry, he's not as skinny as a rail, and appears to have something close to an NBA body. Not finished of course, but much closer.

In essence, he's playing PF right now for Kentucky. I just think his final destination is at SF. But what do I know. He's a good shotblocker in college, and also a good rebounder. I think he has great potential, but I wouldn't call him a sure thing.

If I had to pick the player that I think has the most potential in the draft, it would Perry Jones. His game is very similar to Terrence Jones, but he's 6'11" instead of 6'8". Like Terrence, he's a very good ballhandler. Even better than Terrence. And he's a terrific passer. He may even be a better athlete than Terrence, and thats saying something. This kid in the open court can dribble the ball like a guard. And at times he looks like a 6'11" PG. I'm exaggerating a little here, but he is impressive. The one thing Terrence has that Perry doesn't, or at least appears to not have, is intensity. Terrence looks like he's ready to kill anyone in his way most of the time, and like he capable of doing it.

Sorry to go on so long, but I guess the total answer is yes, I think he could play PF. Who knows, it may even be his best position down the road. But I doubt it. He does have this little jump hook that he's very accurate with from around 8 feet in the key. We'll see...

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Yeah Baja, re:Kennedy I think talent-wise he should be a pick in the early 20s portion of the draft. He's versatile and athletic enough to fit in the league, has the similar gameface that made scouts salivate over someone like John Salmons. He's actually a senior at St. John's right now, but if does a lot of little things well and can possibly play three positions in the league.

I do have some concerns, though, about whether he's really a jack of all trades master of none type. Salmons had that label on him early on, but so did Reece Gaines, Kyle Weaver, Blake Schilb and other NBA flameouts, and look how that went. Salmons anyway quickly developed his game into rapid scoring mode after several seasons, and became more than just a versatile player. The only thing Kennedy really does well to me so far is rebounding; he's not an overwhelming defensive play, appears to be an average shooter at best, is a decent but not very good passer, has some turnover problems and a pretty poor scoring rate. I think the large reason I had him ranked fairly high, when everyone probably has him slotted in the 2nd round right now, is because he knows his identity right now, and he doesn't have any real severe flaws besides maybe scoring (he'll probably need to show that his jumper's at least respectable at the next level to optimize other parts of his game). This draft will probably be littered with young but raw bigs trying to explore their upside, or guards stuck between positions, etc. I won't say he's a surefire thing, but he knows he's a role player, and he can fill a niche very well if the cards fill correctly and if he optimizes some of his already latent dimensions to his game.

 

[bajaden]

I don't think Kennedys shot will be a problem in the NBA. Its a little flat, but with some work he could be pretty good. His stat numbers aren't that bad. Like I said, he's streaky. He's pretty good athlete. Not in the Gerald Wallace mold, but just below it. Certainly above average.. What do you think of Jon Deibler of Ohio St. He's a terrific shooter with a 3pt average of 51%. Its the rest of his game that I'm concerned about.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

Baja, what's your take on Chris Singleton? I'm starting to get the feeling we wind up drafting 6-9 and DrafteExpress currently has him at 13. His basic description as a great multi-position defender who's hitting 40% of his 3s sounds like what we need. They don't seem too giddy about his ability to create his own shot, but that doesn't seem like the biggest need on our team.

 

[upinsmoke]

Where would Kyrie Irving rank if he was in the 2009 draft class. I wish he did not get hurt so i could watch more than dunk highlights of him on youtube.

 

[bajaden]

Baja, what's your take on Chris Singleton? I'm starting to get the feeling we wind up drafting 6-9 and DrafteExpress currently has him at 13. His basic description as a great multi-position defender who's hitting 40% of his 3s sounds like what we need. They don't seem too giddy about his ability to create his own shot, but that doesn't seem like the biggest need on our team.

First off, he's a great athlete, and he is in the Gerald Wallace mold athleticly. He's physically strong, and is at least at the college level, a terrific defender. Up until this year most of his scoring has come from around the basket. Offensive putbacks, fast breaks, flashing to the basket. That type of thing. This year he's added the outside shot to his arsenal. I'm still a bit of a sceptic, so I'm taking a wait and see approach to his outside shooting. But so far, so good. He's strong enough that he can play some PF if needed. But I think his best position is SF, and apparently so does he since he really worked on his outside shot. He's a very good rebounder, and in the mode of Gerald Wallace type of rebounding. He'll just come from nowhere and take the rebound away from players already set.

Last year he shot 29.7% from beyond the arc and this year he's shooting 39.6% while taking around the same amount of shots per game. Nice improvement. He also has a decent little pull up jumper that he uses from around 6 to 7 feet. His biggest weakness is ballhandling. As a result he's not very good at creating his own shot off the dribble. He's also not particularly good at coming off a screen and shooting on the move. But if he's able to square up and get his feet set, he's very accurate. So offensively he has some flaws.

Its on the defensive side of the ball that he really stands out. He stands at somewhere between 6'8" and 6'9" and very long arms. He's averaging 2.1 blocked shots a game from the SF position and 2.4 steals a game to go along with 8.3 rebounds a game. He's very smart when it comes to playing the passing lanes and he's a terrific weakside help defender.

I don't know if he would ever become a great offensive player, but I think he's a guy that can average 10 pts a game, grab 5 boards a game and shut down the other teams SF. He might never make an all star team, but he might make the all NBA defensive team at some point. If he can dramaticly improve his ballhandling, then I think he could take his game to a little higher level.

I have him going somewhere between 15 and 25 in the draft. If he keeps putting up good numbers he could go a little higher.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

I'm trying to take the good-bad approach with DJ Kennedy here, as there's some precedence of players with similar games that haven't succeeded (as I stated in my last post), but at the end, I like him quite a bit. His style of game fits decently in the NBA, and there's nothing that really stands out as a real weakness that can't be corrected, and that's a big plus in my book. I think he'll find a niche and should be a surprise sleeper in this draft, if he won't already rise by season's end. But I think he'll rise. What I don't like is how some mocks are still skeptical of him (DX has him at #49, nbadraft doesn't even him listed whatsoever) but those mocks make some major miscues in draft positioning every year, and I see Kennedy as someone a team would absolutely like and maybe draft high, since there seems to be very few versatile guards/forward types in this draft so far IMO. I'd like to one-up those mocks and say that at the time of the draft, "I told you so" when Kennedy's stock starts skyrocketing sometime at February/March. Obviously I can also be dead wrong. We'll see.

As for Singleton, I agree as well. I'm a huge advocate of athleticism, which can be my undoing especially for those without a brain, and Singleton absolutely amps that up--steals, blocks, rebounds galore. I also think his offense is a mess, but I think he's got potential with his offensive construct--he gets to the line quite well for someone who jacks up so many threes, so if he can somehow improve on his jumper, he can actually become quite valuable here. Obviously I have no trust in his jumper right now, but if the right team comes along (an open court or maybe defensive oriented team) he can be nurtured correctly to amplify his strengths. But I see a lot of potential based off sheer athleticism alone, and some hope given his quasi mutual exclusion offensively.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

First off, he's a great athlete, and he is in the Gerald Wallace mold athleticly. He's physically strong, and is at least at the college level, a terrific defender. Up until this year most of his scoring has come from around the basket. Offensive putbacks, fast breaks, flashing to the basket. That type of thing. This year he's added the outside shot to his arsenal. I'm still a bit of a sceptic, so I'm taking a wait and see approach to his outside shooting. But so far, so good. He's strong enough that he can play some PF if needed. But I think his best position is SF, and apparently so does he since he really worked on his outside shot. He's a very good rebounder, and in the mode of Gerald Wallace type of rebounding. He'll just come from nowhere and take the rebound away from players already set.

Last year he shot 29.7% from beyond the arc and this year he's shooting 39.6% while taking around the same amount of shots per game. Nice improvement. He also has a decent little pull up jumper that he uses from around 6 to 7 feet. His biggest weakness is ballhandling. As a result he's not very good at creating his own shot off the dribble. He's also not particularly good at coming off a screen and shooting on the move. But if he's able to square up and get his feet set, he's very accurate. So offensively he has some flaws.

Its on the defensive side of the ball that he really stands out. He stands at somewhere between 6'8" and 6'9" and very long arms. He's averaging 2.1 blocked shots a game from the SF position and 2.4 steals a game to go along with 8.3 rebounds a game. He's very smart when it comes to playing the passing lanes and he's a terrific weakside help defender.

I don't know if he would ever become a great offensive player, but I think he's a guy that can average 10 pts a game, grab 5 boards a game and shut down the other teams SF. He might never make an all star team, but he might make the all NBA defensive team at some point. If he can dramaticly improve his ballhandling, then I think he could take his game to a little higher level.

I have him going somewhere between 15 and 25 in the draft. If he keeps putting up good numbers he could go a little higher.

Wow, thank you for the detailed reply. I was thinking that we don't necessairly need another player who can create his own shot, but a staunch defender and shooter would fit our needs perfectly. The rebounding seems like a nice added bonus. From your description, he doesn't seem to warrant a pick in the 5-9 range where we are likely to be picking, but he does sounds perfect for our team if we trade down or acquire a second pick.

Do you think he has the speed to play SG as well at the NBA level? That type of versability could be very helpful to us as well.

 

[Kingster]

Has anybody seen Burks play (Colorado)? Supposed to be very smooth 6'6" 2G. He scored 38 points today. Looking forward to seeing Derrick Williams and Burks in upcoming games.

Perry Jones continues to unimpress me. At least in the games I've watched, doesn't make an impact on the game you would expect of a top 5 pick. Blends in so much he's nearly invisible.

I agree with the above comments on Sullinger. He's a force under the basket, but he's a long way from being a force defensively. It could work on the Kings if Cousins played the high post more, but Sullinger is not comfortable with his outside game, and in the NBA you really need that at the pf position.

Kemba Walker is still the best player I've seen so far. He's mature, intelligent, fearless, competive and talented, on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The challenge that he faces is very similar to Tyreke's challenges now, in which teams are loading up on him. For a young guy, he rolls with it pretty well, getting hockey assists many times instead outright assists.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Yeah, I don't get the fascination with Perry Jones either. He's dubbed as the first overall pick in some draft sites, but at this time of the year such luminaries such as Pavel Podkolzine, Martynas Andriuskevicius, and Chris Taft were also declared the first overall pick. It's still crapshoot at this point with these mocks and a lot will change. If Jones keeps playing this way (and I think he's playing at a late 1st round level right now), he'll really slide down, perhaps even to the late 1st round. Not trying to make a comparison here, but Taft slid to the second, albeit due to laziness/conditioning issues. Jones is just raw and might need another year in school, and as you said is way too invisible. If he stays he might be primed for a real draft slide here. Don't get the hype at all, he's living off the media's hype of him to sustain his current draft status.

Alec Burks is heady and very solid as basketball player. His mean asset will sheerly to be score, score and score in this league. I think he's an early 20s pick in this draft. He's quite one trickish, but the scoring should translate, and he's pretty smart and intelligent, so he should succeed as a scoring role player. He'll certainly be better than Richard Roby, Colorado's last NBA-relevant basketball player (and also scoring-oriented).

And to answer Baja's question about Diebler, he's a spot up sharpshooter through and through. His type is a bit dime a dozen (6'6" sharpshooters are one of the most common prototypes to find), he's not a super scorer and he doesn't do much in way in rebounding, passing, or making defensive plays. I think he'd be better in Europe, but if he impresses a team with his shooting on a training camp invite he might stick in a limited capacity.

 

[bajaden]

Wow, thank you for the detailed reply. I was thinking that we don't necessairly need another player who can create his own shot, but a staunch defender and shooter would fit our needs perfectly. The rebounding seems like a nice added bonus. From your description, he doesn't seem to warrant a pick in the 5-9 range where we are likely to be picking, but he does sounds perfect for our team if we trade down or acquire a second pick.

Do you think he has the speed to play SG as well at the NBA level? That type of versability could be very helpful to us as well.

No, I don't see him as a SG at all. He can play some 4, but not the 2.. He doesn't handle the ball nearly well enought to play the 2.

 

[bajaden]

Burks is another one of my favorites, and I watched the game today. I also watched the Baylor/Texas Tech game. Jones player fairly well in the game. He ended up with 20 points if I remember correctly and played pretty good defense.. I disagree on Sullinger a little. He plays pretty decent defense. One thing I know. I've yet to see anyone, and I mean anyone in college thats been able to guard him one on one. You get him the ball near the basket and just have one player trying to guard him and he's automatic money. In one of his earlier games, against Indiana I think, he basicly fouled every big man they had on the team out of the game.

Here's a suggestion to those watching games. Look for what a player can do, and not what they can't do. If all your looking for is the things a player can't do, your going to need a huge dumpster out back to hold them all. There is no perfect player in college and very damm few in the NBA. But when you looking at 18 year olds, there are going to be even more warts. I coule sit here all night long and point out the flaws in just about every player out there. But there are some players that can do things that the others can't, and thats what I'm looking for. Someone thats special in some way. I'll worry about the rest later. Bottom line of basketball, is that the team that puts the ball in the basket the most times, wins. And the guys that can do it without the help of screens, or picks, but can go one on one and score against anyone, those are the special ones.

 

[bajaden]

Thought I'd run over some of the games and players from the last couple of days. Saw the Kentucky/Georgia game. Good game and Georgia came up big and beat a ranked team. Terrence Jones had a great game, and still continues to impress me more than Perry. He had 24 pts on 9 of 18 shooting to go along with 10 boards. Freshman Devon Lamb is proving to be a pretty good player for Kentucky off the bench. I haven't quite figured out what his position is, although he seems to play the pt at times. He contributed 18 pts on 7 of 18 shooting.

For Georgia Travis Leslie had 15 pts with 5 of 10 from the floor and Trey Thompkins the 6'9" PF had a very good game with 25 pts on 7 of 15 shooting. He also had 7 boards and 2 blocked shots.

Chris Singleton had another one of his usual games for Florida St.. Unfortunately in a losing effort. Florida St. just doesn't have enough guns this year. Singleton had 22 pts on 9 of 14 from the floor. He also had 8 boards, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot. This guy just seems to do this game after game. If he doesn't start moving up the draft boards, I'll be very surprised.

In Texas Jordan Hamilton continues to play well. The sophmore SG/SF had 20 pts on 8 of 16 shooting, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals. His running mate, freshman PF Tristan Thompson had 13 pts on 6 of 9 shooting. If this kid could ever improve his freethrow shooting he could be averaging 18 to 20 pts a game. He was 1 for 6 from the line where he's shooting a pitiful 48.1%. He did grab 6 boards and blocked 2 shots.

Kemba Walker played the hero for UCONN and made the winning shot. He managed 22 pts in the game. However it wasn't a very good shooting night for the little PG. He was just 8 of 27 from the floor. He managed 1 assist, but had 4 turnovers. He did have 2 steals though.

A guy that I've been following for three years now, and its really hard to follow him because his team isn't on TV very often, is Keith Benson of Oakland. He's having another nice season. The 6'11" C/PF is averaging 17 pts and 10.3 rebounds a game, to go along with 3.6 blocked shots a game. He's a very similiar player to Whiteside. Just more experienced. I give Whiteside the edge in athleticism, but other than that, I give the skill level edge to Benson.. At the moment I see him as a second round player. Maybe high second round.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

Kemba Walker played the hero for UCONN and made the winning shot. He managed 22 pts in the game. However it wasn't a very good shooting night for the little PG. He was just 8 of 27 from the floor. He managed 1 assist, but had 4 turnovers. He did have 2 steals though.

Kemba's had a nice year and really helped his draft stock, finally growing into his hype. I think he's a player who could be a possibility for us if we miss out on the Top 3 spot in the lottery.

However, I do worry about his assist numbers. Those don't always tell the whole story since I don't get to watch the games a ton. So Baja (and others), does he have enough of a passing mentality to fit alongside Reke? Or is he going to be another shoot first guard in the NBA?

 

[Kingster]

Kemba's had a nice year and really helped his draft stock, finally growing into his hype. I think he's a player who could be a possibility for us if we miss out on the Top 3 spot in the lottery.

However, I do worry about his assist numbers. Those don't always tell the whole story since I don't get to watch the games a ton. So Baja (and others), does he have enough of a passing mentality to fit alongside Reke? Or is he going to be another shoot first guard in the NBA?

I'm not worried about Kemba's passing. As I said in a previous post, they are really loading up on the guy, so his assists are coming in hockey form, off the second pass. UConn just doesn't have guys who can score enough from the outside to take the pressure off him. Similar to Tyreke of last year. When I hear a guy like Kemba has a relatively poor shooting and assist day, but that he had the winning shot, that just confirms my opinion - he's a winner. That's what winners do. They have crappy games and kill you at the end. That's exactly the kind of thing we saw from Tyreke last year. Another reason to like Kemba is that he doesn't have to have the ball in his hands in order to be effective. In fact, in the UConn backcourt they share the ball between the guards in a similar manner to what we see with the Kings. So he could definitely work with Tyreke in my view.

 

[Kingster]

Burks is another one of my favorites, and I watched the game today. I also watched the Baylor/Texas Tech game. Jones player fairly well in the game. He ended up with 20 points if I remember correctly and played pretty good defense.. I disagree on Sullinger a little. He plays pretty decent defense. One thing I know. I've yet to see anyone, and I mean anyone in college thats been able to guard him one on one. You get him the ball near the basket and just have one player trying to guard him and he's automatic money. In one of his earlier games, against Indiana I think, he basicly fouled every big man they had on the team out of the game.Here's a suggestion to those watching games. Look for what a player can do, and not what they can't do. If all your looking for is the things a player can't do, your going to need a huge dumpster out back to hold them all. There is no perfect player in college and very damm few in the NBA. But when you looking at 18 year olds, there are going to be even more warts. I coule sit here all night long and point out the flaws in just about every player out there. But there are some players that can do things that the others can't, and thats what I'm looking for. Someone thats special in some way. I'll worry about the rest later. Bottom line of basketball, is that the team that puts the ball in the basket the most times, wins. And the guys that can do it without the help of screens, or picks, but can go one on one and score against anyone, those are the special ones.

That's the game I saw. He looked very good. I just remember thinking, though, that I'd like to see him go against a Kentucky or NC or Duke. A matchup with Derrick Williams would be nice. I'm somewhat skeptical that he could overpower guys in the NBA like he's doing now in college. He's not Cousins' big. I just want Whiteside to make it so we can have a perfectly complementary pair on the Kings.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Yeah, I have Keith Benson ranked late 1st right now. Think he's quite skilled, actually, and even adjusting to his weak competition he's still decent. I'm also worried about Kemba's passing and to a lesser degree his height, but still think he's a top 12 pick (have him at #11 currently).

Just wondering...anyone like Scotty Hopson or Malcolm Lee here? I don't, but I'd like to hear about them. Athletic players both are.

 

[bajaden]

Kemba's had a nice year and really helped his draft stock, finally growing into his hype. I think he's a player who could be a possibility for us if we miss out on the Top 3 spot in the lottery.

However, I do worry about his assist numbers. Those don't always tell the whole story since I don't get to watch the games a ton. So Baja (and others), does he have enough of a passing mentality to fit alongside Reke? Or is he going to be another shoot first guard in the NBA?

Walker has passing skills, and has decent point guard instincts. But through his entire college career he has been more of a shoot first and pass second pt guard. And I think thats how I would look at him if your drafting him. I'm not saying he couldn't become a good pt guard, I would just say the odds are against it. I will give him this though. He's really a pretty good defender when he wants to be. I think Allen Iverson could have been a very good pt guard if he wanted to be.

He is a talented scorer, and he's a tough competitor. So who knows, maybe in the right hands he might conform. If I was looking for a pure Pt guard, I look to Demetri McCamey of Illinois. I know not many people talk about him, but I think he's the real deal, and I think he'll make some team a lot better down the road.

 

[Kingster]

Walker has passing skills, and has decent point guard instincts. But through his entire college career he has been more of a shoot first and pass second pt guard. And I think thats how I would look at him if your drafting him. I'm not saying he couldn't become a good pt guard, I would just say the odds are against it. I will give him this though. He's really a pretty good defender when he wants to be. I think Allen Iverson could have been a very good pt guard if he wanted to be.

He is a talented scorer, and he's a tough competitor. So who knows, maybe in the right hands he might conform. If I was looking for a pure Pt guard, I look to Demetri McCamey of Illinois. I know not many people talk about him, but I think he's the real deal, and I think he'll make some team a lot better down the road.

I don't think you want to have a pure point guard combined with Tyreke. I think if you have a hybrid like Tyreke you want another hybrid. Taking the ball 80% out of Tyreke's hands would be a big mistake imo. Better to have a 50-50 relationship.

 

[bajaden]

I don't think you want to have a pure point guard combined with Tyreke. I think if you have a hybrid like Tyreke you want another hybrid. Taking the ball 80% out of Tyreke's hands would be a big mistake imo. Better to have a 50-50 relationship.

The whole point of a pure pt guard is that they really don't have the ball in their hands as much as you think. They get the ball up the floor and then quickly get the ball into someone else's hands. Right now, Jeter is the closest thing we have to a pure pt guard. And if you really pay attention, he doesn't have the ball in his hands all that much in the 24 second clock. McCamey is very similar, except bigger, and a little more magical at times. Not saying we should draft him. Just saying you should give him a look when you get a chance.. He's going to be a nice player.

 

[Kingster]

The whole point of a pure pt guard is that they really don't have the ball in their hands as much as you think. They get the ball up the floor and then quickly get the ball into someone else's hands. Right now, Jeter is the closest thing we have to a pure pt guard. And if you really pay attention, he doesn't have the ball in his hands all that much in the 24 second clock. McCamey is very similar, except bigger, and a little more magical at times. Not saying we should draft him. Just saying you should give him a look when you get a chance.. He's going to be a nice player.

Sure I'll take a look at him.

After seeing Burks I was not impressed.

Looking forward to AZ/AZ St. game coming up.

PS Chris Paul and Steve Nash do have the ball in their hands a lot relative to the four other players on the floor.

 

[bajaden]

Jimmer Fredette had a great game tuesday, and he's quietly having a great season averaging 25 pts a game. I say quietly because he's not going to get the recognition he would get at one of the major schools. Not that BYU is chump change, but its not a school that springs to mind when your thinking of college basketball. I like Fredette, and I think he can be a pretty good NBA player. For one thing, the dude can shoot the rock, and he's a better defender than some give him credit for. He also handles and passes the ball very well. Tuesday night he poured in 47 pt's on 16 of 28 shooting. He had 6 assists, 2 turnovers, and 2 steals.

For some reason Calapari had Terrence Jones coming off the bench on tuesday. The logic escapes me, but the result was 35 pt's on 11 of 17 shooting, 8 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. So maybe Calapari knows something I don't..

Terrence's brother in name only, Perry, also had a nice game. He had 25 pt's on 10 of 13 shooting, 7 boards, and 2 blocked shots. His running mate LaceDarius Dunn contributed 16 pt's on 6 of 9 shooting to go along with 3 steals. I really like Dunn. My biggest concern is his height. He's a decent to good athlete, and has a lot of the necessary tools to be an NBA player. My fear is that he'll measure out at 6'2" instead of the 6'4" he's listed at. Doesn't mean he can't play in the NBA. Anyone that can shoot the ball well always has a chance. I just think that he'll have problems defensively trying to guard SG's in the NBA at 6'2".

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Thomas Robinson looked nasty for KU today! would be a nice 2nd rd pick.