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Hi, I have not posted much in a while partially because I promised myself not to do it before finishing with school and partially because I have tried to catch up on all the games I have recorded over the season. I usually go through alot of games during the season and this one was no exception (about a month ago I was up woma about 70 games or so and I dare say that margin has increased).
As such I thought Id share my thoughts about the upcoming draft. I will not try to predict the outcome as there are so many factors that comes into place but just try to get my thoughts across on some but not all of the players that are mentioned.
-The Memphis trio. The hype went with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose even more so but the heart that made Memphis tick was definitely Joey Dorsey. He cant shoot worth a damn and his game is too full of emotions most of the time to have him think straight but as a defensive presence I dare say that he is unrivaled in the NCAA over the last five years atleast. Emeka Okafor may have had a higher bpg than Joey during his UCONN years but what Joey brings is an insane physical presence under the boards, some crazy good footwork and a mean streak that was very much in need in this years Memphis.
As for Derrick Rose, I think he is a very good scorer and will probably be a great fantasy player but with his limited height he really needs to develope other aspects of his game (passing, defence, playmaking skills) to be mentioned among the great no 1:s that has gone before him (ok, not Kwame Brown but you know what I mean). I think Chris Douglas-Roberts will have a hard time sticking in the NBA. He has some tools but he is not really great at anything except shooting alot of offbalanced jumpers and at times abuse smaller college guards in the post. His ballhandling is not good enough, his defence is sketchy and it looks as if he sometimes spaces out (completely forgets about help defence, commits stupid reach in fouls and forgets to box out).
Michael Beasley -everyone knew he was shorter than the 6-9 and sometimes 6-10 he was listed as. That has probably been one of my biggest questions over this season; -how can a guy so short get so many good shots of against taller opposition? Well, I suppose his wingspan is part of the equation but what really strikes me about Michael is how incredibly smooth and effortless he makes the game look. He is incredibly versatile (I think he would have no problem playing the small forward position under certain situations) and seems to read the game very well. Wonderful mittens. The biggest knock on Beasley in my book is probably that he doesnt try on defence at times. Part of that is that he probably needed to carry Kansas St on offence but still I would have liked to see him really go after someone, get inside their head and just plain shut someone down. Athletically he very well could but he just didnt.
OJ Mayo is good. In controll. Takes some questionable shots at times (I noticed he has been trying to fluff stats in some games) but he is solid. He is not the best shooter, not the best penetrator, not the best passer and surely not the guard with the quickest feet but overall I think Mayo has the best complete skill packet. His release is good, his range as well, he can get into the lane quite well. He reads the game very well (but somehow always ends up with a few less assists than I anticipated) and even though he doesnt have great feet he positions himself very well on defence, he reads the offensive player the best of all the guards in this draft and seems to never really get stuck on screens although he is not overly quick.
I think Russel Westbrook is one of the most over rated players in this draft. I dont think that there is one thing that he is better at than all the other guards and he will not be a real pointguard. I think he will be a Jarret Jack type of player which is not bad but considerig the hype surrounding him and the projected draft slot he will disappoint.
Kevin Love. Im obviously biased when it comes to players from the northwest but I like Loves game. How it will translate into the NBA i have no clue. None. He looks like he moves at about a mile a day pace yet his physical measurements was pretty good if I remember correctly. Will he have a Nick Collison type of impact on the game?
I dont like Jerryd Bayless. I dont like ´zona players and I certainly dont like players who seems to make aliving of their speed. Yes, speed is very important but I dont like the rest of his game. `zonas whole game has always been focused on the guards abilities and I dont think he has what it takes considering that I dont think he has really been able to put his stamp on any important game. An underachiever in my book.
Eric Gordon is good as long as his jumper is on. He will battle weight issues within five years -book it.
Joe Alexander is very atheltically talented but his understanding of the game is limited. People have been questioning his jumper but I think it looked really good in the games Ive seen. By his athletical abilities he should be a very good defender yet I have never seen him shut someone down. Why is that?
Brook Lopez was very solid on offence. He is a bit timid in my book though. How many timid centers are good centers? A bit too much of a finess player maybe?
Anthony Robertson -a bust. I was high on him in the early season but as it progressed I realized he just aint ready. Years from helping a team in my book.
DJ Augustin. Took over some games. Was a factor. Controlled. Great speed, but how will he be able to defend against taller guards? Brings that thing to the game that you cant quite put your finger on but has some sort of knack for imposing themselves on games. You could see it in Chris Paul as well although he had more...is it the word "presence" Im looking for here? I loved Chris Paul in college.
Robin Lopez a little bit less everything than his brother but plays harder on defence.
Kosta Koufos. Never liked him. Hated this years Ohio State. Ugly player (dont like his game. You should take it hard to the basket when you are allegedly 7 foot) I felt he disappeared against physical players.
Brandon Rush. Loves him. Loves his jumper. Loves his defence. Loves his read of defensive schemes. Loves his passing skills. Too much in love with his jumper at times. Needs to learn to take ti ti the basket more often. NBA ready so it hurts. Will probably be drafted to low when one looks back on this years draft a few years down the line.
Hibbert could be a factor under certain situations. I felt he actually regressed this year. Georgetown was terrible and I blame Hibbert along with no real pointguard and no real shooters...hmmm, was that maybe the reason? Was much less imposing this year against good teams.
I dont like Donte Greens game. Not one aspect of it. Dont ask me why, I just dont like him at all. I dont like Syracuse with their stupid zone and I dont like the hype atleast one Syracuse player seems to get every year. Be gone Syracue!
Omer Asik will be very good one day. Very good.
I liked Kyle Weaver but his game is more suited to European midlevel leagues. What is his position really?
Bill Walker sucks. Fact.
I like Jamont Gordon. He is one of those guys that is a basketball player, not a guard or a small forward or anything else. He can just flat out play. Tough.
DJ White is too short. Had he been taller he would be a great NBA player. I like his game alot. A presence.
Is Devon Hardin 6-10??? I dont think so. Will he be good. Nah -too limited.
MBah a Moute. I like him. Felt he took a step back this year to accomodate Collison and Westbrook. Should be able to stick in the NBA somehow.
Davon Jefferson. No thank you. Not enough of anything.
Richard Hendrix. This guy is fierce! I dont think there is a player alive that would love to play him one on one. Hard as nails. Had this guy been 6-10 he would be a first round pick. Will find a way to stick in the NBA.
DeMarcus Nelson. Did he play this year? Did he impact a single game? Should with his physical attributes but did not. Why? Only one Dukie in the draft and he had a tendancy to disappear and will have a hard time sticking if it wasnt that he is a Duke boy. I could see teams have him at the end of the bench because he trains hard and is a good team mate. I dont like Duke. At all.
Just my thoughts.
As such I thought Id share my thoughts about the upcoming draft. I will not try to predict the outcome as there are so many factors that comes into place but just try to get my thoughts across on some but not all of the players that are mentioned.
-The Memphis trio. The hype went with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose even more so but the heart that made Memphis tick was definitely Joey Dorsey. He cant shoot worth a damn and his game is too full of emotions most of the time to have him think straight but as a defensive presence I dare say that he is unrivaled in the NCAA over the last five years atleast. Emeka Okafor may have had a higher bpg than Joey during his UCONN years but what Joey brings is an insane physical presence under the boards, some crazy good footwork and a mean streak that was very much in need in this years Memphis.
As for Derrick Rose, I think he is a very good scorer and will probably be a great fantasy player but with his limited height he really needs to develope other aspects of his game (passing, defence, playmaking skills) to be mentioned among the great no 1:s that has gone before him (ok, not Kwame Brown but you know what I mean). I think Chris Douglas-Roberts will have a hard time sticking in the NBA. He has some tools but he is not really great at anything except shooting alot of offbalanced jumpers and at times abuse smaller college guards in the post. His ballhandling is not good enough, his defence is sketchy and it looks as if he sometimes spaces out (completely forgets about help defence, commits stupid reach in fouls and forgets to box out).
Michael Beasley -everyone knew he was shorter than the 6-9 and sometimes 6-10 he was listed as. That has probably been one of my biggest questions over this season; -how can a guy so short get so many good shots of against taller opposition? Well, I suppose his wingspan is part of the equation but what really strikes me about Michael is how incredibly smooth and effortless he makes the game look. He is incredibly versatile (I think he would have no problem playing the small forward position under certain situations) and seems to read the game very well. Wonderful mittens. The biggest knock on Beasley in my book is probably that he doesnt try on defence at times. Part of that is that he probably needed to carry Kansas St on offence but still I would have liked to see him really go after someone, get inside their head and just plain shut someone down. Athletically he very well could but he just didnt.
OJ Mayo is good. In controll. Takes some questionable shots at times (I noticed he has been trying to fluff stats in some games) but he is solid. He is not the best shooter, not the best penetrator, not the best passer and surely not the guard with the quickest feet but overall I think Mayo has the best complete skill packet. His release is good, his range as well, he can get into the lane quite well. He reads the game very well (but somehow always ends up with a few less assists than I anticipated) and even though he doesnt have great feet he positions himself very well on defence, he reads the offensive player the best of all the guards in this draft and seems to never really get stuck on screens although he is not overly quick.
I think Russel Westbrook is one of the most over rated players in this draft. I dont think that there is one thing that he is better at than all the other guards and he will not be a real pointguard. I think he will be a Jarret Jack type of player which is not bad but considerig the hype surrounding him and the projected draft slot he will disappoint.
Kevin Love. Im obviously biased when it comes to players from the northwest but I like Loves game. How it will translate into the NBA i have no clue. None. He looks like he moves at about a mile a day pace yet his physical measurements was pretty good if I remember correctly. Will he have a Nick Collison type of impact on the game?
I dont like Jerryd Bayless. I dont like ´zona players and I certainly dont like players who seems to make aliving of their speed. Yes, speed is very important but I dont like the rest of his game. `zonas whole game has always been focused on the guards abilities and I dont think he has what it takes considering that I dont think he has really been able to put his stamp on any important game. An underachiever in my book.
Eric Gordon is good as long as his jumper is on. He will battle weight issues within five years -book it.
Joe Alexander is very atheltically talented but his understanding of the game is limited. People have been questioning his jumper but I think it looked really good in the games Ive seen. By his athletical abilities he should be a very good defender yet I have never seen him shut someone down. Why is that?
Brook Lopez was very solid on offence. He is a bit timid in my book though. How many timid centers are good centers? A bit too much of a finess player maybe?
Anthony Robertson -a bust. I was high on him in the early season but as it progressed I realized he just aint ready. Years from helping a team in my book.
DJ Augustin. Took over some games. Was a factor. Controlled. Great speed, but how will he be able to defend against taller guards? Brings that thing to the game that you cant quite put your finger on but has some sort of knack for imposing themselves on games. You could see it in Chris Paul as well although he had more...is it the word "presence" Im looking for here? I loved Chris Paul in college.
Robin Lopez a little bit less everything than his brother but plays harder on defence.
Kosta Koufos. Never liked him. Hated this years Ohio State. Ugly player (dont like his game. You should take it hard to the basket when you are allegedly 7 foot) I felt he disappeared against physical players.
Brandon Rush. Loves him. Loves his jumper. Loves his defence. Loves his read of defensive schemes. Loves his passing skills. Too much in love with his jumper at times. Needs to learn to take ti ti the basket more often. NBA ready so it hurts. Will probably be drafted to low when one looks back on this years draft a few years down the line.
Hibbert could be a factor under certain situations. I felt he actually regressed this year. Georgetown was terrible and I blame Hibbert along with no real pointguard and no real shooters...hmmm, was that maybe the reason? Was much less imposing this year against good teams.
I dont like Donte Greens game. Not one aspect of it. Dont ask me why, I just dont like him at all. I dont like Syracuse with their stupid zone and I dont like the hype atleast one Syracuse player seems to get every year. Be gone Syracue!
Omer Asik will be very good one day. Very good.
I liked Kyle Weaver but his game is more suited to European midlevel leagues. What is his position really?
Bill Walker sucks. Fact.
I like Jamont Gordon. He is one of those guys that is a basketball player, not a guard or a small forward or anything else. He can just flat out play. Tough.
DJ White is too short. Had he been taller he would be a great NBA player. I like his game alot. A presence.
Is Devon Hardin 6-10??? I dont think so. Will he be good. Nah -too limited.
MBah a Moute. I like him. Felt he took a step back this year to accomodate Collison and Westbrook. Should be able to stick in the NBA somehow.
Davon Jefferson. No thank you. Not enough of anything.
Richard Hendrix. This guy is fierce! I dont think there is a player alive that would love to play him one on one. Hard as nails. Had this guy been 6-10 he would be a first round pick. Will find a way to stick in the NBA.
DeMarcus Nelson. Did he play this year? Did he impact a single game? Should with his physical attributes but did not. Why? Only one Dukie in the draft and he had a tendancy to disappear and will have a hard time sticking if it wasnt that he is a Duke boy. I could see teams have him at the end of the bench because he trains hard and is a good team mate. I dont like Duke. At all.
Just my thoughts.
Oh, and as long as Syracuse continues to implode.
Do you know what the Cavs said to Jerebko? I've heard of him (Swedish big forward, right?) but I don't know anything about him.
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