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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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NBA Watching And Waiting By Ron Jumper With the Final Four here, there are plenty of big time prospects that will be taking the stage to give scouts and gm’s one last look at how ready they are to play in the NBA. The calling of professional basketball is a tough thing to pass up so, amidst the excitement of making it to Atlanta, there is more than winning on these talented young men’s minds. This is more than making history, it is their future at stake. Getting lit up on a national stage could cause significant damage to a player’s draft stock. This is obviously a week to remember for the young men, but it could also be the reason they take center stage at the next level.  If you remember last year, Tyrus Thomas was the main beneficiary of playing well in March. Thomas wasn’t really high on anyone’s radar and blew up on the scene to become considered a top prospect by the end of the tournament. Later on, I will talk about who could be this year’s version and fly up the mock drafts in March. Here is a team-by-team breakdown… Florida Joakim Noah: I still stand firm that he should have left for the NBA last year when his stock was higher. If I’m an NBA GM, I don’t think I want to invest a top 10 pick in Noah. Nothing has changed from last year, he still can’t shoot and his numbers in the tournament are not that flattering. With power forward as his most likely position, he needs to develop a mid-range jumper and develop more moves in the post that he can go to. Noah’s classic move is putting his shoulder into the defender and giving a short jump hook with the right hand. For me, I would like to see more use of the left hand and shot fakes, maybe develop an up-and-under. I just think his ceiling isn’t that high. Don’t think I’m crazy, but I would rather have Jemario Davidson than Noah because of Davidson’s shooting ability and long term ceiling. In three or four years, when Noah is still just a role player who comes in and bangs 12-15 minutes a night, I will be sure to say I told you so. Al Horford: Horford is probably the safest pick off of the Florida roster. His size and strength are NBA-ready right now. His game translates well to the NBA because of his ability to hit the mid-range jump shot. I don’t see him as a future All-Star though, more of a rich man’s P.J. Brown. Don’t think of that as a put down, in order to become a winning franchise you have to have Al Horford-like players in place. Players who play the game right and know how to win. Horford can also fit in anywhere because he has no major flaws and is very versatile. Corey Brewer: I used to think more highly of Brewer than I do now. While I still think he has a bright future ahead of him, the light may have dimmed a little bit. He just isn’t NBA smooth in any way offensively. His ball-handling will be a major problem in the NBA. Picture his out of control dribbling habits against an NBA small forward and tell me you see a high success rate. His jump shot is solid, but it isn’t pure. I like Brewer as a player and I would want him on my team, but if a GM drafts him with the belief he is someone to build around they might be disappointed. Taurean Green: Where is this guy on the draft boards? Seriously, what more does he have to do to prove himself? This is one of the premiere point guards in America without a doubt. He is lightning quick and can shoot from long-range. He defends very well and is very secure with the ball, things that point guards have to be able to do at the next level. His stock gets lost behind the three mentioned above, but don’t sleep on this guy. Other point guards on the mock drafts like Dominic James, Jamon Gordon, and Aaron Brooks are all projected in the second round. Where is Green? How could he be left off the list? If Noah and Horford weren’t on the roster he would put up 20 points every night. How can scouts be missing this by such a wide margin? For an NBA comparison, he could be no worse than a Damon Jones and possibly as good as Jameer Nelson. (For the record, DraftExpress.com does have Green listed as a 2nd round pick although NBADraft.net does not list him anywhere.) UCLA Aaron Afflalo: I’ve been a big fan of his lately (no, not just because he lead the Bruins to the Final Four and I had them on my bracket). He has a very NBA-ready body and feel for the game. He knows when to get his shot and when to let the game come to him, which is hard to teach players. I see him moving up boards over the next few months because of how polished and complete his game is on both ends. I hate how scouts don’t appreciate guys like Afflalo sometimes because they aren’t 6’7” and jumping over buildings in a single bound. I can see him being in the category of Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, and possibly a young Eddie Jones if the pieces fall in place. Darren Collison: Another point guard that doesn’t get any respect from scouts. He is a pure point guard that will go undrafted but make the roster in training camp. Teams will love having such a good value at point guard for such a low cost, mark my words. Collison shoots, distributes, and defends very well. He doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses, I suppose the fact that he doesn’t do anything flashy or do much above the rim is hurting his stock. I just don’t see why that should have much to do with how you determine value in a floor general. (I guess this a good time to remind everyone of how the Bulls emerged from the bottom of the league to a playoff team. They drafted proven winners from the college ranks that brought in a winning attitude. Guys like Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, and Duhon all had success in the post-season at the college level thus preparing them to win at the pro level, even Thomas made the Final Four in his lone season in college. There I got that off my chest, I really get tired of hearing about potential and wingspan every other breath from scouts and analysts instead of character and basketball IQ.) Luc Richard Mbah A Moute: I don’t think anyone’s draft stock has fallen more in a year than this guy. Projected as a lottery pick at one time, he now is only ranked the 21st sophomore in the NCAA by DraftExpress.com. He isn’t on the board of either DraftExpress or NBADraft.net in the first or second round. GM’s are happy he didn’t come out since he hasn’t developed at the pace scouts thought he would. However, Mbah A Moute has to be kicking himself for not leaving when his stock was so high. In my opinion, he has the athleticism and ability but I don’t see him making an impact at the next level. I see him maybe squeaking into the last few picks of the first round if he stays one more year and doesn’t try to come out in this deep draft. Georgetown Jeff Green: He has all the tools that you could ever ask for. He fits the bill of taking a proven winner at the college level as well. However, don’t draft him with the expectations of him becoming your franchise player. In my opinion, he is similar to Andre Iguolada in that he doesn’t have that killer instinct or scorer’s mentality that most All-Star players possess. If he was a little more assertive, I would expect him to be the huge matchup problem for Ohio State in the Final Four. Who can guard him one-on-one in a Buckeyes uniform? I can’t see anyone covering him if he brings it for 40 minutes. Roy Hibbert: This is my pick for the guy who has the biggest opportunity to improve his stock. He gets to take on Oden in the semi-finals to battle it out for the right to play in the championship game. If Hibbert can lead the team to victory, he will most likely take on the Florida Gators’ inside duo of Noah and Horford in the title game. If he excels in those games, how could you not push him into the top 5 or 6 players in the upcoming draft? If he stays one more year, he could be the preseason top pick for next season if Oden and Durant leave. DaJuan Summers: An interesting young prospect that could become the Hoyas first option next season if Green and Hibbert leave for the NBA. Summers has the size (6’8”, 240) and the shooting stroke (5 of 7 from the 3-point line in last 2 games) to intrigue scouts. He has plenty of athleticism to go along with his size and skill, as has been shown by a few high flying dunks by Mr. Summers over the course of the tournament. Don’t be surprised if people take notice of Summers if his hot play continues in Atlanta. As for me, I’m banking on him becoming a top prospect next season when the Hoyas lose Green and Hibbert. He has the makings of a star and next year he will get the chance to show it. Ohio State Greg Oden: We all know about Oden and there is nothing that could happen to change his stock. Time and time again the Buckeyes have struggled when he was in foul trouble, only to dominate once Oden reentered the game. Against Memphis was a classic example, the Buckeyes were up 5 when Oden left the game in the second half and were down 5 by the time he came back in. The Buckeyes went on to win by 16. If you are keeping track at home, that is a +26 on/off rating by Mr. Oden in that span. Mike Conley, Jr.: The key piece to this Final Four run is the young stud at PG. When the Buckeyes have looked down and out, it was Conley who gave them life with big shots and leadership. I have seen Conley play since he was in the 4th grade and he has been a stud from the get go. He has been the key piece to this season for Ohio State. I honestly think they would not have had near the success this season if it wasn’t for Conley. Luckily for him, he has the flare and athleticism that scouts crave to go along with the character and basketball IQ that I love to see in floor generals. Expect to see him in the lottery whenever he decides to come to the NBA. Ron Lewis: A classic example of a great college scorer that doesn’t translate well to the NBA game. However, another former Buckeye, Michael Redd, has shown that it is possible for Lewis’s game to translate to the NBA on occasion. He won’t be in the lottery but he could be a solid value in the second round. Daquan Cook: I think he could be this year’s Mbah A Moute because, for some reason, scouts have him in the first round right now. I could see his stock falling drastically if he comes back for next season. He is in a tough spot because he isn’t ready for the NBA but he may not have a better shot at making it in the NBA than right now while he is still able to carry the “potential” label. Some GM will grab him in the first round, though I wouldn’t take him right now, so he might as well leave while he can get guaranteed money.  *********** Heath Era Comes To An End At Arkansas Okay, I just wanted to tackle this topic so people would understand what is going on. Stan Heath, if you go by what you see on paper, shouldn't have been fired. He has had back-to-back 20 win seasons and made the tournament both years. When he came to Arkansas, the program was in shambles. Stan Heath is a great recruiter and is extremely classy with the media. However if you watch the games, you will see that Heath is one of the worst x's and o's coaches in the history of basketball and couldn't out gameplan a 7th grade girls team. He has an awful SEC record and hasn't won on the road in non-conference or conference hardly at all. It is a tough argument because, on one hand, you say he should win more with the talent he has but, one the other hand, you have to give him credit for putting the talent together. If Gillispie isn't able to put a great class together to come to campus for the 2008/2009 season, losing those 7 seniors could spell doom for Gillispie. He should have a great year this next season because of the great abundance of talent that fits his style very well (most of which are those 7 seniors). This is an athletic and tough team that should be able to play the kind of defense that Gillispie wants to install. The x-factor that will determine if Arkansas can become a great team instead of just a good team is what Gillispie can do with point guard Gary Earvin. When Earvin had great games the team looked good, but when he played bad (which was usually the case) the team struggled. Hopefully, Gillispie will have an Acie Law IV-like impact on Earvin. Before you feel bad for Stan Heath, this will benefit him as well. He is a top-5 candidate for the Michigan job, which would be a much better fit for him. Heath used to be an assistant at Michigan State and has numerous recruiting ties to the Midwest. I think this whole situation will work out for the best for both sides if Gillispie proves he can get it done on the recruiting trails and Heath gets the job at Michigan that he deserves. March 27, 2007 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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