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BasslineSpin.com June 15, 2008 ...Never
to be overlooked when evaluating players for the NBA Draft is the important
question asked by the greatest basketball coach of all time. John Wooden always wants to know, “Can you trust
him?” Certainly that is a tough question to answer before a player has played
one minute of an NBA career. In 1998 I
marveled at Stephon Marbury’s professional
and mature approach to the game. He had just played in all 82 games and had a
2.75-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. He was attending the NBA Finals as a fan
just to soak in the experience. Years later, Marbury is a guy, that from a
purely basketball standpoint, I do not trust. From the opposite angle - there
are players who came into the league more interested in the NBA lifestyle of
clubs, women, and parties that have now matured into trustworthy competitors.
You have to understand that when the ends are meeting like they do when one
gets an NBA contract - motivation to keep playing into the heat of June is a
legitimate concern. Which player has the desire to be truly great? Who is
going to come to play like a Tayshaun Prince, or a
James Posey or a Kobe Bryant? There are too many guys in the
league that have talent but do not love the game the way a Mitch Richmond did. I trusted Mitch. ...So back to
the point. In this 2008 draft—who do I trust at this moment? It is so
subjective but in all honesty that’s all a draft is. Beauty is in the eye of
the beholder. Among the 60 players on my draft board right now I have a
strong gut feeling of TRUST for the following: Kevin Love, D.J. Augustin, Mario Chalmers, George Hill, Robin Lopez, Kyle Weaver, Marty Luenen, and DeMarcus Nelson. Eight guys out of 60 make me feel
the way I felt about Francisco Garcia when
he was drafted. ...Okay—so does that mean the other 52 draftees have warts?
No, ...and yes. Some have already brought their own trustworthiness into
question. There are guys that were arrested, kicked off teams, even one guy
that was shot at. (Is that his fault?). Some turned me off by seeming to be
more out for their own glory. Others still just don’t have a body of work
that I can call on to make a solid evaluation. ...One player I trust is going
back to school. Lee Cummard of BYU
has pulled out of the draft to play his Senior year. ...Reports from North
Carolina have Danny Green returning
to Chapel Hill. Green could use a season to let his talent shine in the NCAA
but he needs to earn trust as a player amid all those that can’t get past him
doing his pre-game dance steps. Reggie Miller used
to dance too—and we all trusted him. June 9, 2008 ...I
moved Danilo Gallinari up on
my draft rankings list. I finally was able to translate his Italian League
statistics and add them to the data I had from his Euro League run. With a
more substantial base of minutes I am now more convinced that Gallinari can
play. He is an excellent shooter and
scorer with the ability to play Small Forward in the NBA. Efficient SF’s are
somewhat difficult to come by. Plus he’s only 19 years-old. ...I continue to
believe that Marreese Speights is the
most underrated guy in the draft. May 30, 2008 Doug Collins back
in Chicago? ...I wonder what Michael Sweetney is
doing right now. ...
D.J. Augustin is that point guard in this draft that makes me want to
ignore stats more than any other player. The truth is that his college
efficiency is not that spectacular. But if you watch him play—you see all the
intangibles. He is a pass-first point guard. A real point guard. He takes
charges. He can get into the paint off the dribble and he can knock down a
three point shot. The one real question I have about Augustin is about his
inability to finish at the rim. I saw him get to the hoop at will—but he was
much better when assisting than trying to score himself. …I read a report
that says O.J. Mayo is
becoming buddies with Dwyane Wade as the
two work out at Tim Grover’s place
in Chicago. Were I in charge in Heat-land I would be looking to draft either Michael Beasley (if he’s there), Derrick Rose (if he’s there), or Kevin Love. I would also listen to offers for
the pick in an effort to ‘trade-down’ to select Mareese Speights. May 28, 2008 ...You familiar with the theory of
relativity? You should be if you are evaluating prospects for the NBA Draft.
...Anthony Randolph of
LSU - I keep reading - is a lottery pick to be. I have to ask how and why?
This is the kind of pick that gets GM’s fired. Throw DeAndre Jordan in this mix too. Neither one of these
guys played well as a college freshman. Relative to the talent already
established in the NBA—I just don’t foresee either one of these kids
succeeding at a level that will justify where they were selected. Randolph is
6’11”, 220 - a shot blocking athlete that can dribble. But he doesn't know
how to play team, winning basketball yet. He had 38 assists and 92 turnovers
last year at LSU. ...Jordan was worse with 15 assists and 70 turnovers in his
first year at Texas A&M. He shot 44% from the free-throw line. He barely
played 20 minutes per game in 2007-08 - and he averaged less than ten points
per game. How in the world could you justify picking him in the top 15?
Florida’s Marresse Speights is so
much better than either one of these dudes—it is ridiculous. |