June 29, 2007
Note: If you’re looking for the 2008 NBA Draft Musings, look here.
Some post-apocalyptic draft thoughts for your Friday, as we settle into a long summer of waiting for something to happen…
Championship or Bust in Portland?
- One and Dones. These players acquitted themselves quite well in this year’s draft, which means they were getting good information from their schools and representatives. Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Jr., Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young were six of the top twelve players taken. Not coincidentally, five of those were among the top seven seniors of the Class of 2006, according to Rivals (Chase Budinger of Arizona was the lone holdout returning to school, and Conley was rated #18). Javaris Crittenton and Daequan Cook were also selected in the first round, meaning that every college freshman who declared was taken this year. Although it’s arguable whether the one-and-done system worked for college basketball (Ohio State – yes; Washington – no), we assert from a player perspective that it helped them exponentially in terms of marketability and readiness to perform at the next level. Every sports fan in America now knows who Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are – that wouldn’t have been the case prior the one-and-done rule.
- Gator Rule. As we alluded to yesterday, the Florida Gators were set to greatly increase its all-time count of draft picks last night, and they did so with a flourish (see Joakim Noah‘s getup below), increasing its total from 10 to 15 overnight. Florida’s five entries into the NBA last night – Al Horford, Corey Brewer (who looked like the happiest man alive), Noah, Chris Richard (we figured he’d get a look), and Taurean Green – ties UConn for the most draft picks in one year. What, no Lee Humphrey?!?! The Huskies also entered five in 2006. One question, though. Where was Billy Donovan during this celebration of Pax Floridana? Maybe Christine hasn’t let him out of the house yet.
Love the Seersucker, Jo
- Conference Breakdown. The BCS conferences accounted for 39 of the 60 picks last night. The ACC (9 total; 6 first rounders) led the way, with the SEC close behind (8/3); the Big 10 (6/4), Pac-10 (6/4) and Big East (6/2) each showed moderate success, while the Big 12 fell behind the others (4/3). Considering that there were thirteen international players selected, that left only eight picks for the mid-majors. The highest mid-major player selected was Rodney Stuckey from Eastern Washington at #15; although Nevada also placed two players in the second round (Nick Fazekas and Ramon Sessions).
- Dumb Declarations. By our count, only four players from D1 schools who stayed in the draft as an early entry candidate were not selected this year (most notably, Shagari Alleyne, formerly of Kentucky). This shows again that players are improving at determining their real value (vs. perceived inflated value) before making the decision to jump.
“Why Didn’t I Go Pro Last Year????”
- A Year Late, A Dollar Short. Three players from big-name schools were probably kicking themselves for not leaving school early last year, when their weaknesses weren’t as exposed to the scouts. Duke’s Josh McRoberts (offensive skills), LSU’s Glen “Big Baby” Davis (weight issues) and Arizona’s Marcus Williams (headcase) all would have been much higher picks last year. Now each must battle for scraps as second-round selections this time around.
- Parlez vous français? We always hate to see guys who put in their four years at college and were pretty good players, only to get passed over in the draft for Pau Gasol’s little brother. So a special shout-out goes to Zabian Dowdell (Virginia Tech), JR Reynolds (Virginia), Curtis Sumpter (Villanova), Mario Boggan (Oklahoma St.), Ekene Ibekwe (Maryland) , Brandon Heath (San Diego St.), Ron Lewis (Ohio St.) and Kyle Visser (Wake Forest) for providing wholesome collegiate entertainment over the last half-decade. We were tempted to also include Mustafa Shakur (Arizona) here, but he seemed to disappoint more than inspire during his tenure in Tucson.
Oden Wins Championships; Durant Wins Scoring Titles.
- Final Thought. Oden vs. Durant was endlessly debated all season long. While we have to agree that we enjoy watching Durant play far more than Oden, that belies our bias against watching post men in favor of perimeter players in general. Still, Oden is the kind of player that championship teams are built around, and the Durants of history are comparitively light in the hardware department. We saw this played out in this year’s NCAA Tournament, where Oden’s team went to the national finals, and Durant’s squad was out (embarrassingly) in the second round. Either way, we wish the best of luck to both of them, as they made college basketball a more interesting game for the year they spent with us.
1 Comment | al horford, florida, glen davis, joakim noah, josh mcroberts, kevin durant, nba draft, one and done | Tagged: acc, al horford, bcs, big 10, big 12, big east, billy donovan, brandan wright, brandon heath, chase budinger, chris richard, christine donovan, corey brewer, curtis sumpter, daequan cook, ekene ibekwe, florida, glen davis, greg oden, javaris crittenton, joakim noah, josh mcroberts, jr reynolds, kevin durant, kyle visser, lee humphrey, marcus williams, mario boggan, mike conley jr, mustafa shakur, nba draft, nick fazekas, one and done, pac-10, ramon sessions, rodney stuckey, ron lewis, sec, shagari alleyne, spencer hawes, taurean green, thaddeus young, zabian dowdell | Permalink
Posted by Rush the Court
June 18, 2007
With the draft withdrawal deadline looming…
- Should I stay… Cal’s DeVon Hardin, Marquette’s Dominic James, Nevada’s Marcelus Kemp, Illinois’ Shaun Pruitt, Texas A&M’s Joseph Jones and GW’s Maureece Rice will stick around another year to play for free.
- Or should I go? Georgetown’s Jeff Green, Georgia Tech’s Thaddeus Young, Nevada’s Ramon Sessions, Oklahoma State’s JamesOn Curry have all decided to keep their names in the draft.
- In case you missed it, Florida guard Brandon Powell was arrested last week.
- We thought this was kinda cool: Kareem‘s commencement speech at UCLA last weekend.
Leave a Comment » | devon hardin, dominic james, florida, jameson curry, kareem abdul-jabbar, nba draft | Tagged: brandon powell, devon hardin, dominic james, florida, jameson curry, jeff green, joseph jones, kareem abdul-jabbar, marcelus kemp, maureece rice, nba draft, ramon sessions, shaun pruitt, thaddeus young, ucla | Permalink
Posted by Rush the Court
May 14, 2007
In the hypercompetitive world of college basketball recruiting, last year’s new NBA rule requiring a player to be one year removed from his high school class prior to declaring for the draft sent repercussions throughout the game. Coaches at the elite programs generally fell into two camps – you either recruit players who you expect will stick around for more than one season, hoping to keep stability (and consistency) within your program; or, you recruit the very best talent available year over year, hoping to catch lightning-in-a-bottle Carmelo-style without experiencing the program volatility that such a strategy may entail. Now that we have one season of one-and-dones behind us, let’s take a look at how the programs employing that strategy fared. We considered the top twenty players in the Class of 2006 (login required) as the most likely one-and-dones.
Looks like one and done worked out for Greg Oden.
Ohio State – Well Worth It
This program, along with UNC, had the most players listed (3) in the 2006 top twenty – Greg Oden, Daequan Cook, Mike Conley, Jr. As of today, they’re definitely losing Oden; Conley is likely to leave, and Cook is a tossup. However, even if they lose all three, it would be fair to say that OSU got its money’s worth. A 35-4 (15-1) record, NCAA runner-up, Big Ten championship, and the best season in Ohio State’s post-UCLA history will do that. Essentially, this group of players made Ohio State relevant as a national powerhouse again. For many programs, losing a group like this would equal the NIT or worse next season; but with Matta bringing in another group of blue chippers next season (and the season after), OSU won’t take a terrible hit. This gamble definitely paid off, and will continue to do so, long after these players have moved on.
North Carolina – Well Worth It
Brandan Wright, Tywon Lawson and Wayne Ellington were all potential one-and-dones when they were recruited by Roy Williams to Chapel Hill. UNC dodged a substantial bullet by losing only Wright to the draft. Led by these three rooks (+ Tyler Hansbrough), Carolina played itself into a 31-7 (11-5) record, an ACC championship and a run to the elite eight where they were simply out-executed by a game Georgetown squad. Still, with Lawson and Ellington returning, Carolina’s gamble came in like Ari Gold at the blackjack table – they’re set to be preseason #1 next year.
Georgia Tech – Not Worth It
Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton were the two jewels of Paul Hewitt’s class last year, and both have declared for the draft this year, but neither has yet signed with an agent. It remains to be seen whether one or both of these players will return, but with Young projected in the low lottery and Crittenton in the mid-low first round, it is likely both will stay in the draft. So how did Georgia Tech fare with these guys? Not as well. A maddeningly inconsistent 20-12 (8-8) record with a first-round NCAA loss versus UNLV isn’t the type of season that the teams above enjoyed. Hewitt has a couple of decent players coming into Atlanta next season, but the 2007-08 campaign will be made or broken on the decisions of these two players. This was clearly a tenuous gamble that may actually set the program back if both fail to return.
Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | duke, georgia tech, gerald henderson, kansas, kevin durant, lorenzo romar, oklahoma st, one and done, paul harris, paul hewitt, ramar smith, roy williams, stanford, syracuse, thad matta, tyler hansbrough, tywon lawson, washington, wayne ellington | Tagged: arizona, brandan wright, brook lopez, chase budinger, daequan cook, damion james, darrell arthur, duke, georgia tech, gerald henderson, greg oden, javaris crittenton, kansas, kevin durant, lorenzo romar, mike conley, obi muonelo, ohio st, oklahoma st, one and done, paul harris, paul hewitt, ramar smith, rick barnes, roy williams, spencer hawes, stanford, syracuse, tennessee, texas, thad matta, thaddeus young, tyler hansbrough, tywon lawson, unc, washington, wayne ellington | Permalink
Posted by Rush the Court
April 24, 2007
- Another 1-and-done: Georgia Tech’s Thaddeus Young is going pro, but will not sign with an agent.
- Matta needs to recruit another Thad Five – is Jamar Butler going League too?
- UCLA wasn’t counting on this. First Afflalo, now Darren Collison reportedly will declare for the NBA draft.
- Is anyone staying in school? Sean Singletary is also testing the waters.
- And finally, the WAC’s leading scorer last year, Utah St.’s Jaycee Carroll also declared for the draft today.
- At least someone is staying in college this year – Reginald Delk is transferring to Louisville. His brother, Richard, is also transferring but has not yet announced a destination.
Leave a Comment » | georgia tech, jamar butler, louisville, mississippi st, reginald delk, utah st, virginia | Tagged: arron afflalo, darren collison, georgia tech, jamar butler, jaycee carroll, louisville, mississippi st, ohio st, reginald delk, sean singletary, thaddeus young, utah st, virginia, wac | Permalink
Posted by Rush the Court