Though I'd make this thread before we get too far into the tourney because I want to see how the tourney, combine, workouts, pre-draft hype, etc. changes people's opinions. Here's mine. Underrated: Evan Turner, Ohio St.- Kid's a beasting. My favorite wing prospect in the draft and second ranked at SG to James Harden for me. Projected to go mid-late 1st right now but I can't see how he wouldn't be a lotto pick- 6'7 pretty good athlete and averaged 17 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 ast, 2 stl, 50% Fgs and 44% 3's. He may not be a star but I can see him as a John Salmons type player. Tyreke Evans, Memphis- Another very well rounded SG/SF. Hes got some hype but projected too low. I don't think hes as bad an athlete as many say. Plays real solid D and is a nice offensive player. He'll be good. Johnny Flynn, Syracuse- Underrated PG. Agian, may not be a star but I think he'll be a nice NBA player and I like him more than a lot of the PG prospects rated ahead of him. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky- How is this guy projected as a late first rounder? Hes averaging 18 points on 61% shooting, 9 boards, 2 ast, 2 blk to boot. Hes undersized but a great athlete. A tweener but has great potential. Hes better than where hes slated to go. Damion James, Texas- Yes, every year I ride the nuts of the top rated Texas players and this year is no different. I really like him if he can get into the right system in the NBA. I can see him as a poor man's Marion in the league. If he lands in NYK, PHX, GS, Toronto, Philly, etc. I like his chances of survival. If he ends up on a grinding team he may find him self SOL if he can't get his SF skills up to par. Sam Young, Pitt- Won't be a star but I think he'll be a nice role player which is a good pick in the second round. Tyler Smith, Tennessee- Again a guy who ought to be ranked higher. I think stick around the league for a while as well as a good role player. Another good 2nd round pick. Jeff Adrien, UConn- Gets overshadowed by Thabeet but I think he'll be a good scrapper PF. Great rebounder, very good athlete. Hopefully he doesn't measure out at 6'6 though lol. Overrated: Brandon Jennings Gerald Henderson, Duke- He's 6'4 with shitty handles, suspect jumpshot, and no discernible skills that set him apart from any other wings. Should be an SF but hes too small. Even so, hes just flat out not nearly as good as his draft sotck suggests. DeMar Derozan, USC- I get the feeling hes going to be the next Gerald Green. DeJuan Blair, Pitt- LOL if any team takes him before pick 20. Even then, I'd be really worried if my team took him even in the late first. Could be an ok player but I don't see many 6'6 PFs doing great things in the NBA. Chuck Hayes and Craig Smith come to mind but like I said, I wouldn't spend a lotto or mid-late first on a player like that.
Underrated: Josh Heytvelt - Heytvelt has had some off the court issues with injuries and that Mushroom event but the guy has talent to be a good starter in this league, possibly a more athletic Brad Miller. Jon Brockman - Let's keep it in the the Northwest...he may not be someone that will do fancy stuff but he's a load on the inside. Brockman is an ox in the paint on offense and a beast on the boards all around, so don't be surprised to see him be a decent role player for years to come. Terrence Williams - If you have seen Louisville, you'd of notice Williams. He does everything and is a triple double threat every night. Can you imagine a role player that does everything in the SG/SF spot? OVERRATED! Jeff Adrien - According to RUN's theory, he's a 6'5" PF, so he has no shot in the league Hasheem Thabeet - This skyscraper might get tons of blocks but Blair showed a glaring weakness of his this year by getting his body into him, and he's useless. If you can't slow down a 6'6" banger, how you going to slow down the 6'11" bangers in the NBA? Jerome Jordan - Pattycake v2.0
Unfortunately, I have followed very little college ball this year. Is this supposed to be a good draft? Seems sort of mediocre based on what I have been reading.
I think it's pretty crappy but then again I thought last year's sucked too and it turned out being pretty damn good. There's a lot of guys who have major question marks who are hard to project. Griffin is short for a PF. Will Thabeet be anything more than a shotblocker in the NBA? Many believe Harden isn't athletic enough to be good in the NBA. I don't think many people know much at all about Brandon Jennings. Stephen Curry will be a crappy athlete at the NBA level and his PG skills are suspect (in fact I think they're pretty terrible). Tyreke Evans is "out of control" and people question his athleticism as well. Jeff Teague is an undersized SG. DeMar DeRozan could just as easily be Gerald Green part deax as he could be an NBA contributer. Al-Farouq Aminu is extremely raw and difficult to project, plus hes stuck inbetween positions. Earl Clark is another tweener and disappears for long stretches. Blair is 6'6 and not a great athlete. BJ Mullens is a physical specimen but a 7 foot pile of shit on the court. Ty Lawson and Johnny Flynn are both tiny and while they appear to be pure PGs with scoring instincts no one seems to be confident that either will be an NBA starter.
u fool dujuan blair may be 6'6 but hes wide as hell and has a 7'3 wingspan.... how is that overrated for around the number 20 pick..... what u think charles barkley was like fool? shorter, wide, with a huge wingspan.... if any1 is overrated its gotta be hasheem thabeet...... if hes 7'3 playin against a michigan state frontcourt of raymay morgan and goron suton who arent really known for their offense or defensive skills... he should be owning them badly..... and suton made him look like a little schoolgirl with like 19 and 10
Of course there are exceptions, but when your PF is undersized for a SF, it is a cause for concern. The track record of extremely undersized PFs isn't good. Granted, Blair has a great wingspan, but he has, at best, average athleticism. That's pretty risky, even for a pick in the 20s, IMO. I'd rather use the pick to draft a raw prospect with potential.
