VITALS: 6-9, 255, senior, Kansas OVERVIEW: Collison completed an outstanding four-year career at Kansas by being named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. He led the Jayhawks to the national championship game after averaging 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. Collison, a career 62 percent foul shooter, finished with 19 points and 21 rebounds in the championship game loss to Syracuse. Collison closed his career as the Jayhawks' second-leader scorer behind Danny Manning and the third-leading rebounder behind Manning and Raef LaFrentz. Collison has extensive experience with USA Basketball and was the lone college player named to the team that will compete in the Tournament of Americas in August. The Iowa native averaged 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds as a junior paired with Drew Gooden of the Orlando Magic in the frontcourt. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Mid-first round. Collison was invited by the NBA to New York for the draft. Only projected lottery picks receive invitations, so the news bodes well for Collison. Previously, it was thought he could last until the late teens. While that still may happen, it is likely that somebody likes Collison more than they have let on. Seattle (12, 14) could be that team, as it has a glaring need at power forward. If it is a different club, however, then barring a major trade, Collison will be battling another player for minutes at his position next season. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Juwan Howard, Troy Murphy COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Adam Keefe, Alan Henderson ROLE PROJECTION: Future starter POSITIVES: Collison was dominant in college. His 255-pound frame allowed him to get deep position in the post, and his polished footwork and soft touch helped him finish. On the perimeter, Collison was a big-time shooter, and he showed he could put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket on occasion. Defensively, Collison owned the glass. SHORTCOMINGS: Not a good free-throw shooter. More important, at the NBA's pre-draft strength testing in early June, there were conflicting reports on Collison's performance. Now some are raising questions of whether Collison can be the hard-nosed forward in the NBA that he was in college. Even if you dismiss those reports, there is no denying Collison's athleticism is a concern. Whether or not Collision has the separation speed to create shots off the dribble is the million-dollar question. Lack of quickness killed the NBA careers of recent first-round selections Kirk Haston and Mike Bradley of the Raptors. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "I've seen him a lot. He'll play in the league 10 to 15 years." NBA director of scouting Marty Blake
I think im the only person on this board that actually likes collison, and that article says it all, he is a good player. more on nick from NBA.com: Nick Collison Profile
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Dr. Funk":</div><div class="quote_post">I dont like him. I think he tries to be like Tim Duncan imo</div> and thats a bad thing?lol they are very similar when you think of it: 4 years in college and both comming from the draft are said to be incredibly consistent players.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "thefranchise3":</div><div class="quote_post"><div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Dr. Funk":</div><div class="quote_post">I dont like him. I think he tries to be like Tim Duncan imo</div> and thats a bad thing?lol they are very similar when you think of it: 4 years in college and both comming from the draft are said to be incredibly consistent players.</div> haha, true. I cant see him going anywhere though.
I can see that happening. Bradley was one of the best, or the best in college. Now he hit one or two.
Hmmm....hard to imagine Collison turning into the next Michael Bradely, but when Bradley was drafted I never would've guessed how big of a bust he'd be either. Collison showed he had the ability to dominate NCAA competition during the tourney which seperates him from grey-haired college die-hards such as Shane Battier who've struggled to get any better. Collison's ability to to score both with his back to the basket as well as facing it (he has outstanding range for a post player, 35.9% from 3 his senior year) and the fact the he works so hard every minute he's in the game ensures he'll be a double digit scorer and at least a decent rebounder for years to come. How much better than 10 and 8 will he do for his career? Its hard to say. The fact that he improved his numbers in rebounding and scoring each year at KU combined with his 58% shooting over his final 3 years (despite shooting about 1.5 3's per game and fighting constant double and triple teams) looks good on his resume, but its hard to imagine him as a star in the NBA but a PJ Brown like career would make anyone's mama proud.
