Labels

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Staying or Going?

With the NCAA tourney coming to a close, the NBA draft now comes into the picture. Underclassmen now make the decision whether to throw their name into the draft or stay in college for at least one more year.

Sullinger-He already said that he will be back for one more year, but will the lure of all those zeros make him back out of his comments? I think he sticks by his comments, and even with the loss of Deibler and Lighty, another top 10 recruiting class comes in to make OSU the early favorite in the Big 10
Barnes- He said before the start of this year he would likely stay 3 years, but his stock in the second half of the season has jumped higher than Rebecca Black and Mac Miller's popularity combined. If he comes out he's a lock for top 5.
Knight and Jones- The scary and ironic thing about this is Calipari will probably encourage them to go this year, just to make room for the #1 recruiting class in the nation. Now that they've reached the Final Four, Knight and Jones are lottery bound.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Same Butler, New Bulldogs

Butler launched onto the scene last year, become America's darling with a young coach and players who hustled and fought on every possession. This year's team may not have as many offensive threats with the loss of Gordon Hayward and Avery Jukes, but key roles players like Mack, Howard, and Nored have kept the Bulldog toughness intact. This years team focuses more on defense, especially helping on the weak side and switching on pick and roles. Coach Stevens has really elevated the communication on both sides of the floor, especially when it comes to defense. On the other side of the ball, Matt Howard is still a presence is the post, except he isn't usually found there alot. Now, with the development of a 3 point shot, Howard gives another long range shooter to go with Shelvin Mack and Zach Hahn. Sophomore Andrew Smith has shown significant improvement down low, which means Howard can play outside in the 4 -out offense. Smith and Howard will have their hands full with Florida's bigs, but the key to me is if Vanzant and Mack manage to slow the break of the Florida guards.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Mock NBA Draft

Heres a very early look to the top 15 picks in June:

1.Cavs- Kyrie Irving-Duke
2.Twolves- Harrison Barnes-UNC
3. Wizards- Derrick Willaims- Zona
4. Kings- Perry Jones-Baylor
5 Raptors- Terence Jones- Kentucky
6 Jazz- Enes Kanter-
7 Pistons- Jared Sullinger-OSU
8 Cavs- Jonas Valanciunas
9 Bucks- Jordan Hamilton-TEXAS
10 Bobcats- Kemba Walker-UCONN
11 Warriors-Kawhi Leonard-SDST
12 Rockets- John Henson-UNC
13 Jazz- Jimmer Fredette-BYU
14 Suns-Kenneth Faried-Moorehead St