Although we're only talking about 5 games against players, some of whom never have and never will play in the nba game, this is our first opportunity to look at our rooks in actual game competition. I'm curious to see how other UKers felt about how our rookies did.

The thing that pleased me most was our players' versatility - especially Chandler. Chandler was good defensively, he boarded pretty well, can hit a jumper and isn't afraid to pass the ball. Morris didn't shoot a lot, but was effective when he did. He boarded very well and was physical inside, though on the slow side. Nichols may have been the best of the three - shooting very well, playing agressive d, and passing the ball well. He still needs to work on his ball handling, but even that isn't real bad.

Now let's consider where we picked these guys. Chandler was the 23rd pick in the first round, Nichols came with a trade that cost us next years 2nd round pick and Morris was a freebie. I think all three show signs of sticking in this league. All in all, I think we got great value in this years draft. What do you think?

Here are some stats for our rookies.

Chandler
13.4 ppg, 5.2 rebs, 2.0 blk, 1.0 stl, 50.9% FG, 40.0% 3pfg, in 28.2 minutes per game

Morris
11.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.2 blks, 1.0 stl, 63.3% FG in 27.0 minutes

Nichols
15.6 ppg, 52.6% FG, 39.1% 3pFG in just 24.4 minutes. also 2.6 ast, 2.0 rebs

Several weeks ago I said that Morris was a baller and was told I was jumping the gun for it. That assessment was certainly not absurd compared to these absurd Balkman for AK47 trade proposals i've been hearing.

I saw this kid more than hold his own against Florida's front line and now you see why. He is a Center because he plays like one. He's Curry's backup for sure.

Nichols is deadeye and all of that business about being in Europe is a big joke. He'll be here this year.

Finally to Chandler. Chandler is more polished than any player Isiah's drafted since arriving in NY. He would have no problem playing the two. He's the total package and will crack the lineup this year because he's better than Jamal (who I like) right now.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

I'm thinking that we'll drop Dickau and James the more that I think about it.

Its horrible that the Knicks will be on the hook for his whole deal when he can't come to camp in shape. In the NFL he would have been sent home with some pocket change by now.

Actually- if Jerome doesn't show up in shape- there is some, I think, room in the CBA to send him packing.

Still, a buy out looks more likely. And I think Dickau sticks- he is the only pure PG we have.

Right now, I think Jones & JJ1 are the roster casualties.

Nichols to me was the star of the summer-league. I've said it a few times already but I watched the kid for 4 years at Syrcause very closely, since I'm a 'Cuse fan and he never lived up to expectations until his senior year, where he was very good. So I was still curious to see if his senior year was a flash in the pan or not. Nichols had a silky smooth jumper on display, he showed he could hit with a man in his face, off balance or wide-open, his defense wasn't great but it wasn't bad either, just solid all around, but I sure know we can use his J on this team, no matter what.

Randolph Morris was alright, he got better as the tournament went on, which is good. I wasn't very impressed with his offense though. In college I thought his offense was pretty good and that he'd translate well into the NBA. He's a big man though so he may just need more time, he basically is a rookie so its ok. His rebounding was especially good and his defense was solid. He can improve on his defense and offensive game though.

Chandler is the guy I'm curious about. Now I know everyone says he was the ultimate sleeper 1st round pick but honestly, how could GMs in the NBA not know this guy and his game? I could see it if he played in some crappola conference like the Sunbelt or something but he was playing for DePaul in the BIG EAST. GM's had to have seent his guy. His game in the summer-league was very good, he had a nice jumper, played good defense, could rebound, pass.. basically do a little of everything. I'm curious how he plays once the season starts becuase I seriously can't see how GMs could overlook him playing in the Big East.

All in all a great tournament for our 3 rooks.

Posted by nyk4ever:

Nichols to me was the star of the summer-league. I've said it a few times already but I watched the kid for 4 years at Syrcause very closely, since I'm a 'Cuse fan and he never lived up to expectations until his senior year, where he was very good. So I was still curious to see if his senior year was a flash in the pan or not. Nichols had a silky smooth jumper on display, he showed he could hit with a man in his face, off balance or wide-open, his defense wasn't great but it wasn't bad either, just solid all around, but I sure know we can use his J on this team, no matter what.

Randolph Morris was alright, he got better as the tournament went on, which is good. I wasn't very impressed with his offense though. In college I thought his offense was pretty good and that he'd translate well into the NBA. He's a big man though so he may just need more time, he basically is a rookie so its ok. His rebounding was especially good and his defense was solid. He can improve on his defense and offensive game though.

Chandler is the guy I'm curious about. Now I know everyone says he was the ultimate sleeper 1st round pick but honestly, how could GMs in the NBA not know this guy and his game? I could see it if he played in some crappola conference like the Sunbelt or something but he was playing for DePaul in the BIG EAST. GM's had to have seent his guy. His game in the summer-league was very good, he had a nice jumper, played good defense, could rebound, pass.. basically do a little of everything. I'm curious how he plays once the season starts becuase I seriously can't see how GMs could overlook him playing in the Big East.

All in all a great tournament for our 3 rooks.

The way Isiah is getting a leg up on other GM's in the draft is that he is taking players that have NBA games, but not so much college games. Like G-Mac in reverse. Certain players, mostly because of spacing issues can operate much better on the NBA level than they do in college. Mardy, Ariza, Balkman, Nichols, and Chandler fit that mold.

UConn has a player like this every year because they are picking up guys with NBA builds that don't always work in college where there is less spacing especially for small forward types.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

The way Isiah is getting a leg up on other GM's in the draft is that he is taking players that have NBA games, but not so much college games. Like G-Mac in reverse. Certain players, mostly because of spacing issues can operate much better on the NBA level than they do in college. Mardy, Ariza, Balkman, Nichols, and Chandler fit that mold.

UConn has a player like this every year because they are picking up guys with NBA builds that don't always work in college where there is less spacing especially for small forward types.

I definitely agree with that idea, its evident with the Lee, Balkman and Mardy picks and we'll see how Chandler actually does translate. The one guy Isiah totally missed the boat with is Frye though, there is and never was anything that is NBA about his game or build.

Posted by nyk4ever:

Nichols to me was the star of the summer-league. I've said it a few times already but I watched the kid for 4 years at Syrcause very closely, since I'm a 'Cuse fan and he never lived up to expectations until his senior year, where he was very good. So I was still curious to see if his senior year was a flash in the pan or not. Nichols had a silky smooth jumper on display, he showed he could hit with a man in his face, off balance or wide-open, his defense wasn't great but it wasn't bad either, just solid all around, but I sure know we can use his J on this team, no matter what.

Randolph Morris was alright, he got better as the tournament went on, which is good. I wasn't very impressed with his offense though. In college I thought his offense was pretty good and that he'd translate well into the NBA. He's a big man though so he may just need more time, he basically is a rookie so its ok. His rebounding was especially good and his defense was solid. He can improve on his defense and offensive game though.

Chandler is the guy I'm curious about. Now I know everyone says he was the ultimate sleeper 1st round pick but honestly, how could GMs in the NBA not know this guy and his game? I could see it if he played in some crappola conference like the Sunbelt or something but he was playing for DePaul in the BIG EAST. GM's had to have seent his guy. His game in the summer-league was very good, he had a nice jumper, played good defense, could rebound, pass.. basically do a little of everything. I'm curious how he plays once the season starts becuase I seriously can't see how GMs could overlook him playing in the Big East.

All in all a great tournament for our 3 rooks.

To answer your question about Chandler, I guess it the same GMs who didn't even feel it necessary to give Nichols a look before the 53rd pick in the draft.

nyk- I'm a big Rutgers/Big East guy and having seen Chandler in a few games, to me he looked like night and day. He was very erratic in the college games I saw and under control and smooth in these games. Isiah made a smart move here, shutting down this kid's workouts. Whatever it was with him- he spotted it early on and didn't let the rest of the NBA in on it. He did the same thing with Frye and it worked out his rookie year cause he even looked like a steal at 8(for whatever reason, the magic beans he was taking wore off last year and he reverted to what seemed to be his college form). I'll give him major credit there.

[Edited by - vdesai on 07-16-2007 10:22 AM]

Chandler's game on offense reminds me of Tim Thomas. And I mean that only in a good way of course. He can score from deep, midrange, and at the rim. I was especially impressed at his ability to hit the pull-up, stop on a dime short-to-midrange J. He gets that shot off quickly and with accuracy. If he can keep that up it will open up the rest of the court for him.

Nichols reminds me Walter McCarty with an offensive game. Long and rangey and they both move with that kind of limbs-flailing-everywhere motion. But of course Nichols is a lot further along offensively with that J of his.

Morris isn't in your face impressive, but he's solid. Seems a bit on the shorter side-- seems more like 6'9" than 6'11" and plays below the rim. But he has a good presence on the boards and he has a nice little jumper inside of 10 feet. That's perfectly fine for this team to be honest. Between Curry, Randolph and Lee there's only going to be something like 10mpg available for a 4th guy at the power positions which is a role Morris could fill perfectly.

Chandler- What a smooth athlete. Like Balkman he's a natural defender and showed a knack for shot blocking. His rebounding was also good, and like Balk he has a good enough handle to grab a board and take off with it. This shooting was very good and way ahead of where anyone expected, what was also impressive about that was the way he always followed his shot, that lead to a lot of second chance baskets for him and points for the Knicks.

Nichols- This kid was so game! Not the natural defender Balk and Chandler are, he was out there using his length and trying. And he was resourceful, when his shot wasn't falling, he took it too the rim and showed some Pearlish fakes and stops and starts. So he didn't stop scoring just cause his shot was off - that's awesome. He needs to improve his handle a bit, especially in transition and stay a little stronger on the ball, but it's a joke that a 6'8" scoring machine fell to round 2.

Morris- this kid is always gonna be underrated because he does everything right. The fact that he is so fundamentally sound disguises his athleticism which you really only see when he is bouncing after rebounds, recovering and blocking shots, and when he gets the ball in transition. He has some really nice moves around the basket and an excellent pair of hands. He shows a knack for interior D!!!!! And was also johnny on the spot with screens and help. This guy was a heist and we can't let him go the Jackie Butler route.