College hoops - a few players to watch the next couple of nights
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VDesai
Posts: 43301 Alba Posts: 44 Joined: 10/28/2003 Member: #477 USA |
1/19/2009 1:59 PM
Kinda like being a point guard, making you look better than you are.
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TMS
Posts: 60684 Alba Posts: 617 Joined: 5/11/2004 Member: #674 USA |
1/19/2009 4:07 PM
dj found out the hard way
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
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Finestrg
Posts: 27296 Alba Posts: 1 Joined: 1/1/2006 Member: #1069 |
1/20/2009 12:12 PM
Incredible Hulk! Man, I loved this when I was a kid. My favorite ones were when he stubbled upon an older guy living in some town that could also turn into a hulk. Anyone remember that one? Also liked the episodes where he had a bad reaction to a fallen meteor and the military captures him, and where he has a creepy dream when he walks up to the hulk in a cage in the desert somewhere, taunts the hulk, then the hulk is on the verge of breaking out of the cage.. Great stuff... Thanks for bringin' it back for a minute there.
--------------- Anyway, Flynn wasn't great last night. He did put up 12 & 7 but he shot the ball poorly, continuely forced the action and had quite a few turnovers where he either lost the ball or had it taken away from him rather easily. There were times where he did show you the goods last night though - he's one of the quickest guards in the country getting to the rim with an incredible first step and good finishing ability & he's a real solid passer (he had quite a few nice passes last night that his teammates converted into points). Sherron Collins for KU wasn't particularly great either last night, but that game was pretty much over by the half and Collins went into coast mode. Even with the unspectacular games last night my opinion remains unchanged - Jonny Flynn & Sherron Collins are still two of the better, more underrated PG prospects out there in the 6'0" range, as good as guys like Collison and Lawson IMO. Tonight we get to take another look at BJ Mullens as Ohio State plays @ Illinois - 7pm ESPN. He hasn't put up spectacular numbers so far. The kid has been getting more consistent playing time lately though. Physically he's the goods - 7'0", 275 lbs. Only saw him twice so far this yr. and came away unimpressed. But he's only a freshman. Worth another look tonight... [Edited by - finestrg on 01-20-2009 12:22 PM] |
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Bippity10
Posts: 13999 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 1/26/2004 Member: #574 |
1/20/2009 12:31 PM
Posted by Finestrg: He's not dominating?.........Mullens is obviously a bust I just hope that people will like me
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BRIGGS
Posts: 53275 Alba Posts: 7 Joined: 7/30/2002 Member: #303 |
1/21/2009 3:36 PM
--->Tonight we get to take another look at BJ Mullens as Ohio State plays @ Illinois - 7pm ESPN. He hasn't put up spectacular numbers so far. The kid has been getting more consistent playing time lately though. Physically he's the goods - 7'0", 275 lbs. Only saw him twice so far this yr. and came away unimpressed. But he's only a freshman. Worth another look tonight...
He's going to be pick 1 in the draft next year if he stays. If I don't get pick 1 but I am 2-10 this year I would offer/guarantee it to this player as a lock if he doesnt work out for anyone[like we did with Frye]. Griffin is pick 1. If you weigh in projection down the line and how he has been producing in the big Ten in limited minutes with his size athletic ability and strong base---this would be the pick after Griffin. He needs to get stronger and work on his skills but his coordination and physical package is very hard to ignore for such a small team. [Edited by - BRIGGS on 01-21-2009 3:38 PM] RIP Crushalot😞
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Pharzeone
Posts: 32183 Alba Posts: 14 Joined: 2/11/2005 Member: #871 |
1/21/2009 3:40 PM
Mullens has been very disappointing IMHO.
Briggs, why are you putting yourself through this? You know the Knicks are going to get the 12th pick somehow. I don't like to play bad rookies , I like to play good rookies - Mike D'Antoni
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BRIGGS
Posts: 53275 Alba Posts: 7 Joined: 7/30/2002 Member: #303 |
1/21/2009 4:01 PM
Posted by Pharzeone: From where this player has gone from game 1 to game 18 is pretty much meteoric. I was the first critic after seeing his first game. Not only has he caught up to the speed of the game he KNOWS he's bigger than everyone and he is playing that way. You look at his body and you can see with hard work just how physical this player will be. The way he is scoring at will at such a high % in Big Ten games projects out VERY well. I don't really care what a player does against Western Carolina and this kid wasnt ready for the start of the season mentally--I care what he does against the top tier teams. He already commands a double team and is a night mare 1-1 match up on the offensive end. He is light years behind Thabeet in terms of defense but I think this has IT. RIP Crushalot😞
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Bippity10
Posts: 13999 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 1/26/2004 Member: #574 |
1/21/2009 4:03 PM
Posted by BRIGGS:Posted by Pharzeone: I think when you draft a guy like Mullens you have to look at his potential above what he can do right now, but that's where it becomes more of a guessing game. I just hope that people will like me
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Finestrg
Posts: 27296 Alba Posts: 1 Joined: 1/1/2006 Member: #1069 |
1/21/2009 5:27 PM
Inconsistent effort last night for BJ Mullens - that's what I saw. Started out really slow, appearing to have trouble keeping up with the quick pace the Illini were trying to play at. Threw a lazy cross-court pass that was intercepted on maybe his first touch in the post and was just not that involved in the overall flow when he first came into the game. If I remember right, he may of had only one or two FGs in the whole first half - both on uncontested dunks. Looked like a combination of his teammates not recognizing and utilizing him properly and Mullens himself not making himself a target and demanding the ball. The most glaring problem I had throughout the game wasn't his offensive game but the fact that he just wasn't a factor at all on the defensive end or on the glass - he continuely let Mike Tisdale get position on him inside for hookshot after hookshot offering little resistance. Also he didn't fight for position on rebounds at all early on. Very subpar, deer-in-the-headlights type first half...
2nd half though, to be fair, he looked better. Energy level appeared to be way up - he had a very nice hustle/effort play around the 13:45 mark where he fought hard for position on the offensive glass, stuck with the play on a missed shot and after several taps he was able to finally score on a putback with the foul. Showed some emotion after that play too which was nice to see. Overall much more into it in the 2nd half but by that time the rest of the O.S. squad just fell apart. Throughout, it was hard to gauge just what type of player this guy is now or might become - is he the 7 footer that lumbered his way through an uneventful, invisible 1st half or the guy that played much harder and with much more determination in the 2nd half? Offensively too, what type of a player is Mullens? Is he closer to the interior presence Greg Oden was or more the combo. inside-outside threat Kosta Koufos was? Nothing I saw last night gave me the answers to any of these questions. All I saw was a guy who slept through the 1st half then raised his energy level to where it should've been in the first place for a decent 2nd half run. Nothing more. Just too early to tell anything at all about this kid yet. Not the type of guy I'd be looking to guarantee my pick to, that's for sure. Not at this stage. Physically, yes, he's pretty impressive and imposing and I know 7 footers don't grow on trees, but he's FAR from any type of a finished product. And who knows how good that finished product will wind up being. It's clear to me that on potential alone however, he's probably the most valuable piece Ohio State has at the moment. If I were Thad Matta, even though he's just a freshman, I'd start to funnel the offense through Mullens and feature him much more - that would clearly get Mullens more involved and it should benefit the team and Mullens as well. Granted, big men in general take a while to develop and Mullens has got to earn whatever he gets but at the same time, that team needs to do a better job of utilizing such a big, imposing presence like that - channeling the ball through this guy might help accelerate Mullens' development process. As it stands right now, he a wildcard IMO, an enigma. I need to see more. Time will tell. [Edited by - finestrg on 01-21-2009 5:43 PM] |
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BRIGGS
Posts: 53275 Alba Posts: 7 Joined: 7/30/2002 Member: #303 |
1/21/2009 6:30 PM
Posted by Bippity10:Posted by BRIGGS:Posted by Pharzeone: He's a top 5 pro pick right now---almost any NBA scout knows this. I would say he's odds on favorite for being the top pick in 2010 if you look hard at what's there for next year. By the way Mullens is leading the big ten in FG% at 73% 11.5 points 5.3 rebounds 1.8 blocks in 21 minutes per game. [Edited by - BRIGGS on 01-21-2009 6:53 PM] RIP Crushalot😞
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Finestrg
Posts: 27296 Alba Posts: 1 Joined: 1/1/2006 Member: #1069 |
1/21/2009 7:33 PM
Wake's got all they can handle with VA Tech so far early on. The Hokies look up for the challenge. Al-Faroug Aminu just came back after taking a elbow a few mins. ago to the forehead. McFarland already in foul trouble. Teague excellent so far with about 10 pts. keeping Wake close.
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College hoops - a few players to watch the next couple of nights