2nd team

C Hassan Whiteside 6-11 240
F Stanley Robinson 6-9 225
F Elias Harris 6-7 225
G Elliot Williams 6-4 180
G John Wall 6-4 195

I feel Landesberg is gonna be a big-time scorer at the next level -- possibly a guy that could one day challenge for a scoring title in the NBA. I had the pleasure of watching this kid play last night and saw so many elements to his game that point toward him being a dominant scorer eventually. Virgina came into the Smith Center and just toyed with the Tar Heels in their own gym, eventually winning the game by 15. Landesberg finished with a career high 29 and he looked like he just had it on cruise control for most part as far as how easily & effectively he was getting his offense -- he probably could've went for over 40 in this game if he & his coach didn't put the breaks on in the 2nd half a little when the lead ballooned to 20+. One of the few players in the NCAA to score in double figures in ever single game so far this year...First off, his drive and finish game is a thing of beauty & might be second to none in the college game today. Just the right combination of enough strength and quickness, height, length, timing, instincts, touch, and abilty to adjust on the fly with unbelievable body control around the rim. And it doesn't even come close to stopping there. On top of that, he's really a much better outside shooter than I had read about -- last night he was hitting some deep shots and some mid-range stop & pop jumpers that reminded me a little of Latrell Sprewell's mid-range game. Goes to the line a ton and converts over 80%. He's also very smooth & under control, and has a much better handle and better court awareness than I expected to see. He also looks like a good passer and doesn't really look all that turnover prone. Very smart player too (when he returned to finish out the game after the lead had dipped back down to 14, he knew enough not to force anything in favor of milking the clock down by moving the ball in, out and around the perimeter....During the game the sideline reporter was commenting on his daily off-season regimen with his father that started every day around 5:30 or 6 in the morning and included many interesting drills designed to improve his overall game, conditioning and state of mind. Looks like this kid is taking his future very seriously. Definite star in the making here imho...

With Ed Davis getting a majority of the buzz for Carolina, I feel Deon Thompson gets overlooked a little. This guy's a big strong dude that plays very hard and competes. Might need to develop a little better technique to eventually become an even better rebounder but that should come with the proper coaching...He does have one of the most effective mid-range jumpers for a big man in the entire country. Very good offensive instincts overall..Possesses a game very reminiscent of Kurt Thomas/PJ Brown. I think he might be developing a little late in the game on account of playing behind Tyler Hansbrough for a few years. He's starting to make some nice strides now that he's out from Hansbrough's shadow...With some more seasoning, I think he'll continue to get better and should project to be a solid, reliable power forward at the next level eventually.

Finestrg wrote:A couple of guys I watched last night that I think are flying under the radar but will be very good pros are SG Sylven Landesberg from Virgina and PF Deon Thompson from NC.

I feel Landesberg is gonna be a big-time scorer at the next level -- possibly a guy that could one day challenge for a scoring title in the NBA. I had the pleasure of watching this kid play last night and saw so many elements to his game that point toward him being a dominant scorer eventually. Virgina came into the Smith Center and just toyed with the Tar Heels in their own gym, eventually winning the game by 15. Landesberg finished with a career high 29 and he looked like he just had it on cruise control for most part as far as how easily & effectively he was getting his offense -- he probably could've went for over 40 in this game if he & his coach didn't put the breaks on in the 2nd half a little when the lead ballooned to 20+. One of the few players in the NCAA to score in double figures in ever single game so far this year...First off, his drive and finish game is a thing of beauty & might be second to none in the college game today. Just the right combination of enough strength and quickness, height, length, timing, instincts, touch, and abilty to adjust on the fly with unbelievable body control around the rim. And it doesn't even come close to stopping there. On top of that, he's really a much better outside shooter than I had read about -- last night he was hitting some deep shots and some mid-range stop & pop jumpers that reminded me a little of Latrell Sprewell's mid-range game. Goes to the line a ton and converts over 80%. He's also very smooth & under control, and has a much better handle and better court awareness than I expected to see. He also looks like a good passer and doesn't really look all that turnover prone. Very smart player too (when he returned to finish out the game after the lead had dipped back down to 14, he knew enough not to force anything in favor of milking the clock down by moving the ball in, out and around the perimeter....During the game the sideline reporter was commenting on his daily off-season regimen with his father that started every day around 5:30 or 6 in the morning and included many interesting drills designed to improve his overall game, conditioning and state of mind. Looks like this kid is taking his future very seriously. Definite star in the making here imho...

With Ed Davis getting a majority of the buzz for Carolina, I feel Deon Thompson gets overlooked a little. This guy's a big strong dude that plays very hard and competes. Might need to develop a little better technique to eventually become an even better rebounder but that should come with the proper coaching...He does have one of the most effective mid-range jumpers for a big man in the entire country. Very good offensive instincts overall..Possesses a game very reminiscent of Kurt Thomas/PJ Brown. I think he might be developing a little late in the game on account of playing behind Tyler Hansbrough for a few years. He's starting to make some nice strides now that he's out from Hansbrough's shadow...With some more seasoning, I think he'll continue to get better and should project to be a solid, reliable power forward at the next level eventually.

The way the team is being run--guys who are picked 38--39 have very little to 0 chance to play for the Knicks. We wont even play a kid who we spent 3mm $ acquiring while we are short players and 10 games down from .500. What is the realism of getting someone who really stands a chance at PT? I know DX has Greg Monroe down at 23--but that is just poor forecasting--he's not going to be there. If we re talking first round after 20[probably the most realistic scenario that I can imagine us getting in???] the guys I like are Fredette Harris and Williams --and Im well aware that most casual fans dont know who the heck the are BUT imho these are guys who all have a chance to be really good pro NBA ballplayers. You know what the difference is between Step Curry and Freddette? Not much--although Fredette was an all state football player who was recruited to play WR at Penn State and has the build/strength that few smaller guards have at that age. I still see the PG position as the biggest need--and Freddette would command time immediately because he can play the position NOW--he does not need a refresher course. Williams is also a real wild card who would command time because he is nearly perfect for SSOL from the 2 G position. A sweet stroke with elite athletic ability--kind of like a young Cutino Mobley. If we cant get up to where we can get a guy who can be of service right away--Im almost bound to say take the picks and package them with Nate and get rid of Jefferies cap space.

Seriously, you not going to discuss the stocks?

Are you really that misread to interpret any request as being critical and you must defend yourself?

How many times have both I, or others thanked you for sharing information and yet you feel some how defensive when ever a few months go by and I simply ask: "hey, any change of outlook on anyting?

jusnice wrote:No Scotty Reynolds from Nova? He is money and one of the best, clutch college players I've ever seen...

I don't really care for Reynolds myself. I know he hit that clutch shot to beat Pitt last year, but I really never viewed him as a big-time prospect at the next level at either backcourt spot.

Back to Landesberg for a sec. The more that I thought about it, the one guy he really reminds me of after seeing him play is Brandon Roy. That's high praise but you can tell just by watching him that he's got some special qualities. He's much more than just a good finisher... He's not all the way there yet but he's got the makings of a fairly complete package a-la Roy. Similar height, bodies & offensive ability (Roy's always been awesome going to the basket just like this kid), etc.. Where Roy has him right now is on ball handling and ball protection but not by much to be perfectly honest -- you can tell Landesberg can contribute in these areas as well. You could just tell last night that when NC was making a little bit of a run in the 2nd half, the Cavs were in good shape once they brought Landesberg back in the game and put the ball in his hands. It was game over right there...Landesberg has all these other qualities as well, they just need to be harnessed. There's room for improvement but there's really a solid foundation in all areas --- he's a pretty good ball handler himself right now & a guy you feel good about when he has the ball in his hands (just like Roy), he has the good B-ball IQ, a solid one-on-one game & transition game, he knows what to do with the ball, he can pass it, he shows very good leadership, etc... Even jumpshot development looks very similar -- Roy wasn't a great jumpshooter for Washington at first but he worked hard on it and it's now become a reliable weapon for him. Contrary to some reports, Landesberg doesn't look like a bad jumpshooter at all...Overall, the progression for both players at the same time in their careers looks very similar (you can argue that Landesberg's even ahead of where Roy was when he was a sophomore). Landesberg just needs a little for time to hone all his skills. Even Roy wasn't anywhere near as complete a player as he is now his 2nd year at Washington. And he played with much better players at that point than Landesberg plays with now... Another good sign that this kid can get to that level is his work ethic & commitment to getting better which right now looks superb. I see a ton of similarities between both guys. I can't wait to see how good this guy ultimately becomes. Could be scary.

1st Team

C- Greg Monroe
PF Demarcus Cousins
F Wesley Johnson
G Evan Turner
G John Wall

2nd team

C Larry Sanders
F Derrick Favors
F Stanley Robinson
G Xavier Henry
G Lance Stephenson

I like Favors as well. I must see this Whiteside kid play soon.