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Caseloads
Posts: 27725
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Joined: 7/29/2001
Member: #41
3/9/2002  3:27 AM
Please Post what insider says about Chris Marcus being the next Shaq as we might end up drafting this guy. He shoots free throws better than Shaq ever could.
AUTOADVERT
knicksbabyyeah
Posts: 21472
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Joined: 8/19/2001
Member: #100
Netherlands
3/9/2002  5:00 AM
Only if we trade down plaese or trade one of our "big three" for another draft pick.

We've all seen our pick and it shall be Chris Wilcox (or Drew Gooden, Quintel Woods, Marcus Haislip...)
martin
Posts: 67903
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USA
3/9/2002  8:25 AM
at your service...

IS CHRIS MARCUS THE NEXT SHAQ? HARDLY


Needless to say, Marcus is one of those freaks who could've been a lottery pick last year, but decided he wasn't ready for the life.

"I just want to develop," Marcus told ESPN.com last summer. "I don't want to be a nobody in the NBA. A lot of guys get drafted and that's it. I want to have an impact. That's all. I want to do something that a team needs. I don't expect to be a superstar."

Marcus almost paid dearly for his decision to stay in school. After a fast start, he broke a bone in his foot and was forced to miss 14 games, dropping his stock on the NBA radar.

A strong performance in the NCAA tournament, and Marcus will quickly regain his status as an early lottery pick. At 7-foot-1 and 285 pounds, he's got the size thing going. He's a strong defender, an excellent rebounder and has worked hard to develop an array of low-post moves that has boosted his scoring average this season. He can even step back and nail the three on occasion.

Before you get too excited, don't confuse him with Shaq. He doesn't have the athleticism that really gets scouts drooling. He can be a bit of a ground hog, which hurts his shot blocking and he's still very raw. He's only played organized basketball for three years. Think a stronger version of Michael Olowokandi, without the hops.

Now you see the problem.

You can bet that Knicks president Scott Layden has a full dossier on Marcus, as well as any other big man with a pulse. However, it isn't a lock that Marcus will even be in this draft. He redshirted his freshman year, meaning he could petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility.

In the past he's hinted he'll do just that. Who needs all that money? But after seeing his stock slip when he injured his foot, Marcus has been backing off his stated desire to play one more year for the Hilltoppers.

"I plan on making the jump. I want people to know that," Marcus said, adding that he's on pace to graduate. "I would love for this to be my last year. . .If I don't have the year I hope I have, or if I have the feeling where I think I need another year to get better at basketball, then I'll come back and put it on hold for another year."

GM's are praying that Marcus does decide to come out this summer -- the draft is that thin. After Marcus, there are only a handful of seniors with a shot at the first round.
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martin
Posts: 67903
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Joined: 7/24/2001
Member: #2
USA
3/9/2002  8:26 AM
Other Chad notes...

SCOUTING THE REST OF THE BEST

Scouts think Gonzaga point guard Dan Dickau is a lock for the first round and could even slip into the lottery if he works out well. USC's Sam Clancy and Fresno State's Melvin Ely also are likely first-round picks.

Do the math. That's four seniors in the first round, one, possibly two, in the lottery.

After that it gets tricky. Depending on the number of talented underclassmen that declare, UCLA center Dan Gadzuric, Cincinnati guard Steve Logan, Kentucky swingman Tayshaun Prince, Tennessee swingman Vincent Yarbrough, Arkansas St. center Jason Jennings and Maryland guard Juan Dixon all have shots of sneaking into the late first round.

How can Dixon, a serious candidate for Player of the Year, not be a first-round pick?

Scouts say his lack of size and a natural position in the NBA kills him. He doesn't have the mentality to be a point guard and doesn't have the size or the consistent long-range jumper to play shooting guard. With that said, Dixon's incredible quickness, leaping and slashing ability along with his superb defensive skills will earn him a place in the league, it just may not be in the first round.

In a perfect world, Dixon, who has overcome an enormous amount of adversity on and off the court, would be the poster child for staying in school. Like Battier, he's done everything right, improved his game tremendously, and has a legitimate shot at a National Championship this spring.

In the NBA world, Dixon, like every other senior, has been "exposed" to a certain extent. After scouting a guy for four years, it becomes tough to overcome a player's shortcomings.

"When a team drafts a high school kid or a young underclassman, it's about potential more than it is ability," one scout told Insider. "After seeing a player for four years in college, we have a much better handle on just how far that potential can take a guy. That's why so many seniors are in the doghouse before they even hit the first camp."

How do they get out of the doghouse? The NCAA Tournament has been the traditional way. Seniors like Syracuse's John Wallace and Utah's Andre Miller helped their stock by turning in huge performances. The other way is at one of the NBA's draft camps. This year there is only one camp exclusively for seniors, Portsmouth. Of the 56 seniors invited, only Marcus can really afford to skip it.

The question Dixon and the rest of the senior class will be faced with is how to make a proven product more attractive than a pie in the sky. In the NBA world that answer remains elusive.
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