BigSm00th
Posts: 24504
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Joined: 12/9/2001
Member: #178 USA
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SOUTH
1. The Duke Blue Devils: Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Dahntay Jones
The Skinny: Williams: 6-foot-2, 195 lbs, Junior. 21.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.2 apg, 46 percent shooting Dunleavy: 6-foot-9, 220 lbs, Junior. 17.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 48 percent shooting Boozer: 6-foot-9, 280 lbs, Junior. 18.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 5.2 apg, 66 percent shooting. Duhon: 6-foot-1, 190 lbs, Sophomore. 9.2 ppg, 6.2 apg, 41 percent shooting. Jones: 6-foot-6, 210 lbs, Junior. 11.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 51 percent shooting.
The Good: Name another team whose starting five, all of them, are considered first-round draft prospects. Of course, it all starts with Williams, who is the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft this year. Williams is a fantastic scorer, has great range on his shot, has nice court vision, outstanding handles, an NBA-type body and the smarts to be starting in the NBA from Day 1. Great defender. Has the intelligence and hoop saavy to anticipate the other teams moves.
Dunleavy is the next most coveted player by scouts. Already hearing comparisons to Larry Bird, he can do it all. He's a lethal outside shooter, great ball handler, good rebounder and because of his versatility, creates matchup problems wherever you play him. Despite his lanky frame, is surprisingly effective in the paint.
Boozer has the NBA body to bang in the paint. He converts an incredible amount of shot attempts around the basket, really crashes the boards and has the leaping ability to be a good shot blocker at the next level. Has great footwork for a big man.
Duhon is perhaps the most fundamentally sound of all the Blue Devils. His numbers are not indicative of what he does for his team. He's a pure point guard, has solid handles and a textbook jumper that he can stick anywhere on the court. Has the quickness and court sense to play in the NBA right now.
Jones is a phenomenal athlete. A competent scorer with explosive leaping ability. He has quickness to get to the basket and finish on the break. Duke's best one-on-one player, Williams draws a lot of fouls on his drives to the basket. Extremely quick and has developed a nice mid-range jumper.
The Bad: There isn't much. The knock on Williams is that he isn't a true point guard, more like a combo point/shooting guard. He still takes questionable shots when in a pinch. Dunleavy needs to mature more physically. He's awfully soft for the NBA grind. Boozer will have to make the transition from center to power forward. He's not great facing the basket yet, which will push his stock down. Has a poor arc on his jumper, and scouts question his hands. He also raised some eyebrows with his weight gain this summer. Duhon can be too unselfish at times. Lacks some explosiveness He just needs another year to prove himself without Williams. Ditto for Jones. He also needs to improve his long-range shooting.
The Ugly: Williams and Boozer have already made it clear that this is their last season at Duke. Only Yao Ming and JUCO stud Qyntel Woods pose any threat to Williams going No. 1 in the draft. Boozer is closer to a mid first-round pick right now. Duhon and Jones won't leave Duke this season. The big question mark is Dunleavy. He's indicated he'd like to stick around for his senior season, but with a strong tournament, he could easily be a Top 5 candidate. That might be too good too pass up.
2. Jared Jeffries, PF, Indiana
The Skinny: 6-foot-10, 215 lbs, Sophomore. 15.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 45 percent shooting.
The Good: A freak of nature. He does everything well. He can score, rebound, block shots, run the floor, handle the rock and dish it to an open teammate. Did we leave anything out? Oh yeah, he's an above-average athlete, can put it on the floor, bang inside or step out and hit the three. The complete package.
The Bad: Jeffries needs more time in the weight room. He added some muscle this summer, which has allowed him to play in the post more, but still needs to add another 20 pounds to be a complete player in the NBA. Lacks patience on the offensive end at times. Doesn't have blinding speed.
The Ugly: He's likely gone. Jeffries flirted with coming out last season, but a strong performance in the tournament probably locks up his status as a Top 10 pick. That will be too much for him to resist.
3. Rod Grizzard and Erwin Dudley, F, Alabama
The Skinny: Grizzard: 6-foot-8, 205 lbs, Junior. 14.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 43 percent shooting. Dudley: 6-foot-8, 240 lbs, Junior. 15.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 56 percent shooting.
The Good: Grizzard has the height and scoring mentality that excite scouts. He projects as a shooting guard in the pros and really has the ball-handling skills to play point forward in a pinch. While Grizzard has the flash, Dudley is the rock. He's strong as a bull, loves banging in the paint and can step out and sink the 15-footer when he needs to. Dudley is a solid rebounder.
The Bad: Grizzard is built like a bean pole. He really lacks the physical strength to compete in the NBA. He also can be very streaky and lacks aggressiveness. Dudley is a bit on the lumbering side. His game is still developing, and to make matters worse, scouts think he's not as tall as 'Bama lists him.
The Ugly: Grizzard and Dudley both want to explore their draft status this summer. Both would like to make the leap, but it will be treacherous going. Grizzard has gotten a "Terrance Morris" type rap of a guy who's too laid back to exel in the pros. Scouts think he slipped a bit this year. Dudley will continue to fight the undersized big man knock. In other words, if they answer enough questions the next few weeks, they're mid first-round locks. If they don't, they could really slip.
4. Sam Clancy, PF, USC
The Skinny: 6-foot-7, 240 lbs, Senior. 19 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 50 percent shooting from the field.
The Good: Extremely strong, NBA body. Very strong low-post moves, great with his back to the basket. Has the ability to step away from the basket and sink the 18-foot jumper. Solid rebounder, very tough. Has great leadership skills.
The Bad: You'll get sick of hearing this, but if Clancy were two inches taller, we'd be talking lottery pick. But two inches is two inches. He doesn't have the shooting range or the ball-handling skills to play small forward and doesn't have the explosiveness or leaping ability to compensate for his lack of height at power forward.
The Ugly: Declared for the draft last year and was the most impressive prospect in Chicago. It looked like he was a lock for the late first round, but he decided to go back to school and try to solidify his status. He's had another great year, but once again, the questions about his height will continue to haunt him.
5. Brandin Knight, PG, Pitt
The Skinny: 6-foot-0, 175 lbs, Junior. 15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 7.5 apg, 43 percent shooting from the field.
The Good: Has got pro stock in his blood. Brother Brevin is a point guard for the Grizzlies. Extremely quick, pure point guard with decent outside range and great rebounding ability for his size. Has improved every aspect of his game and led the Panthers on a surprsing run through the Big East this year. Obviously, has the leadership skills.
The Bad: Size, size, size. While his 6-foot frame won't prohibit him from playing in the pros, if he was a few inches taller, he'd be a lock for the first round.
The Ugly: Judging from his brother's struggles in the NBA, he's going to have a lot to prove. With an injured ankle, he may not even play in the first round. He says he'll stick around Pitt for his senior season and see if he can convince his detractors that small ball is the way to go.
Others to watch: Chris Thomas, 6-1, G, Fr., Notre Dame; Ryan Humphrey, 6-8, F, Sr., Notre Dame; Ugonna Onyekwe, 6-8, F, Jr., Penn; Maurice Baker, 6-1, G, Sr., Oklahoma St.; Corsley Edwards, 6-9, F, Sr., Central Connecticut
#Knickstaps
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