2012/13 NCAA Game Thread/Prospects Watch

[JDM]

Yogurt is disgusting.

To get back on topic, I'm definitely watching the Final Four games tonight. And perhaps during commercials I'll check in on the Bobcats game. What a night for basketball!

[bigsams50]

Dude, Greek yogurt is delicious. I didnt like yogurt before either. But my god i have seen the light ahahahha

I'm watching on my computer, so i will have 2 links open, Kentucky and Bobcats

[NBA_Starter]

Shocker, Shocker, all of the Kentucky boys are coming out!

Well now comes the hard part, we just have to win the lottery.

[JDM]

ray:

[packfan1]

bump

[NBA_Starter]

bump

That is not funny packfan!

[JDM]

I'm labeling our biggest needs as PF/C and SG. Sadly, I'm not expecting Hendo to be back but if he is brought back then SG is no longer a need. Additionally, it would depend on how the coaching staff believes Taylor would handle being the full-time SG. Be that as it may, I'm just going to focus on the big men, because that should be our biggest need no matter what.

What we have now is a versatile, scoring big man in Mullens who provides very, very average defense and even more average rebounding. We also have Biz who provides exceptional post defense and improving rebounding, which isn't too shabby right now anyways. His offense, on the other hand, is still lacking but strides are definitely being made. His biggest knock though is still his size- ultimately is he better suited as a PF or C? If his offense can develop, then ultimately I think his position should be PF. And the way it's looking, his offense is developing.

That brings us to this years' prospects. Given what we have, the question we ask ourselves is should we target a big man more offensive or defensive? In my opinion, we need to target a defensive big man. Biz can only do so much on the defensive end when he's teamed up with Mullens. Watching our post defense if just depressing, and what's even more depressing is our lack of defensive rebounds. With that said, we're scoring a healthy amount of points a game (currently 16th in the league) but we're giving up way too many points (currently last in the league). It's not too hard to figure out where the blame should go. We have good defenders at SG and SF, an average defender at PG, and below average defense in the post. Now, who to target...

Big men:
Cody Zeller
Nerlens Noel
Alex Len
Mason Plumlee
Rudy Gobert


Cody Zeller- I love this guy. The most polished offensive big man there is in college. The one concern I have, unfortunately, is his defense. He's rail thin and gets moved off way too easily. Additionally, his rebounding is subpar given his size. Sadly, his game and style of play reminds me an awful lot of someone we already have- Mullens.

Nerlens Noel- The guy is incredible on defense. Similar to Davis last year, whenever someone drives through the lane they have to be mindful of where this guy is because he'll block shots all day long. His offense, on the other hand, is far from finished. His post moves are almost painful to watch because I see the guy make a move with no plan on what to do next...a recipe for turnovers, fouls, and awkward shots. That said, he does do a good job of finishing at the rim. He's explosive and has exceptional athleticism. Good rebounder as well. He will definitely be known for his defensive presence.

Alex Len- After watching some of him, in my mind, he's a nice mesh of Zeller and Noel. He has the touch and developing offensive game of Zeller and the intimidating defense and rebounding of Noel. He's not better than either Zeller or Noel in those respective categories, but he's capable of doing just about everything. He's added a considerable amount of weight to his 7-1 body so that he looks much more like an NBA center, but he should continue to add some weight. This is a guy who should only continue to rise as he gets more recognition in the coming months.

Mason Plumluee- Obviously I'm a little bias here, but how can you not love this guy? Explosive athlete with a much more improved offensive game this year. His defense and rebounding have also improved by leaps and bounds this year. Like Len, he can do just about anything. But what separates the two is Plumlee's experience. The obvious question that will come up is how much potential does he really have given that he's a senior already? To be honest, I'm not too sure but I certainly wasn't expecting him to be this good this season. He's always had that perception of having the potential of being a great NBA PF given his measurements, perhaps he's just finally showing what all he can really do now that he's the guy at Duke.

Rudy Gobert- This guy is a freak from France. That's about as good as I can put it. He's 7-1 with a 7-9 wingspan...7-9. After watching several videos on this guy, he's fun to watch. Defensively he's a presence, needless to say. His blocks come out of nowhere and he's always around the ball. Offensively I haven't seen much else besides a lot of dunking...a lot. But that usually the way it goes when you try to find some videos of Euro guys. I'm confident more info will come out on this guy as draft day approaches. He's certainly someone I'd be interested in given his raw talent.

With all of that said, who do I want? Given how early it is I can't really tell, but if Len can continue on the path that he's been going on then I realllllyyyyy like him. I want to like Zeller, but I just see too much of a guy we already have. Noel is someone I'd be more willing to take at this moment, as opposed to Zeller, because of what we really need out of our big men, plus it's not like Noel's offense is completely lost- he does have some ability. Plumlee is someone I would love on our team, but, looking at the potential of the guys in front of him, I'd be lying if I said I'd want him instead of the others. If we ultimately end up picking around #10 then Plumlee would be my guy most likely. Anything earlier than that and we could possibly get another guy with more upside. Lastly, Gobert is someone we ought to keep our eye on. He's a freak and who knows what he could ultimately become. Time will tell on him.

[JDM]

Also, don't forget that we can get the Blazers' pick (top 12 protected) and the Pistons' pick (top 14 protected). We can lose our pick to the Bulls as well (top 12 protected). We do not have our second round pick this year.

[JDM]

Don't know if y'all have seen this or not but it's an interesting look into this past draft. Gives somewhat an indication of how we approach the draft and players. There are three parts.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zxkhl86EAU
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpuB_PlWA_U
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0pL7BZQFOY

[bigsams50]

So far from what everyone has seen, any player you really want us to draft? I am hoping we favor Shabazz over every other prospect. I think he has star potential.

[rapjuicer06]

Wouldn't pairing Zellar and adding quality depth put you guys over the hump to finally get out of the cellar? You have a prime defender in Bismack to hold down the paint, wouldn't putting a big man scorer down low be beneficial?

[bigsams50]

In theory that would be good, but i dont see Zellar being that great of a player at the next level. He is 6'11, with a 6'8 wingspan. Maybe i am looking too much into it, but i feel he will struggle against more athletic players

[rapjuicer06]

In theory that would be good, but i dont see Zellar being that great of a player at the next level. He is 6'11, with a 6'8 wingspan. Maybe i am looking too much into it, but i feel he will struggle against more athletic players

Hmm, I guess idk how much that'd affect him. Offensively I wouldn't think it'd bother him at all. Defensively I could see it holding him back a bit.

[bigsams50]

I'm not sure how it will affect him either. Its why i'm not a big fan of his. I also feel Muhammad could be a franchise type player for us, i dont see Zellar being that.

[NBA_Starter]

So far from what everyone has seen, any player you really want us to draft? I am hoping we favor Shabazz over every other prospect. I think he has star potential.

1. Ben McLemore
2. Bazz
3. Nerlens Noel