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By
Drew Wolin
NBADraft.net
3/28/08
On paper, the
rosters did not look even. The West's top five players all could
have been argued to be more talented than the East's best player.
However, the East was not the least in the 2008 McDonald's All-American
game. The game was a relatively low-scoring affair (for an all-star
game); as the East won, 107-102.
East:
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Tyreke
Evans - MVP
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Tyreke
Evans
(Undecided) 21 pts, (9-15 fg), 10 rebs, 4 asts, 5 to. -- Taking
home the MVP award, Evans obviously has the goods to shine in All
Star games and is loaded with talent. But his skill set currently
has too much "junk" to it. He's a tremendous one on one
scorer with the ability to break his man down off the dribble, but
can be too reliant upon it. His dominance of the ball, over-dribbling
and individual over team play will not cut it on the college or
pro level, and it will take a coach really working with him to break
down the sloppy aspects to his game. His outside shot is also very
good, but too often fades away instead of going straight up. It
wouldn't be surprising for him to average 4-5 turnovers next season
if he's given 30 minutes per game and handed the ball. He scored
a number of his baskets just overpowering weaker opponents, and
got away with pushing off on a number of occasions. He does have
a lightning quick first step which allows him to get by most defenders
at will and into the lane. His physical strength is also a big advantage
at this level, and he used it well on the boards (leading all players
with 10). He was able to stop a few West runs with timely hoops
and displayed his killer crossover and myriad of deceptive moves
all night much to the delight of the crowd. He was usually able
to finish once he got in the paint, converting on a few and-ones.
He's got some Penny Hardaway and Jamal Crawford combo-guard ability
to his game, but right now there's far too much Meadowlark Lemon
for scouts and coaches tastes. Evans has a big name and a flashy
game, but like Mayo it's going to take some conforming of his game
to become an effective player in an organized setting moving forward.
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Kemba
Walker
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Kemba
Walker
(UConn) 13 pts, (6-9 fg) 6 reb, 3 ast, 3 to, 1 stl -- This NYC point
guard is equally heady and athletic. He made his presence known
early in the game, getting an angle to the basket and had a show-stopping
one-handed slam on the break over National Player of the Year Jrue
Holiday. Kemba has a propensity to drive to the hoop, draw defenders,
and then kick the ball out to open teammates. He is also athletic
enough to finish on his own when he gets into the paint and has
a great attitude as well. He'll have a great chance to develop into
a pro under Calhoun, one of the top coaches at developing NBA talent.
If he were 6-2, he'd be a likely future lottery pick, as it is he's
got a shot to develop into a first rounder in 3-4 years.
Ed
Davis (North
Carolina) 11 pts, (5-7 fg), 6 rebs -- Either everyone else that
competed in the McDonald's All-American game looks older or Ed Davis
looks like a middle schooler (albeit a very tall one). His underdeveloped
frame needs a lot of work, but will surely make big strides over
his next few years at North Carolina. Regardless of his immature
looks, Davis has a fairly mature game. He showed that he is adept
at finishing around the basket and his huge wingspan allows him
to play much bigger than his 6-8 height. He played a very steady
and efficient game, finishing with 11 points on only seven shots.
Elliot
Williams
(Duke) 10 pts, (4-8 fg) 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 to -- Duke's lone McD's
All-American was impressive as he was able to show what a smooth
scorer he is. He also displayed a solid one-on-on ability using
his handle, something that likely won't develop much at Duke considering
their set play, ball control approach. Williams had 10 points in
just 14 minutes of play. He is a slasher, and definitely has the
tools to be Daniel Ewing-type consistent scorer as a Blue Devil.
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Samardo
Samuels
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Samardo
Samuels (Louisville)
8 pts, (3-8 fg), 5 reb -- Samuels had his typical game, scoring
mostly on offensive rebounds/put-backs but failed to show much in
the way of post moves. His lack of foot speed and slow explosiveness
around the rim limits his long term potential. The big man did have
quite a bit of trouble keeping the ball in his hands in the low
post; too frequently, he dropped the ball below his shoulders, making
it easy for smaller, quick guards to knock the ball away. Samuels
does have somewhat of a soft touch off the glass when he is able
to get his shot off down low. His enormous wingspan and strong arms
are his greatest attribute allowing him to play bigger and absorb
contact inside. While not a quick leaper, he has the length and
strength to out-muscle most bigmen.
Mike
Rosario (Rutgers) 18 pts, (8-13 fg), 5 stl, 3 to -- Rosario
could have easily won MVP of this game, which came as somewhat of
a surprise considering he's accustomed to being a complimentary
guy even with his own high school. He has been more of a contributing
player on winning teams all of his career. Rosario impressed with
his tenacious defense, which led to a few easy dunks. Rutgers got
itself a very good four-year player with Rosario who likely wouldn't
have even been a top 50 player in last year's class and ends up
a stand out in the McDonald's game in this. His pro potential is
limited by his inability to fit a position and lack of stand out
athleticism, but he's obviously a smart, and very polished and college
ready 2-guard.
Tyler
Zeller
(North Carolina) 6 pts, (3-4 fg) 2 reb -- Had two inside baskets
early. Came into Milwaukee late after a 43 point effort in an Indiana
championship game. Rail-thin, though very agile and active. The
rail-thin forward is extremely skilled (in the game, the righty
made a left-handed floater while on the move), though he is too
frail to bang on the inside. At 6'11," he can run the court
and jump like a guard, though he will not be able to develop a proficient
post game or defend physical big men until he puts on some muscle,
which might be a big challenge for him. A positive showing considering
he played just 12 minutes.
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Al-Farouq
Aminu
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Al-Farouq
Aminu (Georgia Tech) 0 pts, (0-4 fg), 4 reb, 1 stl -- Held
scoreless. Simply put, it was not his night. Aminu started the game,
though he never got into any rhythm. Maybe he was intimidated by
the bright lights, or maybe a lack of assertiveness kept him from
breaking the lid. For whatever reason, this highly talented prospect
could not get on the scoreboard in his 12 plus minutes of action.
JaMychal
Green (Alabama) 12 pts, (5-7 fg), 5 reb, 2 ast -- Displayed
a lot of potential with his aerial displays. The forward is extremely
long and athletic. This crowd pleaser seems to have a knack for
put-back dunks. Has a chance to become a dominant player if his
skills develop at Alabama.
Sylvan
Landesberg
(Virginia) 2 pts, (1-5 fg) 2 reb, 4 to -- This game did not go as
planned for Sylven. Landesberg looked physically overmatched, and
was not able to get much accomplished. He turned the ball over a
bunch and shot poorly from the floor. Not a great showing for the
future Cavalier.
Chris
Singleton
(Florida State) 0 pts, (0-1 fg) 7 rebs -- Singleton did not score,
though he collected seven rebounds. He did not necessarily get many
opportunities on the offensive end. He's an athletic player but
his array of skills and versatility were not really on display in
his just under 14 minutes of play.
William
Buford
(Ohio State) 6 pts, (3-9 fg) 1 reb, 1 ast -- Buford faced off with
fellow wing freak Scotty Hopson and though Hopson seemed to get
the upper hand, Buford showed a lot of upside. He'll need to work
on developing better discipline with his shot selection.
West:
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Brandon
Jennings
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Brandon
Jennings
(Arizona) 12 pts (5-12 fg) , 5 reb, 1 stl, 9 ast, 6 to -- House
Party meets McDonald's high school basketball. The unquestionable
highlight of the night was Jenning's do, bringing back the high
top fade circa 1990 Kid and Play. What's not to love about this
kid? He almost surely would have had 20+ points if he wasn't trying
so hard to break the assist record. And he also would have broken
the assist record (13) if not for a number of blown lay ups and
fumbled passes. Very flashy kid, but not out of control. Although
he did not accomplish his individual goal, he was one of the most
dominant players on the court. The game seems to come so easily
to him, at times it looks as if he is toying with his opponents.
His speed and athleticism is truly at an elite level. Some have
even brought up Iverson to describe him, and while Jennings is just
as quick and athletic, he lacks Iverson's uncanny ability to create
shots and finish on the move. But Jennings is more of a natural
point guard. He did turn the ball over quite a bit (6 to), but he
really wanted the assist record, so if there was a pass that he
thought might work, he dished. Jennings also showed the most charisma
of any player, so from a marketing standpoint, he's got a leg up
on the competition. Jennings line of "high-top-fades"
coming soon to a shoe store near you.
Jrue
Holiday (UCLA) 14 pts (6-9 fg) , 5 reb, 3 ast , 5 stl, 2
to -- Holiday is about as mature and polished a guard as you will
find at the high school level. He's not excessively flashy, so his
skills aren't best displayed in an All Star game, but for efficiency
he's at the top. He's the second best player to "come out of
California" in this class to Brandon Jennings, but makes a
better recruit due to the fact that he'll likely stay in the Pac-Ten
longer. He didn't seem to have any desire to hoist up shots, good
or bad, in order to boost his point tally. His big highlight was
stripping Elliot Williams at midcourt at the end of the first half
for a breakaway jam. Comparing Holiday's game to Evans, Evans is
the more talented athlete, but right now Holiday is the better prospect
due to his basketball understanding and focus on the team game.
He'll likely need 2-3 years at UCLA to polish his point guard skills
for the NBA level, but has a lot of intrigue to his game.
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Willie
Warren
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Willie
Warren
(Oklahoma) 23 pts (11-17 fg), 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 2 to -- Willie
Warren gets buckets. He was the leading scorer in the game, finishing
with 23. He is a combo with better scoring ability than point guard
skills. He's (listed at 6'4"), he might be closer to 6'3",
but he has a very powerfully built body and he is an explosive athlete.
If he can work on becoming a point guard he could become an excellent
pro prospect. He can score from all places on the court and is a
true specimen athletically. He threw one nice ally oop to Hopson
for a flush early on. During the game, Willie was described by Doug
Gottlieb as a "youtube legend," a reference to this
dunk Warren also finished a close second to Jennings in
hairstyle with a artistic swirl shaved on his scalp.
Greg
Monroe (Georgetown) -- 1 pt, (0-2 fg), 6 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk,
5 to -- Monroe would have to be deemed the biggest dissapointment
considering playing time received and hype coming in. He appears
to be a guy who peaked at 16 years of age. For someone who has been
rated as the number one player in the class for quite a while, 1
point in 20 minutes is a huge disappointment. He was much quicker
and more explosive as a sophomore and with an added 30 pounds, no
longer can utilize his greatest strength using the dribble to get
by opponents after facing up. He lacks intensity, getting beat to
the spot consistently by Samuels for rebounds or post position.
He doesn't seem to have the intensity or focus to be a dominant
player. Granted it is an all star game so not exactly the place
to second guess coaching, but Monroe was thoroughly outplayed by
Mullens but for some reason received 20 minutes to Mullens 13. Monroe
shows nice size, strength and court speed, and with hard work appears
to be a player who could possibly develop into a first rounder after
3-4 years at Georgetown.
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BJ
Mullens
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BJ
Mullens
(Ohio State) -- 12 points on (5-6 fg) 3 reb --- Mullens is so athletic
and skilled you might wonder why he doesn't dominate even more so
(granted he played just 13 min). The kid is a legitimate 7'1"
with a long wingspan, very good speed, and he is a very good leaper.
There aren't too many centers that can go between their legs and
dunk the ball. He also is a capable outside shooter and has a soft
touch around the rim. Mullens did show extremely well in the game;
nobody could handle him on the inside. Mullens missed just one shot
and would have had more impressive statistics had he received more
than 13 minutes of time.
Luke
Babbitt
(Nevada) 4 pts, 1-5 fg, 2 reb, 1 blk, 1 ast -- A bit like Kyle Singler,
Babbit is not overly athletic but has good body control. He has
shown a lot of improvement in his body in the past year, as he had
bulked up a little too much last summer. He can get by his man without
blow-by quickness thanks to his deception. He had one very nice
pump fake and drive to the basket but missed the conversion on the
and-1. Babbit had no trouble getting to the hoop in the game, though
he did have trouble finishing on a few lay-ups. And despite a lack
of great numbers, Babbitt had a solid showing.
Scotty
Hopson (Undecided) 10 pts (4-5 fg), 2 rebs, 1 stl -- Hopson
showed what a talented, explosive wing prospect he is with some
very impressive slashes to the basket. He is very tough on the inside,
where he is physical enough to take a bump. He did not show that
he has any kind of a jumpshot, air balling one attempt, but found
it easy to drive and finish in the paint. He should be an impact
player at whatever school he chooses to attend. He finished 10 points
in just 12+ minutes of action.
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Demar
DeRozan
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Demar
DeRozan (USC) -- 10 pts, (5-10 fg) 1 reb, 2 to -- His combination
of size and athleticism is in elite company. In the dunk contest
(which was not much of a contest), Derozan got his head at the rim
on every jump. In the game, Derozan mostly filled the lane on the
break and finished with a dunk. The ball was not in his hands all
that much when he was in a position to take his man one-on-one off
the dribble, so he did not get to show to what extent he could create
his own shot. he'll need to continue to develop his ball handling
and perimeter skills, but shows a greatdeal of potential with Vince
Carter type athletic ability.
Malcolm
Lee (UCLA) 3 pts, (1-3 fg) 2 reb, 1 stl, 2 to -- Lee struggled
to make an impact. He's a talented playmaker but in 14 minutes of
action was unable to get on track scoringwise, but flashed great
ball handling ability in traffic and exceptional speed. Lee is a
bigtime prospect, but wasn't able to display it here.
Larry
Drew (North Carolina) 7 pts, (3-8 fg) 2 reb, 5 ast, 1 to --
Son of former Laker point guard by the same name, Larry Drew is
a quick, very heady point guard. The coach's son has a reliable
outside jumper to keep defenders honest, and the moves to get into
the lane and dish to open teammates. He lacks flash, but is very
steady.
Michael
Dunigan
(Oregon) 6 pts, (3-3 fg) , 2 reb, 1 blk -- Meat and potatoes type
of inside guy who was very effective in the minutes he received.
He doesn't have huge upside, but has the size, strength and athleticism
to develop into a pro at Oregon if he works at it.
Iman
Shumpert (Georgia Tech) 0 pts, (0-1 fg) 5 reb, 1 ast -- The
wing had a tough night. He was overpowered by Evans on the defensive
end, and with just one field goal attempt didn't have the chance
to show his shooting ability.
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