[valentine]

On Tuesday we wrote about Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger as a potential No. 1 pick in the draft. Within the past two days I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from scouts, as well as from someone close to Sullinger, that there’s a very good chance Sullinger will not declare for the 2011 NBA draft.

 

 

Those sources say that Sullinger is concerned about a potential lockout and had planned to stay an extra year at Ohio State anyway. If he believes he’s the No. 1 pick that could change, but as of right now, he wants to return to OSU for another year.

 

 

I’ve heard similar things from Kyrie Irving‘s and Harrison Barnes‘ camps over the past few months, but I’m generally skeptical of these sorts of things. Most good players say they’re going back to school this time of year and most change their minds once they start balancing the risks of return versus a huge guaranteed contract.

 

 

But there could be some fire attached to this smoke. If all three do decide to stay in school, then obviously an already shaky draft becomes much weaker.

 

 

Scouting report from UNC-Duke matchup

There were a plethora of NBA scouts and execs in attendance at the Duke-North Carolina game Wednesday night. There were eight legit NBA prospects playing, and scouts love to watch guys play in high pressure situations.

 

 

Nolan Smith was the main catalyst for the Blue Devils, scoring 34 points. He got to the basket at will and also hit three 3s. Scouts have generally been impressed with his improvement over the past few years, while remaining a bit skeptical about his playmaking abilities. When Smith has the ball in his hands and is looking to score, he’s terrific. But given his lack of size, he’d be expected to be a point guard at least some of the time in the pros, and scouts worry he lacks the instincts to run the point. That’s why Smith is still sitting on the first-round bubble.

 

 

North Carolina had big games from John Henson and Tyler Zeller. Henson was active on both ends of the floor and ended with 14 points and 12 boards. He’s an emerging offensive player, but his weak frame and his tendency to shy away from contact concerns scouts a bit. Henson made it to the line just two times in the game.

 

 

Zeller really was the breakout star. Scouts have been high on him all season, but his 24-point, 13-board game was impressive — especially when some of the scoring and rebounds came against Mason Plumlee. Zeller runs the floor well, is active on the boards and shows some toughness. More and more scouts are pegging him as a mid- to late-first-round pick.

 

 

The two disappointments were the teams’ two "stars" — Barnes and Kyle Singler. Barnes made a few terrific plays but for much of the game he wasn’t involved, and he forced some bad shots when he was. His defense was terrific, but after three straight breakout games, he didn’t wow in this one.

 

 

Singler really struggled with UNC’s length and athleticism and shot just 3-for-17 from the field. His stock has been sliding all season, and he’s now in danger of falling out of the first round.

 

 

Jayhawks’ Robinson remains under the radar

My colleague David Thorpe wrote an excellent article on why Florida’s Patric Young might be a lottery pick despite averaging just three ppg. In the NBA, size, athleticism and motor will take you a long way. We should really add another player to that list — Kansas’ Thomas Robinson.

 

 

We’ve written about Robinson before, but he remains one of the more under-the-radar prospects playing today. I’ve had several GMs tell me that they believe Robinson is the best NBA prospect on the Jayhawks, and I can’t disagree. Like Young, he has a terrific body, length, athleticism and motor. He’s more polished offensively than Young and maintains the 20th-best PER in college basketball. Were he not playing behind Marcus and Markieff Morris, he’d be playing 30 minutes a night and putting up much bigger numbers.

 

 

If Robinson decides to declare for the draft, there’s a strong possibility he goes somewhere in the late lottery — ahead of both Morris twins and Josh Selby. We’ve had him ranked in the 20s on our Big Board virtually all season, but this week we’ve moved him into the teens.

 

 

One GM’s take on Jimmer

I know many of you would go crazy without your weekly Jimmer Fredette fix. Here it is, from a respected GM who’s been watching Fredette closely:

 

"I think he’s going to be a better NBA player than my scouts think," the GM told ESPN.com. "We’re quick to compare him to J.J. Redick or Kyle Korver, because they all can shoot. But Fredette does something neither of those guys do. He’s great at digging into a defender, creating separation and then letting it fly. That’s a critical skill in our league, and I think it will allow him to create shots that Redick and Korver struggle to create in the NBA. His worst-case scenario, to me, is Eddie House. His best case is much, much higher. I think he’s going to be a really, really good pro."

 

 

Pre-draft camp news

Finally, league sources say that the NBA will hold its annual pre-draft camp in Chicago on May 19-20. That’s considerably earlier than the league has had the camp in years past — just two days after the NBA draft lottery.

[Stanford hoops1]

Henson is starting to grow on me more and more

[Stanford hoops1]

Henson is starting to grow on me more and more

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

I was telling you about Henson developing. I see some potential AK47 in him. He’s gonna need to develop down the line

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

I was telling you about Henson developing. I see some potential AK47 in him. He’s gonna need to develop down the line

[Stanford hoops1]

He isn’t a Sf but he plays pretty well on that block. His handles and jumper are very suspect

[Stanford hoops1]

He isn’t a Sf but he plays pretty well on that block. His handles and jumper are very suspect

[JNixonParticipant]

I like Tyler Zeller’s upside. He’s a talented scorer and a very good athlete who runs well and shows the length and elevation to finish and block shots on D. He reminds me of a more athletic Spencer Hawes. He’ll show more of a jump shot and face-up in the NBA too, even though it might take him time to get significant action. He has to get stronger and get better on the glass and down low.

[JNixonParticipant]

I like Tyler Zeller’s upside. He’s a talented scorer and a very good athlete who runs well and shows the length and elevation to finish and block shots on D. He reminds me of a more athletic Spencer Hawes. He’ll show more of a jump shot and face-up in the NBA too, even though it might take him time to get significant action. He has to get stronger and get better on the glass and down low.

[Stanford hoops1]

Tyler Zeller looks like a skinnier less athletic Chris Mhim imo

[Stanford hoops1]

Tyler Zeller looks like a skinnier less athletic Chris Mhim imo

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The more David Thorpe writes, the less credibility he has. He is infatuated with things about basketball players that aren’t basketball. Patric Young can’t play yet. He is a project. If a team takes a project in the lottery, they are going to be in that exact spot or worse the next year. Thorpe basically wrote the same column last year about Solomon Alabi as a lottery pick saying that he would be able to step into a rotation immediately and with his length, athleticism, and energy would be a good value. Why doesn’t he learn? What is wrong with him?

Chad also has to understand a reality about Thomas Robinson, if the Morris twins were not on Kansas it would not make Robinson less likely to foul or turn the ball over.

Henson reminds me a lot of Larry Sanders. He is the same long, gangly guy who shows flashes of what he could be, but is simply years away in terms of physical strength and overall polish. If someone is going to take him, they have to assume that he won’t be a regular contributor for a while.

Zeller might be the best true center prospect in the NCAA ranks. I think the hope would be from a team that takes him that he can be a Gortat-type center. The problem is that Zeller still needs to add more bulk if he was ever to become a viable starter.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The more David Thorpe writes, the less credibility he has. He is infatuated with things about basketball players that aren’t basketball. Patric Young can’t play yet. He is a project. If a team takes a project in the lottery, they are going to be in that exact spot or worse the next year. Thorpe basically wrote the same column last year about Solomon Alabi as a lottery pick saying that he would be able to step into a rotation immediately and with his length, athleticism, and energy would be a good value. Why doesn’t he learn? What is wrong with him?

Chad also has to understand a reality about Thomas Robinson, if the Morris twins were not on Kansas it would not make Robinson less likely to foul or turn the ball over.

Henson reminds me a lot of Larry Sanders. He is the same long, gangly guy who shows flashes of what he could be, but is simply years away in terms of physical strength and overall polish. If someone is going to take him, they have to assume that he won’t be a regular contributor for a while.

Zeller might be the best true center prospect in the NCAA ranks. I think the hope would be from a team that takes him that he can be a Gortat-type center. The problem is that Zeller still needs to add more bulk if he was ever to become a viable starter.

[Stanford hoops1]

Alot of NBA scouts have little cred with you then because many of them really like Pat Young( personally i can’t see why) He does have aNBA body but is far from havnign a NBA game at this point. Very very raw. Teams are also pretty high on Thomas although i can see why in his case because he does have ability and there aren’t many big guys in the Draft this year

[Stanford hoops1]

Alot of NBA scouts have little cred with you then because many of them really like Pat Young( personally i can’t see why) He does have aNBA body but is far from havnign a NBA game at this point. Very very raw. Teams are also pretty high on Thomas although i can see why in his case because he does have ability and there aren’t many big guys in the Draft this year

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

The more David Thorpe writes, the less credibility he has. He is infatuated with things about basketball players that aren’t basketball. Patric Young can’t play yet. He is a project. If a team takes a project in the lottery, they are going to be in that exact spot or worse the next year. Thorpe basically wrote the same column last year about Solomon Alabi as a lottery pick saying that he would be able to step into a rotation immediately and with his length, athleticism, and energy would be a good value. Why doesn’t he learn? What is wrong with him?

 

Damn…noone can get it wrong? Come on now.

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

The more David Thorpe writes, the less credibility he has. He is infatuated with things about basketball players that aren’t basketball. Patric Young can’t play yet. He is a project. If a team takes a project in the lottery, they are going to be in that exact spot or worse the next year. Thorpe basically wrote the same column last year about Solomon Alabi as a lottery pick saying that he would be able to step into a rotation immediately and with his length, athleticism, and energy would be a good value. Why doesn’t he learn? What is wrong with him?

 

Damn…noone can get it wrong? Come on now.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Quincey, there is nothing wrong with liking an athletic project, but it does matter when they think a guy who cannot contribute in any sort of significant way at Florida is worthy of a lottery pick. I would have no problem if every NBA team took a big man in the second round. They can send them to the D-League and let them bang bodies with Alabi, Ryan Reid, Hassan Whiteside, and Tiny Gallon. That is fine, the D-League is where those guys belong. I just don’t see how someone who claims to be a coach is so unfamilar with the fact that NBA coaches hate rookie projects.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Quincey, there is nothing wrong with liking an athletic project, but it does matter when they think a guy who cannot contribute in any sort of significant way at Florida is worthy of a lottery pick. I would have no problem if every NBA team took a big man in the second round. They can send them to the D-League and let them bang bodies with Alabi, Ryan Reid, Hassan Whiteside, and Tiny Gallon. That is fine, the D-League is where those guys belong. I just don’t see how someone who claims to be a coach is so unfamilar with the fact that NBA coaches hate rookie projects.

[JNixonParticipant]

Patric Young isn’t worthy of any NBA talk this early in his career. He’s got size, athleticism, and he plays hard, but he’s honestly no different a player than Wally Judge was as a Fr. And nobody was talking about Judge as a draft prospect as a Fr. Young might develop into something in a few years, but he’s a long-term guy from what I’ve seen. Nothing about him deserves draft mention for this year.

[JNixonParticipant]

Patric Young isn’t worthy of any NBA talk this early in his career. He’s got size, athleticism, and he plays hard, but he’s honestly no different a player than Wally Judge was as a Fr. And nobody was talking about Judge as a draft prospect as a Fr. Young might develop into something in a few years, but he’s a long-term guy from what I’ve seen. Nothing about him deserves draft mention for this year.

[Stanford hoops1]

I agree with you 100 percent, BTPH i said as much about Pat Young. I watched 2 of his H.S games and wasn’t impressed then. Probably because i look past the NBA body and saw the H.S skills

[Stanford hoops1]

I agree with you 100 percent, BTPH i said as much about Pat Young. I watched 2 of his H.S games and wasn’t impressed then. Probably because i look past the NBA body and saw the H.S skills

[kobyzParticipant]

John Henson is Amir Johnson clone!

[kobyzParticipant]

John Henson is Amir Johnson clone!

[Author]

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