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Kenyon Martin: "Don't expect him to fall out of the top 5"

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Clutch, Jan 18, 2000.

  1. Clutch

    Clutch Administrator
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    So says ESPN's Andy Katz...

    These are the players he lists as "Lottery
    Locks":

    Point Guard:
    Mateen Cleaves, 6-2, Michigan State: Cleaves' return from an injury won't dampen his draft status. He still has the smarts for the position at the next level.

    Ed Cota, 6-1, North Carolina: He's on the fringe of this group. He still needs to be more assertive in college. But he can hit the outside shot when he decides to take it, and his leadership weighs heavily in his favor.

    Shooting Guard:
    Courtney Alexander, 6-5, Fresno State: Came back strong from his stress fracture to average more than 20 points a game. Alexander is a definitive lock for the lottery because of his scoring. His shot selection will always be a question, though.

    Morris Peterson, 6-6, Michigan State: Peterson's development as a pure shooter has catapulted him into the top 13. He's improved his ballhandling skills and could play the straight shooting guard in the NBA, rather than small forward as he has in college.

    Small Forward:
    (None ... not even Chris Porter of Auburn)

    Power Forward:
    Kenyon Martin, 6-8, Cincinnati: He might have locked up one of the top two spots during his summer play with the World University Games team. His offensive intensity matches his shotblocking. Don't expect him to fall out of the top five.

    Hanno Mottola, 6-10, Utah: He came back from his knee injury and went on a scoring tear, improving his stock among scouts. He still needs to create better, but his ballhandling has improved.

    Etan Thomas, 6-9, Syracuse: His shotblocking has always been a mainstay but now he's scoring, too. Thomas should be in the top 13 picks, assuming he continues to progress the second half of the season.

    Center:
    Mamadou N'Diaye, 7-0, Auburn: N'Diaye's offense improved at the Pete Newell camp. His defense has never been in question. Because he's tall has long, rangy arms and can move laterally, N'Diaye is a lock for the lottery.

    He did not list underclassmen like Khalid El-Amin ("a lock for the lottery if he comes out"), Quentin Richardson, Chris Mihm and even Terence Morris, but did say about Morris:

    Terence Morris, 6-9, Jr., Maryland: He's easily one of the most talented players on this list. If he comes out, he's a lock for the lottery.

    ... and about Mihm ...

    Chris Mihm, 7-0, Jr., Texas: He's either No. 1 or No. 2 overall because of his soft hands, agile feet, ability to score in the post, run the floor and defend. But he'll wait until April to make up his mind.
     
  2. RocketHead2

    RocketHead2 Member

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    I havn't quite given up on the Rox just yet. I still think the top five is not going to happen for us.

    What did he say about Yao Ming? That is assuming China lets him play. No question that this guy will one day be one of the best in the world.
     
  3. Da Man

    Da Man Member
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    Don't even worry about Yao Ming. He's never going to get out of China. He's a 7'6" big man that's 19 years old and played in some AAU tournaments in 1998. He held his own. Was a dominant shot blocker(But that was against high schoolers). His offense was rather mediocre. I don't know where all of this talk about him being the next great big man because he is a project at best.
     

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