hansbrough is a bit overrated. he's a great college basketball player, but how well will his skills translate to the NBA? he's undersized at 6'8, not very athletic, and he was a year older than other freshman. morris almond could step in right away and contribute. senior from rice with good shooting skills and a high bball IQ. perfect for VG if he's still here next year. if we are looking for a PF, the influx of college freshman into the draft may force splitter down a bit, and joseph jones from A&M is a nice big body who can score in the post and has a nice midrange jumper, may be a bit raw though, but his upside is much higher than hansbrough.
What is the deal with Tiago Splitter? Is this guy vaporware? Doesn't it seem like he's been a hot lottery prospect for the last 7 NBA drafts or something and then pulls out? Take me off the Splitter wagon, asap.
I'm personally looking at Thaddeus Young and Kevin Durant. Both are 6'8" and can play a variety of positions. Decent shooters and great all-around games. Either one might be able to help the Rox tremendously. Don't know how much Oden will play this year because of his injury. He might want to wait until 2008(at least) to declare.
Having only seen highlights, so grain of salt, but I think Oden is a much, much better prospect than Olowakandi or Kwame Brown was/were and that he will be the second best C from the second he steps in the league. Not only does he have that huge frame and good athleticism, but he seems a bit more confident. He's also a tremednous one on one shotblocker, and he does it with timing and smarts rather than trying to fly in from the weak side and swat the ball halfway to uranus - I would not bet against him. I hope he goes in our division, Oden vs. Yao will be worth the price of admission in years to come, I hope. I agree; he doesn't look that 'raw' or 'unpolished' on defense - he looks like he knows exactly what to do from the (admittedly little) that I have seen. On offense, sure he has yet to develop a skyhook or a dreamshake or a fadeaway, but he hasn't had too as people have pointed out; all indications are that he's a hard worker and a smart player so there's no reason to believe he wouldn't.
Yeah, that would give me memories of Admiral vs. Dream. Two great centers on competitve teams. That'd be nice to watch!
He's said that he might consider playing for more than one year for the Buckeyes, but unless he is a complete disappointment, I could guarantee he is one and done. Passing up being the #1 Overall pick is just too much of a risk. Not only are you risking injury, you could have another good year and still fall, look at Leinart.
I would love for him to be in Memphis. It would be worth enduring the season it would take to get him. Can you imagine the NBA in a few seasons...Yao vs. Oden and Kobe vs. Wade and LeBron vs. OJ Mayo.
Durant is 6'10". Neither Young or Durant will last past the top 10, so the Rockets won't be able to touch either unless they completely fall apart again. Oden probably won't miss any games at all. Even if he did, he'd still be #1 pick.
Unless both of these guys completely bomb next season, both could be Top 5 picks. I personally can't wait to see Durant in Burnt Orange next season. He has supposedly already put on a lot of muscle which was probably his biggest weakness. I don't think I've ever seen a player with Durant's combination of size, athleticism, and skill. A lot of people are comparing him to TMac, KG, Bosh but I think the best comparison is Lamar Odom with better athleticism and shooting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCYVQlg2NUQ Oden's so soft-spoken..seems like a nice guy. Honor-Roll in every year of HS. Really reminds me of the Admiral. If you look at stats of all the great big-men in college, none of them do that great in their first year.. Ewing averaged 12ppg in his freshmen year. Hakeem ... 8.3ppg Robinson ... 7.6ppg Shaq ... 13.9ppg So it gives us some realistic expectations of what to expect in his first year at OSU.
Well, what kind of player do you think Houston will go for or should go for? I think a forward/center and a full center to replace aging Mutombo would be good. Might need a really good SG/SF to take big minutes from the two starters. Or swap those positions for veterans, since JVG is not favorable to complete rookies.
