Which Florida starter is going to make the best NBA player?

1) Brewer
2) Noah
3) Horford

 

1) Horford
2) Brewer
3) Noah

Horford is the most solid player and will have the least chance of being a bust.
he is big, athletic, can run and has a solid touch around the post. I was dissapointed how he got owned by Oden during the finals but then again, its hard not to be...

Brewer can possibly be a major defensive disrupter ala Bruce Bowen/Josh Howard/Tayshaun Prince... however, he is too skinny to play in the NBA and can possibly be a bust...

Noah will be terrible if he does not develop either a) a post game b) an outside shot c) some kind of offensive game
He was vastly overrated last year and will probably prove to be a bust

 

I think you can count on 4 of the 5 (Noah, Horford, Brewer, and Green) to be solid, productive NBA players if put in the right situation. But Brewer is the only one that has star potential

 

1. horford- athletic big man with prototypical size who can rebound, block shots, and has an improving jump shot. should be able to start right away for any team due to his size, athleticism, and defense. post game still a bit raw, but he has the most upside of any of the 3

2. brewer- can make open shots and slash to the hole. very good defender. needs to gain weight, doesnt really create for himself, not a great ball handler.

3. noah- tall and athletic. good bball iq. hustle player. can block shots and handle the ball. doesnt have any offensive game. must gain about 20 pounds.

 

I've also managed to become more sour on Noah than I was last year when he was being hyped as a top pick.

Doesn't have the quickness, agility, handles, shot to play the 3. Way too light to bang as a 4 or 5. No footwork, no shot, no explosiveness, no actual skill to lean on. Just able to do well in college by having a long frame and wingspan with decent speed.

That said, I'm sure he'll stick around as a big off the bench. But he may want to stick around one more year - his stock is tanking badly.

Brewer has the look of a SG version of Tayshaun Prince to me. If he really applies himself as a defender, he could be sick. Offensively, he'll be streaky.

Horford....I'm just not sure. He's a protoypical 4, but I don't see him doing all that great in the league. Not really elite.

Humphry will be lucky to make a roster. Green'll be a third string PG.

Evan

 

Horford is the next Chris Wilcox, Melvin Ely even a Mike Sweetney... just doesn't have the skills or mentality to be anything more than a bench player in the NBA. Noah is a slightly better version of Anderson Varejao.

Brewer is going to make the best NBA player far and away.

 

God, that team you described must really, really suck. They don't have a single really good or reliable player.

 

No player in the NCCA finals is going to take the NBA by storm. I didn't see any LeBron's, Wades, etc. They all looked pretty raw to me. I would pick Durant #1 by miles.

 

Teams usually draft skilled big men early. However, I think Brewer has the most potential to be great and he's the best all-around player on the Gators.

 

Brewer and Horford are lotto pick, Brewer might have all-star potential if he develops NBA 3pt range. The other 3 are nothing more than minor role players in the NBA, if that.

Noah has ZERO skills whatsover, unless you call running around screaming like a little b**** with a ponytail skills.

 

I pretty much agree with this post, except I think the comments wrt to NOah are a bit extreme.

Should the Rockets pick Noah if he falls to 20 whatever? I say yes as a PF.. We need some fire on the court.

 

why are people so down on horford?

6'9 245lbs
he has a rock solid body with speed to run up and down the court. he averaged 9.5 rebounds a game in only 28 minutes a game. has the track record for being a good shot blocker averaging 1.7 blocks a game over his 3 years. his post game is a bit raw, but he did show signs of a mid range game when oden wouldnt come out to guard him. his free throw shooting isnt very good, but that's to be expected from any college big man these days. 65% isnt all that bad though. i think his upside is far greater than brewer's.

brewer is even skinnier than durant is, and theyre the same height. at 185lbs, he needs to gain about 30-40lbs to really guard nba 3's like lebron or carmelo. he hits open shots and can slash to the basket. he's an underrated passer. however, he doesnt create shots for himself, doesnt have a post game, and he doesnt handle the ball very well at all. 2.5 turnovers a game for someone who really doesnt have the ball in his hands alot is a bit high. he's an athletic shane battier with better speed and slashing ability. he'll never be the focal point of the offense, so i dont see why people are saying he'll be great. he's gonna be a starter, but not a star. best case scenario is taushaun prince.

 

I think Brewer will be a terrific NBA role player. Lights out defensively and solid off the ball player and finisher on offense. Very smart and controlled player as well. Somewhere between Bowen and Prince--but he is probably quicker than either. I wouldn't be too worried about weight, he will get stronger and is going to play the 2 and 3.

Between Noah and Horford, I think Noah has more potential (taller, longer, quicker) but Horford is stronger and more refined. Probably both will be solid back-ups.

Humphfrey and Green are solid college players, great in their system, but I see neither playing the NBA. Both are too small for their pro positions without being exceptionally quick (Ford or Paul as 1s, Hinrich as a 2) or creative (Ridnour) to overcome it. Green could be a decent middle 2nd round pick I guess.

Of guards last night Conley and Lewis have much more pro potential. Conley has to work on his jumpshot, but that guy could become a terrific pro 1 guard on both ends. Ran his team well and super athletic gifts in his own right.

 

Horford reminds me of Wayne Simien from Kansas a few years back. I don't even know where Simien is anymore about disappearing from the Miami heat. So I you were to make comparisons, I would think that Brewer would have the highest ceiling out of all of them.

 

Wow 185 lbs, that guy will get manhandles by NBA players. I guess that t-shirt he wears covers him up and hides his boniness.

 

horford's ceiling is higher than simien. first of all, simien is only 6'8. horford is 6'9 and espn has him listed at 6'10. simien isnt the shot blocker that horford is either. simien is bigger and stronger, but he still isnt the athlete that horford is.

the only knock on horford that i can see is on the offensive end. his footwork is raw, like every big man (even greg oden's footwork is mechanical and a bit choppy), he doesnt have a wide array of post moves (greg oden doesnt either), and he doesnt have a consistent midrange game (greg oden doesnt have any jumpshot whatsoever). horford is still raw, but he has shown signs of development since last year. he did show he can hit the open 15 footer in the championship game, he can run the court and finish on fast breaks, he has solid hands in the post, he had 2 blocks against ohio state, he has all the raw tools you look for in a prototypical power forward.

will any of the 3 be a star? no, probably not, but horford probably has the best chance at putting up the numbers because he will be a 8-10 rebound a game type with 1.5 blocks per game, and if he can develop his offensive game like he has been, he should be a 15-17ppg type power forward.

keep in mind that brewer doesnt have much of an offensive game either. he has to rely on others to give him the ball when he's open at the perimeter or when he slashes to the basket. guys like that dont score a lot of points consistently. also, with his skinny frame, he wont be able to finish off plays at the rim when he slashes to the basket. i'd be weary of guys who come into college at 185lbs, and leave at 185lbs. you look at durant, budinger, and thad young, all put on 20 pounds in their freshman year. brewer needs to put on 30-40lbs to be as effective as he was in college, and he doesnt look like hes gained a pounds in the past year.

 

That's twisting what I posted a good bit. Great college players/teams don't always translate into the NBA. You could fill a canyon with the number of guys that had fantastic college careers that couldn't make the leap.

Where's Miles Simon? Trajan Langdon? Mateen Kleeves? Kahlid Al-Amin? Ed O'Bannon? Consider the list of MOP winners in the last 2 decades:

• # 1985 -- Ed Pinckney, Villanova
  # 1986 -- Pervis Ellison, Louisville
  # 1987 -- Keith Smart, Indiana
  # 1988 -- Danny Manning, Kansas
  # 1989 -- Glen Rice, Michigan
  # 1990 -- Anderson Hunt, UNLV
  # 1991 -- Christian Laettner, Duke
  # 1992 -- Bobby Hurley, Duke
  # 1993 -- Donald Williams, North Carolina
  # 1994 -- Corliss Williamson, Arkansas
  # 1995 -- Ed O'Bannon, UCLA
  # 1996 -- Tony Delk, Kentucky
  # 1997 -- Miles Simon, Arizona
  # 1998 -- Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
  # 1999 -- Richard Hamilton, UConn
  # 2000 -- Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
  # 2001 -- Shane Battier, Duke
  # 2002 -- Juan Dixon, Maryland
  # 2003 -- Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
  # 2004 -- Emeka Okafor, UConn
  # 2005 -- Sean May, North Carolina
  # 2006 -- Joakim Noah, Florida
  # 2007 -- Corey Brewer, Florida

Tally up the number of guys that were marginal, busts, or no shows in the NBA. It's pretty much 50-50.

I'm not saying this in an attempt to knock their achievments in college, just to press the point that college success does not promise pro success. Lee Humphrey is a great college shooter. He won't last in the league. Look at how bad JJ Redick is doing.

Noah will probably be a big man off the bench at the next level. Brewer will either be a starter or a 6th man (of the year candidate, perhaps). Horford will make it, but doesn't show any outstanding skill or trait that would make him a star.

Florida killed because they put their impressive talents together and became an unstoppable unit, but it would be a stretch to say they won because they had the best players in college basketball. They were the best team.

Evan

 

Most of the players you mentioned were upperclassman with little potential but high skill. It all makes good sense. The winners stay in college and work on their game becoming great college upperclassmen. The NBA talented super athletic monsters declared early and never showed their polished game in the NCAA.

The Gators team may be an anomaly. These players could have declared early into the lotto but didn't. The excess of talent may also hinder what the other guys can do, mainly Brewer, Horford, and Green. But who knows right. To the naked eye Brewer has the most upside as Horford already has an NBA body.