Michael Dunigan

[jman3134]

Recently, Oregon has been playing well, upsetting Washington and looking like a real darkhorse in the Pac. This is largely attributable to the play of Michael Dunigan, their sophomore big man. What do you think are his NBA prospects? I really think this kid is a hard nosed guy who should continue to improve and stay in school.

[teamjosh04]

I'm skeptical - definitely should stay in school. Unfortunately for him, the Pac10 sucks this year and there really aren't any opportunities to see him matched up against any other good big men. I didn't see either of his last two big games, but his stat lines are helped by pace and the fact that he played two teams without much size inside - especially Washington State.

Against State he had 5 offensive boards (which should be expected against them) and I assume he converted a few of them into easy putbacks. Now he had a total of 22 points so he was obviously doing some work in the post/on the break but to get those points he also committed 6 TOs while not recording one assist in a game where his team scored 91.

I could be totally wrong, but from the times I've watched him last year I would think that is the case. Right now he's probably an early to mid second rounder.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Patience, jman. Dunigan is certainly a tantalizing prospect, but his recent play should not elevate his status as a prospect too much. The Washington series looks like Jerome James' first-round playoff series right now, and that's not likely to change unless Oregon earns a tourney berth (which I would have immediately dismissed at the beginning of the season, but they could certainly take the conference tourney at this rate).

The interesting thing about Dunigan is, while he's a little undersized at 6-10, he's perfectly suited to be an NBA center because he can rotate very well defensively, has all the tools to become a great shotblocker, has the frame for a little extra bulk, and has no fear of physical post players. His biggest question, and it's a monster of one, is effort; specifically, he won't exert it if he can help it. He hasn't noticeably improved in his game since his freshman year. His footwork is mediocre for a man who moves as well as he does, and he hasn't learned many reliable post moves. Part of this is coaching, but a lot of this rests on his fairly broad shoulders.

Dunigan is certainly a buy-and-hold prospect for the future, but his durability to date and ceiling make him probably a four-year prospect. He won't suffer the Malik Hairston career path because his size and skills already pleasant are enough to sucker a team with a first-rounder. That all said, Dunigan can play his way to a top-5 pick in 2012 if he's genuinely serious about becoming a good basketball player.

[mavfan12]

Saw him play a few times last year and was pretty impressed. With another year or two of development I see no reason why he can't crack the lottery. He's already got pro size and solid athleticism. I think he put up like 20 and 14 against Washington.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Interesting article on Dunigan from the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard. Contained a lot of info I did not know previously.

[jman3134]

Nice read, PNF.

He's having a horrific game against Oregon St. so far. Matador defense to say the least.