Eric Bledsoe

[shamu]

Jrue Holiday is a horrible comparison with Bledsoe. The only comparison is that Bledsoe played out of position much like Holiday.
Bledsoe will stick in the NBA though. He's an above average defender with insane leaping ability. A player that will be able to guard either guard position on the floor. In time he will learn to run the point and I think the Lowry comparison actually holds some water. I expect Bledsoe's role to be similar to what Lowry has done in the NBA.

That's what I meant, I wasn't comparing them as players, more as their situations. Coming out of High school, Jrue was slotted to go a lot higher than he did, but at the college level, he played out of position and wasn't able to showcase what he's capable of, I never really gave him a second thought. But in Philly, he was given the reigns and really impressed, showing a nice shooting touch and good PG instincts. Some of the knocks on Jrue was that he'd never be able to lead a team as a true PG as I recall, those same knocks are applied to Bledsoe this season. I don't see a reason to believe that if he's given a shot to run a team, he won't blossom, much like Jrue, who's looking like a steal right about now. Not necessarily comparing them as players, though they do have some similarities, but more so the situation.

[ManualRam]

He hasn't shown any positives with regards to running a team's offense. The only way I see him succeeding is if he plays PG opposite a ball dominant SG, such as Wade. In that scenario, he can defend the opposing PG and be a spot up shooter. You want to avoid having him dribbling around with the ball due to his propensity for TO's.

he wasn the 3rd rated PG in the country by some scouting services becuz of his ability to shoot and score.
read the scouting reports when he came out of high school. the kid can play the point becuz he IS a point. hes' not even a combo guard. he is a point guard.
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p= ... id=3654070
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiti ... son%3d2009
as for the high TO numbers, calipari teams since he started this system at memphis are high turnover teams. they run every chance they get and the half court offense is a series of linked 1 on 1 plays. turnovers will happen.

While I agree that he's a PG, I dont see what being ranked #3 by some recruiting services has anything to do with how well he will run a team in the NBA. Based off RSCI, he was actually the 10th ranked PG

1. John Wall
2. Abdul Gaddy
3. Maalik Wayns
4. Elijah Johnson
5. Peyton Siva
6. Tommy Mason-Griffin
7. Mfon Udofia
8. Junior Cadougan
9. Ray Penn
10. Eric Bledsoe

Being the 10th ranked PG in your class means nothing about his ability to effectively play PG in the NBA. Look at the guys he was ranked behind - are they considered NBA PGs?

thats not what i was saying. i was saying he was ranked top 3 by some recruiting services, becuz of his PG skills and instincts, not becuz he was some uber athlete and a prolific scorer....and definitely not becuz he showed promise as a combo guard.

most elite prep PGs are not praised for their ability to set up teammates or run an offense. that is a skill that is acquired over time. eric bledsoe was a PG that was praised for his ability to run a team and those instincts dont just go away after one season of playing off the ball.

that list says 10, this list says 3. big deal.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... /rank-1911
in retrospect, i think bledsoe will make that list look ridiculous. hes already been praised for his intangibles and the physical tools/athleticism are apparent. he just needs experience at the next level at his NATURAL position.

[Chili Fries]

Bledsoe is a 6'2 shooting gaurd who can't shoot..He was wide open all year as opponents collapsed on Patterson and Big Cuz. I see a bleak NBA future for him and the team that wastes a #1 on him.

he's not a shooting guard. he's a PG who was forced to play SG.
there's no doubt at the next level he's a pg.

He's not 6'2 either. I think he'll be 6 foot in shoes. The truth about Bledsoe is he looked really out of control on offense at UK last year. He looked a lot better as a point guard playing his senior year in high school because the high school game tends to have a lot more open space. I think he had a hard time adjusting to a game where he wasn't the best athlete on the floor by far, even though he is obviously an athletic freak. He's really going to have to learn how to play under control with the ball in his hands. That could be a big struggle for him.

He's also going to have to develop a jump shot. Almost all the outside shots he took last year were wide open set shots. Kentucky's size and scoring ability in the paint gave him open looks on kick outs when defenses collapsed on Cousins and Patterson. Bledsoe has some bad habits he is going to have to break if he wants to stick on an NBA roster.

[ManualRam]

Bledsoe is a 6'2 shooting gaurd who can't shoot..He was wide open all year as opponents collapsed on Patterson and Big Cuz. I see a bleak NBA future for him and the team that wastes a #1 on him.

he's not a shooting guard. he's a PG who was forced to play SG.
there's no doubt at the next level he's a pg.

He's not 6'2 either. I think he'll be 6 foot in shoes. The truth about Bledsoe is he looked really out of control on offense at UK last year. He looked a lot better as a point guard playing his senior year in high school because the high school game tends to have a lot more open space. I think he had a hard time adjusting to a game where he wasn't the best athlete on the floor by far, even though he is obviously an athletic freak. He's really going to have to learn how to play under control with the ball in his hands. That could be a big struggle for him.

He's also going to have to develop a jump shot. Almost all the outside shots he took last year were wide open set shots. Kentucky's size and scoring ability in the paint gave him open looks on kick outs when defenses collapsed on Cousins and Patterson. Bledsoe has some bad habits he is going to have to break if he wants to stick on an NBA roster.

eric has a 6'7 wingspan.
every perimeter player looks out of control in calipari's offense at times, since its dribble drive after dribble drive after dribble drive. like i said, the dribble drive offense is a series of linked isos which is attractive to prep recruits. his whole style is based on attracting recruits (open floor, pressure, emphasis on athleticism, less emphasis on jump shooting, screening and a lot of other basketball fundamentals)
in actuality, it is a terrible brand of basketball that calipari is coaching and its not much like what it'll be like in the NBA.

the question mark for eric coming out of HS was his outside jump shot. he went from having a questionable jump shot to being a 40% shooter from 3 for the majority of the season and finishing at 38%.
that is solid progress and it shows that he knows what he needs to work on and has the work ethic to improve.

[Chili Fries]

He's not 6'2 either. I think he'll be 6 foot in shoes. The truth about Bledsoe is he looked really out of control on offense at UK last year. He looked a lot better as a point guard playing his senior year in high school because the high school game tends to have a lot more open space. I think he had a hard time adjusting to a game where he wasn't the best athlete on the floor by far, even though he is obviously an athletic freak. He's really going to have to learn how to play under control with the ball in his hands. That could be a big struggle for him.

He's also going to have to develop a jump shot. Almost all the outside shots he took last year were wide open set shots. Kentucky's size and scoring ability in the paint gave him open looks on kick outs when defenses collapsed on Cousins and Patterson. Bledsoe has some bad habits he is going to have to break if he wants to stick on an NBA roster.

eric has a 6'7 wingspan.
every perimeter player looks out of control in calipari's offense at times, since its dribble drive after dribble drive after dribble drive. like i said, the dribble drive offense is a series of linked isos which is attractive to prep recruits. his whole style is based on attracting recruits (open floor, pressure, emphasis on athleticism, less emphasis on jump shooting, screening and a lot of other basketball fundamentals)
in actuality, it is a terrible brand of basketball that calipari is coaching and its not much like what it'll be like in the NBA.

the question mark for eric coming out of HS was his outside jump shot. he went from having a questionable jump shot to being a 40% shooter from 3 for the majority of the season and finishing at 38%.
that is solid progress and it shows that he knows what he needs to work on and has the work ethic to improve.

He didn't have a jump shot. He was hitting at a 40% clip taking threes with his feet planted on the floor. He has to prove he can get up and hit those shots with a guy in his face. If he shoots horribly he might be left open to take those set shots like Muggsy or Rondo but if he hits a few they are going to guard him and force him to make contested shots.

Honestly UK didn't play a whole lot of real dribble drive this year. Since he was a new coach none of the players knew the system and their size down low dictated that the offense went through the post. One thing Calipari does that is different from the NBA is that he like his guards to aggresively attack the basket in transition, you don't see a lot of passing to guys running the wings. John Wall thrived in that respect but Bledsoe had a hard time and maybe that almost out of control style carried over into his mindset in the halfcourt offense. But there is no doubt he was often really out of control and is going to need some effective guidance as a pro to succeed at the pg position.

[9abovetherim]

somewhere between 15-20 pick

[AnSweR07]

kyle lowry or a shorter russell westbrook is how i project him at the next level if all goes well. like someone else said he needs more experience.

[old rem]

Bledsoe is a 6'2 shooting gaurd who can't shoot..He was wide open all year as opponents collapsed on Patterson and Big Cuz. I see a bleak NBA future for him and the team that wastes a #1 on him.

Agree. He could pad up his numbers at times but just to see him as even in Rd 1 means using a lot of imagination,because he just did not do anything real special. i don't even see that one thing that gets him a foothold so you think,we'll add to that.

[ManualRam]

Bledsoe is a 6'2 shooting gaurd who can't shoot..He was wide open all year as opponents collapsed on Patterson and Big Cuz. I see a bleak NBA future for him and the team that wastes a #1 on him.

Agree. He could pad up his numbers at times but just to see him as even in Rd 1 means using a lot of imagination,because he just did not do anything real special. i don't even see that one thing that gets him a foothold so you think,we'll add to that.

bledsoe's not a SG. do some research on what made him a highly rated prep PG.

[Village Idiot]

Shorter Westbrook is my comparison too. Ideally he falls to the 2nd round, goes to Europe for a couple of years to learn the PG craft and gain some maturity. Then he can come back to the NBA and actually contribute.

[Revived]

Destined to be a NBA scrub or a D League MVP.

Yea, you got that one right

[shamu]

Why bump a 3 year old thread?