2014 College/Draft Prospects Thread II

[Elden Payton]

@MasterIchiro and @Mrknowitall

Both of your posts are excellent and make great points.

@MasterIchiro, separating ourselves is the biggest challenge of fandom!

@Mrknowitall, Yeah Hollinger and advanced stats doesn't bode well in a quest for Ed Davis!

[MasterIchiro]

Aargh! No Gary Harris please. He's inefficient and undersized. I will never forgive Cho if he draft Harris a year after pissing me off by drafting Zeller.

Well it'd be 3 in a row for me since I did not want MKG at all (I know it's hard to tell sometimes).

I'm trying to convince myself Cho will go aggressive for a player like Randle with upside because Randle comes with strong work ethic and has an NBA ready skill (rebounding) that fits into conservative, safe picks.

I'm teasing myself.

I think LaVine and Young are out of the question for him.

[MasterIchiro]

I hope the Cavs snatch up Gary Harris before Cho can get his filthy mitts on him. Screw you with a rubber hose Cho, I know what you're up to.

Think of all those Big 10 games Cho saw because of Zeller last year.

Gary Harris.

[catch20two]

Aargh! No Gary Harris please. He's inefficient and undersized. I will never forgive Cho if he draft Harris a year after pissing me off by drafting Zeller.

Well it'd be 3 in a row for me since I did not want MKG at all (I know it's hard to tell sometimes).

I'm trying to convince myself Cho will go aggressive for a player like Randle with upside because Randle comes with strong work ethic and has an NBA ready skill (rebounding) that fits into conservative, safe picks.

I'm teasing myself.

I think LaVine and Young are out of the question for him.

Why is Young out of the question for Cho? Young fit all of the 4 C's criteria of Cho's but Lavine doesn't really so I guess I can forget about Cho thinking about Lavine unless he fall to the Portland pick.

[MasterIchiro]

Aargh! No Gary Harris please. He's inefficient and undersized. I will never forgive Cho if he draft Harris a year after pissing me off by drafting Zeller.

Well it'd be 3 in a row for me since I did not want MKG at all (I know it's hard to tell sometimes).

I'm trying to convince myself Cho will go aggressive for a player like Randle with upside because Randle comes with strong work ethic and has an NBA ready skill (rebounding) that fits into conservative, safe picks.

I'm teasing myself.

I think LaVine and Young are out of the question for him.

Why is Young out of the question for Cho? Young fit all of the 4 C's criteria of Cho's but Lavine doesn't really so I guess I can forget about Cho thinking about Lavine unless he fall to the Portland pick.

Young is too good on offense for Cho. He can shoot.

That's 2 things right there off the top of my head.

[catch20two]

I would hope Cho has learned from his past drafting mistakes to know that he need to draft a scorer like Young that can defend. Young has a 7 foot wingspan. Can you imagine how good our defense could be with him and MKG defending the perimeter with their long arms swarming everywhere?

[Elden Payton]

Well it'd be 3 in a row for me since I did not want MKG at all (I know it's hard to tell sometimes).

I'm trying to convince myself Cho will go aggressive for a player like Randle with upside because Randle comes with strong work ethic and has an NBA ready skill (rebounding) that fits into conservative, safe picks.

I'm teasing myself.

I think LaVine and Young are out of the question for him.

Why is Young out of the question for Cho? Young fit all of the 4 C's criteria of Cho's but Lavine doesn't really so I guess I can forget about Cho thinking about Lavine unless he fall to the Portland pick.

Young is too good on offense for Cho. He can shoot.
That's 2 things right there off the top of my head.

I really, really, like Young but he's shooting .413/.335/.655

We have yet to see any real evidence that he's a good shooter.

[MasterIchiro]

So you would have Cho draft

[MasterIchiro]

Why is Young out of the question for Cho? Young fit all of the 4 C's criteria of Cho's but Lavine doesn't really so I guess I can forget about Cho thinking about Lavine unless he fall to the Portland pick.

Young is too good on offense for Cho. He can shoot.
That's 2 things right there off the top of my head.

I really, really, like Young but he's shooting .413/.335/.655

We have yet to see any real evidence that he's a good shooter.

Thank God!

[Elden Payton]

Young is too good on offense for Cho. He can shoot.
That's 2 things right there off the top of my head.

I really, really, like Young but he's shooting .413/.335/.655

We have yet to see any real evidence that he's a good shooter.

Thank God!

I thank God every day!

Not sure why we're thanking God for Young's percentages?

[mrknowitall215]

James Young's percentages are just as good as Gary Harris', except for at the free throw line. The one thing I liked about Young since day 1 is that he doesn't shy away from shooting as a shooting guard. He's an aggressive scorer, but he's a team player at the same time. I love seeing that type of mentality whereas he doesn't ignore open teammates because he's a playmaker as well, but he's not afraid to take a open 3-pointer because he know that he's a shooter

[Elden Payton]

Nice post MKIA, but I just have to point out that Harris' percentages don't really impress me, but there is a huge difference between 65 & 80 percent from the charity stripe.

[Eoghan]

I've soured on Julius Randle a lot this collegiate season, but he still has upside & potential even though it may take about 2-3 years (or longer) in the NBA before he become anything more than a rebounder/putback guy, similar to the development of Derrick Favors minus the defensive ability. Randle won't become 'a player' in the pros until he reach a comfort zone & understanding on how to utilize his agility as well as his ball handling ability to his advantage. He's struggling with that as a freshman against inferior talent to his, so it'll take him him a while to mature his basketball IQ & confidence in the NBA

I think Randle's game will translate way better in the NBA. He doesn't have any room to operate and use his athleticism in college b/c of zones and the tendency to pack the paint. UK has so many ballhandlers that Calipari probably yells at him if he tries to do anything outside the box, even Anthony Davis was mostly relegated to being a back to the basket big, hence all the Camby comparisons.

[mrknowitall215]

I've soured on Julius Randle a lot this collegiate season, but he still has upside & potential even though it may take about 2-3 years (or longer) in the NBA before he become anything more than a rebounder/putback guy, similar to the development of Derrick Favors minus the defensive ability. Randle won't become 'a player' in the pros until he reach a comfort zone & understanding on how to utilize his agility as well as his ball handling ability to his advantage. He's struggling with that as a freshman against inferior talent to his, so it'll take him him a while to mature his basketball IQ & confidence in the NBA

I think Randle's game will translate way better in the NBA. He doesn't have any room to operate and use his athleticism in college b/c of zones and the tendency to pack the paint. UK has so many ballhandlers that Calipari probably yells at him if he tries to do anything outside the box, even Anthony Davis was mostly relegated to being a back to the basket big, hence all the Camby comparisons.

NBA defenses pack the paint these days too, hence the over-fascination with perimeter shooting in the modern era. I believe that most athletic players' games will translate to the NBA better than the NCAA, but Randle won't be ready to take the NBA by storm right out the gate. I have a feeling that he'll come off the bench initially for whatever NBA team that draft him unless it's a pseudo-D-League farm like the Sixers or Lakers

To add to my post, Randle has the ball in his hands a whole lot more than Anthony Davis ever did at Kentucky. Every Kentucky game I watch, Randle has the ball at the top of the key, the wing, or high post, but he rarely display the ability to take the opposition off the dribble without struggling in which he end up taking a heavily contested shot at the rim, whereas he miss, get his own offensive rebound, and put it back. That's his offense in a nutshell

[MasterIchiro]

He gets offensive rebounds and put backs because he has extraordinary anticipation and confidence, skills you can't teach but you can draw upon to develop other aspects of his game.

I love Randle.

[JDR720]

Randle = Zach Randolph

[mrknowitall215]

DraftExpress currently has Charlotte taking James Young ahead of Gary Harris in their mock draft

Chad Ford's lottery machine has Charlotte taking Noah Vonleh as 'plan A', and Gary Harris as 'plan B' if Vonleh isn't available

*NOTE: Vonleh (and Harris) is typical Cho bait

[countryboi]

they have us taking another PF from Indiana? I like james young and even rodney hood a lot more than I like Harris

[BeesWax]

I like Vonleh more than Randle for some reason. Watched them both a lot this year and Randle just fails to impress against anyone near his size and athletic ability. Vonleh is the better shooter and can hit from range with a really pretty shot.

I like Young or Hood over Harris too.

[gehenherzog]

Randle = Zach Randolph

Randle = a player that will be productive in the NBA for 12-15 years?

If so, I'll take him


Honestly, with where we are projected. I would take McDermott and Willie Cauley-Stein. I liked his game last year and I think he's improved.