Re: Draft

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Mister Ghost wrote:

> whoops, forgot Mateen Cleaves - a tremendous
> defensive point guard - ike to see him on the
> C's - Perfect for Pitino's system; how can
> anyone not know about the Big Q - Quentin Richardson from Depaul, inch
> for inch, the best
> rebounder in college basketball; don't forget
> Jumaine Junes or Michael Redd....

Hi MG:

Having watched Quentin and the DePaul "Fab 5" play ball, the thing that
stood out for me most is what a clean stroke Q has from three point range
and how unselfish yet single-mindedly productive that kid is as a player.
He seems to have Antoine Walker's total game skills plus a very coachable
Ron Mercer attitude. Personally, I haven't seen a bigger "can't miss"
prospect since Grant Hill.

If Q measures out to be legit pro forward height, then I'd have no
argument against his being picked ahead of both Steve Harris and Lamar
Odom. I'd also put him way, way above Elton Brand as a pro prospect, even
if Brand is the most valuable college player.  I also don't believe Brand
will leave school right away, since he's smart enough to know he's an
incomplete player ("Waymon Tisdale II") and, besides, Duke players always
stay in school. Brand looks foolish when dribbling the ball, and in most
situations where he has to play facing the basket.

As for Mateen Cleaves, I'd say that based on how he performed during the
Team USA tryouts against flunky NBA pointguards (before ultimately
breaking his foot), he might really struggle as a pro. His sheer physical
strength and veteran knowledge helps him to dominate the Big 10, but you
can argue that his skills and productivity are very similar to those of
Quinn Buckner or Rumeal Robinson.

Anyway, I obviously don't get to see these players play on a regular basis
so this post might just be nonsense. I'd love to hear more informed views
from the list on these and other players. I figure all of us have been
watching a lot of college ball over the winter...

Joe


p.s. Kandi-man so far really sounds like a potential rookie bust (and a
whiner too). I'm glad we didn't trade Antoine for him.

****