CNNSI on Mateen Cleaves

[kevin.lok@lycosmail.com (kevin)]

http://www.cnnsi.com/basketball/nba/2000/nba_draft/draftboard/players/1.html
Cleaves is the consummate leader and winner, a player who lives up to that well-worn piece of praise "coach on the floor." Consider what happened in the NCAA tournament last March, after the Spartans had played poorly in the first half against Syracuse. Before the MSU coaches got to the Spartans' locker room, Cleaves had made a wreck of the place, throwing stuff around and screaming in a fit of rage, all in an effort to shake his teammates from their lethargy. He got his point across, and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo didn't have to say a word. The Spartans won handily in the second half. Cleaves also possesses most of the requisite point-guard skills. He's a great passer and a rock-solid defender with quick hands that help him make a lot of steals. He penetrates well and can use screens to help him get a step to the basket. His weakness, supposedly, is his outside shot, but when he needed to step up and make some critical 3-pointers in the NCAA tournament championship game ag!
ainst Florida, he did so without hesitation. He wound up making a respectable 37 percent of his 3-pointers as a senior, while finishing up as the Spartans' all-time assist leader. Cleaves will be a solid pro.



my question:
how come there are many doubters whether Cleaves have "NBA' talent? I asked becos I've never seen him play b4.


seems like our C's need such a PG.
thanks
kevin