ESPN's harsher take

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

ESPN.com offers a fairly harsh take on certain eligible players. For
example they currently rate Gerald Wallace as a second round pick.
http://espn.go.com/nba/s/underclassrankings/index.html

It is a pretty interesting read. Kind of refreshing in a way.

Gerald Wallace
"Season at Alabama showed flaws in his game. Remains a great athlete and
big-time transition player. The upside of course is that he's young.
But, he just can't shoot and his ball skills are weak. Understanding of
the game isn't there yet, either. Averaged six points in the SEC, shot
17 percent on 3s."

Joseph Forte
"struggled to get his shot off against the U.S. Olympians back in
September, and still might be on the small side to be an NBA shooting
guard."

Joe Johnson
"His versitility makes him late first-round pick at best. He needs to
get stronger and some question toughness and desire. How bad does he
want to play hard or does he just want to go through the motions."

Richard Jefferson
"Will fall outside the lottery, somewhere between 15th to 20th pick,
only because his ball skills need to get better, and he has to continue
to work on his shooting. Must improve mid-range shots because NBA isn't
always about running and jumping to the rim."

Troy Murphy
"he's just not that athletic, which will drop him to the middle to late
in the first round. He's not explosive and doesn't have quick feet.
He'll be a liability defensively."

Zach Randolph
"he's not very explosive. The weight issue could also be a concern.
Probably not the quickest or greatest runner on the floor. Look for him
to go to a team that can wait for him to develop."

Ousmane Cisse
"A lot will depend on his workouts. He could drop hard. Strength,
competitiveness; a warrior on the court. His outside shooting isn't
nearly NBA-level. He's a bit undersized and hasn't been tested. Scouts
will take a close look at him during workouts."

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