Re: Chicago Pre-Draft names I'm watching

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

 My thoughts on some of Marks players to watch:

Robert Archibald: A 6-11 forward/center with good hands and touch in the 
lowpost. He's solidly built, very strong.

*(Not very athletic and won't have the luxury of going at smaller players 
like he did at Illinois, but worth looking at at #50.)

Maurice Baker: I've had a feeling about this guy and the Celts since 
beforethe season. He's a 6-1 point guard out of the Keyon Dooling 
mode-veryathletic. He was projected as a first-round pick before the season, 
but he struggled this season with an injury. If he's healthy, he might be 
asecond-round steal.

*(Was never a true point guard at OSU, played mostly 2 guard...and struggled 
is putting it mildly.  He had a good very Junior season as a JUCO transfer, 
so good that many picked him to be Big 12 Player of the Year preseason.  Then 
he pulled a groin muscle in the preseason, sat out the early season and was 
just a shell of his former self when he returned.  Eddie Sutton said he never 
saw anything like it.  The guy lost all confidence in himself.  A pulled 
groin shouldn't have that kind of effect.
 Even if he somehow miraculously returned to form, do we really have room for 
another 6'1" shooting guard-trying to play the point?)

Lee Benson: We've all heard the story of this ex-con. Might be a 
goodsecond-round risk.
 
*(All I know is what I've read.  His age (29) would scare me a bit.)

Brian Brown: He's a combo guard from Ohio State. I've seen him a lot. 
Hedoesn't do any one thing that jumps out at you, but he's solid 
ateverything. Very heady. A winner. Reminds me of Eric Snow at the same stage.

*( I guess I'll have to pass on commenting here.  I've seen Ohio State play 
two or three times this last year...the name Brian Brown doesn't even 
register.)

Lenny Cooke: A 6-6 high school star with plenty of question marks but lotsof 
upside.

*(I'm always leery of these High School phenoms.  Especially the ones' that 
can't seem to stay out of trouble and can't seem to stay in school.)

Reggie Evans: I love this guy. A rebounding machine. Very physical. The 
onlyreason he's not a first-rounder is his size. He's 6-8 (and that's 
generous).But he has a big rear end and he knows how to use it. Reminds me of 
PopeyeJones, right down to the Nosferatu-like facial features and ears.

*(yes, the guy is a monster on the boards and a warrior on the court.  Size 
will be a problem, but he wouldn't be the first to overcome it.)


Ryan Humphrey: An undersized power forward from Notre Dame, but he knows 
howto play. Etan Thomas was a mid-first round pick in the Moiso draft, and 
Ilike Humphrey better than Thomas. He's pretty athletic and at 6-8, 
hasrespectable size. A real battler.

*(Hmmm.  I like Ryan too, but I would never describe him as a battler.  He 
started his college career at Oklahoma, but transferred out because Sampson 
wanted him to play a more traditional power forward with a power game, and 
Ryan saw himself more as a
finesse small forward.  He prefers the face the basket game and doesn't 
really like to mix it up, although when he does post up he seems to do pretty 
well.  In other words, he has some of the same issues Chris Webber has been 
criticized for.  I still like him though and I'm not sure he'll be around at 
#50.)

Jason Jennings and Freddie Jones: I'm throwing them in here because 
they'regood prospects, but they're also unlikely to be around for the Celts.

*(Don't know much about Jennings except he's 7ft.  
Jones is good.  Very athletic.  A bit of a streaky outside shooter but a good 
slasher.  He was the defensive specialist for the Ducks, although with the 
way Oregon played defense I'm not sure that's saying much.  I read were an 
injury before the predraft camps has him sliding....if we could pick him up 
in the second round I'd do it in a heartbeat)

Kris Lang: A 6-11 PF/C from North Carolina. He underachieved at Carolina,but 
may have the best post moves in the draft. I like this guy a lot.

* (I don't see it.  I think Lang would get eaten alive, post moves or no post 
moves.  I don't think he has the toughness to play under the basket at this 
level.)

Steve Logan/Tito Maddox: A couple of big-name college guards. Logan 
reallydoesn't seem like an NBA player to me. Haven't seen enough of Maddox.

(Logan may be worth a shot simply because he is a real point guard at 6'1" 
not just a shooting guard who has to play point.  He can also score.  With 
that said he didn't really strike me as a great point at Cincinnati.  
Something was definitely missing.  Of course, if that weren't the case we 
wouldn't be talking about him at #50.
Like many Fresno State players Maddox seemed to find more than his fair share 
of trouble.  He was ruled ineligible for taking gifts from an agent and did 
not play this season.  He's a 6'4" point guard with a suspect shot who 
doesn't take care of the ball all that well.)


Kei Madison: A 6-9 small forward from Kedrick Brown's school. We know 
allabout the connection between the JC coach and Chris Wallace. Could they 
cookup another draft-day deal?

*( Madison was kicked off his JUCO team.  There are a lot of questions about 
him on and off the court)

Aaron McGhee: Another undersized power forward, but a battler in theHumphrey 
mold.

*( Now McGee IS a battler.  His problem is size and strength.  He may be too 
small for PF.
But he'll rebound like crazy and fight for position with anyone.  He'll also 
be the guy that will do all the dirty work if he has to. Does a guy like that 
fit on this team?)

Uche Okafor: An athletic center who played at Missouri. He's 6-11. Could bea 
Jerome James-like find for someone.

*( Okafor signed with Missouri, but never played.  He was one of those 
foreign players the NCAA ruled ineligible for playing with a pro team over 
seas. He also lied originally about having signed a contract, which I'm sure 
didn't sit well with the NCAA.  I've seen him, very tall and lanky, but I've 
never seen him play.)

Smush Parker: 6-4 point guard from Fordham. Don't know anything about 
himother than what I've read-that good workouts could push him into the 
firstround.

*( Another guy coming out way too early.  Could have made a name for himself 
with another year of college ball.  Instead he's making all the same mistakes 
Omar Cook made.)

Luke Recker: A 6-6 swingman who really can shoot it. If you can hide him 
ondefense, he can help.

*(Recker has been through so much, I'd love to see him make it in the NBA, 
but again, I just don't see it.  Given his age (I believe he's 24) and 
experience (6 years), he should have dominated his final season, but he 
didn't.  Third team All Big 10?  Iowa's entire offense revolved around the 
guy.  He put up decent numbers, but nothing earth shattering.  And I never 
got the feeling that he could take over a game either with his scoring or 
with his leadership abilities. 
Iowa was supposed to be one of the top teams last year, and they never lived 
up to their hype.  You've got to pin a lot of that on Recker since he was 
their top player.)


John Salmons: A 6-7 point guard from Miami. Why would the Celts beinterested? 
He's a 6-7 point guard. Actually, this guy is interesting. He'sa natural 
point guard, not a converted 2-guard. He's not someone who blowsyou away, but 
he does a lot of good things.

*( In watching Salmons I always got the feeling he played point out of 
necessity, not because it was his best position.  I would be concerned with 
his assist to turnover ratio, most coaches like to see a 2/1 ratio for a 
point guard.  I'd also worry about his ability to defend at that position.)

Darius Songaila: A 6-9 power forward from Wake Forest who had a 
greatcollegiate career. Not sure why he isn't getting more attention. 
Performed big against big-time competition. Pretty good post player.

*( I agree.  He's a bruiser that doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. He has 
good hands and a soft touch.  He isn't very athletic and is pretty slow 
defensively.   He'll never be a star but he's worth a look and could fill a 
need)

Marcus Taylor: A solid 6-3 point guard from Michigan State. I can't believe 
this guy is being ignored. He has the body and the skills. Maybe I saw 
thebest game he ever played, but he single-handedly beat Ohio State late 
thisseason. He made every right decision and ran the pick-and-roll better 
thanany Celtic other than Kenny.

*( The biggest knock on Taylor is his consistency.  His assist to turnover 
ratio is also on the low side, as is his fg% (40%). But he has shown flashes 
of brilliance and is young enough that a little seasoning could be all he 
needs.)

These are some names that caught my attention before the camp started. 
Weshould start hearing about camp performances today.Celtic fans should pay 
attention this year since our only pick is in thesecond round and the guys in 
Chicago will make up much of the second round.

* (As you can see, there are only a handfull of these players that I really 
like.  Maybe I'm just being too picky since it is the second round we are 
talking about and # 50 at that.  Still, if we are going to take a chance on 
someone, I'd like to see it be someone that could really help us.)