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15th November, 2007 - 8:16 pm
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Wade, MJ, Dye, Draft And Burke!
The Heat aren’t worried about losing Dwyane Wade, Knicks almost landed Michael Jordan, the Sox and Reds discuss Jermaine Dye, the Packers are enjoying the Jets’ success, and Brian Burke is turning the Leafs around.
TEAM RANKINGS: The RealGM Team Rankings For The Week Of December 1st
How do the Cavaliers respond to the flood of 2010 talk? They keep winning and winning in dominant fashion, climbing to first in our rankings.
PLAYER RANKINGS: The NBA Player Rankings For The Week Of November 25th
The current top-five players in the NBA according to RealGM's FIC, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, were all on Team USA's 2008 Gold Medal team. How does the rest of the NBA rank?
LOCKER TALK: Monta: I Was Racing Baron And Elton
Monta Ellis is still at least a full month away from his return to the court for the Warriors, but he recently called RealGM with the full story behind his ankle injury.
MOCK DRAFT: 2008 NBA Mock Draft, Version 13.0 (Draft Day Edition)
Weeks and months of waiting has finally come to an end, and Draft day is officially here.
CLASSICS: Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?
Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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By Nick Obergan
10. Jack McClinton – Guard – Miami
Last season was McClinton’s first year of eligibility in Miami after a transfer from Sienna, and he did not disappoint. He proved to be a great scorer, averaging 16.7 points per game, and added 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists to that. He scored his points by leading the ACC in 3 point percentage (44%) and free throw percentage (89.5%), but his coaching staff had him work on his mid-range and slashing game for the upcoming season to better exploit all defenses. They will also look to him to cut down on his turnovers (2.4 per game last year) while running more of the team’s offence from the point position – and this was best seen in his first game this season where he put up 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists to only 1 turnover (along with 2 steals). So while the numbers should certainly be there for McClinton this year, Miami isn’t expected to challenge for a winning record in a tough ACC, thus limiting his overall impact.
9. Anthony Morrow – Guard – Georgia Tech
After a very good sophomore season in 05-06 that saw him average 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and more than a steal per game while shooting almost 43% from long distance and over 88% from the free throw line, Morrow had a big setback. Playing a pick up game in the summer of 2006, Morrow fell hard on his back, a fall that resulted in a stress fracture. The injury plagued him all of last season as he played through it, but he saw his scoring dip to under 10 per contest while playing 32 games and only averaging 20 minutes of court time. This season he is fully healthy for his senior year and looking to bounce back and regain that sophomore scoring form. He looks real good early on, averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in Tech’s first two games this year, while shooting a blistering 57% from the field and 53% from beyond the arc. A healthy Morrow is a very good thing for the Yellow Jackets, who need a go-to guy.
8. James Mays – Power Forward – Clemson
After flirting with the possibility of entering the draft, Mays is back for his senior year. He has been a bit inconsistent throughout his college career, as he saw his minutes, scoring, assists and steals increase last year, while his rebounding, shot blocking and shooting percentage declined. Mays definitely makes an impact defensively: last season he averaged 1.9 steals per game (a lot for a paint player), to go along with a block per contest and countless other shots altered. He is a strong 230lbs with a good vertical, and someone with those attributes should definitely be grabbing more than 6 rebounds per game, so expect closer to the 7.4 average he had in 05-06. He was very active in the season’s first game, counting for 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and a block in 20 minutes. He is clearly Clemson’s best player, and expect a big year as he hopes for more love from NBA scouts for the 2008 draft.
7. James Gist – Forward – Maryland
Gist posted career highs across the board last year: 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assits, 0.9 steals, 2.1 blocks, a 53.5% field goal percentage and even connected on 9 of 21 shots from long distance. As he enters his senior year, everyone in Maryland figures he can improve on all of those stats. With last year’s front court mate Ekene Ibekwe graduating, Gist figures to get a lot more touches on the inside this year as Maryland’s only real low post threat. Though he won’t be option number one, he is sure to be active on the glass, as seen in his first game this year where he grabbed 12 boards. Every great team needs a presence in the post, and for Maryland to improve on last year’s place in the ACC standings (tied for 3rd), they will need Gist to make the step that all believe he is capable of doing.
6. Tyrese Rice – Point Guard – Boston College
Boston College will field a very young and unexperienced club this year, thus they will lean heavily on their junior point guard Tyrese Rice. While Rice finished sixth in the ACC in scoring last year (17.6 per game), he may need to do even more this year as the team lost their best player (Jared Dudley) to the NBA. Rice can definitely create for his teammates, as evidenced by his 5.4 assists last year (and 9 in his first game this year). But with his team lacking offence, they will lean on him to score very often, and to do that he will need to improve on his long distance shooting (32.2% last year) to keep the defenses honest. He also looks to improve defensively and may hover around the 2 steal per game mark this year. He will have to do all of these things, and more, for the Eagles to have anywhere near the success they had last year.
5. Brandon Costner – Power Forward – N.C. State
Costner was a tremendous surprise for the Wolfpack last season. After taking a medical red shirt after only 5 games in his first season (2005-2006), no one was really sure how he would bounce back. However the former McDonald’s All-American ended up leading all ACC freshmen in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (7.3) while shooting over 47% from the floor and a respectable 37.9% from 3 point range. His best game of the season came on December 30th against UNC-Wilmington where he had 27 points and a career high 19 rebounds. In the ACC tournament he set a school record by scoring 90 points (22.5 per game) in the team’s four games that ended with a loss to the Tar Heels in the championship game. A minor injury forced him out of plans to play for Team USA in the Pan-Am games this summer, but with another year of maturity under his belt, Costner could become one of the more dynamic power forwards in the college game this year.
4. Ty Lawson – Point Guard – North Carolina
With Mike Conley gone, Lawson could be the best point guard in the nation this season. But for him to hold that title, he will have to improve on a very good freshman year and March Madness tournament. He showed signs that can make him a future NBA lottery pick – he can shoot, he can pass, he is strong, and he is very quick. He needs to improve defensively, as that is an aspect of the game he struggled with last year. He loves getting into the lane and creating opportunities for himself, but as a point guard he will need to listen to his coach, run the team’s offence and create opportunities for teammates Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington. In February and March last year, Lawson averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists (to 1.7 turnovers), and 0.9 steals in only 27.8 minutes per game. You can likely count on a bit more scoring this year (probably around 13 per night) and the Tar Heels would love to see the assist-to-turnover ratio sparkle in the same way (though highly unlikely – expect around a 2 to 1 ratio). While his teammate in the front court is getting all of the preseason accolades, it could be Lawson that is the key to North Carolina’s championship hopes.
3. Greivis Vasquez – Guard – Maryland
Vasquez is a very intriguing all-around talent. He had a good freshman year that saw him earn an honorable mention to the All-Freshman teams. His numbers don’t pop out like some (9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals) but he improved as the season went on (10.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists from December 31st onward) and was even trusted to handle the point guard duties just as often as he played off the ball. At 6’5” he would be one of the bigger point guards in the nation, and that size gives him a definite advantage over anyone guarding him. He is a native of Venezuela, and like many European basketball players, he plays the game with a tremendous amount of energy and emotion. It is those qualities that made him one of the team’s leaders despite being a freshman. The team will hope that he can improve his outside shot (31.6% from 3 point land last year) while increasing his own offensive responsibilities. Through the team’s opening two games, he is averaging 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, so it appears he is ready to take that leap.
2. Sean Singletary – Point Guard – Virginia
Singletary is back after testing the NBA draft waters after last season. He is a dynamic talent and could be the fastest player in college. The 6-ft tall point guard was first-team All-ACC for the second consecutive year after averaging career highs in points (19.0), rebounds (4.6), assists (4.7), free throw (87.2%) and 3 point percentages (38.9%) to go along with a team-high 1.2 steals. As a senior, many expect him to try and better those numbers so he can improve his draft stock, but also to improve a great Virginia team (tied for first last year with an 11-5 conference record, 21-11 overall). He has started out this season with a bang, averaging 21, 4.5 and 7 through the first 2 games, while hitting 4 of 8 from downtown and nabbing 2.5 steals per contest. He is a historically low percentage shooter from the field, so don’t expect his current pace of 52% to be maintained, but also don’t expect his high turnovers to continue (5.5 per game so far) as he has been more careful throughout his career (averaging around 3). If he strengthens his commitment on the defensive side of the ball, that could improve his draft stock more than his gaudy numbers.
1. Tyler Hansbrough – Power Forward/Center – North Carolina
Hansbrough has been a model of consistency through his first two collegiate seasons, and you can expect much of the same in year three. He wants nothing more than to win a college championship, and that is what brought him back to Chapel Hill. In his freshman year, Hansbrough put a young, depleted Tar Heels team on his burly shoulders and made them more relevant than they should have been. His 18.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 57% field goal shooting earned him Freshman of the Year honors and the nation took notice. He followed that up with a nearly identical 18.4/7.9 year last year, leading the Tar Heels to within a sniff of the Final Four. He is listed at 6’9”, but is probably closer to 6’7”, but it’s his passion, energy, and strength that give him those extra 2 inches. He is a tenacious rebounder and low post defender, and will likely welcome the fact that he wont have to carry the offensive load this year with the expected emergence of talented wing player Wayne Ellington and point guard Ty Lawson. He is a leader, does all of the little things and dirty work that every coach loves, and he shows a true love for the game. All of these reason, and more, are why he is noted as one of the leading candidates for Player of the Year.
Click here for his Big 12 Preview for 2007-2008
Click here for his Pac 10 Preview for 2007-2008 |
