Tuesday, February 24, 2009

"He's a good athlete for a 6-5 white kid..."

I love scout-talk. Especially when it's unnamed scouts, they're brutally honest. A few highlights from this CNNSI article about the NBA prospects of 40 college players. No mention of anybody from MU or UW.

Austin Daye, 6-11 sophomore forward, Gonzaga: "This kid will get you fired. Soft? He invented soft. Jeff Adrien cold cocked him when they played UConn, and he spent the rest of the game behind the three-point line. I'm not denying he has a high skill level, but you better surround him with a lot of bullies."

Michael Bramos, 6-5 senior swingman, Miami (Ohio): "He's going to make money playing basketball, but I'll be shocked if someone drafts him. He can't create at all on his own. He's a good athlete for a 6-5 white kid, but he's not a special athlete and he's not a special shooter."

Jarvis Varnardo, 6-9 junior center, Mississippi State: "I'm not a huge fan. He still gets killed inside. He's great on the weak side, but he can't guard on the ball because he gets pushed around too much. Somebody will probably take him in the second round, but he reminds me of Solomon Jones, the kid from South Florida who's not with the Atlanta Hawks. Solomon hasn't done anything to prove he's an NBA player, and his contract is getting ready to end."

Hasheem Thabeet, 7-3 junior center, UConn: "Of course I love his size, the way he runs, how hard he plays, the way he blocks shots, but I just can't get excited about a guy who's never going to be able to put the ball in the basket. In the NBA, they exploit your weaknesses. He won't be able to score against a 6-10, 6-11 NBA center. He can catch and score when he's open, but I don't really see much improvement in his post skills. He'll be a Mutombo type player who will probably be drafted in the top five, but he's not a star in our league."

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