Opening 5 Games for UK NBA Guys

Maybe I'll make this a recurring thing too, but here's a post on all 10 of our current Wildcats in the NBA at the start of the season.

Eric Bledsoe - Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, and Randy Foye took up all but 39 seconds of the guard rotation in the Clippers debut. But Bledsoe showed up in a nice suit, so what's it really matter? He missed his only attempted 3 in those 39 seconds, but that's it. He increased it to 16 legitimate minutes by the third game and is trying to figure out what to do with his small windows of floor time. His big early season break came in the form of Baron Davis and Randy Foye both coming up lame with injuries for the fourth game of the season. Being the only other lead guard on the roster, Bledsoe got the starting spot and a monstrous 40 minutes of playing time. He was aggressive early and often, dazzling the Clipper crowd with his fearlessness and sense of purpose on the floor. The second half caught up to him a little bit, though. Moving into the next game against the Thunder, he outplayed his own 9/5/3/4/2 line against the Spurs to go for 17/4/8 plus 2 more blocks while notching 2 threes with great shooting from the floor. Eric's made a complete turnaround from the preseason already and this production bodes perfectly for his career that some (including me) were projecting shakily around draft time. We'll see if Vinny Del Negro has that same kind of trust in him when the full rotation's healthy moving on.

L vs. Blazers: 1 minute, 0 points (0-1 FGs, 0-1 3PT)
L @ Warriors: 5 minutes, 1 points (0-1 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 1 assist
L vs. Mavericks: 16 minutes, 6 points (3-5 FGs, 0-1 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal, 4 TOs, 3 fouls
L vs. Spurs: 40 minutes, 9 points (4-11 FGs, 1-1 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 3 TOs, 5 fouls
W vs. Thunder: 38 minutes, 17 points (7-10 FGs, 2-3 3PT, 1-2 FTs), 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 3 TOs, 3 fouls

Keith Bogans - Until Ronnie Brewer or Kyle Korver prove to Coach Thibodeau that they can play defense, Bogans has the starting shooting guard spot for the Chicago Bulls. He played a monster 36 minutes in the season debut against the Thunder contributing in every way across the boards besides buckets. With Rose putting up 31 shots, Keith didn't have much of an opportunity to do so, but defense is his calling card so he did nothing to hurt his starting status. He's had a rollback in floor time ever since and consistently puts up bland numbers. Hopefully he can notch a few more three pointers going forward so he actually is looking like he contributes on that side of the ball. I haven't read anything saying that Bogans is in danger of losing his starting role, but it sure is a head-scratcher to say the least when you see him pretty much non-existent numbers.

L @ Thunder: 36 minutes, 3 points (1-4 FGs, 1-2 3PT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 TO, 2 fouls
W vs. Pistons: 23 minutes, 2 points (1-5 FGs, 0-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 fouls
W vs. Blazers: 16 minutes, 3 points (1-2 FGs, 1-2 3PT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 fouls
L vs. Knicks: 25 minutes, 4 points (2-4 FGs, 0-2 3PT, 0-1 FTs), 1 rebound, 1 assists, 1 block, 1 TO, 1 foul
L @ Celtics: 22 minutes, 4 points (1-3 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FTs), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 TOs, 2 fouls

Demarcus Cousins - Who'da thunk it? Demarcus got in foul trouble immediately but still produced a monster debut effort against the hapless Wolves. Then his preceded to foul out the next game in 21 minutes against the Nets. But still, Cousins has shown off the whole offensive package, including some nifty wing jumpers. Hopefully he can adjust to the foul calling (not likely) and stay on the floor. His stat lines so far look eerily UK-like, but we'll see if he can keep up with some higher quality front lines that don't involve Darko. He notched his first double-double in only his third game, so now the floodgates are open for him to produce like that on a nightly basis. He followed that up with a much rougher game of (*ahem*) foul trouble against the Raptors where he only managed 17 minutes and 4 boards, though he made up for it by putting up 10 quick points in the fourth quarter to fuel a Kings comeback win. No such luck the next night as Pau abused him (as he abuses everyone) and held him to 3 of 13 shooting with night-long foul trouble. I think we all know what Cousins has to work on ... but hey, at least he swished a spot-up 3-pointer!

W @ Timberwolves: 27 minutes, 14 points (5-10 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 4-6 FTs), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 TOs, 5 fouls
L @ Nets: 21 minutes, 12 points (3-8 FGs, 6-6 FTs), 4 rebounds, 6 fouls
W @ Cavaliers: 28 minutes, 14 points (5-10 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 4-6 FTs), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5 TOs, 3 fouls
W vs. Raptors: 17 minutes, 16 points (6-10 FGs, 4-4 FTs), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 5 fouls
L vs. Lakers : 20 minutes, 11 points (3-13 FGs, 1-4 3PT, 4-6 FTs), 6 rebounds, 1 block, 1 TO, 5 fouls

Chuck Hayes - Chuck got limited run against the Lakers since you definitely don't want him out on the perimeter against Lamar Odom. But against the Warriors' Lee-Biedrins front court tandem, Hayes did work. He started center in Yao's second half of the back-to-back sit-out. Even though the Rockets had to suffer through a legendary Monta Ellis night, you can't fault Hayes for it. His teammates have always raved that he has a hidden offensive game that he hasn't shown the world, so maybe Yao's off-nights will finally bring that out of him. With Yao back in the line-up against the Nuggets, Hayes once again disappeared in limited run. But he's one of the few role players in the league who knows exactly what's expected of him when he does get in there, and Rick Adelman knows his contributions to the squad have nothing to do with his numbers, even though it was pretty sweet he pulled 13 boards against the Spurs. The Rockets just gotta start winning games. That's all that really matters.

L @ Lakers: 15 minutes, 0 points (0-0 FGs), 1 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls
L @ Warriors: 39 minutes, 16 points (8-12 FGs, 0-2 FTs), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 3 TOs, 5 fouls
L vs. Nuggets: 16 minutes, 2 points (0-1 FGs, 2-4 FTs), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 TOs, 2 fouls
L vs. Hornets: 12 minutes, 4 points (2-3 FGs), 2 rebounds, 1 foul
L @ Spurs: 27 minutes, 8 points (3-7 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 TO, 3 fouls

Jamaal Magloire - The former All-Star, who somehow fell all the way down to being Joel Anthony's back-up, only gets spot minutes for the LeBron/Wade show and he's only responsible for doling out a few bruises in those minutes. It's pretty much been that way ever since he left New Orleans. I just don't understand what happened. He'll show his worth though in potential playoff match-ups against Dwight Howard, the O'Neals, or Pau/Bynum. Those are probably the only teams Magloire will get extended run against.

L @ Celtics: DNP
W @ 76ers: DNP
W vs. Magic: 5 minutes, 1 point (1-2 FTs), 1 rebound, 1 foul
W @ Nets: 3 minutes, 0 points (0-2 FTs), 1 rebound
W vs. Wolves: DNP

Nazr Mohammed - The starting center on UK's last championship winning team has had a rough early go. He's simply not getting minutes in favor of a Boris Diaw/Tyrus Thomas front court. He's started all the games but is consistently getting pulled early. Nazr's always been hit-or-miss for his entire professional career, but hopefully he can get his game on track to be a more reliable contributor for the ill-fated Bobcats this season. They look really ugly so far. His highest point production was netting 6 of 8 shots in only 14 minutes in a win against the Nets. If that doesn't tell ya how things are going, I don't know what will.

L @ Mavericks: 18 minutes, 10 points (3-8 FGs, 4-4 FTs), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 TOs, 1 foul
L vs. Pacers: 13 minutes, 5 points (2-4 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 TO, 4 fouls
L @ Bucks: 22 minutes, 3 points (1-4 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 3 rebounds, 1 block, 2 TOs, 3 fouls
W @ Nets: 14 minutes, 12 points (6-8 FGs), 1 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 TO, 1 foul
L @ Pistons: 9 minutes, 6 points (3-5 FGs), 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 2 TOs

Tayshaun Prince - Who even knows why he's still on the Pistons? Tayshaun's game becomes unimportant with surrounding players such as Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, and Tracy McGrady. This team has no identity so Prince just has to be content with going out there and trying to fill in wherever he can. He'll always be a great one-on-one defender, but his true value was made through the team's defensive system. It doesn't have one anymore, so he'll just continue to do what he does until some other team appreciates him enough to trade for him. His play has been pretty inconsistent besides his point production in the teens. This Pistons squad sucks and is in total disarray. #FreeTayshaun

L @ Nets: 31 minutes, 14 points (5-10 FGs, 4-7 FTs), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 fouls
L vs. Thunder: 38 minutes, 12 points (6-11 FGs), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 TOs, 4 fouls
L @ Bulls: 42 minutes, 15 points (7-17 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, 3 fouls
L vs. Celtics: 32 minutes, 10 points (4-8 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 TOs
L @ Hawks: 37 minutes, 17 points (8-14 FGs, 1-1 3PT), 5 rebounds, 1 TO, 1 foul

Rajon Rondo - Rondo may very well be the first week MVP based on a single stat. If it weren't for his ungodly assist numbers, everyone would instead be talking about how terrible Rajon is shooting from everywhere on the floor. And that's even with him putting up a far more efficient game in game 2, albeit in a losing effort. Rondo has dropped 17, 9, 24, 17, and 15 assists so far, the third one being part of a Jason Kidd-like triple double of 10/10/24. It's completely nuts and I refuse to believe that somebody didn't mix up an NBA 2k11 video game box score with the real one. Rondo's only cementing his reputation as a top-3 point guard from here on out. He's blowing league records out of the water and it looks like there's no stopping him from keeping it going. He's a legit MVP candidate from here on out and I think he's actually unquestionably the frontrunner for the award in these first 2 weeks. He playing that crazy.

W vs. Heat: 41 minutes, 4 points (2-9 FGs), 5 rebounds, 17 assists, 2 steals, 3 TOs, 1 foul
L @ 76ers: 38 minutes, 18 points (8-12 FGs, 1-1 3PT, 1-2 FTs), 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 4 TOs, 1 foul
W vs. Knicks: 45 minutes, 10 points (4-12 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 2-6 FTs), 10 rebounds, 24 assists, 1 steal, 7 TOs, 1 foul
W @ Pistons: 36 minutes, 9 points (3-7 FGs, 1-1 3PT, 2-2 FTs), 3 rebounds, 17 assists, 4 steals, 1 foul
W vs. Bucks: 47 minutes, 17 points (7-10 FGs, 3-4 FTs), 8 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 6 TOs, 3 fouls

John Wall - So let's just mark it down now ... second halves in the NBA now belong to John Wall. He single-handedly almost brought his team back against the Hawks in every way he could. He swished in two 3s, got fouled at will, hit multiple mid-range pull-ups off screens, consistently finished directly at the rim, and through perfect lead passes on the go. What's simple consensus is that Wall is prolly the fastest thing with a basketball, period. That's all the commentators could talk about. Even though he took a beating to the Magic and got his fair share of rejections by premier swatters Dwight Howard and Josh Smith, John's picked the NBA pace up easily. What's sick is that his beastly effort against the Hawks was surpassed in nearly every single way the very next game. Wall led his squad to their first win in an overtime session with a Wiz-record 9 steals to tack onto his 28/13 points-assists double-double. He hit all of his big shots, he made all the right passes, and he swished every late free throw. It was great to see how perfectly that aspect of his game has already transitioned to the pros. John's simply a forceful creator, as shown by his assist numbers and shot attempts early on. When he's out of the game, nothing happens for the Wizards. It'll be really interesting to see what effect Gilbert Arenas will have on Wall's production when he gets back on the floor. Everyone's let out a collective sigh since his turnover numbers skyrocketed after two pretty alright games in that category to start the season. It wouldn't be such a big deal if the Wiz were winning their games ... but they're not. So John has to stop saying he's gonna cut down on them and actually cut down on them.

L @ Magic: 35 minutes, 14 points (6-19 FGs, 2-3 FTs), 1 rebound, 9 assists, 3 steals, 3 TOs, 3 fouls
L @ Hawks: 42 minutes, 28 points (9-17 FGs, 2-3 3PT, 8-10 FTs), 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 TOs, 1 foul
W vs. Sixers: 45 minutes, 29 points (9-16 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 11-14 FTs), 2 rebounds, 13 assists, 9 steals, 8 TOs, 5 fouls
L @ Knicks: 35 minutes, 13 points (4-11 FGs, 0-2 3PT, 5-6 FTs), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 9 TOs, 2 fouls
L vs. Cavaliers: 43 minutes, 13 points (5-14 FGs, 0-1 3PT, 3-4 FTs), 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6 TOs, 4 fouls

Yet to play:
Kelenna Azubuike - recovering from knee surgery
Daniel Orton - rehabbing left knee
Jodie Meeks - out of the rotation
Patrick Patterson - out of the rotation

... and Free Enes.

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2010-2011 New York Knicks

The goal for the Knicks this season is to attempt to not be a joke. That's all. Who cares about the playoffs? Just get off the late night monologues.

2010-2011 New York Knicks

Point Guard: Raymond Felton/Toney Douglas
Shooting Guard: Kelenna Azubuike/Roger Mason
Small Forward: Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/Bill Walker
Power Forward: Anthony Randolph/Ronny Turiaf
Center: Amare Stoudemire/Timofey Mozgov/Eddy Curry

Obviously the big addition is Amare Stoudemire, but the Knicks literally got rid of everybody on the team besides Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Bill Walker, and Eddy Curry's dead body. That's a crazy overturn, but warranted due to the Knicks' glorious state of sucktitude for the last 150 years. I absolutely love Raymond Felton as this team's fake Steve Nash waaay more than Chris Duhon or Sergio Rodriguez. Released from Larry Brown's general plodding-ness, Felton can potentially kill it as a tempo-pushing, pick-and-roll lead guard from day one even if he happens to be turnover prone. He sure isn't half the shooter of Nash, but he's got the speed, athleticism, and general unselfishness to still make it work.

Because of Richard Jefferson's underachieving self, Roger Mason fell off drastically last season for the San Antonio Spurs, but I still really like him lining up on the three point line next to Azubuike and Gallinari. Every single one of those guys can shoot absolute lights out; they've had 3-point shooting seasons of 42.1%, 44.8%, and 44.4%, respectively. Pretty sweet stuff. With D'Antoni's reputation of instilling a crappy revolutionary run-and-gun offense, all these shooters should be able to chuck plenty of opportunities. Just ask Quentin Richardson's previous NBA contract. (This is a failed joke; he signed his 6-year, $43.5 million contract in 2004 to play with D'Antoni and the Suns. But the premise was well-intentioned, so I'll leave it there with a self-enforced wrist-slapping reprimand.)

The complete unknowns here are how Anthony Randolph is going to respond to a prominent role. Will the increased minutes prove him as the next Lamar Odom-like anti-prototype power forward or will it expose him as an inefficient free-ranging lanky guy with no distinct position? If Randolph can flourish, then pairing him with Amare is an elite offensive frontline only cemented by Ronny Turiaf's relentless junkyard work and Timofey Mozgov's whatever-Timofey-Mozgov-brings. History would like to force me into believing that this team will absolutely blow on the defensive side of the ball ... and I guess I gotta just go with it. They definitely have the potential to be a gritty squad to compliment their guaranteed offensive proficiency, but when your coach mandates that you never box out or get into an elementary school summer camp defensive stance, I'll just give up on that hope. So I say all that to say this ... I will be completely baffled if the Knicks are unable to make it to the playoffs with this squad. Sure, they'll guaranteed to fizzle out in the first round since every other Eastern team actually guards people and pointless crap like that, but they have way too much talent to not break their 6-year playoff drought.

Prediction
Regular Season: 43-39
Playoffs: Eliminated in First Round

... and do the John Wall.

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Cal Era, Year 2

Since I already touched on all the guys making the jump, I wanted to discuss the future. I'm of the opinion that you're never allowed to complain about guys leaving early to the pros when they're either a guaranteed first round pick or have a legit need to go pro (i.e. Kelenna Azubuike), so you should either enjoy the out-of-this-world talent that Coach Cal brings in on a yearly basis or you should change teams and root for San Jose State. Regardless of how long these guys stay, enjoy and appreciate their contribution to making UK the premier college basketball program of the 2010s.

1. Brandon Knight. No, he's not gonna effortlessly step into John Wall's shoes. Instead, he's gonna try to run a 2010-2011 UK squad that will pretty much only feature Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins in a return role. Regardless, he's the next kid in cementing Coach's historic point guard legacy. Anyone who caught his high school game against Austin Rivers' squad a few months back saw him unload seemingly every single shot in the game to notch his 48 points. But, obviously, his HS team sucked and we won't even remotely see that version of Knight against collegiate competition. What all UK fans will love is his deft jump shot. He's far superior to John and Eric with his unlimited range and pre-perfected form. In high school he took far more highly-contested, off-balance jumpers than he will in Cal's system, but the skill to make those kinds of shots under bail-out circumstances is never a bad gift to have. And while he can't quite compare with Wall's elite ability to finish at the basket with uncanny power, Knight is more than proficient at getting to wherever he wants to on the floor and forcing the hand of the defense. His decision-making on how to properly run our offense at the collegiate level will easily improve over the course of the season while also taking some getting used to from the fans, as he has a completely different floor game than John. He most likely won't be Top-2 in the National Player of the Year debates, but he will definitely have an immense impact and lead this surprise 2011 UK squad way beyond his freshman expectations.

2. Enes Kanter. This guy's our new resident beast. He's already NCAA-prepped by playing against men in his Turkish league, so simply expect him find his niche in Coach's offense the quickest of anyone and for him to be an immediate force on the backboards. There's really not a good comparison for him at this point. Some point to the throwaway Dirk parallels, but Nowitzki doesn't even remotely possess the low-post prowess and knack for rebounding that Enes exerts while over a decade his elder. Enes' jumper at his size will surprise in the same way, but that's not where he'll be utilized. With Coach Cal expected to utilize the Dribble Drive far more often this year, Enes will be a fill-in post presence and offensive rebounder who will receive much less direct entry passes than Demarcus needed to be effective. And comparatively, while Cousins had to be weened off his belief that a shot outside 7 feet was of good quality, Enes' floor game is far more-polished and multi-faceted. In essence, he's the quintessentially talent to be put on the block in the college game and I expect the national media to recognize his natural dominance far earlier in the season than when they started giving Demarcus any credit in the National Player of the Year race. This Washington decommit will prove to be the surprise of the basketball world, as he's already turned the heads of every talent scout in rising to #3 in both Scout and Rivals high school senior rankings and will only improve. He has none of the questions of character that Demarcus had, or even fellow freshman Josh Selby has, so all of his media coverage will hopefully focus on the actual basketball side of things. Thank God.

3. Doron Lamb. The shooter. Too bad he couldn't have snuck in on last year's team. Doron is a big catch for how future Coach Cal teams are to be constructed. Doron is not the killer athlete who has NBA execs drooling over his potential as the next WhoeverTheyWantHimToNeverBe, but he is a system player with a passion for defense and a jump shot to be admired. I see his pairing with Knight in the starting backcourt as a natural combination that will pay great dividends once they've clocked enough time on the floor. While the fans simply had to cross their fingers every time a three pointer was hurled up last season, this incarnation of the Wildcats will be a prolific shooting team. No longer will Darius be relied on to recreate his Arkansas game from the perimeter. Doron will gladly take on spot-up duties with his set-shot-looking jumper. He's not going to be an offensive initiator or be asked to create his own shot often, but Coach will refine his role and rely on his shooting stroke. Fans can now exhale. The 2 for 17 (or worse) 3-point nights are no more.

4. Stacey Poole. This is the power wing guy. He'll probably only get spot minutes this year behind Liggins and Miller at the small forward slot, but Stacey will be a contributing Cat before his college career is over. He's a bionafied slasher with his willingness to attack the paint and penchant for doing so effectively. Slasher prototypes usually take a little extra time to become effective collegiate scorers since the size differential from the high school level is so drastic and they are expected to still contend with the trees. Stacey's handle will need to be refined since he's used to bodying off every opposing high school wing with ease due to his natural size, but this same size and further development are the qualities that could make him a prime prospect down the road. He has an NBA frame and simply needs to fill it out, a la Azubuike, and his production will follow. He's definitely not a one-and-done threat, he's genuinely excited to be a Wildcat, and he was our sole early signing period commit. Stacey is the exact kind of player that a certain portion of the fanbase has begged for Coach to recruit, so here's hoping that he's appreciated as we watch his talent grow over the next few seasons.

There will assuredly be more legitimate pieces added to this class in either the form of Terrence Jones or another under-the-radar big, but these guys already in place will do just fine to fill in the gaps left by our NBA squad of 2009-2010. The freshmen will learn, the guys remaining will step up, and Coach Cal will coach. Try to not doom the season before the opening tip is even thrown.

... and do the John Wall.

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