Wat...
Do you think Huggins and WVU are out of the running?
With no scholarship available at this point, it seems that way, but a couple of transfers are bound to happen.
Are you hearing WVU is out completely?
Just curious, as it is the in state choice and is still on his list on most sites.
Last edited by Wask; 04-30-2007 at 02:36 PM.
With all the hype about PP and his taking his time, does this mean he intends to stay in school for four years, or will he talent take him to the Leauge after one year? As much as id like to have him on our team id like to see him stick around for a while!
I'm not so sure he'll be SO good that he'll be able to take his game to the league after one year without putting himself in serious jeopardy of falling to the 2nd round or going undrafted completely.
I see him as Shelden-esque. Could go after 3, probably will go after 4. Regardless of where he ends up.
I agree.
The Patterson's would not have been so thorough with the process if all they wanted was a one year stop over en route to the NBA.
They appear too sharp to be deluded into making a rash NBA decision.
Is that published from her, or something she told you?
Just curious, I hadn't read it yet...
thanks!
and the return last year of Horford and Noah, I'd be hesitant to make statements either way regarding how long a player will stay. Anybody can choose to go early, and anybody can choose to stick around. And people whom you thought coming in might be 4-year guys, while guys you figure would go at the first chance sometimes stick around.
There is no way to know exactly what he is thinking, but I have seen references in articles to his desire to stay 4 years. Now, these were articles, and as I can't even remember which ones, you have to take it with a grain of salt. The article I'm mainly thinking of definitely had a pro-duke bias, as it compared PP to Shelden.
That is impossible to predict given that none of us have even seen him play on the college level. Until we get to see how he fares against competition and how whichever team he lands on does, it's pretty difficult to come up with a meaningful answer.
i don't think deng is a good example. he was the #2 player in his class and had NBA written all over him.
PP is an undersized 4/5 (which is not to say that he won't succeed in the nba someday).
While I agree that there's no way to know for sure ... the likelihood is that Patterson will stay more than 1 year ... but probably not 4 years.
He's a superior athlete at 6-8 with good (not great) strength ... long arms and good (for a post player) quickness. He's as good a rebounder and shot blocker as anybody in this prep class.
He has a very unpolished offensive game. He has good hands and he's quick around the basket, so the potential is there to score a lot. If given room, he can also set up and make a 12-14 foot jumper (although he needs to learn to get it off a lot quicker). But at this point, he gets most of his points on stickbacks or (in high school) by overpowering smaller players.
He's also a decent student and his family is not so bad off that neither academic nor financial pressure should force him into the NBA before he's ready.
Obviously, anything's possible, but I'd be very surprised if he's ready to be a lottery pick after one season in college. Four is possible ... but if I had to guess, I'd bet he'll be ready to go after 2 or 3 years.
My thinking is, pat wants to stay for four years. otherwise he wouldnt be taking this long to choose a school. but i also think if after 1-2 years his game excells he could make the jump! i am just hoping those 1-2 years are with us
I was very surprised that Deng left after one year. I am sure that Luol realized that enhanced relations with the Duke alumni would have done infinitely more for Sudan than any and all fame and fortune he may derive from the NBA culture. I am still not sure that Luol himself would have chosen the NBA over finishing his education however no one can fault his family's desire for some economic stability after everything that they have endured. At any rate Luol's decision making process was unique and I see no relevance to its application to whatever PP will do.
Valks,
I think the alumni network of Duke probably would have done a lot for Deng, but saying that staying at Duke would have somehow "done more for Sudan" than through the exposure he is getting in the NBA is kind of crazy. Deng just had a playoff MVP caliber performance in the first round, and I heard multiple broadcasters mention him as "becoming one of the best players in the NBA" during that series. He is going to not only get a lot of money and hopefully be able to persuade a number of his multimillionaire buddies to help the causes close to his heart, but at this rate he will be the face of one of the best known sports teams on the planet, garnering national and international media attention that he never could have gotten from the Duke alumni network. The NBA's basketball "Beyond Borders" program does a lot in the home countries of players where there is tremendous need, and many NBA players participate in those trips every summer.
Like I said, the Duke alumni network is great, but give David Stern and his league a little bit of credit!
Last edited by thebur; 05-01-2007 at 11:58 AM.
Like I said above, we have no idea how long Patrick will stay in school until we see him play. That being said, he would need to get substantially stronger before heading to the league. If you want to play in the post in the NBA at 6-8/6-9, you need to be strong (see: Brand, Boozer, Shelden). As of right now, Patterson is what some might consider slender. He's only 18, so he has time, but he would need to gain weight/strength before moving on.
I also agree with OlympicFan in that while Patterson has skills and the potential to put them all together, his game does seem a bit unpolished. That's also tough for me to say given that I've only seen him in All-Star games and HS games with Mayo taking 95% of the shots; it's hard to get into a rhythm as a post player when your PG is gunning. But the unpolished comment isn't a knock as very few kids come into college with their game refined.
Last edited by Classof06; 05-01-2007 at 03:31 PM.
^^
I think you touched on the key. He is slightly unpolished. UK has said something he likes, and K has said something he likes. Along with getting stronger, he will need to work on his mid range game if he wants to be successful at the next level. Guys his size need to be able to face up there. UK has said that they will work on that with him.
As for K, I think I heard Duke has a three year graduation plan and that really appealed to him. He would like to be done, or close to done in three years. I think you could make 'three years' a solid bet with him.
Any news on the in-home visit?
The premium sections at Devils Illustrated, The Devils Den and Watzone's sites all have updates. I realize that they are pay sites, but I think those are the only places to get the updates at this point.