Durham Pro-Am Summer League At Central

[ACCBBallFan]

So will Kyrie play in the championship at 4:30?

And will he face John Wall (with Kelly and Dre) of D1?

or team with Raymond Felton?

ncproam
.Following Follow Lists
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Your lists:
Andre Dawkins, Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry Kyrie Irving Josh H all in the buiding today!
13 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Reply Retweet . John Wall,Chris Wilcox, Josh Powell, Raymond Felton, Jerry Stackhouse all in the Building Today!
17 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Reply Retweet . Great day planned for today ....just confirmed John Wall will be participating in today's festivities! also, Josh Powel
19 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Reply Retweet . Yes those players will be in action!
44 minutes ago via TweetDeck
Reply Retweet . NBA Guys are here former Charlotte Bobcats and Now NY Knick Raymond Felton, Chris Wilcox and many others today at NC PRO-AM

[_TheFakeJWill_]

kyrie vs wall WOW!!!!! whos on Kyrie's team? walls team seems to be stacked!

[ACCBBallFan]

kyrie vs wall WOW!!!!! whos on Kyrie's team? walls team seems to be stacked!

Kyrie apparently not going to play or even watch.

"can't make it to watch the @ncproam games today...=( too much work.. "

Sounds like John Wall is doing double duty, first in the wheel chair game and then in the championship on Ryan's and Dre's team.

DukeHoopBlog

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Your lists:

Looks like Andre and Ryan on deck to play in the championship game with John Wall. 15 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Julian Gamble in a chair as well. The pros/college players are getting crushed 13-0. 19 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®



3. John Wall, Jawad Williams, Josh Powell and CJ Leslie are in wheelchairs right now about to play against the wheelchair champs @ncproam 28 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

[Kedsy]

Are we saying that even if Nolan Smith played at a level that deserved NPOY, he would not be a lottery pick?

No sense fixating on NPOY, but I can see him as a 1st Team All-American

Well, anything's possible. Ben Gordon was a tweener like Nolan and he was the third pick in 2004 (although he wasn't anywhere close to NPOY). But I haven't heard anybody thinking of Nolan in the lottery, so I'm thinking no.

I will say that if Nolan's outside shot has improved to the point where it looks as good as Ben Gordon's, then I may change my tune.

Either way, I agree Nolan has a shot as 1st team A-A, if he plays as well as I think he will.

[Osiagledknarf]

Via of DukeHoopBlog:

This game's pretty much over and Ryan and Dre have been pulled. RK: 16 pts, 5 REB, AD: 18 pts.

[airowe]

Highlights of the championship game featuring Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins:

http://dukehoop.blogspot.com/2010/08...kins-ryan.html

[roywhite]

Good article here on the league and the championship game.

Nolan Smith was named MVP of the league.

[Kedsy]

Good article here on the league and the championship game.

Nolan Smith was named MVP of the league.

That's cool about Nolan. I still don't think he has a realistic chance at NPOY, but maybe ACC POY is within reach (although he'll have some stiff competition from Kyle, I suspect).

[Duvall]

That's cool about Nolan. I still don't think he has a realistic chance at NPOY, but maybe ACC POY is within reach (although he'll have some stiff competition from Kyle, I suspect).

Given the players returning to and entering college basketball next season, I strongly suspect that any serious contender for ACC POY will also have a very real chance at NPOY.

[SilkyJ]

(although he'll have some stiff competition from Kyle, I suspect).

And Delaney. I suspect the ACC POY race will be a 3-horse race between Kyle, Nolan, and Delaney with some competition from Singleton down at FSU.

I could also envision Barnes entering the race, but I don't think he'll be at the same level of consideration as the other guys. Definitely a contender for 1st team All ACC though.

[BD80]

... I could also envision Barnes entering the race, but I don't think he'll be at the same level of consideration as the other guys. ...

Guys on teams with losing records rarely get POY consideration.

[Kedsy]

And Delaney. I suspect the ACC POY race will be a 3-horse race between Kyle, Nolan, and Delaney with some competition from Singleton down at FSU.

I could also envision Barnes entering the race, but I don't think he'll be at the same level of consideration as the other guys. Definitely a contender for 1st team All ACC though.

I agree with all you say here. And Barnes may be the leading scorer for UNC with good peripheral stats, so he may garner support. But if we're talking about freshmen then Kyrie's name ought to come up, too. It would be difficult for him to actually win it, with two other ACC POY candidates on his own team, but if he's everything they say he is he may be in the discussion. For first team all-ACC as well. Wouldn't it be cool to have three first team all-league in our starting lineup?

[greybeard]

Well, anything's possible. Ben Gordon was a tweener like Nolan and he was the third pick in 2004 (although he wasn't anywhere close to NPOY). But I haven't heard anybody thinking of Nolan in the lottery, so I'm thinking no.

I will say that if Nolan's outside shot has improved to the point where it looks as good as Ben Gordon's, then I may change my tune.

Either way, I agree Nolan has a shot as 1st team A-A, if he plays as well as I think he will.

If Nolan is paired with a point that has the size and strength to guard the 2, and maybe is more comfortable doing that, then I don't see size as a disadvantage. He showed tremendous improvement in his shooting between his sophomore and junior year. If he has true 3 range and a diversity of game behind the three line, he could be a very tough cover for a normal 2. So, who knows.

Nolan impressed me tremendously on both sides of the ball and between the ears last year, tremendously. And, if there is a plain tougher player who played for Duke, as in a bit of the nasty, besides possibly Chiristian, I haven't seen him. Nolan is different than Christian whom I think eats nasty. Nolan just lets nasty out when the dogs bite, and then he is controlled thunder. He also showed himself to me to be a great guy to be on a team with, a great guy; nothing phony, just there for people.

Yes, I hope for the stars for this young man, the stars, and would not tell him or anyone else that I don't think he can get there.

[Kedsy]

If Nolan is paired with a point that has the size and strength to guard the 2, and maybe is more comfortable doing that, then I don't see size as a disadvantage. He showed tremendous improvement in his shooting between his sophomore and junior year. If he has true 3 range and a diversity of game behind the three line, he could be a very tough cover for a normal 2. So, who knows.

Well, you might not, but the NBA scouts do. And it may not be a disadvantage in college, or even if his pro team is a perfect fit, but NBA teams generally don't want to spend lottery picks on guys who will have a hard time succeeding unless they are paired with the right PG. They might spend a late first round pick on that guy, which is why I think that's where Nolan will probably go. And if the team who picks him has the right PG then Nolan could have a great NBA career. But he probably won't be a lottery pick unless the scouts think he's a guy who can hit 40+% of his NBA 3-point shots, like Ben Gordon did his first five years in the League. If Nolan shows himself to be that kind of shooter then he has a shot at the lottery.

[COYS]

Well, you might not, but the NBA scouts do. And it may not be a disadvantage in college, or even if his pro team is a perfect fit, but NBA teams generally don't want to spend lottery picks on guys who will have a hard time succeeding unless they are paired with the right PG. They might spend a late first round pick on that guy, which is why I think that's where Nolan will probably go. And if the team who picks him has the right PG then Nolan could have a great NBA career. But he probably won't be a lottery pick unless the scouts think he's a guy who can hit 40+% of his NBA 3-point shots, like Ben Gordon did his first five years in the League. If Nolan shows himself to be that kind of shooter then he has a shot at the lottery.

I think Jason Terry might be a better analogue for Nolan than Ben Gordon. Terry's 6-2, has long arms, is quick, and, while not an ideal matchup for some of the biggest 2's in the league, is a good enough defender with his speed, length, and savvy to handle either the opposing team's point guard or shooting guard. He's also a shooting guard in a point guard's body who plays better off the ball but can initiate offense, as well. He's a good but not great shooter from 3 point range (with the exception of a few seasons when he's really been on from 3) but is devastating off the dribble from 16-20 feet. In many ways, Terry's NBA game is similar to Nolan's college game. If Nolan really does break out this season, shows off his midrange game (which was good last year but looks to be even better this season), demonstrates that he can hang with 2's and the occasional 3 on defense, and displays an improved handle, I see no reason why Nolan couldn't sneak into the late lottery. Granted, he will have to prove that he is truly an elite scorer, ball handler, and defender so that his limitations as a pure point are overlooked, but I think that if he has the season we all hope he has, he may find his way into the lottery.

[Kedsy]

I think Jason Terry might be a better analogue for Nolan than Ben Gordon. Terry's 6-2, has long arms, is quick, and, while not an ideal matchup for some of the biggest 2's in the league, is a good enough defender with his speed, length, and savvy to handle either the opposing team's point guard or shooting guard. He's also a shooting guard in a point guard's body who plays better off the ball but can initiate offense, as well. He's a good but not great shooter from 3 point range (with the exception of a few seasons when he's really been on from 3) but is devastating off the dribble from 16-20 feet. In many ways, Terry's NBA game is similar to Nolan's college game. If Nolan really does break out this season, shows off his midrange game (which was good last year but looks to be even better this season), demonstrates that he can hang with 2's and the occasional 3 on defense, and displays an improved handle, I see no reason why Nolan couldn't sneak into the late lottery. Granted, he will have to prove that he is truly an elite scorer, ball handler, and defender so that his limitations as a pure point are overlooked, but I think that if he has the season we all hope he has, he may find his way into the lottery.

Maybe, but the difference is Jason Terry was Arizona's PG the year he came out and averaged 4.7 assists per game for his career (5.5 in 1999). He came out as a "scoring PG," not an "undersized SG." And while it may seem like semantics to us, it matters to the NBA types. I'm not trying to denigrate Nolan, who I think is fantastic, but IMO Jason Terry is not a good example. If Nolan wants to go in the lottery at his height, he has to be a Ben Gordon (or Eric Gordon) type.