Stephen Curry would get my vote...

[captmojo]

...for player of the year. Who's left to stop him?

[TexasDevil]

That kid is my new hero. He saved my bracket.

[DukeDevilDeb]

PLEASE let it be Davidson... I would LOVE to see them take it to Carolina. After all, they only lost by 4 earlier in the year.

Hooray, Wildcats!

[captmojo]

Who would win a game of one-on-one, Curry or Beaker? If they were to play make-it/take-it, I'm not convinced that Mr. Beaker would ever get possession.

[freedevil]

It would be truly amazing to see them beat UNC.

[EarlJam]

When was the last year a player "hijacked" the NCAA Tournament so much?

This has been his coming out party - and that's an obvious over-statement.

I hadn't heard of him prior to the year.

Now he's arguably the most popular player in the nation.

Amazing. Roll on Curry!

-Mr. EarlJam

[Wander]

Damn. I thought this was going to be about voting for him for president...

On a quasi-related note, I think Curry is what Scheyer could be with a little improvement and more of taking-over-games mentality. Kinda.

[jipops]

Damn. I thought this was going to be about voting for him for president...

On a quasi-related note, I think Curry is what Scheyer could be with a little improvement and more of taking-over-games mentality. Kinda.

Even if Scheyer scored 30+ in 3 straight games, he still probably wouldn't get the credit he deserves around here.

[doctorhook]

Jon has a lot of the same skills, but Curry is much quicker and his shot release is much faster than Jon's. I hope it would not affect his shot too much, but I would love to see Jon speed up his shot release. Doc

[OZ]

... and to quote Coach K after we played them, "This (Davidson) is a well coached team!"

[Jumbo]

Damn. I thought this was going to be about voting for him for president...

On a quasi-related note, I think Curry is what Scheyer could be with a little improvement and more of taking-over-games mentality. Kinda.

I see very few similarities between Curry and Scheyer. Curry is a small (there's no way he's 6'3") guard with a quick release and a deadly shot who shoots extremely well off the move and looks to score first and second.

Scheyer is a big guard (6'5") who has an all-around game to die for. He is a superior defender, passer and rebounder. Of course, he doesn't shoot it nearly as well as Curry, although he's very clever putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim for a bucket or a foul. I think the biggest thing Jon needs to improve (other than gaining some strength) is his jump shot. He is a good shooter who needs to become a great shooter, which means quickening his release, learning to shoot off screens, etc.

[doctorhook]

Jumbo,

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, Jon's slow release on his shot is his greatest liability. His quickness is adequate ( less than Curry ), but he overcomes much of that with his savvy. A big question is do you change a guy's shot/release at this stage of his career and risk a prolonged shooting slump due to the change. Jon might be better off focusing on increasing his strength which would help him quite a bit. Freedevil, you are right, Curry is an extremely good ball handler, he just does not showcase it as much since Richards has the ball the majority of the time. Doc

[Jumbo]

Jumbo,

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, Jon's slow release on his shot is his greatest liability. His quickness is adequate ( less than Curry ), but he overcomes much of that with his savvy. A big question is do you change a guy's shot/release at this stage of his career and risk a prolonged shooting slump due to the change. Jon might be better off focusing on increasing his strength which would help him quite a bit. Freedevil, you are right, Curry is an extremely good ball handler, he just does not showcase it as much since Richards has the ball the majority of the time. Doc

The easiest thing to fix in basketball is a shot, especially in college, given that the offseason is about eight months long. Much of Jon's shot is structurally sound. We're not talking about a major overhaul. He can learn to quicken his release a bit without losing accuracy. That's why these guys work so hard all summer.

If Bruce Bowen could learn to knock down open threes from the corner, anyone can become a solid shooter. Jon's already a good shooter. I have no doubt he can become great.

[Wander]

I see very few similarities between Curry and Scheyer. Curry is a small (there's no way he's 6'3") guard with a quick release and a deadly shot who shoots extremely well off the move and looks to score first and second.

Scheyer is a big guard (6'5") who has an all-around game to die for. He is a superior defender, passer and rebounder. Of course, he doesn't shoot it nearly as well as Curry, although he's very clever putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim for a bucket or a foul. I think the biggest thing Jon needs to improve (other than gaining some strength) is his jump shot. He is a good shooter who needs to become a great shooter, which means quickening his release, learning to shoot off screens, etc.

Curry's all-around game is very good. He's hardly just a spot up shooter, although shooting is obviously his strength. Just like Scheyer, he's a good passer, a good rebounder for his size, a decent enough defender, and is capable of making tough shots in traffic. I'd say Curry is a little bit of a better rebounder and Scheyer is a little bit of a better passer. Obviously it's a pretty rough analogy but Scheyer's all-around game isn't as superior as you make it out to be, if it's even better at all.

[Jumbo]

Curry's all-around game is very good. He's hardly just a spot up shooter, although shooting is obviously his strength. Just like Scheyer, he's a good passer, a good rebounder for his size, a decent enough defender, and is capable of making tough shots in traffic. I'd say Curry is a little bit of a better rebounder and Scheyer is a little bit of a better passer. Obviously it's a pretty rough analogy but Scheyer's all-around game isn't as superior as you make it out to be, if it's even better at all.

I never said Curry was just a spot-up shooter. He has a tremendous knack for scoring in a variety of ways (at the college level). But what separates him right now is his ability to shoot on the move and with little space.

I don't know what else to say about the comparative all-around games other than to tell you that I think you're way off. Obviously, I watch every Duke game, and I'd seen Curry extensively even before this Tourney started.

Rebounding: Curry averaged about half a rebound more than Scheyer, but that's really deceiving, given the quality of competition in the Southern Conference, the position Davidson puts Curry in, the fact that he plays way more minutes, and the fact that Scheyer is on the floor with at least one other strong rebounding guard (Markie or Gerald) at all times. Would Steph Curry grab 12 boards against Pitt?

Passing: Scheyer is clearly superior. Curry gets assists because the ball is in his hands so often. He also is a turnover machine. Sure Curry had 101 assists. He also had 92 turnovers -- including 8 against Duke. Scheyer sees the floor much better. His A/TO split was 83/37. Scheyer sees the floor much better and if you're into geek stats, his ORtg (per Pomeroy) was ridiculous -- 127.4 (13th in the country). Curry's is 120.2.

Defense: Curry gambles a lot, which leads to two steals per game. But he's hardly a stopper. Scheyer is one of the most underrated wing defenders in the country. His denial ability is extraordinary. And, despite not gambling nearly as often as Curry, he aveaged 1.4 spg in fewer minutes.

Look, Curry is an incredible college player and a fantastic scorer. My original point was that he and Scheyer are in no way similar, and I stand by that.

[Wander]

I highly doubt Curry would grab 12 boards against Pitt. I also highly doubt that Scheyer would grab 12 boards against Pitt if we played them again. At the least, I don't think one is clearly superior to the other.

As for passing, I think you're way off. Curry does have the ball in his hands a lot, but I also think he has great vision. He does turn it over more than Scheyer, but I think it's an exaggeration to call him a turnover machine. He did have 8 against Duke but that's the exception, not the rule. Also, keep in mind how much attention Curry gets from opposing defenses as opposed to how much attention Scheyer gets. That offensive geek rating you quote for Curry is very, very good.

As far as defense, that's part of my point - both Scheyer and Curry are viewed by the common fan as offensive players, but they're also both underrated on defense because they're quicker than most people give them credit for. I think Scheyer's underrated on defense but I don't think he's as good as you do and I think Curry's better than you do.

They're both shooting guards, decent rebounders for their position, underrated on defense, very good scorers, can score on circus shots inside, good passers, very good free throw shooters, and very efficient overall. The differences in their numbers (specifically, turnovers and points) I think can be largely attributed to the fact that Curry's clearly the superior player on his team - meaning that a) he's expected to carry the scoring load for his team, and b) opposing defenses key in on him, which results in more turnovers. But other than Curry's clearly superior shooting, their games are fairly similar.

[SupaDave]

You guys can doubt me but if I was a NBA GM I'd be salivating at the chance to draft him - especially if I had a first round pick to spare.

Did you guys see that look away - pause - then shoot? Yes!! That is not only Kobe like - but that's also McGrady like.

He's got the poise and that can take you a long way. I think he hits 6'5 before it's all said and done. Curry is a problem.

For the record I feel the same about Jon - he's got a "Thunder" Dan Majerle about him that I really like. He's gonna get stronger and like Dunleavy the NBA light bulb will turn on.

[JasonEvans]

You guys can doubt me but if I was a NBA GM I'd be salivating at the chance to draft him - especially if I had a first round pick to spare.

Did you guys see that look away - pause - then shoot? Yes!! That is not only Kobe like - but that's also McGrady like.

He's got the poise and that can take you a long way. I think he hits 6'5 before it's all said and done. Curry is a problem.

If Curry grows to 6-5, it would be most unusual. It is pretty rare for guys to put on an extra 2-3 inches at this age. Curry is already 20 years old. As I mentioned and others agreed, he is likely a bit shorter than his Davidson listed height of 6-3. In fact, I think he is closer to 6-1 than 6-3. At that size he is pretty much forced to go PG in the NBA. We have not seen PG-like skills out of him very much so far. Granted, he may have them and I may be wrong about him being an elite ballhandler, but the jury is certainly still out on that.

SupaDave, as for your comment about picking him up "if I was a NBA GM" and " I had a first round pick to spare."-- I don't think anyone is saying he is not a first rounder. I certainly think he is worth a 1st round pick and that he will be a decent NBA player. I just don't think you'll see teams spending anything higher than a late-lottery pick on him. My point was that NBA teams will not be salivating to get this kid-- he'd be a nice addition to many clubs but not an instant starter by any means and probably a kid who struggles a bit to get meaningful minutes his first few years until he gets stronger.

--Jason "I say all this and I am a very big Curry fan who will be rooting for him to keep on winning and to stay in school" Evans

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

I think Curry has an NBA ready handle. He is terrific shooting off the screen - but he also looks like he usually has no trouble creating his own shot even when double teamed. He's also been incredible in the tournament in his passing ability after being double teamed. It happens at the top of the key and his excellent quickness with the ball allows him to explode for 1-2 steps and get his pass off.

I think he is much more well rounded the Redick - and he is obviously much better at handling pressure in the clutch (this performance in the NCAA tourney is far past anything Redick did - sorry to have to use him as a comparison so negatively). He can create his own shot much easier, and is a much better on ball defender.

Scheyer and Curry really are not too similiar. Curry is at the same stage of his career and giving a POY esque performance night in and night out.

What a story it will be if he takes his team to the final four...

[davekay1971]

From what I can tell via his interviews and quotes, Curry isn't thinking about coming out after this year. I think he will eventually play in the NBA, and he will probably have a nice career (maybe similar to his father's). But I'm sure he's getting good advice right now, and he doesn't have an overriding financial reason to rush out of college. I suspect he's going to want to develop his game in college to the point where he thinks he can get game time when goes to the next level.