Top 25 NBA prospetcs

[Tim1515]

You might be surprised by someone's ranking on this list...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1011/cbb-top-draft-prospects/content.1.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

[InSpades]

You might be surprised by someone's ranking on this list...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1011/cbb-top-draft-prospects/content.1.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

I assume you mean by a Duke player... the biggest surprise for me was to see Nolan on the list (ahead of Kyle even!). Mason being listed so high really isn't a surprise to me but that's mostly because he's that high on other similiar lists. I personally don't see Mason as a better pro prospect than Kyle, I think Kyle is too low and Mason too high. It's nice to know that we have 4 of the top 25 though :).

[COYS]

I assume you mean by a Duke player... the biggest surprise for me was to see Nolan on the list (ahead of Kyle even!). Mason being listed so high really isn't a surprise to me but that's mostly because he's that high on other similiar lists. I personally don't see Mason as a better pro prospect than Kyle, I think Kyle is too low and Mason too high. It's nice to know that we have 4 of the top 25 though :).

It's the classic potential vs. production battle that NBA GMs have been waging for years. Mason has the physical tools to become a star if (and this is a big if) he can put it all together. Kyle has the fundamentals to be a star if his physical limitations aren't too significant to overcome at the NBA level. You can't teach athleticism as they say, so guys like Kyle tend to slide down draft boards.

Personally, i think Kyle's fundamentals and versatility are underrated. He's very different than guys like Adam Morrison, Nick Fazekas and other perimeter oriented forwards who excelled in college but have struggled to make it in the NBA. For starters, he's a very good defender and rebounder, unlike those other guys, who pours at least as much effort into the defensive end as he does the offensive end. While he hasn't consistently proven himself as a creator for others, he has also shown more of a willingness to move the ball around on offense. He's also shown the ability to adjust how he plays to the competition (moving to the 5 right out of high school, sliding to the 4 the next season, to the 3 the following year, now playing a combination). I won't try to predict how well kyle will do in the NBA, but I do think he can have a long and successful career while giving a team very consistent play.

[sagegrouse]

To save time, here's the list of Duke players:

Kyle, 24
Nolan, 23
Mason, 6
Kyrie, 3

Mason was the first non-freshman listed. As far as I am concerned, the NBA can go ahead and draft guys who are not ready to play at that level. It seems dumb to me to burn up the bucks and a couple of years of contract time without much production. But, hey! Maybe John Wall and his like will make waves from the first day -- but I doubt that it happens very often.

sagegrouse

[jimsumner]

On Nolan.

"More of a complimentary player who is not very dynamic creating his own shot or operating off the dribble. "

"Complimentary?" Seriously? Sports Illustrated can't hire a copy editor?

[moonpie23]

remember, boozer "slipped" to the 2nd round...

[sagegrouse]

On Nolan.

"More of a complimentary player who is not very dynamic creating his own shot or operating off the dribble. "

"Complimentary? Seriously? Sports Illustrated can't hire a copy editor?

I am afraid that the internet has made copy editors obsolete, which is not the same as unnecessary.

sagegrouse
'OTOH, I heard Nolan always said nice things about Jim Sumner'

[MChambers]

On Nolan.

"More of a complimentary player who is not very dynamic creating his own shot or operating off the dribble. "

"Complimentary? Seriously? Sports Illustrated can't hire a copy editor?
It's like those UNC football players talking about how they "compliment" each other. Nolan always says nice things about his teammates.

On the substance, it seems to me that Nolan has become far better at creating his own shot and operating off the dribble in the last six months.

[Starter]

I am afraid that the internet has made copy editors obsolete, which is not the same as unnecessary.


As a sports website copy editor for a living... I take no offense. =)

Know who Mason sort of reminds me of, physically? Kris Humphries, the NBA version. They're built pretty much the same. I just don't see Mason as being a big scorer, but I see no reason he can't carve out a decent career. Humphries is actually starting for the Nets and doing pretty well, especially in terms of rebounding. And he did get drafted 14th.

[superdave]

On Nolan.

"More of a complimentary player who is not very dynamic creating his own shot or operating off the dribble. "

"Complimentary? Seriously? Sports Illustrated can't hire a copy editor?

Nolan will be a complimentary player in the NBA and I'm not sure he's going to beat too many 1s and 2s off the dribble at the next level either. I think he'll wind up being in a team's 8 man rotation because he can play both the 1 and 2 and bring a ton of energy off the bench (think Nate Robinson). But I do not expect him to start, but I do expect him to make a career in the NBA. In my humble estimation, his two best offensive moves at the next level will be the floater in the lane and finishing on the break.

Super "Complimentary on the NBA level is not an insult" Dave

[gumbomoop]

It's the classic potential vs. production battle that NBA GMs have been waging for years. Mason has the physical tools to become a star if (and this is a big if) he can put it all together. Kyle has the fundamentals to be a star if his physical limitations aren't too significant to overcome at the NBA level.

At the beginning of the '09-'10 season, I was super optimistic about Duke's chances, in part based on my having been very impressed with what I had seen of Mason in HS all-star games. I now assume that what I saw is roughly the same stuff Jay Bilas saw that led him to assert, more than once, that Mason was Duke's most talented player. [I realize Bilas saw a lot more than I; but in a naive jump-to-optimistic-conclusions way, I thought, wow, Mason is going to be really good right away.]

What COYS here refers to as the "big if" with Mason, I now think of as Mason's understanding of the game, which means his understanding of probably 8 or 10 [or 20] different things; and, the extent to which his mentality will allow him to become great. Does he have the discipline to perfect his considerable physical skills? Will he learn how to apply his [presumably] improving skills to fluid game situations? Mason still has a ways to go to "put it all together," which must involve some intuitive feel for the game that he has yet to exhibit with much consistency.

The pros have a few years to allow him to figure things out. But we are first and way-foremost concerned with the immediate future; so "potential" will be exciting to watch, yet possibly not quite fully satisfying come next March.

[gumbomoop]

Super "Complimentary on the NBA level is not an insult" Dave

It's the misspelling, not the underestimating of Nolan's talent, that's being commented on by posters above. The words complimentary and complementary are called homophones.

[mr. synellinden]

At the beginning of the '09-'10 season, I was super optimistic about Duke's chances, in part based on my having been very impressed with what I had seen of Mason in HS all-star games. I now assume that what I saw is roughly the same stuff Jay Bilas saw that led him to assert, more than once, that Mason was Duke's most talented player. [I realize Bilas saw a lot more than I; but in a naive jump-to-optimistic-conclusions way, I thought, wow, Mason is going to be really good right away.]

What COYS here refers to as the "big if" with Mason, I now think of as Mason's understanding of the game, which means his understanding of probably 8 or 10 [or 20] different things; and, the extent to which his mentality will allow him to become great. Does he have the discipline to perfect his considerable physical skills? Will he learn how to apply his [presumably] improving skills to fluid game situations? Mason still has a ways to go to "put it all together," which must involve some intuitive feel for the game that he has yet to exhibit with much consistency.

The pros have a few years to allow him to figure things out. But we are first and way-foremost concerned with the immediate future; so "potential" will be exciting to watch, yet possibly not quite fully satisfying come next March.

What strikes me about this is - regardless of how they're ranked, unless there is a lockout, we are going to be losing a lot of talent next year. We do have a lot on the bench and a lot coming in, but next year is shaping up to be an interesting transitional year. Just looking ahead:


Miles
Ryan
Andre
Austin
Seth

Bench:

MG
MPIII
QC
TT
JH

That's still a very deep and talented team.

[NovaScotian]

On Nolan.

"More of a complimentary player who is not very dynamic creating his own shot or operating off the dribble. "

"Complimentary? Seriously? Sports Illustrated can't hire a copy editor?

they got it right. after every made basket and defensive stop, nolan is always quick to praise his teammates:

"great work, kyle."
"excellent hustle, andre."
"i admire your athleticism and congratulate you on making such an exciting basket, kyrie."

[BD80]

It's the misspelling, not the underestimating of Nolan's talent, that's being commented on by posters above. The words complimentary and complementary are called homophones.

Aren't there enough homophones in the NBA already?

[gumbomoop]

they got it right. after every made basket and defensive stop, nolan is always quick to praise his teammates:

"great work, kyle."
"excellent hustle, andre."
"i admire your athleticism and congratulate you on making such an exciting basket, kyrie."

A very good point. Nolan's compliments are as famous as are his complementary insults infamous.

To wit:
"Mason, that was the dumbest pass I've seen since..... well, since LDII all last season."
"Josh, go pick up your jockstrap.... unless you intend to audition for the steamy scenes in Titanic II." [Titanic II? What? How? C'mon, Nolan.]
"Coach, sometimes you coach like..... I don't know, Roy Williams."

[superdave]

It's the misspelling, not the underestimating of Nolan's talent, that's being commented on by posters above. The words complimentary and complementary are called homophones.

Ha. Need more coffee today....

I do think Nolan will be someone's 7th man though, but not a starter.

[Devilsfan]

We really need a Boozer, Brand, Battier type that can start on the front line.

[airowe]

We really need a Boozer, Brand, Battier type that can start on the front line.

Or Zoubek. Or Laettner. ;)

[Bob Green]

Nolan will be a complimentary player in the NBA....

Super "Complimentary on the NBA level is not an insult" Dave

Super, I think perhaps Jim's post flew over your head or perhaps your post flew over my head...anyway...

Bob "Complementary on the NBA level is not an insult" Green

[Dukeface88]

What strikes me about this is - regardless of how they're ranked, unless there is a lockout, we are going to be losing a lot of talent next year. We do have a lot on the bench and a lot coming in, but next year is shaping up to be an interesting transitional year.

I'll say what I said about Kyle and Nolan last year: if Kyrie and Mason play well enough to go in the lotto, I'm pretty sure I can live with the consequences.

[Starter]

By the way, I still am stunned by the high opinions scouts have of Mason. Look at the six guys ahead of him on this list -- Barnes, Perry Jones, Kyrie, Selby and Sullinger. With all due respect -- especially since I LIKE Mason's game -- he's not in the same galaxy as those guys. If he's still held in the same esteem after this season, I think he'd be crazy not to try to cash in on it.

[Saratoga2]

By the way, I still am stunned by the high opinions scouts have of Mason. Look at the six guys ahead of him on this list -- Barnes, Perry Jones, Kyrie, Selby and Sullinger. With all due respect -- especially since I LIKE Mason's game -- he's not in the same galaxy as those guys. If he's still held in the same esteem after this season, I think he'd be crazy not to try to cash in on it.

Josh McRoberts and Shavlik Randolph come to mind when thinking about Mason. Mason may be somewhat more athletic than either Josh or Shavlik, but his game has still not shown much more than potential. The NBA is big on potential, but lets hope more of that gets expressed during the season as results for Duke. The negatives mentioned in the selection list, about his lack of strength to be an effective rebounder and finish at the NBA level should provide things for Mason to work on and improve.

[Skydog]

Personally I have been perplexed by the media's constant harping on Mason's "potential" since I have never seen anything extraordinary from him since he's been at Duke. (I don't count monster uncontested dunks as extraordinary I guess.) I've certainly not seen the kind of potential I've seen from the other top NBA prospects in this list.

To me it seems that Mason biggest weakness is that he is the opposite of anticipatory, whatever that term is. Mentally he just seems to always be a few seconds behind the play and often looks confused. I think this is a big reason he doesn't rebound nearly as well as expected given his size and hops. Rebounding isn't just about size, its also about reading the play, making a good guess as to how the ball will come off the rim, anticipating your opponents move for the rebound and positioning yourself to counter them, and finally having the proper timing for all this is crucial. He does none of these well IMO, and I haven't seen much progress so far. Maybe this it the year, but I know no reason to expect that.

And on defense he is the Duke player most likely to make costly mistakes, like not switching on picks when he should and vice versa, knowing when to leave your man to provide weak-side help and when to stay home, etc. Several times already this season the result has been an opponent left all alone for an easy score.

So I would be pleasantly surprised if he has a strong season this year. I know the NBA covets athleticism but if he is coming off the bench in March I don't think even his size will be enough to crack the top 20 in the draft, certainly not top 10. Hopefully he proves me completely wrong on every count.

[theAlaskanBear]

Complement and Compliment both come the same latin root -- complementum. The compliment version arrived into the english language via the romances -- french & spanish (which accounts for the spelling difference) -- and took over the "praise, politeness" part from Complement which had been turning double duty as fulfill/complete and polite 'words of praise', which was also taken directly from Latin, just at an earlier date. Complement went on to develop solely as complete/counterpart and lost its "flattery"

'pologize for the capitalization and punctuation errors. im in a rough draft frame of mind.

[johnb]

I wouldn't lump mason in with McRoberts and Randolph. Neither of those players unpacked his bags and became duke guys; they left as soon as they decided they'd make an nba team. I'd liken him to dunleavy or deng, in that they woukd have stayed and enjoyed the experience but they became lottery picks and did what most everybody does. Further, I saw mcbob and shav as soft and selfish, and mason isn't either.

[Gthoma2a]

Mason is not that high yet in my book. Second, Kyrie needs to polish his playmaking ability? He is amazing at making plays. Harrison at #1 seems retarded at this point. I think Nolan and Kyle deserved more respect than that, but considering how ridiculous the prior points I have mentioned are, I am not going to get into that.

[CDu]

I wouldn't lump mason in with McRoberts and Randolph. Neither of those players unpacked his bags and became duke guys; they left as soon as they decided they'd make an nba team. I'd liken him to dunleavy or deng, in that they woukd have stayed and enjoyed the experience but they became lottery picks and did what most everybody does. Further, I saw mcbob and shav as soft and selfish, and mason isn't either.

I don't think the comparison was being made on attachment to Duke. I think the comparison was more based on hype and skill set.