2011/12 Observation Deck

[KG215]

I'd murder you (or anyone, really) if it guaranteed me he'd go to the Raptors.

Then what do you do with one of Bargnani, Ed Davis, or Jonas Valanciunas? I'm assuming Valanciunas is going to eventually make it to Toronto?

I don't know, I'm just as high on Kidd-Gilchrist at this point as I am Anthony Davis, and given the already semi-crowded Raptors frontcourt, would think Kidd-Gilchrist is a better fit. A DeRozan/Kidd-Gilchrist combo on the wing is a pretty salty and very athletic foundation on the perimeter.

[KG215]

Arkansas beat #16 Mississippi State tonight 98-88 and it wasn't even that close. Mississippi State made some late desperation threes to draw a little closer. I don't know what it means because Arkansas plays so many freshmen and their best player is out all season, but it was nice to see the return of "40 Minutes of Hell" in full-force tonight.

There's perfect fits for coaches in a few cases, and not many schools fit their coach better than Arkansas fits Mike Anderson. Tonight it was like Nolan Richardson had never left and it was the mid-1990s again.

[Qwyjibo]

Then what do you do with one of Bargnani, Ed Davis, or Jonas Valanciunas? I'm assuming Valanciunas is going to eventually make it to Toronto?

I don't know, I'm just as high on Kidd-Gilchrist at this point as I am Anthony Davis, and given the already semi-crowded Raptors frontcourt, would think Kidd-Gilchrist is a better fit. A DeRozan/Kidd-Gilchrist combo on the wing is a pretty salty and very athletic foundation on the perimeter.

You look to trade Ed Davis and Bargnani. You keep Valanciunas as he'll be a C in the NBA and I think he'll be a good one. Then you go with Valanciunas/Davis at C/PF for the next 6+ years.

I do like Kidd-Gilchrist as well. Him, Davis and Barnes are the most intriguing players for me from what I've seen. Barnes needs to be able to create his own shot better though.

[InspiredLebowski]

Doug DFresh McDermott dropped 44 on Bradley tonight, MVC record. Dude shot 18-23.

[KG215]

Doug DFresh McDermott dropped 44 on Bradley tonight, MVC record. Dude shot 18-23.

You could honestly make a stronger case for him as a 1st or 2nd team All-American than Harrison Barnes. They played on the same high school team; one was the #1 player in the country and the other, well....wasn't.

[InspiredLebowski]

You could honestly make a stronger case for him as a 1st or 2nd team All-American than Harrison Barnes. They played on the same high school team; one was the #1 player in the country and the other, well....wasn't.

Yeah, I knew him and Barnes played together in HS. Makes me wonder how McDermott could've been so underrated, dude didn't even get a big 6 offer. Was Barnes just a one man show?

[KG215]

Yeah, I knew him and Barnes played together in HS. Makes me wonder how McDermott could've been so underrated, dude didn't even get a big 6 offer. Was Barnes just a one man show?

Don't think so but I never saw one of their high school games. Maybe Barnes just overshadowed McDermott? They won 50+ games and two straight state championships in a row. Watching some highlights when UNC was recruiting Barnes, I remember thinking their competition was pretty underwhelming. So much so that some UNC fans were trying to warn others that he may not come in and light the world on fire due to the low level of his high school competition.

Apparently McDermott was and is pretty damn good, too.

[Rowe]

Yeah, I knew him and Barnes played together in HS. Makes me wonder how McDermott could've been so underrated, dude didn't even get a big 6 offer. Was Barnes just a one man show?

He played as an undersized PF in HS.

I dont think major schools realized he'd gain another 20-25 lbs and showcase face up scoring ability to go along with his motor in the post.

Their loss. Creighton's gain.

McDermott should be in the hunt for the Naismith Player of the Year.

[KG215]

Figure it's time to put everyone on B.J. Young alert. He might be the best freshman no one really knows or talks about. He was a top 15-25 player in last year's class but didn't play in any of the big postseason all-star games, so he's kind of flown under the radar.

He's a 6'3" scoring combo guard kind of in the Monta Ellis mode. In fact, I think that's a very good comparison for him. His game is very similar to Ellis' game. He's averaging 14.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, and 1.0 spg. And he's doing something very abnormal for a true freshman guard. He's averaging 15 a game on 52.1% shooting and 43.1% shooting from three. He's had his best games against Arkansas' toughest competition, too.

at UConn: 10/20, 5/6 3P, 28 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast
at Oklahoma: 9/16, 3/7 3P, 24 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl
vs. Mississippi State: 10/13, 2/4 3P, 24 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl

Averages in those three games: 29/49 (59.2%), 10/17 3P (58.8%), 25.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 spg

[Rose]

No one's really going to care but Zac and I

BUT!!

Hey, check out Middle Tennessee! Give the coaches credit for this much: They reserved some noteworthy love for the Middle Tennessee, which is now 15-2 (4-0 in the Sun Belt) with its only two losses coming in double overtime at Belmont (a loss later avenged with a 65-62 win on Dec. 13) and at UAB. Middle Tennessee may not crack the poll anytime soon, but the Blue Raiders pulled in 20 votes this week, more than Alabama, West Virginia and a host of other teams that typically garner much more attention. For a Sun Belt program, 20 poll votes is a victory unto itself.

[Grinder]

WVU awoke the beast that is Andre Drummond. Huge performance for him against a tough WVU front court.

If I were a GM, I'd love to have Kevin Jones on my team.

[UConnCeltics]

Andre Drummond really has a chance to be something special. When have we seen a big man as athletic and fluent as he is, Chris Webber maybe? When he stole the ball and ran it 3/4 of the court for the dunk he outran the WVU point guard. 20 points 11 boards on 9/11 shooting with 3 blocks and 2 steals is a nifty statline for a center.

[chips93]

Baylor escape kansas state undefeated. the wildcats had an open layup to tie the game with 3 seconds left, only for walton to poke the ball lose from behind.

baylor's offense looked horrible when pierre jackson was out of the game. he makes their team work.

im still not convinced that this baylor team is actually that good, and im having more doubts about perry jones as a good nba prospect. he just disappears for long stretches. after a good start to the game, he did nothing, but finish wide open looks around the rim created by jackson's penetration.

[wang4three]

Brandon ****ing Paul.

[KG215]

UNC beats a decent Miami team 73-56 and led by 20 before the walk-ons came in. Still scored 73 points despite a really bad shooting night. As a team UNC shot just 43.7% and 12.5% (2/16) from three. Barnes was just 2/13 and 0/6 from three, Hairston and Bullock were just a combined 2/8 from three, and Henson was just 5/13 from the floor and we still essentially won by 20 and scored 23. How? Strickland scored 14 and Marshall scored 12.

They looked very sharp on defense. Showed when they defend like they're capable of defending, we can have an off night and still beat an above-average opponent soundly.