Great game. Fierce comeback by Arizona to win this game going away after Kansas had control up until about 4 mins. into the 2nd half.
Cole Aldrich, Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger -
Aldrich played poorly throughout. Never got on track at all. Was totally taken out of the game by Jordan Hill who is by far the better prospect. To be fair, Aldrich looks strong enough as he battled hard for position both in establishing himself in the post and going for rebounds but the quick pace of this game, esp. in the 2nd half when Arizona made their big run, was way too much for him. He just never established himself offensively and was too slow to battle the much quicker Jordan Hill and Jamelle Horne for rebounds and loose balls. He was even off at the line where he missed at least half his free throws. Got a chance to really look at that ugly shooting mechanic tonight where he comes slightly back & over his head (only on the foul line as he didn't attempt a jumpshot in the game) - it's far from smooth and very deliberate which could be a problem at the next level. I've seen him play well a few times already & was excited to see how he'd do tonight - sad to say it didn't go well. Hard to come to conclusions based on one game but after tonight, I'd have to say that he's not ready for the NBA as of yet.
Jordan Hill was phenomenal however. He's big, very quick and has an NBA ready game on both ends. He can score a variety of different ways - hooks in close with both hands, excellent use of the spin move to get shots off and an excellent face up game with a real soft touch on the jumper out to about 18 feet. Even his misses were spectacular tonight. Runs the court well, plays hard, excels in the fast-paced game, very good rebounder and a good shot-blocker. Tonight he showed why he's a definite top 5 pick next summer - I think he could go as high at #2. I've read where he's been compared to Amar'e and Chris Bosh - I like those comparisons. I think that's accurate. He's gonna be a very good pro. I'd love for this kid to be a Knick.
Chase Budinger had a bad shooting night. This kid's bread and butter is the jumpshot and it just wasn't falling for him in this one. Did a lot of other things that you like to see - forced only a couple of shots - most of his attempts came in the flow, he hustled, dove to the ground to jump on a loose ball, helped keep the ball moving and played some tight defense. He's got nice size at 6'7" and he's a very good athlete. As far as I remember his only field goal came mid-late 2nd half when Nic Wise hit him with a nice pass that he converted into a spectacular one-handed alley-oop dunk on Aldrich. It really was the play of the game. I think he'd make a nice 2 or 3 at the next level though I just don't think he's the type of guy the Knicks should be looking at. We need the big man outta this draft more.
Jamelle Horne, Nic Wise and Kyle Fogg of UoA all deserve a mention, as does Sharron Collins of Kansas. All played really well tonight. Horne was very active and really seems to be rounding out into a complete player. Great hustle, hit the boards real hard (he must've had at least a dozen rebounds tonight) and has shown the ability to take and make 3s now, something I don't remember being part of his arsenal before. Nic Wise really can create for himself or others. Very quick and shows a nice ability to finish at the rim with good body control even after the ball had been touched/deflected on his way to the hole. Perfect at the FT line tonight, something like 11-11... This new kid Kyle Fogg's a little small for a two and doesn't look to shoot the 3 but he's tough as nails and goes strong to the rim. Sharron Collins is the driving force for that Kansas team. He didn't shoot it well tonight and he's a little small (barely 6') but he's really a do-it-all PG possessing nice quickness & a great handle. Very good 3 pt. shooter as well - Collins reminds me of AJ Abrams but I think he's better and can do more for his club than Abrams can (Abrams is basically a little gunner out there).. Look for these guys to continue to carve out a niche for themselves as the year goes on...
[Edited by - finestrg on 12-24-2008 02:21 AM]
Jordan Hill is the guy I've really honed in on. I dunno if he goes top 3 but he will definitely fight his way into the top 10. He'd be a perfect fit here if we could get him.
Gotta go point or center I would think.
There will be lots of good players left when we pick in the middle of the first.
I'm not too worried.
