Pitt vs. Duke Recap (as Seen on nbadraft.net)

By Drew Wolin
NBADraft.net
12/21/07

The Pittsburgh Panthers tied a school record by overcoming a twelve point halftime deficit and defeated the previously unbeaten Duke Blue Devils 65-64 at Madison Square Garden. Pittsburgh's Brooklyn-bred guard Levance Fields came up big in his homecoming, hitting the game winning three pointer with 4.7 seconds left in overtime to put his squad up by one point. The victory, however, was bittersweet in both Levance's and Pitt coach Jamie Dixon's eyes.

Senior forward Mike Cook went down with what appears to be "a serious knee injury," according to Dixon, who was doing his best to hold back his tears as he empathized with his senior's situation. Dixon was genuinely let down, to say the least, that his forward's college basketball career may be over. There is still no official word on the extent of the injury. Levance, Cook's best friend on the team, said that his big game-winning shot was for Mike.

The first half of the game was all about the D. Pitt's guards were not able to make it past half court without having to deal with multiple Duke defenders pestering them. Even once over half court, the Panthers' backcourt of Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon was not able to get the offense flowing. Pitt is seventh in the nation in assist to turnover ratio, though one would never know from watching this game, where the team committed 22 turnovers with only ten assists. The aforementioned guards were rushing shots and turning the ball over at an extraordinary rate in the first half; the Panthers had 13 turnovers by halftime.

Duke's halfcourt offense looked decently sharp the few times that it needed to utilize its set plays in the first half. There were times where the Devils relied quite heavily on Kyle Singler to make something happen (in most cases he came through with a bucket). Otherwise, Taylor King was an integral part in keeping the floor spaced because he is a constant threat anywhere inside of 26 feet.

The tables quickly turned in the second half. The Panthers slowed the game down and took advantage of the Bluedevils' youth and inexperience. Accompanied by an extremely hearty performance by Levance Fields, DeJuan Blair helped his team take over in the second half. Blair finished the game with 15 points and a whopping twenty rebounds.

Singler was a non-factor for much of the second half, and the Devils turned to Gerald Henderson to put points on the board. The son of a former NBA player came up big in the second half and finished the game with 17 points, including the game-tying bucket at the end of regulation.

The neutral crowd, which acted more as a home crowd for both teams, had a night to remember in this battle between two of the nation's best.

Top Prospects:

Kyle Singler (Duke, 6'8" 220 lbs.): Singler was phenomenal in the first half; while he has the ability to shoot it from deep, he does not give in to the temptation of long range bombing. Much like the modern-day Dirk Nowitzki, he mixes in inside/midrange and outside shots. Singler has excellent rebounding and interior passing ability and it was on full display in the first half of this game.

In the second half when the pace slowed he was not nearly as affective as he was in the first half. Depending on which way Singler decides to go, a few extra pounds wouldn't hurt. He was not able to bang with Pitt's big bodies. In terms of NBA success, Singler may be best suited to model his game after Duke alum Mike Dunleavy, who is having a career year in Indy. Like Dunleavy, Singler is long and smooth with a nice shooting touch. Though he does have the ability to rebound, he does not have the bulk to rely on his rebounding ability in the NBA. Overall it would certainly be detrimental to his game (speed, agility) to put on too much bulk.

Gerald Henderson (Duke, 6'5" 210 lbs.): Henderson had somewhat of an inverted version of Singler's game. He was not nearly as aggressive as he should have been in the first half, though in the second half he demanded the ball a bit more and was more willing to take shots. He took Duke's biggest shot of the game – a very tough runner in the lane to tie the game and send it into overtime. Henderson is a bit of an anomaly in that he usually lets the game come to him, hence him not being too aggressive in the first half, though in the second half he did appear to be forcing things. If a player spends the first half not playing aggressively, he should not need the second half to make too many mistakes. Henderson often tried to bull his way past defenders. Henderson's game would benefit from a little more assertiveness at the beginning of games and then a sustained intensity throughout. He already has many of the physical tools for an NBA wing.

DeJuan Blair (Pitt, 6'7" 265 lbs.): Beast. The freshman had twenty rebounds in the game. What more needs to be said? Blair, in part thanks to his 7'3" wingspan, swatted away three shots in the game as well. Making matters more disconcerting for opponents is the fact that Blair seems to always have a smile on his face. The big body possesses very soft hands for such a bruiser. He was an anchor in the middle for Pitt the way Shelden Williams and Carlos Boozer used to be for Duke. Coach K can only dream about having a beast like Blair lacing it up for Duke this year.

Taylor King (Duke, 6'6" 230 lbs.): Taylor King does one thing very well and one thing with adequate proficiency: shoot threes and rebound, respectively. Though limited in his skill set, he may be in luck because these two tools will get a player far in the basketball world. King believes in his sweet lefty stroke and there is really nothing anyone can do to wane his confidence.

Dejuan Blair Scouting Report (as Seen on nbadraft.net)

NBA Comparison: Craig Smith

Strengths: Blair is a man with great girth … He does what he looks like he should do – bang on the inside, grab rebounds, and with his 7'3" wingspan, anchor his team's interior defense ... Very soft hands … Generally stays out of foul trouble, something especially impressive for someone of his size and propensity for contact … Very competitive and eager to improve, there are no motivation question marks with him ... A winner. Seems to have a great rapport with his teammates and has already taken on somewhat of a leadership role as a freshman on the upperclassmen-led Pitt Panthers squad. Has a gregarious personality, a natural leader and strong clubhouse guy ... Shows soft touch on his shot both with contact and from the line ...

Weaknesses: Blair should continue to polish his one-on-one low post moves … A deadly-mid range jumper would greatly benefit his game, a la Carlos Boozer or Kurt Thomas. Blair should watch his weight, he's got good body strength and quickness but could probably improve upon it by trimming 10 lbs ... His bulk is one of his strengths, though if he can find a way to balance his bulk and its affect on his quickness he would benefit.

Drew Wolin - 12/21/2007

Fantasy Catch-Up Week 5

• Ÿ Jose Calderon -- A not so sturdy Ford broke down in Toronto, which made way for this import to crack the starting lineup and become the driving force behind the Raptors. Calderon has led the Raptors to a 4-2 record in his six games as a starter, the last two of which Ford has been active for. Calderon has dished out 10+ assists in all but one of his six of his starts. With Ford back, the two will likely start splitting minutes again. I would imagine that Ford will eventually reclaim his starting spot, though there is a slight chance that it will be later rather than sooner. Give Calderon a look especially if you are in need of assists.

• Ÿ Dwight Howard -- Dwight is absolutely dominating this season to the tune of 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game, while converting on 61.8% of his field goals (his free throw shooting percentage of 60.7 can be a real killer if that’s a category in your league, though… not to mention his turnover woes). Last game he grabbed 23 rebounds; the game before, he scored 39 and blocked five shots.

• Ÿ Andrei Kirilenko -- Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, Thank you! Due in large part to the both of you missing Friday night’s game, Andrei Kirilenko posted the nicest fantasy line of the season: 20 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, six steals, and four blocks. He had an infinite assist to turnover ratio (yes, that means zero turnovers) and hit a three to boot! Andrei probably won’t do this again with Okur and Booz back on the floor, though it was beautiful to check how my players did that night and see this gem. More on my team later…

• Ÿ Beno Udrih - There have been rumors circulating that as soon as Mike Bibby gets healthy, he will be dealt to Miami. This means that the Kings have a lot of faith in the former San Antonio Spur and he should have value for the entire season. At this point, Bibby is still two months away from returning from his finger injury, so at the very least Beno will give you 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds for another six to eight fantasy weeks.

• Ÿ Monta Ellis - After winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season, Ellis appeared to have backtracked this year, as if Space Jam’s Monstars had sucked away all of his talent. The return of Stephen Jackson has coincided with a gigantic boost in production for Monta. Little as he is, it was just too tough for him to score when defenses were focused on him. Jackson, a player that demands the respect of his oppositions’ defense, helps take pressure off Ellis.

Reader Question:

“After weeks and weeks of agonizing over coming up with potential deals to propose to league mates (all of which eventually got rejected), I had two straight trades that finally went through! Both were blockbuster deals. The first had me ship Corey Maggette, Mike Dunleavy, Ron Artest, and Antonio Daniels out in exchange for T.J. Ford, Josh Smith, and Manu Ginobili. In the second deal I traded away Rudy Gay, Marvin Williams, Udonis Haslem, and Richard Jefferson for Emeka Okafor, Chris Paul, and Kirk Hinrich. What do I think?” ~ Drew Wolin

Hey, I read my own article; aren‘t I entitled to ask the reader question every once in a while? First and foremost, in both deals I got rid of one more player than I got in return. This gave me room to pick up Jamario Moon and Beno Udrih, both of whom I am very on high on. Also, in trades, I like to look at the rare categories such as blocks, steals, threes, and assist:turnover ratio. With these categories, all you need is one guy to have a great week and they can win them for you singlehandedly. In the first deal, I traded all four players when they were playing very well and got back Ford, who is a decent buy low candidate, especially if you can explain to your trading partner that Calderon may eat into his minutes for the rest of the season. Manu gets a good assist:turnover ratio (a category by itself in my league in place of turnovers) and he is a solid source of threes. I have always been a huge fan of Josh Smith because his blocks and steals. Thanks to the second deal, I can eat Smith’s terrible FG% and A:TO ratio. Hinrich should eventually turn around his dismal season, Chris Paul is a top 5 player when healthy, and Okafor is a solid role player whose only big downfall is his A:TO ratio. Between Paul and Steve Nash (and Kirilenko on some nights), I still am in a position to win the ratio most weeks. Overall I still like both deals.

Fantasy Catch-Up Week 4

Goodbye, Gilbert

Gilbert Arenas owners, take a seat before proceeding with the reading. Your franchise fantasy player may be done for the season, according to one NBA news source (other sources have yet to confirm). Arenas is going to be extra cautious with his problematic knee and only come back once he is 111% sure that he is ready to lace ‘em up and go to work. Essentially, what this means is that you should have already picked up Antonio Daniels by the time you read this. Add Daniels to your lineup and enjoy his 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals per night. (Report has since been said to be erroneous).

Watch out Big O, Here Comes the King

Or is it Tiny that should be watching his tail? After following up his third triple double of the season with yet another triple double, Lebron is looking like he could challenge two NBA records, both of which were thought to be untouchable. In the 1972-1973 season, Nate “Tiny” Archibald led the NBA in both points and assists with averages of 34 points and 11.4 assists for the Kansas City - Omaha Kings. In the 1961-62 season, Oscar Roberstson did the unthinkable and averaged a triple double with averages of 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists. ‘Bron is currently leading the league in scoring with an average of just over 31 points per game, and is just over an average of two assists per game short of beating out Steve Nash (currently dishing 10.9 apg) for the league‘s assist leader. He is also less than two rebounds and two assists short of averaging a triple double. Realistically, these records should be safe for now, but if you want to say that you were a part of history, make sure you draft Lebron next season. And the season after that. And the season after that…

Under the Rader:

• Ÿ Richard Jefferson - RJ is quietly the NBA’s 6^th leading scorer at 25 points per game. He has not shown any signs of slowing up, having scored 27+ in his past three games. He shoots efficiently, though does not necessarily stand out in other categories.

• Ÿ Jamal Tinsley - The NY-bred PG is never shown any love in fantasy circles. Outside of his horrific FG%, Tinsley is more than solid in multiple categories, including rare ones such as threes, steals, and assists.

• Ÿ Jamario Moon - I’ll be honest, if not for his name, he probably wouldn’t have made the cut for this article. He blew up on Sunday, though otherwise he had a pretty mediocre week. Toronto’s moon man is a fringe fantasy player, but if you want erratic blocks, steals, or threes, or just a guy with a funky name, Jamario Moon is your man.

• Ÿ Lou Williams - The Sixers are actively shopping Andre Miller in order to open up the starting point guard gig to the youngster. Lou is an explosive scorer with a style that can be compared to somewhat of a mix between that of Monta Ellis and Nate Robinson.

• Ÿ Hedo Turkoglu - He(do) has been playing absolutely out of his mind, boasting averages of 18.5 ppg, almost six rpg, almost four apg, and two threes per game. Who would have thought that the addition of Rashard Lewis, who can be described as a rich man‘s Turkoglu, would actually help Hedo’s fantasy game?

• Ÿ Antawn Jamison/Caron Butler - The loss of Gilbert means that if the Wizards want to contend, these two players must handle more of the offensive load. Unlike Gilbert, Washington’s new point guard is more of a prototypical distributing point guard who would rather let Butler and Jamison handle putting points on the board.

• Ÿ Jose Calderon - Speaking of distributing point guards, this Spaniard has done a spectacular job leading the Raptors while TJ Ford has been sidelined with what is being called an “arm stinger.” Ford is listed as day-to-day, but Calderon is still worth owning in most leagues because of his great passing ability.

• Ÿ Shaquille O’neal - Quite simply, Shaq is back (for now). Check the numbers. His production will likely eventually drop, so try to sell high if he’s on your squad.

Reader Question:

What do you think of this trade: I trade Manu Ginobili and Andres Nocioni for Ron Artest and Kelenna Azubuike. ~Justin

That’s a very fair deal, but I feel that you got the slight edge. Between Kelenna and Nocioni, it is essentially a stalemate. Both can explode and get 30 points or five three pointers in one night, and both will be erradic. Between Artest and Manu, Artest should have a great year because he is in a contract year. He gets similar stats to Manu, though he is more durable. The only real concern with Artest missing games is that he might get suspended. Manu misses games every season due to ankle sprains or other similar injuries. Artest is also shooting an astounding 54% from the field this season, compared to Manu‘s 47%. Nice going with this deal Justin!

E-mail me your questions @ dwolin@gmail.com!

Fantasy Catch-Up Week 3

Sorry for the delayed post, this is from the third week of the fantasy season

Fantasy Fake or For Real?

• Jamario Moon -- Tell me what college Jamario went to without looking it up and I will give you a prize. The mystery man with the strange name has simultaneously earned the respect of the Raptors’ coaching staff and the hatred of Andrea Bargnani owners. Moon, a small forward, stole Bargnani’s starting spot last week and ran with it. He has posted relatively solid numbers across the board, highlighted by a 15 pt, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 3-pt performance on the 14^th. As well as Moon played, he will likely not see consistent minutes, competing for minutes with Bargnani, Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino, and Jorge Gabrajosa. Fake.

• Beno Udrih -- Guy With a Funny Name #2 has replaced Francisco Garcia as the Kings’ starting point guard. Overall Beno has produced at a very efficient rate in the absence of Mike Bibby. The return of Ron Artest has actually helped him (I am still mourning the loss of John Salmons’s production). Beno is for real, at least until the return of Bibby in about ten weeks.

• Luis Scola -- Tracy McGrady missed the past two games with a strained elbow, and in those two games Scola set his career high of twenty points, twice. He also grabbed 11 boards last game. Unfortunately for the Argentinean import, Rockets head coach Rick Adelman said in a recent press conference, "[McGrady] really wants to play and I really want him to play [in our next game]." If the games prior to T-Mac’s injury are any indication, Scola’s a fake.

• Sean Williams -- The sky is the limit for the Nets‘ freak-athlete center. Williams is a shot-blocking force, and with enough burn he should score and rebound at a fairly nice clip while shooting at a very high percentage. The only things that may stop Sean are the re-emergence of an unhealthy Nenad Krstic and the league’s substance abuse policy. That being said, Sean is for real… I just picked him up in my league for Zaza Pachulia.

• Baron Davis -- He’s a fake; a fraud! Out of Jermaine O’Neal, Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, and Baron Davis, who would you guess blocked more shots than all of the others combined on a night which all of the aforementioned players were active? If you guessed Baron Davis, you cheated, but are also correct. Baron may not block a total of five shots in his next ten games. Fake (but only the blocks!)

Other Notes:

• Ÿ "I guess I'll be competing with Manu Ginobli and Jason Terry for Sixth Man of Year," Marbury said. For one reason or another, that made me smile and I thought I would share it with you.

• Ÿ Juan Carlos Navarro/Kyle Lowry/Mike Conley Jr. (as opposed to last week’s “Kyle Lowry/Mike Conley Jr.” section) -- Juan Carlos Navarro tied the NBA rookie record for most threes hit in a game last week when he went 8/9 from deep in a loss ti the Hornets. The little guy has played himself into the rotation, making the Grizzlies’ fantasy-backcourt situation even that much more grotesque. There are four capable point guards (including Damon Stoudamire) fighting for minutes in Memphis, and none of them will likely see more than 30 minutes per game.

• Ÿ Ben Gordon looks to have broken out of his slump. The same can not be said about the Bulls.

Reader Question:

“I'm in a 5 year keeper league and have recently been offered this trade:

I give Brandon Roy, Andrew Bogut, and Daniel Gibson and I receive Greg Oden and Jason Kidd. Kidd is not getting any younger at age 34. I think that Roy will continue to produce but Gibson and Bogut haven't shown me too much promise. Should I accept the trade.” ~ Mike Hyman

Here’s the way I see it; Jason Kidd will be a top 15 fantasy player for the next three years. Oden will likely be a top 75 player next year, and continue to work his way up until he is a top 10 fantasy player by his fourth or fifth season (that is assuming he eventually regains full health). Roy, Bogut, and Gibson will be top 40, 50, and 80 players, respectively. If you want to have a great team, you must be willing to take risks. That being said, if you get Oden, he eats up a roster spot on your bench for the entire year. Essentially, you likely get the best current player in the deal by far in Kidd, as well as the best long term player in the deal by far in Oden. What are the free agents like in your league? I have a suspicion that you can probably pick up a free agent who will produce at a similar rate to Gibson. I would accept the trade, though when it’s all said and done it depends on how much faith you have in Oden.

E-mail me your fantasy NBA questions @ dwolin@gmail.com!