A GOLDEN AGE
As you've heard me say before, we're heading into a golden age in the NBA, with the most talent entering the league since at least the early-80s. Just for fun, I put together a listing of players currently 25 or under:
First Team:
Dwyane Wade
Lebron James
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Dwight Howard
Notes: That's awfully close to being the all-NBA first team, period.
And yes, I have Dwight Howard over Stoudemire. Amare is putting up great numbers, no question, and I'm excited about that, but he still isn't all the way back. Meanwhile Dwight Howard has taken over for Ben Wallace as "Baddest Man on the Planet". He's a force of nature on both ends. And wait 'til he gets some post moves.
Second Team:
Chris Paul
Gilbert Arenas
Joe Johnson
Carlos Boozer
Amare Stoudemire
Notes: There are so many good players under 25, early MVP candidates Zach Randolph and Deron Williams can't even get on the second team.
Third Team:
Deron Williams
Tony Parker
Kevin Martin
Zach Randolph
Emeka Okafor
Honorable Mention (rest of lists in no particular order):
Luol Deng
Eddy Curry (hey, averaging 24 & 9 over the last 7--as still only a 24-year-old--makes people take notice; Eddy's now up to a respectable 17 & 7 on the season)
Kirk Hinrich
Luke Ridnour
Andre Iguodala
Jameer Nelson
Josh Smith
Chris Kaman
TJ Ford
Boris Diaw
Mo Williams
Ben Gordon
Charlie Villanueva
David Lee
Leandro Barbosa
Monta Ellis
Guys on the cusp of breaking out:
Nenad Krstic
Zaza Pachulia
Andris Biedrins
Ray Felton
Brandon Roy
Shaun Livingston (disappointing start to the season, but averaging 12/3/6 with 2 turnovers and a block per game & shooting .464 in 5 games as a starter--also playing great defense)
Very promising:
Andrew Bogut
Sean May
Andrea Bargnani
Devin Harris
Andrew Bynum
Adam Morrison
LaMarcus Aldridge
Paul Millsap
Jordan Farmar
Darko Milicic
Too early to tell, but flashes of brilliance:
Marvin Williams
Rashad McCants
Martell Webster
Al Jefferson
JR Smith
Tyrus Thomas
Sergio Rodriguez
Kyle Lowry
Thabo Sefalosha
Randy Foye
AND HERE COME THE KIDS
Now here's the crazy thing--the 2007 draft class is shaping up to be yet another bonanza of talent, potentially rivaling even the ridiculous 2003 class. Freshmen are dominating college basketball--basically showing how little they need that one year of pretending to go to class and getting called for bogus charges any time a 5'11 165 pound white guy gets in their way.
Greg Oden is oviously the prize, a legit 7-footer with a massive frame, strength, athleticism, and skill. He got a late start to the season due to a wrist injury, but made an impressive debut last week with 14 & 10 and 5 blocks in 23 minutes. He only shot 8-15 from the line...because he shot them with his left fucking hand, as he was still wearing a soft cast on his right. How ridiculous is that, he's already a better FT shooter than Shaq--with his off hand.
On the subject, it's amazing how many promising young big men are coming into the NBA right now. In addition to Oden, we have Dwight Howard, Eddy Curry, Andrew Bynum, Nenad Krstic, Zaza Pachulia, Andris Biedrins, Andrew Bogut, LaMarcus Aldridge--after a real down period where Shaq was practically the only decent real center out there, Yao comes along and now the flood gates have opened.
And speaking of Ohio State, they have another NBA-ready freshman in Daequan Cook, a 6'5 shooting guard who's averaging 18 & 7 and shooting .573 from the floor and .514 from three--he'll likely be a lottery pick in the 2007 draft.
Kevin Durant will be a real nice consolation prize for whoever misses out on Oden. I saw this guy go for 29 & 9 against Gonzaga, he was unreal. He's a hyper-athletic 6'10 small forward, but with a *smooth* jumper. I mean, he looks like Mike Miller out there, just picture perfect form. His numbers are sick, he's averaging 23/9/2 with 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocks, and he's shooting--get this--.452 from three *on six attempts per game*, and .930 from the line. He's 40-for-43 from the line this year. He's unbelievable, he could be a more athletic version of Dirk Nowitzki. His handles are a bit weak for an NBA small forward, but hey, he's 18, the sky is the limit for this guy.
I've also caught a couple North Carolina games, and this guy keeps popping out, Brandan Wright. Once he gets into the NBA next year, he'll have to have an arm-off with Tayshaun Prince to see who's got the longest wingspan in the league. I swear to christ, his arms hang down to his knees. I saw him block like three standard-issue jumpers from 3-4 feet away, it was like the shooters couldn't believe he was in position to block their shots. "Hey, I'm open"--swat--"nope, guess not". Anyway, he's averaging 'only' 16 & 7 with a block per game, but man, this guy has some serious upside. Great hops, great quickness, great hands, great length (that word is never more appropriate--Wright is *long*) and what looks like a solid understanding of the game. Unlike Oden and Durant, who are pretty much ready to be major contributors in the NBA right now, Wright will probably need a couple years. He's *really* skinny, but doesn't have the all-around game to play SF in the Association, at least not at this point. I mean, he's got a nice looking array of shots and a decent handle, but his future is at the 4. He needs to add some muscle, stat.
We also have another fugly white shooter coming into the league soon to join Adam Morrison in Arizona's Chase Buddinger (seriously, how can a guy with a name like Chase Buddinger be a baller? It makes no sense). Anyway, Buddinger is tearing it up in the early going, averaging 19/7/2 & shooting .591 from the floor and .387 from three. Defying all stereotypes, Buddinger is a hell of an athlete, a huge jumper--second in the dunk contest at the McDonald's game--with excellent strength and size. He's probably not all that quick for an NBA shooting guard, but he's quick enough.
Between these guys, a bunch of other good freshmen, Yoakim Noah, several high profile Euros in the mix, and the great OJ Mayo set to hit the big time in 2008, there looks to be yet another giant influx of talent coming into the league in the next couple of years. We're in a golden age, folks, I can't remember a time in any sport where so many good young players entered a league all within 5 years of each other.
The 2010 All-Star game is just going to be insane.
posted by jjwalker @ 10:34 AM
6 Comments:
The freshman are truely remarkable this year. A couple other guys I like-
The other wright at Kansas. Big body, athletic, not much of a shooter but plays like a big.
Mike COnley is another good one at Ohio State, he can really handle the ball for a freshman point. Small but athletic and extremely quick.
Those two guard at Carolina are excellent as well. Ellington and the other guy, I forget his name. What a freshman class for them and the Bucks.
How are those Georgia Tech guys doing this year? Thaddeus Young, wasn't he the one who blew up in the McD's game?
Excellent point Vu, but most of these young guys are already in the league and playing incredibly well for their age--in other words, it's not just hype for, say, Dwight Howard, it's pretty clear that he's the real deal.
As for the 2007 class, sure, we don't know if these guys will all pan out as superstars--Greg Oden swatting away a bunch of shots from Valpraiso's 6'8 goofy center doesn't mean he won't get abused by Yao.
But these guys are putting up *huge* numbers in college. I mean, if you come in and score 23 a game as a freshman, you can seriously, seriously hoop. Especially when you're 6'10 and can shoot like Ray fucking Allen.
I'm not saying these guys are all *definite* superstars, just that they have a boatload of potential--some will pan out, some assuredly won't. But add in the ones that do pan out to the youth movement we're already seeing take hold in the NBA right now, and the future of the league is incredibly bright right now.
Good stuff.
The distressing thing for me as a Pistons fan is there are no Pistons on your list!
Joe D. has his work cut out for him. I'm fairly confident he can do it, despite lack of draft success in the past (his strategy was to build a team of veterans last time around). Whether he goes the veteran route again or tries to build with youth, the Pistons are definitely going to be in a rebuilding mode in a couple years, if not sooner, I think.
Dumars has had some draft success. Prince was a late first-round pick and Mehmet Okur was actually a second-rounder. The Darko pick obviously looks bad, but in fairness, pretty much everyone back then believed Chad Ford's rave reviews of Darko on ESPN.com (basically calling him the greatest international prospect in history). Since then, the Pistons have either been drafting very late or haven't had a pick at all.
Dumars has two first-rounders (Detroit's and Orlando's) this year; how he drafts could be extremely pivotal for the franchise.
Post a Comment
<< Home