Top Freshman

[nojob67]

During the college basketball season I love to watch the new young kids play. Mostly because they are all unknown to me in the beginning.

I live near Syracuse so I follow them quite a bit and their star recruit was Paul Harris and he has been absolutely amazing.

What other freshman should be watching across the country?

[illallowit]

I really like Jeremy Pargo from Gonzaga. Because of where he's from he hasn't gotten much coverage but he's a fun player to watch and I think he's going to be pretty good in years to come.

[tobynosker]

Beginning on Sunday, a lot of eyes in Kansas are going to be affixed to Bill Walker at Kansas State.

Kansas State is in desperate need of an athletic scorer who can help rejuvenate their season and give Wildcat fans something to look forward to (a 6-3 record, including unconvincing wins over William & Mary and North Dakota State have given the Wildcat faithful a lot to be worried about).

Walker should get decent minutes and a chance to adjust to the collegiate style of play against Kennesaw State on Sunday and then Maryland-Eastern Shore on Tuesday.

With USC, New Mexico or Wichita State, and Xavier on the horizon prior to the start of conference play (which begins at Texas A&M), Kansas State needs some help and fast.

[themush]

The Gators have an exciting freshman that is going to make a spash this year. Marreese Speights 6'10" 245 could be the next Noah without the mouth tough.

[doublee]

Brandan Wright, Wayne Ellington, and Ty Lawson are all scoring double figures per game and are playing huge roles in UNC's fast start. Wright is seen as a top 10 and possible top 5 pick come next summer.

Javarias Crittendon and Thaddeus Young are off to fast starts for Georgia Tech. Young is another freshman who is considered a potential top NBA prospect.

Wake Forest's Ishmael Smith is 3rd in the country in assists per game it is just too bad that Wake does not have a ton of talent around him.

[nojob67]

Thanks for the responses guys, I will be checking these kids out.

[190 Octane]

Arizona's Chase Budinger: 17 points and 6 boards a game and can jump out of the gym.

[UK_Cat]

Jeremy Pargo isnt a freshman.

And Greg Oden is the best freshman to play at the college level in a long time.

[illallowit]

yeah, I'll be the first to eat crow. I couldn't remember if Pargo was a frosh or soph, and the website I looked at to check said freshman. I apologize.

[doublee]

Kind of a dud by Oden in his first big time college game. He got schooled a bit by Noah and Horford out there. He seemed a bit overwhelmed at times.

Alonzo Mourning comes to mind when I watch Oden play. They are built fairly similarly in the sense that they are both lean and athletic with long arms and they both have incredible timing and explosion off the floor when it comes to blocking shots. Watching Oden get after it on the defensive end brought back memories of watching Mourning grinding it out in the Big East.

[190 Octane]

Kind of a dud by Oden in his first big time college game. He got schooled a bit by Noah and Horford out there. He seemed a bit overwhelmed at times.

Alonzo Mourning comes to mind when I watch Oden play. They are built fairly similarly in the sense that they are both lean and athletic with long arms and they both have incredible timing and explosion off the floor when it comes to blocking shots. Watching Oden get after it on the defensive end brought back memories of watching Mourning grinding it out in the Big East.

That's something I love about Oden, he plays an old school style and isn't afraid to get in the trenches. That's going to make him a rare commodity once he goes pro since so many 6-10+'ers want to step out of the lane.

[Marc]

I couldn't believe Florida is in the top five despite two losses, but they showed they deserve it today. Talk about a spanking. They just won on experience, something OSU lacked. The shots of them repeating are looking really good right now.

[doublee]

That's something I love about Oden, he plays an old school style and isn't afraid to get in the trenches. That's going to make him a rare commodity once he goes pro since so many 6-10+'ers want to step out of the lane.

That was the one thing everyone raved about him last year was how committed he is to playing defense and that is what will make him a rare commodity and be something of an impact player right away. So many high school kids come in to college no knowing how to play defense or not wanting to play defense. Oden clearly has some sort of an idea of what he is doing out there on the defensive end. Florida built a double digit lead on the Buckeyes when Oden got into foul trouble early in the second half and had to go out of the game. His defensive presence changes the whole scope of how teams attack OSU when he is on the floor.

[doublee]

Went to the UNC/Rutgers game on Thursday night and man Brendan Wright is the real deal. The kid is so smooth around the basket. The only knock I have against him during the game was that on defense he tended to get out-muscled and out-worked a bit when he was matched up with someone stronger than him. Other than that once his game matures a bit more he is going to be a beast to deal with.

[#99]

Arizona's Chase Budinger: 17 points and 6 boards a game and can jump out of the gym.

Hell yes! Aside from a healthy Oden, Budinger might be the best frosh in the country.

Pretty surprised that no one has mentioned Tajuan Porter at Oregon -- the 5'8" guard who has sparked the Ducks to a perfect record, so far. Keep an eye out for him.

[da12ken]

Kevin Durant is the best freshman in the country. It wouldn't surprise me if he went ahead of Oden in the 2007 draft.

[nojob67]

Durant certainly impressed me last night. What a great performance in a classic game.

[da12ken]

I've watched about three of four Texas games. Durant is unreal. He's got a real shot to win the Wooden Award as a freshman.

[doublee]

I doubt Durant would go ahead of Oden in the draft simply because Oden's body is more physically mature and ready for the NBA while Durant is a freakin' beanpole and needs to add some muscle mass before he plays at the next level. Besides that legit 7' 0" big men with the post presence that Oden brings come at a premium in the NBA and when you get the chance to take one you don't pass that one up. Consider that Oden is averaging 14 points per game and shooting .606 from the field playing primarily left handed. That is pretty amazing seeing as he is a natural righty.

[tobynosker]

Kevin Durant continues to impress though, as he won his third player recognition from the Big XII Conference in four weeks after averaging 30 points and 12 rebounds a game in two Longhorn victories last week (Nebraska and Baylor).

Durant was 19-of-36 from the field, 6-of-12 from beyond the arc and 16-of-19 from the free-throw line in the two games.

I have heard a lot of comparisons made of Durant to guys like Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady.

I think it depends on what teams finish at the bottom of the NBA and where the ping pong ball drops, so to speak, but I could see Durant challenging Oden for a top-spot in the draft.

[doublee]

I doubt it and this is why. How many rings do guys like Shaq and Duncan have and how many do guys like McGrady, Hill, and Garnett have? The latter players are great in their own right but it is the guys like Shaq, Duncan, Olajuwon, etc. who bring you the rings.

[davematthews3]

Big guys are the key to championships. Unless of course you are MJ. Which Durant is not so I would go with Oden. Hopefully my team gets the oppurtunity to take him.

[tobynosker]

If a team like the Boston Celtics draw the number one overall pick, I can see them selecting Greg Oden to help with some needed inside presence.

If a team like the Philadelphia 76ers draw the number one overall pick, I can see them selecting Kevin Durant since they already have a solid center (given today's NBA standards) in Samuel Dalembert.

And, not to steer this thread into a discussion on the NBA, but I think a line-up next season for Philadelphia of Dalembert, Durant, Rodney Carney, Andre Igoudala and Andre Miller would be more favorable for Philly than substituting Oden in for Durant.

[davematthews3]

why would having three swingmen benfit them more then having a dominant center in Oden and being able to move Dalembert to the four.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by davematthews3
why would having three swingmen benfit them more then having a dominant center in Oden and being able to move Dalembert to the four.

Because I think Durant would be much better suited to play the four than Dalembert would be.

And in a league where most teams only have one solid post player, it would be beneficial to the Sixers to leave Dalembert where he is comfortable and where he has proven to be effective while adding a quicker big man who matches up better defensively with other players at the four position, and yet can also play outside if needed.

[HibachiDG]

I don't see Dalembert playing the four...but if they got Oden...Dalembert becomes fairly solid trade bait. He's not going to be a team changer, but someone would give up a bit of something to get him there.

Durant is really, really good...I think the thing with Oden is, you have to wait to see him completely healthy, but I'd be lying if Oden did not slip a little in my mind this past Saturday night. He had a solid first half against Michigan State, but was pretty much out of the game in the second half. Thad Matta implied that the officials didn't protect him enough, but to me, it just looked like Oden was playing soft. Very unaggressive play, whereas Durant will command the ball and also I think it looks like he's leading the tempo more on the court.

Oden should be pounding fools and sometimes has, but I think the MSU game was a big test for him because the Spartans played him aggressively.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by Doug Graham
I don't see Dalembert playing the four...but if they got Oden...Dalembert becomes fairly solid trade bait. He's not going to be a team changer, but someone would give up a bit of something to get him there.

But by trading Dalembert, Philly would be giving up a legitimate shot-blocker and rebounder who also manages to at least give you ten points a game. I would find it hard to trade that away for an unproven rookie who hasn't been as dominant in college as analysts initially thought he would be.

Plus, Dalembert is just in his second year of a six-year, $64 million contract that becomes a big load for another team to have to take on.

In all honesty, this hypothetical situation won't play out. But if I was the Sixers and I had the top draft pick, I would certainly go for Durant over Oden.

[HibachiDG]

Dalembert came in soft, and I think the one downside I've seen with Oden is his aggressiveness. So, worst case scenario, I don't think they get worse if they were to trade Dalembert away for an unproven rookie. Plus, they sell tickets. 6 years and 64mill really isn't a ton for a center in the NBA, I think they'd be able to find someone to take him if it came to him.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by Doug Graham
So, worst case scenario, I don't think they get worse if they were to trade Dalembert away for an unproven rookie.

While it very rarely happens, especially at the top of the draft board, I wish more owners and teams would draft based on needs rather than who they think is the best overall player.

Philadelphia has decent talent on the floor, and they are solid (not great) at the center position with Dalembert. The gaping hole in their line-up is at the four spot.

I am not saying that drafting Oden would be a bad move on Philadelphia's part. I just think a wiser decision would be to draft Durant who, once he finishes maturing and establishes a little more size, could be a versatile threat at the next level on both the inside and the outside.

[doublee]

He had a solid first half against Michigan State, but was pretty much out of the game in the second half. Thad Matta implied that the officials didn't protect him enough, but to me, it just looked like Oden was playing soft. Very unaggressive play, whereas Durant will command the ball and also I think it looks like he's leading the tempo more on the court.

Oden should be pounding fools and sometimes has, but I think the MSU game was a big test for him because the Spartans played him aggressively.

The last time I watched Oden play the announcers brought up the fact that OSU's coaching staff was getting a little frustrated with Oden because he is still babying his wrist and is not being as aggressive as they would like.

But, Oden is a monster on the boards and is a great shot blocker as well. The thing about Oden over Dalembert is that Oden is a guy you build a franchise around in the middle. The problem with Dalembert is that he always has been and will be a role player in the NBA and he always seems to be getting hurt every two or three months. The Sixers need a rugged interior presence whom teams have to gameplan for. Dalembert is simply an afterthought to most teams.

The thing that scares me about Durant is that he is listed at 190 pounds and likely will not give you the kind of interior play that he can in college and probably projects out as a small forward in the NBA right now. He simply will not be strong enough to handle the abuse he will endure by the PFs who will have 30-40 pounds on him.

To be honest if I were the Sixers and did not have a shot at Oden I think I might opt for Brandan Wright or Joakim Noah who are more natural 4s than Durant is and have a bit more strength and size to man up against PFs in the NBA.

[davematthews3]

Durant blew up tonight against Texas Tech. 38 points and twenty something rebounds. Wow the kid is impressive but on the NFL level he will not be a game changer.

[HibachiDG]

How come you don't think he'll be a gamechanger on the next level? He probably needs to put on some strength, but hopefully can do so while keeping his quickness. He does a lot of things. I really am reminded of Tracy McGrady in Durant. I know I haven't seen a college performer like this, it's really fun to watch him play.

[davematthews3]

You just answered your own question He is another Mcgrady exactly how many titles and or playoff series has Mcgrady won. I rest my case.

[HibachiDG]

McGrady is a gamechanger, though. Using the playoff series/Championships arguments are a bit flawed if a guy is not on a team with any sort of Championship/playoff potential.

[davematthews3]

Yes but that is because he doesn't have a big man that has the game changing ability that you need to win a title.

[HibachiDG]

Gotcha. I think I understand what you're saying more now.

[davematthews3]

With that said Durant is a dynamic player i would definatly not mind having on my team. It will just take more to build a champion with him there.

[doublee]

The thing with McGrady is he lacks the mental toughness to be a champion. He always whined about not having another superstar to play with in Orlando. He never relished the idea of being 'The Guy' in Orlando. Plus, it seems like he is always hurt and has never played 82 games in a season.

I think Durant can be a big time player at the next level, but I would just worry about him standing up to the punishment he will take against the bigger stronger guys in the NBA. You won't have to worry so much about that with Oden.