2012 Draft Thursday, June 28th: Raptors select Terence Ross

[mcHAPPY]

Ping Pong Ball Watch:

Toronto is tied for 5th worst with NJ - 8 wins each.
Detroit is playing much better ball of late and are on a 3 game winning streak.
Washington are bad with 5 wins, yet 2 have come against the Raptors.
Charlotte is bad.
New Orleans are bad missing Eric Gordon.

Looking at all of this and the teams directly ahead of Toronto (GSW, SAC, CLE), I think it is safe to assume the 4th or 5th worst record is likely for Toronto with New Orleans, Washington, and Charlotte being 'untouchable' in the race to the cellar.

[planetmars]

Ping Pong Ball Watch:

Toronto is tied for 5th worst with NJ - 8 wins each.
Detroit is playing much better ball of late and are on a 3 game winning streak.
Washington are bad with 5 wins, yet 2 have come against the Raptors.
Charlotte is bad.
New Orleans are bad missing Eric Gordon.

Looking at all of this and the teams directly ahead of Toronto (GSW, SAC, CLE), I think it is safe to assume the 4th or 5th worst record is likely for Toronto with New Orleans, Washington, and Charlotte being 'untouchable' in the race to the cellar.

One thing to be mindful of is the Bargnani-effect. Once Bargnani comes back (and my guess is after the all-star break), we'll be racking up some wins. If NJ does not get Howard this year, then Toronto could be sitting at 6th, 7th or even 8th spot when its all over. But perhaps we'll be trading Calderon this year and that might negate the Bargnani-effect.. It'll be interesting to see what transpires by the end of the year.

[NoPropsneeded]

if Miller declares and we're at 6 -8 thats who we go after. If we don't get barnes or MKG, Miller is option 3.

[planetmars]

Bryan talks about the Draft with McCowan and Brunt on the Fan590:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2.../?source=video



Doesn't get very specific, but seems to be thinking BPA at this point.

[ceez]

Kabongo's been playing better and better of late

[stretch]

Kabongo's been playing better and better of late

He's in Coach Barnes' doghouse. Myck didn't start today. Barnes called him out publicly again for not running the offense against Kansas. Previously Barnes did the same after the North Carolina game. Despite the criticism Myck has been a leader on the team.

Source: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/spor...shoulder-blame

Kabongo is scoring more today. He's has 9 points in the early part of the second half and an assist and 3 turnovers against Kansas State but in his previous two games he struggled.

[mcHAPPY]

He's in Coach Barnes' doghouse. Myck didn't start today. Barnes called him out publicly again for not running the offense against Kansas. Previously Barnes did the same after the North Carolina game. Despite the criticism Myck has been a leader on the team.

Source: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/spor...shoulder-blame

Kabongo is scoring more today. He's has 9 points in the early part of the second half and an assist and 3 turnovers against Kansas State but in his previous two games he struggled.

Thanks for posting that. Obviously I'm going to be a little biased in my view of the situation yet I've played enough basketball in life to know it is not all the players fault. Towards the end of the article I was thinking, "Alright, Barnes is blaming Kabongo and Brown.... when does he look at himself?" And then this:

*EDIT* LOL, I should have read the title of the article before writing the above!

And it seems the blame game is wearing on the Longhorns. When it comes to maintaining team morale, Kabongo is doing more than Barnes in the locker room. He’s doing his best to push Texas through all of the heartbreaking losses, the way a point guard should. That is being an extension of the coach.

“Myck said it the best to us at the end of the speech we had from coach Barnes,” said Brown after the Baylor loss. “We need to stop worrying about what Coach is going to get on us about all the time. He’s going to say something but just move on from it. Don’t start pouting, getting down on yourself, just move on from it. That’s going to help us to start getting wins. If we just don’t let everything get to us that puts us down.”

While Barnes continues to call for better results from his players, he forgets to hold himself to the same standard, leaving it up to Kabongo and Brown to end UT’s rut.

“It starts with me,” said Brown, who leads the Big 12 in scoring. “At the end of the day, it hurts because I want to win.”

Barnes told the Longhorns “it’s not good enough” after Monday’s loss. Maybe it’s time Barnes follows his best player’s lead and says it starts with him.

It is also great to see Kabongo raising his voice to the team and the best player, who is also a junior, in Brown taking his advice.



I'm not sure Kabongo goes back. He is a 20 year old freshman. His talent and skills are obviously there as a PG. He is not a scoring PG - yet he can in fact score - but you give him some talented players around him, he'll get the most out of them. I've seen a lot of plays ruined with Kabongo this year because guys can't catch the ball or don't react to what Kabongo is creating for them. I am very biased in writing this - I am sure you can tell that.

[mcHAPPY]

Terrence Ross

Don't forget about Terrence Ross.

Coming off a solid freshman season where he was relegated to coming off the bench on a deep and talented Huskies roster, Terrence Ross has really broken out as a sophomore, as he now ranks second on his team in scoring, rebounds, and minutes per game.

Ross remains largely the same player from a physical perspective this season, possessing great size and athleticism for either wing position, with average length, and has taken some positive steps with his game on both sides of the court.

On the offensive end, Ross' role still largely revolves around his jump shot, with nearly 40% of his shots coming from behind the three-point arc, and 2/3rds of his half-court attempts coming on jumpers. His shooting percentage behind the arc is up slightly from 35.2% to 38.4% this season, but he's also been taking more difficult shots due to his expanded role and has looked impressive in a variety of areas.

Ross is at his best knocking down shots with his feet set, having very good accuracy in space and not needing much time or room to get his shot off due to his high and quick release. He's also very dangerous and confident with his pull-up jumper, though is less consistent with this area of his game depending on the situation. Due to his limited ball-handling, Ross operates in this area almost strictly on quick one or two-dribble pull-ups, but is excellent when he's able to keep his balance. He can get into some trouble at times when moving from side to side into his shot or settling for some awkward fadeaways, but has done a better job with his shot selection overall this season.

Another interesting aspect of Ross' developing perimeter game is the flashes he shows taking shots off screens, something he's done with very good success at times this season. With his size and excellent speed operating without the ball, Ross is extremely rangy in how much space he can create coming around a pick, and has shown surprisingly good balance in catching and turning into his shots in these situations. In the right offense at the next level, this could be an extremely potent weapon that's relatively scarce in the NBA, and will be a very nice tool in his arsenal if he can continue improving here.

In terms of attacking the basket in the half court, Ross has improved marginally this season, but remains largely limited due to his still unpolished ball-handling and average basketball IQ. He does very little attacking off traditional isolations from the perimeter and doesn't try to force the issue much in this regard, playing well to his strengths in his team's offense. The few forays he does make towards the basket with the ball in his hands tend to be either from the mid to pinch post area or when he has somewhat of a clear out and doesn't have to deal much with help defense.

Ross still shows very little with his advanced handles and is reliant on spin moves and his speed to get separation. It's not hard to see how this area of his game could receive some help from the increased spacing and more individualistic tendencies of NBA offenses, but it still remains a large weakness. Playing more of the two-guard will also give him more opportunities at having a size advantage in the post, something that could also be utilized down the road.

While Ross isn't much of a threat going to the basket with the ball in his hands in the half court, he's still very dangerous getting to the rim in other ways, namely on cuts, offensive rebounds, and in transition. His size, speed, and terrific explosiveness make him very dangerous in all of these areas, and he shows good instincts here as well when he puts them to use. His expanded offensive role this season and reliance on his perimeter skills somewhat limits what he can contribute off the ball going to the rim, and he may need to make this area of his game more of an emphasis initially at the next level.

The defensive end may be the area where Ross has improved most as a sophomore, as he's been much more consistent in applying himself, being a real terror both on and off the ball. Ross' size and athleticism allow him to be a superb defender in isolation, and he's combined those tools with the aggressiveness needed this season. He plays right up into his man and moves his feet well to stay in front, but his excellent recovery speed allows him to frequently extend himself and still get back in time, making him a very disruptive force.

Ross shows similar ability defending his man off the ball, sticking with him all over the floor through screens and taking full advantage of his physical tools. He's a good team defender and really puts in the work on this end of the floor overall, something that coaches will surely find attractive when they start evaluating prospects come pre-draft time.

Looking forward, Ross has taken as big a step forward as almost any player in the country this season, and clearly has a slew of attractive assets from an NBA perspective. His combination of physical tools, defense, perimeter shooting, and ability to attack the rim off the ball give him good potential as a very high-end role player, and he still has room to grow. Continuing to improve his ball-handling and continuing to add strength to his frame would help his stock, which is something he could show in pre-draft workout matchups, where his makeup as a player and commitment to defense could allow him to shine.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz1m6qtqZI6
http://www.draftexpress.com

[ceez]

The more I see of and read about Kabongo the more I think if Davis/MKG/Miller are off the board we should trade down (stay as is?) and take him. He's a talented dude and clearly a leader.

Obv a lot will happen between now and the draft, but as things are now, that's my thoughts.

[stretch]

I don't follow the logic of drafting someone who has struggled at times in his first year at the collegiate level, good guy or not. It's a myth that Texas has inferior players. Not true. They are 16-9 overall playing a tough schedule and in the Big 12 conference. How does it follow that Myck's going to suddenly transform himself next season at the much, much higher level of competition (NBA)?

Stay in school, develop a jump shot, improve the court vision skills. That would be logical.

[mcHAPPY]

I don't follow the logic of drafting someone who has struggled at times in his first year at the collegiate level, good guy or not. It's a myth that Texas has inferior players. Not true. They are 16-9 overall playing a tough schedule and in the Big 12 conference. How does it follow that Myck's going to suddenly transform himself next season at the much, much higher level of competition (NBA)?

Stay in school, develop a jump shot, improve the court vision skills. That would be logical.

How is it a myth Texas has inferior players? Who, besides Kabongo and Brown, is what one might call good?

Out of curiosity, how many full Texas games have you managed to see this year?

[NoPropsneeded]

does anyone know what happened to quincy miller? on nbadraft.net he went from the 2012 lottery to the 2013 lottery and then he dropped to the 30th pick in 2013. Thats a huge drop

[mcHAPPY]

does anyone know what happened to quincy miller? on nbadraft.net he went from the 2012 lottery to the 2013 lottery and then he dropped to the 30th pick in 2013. Thats a huge drop

Honestly, I don't know but I would ignore NBADraft.net.

ESPN and DraftExpress are much better.

By the way, Miller had a great game today despite the loss to #4 Missouri. He had 20 points on 7-10 shooting, 1-1 3pt, 5-5 ft, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. PJ3 has had 2 awful, awful, awful games in a row.

[Chr1s1anL]

does anyone know what happened to quincy miller? on nbadraft.net he went from the 2012 lottery to the 2013 lottery and then he dropped to the 30th pick in 2013. Thats a huge drop

Yeah NbaDraft.net is terrible stop going on there awhile ago. I thin k Draftexpress is the best in my opinion but, ESPN is good too. Another one that people don't know about is pretty good is swishscout.com

[ceez]

It seems they don't go to Miller in crunch time at all, but rather to PJ3. It's kind of baffling.