I had the priviledge of attending last nights Stanley Cup final where the Ducks grabbed Lord Stanley's Cup in a 6-2 win over Ottawa. A great experience. At the game was my pal who is a contributing writer for DraftExpress. We talked during periods about Dominic James for a bit and then at the after party spent a good 15 minutes on the topic.
Not a lot new to report, but he is guessing (as others have) that DJ might stay in the draft no matter what guarantees are given over the next week. No solid evidence that he has heard, but rather a gut feeling on his part. He sites that James has come off his "first round" guarantee statements from a few weeks ago as well as his interviewing of agents (though he has yet to sign with any). 60-40 chance he stays was the feeling. A few weeks ago that would have been a 10-90 chance because of his statements it was First Round guarantees only that he was interested in.
His basic take was that DJ is a phenomenal athlete that could probably excel at many things like defensive back, track and field, running back, etc. He's gotten by throughout his playing career on just being a better athlete then most others. He kept coming back to the question of how good of a basketball player is he? That's the rub. We both agreed that DJ is a good basketball player, but is he a great basketball player or just a great athlete? A good basketball player is one thing, a great basketball player is typically needed to go to the next level especially at his size. However, his tremendous athletic ability does help to hide a few flaws in his basketball game.
The one thing he has going for him as the kid never quits. He's always been told that he wouldn't succeed at the next level but continually does. That determination at a minimum has led him to this point in his life....trying out for the chance to be in the NBA.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
A ducky time with a DraftExpress guy
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7 comments:
Thanks for the post. Not a lot to disagree with there. I think the guy hit the nail on the head. I just feel like there is somebody giving DJ some really bad advice. The one thing I will dispute is his rating as a basketball player. I would say he's only an average player, with fantastic athletic ability. We've seen our share of "good" basketball players recently at MU. Can anybody honestly say James is a better "basketball player" than C. Henry, Wardle, Hutch, Key, even Blankson? I certainly don't think so. In fact, at this point I think McNeal and Matthews have better basketball instincts than he does. There is something that seems really amiss here.
you guys leave no stone unturned in covering Marquette basketball!
I don't think he is that good. I wouldn't draft him. He can distribute the ball okay, but makes a lot of dumb decisions. He can't shoot from the floor, and is awful from the line. I hope he goes, I really do..not because I want him to fail, but rather because I don't want him around anymore.
I already viewed him as a slightly disruptive presence. Seems to me that when he's playing well and getting (and making) shots, all is well. If he's not getting his shots -- even in a one-sided rout in MU's favor -- there is a lot of hand-holding and consoling required. I believe MU's PR guys point ESPN guys in DJ's direction for this very reason. That's why you see cameras following him into the arena.
For somebody who is not necessarily a dominant force on the court, he sure demands a lot of attention. That's why I tend to agree with you.
In defense of DJ, like Novak, I don't think we will realize his true value to the team till he is gone. As much as I like Cubby, he is not a driving threat like DJ. I really got to believe Acker will be on the order or Cubby, just to tiny to be taken as a serious driving threat.
"Cubby" will never be a great point guard. He'll be a decent 5-10 minutes/game PG. But his main role should be two guard. If Cube's can figure out how to get open and make shots, that would be huge too...that and being able to drive to the hoop occassionally for a deuce would keep defenders honest.
MU will live/die w/Acker next year at the point. James is as good as gone.
who goes to hockey? ;-P
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