AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 28
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Star search!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oklahoma City - As if I don’t watch enough basketball (good, bad and ugly) on a daily basis, I had the nerve to spend my off night here doing exactly that. Without any appealing NBA games to watch, or the proper stations at the hotel here to do so, I was forced to suffer through a couple of college games that made me remember why I don’t go to games anymore unless I’m working.
I was having flashbacks of 1992 watching Michigan and Michigan State (and not just because of the Michigan uniforms that looked like they were snatched off the backs of the Fab Five minutes before opening tip). The pace of the game was throwback as well. The score finally crept into the 60s for the winners in the final two minutes. You needed some NoDoz by then just to keep watching.
The second game was slightly more entertaining, I said slightly, but only because there were so many “NBA prospects” on the floor (though I’m still looking for ‘em). The fans are as rabid as ever, which usually makes the games that much more entertaining. But the basketball is ugly. It hasn’t evolved. The college games still seems wildly over coached and depressingly plodding and slow.
Which leads me to Hump Day’s rant du jour. Who anointed this upcoming draft the deepest in years? Where are all the potential stars (not named Oden and Durant)? And what NBA team is crazy enough to roll the dice on one of these college guys being the savior of their franchise?
Florida has two guys that are supposed to be top15 locks in Joakim Noah and Al Horford, and I swear to you that if you turned that game on blind last night you wouldn’t have known who they were. All credit to Tennessee, but a powerhouse they are not (though, they do have a guard, Lofton is his name, that seemed like a Derek Fisher type, an under the radar player that will make a nice living in the NBA for years to come).
Back to my initial question. When did the best players in college basketball get so average? I had the same complaint during the NCAA Tournament last spring when I went to the Georgia Dome to get up close and personal looks at LaMarcus Aldridge, Shelden Williams and JJ Redick, Big Baby Davis and Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey. I studied them hard and came away with the feeling that none of them, save for Aldridge when he toughens up, was franchise-player material.
Maybe I’m like lots of other people who spend more time watching the pros than colleges. Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe what I consider dominant (I was reared on the game during its golden age of the 80s and early 90s, when my brother and I stayed up late to watch Big Monday and couldn’t stand to miss the Pac-10 games on Thursday and every team in the Big Ten had at least one sure-fire future pro on the roster) isn’t in sync with what passes for dominant in today’s game.
Outside of the top two picks in the June draft, I’m not convinced there will another potential superstar in this draft class. There seems to be a huge drop off after Oden and Durant. I was doing a little homework on recent draft and noticed that there are only 10 first rounders from a solid 2004 class that are regular starters on their respective teams. Same for the celebrated 2003 class headlined by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Last year’s class has netted just four first rounders that are starters. FOUR!
And we’re calling this upcoming class the “deepest” in years, based on what?
In defense of the college game and the game of basketball in general, I’m convinced there are more good players than ever before. You can go across the map and find quality players in nearly every league. I’m just not convinced there are as many potential superstars roaming the landscape.
I could be wrong. A night in sleepy Oklahoma City without Internet access in your own *$@#$! room (the wireless didn’t work so I had to whip this up in the business center) has a way of cracking the lenses in your rose colored glasses. This draft class, provided it includes both Oden and Durant, could turn out to be one of the best in years …
Me, I just don’t see it right now.
