[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Does anyone else notice how ESPN and CBS treat Kansas and Kentucky stars like they are all future NBA Hall of Famers? Brandon Rush, Thomas Robinson, the Morris Twins, Xavier Henry, Cole Aldrich, Arthur, and Julian Wright were all supposed to dominate the NBA, but none of them even start.

What about Kentucky? It is still too soon to tell with some players, but is Cousins really the next Shaq? Is Knight even a top 5 young point guard? Kidd-Gilchrist was supposed to dominate the NBA with his athleticism and work ethic. John Wall was the next Chris Paul, but with better quickness. Patrick Patterson was going to be an immediate scoring threat in the NBA. Some said that Daniel Orton had “more potential than Demarcus Cousins.’

I know i will step on some toes here, but Anthony Davis has not been as good as people thought, no matter how many commentators say differently. He can’t create shots for himself. He can’t stay healthy. He looks nothing like the ‘Tim Duncan’ comparisons that he received from scouts.

I know that a lot of these players are still developing, and some of them show promise, but do many of them really look like Allstars? It seems to me like the legend of Kentucky and Kansas basketball stars has outgrown their actual potential. Maybe we should lower our expectations.

Looking at McLemore, Whitley, Goodwin, Polthress, Noel, and Cauley-Stein, I am starting to doubt the comparisons that i hear from NBA and CBS ‘scouts’ and ‘analysts,’ who seem to me like they are actually glorified cheerleaders.

[alingeParticipant]

No one thought that about the morris twins or Aldrich or Patterson or Orton
Anthony Davis is producing well defensively while battling injuries he wasn’t going to come in and dominate.
How can ESPN favor UK they employ Bob Knight who hates coach Cal.
ESPN and Dukie V favour the ACC all the time. Duke and UNC are ESPN’s darling’s, they think only that rivalry exists and every other rivalry is inferior.
Mclemore and Noel are really good prospects, most people agree
Also before i’m accused of being a KU Or UK fan i’m not, i’m an Oregon fan so I have no bias in this argument

[Krypt14Participant]

I don’t mean to nit pick and if I am wrong I will be the first to admit it…but as a European, is UNC-Duke not the greatest rivalry in college ball? I think it is because of both tradition and the longevity they have as top teams.

[alingeParticipant]

No you’re not wrong but what I was saying is ESPN treat it like it is the only rivalry that exists sometimes

[3 No Biases 3Participant]

This post is ridiculous and I don’t really remember any of those projections or comparisons except the Davis and Duncan one and he’s only 19 and just had 21 pts and 11 rebs. in his last game..

I guess we know this guy obviously has biased hatred towards UK and Kansas now…lol

[Lebron’s HairlineParticipant]

Well when Kentucky gets majority of the 5 star recruits every year, the media is going to be all about them. It’s not hype when you have 5 Kentucky players drafted in the first round 3 years ago and had 6 drafted last year

[AwardedBallerParticipant]

Neg this if you thought Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich were going to dominate the NBA.

[raybeasParticipant]

the media bias towards UNC and Duke. Oh, and Indiana and UCLA and Louisville. And, ummm Gonzaga and Butler??? The media is biased towards anyone they think will sell. Period.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

I do not hate Kansas or Kentucky. I watch them whenever i get a chance. JUST BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO BE MORE REALISTIC ABOUT THOSE PLAYERS, DOES NOT MEAN I HATE THEM. It’s funny how aggressive the reflex is against anyone who questions the established view of prospects or the draft.

Part of the reason scouts get away with it is because the NBA draft is all hype. Scouts get away with comparing Cousins to Shaq, and by the time Cousins actually hit the NBA, everyone forgot and no one holds those scouts accountable.

The current comparison for McLemore is Ray Allen. Really? McLemore looks good, but i don’t think he looks like Ray Allen. He looks more like a short Paul George, which is still pretty special. But when they compare him to a future hall of famer, the hype level goes through the roof.

Raybeas, i think you are right that it mostly has to do with what sells. I just think we have to realize that what sells is not a realist view of prospects.

Alinge, scouts did hype of all of those players. the Morris twins were supposed to be immediate impact scorers. Aldrich was supposed to be a force defensively inside for OKC. They said that Orton had more potential than Cousins while he backed him up at Kentucky.

3 No Biases 3 – Anthony Davis has been good this year so far, but Tim Duncan averaged 21 and 12 his first year. I am not saying Davis sucks. I am saying that he is no Tim Duncan, but when you compare a player to a future hall of famer, his hype goes way up.

When the hype around players goes up, all we see is the good, and we are blinded to the bad. For instance, like the fact that Anthony Davis has been injury prone when competing against NBA players. Or what about the fact that his body type doesn’t seem to be adding weight? Or how about the fact that he constantly trips over his own feet. Or what about the fact that most of the points that he got at Kentucky were open alley-oops, because the Kentucky guards drove the lane and dished it off to him. Maybe, instead of comparing him a future hall of famer, we should compare him to a player with a similar body type and similar strengths. Joakim Noah is an agile big who is a very good defender, on ball or off ball. Maybe we should realize that he is Joakim Noah with a jumpshot?

Just saying … 🙂

[alingeParticipant]

You say the Hype machine to Mclemore is out of control, but on your draft tiers you have Nerlens Noel compared to KG ,Marcus Smart to D-Rose and Alex Poythress to Paul Pierce, 3 future hall of famers compared to Noel,Smart and Poythress. So why is not fair to compare Mclemore who most including myself believe to be the best player in the draft to Ray Allen. Also Tim Duncan was 4 years older than Davis in his rookie year, his stats might be a little better than Davis’ wouldn’t you think, Davis’ stats are similar to KG’s who was about his age when he entered the league. Also when you judge a player on the fact his college produces busts that is the lowest level of scouting, it is like saying a quarterback will bust because he went to USC, you can’t judge a prospect on players before him.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Alinge, you are right about some of those comparisons. I have to find a better comparison for Poythress, but i stil think Noel and and Smart have high ceilings.

I am not saying that those colleges produce busts. When did i say that? I am not judging a player by the college he goes to. I am saying that what ESPN scouts and analysts say about those players may be over-inflated because of the colleges they go to, and we have to think for ourselves about them.

I like McLemore, but he doesn’t seem to have the natural ability to drive to the basket and finish. He is a good shooter, but i don’t think he is Ray Allen-good. McLemore will have to play off of other players to get his shots. To me, that limits his upside, even though he could be really good.

[alingeParticipant]

Fair Enough, I can accept that Noel and Smart have high ceilings which they do I would argue though Noel’s ceiling should be someone like Mutumbo not KG, don’t see KG in him, not a good shooter or PF (just a suggestion). I agree that Poythress needs to be changed, he has about as much chance of becoming Paul Pierce as I do winning the indy 500 on a bicycle. Sorry if I come across as argumentative on this topic, just as an Oregon fan, I get sick of people saying our players will bust in the NFL because they play for Oregon, so when someone says a player is going to bust because he comes from one school it does irritate me.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Agreed. I released new Draft Tiers and a Mock Draft will be coming out tomorrow. I appreciate the input.

Noel is just so athletic. He plays tall, has good length, and is quick off his feet. That reminds me of Garnett a lot. He has been efficient in his touches (even though his usage rate is the lowest of any of the top 30 PER players in the country). I agree about his jumpshot, but his form is not terrible (like Deandre Jordan or Tyson Chandler). He is a really good passer for a big man. All of that and the fact that he is a shot-blocking, pass-tipping, possession-stealing freak.

Noel might not be as good as Garnett offensively. Is there another comparison for a defensive-minded athletic freak who is extremely efficient in the post, with fluid (albeit few) post moves?

[alingeParticipant]

Would a good comparison be Dwight 2006-2010, they have quite a few similarities

[HaleParticipant]

You are really exaggerating here. Like 99% of what you said is completely wrong.

“Brandon Rush, Thomas Robinson, the Morris Twins, Xavier Henry, Cole Aldrich, Arthur, and Julian Wright were all supposed to dominate the NBA, but none of them even start.”

Not one of those players was supposed to dominate the NBA. I’m pretty sure Robinson was drafted the highest and was thought to be good starter, same for Rush. Morris twins were not expected to have their game translate completely, Henry and Aldrich killed most of their hype well before the draft, Arthur barely even went 1st round, and Wright was just a total bust. He’s the only guy you were even remotely close on.

As for UK:

“What about Kentucky? It is still too soon to tell with some players, but is Cousins really the next Shaq? Is Knight even a top 5 young point guard? Kidd-Gilchrist was supposed to dominate the NBA with his athleticism and work ethic. John Wall was the next Chris Paul, but with better quickness. Patrick Patterson was going to be an immediate scoring threat in the NBA. Some said that Daniel Orton had “more potential than Demarcus Cousins.'”

Cousins is a top 5 center in the NBA right now and absolutely no one thought he would be as good as Shaq. A comparison doesn’t mean they have to be as good as that player, they can just play similarly. I never liked Knight still he’s a solid player and it’s not like he went #1. MKG was never at any point supposed to dominate anything, he’s been compared to Iggy and mostly touted for his defense. John Wall was never compared to Chris Paul, he was considered the next Derrick Rose, and while he obviously hasn’t been that he’s still a good player. Patterson was much like the Morris twins and anyone with a brain knew Orton was like 3 years away from contributing at all.

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

I don’t think that it is completely wrong, but i admit i am taking the ‘biggest hype’ comments that i can remember. Not everyone said these things, but they were said.

It frustrates me because i am exchanging ideas here, but the response i get is not an exchange back. There is an element of truth in what i am saying, even if it is exaggerated, but the response that i get is an exaggeration the other direction. The response i get is that i am completely wrong, but there is no denying the fact that these players were hyped and compared to NBA stars, but few of them even start now.

[HaleParticipant]

The responses that way are because:
1) You exaggerated
2) A lot of what you said is based on minority opinion, not majority
3) The same thing goes for all schools. UNC and Duke are just as hyped and have busts all over the place too

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Thats true about Duke and UNC. I guess i have just seen more of Kansas and Kentucky ‘busts’ lately.

[Kyrie Irving]

McLemore: Is a nice player, over rated by some, underrated by others. Althletic, good in transition, off ball scorer, defender. I don’t see the franchise player calibEr.
.
Withey: he might be overrated by the media, but he is underrated in mocks. I don’t think he will fall to the second round. I get the idea some people think Withey is this tall unathletic white boy, when he is decent athletically.
.
Goodwin: has a ton of athletic ability and shiftiness, good potential with his handles and wingspan. The wade comparison is all about playstyle. He lacks the maturity and shooting of a young Wade. Still a lotto pick imo.
.
Polthress: there is NO WAY this kid would be taken in the lottery this year. It’s time to let the hype cool down, his potential isn’t even that high imo.
.
Noel: If you were expecting more than what Noel gave us the season you were being delusional.
.
Cauley-Stein: Potential is there, big fan of Cauley Stein. Idk if he could ever go top ten but he will get late lotto looks with hope that he can become a Javale Mcgee clone

[M-EazyParticipant]

Who said Orton has more potential than Cousins?! Lmao

Do you know what media bias is? The players you named all had good-great college careers and the hype they got out of college was warranted. You are exagerrating the hype that the players got.

FYI McLemore, Whitley, Goodwin, Polthress, Noel, and Cauley-Stein would all be receiving this praise, if not more, if they were at other schools.

[Author]

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