I feel like I do one of these per year. It's lightening(ing?) outside of the Tampa Bay airport, where I made a stop on my way to NYC. Now that I've got summer school work to finish time to kill, I might as well share some last second draft thoughts before we start getting "official" tomorrow. Let's get real, y'all.
- One of the more underrated aspects of evaluating a draft prospect happens to be the most simple: did they produce in college? This is what separates players like Patrick Patterson from Derrick Favors. I mean, Favors has the enormous upside and size and all, but doesn't Patterson immediately sound more comfortable because he was able to put up 17 and 9 in an efficient manner before Wall and Cousins came on board? I've heard that Favors was in a system that minimized the strengths of his game, but come on. If you're good, you're good - only instance I can think of in which a player supposedly doomed by his system only to turn out pretty is Brandon Jennings. And he was an 18 year old kid trying to play with Italians. I like Favors, but you have to question the production. It's also why I might favor DeMarcus Cousins a little more, who apparently reduced parts of his game for John Callipari's system. And he still managed to do just fine.
- Cole Aldrich can just pass along by Houston. No thanks.
- Well, there goes the rain. Back on board. More to come soon, except stuff that actually matters.