NBA Draft Busts: Rafael Araujo

Araujo started his basketball career at Arizona Western College. He dominated during his 2 years at the junior college before transferring to Brigham Young University (BYU) for his junior and senior seasons. Araujo earned the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year award his senior season, averaging 18 ppg and 10 rpg.

NBA Draft Busts: Jay Williams

The former McDonald’s All-American went on to have a stellar four-year career at Duke. Williams was named ACC Rookie of the Year and NCAA National Freshman of the Year in his first year in Durham. The next year, Williams led his Blue Devils to a National Championship, becoming Duke’s single season scoring leader in the process. Williams had his best personal year during his final season at Duke, earning the National Player of the Year award. In 2002, Williams entered the NBA draft.

The Chicago Bulls selected the heralded senior with the second pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Williams had a solid rookie year, averaging 9.5 ppg and close to 5 asp while starting in 54 games. In June of 2003, just a week before the NBA Draft, Williams was involved in

NBA Draft Busts: Shawn Bradley

Shawn Bradley was one of the most hyped up and talked about players to enter the 1993 NBA Draft. Before entering the draft, the former McDonald’s All-American played at Brigham Young University. Bradley set multiple shot-blocking records while at BYU and brought home some hardware too. Bradley was named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year after his brilliant freshman season as well as being named to the All-WAC defensive team and an Honorable Mention All-American. After his stellar freshman year, Bradley decided to

Knicks & Wolves Trade Rumors

 

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is reporting that the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves have had “preliminary discussions” in regards to a potential trade involving combo-guard Toney Douglas and point guard Jonny Flynn. The Timberwolves’ recent signing of Ricky Rubio (their 5th overall pick from the 2009 NBA Draft) has made Flynn’s role less significant and thus more expendable. Toney Douglas is the name being thrown around in a potential deal for the former Syracuse floor general. Both Douglas and Flynn have had injury issues in the past. TD is coming off of off-season shoulder surgery while Flynn was limited to 53 games last season because of hip surgery. Douglas has clearly had a more productive first two seasons than Flynn has, but Flynn possesses more of the point guard skills the Knicks are looking for in their backcourt. TD has also shown that he can shoot the 3 and play above average defense while at the same time Flynn has struggled with his shot and isn’t near the ball hawk that Douglas is. Nevertheless, I think the trade would benefit both teams. The T-Wolves could use a guy like Douglas who can stretch the defense with his 3 point shooting, and the Knicks would love to have a lottery pick talent at point guard who hasn’t even began to show his true colors in the NBA in Flynn. Note that the Knicks would have to add another player or cash considerations in the trade for Flynn to make the salaries work. Isola thinks that Renaldo Balkman would be the likely player included. This trade is not imminent by any means, but look for the Knicks to make a splash during the 2011 NBA Draft this Thursday.

NBA Draft Busts: Adam Morrison

Any casual basketball fan remembers Adam Morrison leading his Gonzaga Bulldogs to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Morrison and the Bulldogs eventually lost that Sweet Sixteen game to UCLA in the final seconds, blowing a 17 point lead in the process. Morrison broke down emotionally after the final buzzer sounded and signaled the end of the Bulldogs season and later proved to be Morrison’s final game as well. Adam Morrison was awarded at the end of the year, sharing the National Player of the Year award with J.J. Redick of Duke. Morrison decided to leave Gonzaga with that bitter taste of being ousted in the Sweet Sixteen in his mouth and entered his name into the 2006 NBA Draft.

Adam Morrison was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, a pick made by the then manager of basketball operations for the Bobcats, Michael Jordan. Morrison started for the Bobcats during the first half of the 2006 season but was later removed from the starting lineup largely due in part because of his poor field goal percentage and lack of ability to defend his position. Morrison’s hard luck continued into his second year with the Bobcats, tearing his ACL in the pre-season and missing the entire 2007 -2008 season. Morrison was then traded by the Bobcats to the Los Angeles Lakers early into the 2009 season. He later went on to play absolutely no part in the Lakers back-to-back NBA Championships in 2009 and 2010, riding on the coat tails of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. It’s an absolute travesty that guys like Adam Morrison have championship rings while NBA greats like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone don’t even have one championship to their name, but that’s a rant for a different day. Anyway, Morrison signed with the Washington Wizards after his stint with the Lakers but was cut during training camp. No NBA team took a flyer on Morrison during this past season and he is currently a free agent.

The Spanish Phenom Ricky Rubio, Wait What?

The Minnesota Timberwolves have officially announced that their 5th overall selection from the 2009 NBA Draft, Ricky Rubio, has decided to come play for them next season. Rubio, his former team Barcelona, and the Timberwolves have worked out a deal that will allow Rubio to leave Barcelona to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA. The infamous Rubio has been raved about and sought after ever since the videos of the teenager broke out and during the World Championships and Olympics. I, however, can’t wrap my head around everyone’s rave reviews of the 20-year old Spaniard.

First of all, he is listed at 6 feet 4 inches and weighs anywhere between a buck eighty and a buck ninety. He has good size for a point guard but at that weight there is absolutely no way Rubio can hold his own among the other physical guards in the NBA. Rubio also does not have the blinding speed or blow-by ability needed to create his own shot at the next level. Which leads me to his inability to shoot the ball effectively from the field. Rubio shot only 39% from the field, 22% from behind the arc, and 6.5 ppg while starting in 17 of 20 games with Barcelona last season. Really? Those are the numbers being put up in the far inferior Euroleague by a guy who many think can be star in the NBA; I don’t buy it. We always see the same 10 second video clip of Rubio throwing behind his back or over his head and all of a sudden he’s the next Pete Maravich, come on. Rubio is all flash, no substance, and a whole lot of finesse. I don’t think he’ll ever live up to all the hype.

NBA Draft Busts: Sean May

The 2005 NBA Draft was a solid one. Producing All-Stars and All-NBA players such as Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Danny Granger, and David Lee. Other above-average NBA players like Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Charlie Villanueva, Andrew Bynum, and Channing Frye to name a few, also came out of this draft. The 2005 Draft wasn’t without its busts, most notably the 13th overall pick, Sean May.

Sean May was a McDonald’s High School American and ended up playing his college ball for the University of North Carolina. May started at center for the Tar Heels in each of his 3 seasons in school. May’s shining moment came in the Tar Heel’s National Championship run in 2005 as he poured in 26 points on 10 of 11 from the field and adding 10 rebounds in the Championship Game win over Illinois. May’s outstanding play throughout the tournament earned him the Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA Tournament Award. May chose to go out on top and declared for the NBA Draft shortly after he and the Tar Heels won the school’s 4th National Title.

The Charlotte Bobcats took May with the 13th pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, one of 4 Tar Heels to be drafted in the lottery. The others included Marvin Williams with the 2nd pick, Raymond Felton with the 5th pick, and Rashad McCants with the 14th pick. May suffered a knee injury early into his rookie season and micro fracture surgery in the offseason held him out of the entire 2007 – 2008 season. May was never able to fully recover from surgery and the effects lingered into the following season, ultimately landing him on the inactive list due to not being physically fit to play. In 2009, the Bobcats chose not to pick up May’s 4th year option and he became an unrestricted free agent. Later in 2009, May was signed by the Sacramento Kings for the NBA’s minimum salary. The Kings did not resign May and instead the New Jersey Nets gave him a chance in 2010, but he was released in the preseason due to yet another injury. May decided to accept an offer to play overseas later on in 2010 and is currently employed by Fenerbahce Ulker of the Turkish League.

Mavs Win; Dirk Among Greatest

“All the people that were rooting me on to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life they had before.” – LeBron James

I think this quote says it all. And with that, I will not speak of or mention LeBron James again in this article. All of the attention has been on the Miami Heat and their putrid 4th quarter execution and many in the media have spent little time talking about the real story: The Dallas Mavericks winning their first NBA Championship in their history and Dirk Nowitzki engraving his name into NBA greatness.

Obviously, Dirk has the individual stats and accolades that caught every NBA fan’s attention. He’s been named to 4 All-NBA First Teams, has made 10 All-Star appearances, and was the League’s MVP in 2007, but up until yesterday Dirk was missing that one special accomplishment that separates the very good players from the great players, and NBA Championship. Dirk added that NBA Championship to his resume last night, along with the Finals MVP trophy. Dirk was absolutely unconscious throughout the playoffs and especially late in games, shutting the door on the opposition time and time again. We all thought he couldn’t play any better, but once again Dirk stepped his game up to another level in the Finals, averaging 26 points and close to 10 rebounds a game while shooting a ridiculous 98% from the charity stripe. He shot daggers into the hearts of the Heat, averaging 11 points in the 4th quarters alone. Game 6 exemplified just how great Dirk is. He struggled mightily in the first half, going 1 for 12 from the field. But Dirk battled back and kept shooting, kept attacking. He finished the game hitting 9 of 27 shots from the field for a total of 21 points, 8 for 15 in the second half, with 11 of those points coming in the decisive 4th quarter. The great ones know how to close out games, no matter if they’re struggling early on or locked in from the start. The 4th quarter is a different animal, and Dirk definitely showed that he has that killer instinct.

Now that Nowitzki has the ever so coveted NBA CHampionship under his belt we can finally start throwing his name into the conversation for one of the best power forwards in NBA history. I have no doubt in my mind that he stacks right up there with All-Time power forwards such as Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Elvin Hayes, Kevin Garnett, and probably the best of them all, Tim Duncan. Dirk is a transcendent player, and it’s time that he is given the respect and admiration he so strongly deserves.

NBA Owners and Players Still Far From a Deal, Lockout Looms

Amidst all the recent success and the hype that has come with it, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) are still nowhere near a deal. The July 1st deadline is looming and it’s almost inevitable at this point, there will be a lockout in the NBA. The owners and players are talking, they are still world’s apart on very important issues such as a hard or soft salary cap and guaranteed contracts. The owners are adamant in their stance in favor of a hard salary cap and non-guaranteed contracts. Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers point guard and president of the NBPA, said “the owners have informed him that if the players do not accept what has been offered to them thus far then there will be a lockout.” So, although the NBA is on the rise and gaining momentum, due in large part to compelling storylines like the star-studded Miami Heat, the veteran laden Dallas Mavericks, and the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder, it seems like the NBA will fail to capitalize on their recent success and ultimately follow the same crooked path of the NFL.

Crucial Game 5: Heat vs. Mavs in Dallas

Well, I’m sure we’ve all heard this a million times, but once more can’t hurt: the team that wins Game 5 of a 2-2 series in the NBA Finals has gone onto win the Larry O’Brien trophy 73% of the time. So, to say that Game 5 is of the utmost importance to both teams is n understatement. Tonight’s game will more than likely decide who wins the 2011 NBA Finals, especially considering the 2-3-2 format used in the Finals. I think this is a must-win game for Dallas, just like in Game 4. If Dallas loses tonight then they will face the daunting and near impossible task of defeating Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and the Miami Heat in two consecutive games in Miami. At the same time, Game 5 is also very important for the Miami Heat, especially coming off a Game 4 loss in which Lebron James was absolutely nonexistent. Obviously, the Heat would still feel some comfort even in a loss, knowing that they will be going back home for Games 6 and 7 but that is definitely not the position they want to be in. Lebron James needs to show-up big tonight. He needs to play up to his superstar status and be more aggressive in his decision-making. That’s not to say he has to be selfish and force shots because that is just counterproductive, but he needs to be the facilitator he was in Game 3. If Lebron’s stat line resembles anything close to the 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists he had in Game 1 or the 17 points and 9 assists in Game 3, both Miami wins by the way, then the Heat will be on their way to the franchise’s second NBA Championship. Dwyane Wade has been magnificent throughout the series and has clearly taken the role of closer for the Heat down the stretch, but if Lebron can just use his lethal combination of size, speed, strength, and athleticism to facilitate, which he is more than capable of doing, then I think the Heat will be able to win Game 5 in Dallas and close it out at home in Game 6.

Shaq Retires

The great Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement yesterday via video on Tout.com. The 7 foot 1 inch behemoth of a man decided to call it quits at the age of 39 after 19 spectacular seasons in the NBA because of an achilles injury. Shaq broke into the league as a lean 20-year-old out of Louisiana State University (LSU) with the Orlando Magic. After 4 years with the Magic, Shaq signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers and led them to 3 straight NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002, winning the Finals MVP Award in each year. In 2004, the Lakers traded Shaq to the Miami Heat. There, he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and went on to win his 4th NBA Championship in 2006. Shaq was again traded in 2008, this time midway through the season to the Phoenix Suns. After a season and a half with the Suns, he was again traded in 2009 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shaq spent one season with the Cavs and then signed as a free agent with Boston Celtics in 2010. Shaq was limited by injuries late in his career, playing in only 37 games for the Celtics.

Shaq ends his illustrious career with:

4 NBA Titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 1 MVP, a Rookie of the Year, 15x All-Star, 2 Scoring Titles, 8x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-NBA Second Team, 4x All-NBA Third Team, 3x All-Defensive Second Team, 3x NBA All-Star Game MVP, 5th Leading Scorer in NBA History

Shaquille O’Neal is way more than a spectacular basketball player, he’s one of the most beloved and entertaining athletes both on and off the court we’ve ever seen. Shaq provides great quotes and sound-bites on a consistent basis and is a very well-rounded individual. He released 5 rap albums, starred in 2 movies, and appeared in a plethora of television sitcoms. Shaq has also tapped into the reality television outlet, hosting his own show called Shaq Vs. Shaq has used many nicknames to connect with fans and media. He always has a smile on his face and seems to be a fun-loving guy who enjoys life. Shaq is definitely in the top 5 in terms of greatest centers of all-time and I wish him the best in whatever he decides to venture into in the future.

I leave you with some of my favorite Shaq nicknames:

The Big Aristotle (my favorite), The Diesel, Shaq Fu, The Big Daddy, The Big Shaqtus, The Big Shamrock, The Big Baryshnikov, The Big Leprechaun

NBA Draft Busts: Michael Sweetney, Reece Gaines, Troy Bell

  

To many, and I agree, the 2003 NBA Draft was the best NBA Draft ever. The 2003 Draft has produced 8 All-Stars and 4 All-NBA members including names like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, David West, Chris Kaman, Josh Howard, and Mo Williams. Other non-all stars but solid NBA players to come out of this draft include Kirk Hinrich, TJ Ford, Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, Boris Diaw, Carlos Delfino, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Steve Blake, Willie Green, Keith Bogans, Travis Outlaw, Dahntay Jones, Matt Bonner, Zaza Pachulia, James Jones, Kyle Korver, the list goes on and on. But every draft has its busts and the 2003 NBA Draft is no different. The 3 busts I’m going to profile are the #9 pick Michael Sweetney, the #15 selection Reece Gaines, and the #16 pick Troy Bell.

Michael Sweetney

The burly 6 foot 8 inch 270 lb power forward out of Georgetown was selected 9th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2003 NBA Draft. Sweetney had a great 3 year career at Georgetown, posting a career scoring average of over 18 ppg while shooting 55% from the field. Unfortunately, his NBA career has not been very successful. After playing in only 42 regular season games for the Knicks, Sweetney was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2005. Sweetney always had weight issues which led him to not appear in a single game during the span of 2007 – 2009. The Boston Celtics invited him to training camp in 2009 but was later waived.

Reece Gaines

The 6 foot 6 inch 205 lb former Louisville standout did not have a very smooth NBA career, bouncing around to 3 teams in 3 years. Gaines was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 15th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He appeared in only 38 games for the Magic before being traded midway through his rookie season to the Houston Rockets. Gaines played in only 10 games for the Rockets, mostly due to injuries, and was again traded in 2005 to the Milwaukee Bucks. Gaines didn’t play a whole lot during his 1 and a half seasons with the Bucks, totaling a combined 132 minutes in 23 games. From 2006 to 2009 Gaines played overseas in Italy. He was on a different team for each of his 3 years there. In 2009, Gaines played for the Bakersfield Jam (Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers affiliate) in the NBA D-League. Most recently, Gaines decided to go back and play professionally overseas, signing with JA Vichy of the French League in 2010.

Troy Bell

The former 2-time NCAA All-American as well as 2-time Big East Player of the Year enjoyed a sensational college career at Boston College, finishing as Boston College’s all-time leading scorer. Bell was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft but was immediately traded on draft night to the Memphis Grizzlies. He played in 6 games for the Grizzlies in his rookie year and was signed as a free agent in 2005 by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Bell was later waived by the Hornets during the 2005 preseason. Bell entered the NBA D-League Draft in 2006 and was selected with the 12th pick by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (New Orleans Hornets and Orlando Magic affiliate) and later signed with the Austin Toros (San Antonio Spurs affiliate), also of the D-League. After his 2 year stint in the NBA D-League, Bell played professionally in Italy for 3 different teams from 2007 to 2010. Currently, Bell plays for Entente Orleanaise in France.

NBA Draft Busts: Juan Dixon

Juan Dixon played his college basketball at the University of Maryland where he racked up a ton of personal awards. Dixon was first team All-ACC in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Dixon was also named ACC Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year in 2002. That same year, Dixon was a Consensus first team All-American and led the Terrapins past Jared Jeffries and the Indiana Hoosiers to win the NCAA Championship. Dixon passed Len Bias as Maryland’s all-time leading scorer in 2002 and finished his career as the only player in NCAA history to accumulate 2,000 points, 300 steals, and 200 three-pointers. The 6 foot 3 inch 165 lb shooting guard was drafted 17th overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the hometown Washington Wizards. He played 3 seasons for the Wizards, which included a career-high 35 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, before signing with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2005. Dixon was traded midway through his second season with the Blazers to the Toronto Raptors. Again, Dixon was traded midway through the 2007 – 2008 season with the Raptors to the Detroit Pistons. Dixon played in only 17 games for the Pistons before being signed as a free agent by the Wizards, the team that drafted him. NBA teams lost interest in Dixon and he decided to play professionally overseas. In 2009, he signed with Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek League. The next season, Dixon joined Unicaja Malaga in Spain. Dixon currently plays professionally in Turkey with Bandirma Banvit.

Jimmer Fredette! The Name Says it All

Jimmer Fredette has been filling it up lately and has all but taken over sporting headlines. Fredette, a senior guard at BYU out of Glen Falls, NY has been all over ESPN and the other never-ending list of sports networks and radio shows over the past week or so as fans and media alike are finally starting to pay attention to the nation’s leading scorer (27.4 ppg). Jimmer cemented his name into the homes of the common sports fan after last night’s nationally televised (it’s an absolute joke that this game was not available for the entire country to see) game between Fredette’s one-loss BYU Cougars and the undefeated #4 San Diego State University Aztecs. All of this coverage on Fredette has brought many so-called ”experts” to compare Jimmer to anyone and everyone from Stephen Curry and Scott Skiles to Mark Price and even ”Pistol” Pete Maravich. But this extended coverage has also brought those same “experts” to question some of Fredette’s abilities on the court and bring up some of his presumed weaknesses that will eventually hinder his NBA draft stock. I’ve listed some of those weaknesses below, the biggest of which is Fredette’s presumed inability to defend his position, especially in the NBA. His strengths are also listed below.

Jimmer Fredette’s Strengths and Weaknesses

  Strengths                                                                                      Weaknesses

- Pure scorer                                                                                  – Defense

- Create his own shot                                                                  – Size

- Ball handling                                                                               - Court vision 

- “in the gym” range                                                                     – Finishing at the rim

- Quick release

- Free-throw shooting

- Strong frame

As you can see from the list above, Fredette possesses all of the critical offensive tools needed to succeed at the next level, such as his ability to create his own shot as well as his unlimited range. Anybody who has watched, read, or heard anything about Jimmer knows he can straight fill it up, so lets look at what his critics say is Fredette’s biggest hurdle at the NBA level, his inability to defend due to his lack of size (he’s listed at 6 ft 2 in).

First, let me say that since when has individual defensive success been a major requirement in the NBA (seriously, college players to a man play much better defense than guys in the NBA, just flip back and forth between a college basketball game and an NBA game, the defensive disparity is overwhelming). Obviously the best defensive TEAMS win championships, but seldom do those teams have individual lock-down defenders, for example the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, etc (you can make the argument that Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest are “star defensive players,” if you want to say that holding Kobe Bryant to 28 points instead of 40 points is a job well done). So, in my opinion individual defensive standouts are a bit overrated.

Second, I refute the presumption that Fredette can not defend his position because although he lacks ideal size in terms of height (see the list of NBA players below), he does possess a strong, sturdy, muscular base or frame (6 ft 2 in, 195 lbs) which will allow him to hold his position while defending both taller and quicker players. Here are some other players of similar size and stature to Jimmer and how their supposed inability to defend has not hindered their NBA careers one bit.  

Tony Parker (PG, Spurs, 6 ft 2 in, 180 lbs) – Defensive liability? Yes, but that hasn’t stopped him from leading the Spurs to 3 NBA Championships since becoming their starting PG.

Steve Nash (PG, Suns, 6 ft 3 in, 178 lbs) – Defensive liability? Yes, but that hasn’t prevented him from racking up 2 consecutive NBA MVP Awards.

Deron Williams (PG, Jazz, 6 ft 3 in, 207 lbs) – Defensive liability? No. Why? Not because he’s the fastest guy on the floor, but because he has a solid frame and he knows how to use his body to his advantage.

Raymond Felton (PG, Knicks, 6 ft 1 in, 198 lbs) – Defensive liability? No. Why? Much like Deron Williams, Felton possesses a strong frame. He can guard quicker players as well as bang with taller 2-guards without being pushed around.

All in all, I believe Fredette will have a solid career in the NBA. Do I think he’ll be a star? No. Do I think he’ll be a bust? No. I think Fredette will be a solid sixth man or third scoring option on either an up-tempo team such as the Knicks (and yes, as a Knicks fan I would love to see Jimmer playing 41 games at MSG, he would be a perfect fit in their system) or for a team with a legitimate low post threat like the Magic or Lakers. In the latter scenario, Fredette would provide the ability to create off the dribble as well as stretch the defense from the 3-point line. Nobody knows for sure what Fredette’s NBA future has in store for him, but one thing is certain. Jimmer Fredette will continue to be the story of the year in college hoops and his BYU Cougars will be a fun team to watch come tournament time.

College Bball:Good, Bad, & Ugly

This year’s field of 64 is on the verge of looking a lot different  
from years past, primarily because many of the so-called lock teams  
like UCONN and UNC have had a down year so far. Not only have some  
power teams been on the decline this year, but power conferences like  
the Pac-10 have also had their struggles. This has allowed conferences  
like the A-10 which usually gets only 1 or 2 teams in the NCAA  
Tournament the opportunity to get 3 or 4 teams in this year.

The Good

I can’t think of a more underrated, underappreciated, and overlooked conference than the A-10. Temple is the lone representative in the rankings for the A-10 conference, sitting at #21. But what the A-10 lacks in respect in the top 25 rankings, it gains in overall NCAA resume recognition. The A-10 currently ranks 6th in overall conference rpi and 7th in strength of schedule, ahead of conferences like C-USA, Mountain West, and the Pac-10. The A-10 also has 6 teams ranked in the top 45 in terms of rpi along with 6 teams ranked in the top 50 in terms of strength of schedule. To wrap up my case for the A-10 lets look at the projected NCAA tournament field as of today. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the A-10 has 6 teams in the tournament. That’s tied for second most by a conference with the ACC and Big East and is more than the Big Ten, SEC, and Mountain West. 

The Bad

The Pac-10 as a whole has been absolutely non-existent this year. Granted the conference did lose 9 of their top players to last year’s NBA draft, but with highly touted teams like Arizona and UCLA and above average teams like Oregon, USC, Cal, and Washington the Pac-10 has almost always recovered from one season to the next. To put into perspective how down the Pac-10 is this year lets look at the rankings. At this time last year the Pac-10 had 3 teams ranked in the top 25, this year the Pac-10 has zero. The Pac-10 also had 6 teams in the NCAA tournament last year and this year according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi the Pac-10 currently has only the automatic bid that is awarded to the team that wins the conference tournament. 

The Ugly

Now before I come off as just another UNC hater I would liked to point out that I understand that the Tar Heels lost 4 starters to the NBA draft and obviously that’s a lot of stat stuffing and experience to replace. With that being said, the Tar Heels always bring in 5-star recruits with NBA potential and continue to roll along, but not this year. UNC freshman like Dexter Strickland, the Wear twins, and John Henson have played average basketball at best and pale in comparison to star freshman across the country like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Xavier Henry, Avery Bradley, Derrick Favors and others. The Tar Heels and coach Roy Williams are in a downward spiral they’ve never seen before. UNC stands at next to last in the ACC with a 2-7 record in league play and a 13-11 record overall. The Tar Heels have lost 8 of their last 10 games and are currently riding a 4 game losing streak. To make matters worse, star forward/center Ed Davis has a broken wrist and will miss at least a month. Sorry UNC fans, looks like you’ll have to wait ’til next year.