Irving, Kanter both untested, both full of potential

It was a throwaway quote tossed off by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in the middle of making a more expansive point after the Blue Devils' NCAA Tournament game against Michigan last March, but it spoke volumes.

"If he plays the whole year," Krzyzewski said, referring to freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, who was limited to 11 games after suffering a freak toe injury, "he might be the best player in college basketball. The kid is that good. He's that good."

Of course, anyone who follows Duke basketball already knew how good Krzyzewski and his assistant coaches thought Irving could become. They changed their entire offense -- remember that Duke was coming off the national championship in 2010 -- to take advantage of his skills. And in eight games at the beginning of the season, during which Irving averaged 17.3 points and 5.1 assists and shot .532 from the field, .483 from three-point range and .895 from the free-throw line, he more than justified his coaches' faith in him.

Then came the toe injury, suffered against Butler, 28 games on the sidelines, and a return for the NCAA Tournament, where Irving again provided tantalizing glimpses of what could have been.

We'll never know if Irving would have become the college player of the year. But the future No. 1 pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers is going to have plenty of time to prove his worth in the NBA. And how good can he become?

How about Chris Paul good?

Irving caused a brief stir earlier this week when he chose not to participate in the on-court drills at the NBA combine in Chicago. But Irving doesn't need to flex his measurables. No, he's not freaky athletic/explosive in the mold of Derrick Rose or John Wall. But he's more than athletic enough to excel in the NBA.

Consider Michigan Staten coach Tom Izzo's first reaction after Irving torched the Spartans for 31 points in an early December game: "His speed most impressed me," Izzo said. "I mean he can shoot it, but the way he can handle the ball and get inside out, you've got to corral him."

That speed is why the Duke coaches changed their offense.

"Everything was tailored toward giving him the spacing and the ability to do what he does," Duke associate head coach Chris Collins said this week. "Make plays or let other players play off him. That's why for us it was such a tough adjustment [after Irving was injured]. Our whole season was predicated around having him be the guy. That's how we trained. When he went down, we had to reinvent our whole system."

Some pundits think the Cavs shouldn't take Irving No. 1, that because Baron Davis is already on the roster, Arizona forward Derrick Williams would be a more prudent choice. But this is one of those deals where drafting for need would be a mistake. Taking the best player available is the ticket. Irving is the best player available, and his particular skills have become increasingly valuable in a league where point guards control so much with penetration and decision-making.

"You look at the NBA right now," Collins said. "It's a point guard driven league. The teams that are still alive have dynamic point guards."

"In today's NBA, Kyrie Irving is a coveted commodity," said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. "You just can't find point guards at that level in free agency. You get them in the draft."

Collins has no doubt Irving will take his place among the NBA's elite point guards.

"He's really good at the pick and roll," Collins said. "That's something we do a lot of. If he plays off the ball, he can make shots. And he can play off others as well. It makes him very dangerous, not only when he has the ball, but when he's off the ball. You have to be accountable for where he's at all the time."

Also armed with the No. 4 pick in the draft, the Cavs have a chance to pair Irving with a young, talented inside player. The consensus choice of all the mock NBA drafts compiled by NBA.com says that would be 6-11 Enes Kanter. Like Irving, he's 19 years old. Unlike Irving, Kanter had no chance to showcase his skills at the collegiate level. The NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible after determining he had taken excessive benefits from a pro team in his native Turkey, so Kanter was reduced to a practice player at Kentucky this season.

Kanter did take part in on-court work at the Chicago combine, and he impressed with his combination of size and mobility. That didn't surprise me after some conversations I had with the Kentucky staff and other college coaches who recruited Kanter.

Washington assistant coach Raphael Chillious remembers his first impressions of the big man while conducting a clinic for Nike in Greece. Kanter was 16 years old.

"Two things stood out right away," Chillious said. "He's got unbelievably soft hands; he caught everything. And he reminded me of a Moses Malone-type rebounder. I saw him go out of bounds on one side of the basket [to claim a rebound] and come back inbounds on the other. Moses was like that. This kid is just a high, high, high level, instinctive rebounder."

Can two 19-year-olds put Cleveland back on the playoff track? Irving and Kanter won't make anyone forget about King James, but add them to a nucleus that includes J.J. Hickson, maybe nab Cleveland native and former Ohio State star David Lighty -- who by some accounts is another Bruce Bowen -- in the second round of the draft, and Cav fans can start to get excited again.

Irving, Kanter both untested, both full of potential

Chris Dortch

nba.com

2011 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Point Guards and an Enes Kanter update

Since the Wizards are pretty much set at Point Guard with John Wall entrenched there for hopefully the next decade or more; I've decided to do only short, abbreviated profiles for the current crop of Point Guards in the 2011 draft. The first batch includes Duke's Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker from Connecticut, and Kentucky's Brandon Knight. Keep reading at the end for an update on the Enes Kanter eligibility issue.

More after the jump.

***

Kyrie Irving
Team: Duke, Freshman
6' 2" , 185 lbs , 18 Years Old
Position: PG

Kyrie Irving won't wow you with his physical attributes, or with his athleticism, but he's an extremely smart player. Although he's not blazing fast like John Wall, nor is he an elite athlete like Derrick Rose; Irving plays at different speeds, keeping the defense off balance. A stutter step here, a juke there, a slight hesitation and then he takes a quick burst just when the defense is flat-footed. He can drive either left or right equally well. Combine all that with the fact that he's a very good shooter from outside, including range to the professional 3-point line - and defenses have to play him honest. Because he can shoot, it creates driving opportunities - and because he can drive, it creates open shots. As a result, Irving is an extremely efficient scorer - averaging over 22 points per 40 minutes (Pace adjusted) on only 12 sots.

Irving has excellent court vision, and is averaging a robust 6.5 assists per 40 (pace adjusted). He's an excellent passer, but prefers to make the safe pass rather than the spectacular. His ball handling skills are well advanced; able to stop or change direction in an instant.

He still needs work on his shot selection - and he tends to dribble too much.... but overall, Kyrie Irving is an excellent prospect. Even though he injured his toe in early December, and is expected to miss some extended time, NBA scouts have seen enough of him to know what kind of player he will become. He is the most NBA ready player in the draft. I expect him to be the first Point Guard taken, and depending on which team is selecting, he could go as high as #1. In any case, he's a top 10 pick (top 5 in most mock drafts). I have him at #5.

Kemba Walker
Team: Connecticut, Junior
6' 0" , 180 lbs , 20 Years Old

Kembe Walker is currently the number one scorer in the NCAA, at 25.8 points per game. Right now, he's an extremely efficient scorer, shooting almost 50% from the field and over 84% from the Free Throw line. He's got excellent quickness and ball-handling ability - but what puts him in the Draft Lottery discussion is his jump shot. He's got a very pretty shot - mechanically perfect - and shoots equally well off the dribble, or on a catch-and-shoot. He has range out to the college 3-point line (36%), but will need to extend that just a bit in the Pro's.

Last year, Walker showed more of his play-making skills, averaging over 5.7 assists per 40 minutes (pace adjusted). This year, with Connecticut losing 4 of their starters, he's had to take on more of a scoring role. Although he's only averaging 2.4 assists this year, he still shows flashes of excellent vision and passing skills. When he does pass, he shows more of a willingness to gamble than Kyrie Irving.... able to sometimes thread the needle for spectacular assists.

Defensively, Walker shows some toughness and grit - standing in to take charges against big guys, getting in the grill of his opponent, and generally wrecking havoc with his quickness. He's got terrific lateral quickness and likes to play the passing lanes (2.4 steals). My biggest concern is his height. At 6-feet, he will be at a disadvantage defending some of the bigger, stronger Point Guards in the NBA; and shots that he's easily able to get off in College will be contested by the bigger players in the NBA.

Nonetheless, Kemba Walker's ability to score and dish will make him a hot commodity for any team looking for a Point Guard this Summer. I expect him to be picked in the top 10. I have him at #7

Brandon Knight
Team: Kentucky - Freshman
6' 3" , 170 lbs , 18 Years Old

John Calapari's latest one-and-done Point Guard prospect is Brandon Knight. Like the other elite Point Guards recruited before him at Kentucky (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall), Knight is a top prospect (#3 Scout, #2 Rivals). 

Unlike Derrick Rose or John Wall, Brandon Knight is an excellent shooter with range to the NBA 3-point line. He's shooting 47% overall, and a very respectable 39% from 3. Both those percentages are skewed a bit, since he had difficulties early in the year with some horrible shooting games. He was also turning the ball over a lot. I had him high on my draft board until he threw up a couple 20% shooting nights and a 6 TO and 8 TO game.... Looking like he was having trouble adjusting, he plummeted on my board.

However, over the last 8 games, he's shooting much more like I expected (50% and 44% from 3) and has cut way down on his turnovers from almost 5 per game in his first 8 games to a much more manageable 2 per game over his last 8. He seems to have settled in to his role. His assists are up as well - to almost 5 per game.

Right now, my concerns about Knight are around his shoot-first mentality. John Calipari's Dribble-Drive Motion Offense may have something to do with it; since both John Wall and Derrick Rose weren't able to fully display their passing skills at Kentucky either. But with Wall, and to a lesser extent Rose, you could still tell they were pass-first type guys... Knight strikes me as shoot first - and with his height, that may brand him with the dreaded "combo guard" label.

Even with my reservations, Knight is moving up my draft board just as fast as he dropped earlier in the year. Right now I have him in the mid-first round, but if he continues to shoot the way he is now, he will move into the lottery.

Rook's Mock Draft

   1. Terrence Jones
   2. Perry Jones
   3. Harrison Barnes
   4. Enes Kanter
   5. Kyrie Irving
   6. Jared Sullinger
   7. Kemba Walker
   8. Jonas Valanciunas
   9. Donatas Motiejunas
  10. John Henson

Notes about Enes Kanter:
The NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement finally ruled on the Enes Kanter issue. They upheld the earlier NCAA ruling that Enes Kanter is "permanently ineligible" to play College basketball. The reason is that he received payment over "actual and necessary expenses" directly from a Professional basketball team. This was Kanter's final appeal, and unless he decides to take the NCAA to court, he will not be playing for a U.S. College this year, or at any time in the future. 

Kanter will remain at Kentucky, his scholarship intact. John Calipari has designated Kanter an undergraduate student-assistant coach; meaning he can help out with the Kentucky basketball program. It also means that Kanter can continue to work out and practice with the team. He cannot however, travel with the team. Calipari has also stated that he will help Kanter with his preparations for next Summer's draft, if it is his intention to declare. I believe Kanter will declare for the 2011 draft - and because there will be very few Centers in the draft - he will be picked high. He may even have an advantage because he won't have scouts picking apart every aspect of his game all year long. The only information they have to go on will be his stellar performance in the Nike game - and individual workouts.

Now on to my rant:

The NCAA has put forth a ruling that is completely defensible. According to the letter of the law, Kanter accepted benefits from a Professional basketball team - making him a professional and inelligible for College play.  But just as it's defensible, it's still wrong and unfair.

Other players have taken benefits from agents, shoe companies, restaurants, recruiters, clothing companies, automobile dealerships and other third parties and were allowed to repay those benefits and still play college sports.

The NCAA ruled Renardo Sidney inelligible for accepting "preferential treatment" and improper benefits totaling $11,800. Not only that, but Sidney provided false and misleading statements to the NCAA investigators. HE LIED! They ruled this past March that Sidney could still play if he paid back the money he took from a Shoe company. The NCAA never was able to determine how the Sidney family was able to move from Mississippi to Los Angeles and reside in a $1.2 Million mansion; but I guess that's beside the point.

In the case involving Josh Selby, the NCAA investigated Selby for his relationship with Robert Frazier (Carmello Anthony's agent). They suspended Selby 9 games because of "improper benefits" Frazier provided. SARCASM KEY DEPRESSED: Ouch, I bet that really hurt his team, suspended for all the non-conference games......SARCASM KEY OFF. The benefits included clothes, transportation, meals and lodging for Selby and his family. The university and the NCAA have determined that the value of those benefits was $4,607.58. Selby had to pay back that money. Selby is currently a Freshman playing for Kansas.

I could go on about the Cam Newton case.... Where his father put his son's Quarterbacking skills up for the highest bidder.... The NCAA declared that Cam didn't know what his Father was doing - Nudge, Nudge, wink wink, Say no more. Newton played in the BCS Championship bowl on Monday. 

Or how about the case of the star quarterback at Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor) who sold his championship rings, jerseys and awards for cash, and received "improper benefits" from tattoo parlors, restaurants and automobile dealerships. The NCAA suspended him for 5 whole games.... but he was still allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl. No, really. That was not a joke; he was allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl. That slap on the wrist 5 game suspension by the NCAA will be imposed next year - but it will be negated by the fact that Pryor will simply turn Pro before any sanction or suspension can take effect.

Apparently, if you receive benefits from restaurants, shoe companies, agents, tattoo parlors or automobile dealerships; or if you sell your bowl bootie for cash; or if you try to extort money from a University or sell your son's Quarterback services to the highest bidder - the NCAA considers those minor infractions. Those insignificant lapses where players had difficulties staying within the well defined (snicker) rules can be washed away simply by paying back the money and accepting a laughably short suspension. In other words go ahead and lie, cheat and steal.

Just don't accept educational reimbursements from a foreign Basketball club because the entire weight and might of the NCAA will come crashing down upon you like a (slow moving) avalanche.

2011 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Point Guards and an Enes Kanter update

by Rook6980

bulletsforever.com

Kanter on last NCAA appeal

According to NCAA procedure, Kentucky and freshman Enes Kanter are at the final stage of the effort to gain the player’s eligibility.

Last fall, the NCAA declared Kanter permanently ineligible because he received $33,033 in excess of permitted compensation in the third and final year he played with a professional team in his native Turkey.

UK appealed that decision. When that appeal was presumably denied, the school cited “new information” in asking that the two-step process be re-started. NCAA rules do not permit new information to be presented in an appeals hearing, so UK had to ask that process return to Step One.

It has been widely reported, first by Foxsports.com, that the second appeal would be heard Thursday. If true, and there’s no reason to doubt the validity of the reports, that meant UK and Kanter had lost again in the initial judgment on his eligibility.

If the second appeal is denied, which is expected, UK and Kanter would have no further recourse through the NCAA to gain the player’s eligibility.

As UK Coach John Calipari suggested a few weeks ago, Kanter and his family could seekrelief through the U.S. legal system in the form of a temporary restaining order to prevent the NCAA ruling from being immediately in effect.

Such a ruling would leave UK vulnerable to a repeat of the case of Derrick Rose and Calipari-coached Memphis in 2007-08. Despite questions about the player’s entrance exam, Memphis played Rose. Memphis had to vacate its 38 victories that season and return money earned in the NCAA Tournament when the player was retroactively ruled ineligible when the testing service invalidated Rose’s entrace exam score after the season.

If the appeal is denied, Kanter can continue to receive financial aid to attend UK. But he would not be allowed to participate in games nor practices.

original article ,Jerry Tipton, ukbasketball.bloginky.com

Kanter case nearing a conclusion. Or is it?

Much unattributed speculation has the NCAA hearing the appeal on behalf of Kentucky freshman Enes Kanter on Thursday. I heard nothing to the contrary.

The interesting thing is what happens next.

Should the appeal be denied, as expected, will Kanter’s family seek a restraining order or temporary injunction, either of which might stall the NCAA ruling and permit Kanter to play.

If that happens, UK would find itself in about the same position as Memphis in the Derrick Rose situation.  Rose played, but Memphis ultimately had to vacate its victories and money gained from participation in the NCAA Tournament. If the NCAA prevails in the courts, UK would face the possibility of vacating any victory Kanter was part of.

Further complicating things is the NCAA Convention, which is next week in San Antonio. Normally, judgments in such appeals are announced within a day or two.

But NCAA personnel will be largely moved to San Antonio for the convention. Given the high-profile nature of the Kanter case, the NCAA likely would not want to rush out an announcement.

Stay tuned . . .

Jerry Tipton

ukbasketball.bloginky.com