Vitale's top 10 in 2007

[Punch and Judy Garland]

Is Tyrus Thomas worth the number one overall? Not to me. He's Hakim Warrick 2 to me. Very exciting and a guy you certainly want but I don't think he's Chris Bosh

[Palehosefan]

Is Tyrus Thomas worth the number one overall? Not to me. He's Hakim Warrick 2 to me. Very exciting and a guy you certainly want but I don't think he's Chris Bosh

 

In most draft years? No. But this year, he's as good of a candidate as any. He's much more of a PF than Warrick ever was. Tyrus will never be mistaken for a tweener. He's a true PF with room to grow and a good mid-range jumper to boot. But he's still very thin and inexperienced.

[ZoomSlowik]

I haven't seen any site that had/has Davis as a 1st rounder, and I've heard little being said about him as a real pro prospect now. He thought about entering last year, but realized that he wouldn't go very high (actually I think he declared and pulled out). As for that mock draft, I wouldn't put much stock in anything that has Morrison and Gay going ahead of Aldridge at this point. Neither Draft Express or Chad Ford on ESPN has Davis in the first round.

 

As for Thomas, he's about split as the #1 pick right now with Aldridge depending on who you talk to. It's a little pre-mature to say for sure who's gone and who's not, so I'm not assuming anyone's gone yet. As I already said, LSU still has enough talent without those two to still be decent.

Edited April 1, 2006 by ZoomSlowik

[rventura23]

ohio states going to be very good next year, glad to see them in top 10

[Punch and Judy Garland]

the track record for dominant big men in the tourney is not always the best, you see great players like Shaq and Marcus Camby fail to win titles, but you gotta think that Oden might just propel Ohio State to a title. They should be fun to watch

[nitetrain8601]

I'd move Memphis higher.

[ZoomSlowik]

I'd move Memphis higher.

 

I can't really put Memphis ahead the teams in front of them right now, or Texas for that matter. Their youngsters need some work, especially in the post. Plus Williams is about as close to a lock to go as you could get. He wanted to enter the draft the last two years and now he finally has some hype. Supposedly Washington is seriously considering going too, at least according to Chad Ford's article on ESPN Insider. He also has Aldridge and Marcus Williams as likely to go, with pretty much everyone else as 50-50 (although I expect Gay and Thomas to declare personally).

Edited April 3, 2006 by ZoomSlowik

[ChiSox_Sonix]

UConn and Duke are probably a stretch in the last two spots.

 

Gay is almost certainly gone, and Williams could be too. If they lose both of those guys, they'll really struggle. They'll still be good if somehow Gay, Williams, and Boone are all back, but not only is that unlikely, I still think some of the teams on that list will be better.

 

Duke needs some guys to step up big time to avoid a drop into the teens. Even if McRoberts stays, either Nelson or Henderson is going to have to turn in a big time performance, and that's already assuming that Paulus and McRoberts play pretty well. They don't have as much talent on the roster as they have in the past.

 

I already posted my list in the recruiting thread. Personally, I think OSU and UNC have to prove themselves a bit before anyone puts them 1 or 2 in the pre-season polls, since so many of their key players are going to be freshmen and sophmores. Either that or many of the other teams on that list have to lose some talent.

 

im a UCONN fan and i also disagree with Vitale. However, if Boone and Williams come back (which is not out of the realm of possibilities), coupled with the return (maybe) of AJ Price and their other 3 freshmen plus a decent incoming class I could see them as a potential top 10 team by the end of the year.

 

Also, Duke will be worse than they finished this year so how can he have them so high i dont know

[ZoomSlowik]

im a UCONN fan and i also disagree with Vitale. However, if Boone and Williams come back (which is not out of the realm of possibilities), coupled with the return (maybe) of AJ Price and their other 3 freshmen plus a decent incoming class I could see them as a potential top 10 team by the end of the year.

 

Also, Duke will be worse than they finished this year so how can he have them so high i dont know

 

I'm not totally blasting them, they'll still be better than a lot of teams. I just don't think they're top 10 material (now or at the end of the season unless a lot of things go their way) with Anderson, Armstrong, and Brown gone, Gay likely leaving, and Williams and Boone potentially gone. If they can keep the last two (supposedly Williams is leaning towards leaving), they could be decent. Adrien will be a bigger factor this year, and Robinson is a solid freshmen. If they lose one of those guys (especially Williams), it could be tough though because there aren't a lot more options.

Edited April 5, 2006 by ZoomSlowik

[Soxfest]

Duke, NC and rest of ACC same s*** for 20 years ago, you could take his top 10 in 1986 and never know the difference.

[watchtower41]

Does anyone have access to an NBA mock draft that they could post??

 

 

Big Baby is in no way, shape, or form ready to jump. I dont know if he was just winded or sick, but he couldnt make it past half court 8:00 into the UCLA game. I do feel he will be a great pro, but could definitely use another year and afford to lose another 30.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Does anyone have access to an NBA mock draft that they could post??

Big Baby is in no way, shape, or form ready to jump.  I dont know if he was just winded or sick, but he couldnt make it past half court 8:00 into the UCLA game.  I do feel he will be a great pro, but could definitely use another year and afford to lose another 30.

 

 

www.nbadraft.net

[RockRaines]

I already posted my list in the recruiting thread. Personally, I think OSU and UNC have to prove themselves a bit before anyone puts them 1 or 2 in the pre-season polls, since so many of their key players are going to be freshmen and sophmores. Either that or many of the other teams on that list have to lose some talent.

Oden alone makes OSU favored to win the big ten. UNC was basically given no respect this year in a rebuilding year and proved they can win.

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

Does anyone have access to an NBA mock draft that they could post??

Big Baby is in no way, shape, or form ready to jump.  I dont know if he was just winded or sick, but he couldnt make it past half court 8:00 into the UCLA game.  I do feel he will be a great pro, but could definitely use another year and afford to lose another 30.

 

http://www.nbadraft.net/

 

This is the best site for mock drafts. They have us taking Tyrus Thomas with the first pick.

[RockRaines]

http://www.nbadraft.net/

 

This is the best site for mock drafts. They have us taking Tyrus Thomas with the first pick.

why do they have that? And then we take another #2?

[ZoomSlowik]

Oden alone makes OSU favored to win the big ten.  UNC was basically given no respect this year in a rebuilding year and proved they can win.

 

I do have both winning their conference, and they are both in my top 10, with the potential to move up as guys go pro off the other teams. I'd just like to see the freshmen play a bit before I rank them ahead of some of these teams with a little more experience.

 

I think Cook and/or Lighty have to be at least decent replacements for Foster and Sullinger, although having Oden in the middle gives them a little more slack. Plus they don't really seem to have an obvious option at PF.

 

As for UNC, I think their backcourt needs to be more productive. They definitely have the potential for that though with the current freshmen developing and Lawson and Ellington joining the roster.

[whitesoxfan101]

Lawson and Ellington should solve the backcourt issues. They need Lawson to be good right away though and be healthy, because Bobby Frasor and Quentin Thomas suck.

[whitesoxfan101]

why do they have that?  And then we take another #2?

 

The Bulls current roster doesn't have a 2 on it. Ben Gordon and Pargo off the bench are too damn small to play 2, and neither is very consistent with their shot either. As for Thomas.....I'd take Noah over him, but he's supposedly a lock to go #1.

[aboz56]

I did my preseason top 10 for next year today...

 

1. North Carolina - A lot of talent returning, maybe the best player in the nation in Hansbrough and they only lose Noel. Then throw in that they have the best class in the nation coming in, they could be very good.

 

2. Florida - Contingent on Noah staying in school.

 

3. UCLA - Farmar and Afflalo should both be back, if they are, look out.

 

4. Ohio State - If Oden is a dominant as they're saying he is, they'll be this high if not higher.

 

5. Kansas - Brandon Rush will be back and they have an excellent class coming in. Also returning Mario Chalmers, CJ Giles, Julian Wright and Sasha Kahn, I believe. A lot of talent, but I still think Bill Self is a questionable coach.

 

6. Texas - Even if Aldridge goes pro, Daniel Gibson will be back as perhaps the best PG in the land to team with freshman Kevin Durant who many believe is the second best player in the 2006 class. Could be higher than this.

 

7. Georgetown - Good returning core of players (Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green) from a Sweet 16 team that took Florida to the wire plus two solid recruits coming in Vernon Macklin and DaJuan Summers.

 

8. Georgia Tech - Good juniors returning Anthony Morrow, 16 ppg and Ra'Sean Dickey 13 ppg plus they've signed two McDonald's all-americans in Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton (both are considered top 10 recruits in the 2006 class).

 

9. Duke - They'll have Paulus and McRoberts back (unless he opts for the draft) along with two good freshman. I can't see them slipping out of the top 10. I don’t remember the last time Duke finished out of the top 10 or 15.

 

10. Louisville - Jenkins, Padgett and Palacios are all solid and a good recruiting class (Caracter, Clark, Smith, Sosa) will give them the depth they need to be much improved. Terrance Williams will also be improved.

 

Honorable mention:

 

Memphis, Villanova, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Washington

[whitesoxfan101]

I'm with you, very well done top 10....except I don't think Louisville can be a top 10 team (or even close) in the Big East. Duke will be borderline simply because they are Duke, so I can go with them in their spot, but Louisville is still a way off.

[ZoomSlowik]

I'm with you, very well done top 10....except I don't think Louisville can be a top 10 team (or even close) in the Big East.  Duke will be borderline simply because they are Duke, so I can go with them in their spot, but Louisville is still a way off.

 

I think they can be a top 10 team, but obviously they're going to have to be healthier and better than last year. The conference won't be quite as strong. They have a lot of players back and bring in a pretty good recruiting class. I kind of like Cuse though. Losing G-Mac hurts, but Nichols, McRoberts, and Devendorf are pretty good, and Paul Harris probably should have been a McDonald's All-American.

 

The polls are really a toss-up after the first few teams because everyone has some holes after that. Even those are a bit up for grabs depending on who goes. Right now I have the upper tier as Texas-LSU-Florida-Kansas-UCLA-UNC-OSU, but obviously a few of those teams can drop as guys declare for the draft. Florida looks like a gimme #1 right now with all the super-sophomores claiming that they are staying.

[JoeBatterz]

I am surpised that Dicky V's Top Ten does not include 43 teams.