I didn’t expect Watts to do much of anything this year and for some of the season, he didn’t, but at times, especially early on in the season. He didn’t blow you away with his numbers, but he was able to step in when some of the guards were injured and play to the best of his abilities and that’s all we can ask. There have been some transfer rumors around Watts at times, and I like him enough to keep him on the bench as an option.
What I didn’t like:
1. Skill. Although I like Watts, I wish he could be better than what he is. But in his defense, he did well in his limited minutes. Shooting percentages are pretty good, but also a little skewed because he almost always played in garbage time.
What I liked:
1. Effort. He tries hard and that’s all we can ask. I don’t expect him to go out and score 12 points per game. He does his best to do what the team needs - an excellent example of a team player.
Watts, again is a good option to have. I think he could get better, but he does what he does and that’s what we ask him to do.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Season in Review: Larry Drew II
Oh Drew 2. Larry Drew did ok by me this year. He did what he had to do and he did it in the face of adversity quite a few times. As the most scrutinized position in basketball and at UNC, Drew held his own against the naysayers time and time again. It looked like it took him most of the season, but towards the end of the year, he asserted himself as a strong point guard. No, he is not Ty Lawson, but he was needed to run the team and he did a decent job of it. Sure, he needs to improve, but he was the quarterback of a young, weak offensive team. Next year, surrounding him with more talent will only improve his ability.
What I didn’t like:
1. Assertiveness. He didn’t always have the urgency, the mojo, the swagger. He seemed a little to laid back to run the point. He did get better, but teams can often read the point guards language and if the point guard isn’t able to focus or get his team focused, you end up with a record like UNC had this year.
2. Shot selection. Sometimes, he just tried to pull one out or win it all in one shot. He didn’t shoot a lot, but sometimes, he was way off the mark.
What I liked:
1. Holding his head up. Who didn’t crucify Drew at some point this year? I know I did by saying that Kendall Marshall would probably be starting next year. Drew was dissected at the point guard spot and though he knew people didn’t think he was doing a good job, he listened to his coach and kept playing and towards the end of the season, people seemed to change their mind a bit.
2. Improvement. What I wanted Drew to improve on last year – his shooting percentage and his assist to turnover ratio – both improved, especially the shooting percentage. His regular field goals need to improve still as he only shot 40%, but his 3 point percentage was respectable, which it needed to be in order for defenses to not load the paint with defenders. Although his assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t awesome, it did improve throughout the year.
Drew II has committed to North Carolina, amidst transfer rumors and fans being upset at him. I am also committed to Larry Drew. He isn’t the worst PG in UNC history (insert Adam Boone), but he is who he is – a pass first, verily dependable option.
What I didn’t like:
1. Assertiveness. He didn’t always have the urgency, the mojo, the swagger. He seemed a little to laid back to run the point. He did get better, but teams can often read the point guards language and if the point guard isn’t able to focus or get his team focused, you end up with a record like UNC had this year.
2. Shot selection. Sometimes, he just tried to pull one out or win it all in one shot. He didn’t shoot a lot, but sometimes, he was way off the mark.
What I liked:
1. Holding his head up. Who didn’t crucify Drew at some point this year? I know I did by saying that Kendall Marshall would probably be starting next year. Drew was dissected at the point guard spot and though he knew people didn’t think he was doing a good job, he listened to his coach and kept playing and towards the end of the season, people seemed to change their mind a bit.
2. Improvement. What I wanted Drew to improve on last year – his shooting percentage and his assist to turnover ratio – both improved, especially the shooting percentage. His regular field goals need to improve still as he only shot 40%, but his 3 point percentage was respectable, which it needed to be in order for defenses to not load the paint with defenders. Although his assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t awesome, it did improve throughout the year.
Drew II has committed to North Carolina, amidst transfer rumors and fans being upset at him. I am also committed to Larry Drew. He isn’t the worst PG in UNC history (insert Adam Boone), but he is who he is – a pass first, verily dependable option.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wear Twins are Out
So, David and Travis Wear decided they didn’t want to be Tar Heels anymore. Looking at the big picture for their two roles, I can’t say that they were going to be more than role players anyway, but they could have done some shocking. I feel the ceiling had already peaked with them and they weren’t going to get much better, but they did surprise me with how much playing time they actually received throughout the year.
They are heading back west, which I’m sure is hard on twins being away from their family, but where they go doesn’t really matter to me because now we have no frontcourt depth. We’re looking at Tyler Zeller and John Henson as the bigs and Will Graves playing the 4 occasionally. With Harrison Barnes coming in, I feel he could play the 4 occasionally, but the need for another big man is very pressing right now.
Coach Williams has been on the recruiting trail a bit, trying to find some unsigned big man, who can fit the system. The hard part is though you don’t want to just throw a scholarship to a player who has the ability of Byron Sanders. North Carolina actually had a player named Justin Knox visit recently and according to Knox’s uncle, was offered a scholarship by UNC. This is a potentially good situation we could be in if Knox does sign because he only had one year of eligibility left. He played 3 years for Alabama and finished his degree in 3, so he can transfer and still play in the 2010-2011 season because of being a graduate transfer. If he does sign, you don’t lose a potential scholarship player in the future because he’s only a one year rental. It looks like a win-win for everybody. Knox is also visiting Georgia Tech.
Knox isn’t going to wow anyone, but he does seem to fit the system and could really be a big help because we have no frontcourt depth and can’t afford a timely Tyler Zeller injury again. Knox was interested in going to another SEC school, but Alabama said no way, Jose’. We’ll see how this situation plays out.
They are heading back west, which I’m sure is hard on twins being away from their family, but where they go doesn’t really matter to me because now we have no frontcourt depth. We’re looking at Tyler Zeller and John Henson as the bigs and Will Graves playing the 4 occasionally. With Harrison Barnes coming in, I feel he could play the 4 occasionally, but the need for another big man is very pressing right now.
Coach Williams has been on the recruiting trail a bit, trying to find some unsigned big man, who can fit the system. The hard part is though you don’t want to just throw a scholarship to a player who has the ability of Byron Sanders. North Carolina actually had a player named Justin Knox visit recently and according to Knox’s uncle, was offered a scholarship by UNC. This is a potentially good situation we could be in if Knox does sign because he only had one year of eligibility left. He played 3 years for Alabama and finished his degree in 3, so he can transfer and still play in the 2010-2011 season because of being a graduate transfer. If he does sign, you don’t lose a potential scholarship player in the future because he’s only a one year rental. It looks like a win-win for everybody. Knox is also visiting Georgia Tech.
Knox isn’t going to wow anyone, but he does seem to fit the system and could really be a big help because we have no frontcourt depth and can’t afford a timely Tyler Zeller injury again. Knox was interested in going to another SEC school, but Alabama said no way, Jose’. We’ll see how this situation plays out.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Season in Review: John Henson
I like John Henson. He seems to be a special talent and although he wasn’t as awesome as I thought he was going to be, he did come around late in the season. Part of that was because of injuries, part of it was moving to a more comfortable position on the court. He’s just so lanky. Imagine what he will do when he puts some muscle on his body.
What I didn’t like:
1. Lack of muscle. This hurt quite a bit during the season for two obvious reasons. Henson was unable to guard big post players because they would simply out muscle him. Henson tried hard, but he just didn’t have it. Another reason is that if he puts on some muscle, he might be able to finish plays a bit more. Most opponents could foul him and Henson wouldn’t be able to put the ball in the hoop a-la Tyler Hansbrough. Hopefully he can add some weight this summer. Work him with Jonas!
2. Overhyping. Similar to how the Heels were overhyped, John Henson, as much as I like him, was overhyped. People were talking about how he was the next Kevin Durant. Not so much. Henson has the potential to be a really special player with his unique size and skill set, but he still was some work to do.
What I liked:
1. Shotblocking. Henson is a nice guy to have as your help defender. He is a truly talent shot blocker and decent rebounder too. I think Henson will make up for the departure of Ed Davis pretty well because he can just come out of nowhere and block shots.
2. Ability. Henson is a freak of basketball art. One thing I like about him is his ability to put the ball on the floor a little bit. We saw him stretch the floor a few times in the NIT and it generally led to a baseline dunk. It would be nice if he could add an outside shot to his offensive arsenal in order to take pressure of the other interior players.
Hopefully this next season, Henson will become what Ed Davis was supposed to be for us this year – a real force. He needs to work on his shooting, but I judging from some of his twitter comments, I believe he’s a real worker and will continue to hone in on his game.
What I didn’t like:
1. Lack of muscle. This hurt quite a bit during the season for two obvious reasons. Henson was unable to guard big post players because they would simply out muscle him. Henson tried hard, but he just didn’t have it. Another reason is that if he puts on some muscle, he might be able to finish plays a bit more. Most opponents could foul him and Henson wouldn’t be able to put the ball in the hoop a-la Tyler Hansbrough. Hopefully he can add some weight this summer. Work him with Jonas!
2. Overhyping. Similar to how the Heels were overhyped, John Henson, as much as I like him, was overhyped. People were talking about how he was the next Kevin Durant. Not so much. Henson has the potential to be a really special player with his unique size and skill set, but he still was some work to do.
What I liked:
1. Shotblocking. Henson is a nice guy to have as your help defender. He is a truly talent shot blocker and decent rebounder too. I think Henson will make up for the departure of Ed Davis pretty well because he can just come out of nowhere and block shots.
2. Ability. Henson is a freak of basketball art. One thing I like about him is his ability to put the ball on the floor a little bit. We saw him stretch the floor a few times in the NIT and it generally led to a baseline dunk. It would be nice if he could add an outside shot to his offensive arsenal in order to take pressure of the other interior players.
Hopefully this next season, Henson will become what Ed Davis was supposed to be for us this year – a real force. He needs to work on his shooting, but I judging from some of his twitter comments, I believe he’s a real worker and will continue to hone in on his game.
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