Thursday, April 30, 2009

Season in Review: Deon Thompson

I know, I did it out of order. I was supposed to go numerically and I blew it by jumping from Ty Lawson to Wayne Ellington. Maybe it's ironic because Deon Thompson can be overlooked. Deon Thompson is a special player, but you really never knew what you were going to get out of him. Would it be the Thompson who was so dominate at the beginning of the year, or was it the barely-show up Thompson? Now people get down on Thompson a bit, but I don’t like to. He can get down on himself quite a bit and lose confidence, but when he’s on, he’s on. If you think of the game at Duke, he carried us in the first half. If you think about the championship game against MSU, he contributed quite a bit.

Things I didn’t like:
1. Lack on confidence. Obviously that hurts Deon quite a bit, but it also hurts our team. I don’t think we want to run the offense through a player that doesn’t have any confidence, but maybe that’s how you get him over the hump, by running some plays for him. But then again, Coach Williams doesn’t really like to run set plays very often. I don’t know.

2. Free throw shooting. Deon is somewhere in the 50% range, which to me, makes him a liability. We have been spoiled with Hansbrough’s good shooting, but Deon makes up for it. I would like to see him improve into the 60% range.

Things I liked:
1. Knew his role. If you watched Thompson, he plays pretty hard and doesn’t demand the ball. He knew that he was the fifth option on the team. Sure, he forced some shots, but who didn’t on the team? He never tried to do more than the team needed him to do.

2. Expanded range. Thompson has worked on his range a bit and is not hitting the 10-12 foot jumper regularly. If he could get it consistently to 15 feet, that would free things up for Davis next year. His jump shot looks pretty good too.

3. Improvement on defense. With college basketball seemingly getting more perimeter-oriented (in my mind anyway), the power forward position will need to guard more Kyle Singler-like players. Like, Ed Davis, I thought Deon improved quite a bit on perimeter defense. He also proved he can bang with the big boys by guarding Blake Griffin quite a bit.




We have seen what Deon can be like, when he was the man at the beginning of the year. It would be nice if that could transcend into a full season. My feeling is that he will be better scorer and probably get 14 points and 8 boards per game, but we’ll see. It really depends on how good John Henson and Leslie McDonald are. We’ll see.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Season in Review: Wayne Ellington

With the MOP, Wayne Ellington has ultimately lifted any past tournament failures off his back (especially the Georgetown game). Ellington really improved his stock quite a bit. He showed various improvements in his game, and the ones that stuck out to me were the rebounding and ability to put the ball on the floor. The 2nd half of the year was something special from Ellington. He was simply on fire. I can’t remember a player who went on a streak like that. You could tell some of the shots he put up were just heat checks, especially when he was draining 7 3’s. I think the Heel’s record when Ellington hit 50% of his shots was 50-0. That is impressive!

Things I didn’t like:
1. Turnovers. Sometimes Wayne Ellington would have some bad turnover games with no assists. That’s usually not good, but it really never hurt us too much, but I just didn’t like it.

Things I liked:
1. Improvement and contributions. I know I mentioned the improvements already, but Ellington also contributed in various ways. I thought his defense had greatly improved (at least he was able to stay with his man this year), but you could tell he was focused on defense by the way he carried himself, often times slapping his hands together. You could also see the fire in his eyes and often during team huddles he was the one yelling at people. The contributions were there (rebounds, defense, assists), even when the shots weren’t.

2. That shot. It’s such a pretty shot, especially when it goes in. I love the pose after a made basket too.

Ellington made the right decision to return to school. He became a much better overall player, rather than just a shooter. Primarily that was his job, but he did the other things as well. I know I mentioned that I thought he would come back, but he is not. It would have been nice to see the transition of Wayne the shooter to Wayne the scorer, but what can you do. Also, when you think of Ellington remember .4 against Clemson. And the picture above is my all-time favorite of Ellington. Not known for being a big dunker, but this one was huge against Arizona his freshman year.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Comparing 05 to 09

I have finally done my comparing of the last two title teams. This would be an awesome game. I could throw out a whole bunch of numbers and stuff, but I’m not that motivated right now. So here’s what I’m going to do; I’m going to break down the starters and the bench as a whole and say who has the edge based on my opinion.

Center: Sean May vs. Tyler Hansbrough
Sean May really hit his stride his junior year about half-way through. Tyler Hansbrough hit his stride all the time. May had really good hands and was a good shot-blocker as well. He also had a number of low-post moves in which to fall back on. Those are about the only things he has on Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough didn’t have a ton of post moves, but he was ok at putting the ball in the basketball. Also, the ability to draw fouls, make free throws, take charges, and steal the ball all play into his favor. Then throw in the hustle, determination, and the extended range, it’s not much of a contest. May was good, but Hansbrough is much better.
Edge: Hansbrough

Power Forward: Jawad Williams vs. Deon Thompson
Jawad was an undersized power forward, but he played big in my eyes. A few things that were nice about Williams, was the fact that he could shoot the three and open up the post, which Deon cannot do. Deon defends well with his blocks, but he can be such a head case and be streaky. If it was Deon of the first few games of the regular season, Deon would win, but Williams had that senior leadership quality, experience, and know-how.
Edge: Williams

Small Forward: Jackie Manuel vs. Danny Green
We really have opposites in this area. A defensive-minded stopper against an offensive-minded shooter. Manuel was an excellent defender, but defenses could lay off of him because he couldn’t shoot a lick. Green was the stat-stuffer, filling up the box score on a regular basis. He could shoot, pass, rebound, and block. His on ball defense was suspect, but you always had to be aware of him coming on the help-side defense.
Edge: Green

Shooting Guard: Rashad McCants vs. Wayne Ellington
At the beginning of the year, this would have been no contest to McCants. He has the ability to shoot from anywhere. But he could also drive hard, finish hard, and dunk hard. Ellington is a much better all-around player now. His rebounds were up; assists were good; defense was much-improved. I would have liked to see him take it to the hole more and get fouled because he was a good free throw shooter. Because of that, I think McCants was better. McCants was also a decent shot-blocker as well, which Wayne is not.
Edge: McCants – slightly

Point Guard: Raymond Felton vs. Ty Lawson
This would be a great point guard match-up. One for the ages. Felton was the leader of the 05 team. His three pointer against Illinois when the game was tied at 65 was cold blooded. He also had great court vision, and if he had stayed, would probably be close to Ed Cota’s record for assists. Both of these players underwent severe criticism over their play and both handled it very well. Lawson down the stretch was similar to May’s run in 05. No one could stop him. I believe the only things that could stop Lawson this past year was Lawson, Roy Williams, and Lawson’s toe. Lawson 3% and FG% were amazing and though his assist numbers are not as good as Felton’s, he was the man. This match up would be close and Felton never really got to be the man like Lawson did, so he could have been better, but I’m going with Lawson, barely
Edge: Lawson - slightly

Bench
Marvin Williams, David Noel, Quentin Thomas, Melvin Scott, Reyshawn Terry, Wes Miller, and Byron Sanders vs. Ed Davis, Bobby Frasor, Larry Drew II, Tyler Zeller, Will Graves, and Justin Watts. This is close and it’s a little unfair without Marcus Ginyard in there somewhere, but I will give the edge to the 05 bench. Only slightly. Marvin Williams and Ed Davis have been compared, but Williams was more polished on the offensive end, whereas Davis is a much better defender. Drew and Thomas would be even. Noel would have an edge of Frasor in my mind because he was bigger and could go hard to the hole. Frasor’s defense would be key though. Zeller is better than Byron Sanders ever was. Melvin Scott was just a shooter and not much else and I think Will Graves is better than Terry, but Wes Miller was such a little fireball. The 05 team was deeper, hands down, and more experienced, so they get the slight edge. But if Ginyard played this past year and either he or Green came off the bench, I would tip it to the 09 bench.


So there you have it. I would say that the 09 team would beat the 05 team, but it would be a good game. I think the combination of Hansbrough and Lawson would be too much, but it would be intereting to see Manuel crack down on Lawson or Ellington, which could be the key to an 05 victory. I think the 09 team was better defensively and the 05 team was better offensively, just because almost everyone was a threat. Truth of the matter is that this game could happen since a lot of Tar Heels come back for pick-up games in the summer.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Season in Review: Ty Lawson

More like Ty Awesome. Lawson was simply amazing this season. I really never felt like we should lose because we had this guy on the team. After the 2 ACC losses, he carried the team into the Promised Land, filled with shiny wooden and crystal trophies (did you know the Championship trophy costs $19,000? It’s so ugly looking) This year definitely showed me the Ty Lawson that was promised his freshman year. End to end blazing speed, the sweet jump shot. This guy was truly amazing this year.

Things I didn’t like:
1. Missing some games. We could have easily run away with the ACC tournament championship, especially with the dud that Florida State had in the championship. In the long run, it was fine because we on the national championship, which was the ultimate goal. So I will take it.

2. Court vision. If I could find one flaw in his game, it would be these and that’s because I like a passing point guard. Probably on every play, they could run this offense: Lawson dribble until a lane opens up and either make the lay up or dump it down to a big man for a wide open lay up. Ty Lawson is good passer, but I think he could have been better. Yes, I am nitpicking a bit.

3. Free throw shooting. Yes, he was around 80%, but he could have totally been dominate in the tournament if he hit most of his free throws.

Things I liked:
1. Umm…everything? The shot was there all year and it looked so good. The turnovers were so few, which was awesome. The defense was there for the most part. I think Ty Lawson was amazing this year and I truly did like every part of his game.

2. The DUI. I truly think this basically gave us the championship. I don’t think Lawson would have been back otherwise. Thank you for having a lapse in judgment Ty Lawson. Also, thank you Chapel Hill Police Department for catching him. It’s true, if Lawson wasn’t there, Hansbrough, Ellington, and everyone else would have played differently, but it’s a lot more comforting to know he was there.

Ty Lawson had a great year. Maybe his stats don’t blow you away, but to the true fan, he was the man.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Season in Review: Will Graves

Where to start with young William? First, I’m going to say this about Will Graves. I have seen in chat sites where everyone bashes him and on and on. But in response to that, I believe that Will Graves is better than Reyshawn Terry was at his sophomore season. Yes, true, Graves did redshirt, so he’s technically a junior, but actually playing the college game he was a sophomore. If you compare stats of Terry’s and Graves’s sophomore seasons, you will find out that Graves has averaged more minutes (arguably on a more talented team) and points. Here’s the comparison:

Graves: 11.2 Mins, 4.0 points, 2.6 boards, .8 assists, 1.2 TO’s, 44% FG, 89% FT, 28% 3FG
Terry: 4.5 Mins, 2.3 points, .7 boards, .2 assists, .5 TO’s, 54% FG, 69% FT, 60% 3FG

So other than a bad three-point percentage, I would give Graves the edge over Terry. But that being said, Terry played his junior year and Graves may not. Remember what Roy Williams said when Graves was suspended:

“He will remain a part of our program and participate in practice and all other team activities. His status for 2009-2010 will be determined prior to next season.”


So we may not see Graves next year, but I highly doubt that. Coach Williams is a firm believer in character and though Graves obviously did something to merit a suspension, I’m sure he learned from this and won’t do it again. As to what he did exactly, I’m not going to speculate. I think Graves will be a key contributor next year.


Things I didn’t like:
1. Obviously, the suspension hurt our depth at wing and guard. It would also have been nice for him to get some more experience, in light of the departures of upperclassman. When he was suspended though, he said he wanted to do everything he could to help his teammates and I think he did.

2. The 3 point percentage. He was 10 of 36 in 20 games, but when he came to UNC, he was known as a shooter and it just wasn’t there this year. I do believe he will improve and understand that this was the first year with the extended 3 point line.
Things I liked:
1. Contributing. With the loss of Marcus Ginyard, the minutes were there for the taking and in the beginning of the season, Graves took advantage of it. He had several good contributions and did end up playing some big minutes against Wake Forest (the only challenge game that he played in). I would look at him mostly as a scorer right now, but he does a good job rebounding and I think his defense is pretty good.

2. Defense. With playing 11 minutes per game, Graves sometimes played in garbage time, but in the two losses, he played in, he played 14 against BC and 12 against Wake. I know the Wake game was close (even though Wake was dominated), but he wasn’t on the court for just offense; he played solid defense and I think since last year, his defense has improved the most.


I think Graves will be a big help next year, and the year after that and I think he could qualify for the David Noel or Reyshawn Terry-type player by the time he is done at UNC. Don’t get down on him too much; he has greatly improved since his arrival and I am excited to watch his progression.
Update: With the thought that Will Graves might not play next year, I am 95% convinced he will now based on what Roy has said in the press conference that Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson had:
"You're talking about two of the greatest kids I've ever coached, as basketball players and as people. So I'm going to miss them immensely off the court and definitely on the court. It'll be a huge challenge for other people, they've got to step up. Larry Drew's got to step up, Will Graves, Justin Watts, Marcus, all of those guys have to step up. We're probably thinner on the perimeter than any team I've ever had in terms of people who have done it. "
So I take it Will Graves will be playing next year.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Season in Review: Tyler Zeller

I feel it is almost unfair to judge Tyler Zeller this year. I like to call him the “Big Z” (apologizes to Zydrunas) and he did start out the year big, then Kentucky fouled him (no, I don’t think it was a dirty foul). Honestly, when it happened, I knew it was broken and figured he was done for the year. That’s also what the reports said too. But he came back.

Things I didn’t like:
1. Again, take these with a grain of salt because Zeller was never at 100% after the injury, but in the first 2 games, he had 2 blocks. After he came back, he had 1 block. Not cool. I remember his first game back against NC State, he looked so slow on the defensive end. So hopefully he defense will improve.

2. Rebounding. Zeller’s high for one game was 8 against Radford. Other than that, his high was 3 on many occasions. The game against Radford was his most minutes of the season after injury, but even against Penn and Kentucky, he only had a total of 3. Rebounding needs to improve, especially with the absence of Hansbrough next year.

Things I like:
1. Offensive game. He certainly has it and we saw it throughout the course of the year. Lay-ups, dunks, jump hooks, jump shots, and free throws. The thing that impresses me is the free throws. He shot 8 of 10 against Penn and for the season was 13 of 17. Not a lot, but I don’t think the Penn game was a fluke.

2. Selflessness. I would have been easy for Zeller to take a redshirt. But he wanted to help the team. That is what he said his first game back. To help the team reach their goal of a National Championship. Well, mission accomplished.


I think the future is bright for Big Z. He has a good offensive game and I think his defensive game will improve in time. I picture him as a 4 year guy, so I think he can get used to him being around. He should prove to be a good 6th man next year as well. I believe when he came in, he had the ability to shoot the 3 ball, so hopefully we can see that next year as that will open up Ed Davis in the middle for dunk city.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Season in Review: Ed Davis


Ed Davis is the man. Not only is he coming back, but he’s going to be awesome. Unfortunately, he is probably not a 4 year guy, which is a shame because he could easily break the shot blocking and possibly the rebounding record. But you never know what could happen.

Some people were worried when Alex Stepheson left last year because of family problems (wonder if he regrets transferring now), but I can’t say I was. We had Zeller and Davis coming in and 2 are better than 1, most of the time. Well, Davis easily did was Stepheson did and them some. If you remember Stepheson, he had good size – 6’9” and 250ish (I’m guessing a bit, but he was solid) – but he was not really an offensive threat. He was a good rebounder and ok shot blocker and he could have made a contribution, but Ed Davis was so much better.

Things I don’t like:
1. Free throw percentage. To his credit, he did improve, but he was down around 50% for awhile, so he didn’t have to work hard to go up. If he could get this up into the low 70’s, I would be very pleased.

2. Shot selection. Sometimes he forced shots, but his left hand jump hook is pretty sweet.

3. Tendency to foul. This seemed to be a problem late in the year, specifically the tournament. I remember in the Oklahoma game and championship game, he had 4 each. Some were dumb fouls, some were legit. I hope he can cut out the dumb fouls and give effective minutes next year.

Things I like:
1. Length. He has long arms and crazy hops. He blocked and altered lots of shots this year. It’s nice to have him back on defense because you know he causes guards to think twice about driving. He had some monster blocks this past year and he is really the first legitimate shot blocker in my watching era. Brandon Wright was ok too, but he didn’t have as many huge blocks, I think anyway.

2. Rebounding. He has excellent hands and the ball just seems to fit when he goes up. His rebounds per 40 minutes were probably out of this world!

3. Improvement on defense. Davis is not a big guy muscle wise, but I think he did a great job of being able to body up bigger guys like Blake Griffin. I also thought his perimeter defense improved quite a bit as the season progressed.

I think everyone knows Ed Davis is going to be a force next year. If he started this year, I think he would have gotten ACC Rookie of the Year, but it was nice that he came off the bench to help us out because our bench had good depth, but not good scoring. I wish he was going to stay around for 4 years, but I think Roy did a good job of keeping him a secret for this long.