Monday, May 31, 2010

And The Winner Is...

The Draft Combine passed us by and the measurements are "In". Who's bigger, stronger, and faster? Who's the best athlete? The measurements always seem to make a huge difference in providing that certain change of perception. Last year, we all remember that Tyler Hansbrough measured a solid 6'9", and he jumped a handful of spots on draft day because his measurables were better than what people thought. His grit, tenacity, and production ultimately took him the rest of the way to a higher draft-day landing spot with Indiana.

The big winner of the Draft Day Combine measurements was Luke Babbitt from Nevada. Babbitt measured in at a legit 6'9" in shoes, jumped a 37 inch vertical and ran the sprints and slide drills with quickness. Babbitt also shot efficiently in the shooting drills. Now... this shouldn't be a huge surpise to people since Babbitt averaged 22 ppg, 9 rpg and shot 50% from the floor and 42% from 3pt last season for the Wolfpack (My only concern: Why didn't they win more games at Nevada?). Babbitt showed that he's more than just a solid prospect... He could definitely be a consideration at #9.

In height and wingspan, Greg Monroe, Ekpe Udoh and Ed Davis all measured with great length... (the lacking "buzzword" characteristic for our current bigmen). Monroe could even play a legit center at his height of 6'11". Hassan Whiteside was ridiculous. He had a 7'7" wingspan. Cole Aldrich measured shorter than advertised, even though he showed solid wingspan and good athletic prowess in other areas.

A lot of solid potential choices ought to be available to the Jazz at #9.

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