Goodbye College Basketball

Another season of college basketball is behind us and it was, as usual, exciting. Florida won for the 2nd year in a row (no surprise) and Greg Oden proved he will be a great player for a long time and likely will make some NBA team a contender in a very short time. Don't believe the hype. He won't stay in school and I'd be shocked if Durant doesn't join him in the 2007 NBA draft. Neither of these guys has anything to prove at the college level, and rather than risk injury, they will ply their trade for pay in 2007/2008. There will be a slew of underclassmen who will join this group and this years's draft will be one of the deepest of all time. Some mock drafts have Glen Davis going late in the 2nd round, which gives you and idea as to how strong the talent is.

The Raptors, coming off their best season in years need help in the rebounding department, and Davis would be a perfect fit. He could be the modern day Charles Barkley, both on and off the court. For all the hype, I'm not convinced Joakim Noah will be anything but an average pro and I don't think Josh McRoberts will reach that level. Noah is a good leader, but I am hard pressed to see what skill level he brings at an NBA level, although he appears to be a good passer and runs the floor well for a big man. He is not strong enough to play the 4 or 5 and doesn't have the offensive repertoire to play the 3. Perhaps there is more development to his game to come, but I would stay away from him if I had a lottery pick.

I love Oden, Conley, Durant, Horford and Brewer and think all 5 will be solid, if not great, NBA players. Conversely, I'm not excited about Aflalo, McRoberts, Noah, Jeff Green or Aaron Gray. I can't comment on the Euros because I haven't seen them play except on tape.

So good bye to the college game and looking forward to next year already.