As you read my contribution to this blog, you will notice certain biases. I love the Bears, I love the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks, and I have an annoying habit of thinking that anyone wants to read about soccer. But nowhere will you see my bias in a more partisan manner than when it comes to my beloved alma mater, the University of Illinois. It is with that in mind that I unveil what I hope will become a recurring column wherein I address the state of the Illini. Without further adieu, welcome to Murphy's Pub.We know that Demetri McCamey is really, really good to the point that I had a conversation recently with some friends as to where McCamey fits historically amongst Illini point guards (a topic that I hope to address in greater detail in a few weeks). He is shooting 53% from 3 and averaging better than 14 points and 7.7 assists per game. Suffice it to say, watching Demetri McCamey is a lot of fun.
We know that Brandon Paul is the streakiest shooter in recent Illinois history. When things are going well for Paul, as they were in the first half against Gonzaga, there is no such thing as a bad shot. He has a quick enough release and a good enough first step to the point that he can get that step back 20 footer anytime he wants. But when things are going poorly, the only good shot for Paul is a dunk. For those of you who do not watch Illinois, I cannot over emphasize (1) how many tough shots Brandon Paul makes or (2) how high a percentage of bad shots he takes. When Brandon Paul learns shot selection, he is going to be very, very good.
We know that the Illini frontcourt is the weak spot on this team. Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis are not strong enough to control the glass. Their length causes a lot of problems, and they block a lot of shots, but as Tristan Thompson from Texas (who is really, really good) and John Henson from UNC proved, oppossing post players can establish position deep against the Illini frontcourt. Making a bad situation worse is the fact that there is really no depth in the Illini frontcourt. Myers Leonard is going to be a very, very good player for Illinois. But right now, he is a lot like Luther Head was his Freshman year in that his best skill is "dunking ability." Tyler Griffey is an excellent shooter, and works very hard, but he is poor defensively.
So what do I actually know about the Illini? I know that the Illini are clearly one of the 4 or 5 teams in the Big 10 with the talent to win the league. I know (knock on wood) that the only white knuckles on Selection Sunday this year should be in relation to seed and matchup in the NCAA Tournament. And after the last few years, I know that will be a welcome change.
I've seen a big change in McCamey from the last few years. He does always run a high assist rate, but until this year I could not help but see too much Ben Gordon in him. Thinking about it, that's probably not the worst comparison for a college player. Let's just say I hate Ben Gordon as an NBA player. Anybody shooting 53% 3pt and averaging nearly 8 assists loses his spot as a "chucker" in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe it's called dunkability
ReplyDeleteGood point Nathan. I think we need to see how D Mac fares in the Big Ten before we go putting him in the top 3 in the 2011 NBA Draft (ala Ben Gordon)...but I also feel he is a much more mature and better overall player this season. There are definitely times where he tries to do too much- where he throws the highlight pass instead of the simple one that will lead to a sure bucket. That type of edgy creativity and court vision usually is more of a positive than a negative, however, and has led to the Deron Williams comparisons from many an ESPN play by play guy.
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything useful to add. I will say that I went to NIU v. DePaul last week and Xavier Silas dropped 35 plus in a close loss for the Huskies. Love the blog Dickey - I think you've found your calling.
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