Basketball...and our Nets pick...tonight. Champions Classic.

Want to see some really good basketball tonight.  No, there is no Celtics game.

Kentucky and Duke in the Champions Classic Tournament.

Not only what should be a very good matchup, but two of the early season favorites to go within the top 5 picks of the 2016 NBA draft; Kentucky's Skal Labissiere and Duke's Brandon Ingram.  If you've been looking for that dominating young center who could quickly turn us into a serious contender, Labissiere is it.  He was NBA ready when he graduated from high school in June.  Looking for someone with the potential to fill the SF spot and add offense as capably as Pierce did?  Look no further than Duke's Brandon Ingram.

Game time is 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.

Here are a few game info links to get you up to speed;

http://espn.go.com/ncb/preview?gameId=400809203

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14151757/daily-word-champions-classic-breakdown

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14148047/how-duke-coach-mike-krzyzewski-beating-kentucky-john-calipari-own-game

While you're watching Mike Krzyzewski and John Calipari coach the latest group of mostly 19-year old one-and-doners, don't forget that somewhere in Brooklyn, The Nets are going to be working on losing to The Hawks.  Of course, every Nets loss gets us a step closer to acquiring one of these phenoms.

bob



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Watched these videos. Quite frankly, based upon these videos, I'm not in love with either of them. Top 3 picks? Weak draft.

Labissiere is a toothpick. I saw him hip check a guy out from under the basket to get an offensive rebound. At 215# that is NOT happening in the NBA. His 'weaknesses' video says he doesn't have a great feel for the game. Kiss of Death, for me, because at the NBA level a lot of it is feel and instinct. The game is too fast for thinking.

Simmons looks more NBA-ready, 6'10" 230#, but isn't a great perimeter shooter. He is, however, an excellent perimeter defender, so that's good, and he runs like a freaking gazelle in transition. One second he's running at a nice clip and then he just hits the afterburners and flies down the court for the finish.


bob

It's tough to go by the videos, which are done when they're high school kids. At this point, darn near every elite player has excelled based on athletic and physical gifts and has neglected some fundamental aspect of the game. When it comes time to make a draft pick, what will be critical is seeing how much improvement these players have made in their year in college.

Labissiere does not look like a center, even if you add 30 pounds, except (and it's a big except) in a small-ball, pace-and-space lineup. He'd need a defensive-minded, rebounding-minded power forward. He'd also likely take a while to develop. Unless he seriously bulks up, he'd get abused under the rim by NBA players. I just don't think he's the answer to the center question.

But I think I like his upside better than Simmons (again, based on these videos). He shows a better shooting stroke, better defensive instincts, and most importantly, better willingness to defend. Simmons really turned me off with his defensive attitude.

Again, all that can change once they are challenged and coached in college. We'll see where they end up.

Yeah, the videos don't do much to keep up with rapidly growing bodies and skills, they're pretty outdated.

Most current scouting on Labissiere says he actually has almost no weakness at the NCAA level and little that would hold him back in the NBA.  You have to watch him live to see that; great opportunity tonight.  

My own guess from what I've seen is he goes top two in the draft and starts at center from day 1 in the NBA a la Towns and Okafor.  Labssiere is built.  Pure muscle on that frame; he'll do some damage to slower, older, heavier NBA centers whose body mass doesn't come from as high a percentage of muscle.

I wouldn't put much stock in a video of any college freshman's game, when it isn't current with their development.  Watch the game.

Would love to get Simmons - feel like he could be a transformational type of player. Don't know enough about the other guy, but he seems a little weak at this point, and "a bad feel for the game" would seem to put a serious limit on his ceiling.

It just might be a little early to focus on a players weight when evaluating a players future. I'll wait until draft night to see how he's regarded by the general managers of the league. Labissiere at 19 and Ingram at 18 will probably be evaluated on the weight issue as a projection down the road 3 or 4 years from now. What they weigh at age 22 will probably be of greater significance.

swish

Watched the game, or most of it, after almost missing it. NYCelt said the game was at 7:30, but being a dunderhead, I forgot to translate from Eastern time to Pacific Time. I happened to wander in at 4:30 PT intending to set up the DVR to record it later, and lo and behold, there's the national anthem. Oh yeah, time zones.

Both Labissiere and Ingram were underwhelming, but it's just one game. We'll see how the season goes. Lee of Kentucky and Jefferson of Duke looked pretty good.

I'll stick by one thing though -- no way is Labissiere ready to mix it up with NBA post players. Marshall Plumlee bumped him out like he was a piece of paper. If he ran into Andre Drummond, he'd look like this: