Spurs/Cavs NBA Preseason Date Set For Pittsburgh

DeJuan Blair and the San Antonio Spurs will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, October 14th.  The game will take place at the Pete for the second straight year.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at the end of August, but if you're on Pitt basketball's mailing list, they have a special offer where you can get tickets now.  Sometimes the stars sit out of these games, but short of a broken leg, I expect Blair will play much of the game.

DeJuan Blair And The NBA Return To Pittsburgh

Former Pitt standout DeJuan Blair will return to The Pete when the San Antonio Spurs take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA preseason game. I'm not sure, but I think I've heard something about the guy pictured not being there for some reason. I've gone to these games several times.  They usually are missing some stars due to guys taking it easy, but are always fairly entertaining.  Good seats can also be had if you get in early enough and it's a good chance to see the NBA up close.

The date/time has not yet been announced, but should be known next month.  The game will take place in October during the NBA's preseason.

And speaking of Blair, Ray Mernagh of NBE has discovered a disturbing music video featuring the former Panther. Not disturbing because it's rap or it's a tribute to deceased friends, but disturbing because he is singing with that stupid electronic voice sounding thing, which is a new trend in music.  Not bad DB, but don't quit your day job.

Best Defensive Center

So I stumbled upon this Jamie Dixon Q&A from Scout.  There's the typical stuff in there - his thoughts on Pitt's upcoming trip to Ireland, practices, and the new version of the NCAA Tournament.  But buried near the bottom was this nugget, when asked how Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor were progressing:

“Gary, is easily the best center we’ve ever had, defensively. That’s half the game right there. That can’t be underestimated..."

Go ahead, let's hear it.  Let it all out.  Done laughing yet?  Well the fact is when you go through Pitt's roster of centers since Dixon or even Howland has been there, who was really a better defender?  I'm not the biggest McGhee supporter in the world and I think all this talk about him dominating the summer league has elevated him to a stauts that, frankly, I don't think he belongs in.  He's a fine center who has without question gotten better, but no superstar.

That said.

If you can get past the bobbles with the ball, the somewhat awkward-looking footwork, and the occasional misses from close-range, you'll find a competent and very sound defensive center.  And his ability to defend without fouling is amazing.  Consider this - he didn't foul out of a single game last year and reached four fouls only twice.  He averaged just over two fouls per game, but was physical enough to average almost two blocks a game.  How many starting centers can say that?  Plus, no other center in the Howland/Dixon era topped his 1.7 blocks per game that he achieved last season.

Here's the lineup of true starting centers in the Howland/Dixon era:

DeJuan Blair - Clearly the best of the past decade and a pretty good defender.  His rebounding ability was unbelievable, but as far as being a face up defender, I give McGhee the edge over him.  Blair's phsyical play sometimes led to foul trouble, which forced him to the bench. His shorter frame also allowed taller players to shoot over him.

Aaron Gray - I don't know if there's any other adjective to more adequately describe him than 'good.'  He was a solid Big East center, and improved greatly over his time.  But I think McGhee is a little quicker on his feet and better defensively than Gray was.

Toree Morris and Ontario Lett aren't even in the discussion.

Gary McGhee may not be Pitt's best center and may not play in the NBA as Blair and Gray currently are.  He also hasn't shown the ability to score or rebound as well as either yet.  But as a man-to-man defender, while at Pitt, he may be the best the school has seen in the past decade.

Clearing Basketball Links

We all know the expectations placed on the Pitt basketball team for next season. Gil Brown thinks that the attention Pitt received last year will help the team to deal with some of those expectations this season:

“All the exposure and media attention, it really helped us get a feel (for) what it’s going to be when this season starts,” said swingman Gilbert Brown. “If they expect you to win, you have to exceed expectations. If they expect you to lose, you have to prove that you’re worthy.

“The expectation to win is (like) what we’ve had when we were No. 1 in the country.”

Before the season kicks off, however, Pitt has that much-discussed trip to Ireland first.  The freshman have been preparing by jumping right into things with summer practices, not backing down from the veterans:

According to some of the team's veterans, Wright and Moore didn't take long to get acclimated to the environment of Pitt's practices.

"From the first day, you could see that both freshmen were pretty physical themselves," senior guard Brad Wanamaker said. "Especially Cameron: he's a very physical two-guard. He's always tough on me."

One such practice, this Friday morning, was open to the media.  Not surprisingly, it was a little bit different than the closed-door sessions:

While Pitt practices are legendary for their intensity, this one was toned down as far as bodies -- and language -- flying.

"It wasn't as physical as we usually practice," senior guard Brad Wanamaker said, "when there's no one around."

Part of the reason the media was allowed in (I'm guessing) was because of Pitt's announced partnership with 93.7 FM The Fan that day.  The station broadcasted some shows directly from the facility and the hosts commented about the practice as it occurred.

Finally onto the pro ranks, DeJuan Blair will apparently get more time at power forward this season (video) for the Spurs.

Baskeball Notes 7/13

The Panthers are excited and gearing up for their trip to Ireland.  J.J. Richardson sees big things for Pitt and credits the Summer League and this trip as reasons for his optimism:

 “Not many teams get the chance to have an organized practice during the summertime,” he said. “This is helping us get closer. Last year, we were all still getting used to each other because we were young. This year, with us in the summer league and going over to Ireland, we’re going to be real good.”

I think he's got a point.  Not only does the Greentree Summer League allow them to practice with some teammates, they're also going against other D-1 players.  Now, with the opportunity to go overseas and play others will give them some good game experience. 

Speaking of that Summer League, Ashton Gibbs led the way during Monday's games with 30 points / 7 rebounds / 6 assists.  Dante Taylor continued his strong play going for 19/13 and J.J. Moore keeps scoring (22).  Taylor's consistency has been pretty good.  He's got to be close to a 20/10 average during these games.  As of my last analysis in the beginning of July, he was at 15.5 and 8.5.

A few more quick hitters:

The NCAA Tournament format including the four newly added teams has been released.

Chris Dokish has a little more on New Zealand recruit Steven Adams.

And Chas over at Pitt Blather has some stuff on DeJuan Blair.

Big East Impact On The NBA Draft

While Pitt didn't have any draftees in the 2010 NBA Draft, there was plenty of news regarding Big East prospects:

Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks of West Virginia slipped into the 2nd round.  Butler was a senior and his injury undoubtedly hurt him.  However, Ebanks was a sophomore and his relatively modest 2009-10 numbers (12 points / 8 rebounds per game) likely helped contribute to his slide.  He could have opted to come back and work on his game and this decision could hurt him as he fell out of first-round guaranteed money.

Another player who might have been better served by waiting an extra year was Cincinnati freshman Lance Stephenson, who also fell to the second round being drafted by the Indiana Pacers at 40th overall.  After the draft, Lance had all the right things to say:

"It is great to have Indiana pick me up," said Stephenson, who worked out for 10 teams including Indiana. "I think I fit in great. Danny Granger is a great player and they got players that are good so I am going to try and fit in and try to be a team player."

Stephenson was also fairly confident in his abilities after working out with the Knicks, who passed him over with consecutive picks at #38 and #39, opting for a pair of seniors (one of which was Syracuse guard Andy Rautins) instead:

"It would be better for the Knicks in a lot of ways," Stephenson said. "I would draw a lot more people to the games."

I'm not going to go as far as say that these were major gaffes after DeJuan Blair and Sam Young both proved productive players can come out of the second round.  But you better be sure you can stick as a second round player.  DeJuan Blair simply outworks everyone else, but neither Ebanks or Stephenson appear to have that trait.  Neither was dominant in college and it's safe to say that one or both might have a hard time sticking.

Next up in the "Step Right Up To Your NBA Future" Challenge is DePaul junior Mac Koshwal.  Koshwal left school early for a chance at the NBA, but even with a legitimate NBA body at 6'10" / 250 pounds and solid Big East stats (16 points/10 rebounds per game), he couldn't even crack the draft and was not selected.

Tricky game this NBA Draft stuff is.  Some players have legitimate reasons for leaving.  As a 22-year old junior, Koshwal was getting up in age and maybe he figured it was now or never.  Still, to me, you've got to be absolutely sure that if you're not selected in the first-round, you can make it as a legitimate second rounder.  This doesn't apply to players who don't figure to be NBA players and simply want to go play overseas or in a pro league for money.  But guys like Koshwal and Stephenson don't fall into that group.  Hopefully they make it and go on to long careers.

Still, the Big East had plenty of representation in the draft.  First-rounders included top ten picks Wes Johnson and Greg Monroe as well as late rounders Dominique Jones and Lazar Haywood.  In addition to Stephenson, Ebanks, Butler, and Rautins, Luke Harangody, Hamady Ndiaye, and Stanley Robinson were all taken in the second round.  11 NBA Draft picks in one season ain't bad.

Recruiting Thoughts

A writer from Scouts, Inc. for ESPN.com ranks the Big East basketball classes and Pitt is sixth.

Every now and then when I see these stories, it really gets me to thinking. To be honest, I don't know what amazes me more. Pitt's inability to consistently land higher-rated recruits or their ability to get the most out of the ones they do get.

One argument I'm sick of is the one that says Pitt won't get these types of players until they get to a Final Four. Please. Rutgers landed All-American Mike Rosario didn't they? Through Huggy Bear, Kansas State lured Michael Beasley. Marquette is 2nd on this list and even Providence (yes, THAT Providence) managed to land two ESPNU Top 100 players and ranks ahead of Pitt.

Now it's not as if Pitt has gotten chopped liver. Over the past four years, ESPN has ranked them in the top 25 three times. But they've had no top 15 classes and only one McDonald's All-American in the past ten years.

How much do these rankings mean? In reality, not all that much. DeJuan Blair was ranked somewhere around 50th, but was one of the best players in college basketball as a sophomore. Devin Ebanks of West Virginia was rated below Truck Bryant and Kevin Jones, but is the only one leaving early for the NBA. But for Pitt to not be able to land more top ranked players is kind of a head scratcher to me. Look at the factors:

1. They've put together nearly a solid decade of winning basketball with several Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite 8. Not among the best of the best, but certainly in that next tier. Record-wise, Pitt has been one of the nation's best.

2. Pitt has great facilities and plays in a new building.

3. The Oakland Zoo provides one of the best atmospheres in all of college basketball.

4. Pitt regularly plays on national TV.

5. It's also a very solid academic school.

When I see teams that have not even had a sniff of Pitt's recent success recruiting higher ranked players, I've got to admit I just don't get it. And I'm not so sure the argument of Pitt not allowing star players to 'showcase' themselves applies. To the contrary, I think Pitt would be a school a top recruit could look to and see himself leading an already good team to a championship.

Part of it is due to location - I get that. Great players staying close to home. But what this should really tell you how much of a factor relationships can play into recruiting.

All Pitt can really do is keep plugging away and the more they develop a reputation for sending players the NBA, the better things should get. Pitt has sent four players to the NBA in the past five seasons (DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, Aaron Gray, and Chris Taft) and Brandin Knight had a sniff appearing in one game in 2004-05 with the Rockets. If Gil Brown ever gets this consistency thing down, perhaps he'll get a look and you've got to think Dante Taylor can get there.

Pitt has had a lot of success, which is why their lack of top recruits is all the more puzzling.

Miscellaneous Notes

Found a fairly long, but inconsequential interview with Charles Smith by CollegeHoopsNet.com the other day. There's a few good things in here, but like half of it is dedicated to a game-by-game breakdown of international competition. Kind of a slow read. I did find this interesting, however:

JT: In 1987 you said you were "80% sure" that you would turn pro, but you chose to return to school. Why were you going to turn pro, and why did you end up changing your mind?

CS: My academic advisor asked me what I was going to do, and when I told her I was thinking about going pro, she told me to come in and talk to her. We talked about the opportunity to graduate and enjoy my senior year. My major was Communications, and she said it made sense for me to get my degree; she was a deciding factor. It worked out well for me, as I was the 1st one in my family to graduate from college.

Man, I wonder what the chances are now that an academic advisor could talk a kid out of going pro. I'm guessing somewhere in between slim and none.

DeJuan Blair was back in town. And oh, what a difference a year makes:

"My favorite part of my first season was just making it," Blair said. "I didn't think I was going to make it at all. I went through all of that stuff, my name not being called [in the first round]. I had some doubts. I definitely had some doubts."

Last year, those doubts didn't seem to surface - at least in public. I'll admit I was one who thought he would be better served coming back to college and working on a jumpshot I thought he would need against taller players.

In the immortal words of Fred Savage in Wonder Years, wrongo.

Little did I know he would simply outwork everyone on the next level. I've got nothing but praise for him.

And Shady was back in his hometown for the first ever "Shady's Community Day." Far from me to knock a charity event (especially for a worthy cause, which this one is) but if ever something were in need of a name change, this might be it.

Mel Kiper has some sort of top five list for college football juniors (must be an Insider to view) out there. It's a top five list, but not really a top five list. Color me confused. At any rate, he's got several Pitt players in there.

And Brian Bennett at ESPN.com has several updates out there including his Big East rankings for defensive line (Pitt is first) and offensive line (Pitt is 4th). He also gives a video preview of sorts for Pitt in 2010.

Blair Left Out

Seeing the voting results for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award didn't surprise me. Anyone who voted for anyone else other than Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, or Stephen Curry (in any particular order) in their top three is a dope and either:

1. A homer
2. Hasn't watched an NBA game all season
3. Subscribes to the theory that all Shaq does is dunk

Still, I wanted to see if DeJuan Blair could steal maybe a third place vote from said dope. No dice.

Still, Blair had a very impressive rookie season and I could have easily seen him putting up Pitt-like numbers had he been stuck on a bad team like some of the other players.

The thing that jumped out at me is that he played in all 82 games, which is not only pretty impressive for a rookie, but I'm sure is making GMs everywhere kick themselves after the knee injury concerns they all had (despite being very healthy throughout his two-year career at Pitt). He also averaged about 8 / 6 in only 18 minutes per game. As Duncan gets older, his minutes should increase and he really makes the most of his minutes while out there. And if you've seen him this year like I have, then you know he just continues to outhustle people.

His games this year included 27/23, 28/21, 18/11, 11/16, and 20/6 efforts.

He could be a special player.

News and Notes

Paul Zeise of the PG reports that Robb Houser will join Adam Gunn in Green Bay's minicamp in hopes of landing a contract. Houser was a solid center on a line that produced one of the best running games in all of football, so it doesn't surprise me that he'll get his shot.

Brian Bennett of ESPN.com has stories about Greg Romeus working to improve his draft stock and about Ray Graham staying put:

"Leaving never crossed my mind," he said. "I'm a competitor, and I just feel my chance is going to come."

Personally, I think he's probably smart to stay, though I wouldn't fault him for leaving. Even if Dion Lewis doesn't leave after this year, which could be an option, Graham could still have a year as the starter if he doesn't get beaten on the depth chart. Plus, as I mentioned before, he needn't look very far back in Pitt's history to see that the school is capable of sending backup players to the NFL. Nate Byham was selected higher than the more heralded Dorin Dickerson who not only had a great year, but a great workout. And after backing up Shady for about two seasons, Larod Stephens-Howling is not only on the roster, but playing, for the Arizona Cardinals. Graham should get his chance and can still show his abilities even when not starting.

The NBA Playoffs are here and DeJuan Blair is still making an impact. Levance Fields and Tyrell Biggs are putting up decent numbers in their first year of pro ball overseas.

From the Panthers' website, this is a bit old, but Pitt's basketball program ranks among the 20 most valuable in the country:

For the second consecutive year, the Pitt Basketball program was listed among the nation's top-20 most valuable college basketball programs by Forbes Magazine. Pitt was ranked No. 18 and was one of only three Big East schools to be listed among the top-20. Four factors were measured in the magazine's evaluation: value of contributions to the university, net profit generated from the basketball program, estimated value to conference and estimated direct spending by visitors to the county attributable to basketball games.

Fairly interesting stuff. Louisville (3rd) and Syracuse (8th) were the other two Big East teams in the top 20. North Carolina topped the list. The report says Pitt earned a profit of $6.5 million and has a total value of #13.2 million.

And I normally don't comment on women's basketball recruiting, but this one deserves a small mention as Pitt actually ADDED a player rather than losing one.

Finally, there would have been hell to pay if we couldn't get our fried fish sandwiches from the Towers food court back in the day.

No Mo

Potential Pitt recruit Maurice Walker apparently couldn't wait for Pitt anymore and has committed to Minnesota.

As of this interview where's pictured in a Pirates hat only a few days ago, Pitt was one of his three favorites and the only school he had visited.

It hurts a little that Pitt couldn't make room for him, but if incoming recruit J.J. Moore qualifies academically, then Pitt will already need to get rid of a current player. With Walker, that would have increased the casualty list to two. And you've got to believe that teams really don't like essentially taking away a scholarship from someone. It looks bad and gives future non-blue chip recruits reason to worry about being 'asked nicely' to transfer.

It also hurts because he was a top 10-15 center and from reports, had previously shown some fairly strong interest in coming to Pitt. Pitt's 2010 recruits aren't frontcourt players and they could have used a little size. And with Pitt's history of developing some NBA frontcourt players in Aaron Gray and DeJuan Blair, Walker may have been a good fit.

But the incoming class should be good, so it's hard to quibble. Fact is, having too many good prospects and not enough spots is actually a good problem.

Lots of Losses

So with kind of some down time, I got to thinking, there's a lot of talent leaving the Big East basketball scene...I mean, A LOT.

Last year, it was the likes of Sam Young, DeJuan Blair, Hasheem Thabeet, Johnnie Flynn, Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, and DaJuan Summers.

This year it seems like it could be even more. Maybe not the quality of first-rounders as last year, but from top to bottom, you can easily argue that the conference is losing more.

Wes Johnson and Devin Ebanks were the latest to declare. NBADraft.net has both as top 20 picks (Johnson in the top five).

But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

- The site also projects Greg Monroe, Stanley Robinson, and Dominique Jones as first-rounders.

- Then mix in Lance Stephenson, Lazar Haywood, Da'Sean Butler, Herb Pope, and Luke Harangody as projected second round picks.

- Oh wait, don't forget one of the conference's best players in Scottie Reynolds.

- And then there's guys like Sharaud Curry, Andy Rautins, Arinze Onuaku, Deonta Vaughn, Jerome Dyson, and Will Walker who were big time players as well.

Wow.

And that's not even considering other guys who may leave early. Get the point?

All in all, 13 of the top 15 teams in the Big East (sans Pitt) are losing at least one of their top two scorers. Seriously. Seton Hall is losing Pope, who was easily their best rebounder and the other, St. John's, well, doesn't really matter.

Pitt, of course, lost a somewhat key player in Jermaine Dixon. However, they've got plenty coming back, even if you're like me and believe that this team is devoid of a true 'go to' player. But if you go strictly by the casualties other teams have faced, Pitt looks like a frontrunner for the Big East's best team next year.

Debunking Myths

Okay, so I was passively browsing today and stumbled upon this gem by a guy I really like:

There can be no doubt who the most improved player in the Big East Conference is this season. I would go so far as to say Gary McGhee is (my emphasis, not his) the most improved player in the history of the Big East Conference.

If McGhee doesn’t win the award, there should be an investigation. In fact, if he doesn’t win it unanimously there should be an investigation.

Not may be, IS. *Sigh*

Now, I'm a Bob Smizik fan. He takes it on the chin when Pirates fans (yes, I am one) get their panties in a bunch when he criticizes their hopeless franchise and is accused of being pessimistic, well, all the time. But this is, in a word, preposterous. Gary McGhee has gone from being horrendous to serviceable. If you want to call him your Most Improved Player for this year, fine. But to say he should be a lock? Then to take it 8,358 steps further and say he's the Most Improved Player in the history of the Big East?

Look, I'm not going to give you the 101 reasons I'm sure I could find why Bob has this one wrong. I'll merely point to one easy fact: McGhee is in the same boat as Ashton Gibbs to a degree. His numbers have gone up due to a big increase in minutes. Gary McGhee is averaging about 3.6 times more minutes than he had last year (6.7 in 2009 to 24.1 in 2010). This is a type of projection often used in the NBA for a stat called ____ per 48 minutes (the ____ meaning, scoring, rebounding, etc or whatever the researcher is trying to project). It's a simple extrapolation to see how productive someone might be if they played more.

Using that formula, let's see how much he actually 'improved', at least numbers-wise:

His 2009 numbers were 1.2 ppg / 1.5 rpg. Taking the 3.6 times factor above, we see that last year, his numbers should come out to 4.3 ppg / 5.4 rpg. His current numbers? 7.4 ppg / 7 rpg. So he's scoring about three more points per year and grabbing an extra rebound and a half.

Now go to a guy like Brad Wanamaker. He is getting approximately 1.7 times as many minutes as last year (32.7 to 19.0). Taking his numbers, we see only slightly less improvement. With the extra minutes, his output this year should come out to about 9.8 ppg / 5.6 rpg / 3.57 apg. His actual numbers are 12.3 ppg / 6.1 rpg / 4.4 apg.

Look at Ashton Gibbs who is getting about 3.3 times more minutes (35.5 to 10.7). Taking 3.3 to last year's ppg total of 4.3, we come out to 14.2. His actual output is 16.4 - an improvement of about 2.2 ppg of what he should have.

So what we end up with for actual improvement over and above what each player should be getting based solely on the extra minutes they're getting is:

McGhee - 3.1 ppg / 1.6 rpg
Wanamaker - 2.5 ppg / .5 rpg / .83 apg
Gibbs - 2.2 ppg

Looking elsewhere, you CAN say that McGhee's shooting (65% to 52%) has greatly improved. I also believe he's a better player, less awkward, and his defense is better. Based solely on the numbers, you can reasonably say that McGhee is Pitt's most improved player. But I'm not sure I'd call it a slam dunk - let alone a slam dunk for an undisputed conference most improved player OF ALL TIME. Gibbs has had a similar spike, albeit slightly less that McGhee. But doesn't leading your team in scoring count for slightly more? In addition, factor in that Gibbs is playing out of position at the point and that he's had more of a load thrust on him that McGhee. And...well you get the point. In my eyes, it's really about a wash.

And as far as that nonsense about most improved player in the history of the Big East, all you have to do is look to last year to find a similar instance (again, at least numbers-wise). DeJuan Blair had a very minor bump in minutes from his freshman to sophomore year (1.05 times more), but managed to average much larger numbers. Based on the 1.05, his numbers last year should have been 12.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg. His actual numbers were 15.7 ppg and 12.3 rpg. Blair's shooting percentage also increased and he had a much larger responsibility than McGhee. Leaving us with these numbers above the extrapolated figures:

Blair - 3.5 ppg and 2.8 rpg

Those numbers beat McGhee's. And like I said, more weight has to be given to someone who was responsible for playing a lead role on their team (i.e. Gibbs and Blair). Now, I'm not saying it's a given that Blair was a more improved player, just pointing out how easy it is to quickly identify players who made similar strides. Most players improve at least marginally from year to year and to point to one and say something along the lines of 'There - he's the best of all time' is rather foolish.

Aaron Gray also made very similar strides from his sophomore to junior season. And those are just the Pitt guys - not to mention the entire Big East - a conference that, by the way, has been around for over 30 years.

Gary McGhee has made great strides to become a solid player, but in all actuality, likely has not even been the most improved player in Pitt's Big East history.

Checking in with the NBA

With NBA All-Star weekend here (I know...the NBA borders on a dirty word - or in this case, acronym, here in Pittsburgh), thought I'd take a quick look around the league.

We can start with DeJuan Blair getting royally, well, screwed in the Rookie/Sophomore challenge on Friday. The Grizzly Blair went for a monster 22 points and rookie game record 23 rebounds leading the rookies to a rare win over the sophomores. His output was the first 20/20 performance in the game's history. Tyreke Evans ended up winning the MVP award with 26 points, but only a handful of rebounds and assists. Evans did end up making a classy gesture, asking Blair to join him to hold the MVP trophy after the game.

Apparently one of the things that kept him from getting the award was the voting had to wrap up before the game was completed. Blair ended up grabbing six of his rebounds and four points in the last 1 1/2 minutes. Not sure exactly why they had to rush to get the voting in. I know the MVP is announced fairly soon after the game, but they can't wait like five extra minutes? Blair seemed to take it at least a little hard:

“It hurts me, man,” said Blair, shaking his head. “It really does hurt me, but it is what it is.”

Sam Young wasn't selected for the game, but has averaged a respectable 7.5 points in about 16 minutes per game with Memphis. He's scored 15 points six times this year and has gone over 20 in three games. His shooting has been pretty accurate as he's hitting over 47% of his shots.

Looking over to Aaron Gray, I was pretty sure he would get more minutes in New Orleans as he's the backup center now as opposed to being behind several guys in Chicago. But the Hornets seem to be going with smaller lineups as Gray and he's appeared in only three of their ten games since the trade, averaging about five minutes in each.

Putting Dante Taylor Issue To Rest

So as much as I've tried to do this, I just can't. Just when it seems like I'm ready to move on, bombshell quotes like these from his high school coach come out:

"I can tell you for sure he's not a center, by any stretch of the imagination," said Trevor Brown, the coach at National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md. "He was the biggest kid on my team, but if a center was checking him it was a mismatch. He can shoot 3s and his first step is quick enough he can go by people. I was led to believe he'd be playing the four, but they're playing small ball. The things he used to do at National Christian Academy, he's not doing any of that there."

Now this quote might not sound all that bad - he's kind of taking the high road and trying to politely suggest he doesn't agree with the current stance. But how about this?

"The way it's going right now, it would be really hard for me to send a McDonald's All-America up there again," Brown said. "People call me and say, 'Why isn't he playing? Why is he playing the center spot?'

Let me start with the first quote. People may laugh when they see quotes talking about an athletic PF out there, dropping 3s, and quick enough to go around defenders - that's simply not the Taylor we've seen. Heck, I don't even think we've seen glimpses of that kind of player. But that's what a comfort level can do when you play someone completely out of position. Don't forget that this kid won a skills competition - contests usually won by guards. Imagine taking Vince Carter and trying to force him to play the point. Imagine Jason Kidd trying to make the switch to the 2. Kind of laughable, isn't it? Now take that situation and extrapolate it because of Taylor being only a freshman and you get the mess that you have now.

Further, the line "I was led to believe he'd be playing the four" is, well, not good. Who led him to believe that? To me, seemingly, it means coach Jamie Dixon. If he was led to believe that and that isn't the case, then you've got to think there may be trust issues moving forward.

Going back to what I said earlier. Mess. That's an ugly word. I don't call it a mess because Taylor has failed to significantly produce. Lots of All-Americans come in and don't produce right away. I call it a mess because of the second quote. The last thing Pitt needs is to have coaches of blue chip prospects questioning whether they can trust Jamie Dixon's handling of players. You can look at this situation and say, 'well, it's only one coach - what's the big deal?' Well, Brown has also had his hand in other top players' development including NBA Star Kevin Durant and former Georgetown star, Jessie Sapp, so others are likely to follow. But, really, the big deal is that OTHER high school coaches of elite athletes will likely see what's going on in this situation and could have the same kinds of doubts.

And while other schools that regularly land these types of players such as Duke or UNC have track records of grooming such athletes, Pitt is in relatively new territory. Taylor is the school's first McDonald's All-American in over 20 years. While they can point to success stories such as DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, they can't provide examples of grooming those upper tier athletes. You might look at that and say it doesn't matter 'Look what he's done with the athletes he's gotten. He's proven he can develop talent.' That may be true. But you have to remember you're dealing with 18-year old kids. Many don't necessarily care that you've proven you can handle turning Aaron Gray from a project into an NBA player. They want to know what you're doing with the likes of a Carmelo Anthony, an O.J. Mayo, a Michael Beasley.

So far, in recent memory, Pitt is 0-1 in these types of situations. Do I think it will get better? Yes. I think Dixon will eventually relent and move Taylor to PF. But maybe not until next year. Or later. I think Taylor will eventually show the kind of game that's been talked about once he bulks up a bit and gains some more experience. But while we're waiting, this looks like something of a black eye for Pitt.

More Hoops

The first preseason ESPN/USA Today Hoops poll is out and to the surprise of virtually no one, Pitt was not ranked. They came in at #37 overall, but I would be surprised if they didn't find their way into at least the bottom part of the poll at some point this season.

Pitt's official website is offering up spotlights on some of the new players this year and has a good article on freshman Talib Zanna. One of the things that jumped out at me were the quality of schools looking at him:

That's the thing that made Pitt stand out when Zanna was looking at different colleges. The 6-foot-9 forward snagged the attention of schools all around the country, including places like Oklahoma, Colorado, Connecticut, Boston College and Georgetown, among others. He wanted to go somewhere new and exciting, where he could continue to grow. The most important thing, though, was finding somewhere he'd be comfortable.

"Pitt has a good basketball program and academics, and I liked the coaches," said Zanna, who is now fluent in four languages. "I talked with coach [Jamie] Dixon and I came to some games. I really liked everything."

The first exhibition game is THIS SUNDAY. While it's only an exhibition, it will be interesting to see how the minutes are split up. I expect to see Pitt go as many as ten deep and I'm curious to see if Pitt will try to redshirt Zanna or JJ Richardson this year.

Dante Taylor was only able to come in at #15 on Gary Parrish's list of top freshmen. A less-surprising snub may be that he doesn't have any Pitt players in his top 25 point guards (though Chase Adams may surprise him), top 40 wings, or top 40 big men.

Pitt has four players currently in the NBA. What, Chad Varga or Antonio Graves couldn't get a look?

Oh, and that NBA thing? DeJuan Blair is off to a great start with...you guessed it, another double-double, going for 14 and 11 in 23 minutes. Surprisingly it wasn't Duncan or Parker who got the bulk of the focus in the AP recap:

Parker walked back to the bench OK after a hard landing in the third quarter, leaving the game with 17 points but with rookie DeJuan Blair and the Spurs already well in command of the New Orleans Hornets in a 113-96 victory on Wednesday night.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Parker simply had the wind knocked out of him after falling to the court almost horizontally following a layup. Blair, meanwhile, continues enticing the Spurs after a dominant preseason, getting 14 points and 11 rebounds in his NBA debut.

The Spurs spent atypically lavishly this summer to add veterans Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. But so far, it's been the former All-American from Pitt getting the most buzz.

"He's showing really good maturity so far," Popovich said. "You just have to give him credit. He's got a great way about him and let the game come to him."

Yeah, I may have gotten this one wrong as I criticized Blair a bit after the draft day fiasco. Based on what he's shown already finishing 3rd in scoring and 2nd in rebounding among rookies in the preseason (he also finished 1st in FG% among rookies scoring at least 5.0 ppg), if he isn't starting over journeyman Matt Bonner before the end of 2009, something is terribly wrong.

A Meaningful Scrimmage?

Normally, I'd say scrimmages are meaningless. But the blue-gold basketball game held yesterday might actually have some importance for Pitt, at least in terms of getting a feel for how players perform against real competition. Sure, they're getting plenty of that in practice, but to be on the court with actual fans in attendance had to be at least a little different.

Personally, I'd like to see March Madness back as it was briefly here in the late 90s. If top programs like North Carolina and Kentucky can do it, then we should be as well. Period.

I digress.

On this night, anyway, newcomer Chase Adams looked like the star, scoring 21 and was surprisingly accurate from 3-point range - at least for someone who was touted as a defensive player. Despite the output, though, he still sees himself as being a defense-first type of guy, which is good for Pitt:

"I definitely view myself more as a defensive player, but as of late I've been shooting pretty well," Adams said. "I've been more comfortable shooting the ball, and coach has been telling me when I have the open shot to take the open shot. I've been trying to establish myself as an offensive player as well."

In Adams, Pitt may have a real leader after the mass exodus of talent:

Long before he transferred to Pitt from a 938-student college in Louisiana, Chase Adams played for one of the top high school teams in the nation.

His Mount Saint Joseph (Md.) team had won a state-record 38 games in a row but lost to traditional power DeMatha (Md.) in the final game of the season.

The team finished ranked No. 8 in the USA Today, but Adams was inconsolable.

"He doesn't like to lose," Mount Saint Joseph coach Pat Clatchey said. "After the game, he was just like after any other time we lost. He wasn't happy."

Said Adams, "I've got a strong competitive nature, and it makes me want to win at all costs. I didn't have any intentions of losing tonight."

Not even wanting to lose in an exhibition game? A game that was so much of an exhibition that some players changed teams in the middle of the game? Sick - I like it.

Make no mistake - I don't think Pitt will be a run and gun offense. They never have been in this recent run of success and without Blair/Fields/Young, may need to be more of a defensive team than ever in order to compete. But with Adams, Gibbs, Wanamaker, Dixon, and Woodall, this team could put up more three-pointers than normal and look to score more outside than they have in the past.

One revelation that came out of the game was that Dante Taylor will play center. Call me crazy, but I think there's virtually no chance he leaves after this year for the NBA. He'd have to have a heck of a year to be considered a lock for a first-round pick. True, Pitt will need to rely heavily on underclassmen this year, but with so many guys getting minutes this year, I think he will have a hard time putting up the type of dominant numbers he would need to in order to be considered for a top pick.

No, I don't base this on the fact that he struggled in this game and had only seven shots. Just keep this in mind - Pitt has always had a tough time letting any one guy take over. Sam Young was really the only person in recent memory who could...and he had to wait until he was a junior. Streaky Carl Krauser and Chris Taft couldn't despite having maybe the most overall talent on their respective teams. A seven-foot Aaron Gray couldn't even average 15.0 ppg despite being several inches taller than many of his opponents guarding him.

Not to say that Pitt SHOULD let one player dominate on offense...and truth be told, Young may have been the closest they've had as a go-to-guy, so you can't fault the coaches in my opinion. But it will be extremely difficult for a true freshman to come in and put up the type of numbers at Pitt to warrant being a lock for a first-round pick. Pitt hasn't had a 20 point scorer and no underclassman has been able to score 16.0 ppg in this recent run of greatness. If Taylor is unable to put up dominant numbers on a team with perceivably no real stars, then I think NBA GMs would have a hard time justifying him as a first-round lock. Yes he's young and yes the potential is there, but I don't know if that's enough, seeing he wasn't a consensus top 10 or even top 15 incoming freshman nationally.

Back to the game - Ray Fittipaldo of the PG who had a live blog running for the game, has a good look at some of the stats showing just how much Pitt's departures will be missed.

The official box score shows plenty of guys had good nights including Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs totaling 36 points. I'm extremely curious to see how the rotation will end up.

And this is a little old, but Gilbert Brown is still apparently on schedule to come back at his earliest possible return date, December 20th.

Non-Rutgers Stuff

Lots of links appropriately titled.

Tickets to the Pitt/Duquesne basketball game on December 2nd are on sale this Friday. Or, if like me, you're on Ticketmaster's mailing list, you had the opportunity to get them on a pre-sale today. Like I said earlier, I actually would have preferred this game to be played at Duquesne again. The last game was unbelievably cool with the small-gym atmosphere. But this is a good opportunity for basketball fans who normally have a hard time getting to see Pitt to go to a game. Tickets are also affordable - I think some were in the $10-$15 range.

As you've probably heard by now, the Pitt/South Florida homecoming game is at noon. Yuck. Way to ruin homecoming weekend for out of town fans (which I am not), Pitt. Many people in from out of town will probably be having a long night Friday night. Bad move if it could have been avoided.

More bowl propoganda. I hope I'm not the only one not buying this nonsense about the Big East having a solid bowl lineup. At least the commish is happy:

"We are very pleased to continue our relationship with the Meineke Car Care Bowl," Marinatto said.

"The people at Raycom Sports have always put on a first-class event and the Big East is proud to be a partner. Our schools and their fans have had great experiences in Charlotte."

Yeah, because being in Charlotte, in December, for a bad bowl is what the fans want. What a load of crap. I remember this one time, in Charlotte...

Seems to me that the PG is a tad early for a basketball preview, but what the heck.

Speaking of previews, here's another one from ESPN.com for Insider subscribers.

The opener is just one month away...

Meanwhile, the women's team is hosting a Basketball 101 event complete with a tour, drills, food, and a silent auction. Looks like reservations may be required.

And in the NBA, DeJuan Blair leads ALL rookies in scoring with 17.7 ppg. Sam Young is fifth. Overrated stick figure Hasheem Thabeet? 4.2 ppg.

Welcome to the NBA, Super Sam

And just like that, the sliding of Sam Young to the 2nd round of the NBA Draft was basically forgotten as he has agreed to a deal with the Grizzlies:

Sam Young plans to sign a three-year contract today with the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming the second member of the 2008-09 Pitt basketball team to officially join an NBA club.

A portion of the contract is guaranteed, according to Young's agent Lance Young, who's not related to his client.

'Today' was actually Friday, but I couldn't find any news of the signing on the Grizzlies website today (Sunday).

However, the Post-Gazette reports it's a 3-year/$2 million guaranteed deal:

He will get nearly $2 million in guaranteed money.

Young will sign a three-year contract with a club option for the third year. He will make nearly $900,000 in the first and second years of the contract, all of which is guaranteed.

Young's agent, Lance Young, also has $600,000 worth of incentives written into the contract for accomplishments such as making the NBA all-rookie team.

I don't think there were too many doubts that both Young and DeJuan Blair would both be inked to contracts, even though it was no 'guarantee.' Still, it's good to see them both get off on the right foot and sign fairly quickly. Both should have the ability to make impacts this year.

Blair and Fields Get Their Deals Miles Apart

Good news for both DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields as both signed contracts.

Blair gets his guaranteed deal as a 2nd round draft pick with the Spurs.

Blair, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound forward who turned professional after his sophomore season with the Panthers only to fall into the second round of the NBA draft, signed his first professional contract yesterday with the San Antonio Spurs.

Terms of the deal were not immediately known, but according to a source familiar with the negotiations, Blair signed a four-year contract worth almost $4 million dollars. Three of those years are guaranteed with guaranteed money approaching $3 million.

Also, here's a video press conference with the San Antonio media.

Good for him. Despite all of the feelings about thinking he may have been better served staying, he's worked his butt off to get to this point. Here's hoping for a good career as well as some early playing time for him.

Meanwhile, Fields gets his own deal, but in Russia:

Before the dust had settled from a disappointing experience with the Orlando Magic's NBA summer league team, Levance Fields already was seeking another chance to return to the court.

It didn't take long for the former Pitt point guard to get an assist from a Russian Super League team.

Fields, who last season helped Pitt to its first NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance, has signed a multiyear contract with Sparta St. Petersburg, said his agent, Keith Glass.

The deal includes an opt-out clause to leave for the NBA if he gets an offer. Glad to see him land somewhere after a somewhat disappointing Summer League.