Honorable Draftee: The Case for Hank Gathers Articles Wednesday, 23 July 2008 Hank "The Bank" Gathers Hank Gathers is often regarded as one of college basketball's most heartfelt players, yet saddest stories. Prior to his untimely death Gathers, along with his fast paced Loyola Marymount team, provided the nation with some of the most exciting displays on the court, breaking traditional playing styles in what past coaches would call uncontrolled. It was this freedom to score at a moment's notice that provided Gathers the opportunity to exhibit his dominance on a regular basis. The Bank, as he was called, usually cashed in on the court with the game on the line and, although dominate, his engaging personality made him extremely likeable to anyone who met him. Most scouts and GMs in the NBA penciled him as a first round pick for the 1990 NBA Draft. Gathers was most impressive because of his ability to run the floor and use his powerful upper body to establish himself on the glass for tremendous rebounds. Despite playing in a less than dominant conference (WCC), Loyola Marymount played a solid out of conference schedule with the likes of Oregon State, Oklahoma, UNLV, LSU and La Salle, all of whom had solid programs at the time. It was here that Gathers showed that he was more than a small conference star. In his junior season he became the second college player in history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding. Despite standing at 6-7 Gathers' heart and hustle routinely allowed him to outplay most, including young freshman phenom Shaquille O’Neal where he dropped 42 points and 18 rebounds on the then 7-1, 296 pound future NBA superstar. But Gathers' extraordinary displays would soon take a terrible turn. This item includes 2 comments Read more...   Underclassmen Blunders of the NBA Draft - High School Articles Monday, 21 July 2008 In this new series TDR will explore some of the worst draft blunders made by both high school and college players who became early entry candidates in the NBA draft. The players' stories may invoke readers' jeers and mocking as these ex-NBA hopefuls appear to be the butt of a self-inflicted joke, but hopefully this series goes beyond entertainment and serves as a valuable lesson, if not a warning, to future players considering early entry status and how NOT to go about it. Examining High-School Blunders Non-Blue chip players like McDavid should have gone to college. There are perhaps no other players that you will read about that have been as foolish or uninformed as this group. This short list is a good sampling of ill-informed young men chasing a hard dream that even qualified players struggle to attain. Players like Curtis Brown Jr., Clarence Holloway, and Tony Key aren’t included in this group because they at least had Division One offers from mid- to high-level college programs and could be found among the nation's top 500 players. At best they were big name candidates for excellent junior college programs. Both Tony Key and Curtis Brown Jr. went on to play basketball at Los Angeles C.C. and Garden City C.C. respectfully. Holloway, meanwhile, was set for Louisville until a heart defect ended what was to be his first season of basketball at the University. At the very least these 3 players were known by recruiting services. But in contrast, Taj McDavid, Ellis Richards, and Derek Bailey are poster children for high school blunders. No comments for this item Read more...   Seven Deadly Sins of the NBA Draft - Sin #7 Articles Tuesday, 08 July 2008 Sin #7: Politics and Pedigree Like most things in life the NBA draft does not come without politics, which can sometimes be the driving force behind draft selections that don't add up. And when it comes to a player's pedigree, politics almost always seems to be in the mix. Pedigree is generally defined as "a known line of descent". In the basketball world pedigree can translate into the college a player attended, his past accomplishments in high school, or who his parents are. Unfortunately, pedigree appears to boost certain players on draft night and contributes to quality players being selected lower on the board or left totally undrafted. No comments for this item Read more...   2009 Mock Draft Articles Tuesday, 01 July 2008 Just Added! 2009 Mock Draft. View it now.   Mock Draft Update: 6/26/08 Articles Thursday, 26 June 2008 Mock Draft Update! There's movement on the TDR Mock Draft . This item includes 1 comment   NBA.com's Historical Draft Video Articles Thursday, 26 June 2008 Visit NBA.com to view historical footage of NBA stars on draft night from 1981 to 2007. No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: Richard Hendrix Articles Tuesday, 24 June 2008 Name: Richard Hendrix Position: PF Height: 6-8 Weight: 250 College Team: Alabama Crimson Tide Nationality: American Hometown: Athens, Alabama Birthdate: 11/15/1986 Class: Junior High School: Athens Strengths: Decent athlete with an NBA ready body … Does a great job using his body to establish position on the blocks … Once there, Hendrix will use his broad shoulders to get wide enough to create a big target for teammates to pass into … Owns a unique pair of hands that are not only soft enough to catch passes without bobbling them, but also strong enough to hold the basketball without getting the ball slapped out of his hands … READ MORE Weaknesses: Hendrix doesn’t have the NBA standard height for the power forward position as he measured in at 6-7 ½ in shoes at the Orlando pre-draft camp … To further compound issues his athleticism and explosiveness around the basket are solid, but not exceptional … Because of this he tends to struggle shooting over bigger defenders … READ MORE No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: Othello Hunter Articles Tuesday, 24 June 2008 Name: Othello Hunter Position: PF Height: 6-8 Weight: 225 College Team: Ohio State Buckeyeys Nationality: American Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina Birthdate: 5/28/1986 Class: Senior High School: R.J Reynolds Strengths: Hunter is a great athlete with quickness and leaping ability … Thanks to his length, he could add a good amount of weight to his body without sacrificing athleticism … Despite his average size as a power forward, his long arms allow him to play bigger than he is … Understands the value of keeping the ball high in the paint … This really helps him on put-backs, as defenders don’t get much recovery time to defend … READ MORE Weaknesses: Offensively, he still has a ways to go before his back to the basket skills are fully developed … Doesn’t have soft touch around the basket, nor does he have the softest hands - it’s not uncommon for him to bobble passes from time to time … Lack of body strength prevents him from being able to establish position consistently without getting pushed off … READ MORE No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: Bill Walker Articles Tuesday, 24 June 2008 Name: Bill Walker Position: SF Height: 6-6 Weight: 225 College Team: Kansas State Wildcats Nationality: American Hometown: Huntington, West Virginia Birthdate: 10/9/1987 Class: RS-Freshman High School: North College Hill Strengths: At his best Walker is an excellent athlete capable of jumping with the best of them … Has shown the ability to develop into a quality perimeter shooter … Highly underrated basketball IQ that has led him to remain highly effective despite last season's ACL injury … Good finisher around the basket where his body control and ability to hover in the air allow him to maneuver successfully in traffic … READ MORE Weaknesses: Long term health and durability should be major concerns for anyone looking to invest a first round pick … Suffered ACL injury to right knee as an 8th grader, and a left ACL injury as a freshman last season … Not the greatest creator off the dribble due to his average ball handling … READ MORE No comments for this item

TDR Scouting: Ryan Anderson Articles Monday, 23 June 2008 Name: Ryan Anderson Position: PF/SF Height: 6-10 Weight: 235 College Team: California Golden Bears Nationality: American Hometown: El Dorado Hills, California Birthdate: 5/6/1988 Class: Sophomore High School: Oak Ridge Strengths: Tough minded player who doesn’t back down from the physicality of opposing defenders … Excellent fundamental skills with a great feel for the game … Understands how to use his versatility to lure forwards out to the perimeter where he uses his dribble or mid-range shot to create scoring opportunities … Owns an extremely high basketball IQ that makes up for some of his athletic shortcomings … READ MORE Weaknesses: Athletically, Anderson isn't blessed with great explosiveness, nor is he the most agile of players his size … A semi-tweener, as there will be some talk as to what position he will play in the NBA … Although the size of a power forward, Anderson's game resembles more of a small forward - the issue is that his athleticism could limit his effectiveness … READ MORE No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: Mario Chalmers Articles Monday, 23 June 2008 Name: Mario Chalmers Position: PG Height: 6-1 Weight: 195 College Team: Kansas Jayhawks Nationality: American Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska Birthdate: 5/19/1986 Class: Junior High School: Bartlett Strengths: Chalmers applies a good deal of defensive pressure on the perimeter with his long arms, quick hands and anticipation skills … These physical attributes allow him to aggressively disrupt passing lanes for steal opportunities … Owns a nice change of speed hesitation move to create space from his defender … Possesses legit three point range that he can make with regularity … READ MORE Weaknesses: Tends to make questionable choices on drives to the basket when his feet are off the ground … This often leads him to force difficult passes … Athletically, he is a quality athlete but is far from special for someone at his position … This can limit him at times when he has to finish in heavy traffic … Doesn’t possess a tremendous first step to gain separation from his defender … READ MORE No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: Ante Tomic Articles Monday, 23 June 2008 Name: Ante Tomic Position: PF Height: 7-1 Weight: 235 Pro Team: KK Zagreb Nationality: Croatian Hometown: Dubrovnik, Croatia Birthdate: 2/17/1987 Class: 87 International High School: N/A Strengths: Tomic is a very agile player that has no problem running the floor despite his size … Back to the basket skills are highly refined and show great balance and finesse … Despite being out–muscled by most opposing defenders, Tomic understands how to use his excellent footwork and fakes to offset any aggressiveness of his defender … READ MORE Weaknesses: Must continue to add a great deal of bulk to his upper body … This often causes tremendous problems for Tomic being able to establish post position without getting pushed off … What potentially stands in the way are his narrow shoulders and unique body frame, which may severely limit any possibility of being able to bulk-up … READ MORE No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: Mike Taylor Articles Monday, 23 June 2008 Name: Mike Taylor Position: PG Height: 6-2 Weight: 165 Pro Team: Idaho Stampede (NBDL) Nationality: American Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Birthdate: 1/21/1986 Class: 1986 Draftee High School: Marshall Strengths: Explosive athlete with great quickness and leaping ability … Taylor loves to push the ball down the court at full speed, which enables him to use his quickness and creativity on finishes … Gets separation at will thanks to his quick first step and change of speed ball handling … Flashy point guard with great confidence in his abilities … Has three point range on his jumper … READ MORE Weaknesses: Despite his ability to get in the lane, Taylor lacks any real resemblance of a mid-range game … Some of this could be due to his inconsistent shooting from the perimeter … Can get so caught up in the moment that he can be out of control on drives to the basket … Has a bit of a quick temper as his body language and facial expressions during the season displayed some frustration with teammates … READ MORE No comments for this item   TDR Scouting: George Hill Articles Monday, 23 June 2008 Name: George Hill Position: PG Height: 6-2 Weight: 181 College Team: IUPUI Jaguars Nationality: American Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana Birthdate: 5/4/1986 Class: (RS)-Junior High School: Broad Ripple Strengths: Hill has most of the physical tools to be a quality defender on the next level with his quick hands, anticipation, and long arms … Moves well without the ball in his hands … Has shown the ability to shoot the three point shot off the dribble or when his feet set with some bit of success … Aggressive mindset allows him to initiate contact on drives to the basket to draw fouls … READ MORE Weaknesses: An average athlete with average size for a two guard, which could prevent him from being able to play the shooting guard position … To compound issues most scouts view him as a tweener stuck between both guard positions … While he has decent size for a point, he lacks the experience, decision making and court vision … Shooting off the dribble from the perimeter can go through periods of inconsistency … READ MORE No comments for this item   In Memory of Bennie Swain Articles Sunday, 22 June 2008 By Matthew Maurer On Thursday, June 19, 2008, Bennie Swain passed away at the age of 78 after battling a long illness with cancer. Swain was selected 8th overall in the 1958 NBA Draft by the Boston Cetics. He was the 2nd African American player (behind Sam Jones) to hail from an HBCU and be selected in the 1st round. In his rookie year he seved as Bill Russell's backup as part of the team's 1958-59 championship winning season while averaging 4.6 PPG and 4.5 RPG. The Texas Southern alum was 1st team All-Southern Western Conference (now SWAC) in all 4 years, a 3-year All-NAIA, and was 3rd in scoring in all of college basketball history during that time. In Swain's senior year his team was defeated in the NAIA tournament by 3-time champions Tennesse State, the team whose coach, John McLendon, was personally mentored by Dr. James Naismith and whose roster included 4 NBA draftees, Dick Barnett, Ben Warley, George Finley, and John Barnhill . Swain was a physical education / biology major at Texas Southern and went on to become a teacher and high school basketball coach after suffering a career ending knee injury after just one year with the Celtics. Bennie Swain is remembered by his family as a loving father and the best cook in the house. He is survived by his wife, 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. The Draft Review remembers Bennie Swain. View Bennie Swain's TDR draft profile. This item includes 1 comment   TDR Trivia Articles Friday, 20 June 2008 Who played 5 NBA seasons, was part of a Lakers championship team, and shares the same name as a 17th century Bible commentator? GET THE ANSWER No comments for this item   Seven Deadly Sins of the NBA Draft - Sin #6 Articles Monday, 16 June 2008 Sin #6: USA vs. The World Every draft normally has a solid core group of international players that are legit NBA prospects, but there are far too many times when rationale gets thrown out the window, imprudence arises, and good U.S. prospects get overlooked in the name of foreign fanaticism. I'm not putting all foreign prospects into one basket to imply that they don't measure up, but It seems as though the common theory at some point in the draft is to sacrifice an American for an international player who is tall with moderate fundamentals. Take into account Peter Fehse, who the Seattle Supersonics virtually took sight unseen in the 2002 NBA Draft. Sure the youngster has above average ball handling and shooting ability, but Dirk Nowitzki he’s not. Fehse played in Germany's third division, and how bad is that exactly? No comments for this item Read more...   Mock Draft Update: 6/13/08 Articles Friday, 13 June 2008 Mock Draft Update! There's movement on the TDR Mock Draft . This item includes 1 comment

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