Prospect Profile: John Henson
In 2008, North Carolina celebrated the commitment of 6'11" forward John Henson, an ultra-slender high school junior out of Tampa, Florida. Weighing in at just 185 pounds, Henson was viewed as having sky-high upside potential and was ranked in the tier just below the likes of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Derrick Favors by most scouting services. While those players would all come off of the board in the top 5 of the 2010 draft, Henson played three seasons at UNC and made major strides in all areas of his game. However, the forward has yet to truly harness all of his potential.
You don't need to watch film of Henson to know that the youngster's primary flaw is his lack of bulk. The big man has put on size since the day that he arrived at Chapel Hill but is still extremely slim at 220 pounds. Henson turned into a dominating presence on defense for the Tarheels over time, thanks in large part to his freakish 7'6" wingspan. However, one has to imagine that he will be easily out-muscled early on in his NBA career by opposing 4s and 5s. One area where he can make an instant impact, however, will be on the perimeter. The combination of length and quickness that Henson possesses is rare and the big man has shown that he can clog passing lanes with ease.
Even though Henson's strengths skew more towards defense, the 21-year-old will have to work to develop his offensive skill set. Henson has become more and more comfortable with the ball in his hands over the course of his collegiate career and averaged 13.7 points per contest off of 50% shooting in his final year. Henson got a great deal of his points off of finesse moves with his back to the basket. While he doesn't have the strength to bully opponents in the 7'0" range at the next level just yet, smaller defenders will struggle to keep him contained in the post. One area where he'll surely shine is in the transition game, where his long arms can lead to turnovers and easy baskets going the other way.
Henson also has the potential to become a truly dominant rebounder in the Association. The forward averaged 10 RPG across his sophomore and junior seasons as he cleaned the glass with his uncanny leaping ability. Henson's dimensions and vertical leap are actually reminiscent of another talented rebounder – JaVale McGee. A key difference between the two, however, is overall character and a strong mental aptitude for the game. Proponents of Henson's potential would argue that, unlike McGee, he has the dedication to become a rebounding force on a nightly basis. With solid workouts prior to the draft, Henson could easily join teammates Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller in the lottery.
Aaron Brooks Looking For Starting Job
After spending the 2011/12 season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, Aaron Brooks is back in the United States and ready to explore NBA free agency. The guard says that he will keep his options open but sounds as though he will prioritize opportunities to start.
“I want to be a starter,” the 27-year-old told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. “I definitely feel that I’m a starter in this league. If I’m not a starter, I’m definitely trying to be Sixth Man of the Year. No matter what happens, I want to go out there and outplay my contract. I want to be successful and contribute to a team.”
The Suns have exclusive negotiating rights with Brooks until July because of his decision to spend the season outside of the NBA. The club remains undecided on what course of action they will take.
In March, General Manager Lance Blanks visited Brooks in China to check in with the point guard and discuss his possible future with the team. Brooks was told that the club would first wait to see what happens with Steve Nash before entering into talks with him.
Hoops Links: Blazers, Conley, Anderson, Bynum
On this day in 1994, Charles Barkley hit 23-of-31 field goal attempts and finished with 56 points to lead the Suns to a 140-133 win over the Warriors and a three-game sweep of their first round series. The Suns stayed hot heading into the next round when they took the first two games of their series on the road against the Rockets. Unfortunately for Barkley & Co., the Rockets would battle back to win in seven games.
Do you have an outstanding basketball blog piece that you think we should feature? If so, send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's our look at the best of the web this week..
- Blazers Edge takes a shot at instant rebuilding in Portland.
- RealGM asks if college basketball transfers are out of control.
- Hardwood Paroxysm examines Mike Conley in the double pick-and-roll.
- Eight Points In Nine Seconds doesn't agree with Ryan Anderson winning MIP.
- True Hoop wonders why Andrew Bynum doesn't get the ball more.
- Hoops Addict breaks down the Year of the Coach.
- Wages Of Wins dubs Reggie Evans one of the most underrated players in the game.
- The Hoop Doctors introduces us to basketball's next big thing.
- The Starting Five plays Debbie Downer to the Thunder.
- Forum Blue & Gold tries to figure out how to keep Arron Afflalo off of Kobe Bryant.
- Piston Powered checks out Austin Rivers and how he could fit in with Detroit.
- The Basketball Post runs down the Euroleague final four for NBA fans.
- The Portland Roundball Society looks back on Ray Felton's time with the Trail Blazers.
- Bucksketball believes that this will be a telling week for Milwaukee.
- Ballin Europe looks at the curse of the Eurochallenge championship.
- 48 Minutes Of Hell wants to know what happened to Devin Harris.
- Valley Of The Suns says the pressure is on Lance Blanks and Lon Babby this summer.
- Red94 wants to see Roy Hibbert in Houston.
- The Basketball Jones writes that Derrick Rose can bounce back just fine from his ACL tear.
- Magic Basketball reminds you that Glen Davis is a champion.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Howard, Hornets, Celtics
It was a rough night for the Knicks in South Beach. First, the Heat went up 2-0 in their first round series with a 104-94 win behind 25 points from Dwyane Wade. Later, reporters were held out of the Knicks' locker room as Amare Stoudemire was being tended to for lacerations on his left hand. It appears that the big man took his frustrations out on a fire extinguisher and his status for Game 3 could be in jeopardy. Here's more from around the league..
- The Nuggets are using the playoffs to find their center of the future, writes Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.
- Magic GM Otis Smith plans to visit Dwight Howard in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). There's no word on what the two will discuss upon Smith's arrival, but some have speculated that Howard is once again estranged from the team.
- The Hornets got approval for a tax break extension that is essential to keeping them in New Orleans through 2024, writes Ed Anderson of The Times-Picayune.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com wonders aloud if Rajon Rondo has what it takes to be the Celtics' leader of the future following his one-game suspension. While Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen may not factor into the C's plans next year, the point guard will be in the mix for the foreseeable future.
- Michael Jordan should buck his trend of hiring friends as he did with GM Rich Cho if he hopes to turn the Bobcats' fortunes around, writes Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated.
- Blazers center Hasheem Thabeet reiterated his desire to return to Portland next season in a media scrum with outlets including CSNNW.com (video link), but the club has yet to talk about a new deal with the big man. The former second-overall pick came from the Rockets along with Jonny Flynn and a future second-round pick at the trade deadline in exchange for Marcus Camby.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee outlined three possible scenarios for the Kings and their stadium situation.
- Kobe Bryant acknowledged that this playoff run will be crucial to coach Mike Brown's future in Los Angeles, writes Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Prospect Profile: Tyler Zeller
Lottery teams in search of centers know exactly who the top target at the position is in this year's class. If you have the good fortune of landing a pick between No. 2 and 5, the high-risk, high-reward Andre Drummond could be yours. After that, it gets a little bit tricky. Ohio State sophomore Jared Sullinger had some GMs drooling this time last season before he opted to stay in school for another season. The Buckeye has a more advanced post game than your average 20-year-old but at 6'9" is shorter than your average center as well. Teams that are less-than-enamored with Sullinger (or, drafting after he is taken) will take a long, hard look at North Carolina center Tyler Zeller.
The UNC standout improved his stock greatly by turning in a strong senior season in which he was the most reliable option on a star-studded team. Zeller averaged 16.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and shot 55.3% from the floor as he stuck close to the rim in 2011/12. In fact, he stayed so close to the rim that he hardly got the opportunity to show off his shooting range. In previous seasons, the 22-year-old has shown the ability to bury shots from mid-range and sometimes a step beyond.
While his 55.3% field goal percentage is impressive, the most eye-popping number on his stat sheet just might be his 81% success rate at the charity stripe. Zeller was widely mocked for his aversion to physical play as an underclassman but he has flipped a switch in recent years. Now that he has shown that he won't shy away from contact, you can expect the big man to get plenty of opportunities at the free throw line.
Unlike Sullinger, Zeller can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Association's big men at 7'0". He's also unlike Sullinger in that he doesn't have the world's most polished offensive skill set with his back to the basket. However, that's not unique to 7-footers coming into the league and it's likely something that Zeller will be able to develop with time. His post game should be accelerated by adding bulk to his 250 pound frame and any team that tabs Zeller will insist that he hits the weight room from day one. Will he get the distinction of being the second center off of the board on June 28th? That'll be largely dictated by where the ping-pong balls land and how the two perform in pre-draft workouts.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Lillard, 76ers, Howard
A look around the Association as the Dwight Howard-less Magic celebrate their Game 1 victory over the Pacers..
- The Celtics managed to stay afloat this season thanks in large part to newcomers Avery Bradley and Greg Stiemsma, writes Peter May of the New York Times. May also credits Danny Ainge for his signing of Mickael Pietrus before the start of the year.
- Damian Lillard was projected as a second-round pick entering his junior season at Weber State but is now out to show that he is the best point guard in the 2012 draft, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The 6'2" scoring threat is widely projected to be a lottery pick.
- Doug Collins is looking to lead the 76ers to a first round upset of the Bulls but things could have turned out very differently for the longtime NBA coach if it weren't for Reggie Miller, writes John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. The former Arizona State head coach claims to have turned away from college basketball when he was beat out by UCLA in recruiting Miller.
- Josh Howard hits the free agent market again this offseason after inking a one-year, $2.15MM deal with the Jazz before the season and he could be a key player in the Utah's series against the Spurs, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Derrick Rose Out For Remainder Of Playoffs
The Bulls have announced that Derrick Rose will be out for the remainder of the season with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his left knee. The star guard suffered the injury with just over a minute to go in the Bulls' 103-91 victory over the 76ers.
The reigning MVP missed a great deal of time this season and was sidelined for 26 games with a total of five injuries. Rose showed some signs of rust early as he shot 1-for-7 from the floor but rebounded from that point forward and nailed 8-of-16 shots. Rose's near triple-double (23 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) looked to be the start of another promising postseason for the 23-year-old, but the guard will now have to watch from the end of the bench.
Blazers Notes: Batum, Hickson, Offseason Plans
Earlier today we learned that Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford will decline his 2012/13 option worth $5.23MM. Here's more on Portland from Jason Quick of The Oregonian..
- We learned yesterday that the club is likely to match offers for Nicolas Batum. The Blazers could just sign Batum to a long-term deal but acting GM Chad Buchanan plans to keep the forward in restricted status in order to have more flexibility. Batum's qualifying offer will place a $5.4MM hold onto the Blazers' salary cap, which should be $3-5MM less than what it would take to sign him under a long-term deal.
- The club is not yet sure if they'll make a qualifying offer to J.J. Hickson. The forward, picked up off of waivers from the Kings this season, has said that he would like to remain in Portland. The 23-year-old averaged 15.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 19 games for the Blazers this season.
- Buchanan said that the club's top two priorities this summer are finding a starting point guard and finding a starting center.
Hoops Links: Bobcats, Magic, Smith, Bradley
On this day in 1990, the Celtics set an NBA single-game playoff scoring record in beating the Knicks 157-128 in Game 2 of their first round series. The Celtics shot .670 from the field (63-of-94 FG attempts), setting another playoff mark. However, the No. 5 seed Knicks would win the next three and take the best-of-five series to upset the No. 4 C's.
Will the Knicks pull off another (and larger) first round upset this year? The 2011/12 playoffs kick off today with a slate of four games, including Game 1 of Knicks-Heat. As we wait for the action to begin, here's this week's look around the basketball blogosphere..
- KnowHitter has a plan for the Bobcats going forward.
- RealGM put together a statistical breakdown of the compressed schedule.
- The Basketball Post wonders what's next for Orlando.
- The Good Point wants you to get reacquainted with Josh Smith.
- Euroleague Adventures looks at five rising stars.
- Red's Army salutes the progress made by Avery Bradley.
- Basketball Prospectus would like to see some changes made to the lottery.
- Cavs The Blog profiles Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones.
- Warriors World wonders if Golden State has clutch players.
- Posting and Toasting wants you to know what the Knicks have going in their favor.
- Denver Stiffs looks back on the good times with Chris Andersen.
- The Orlando Pinstriped Post recaps Orlando's crazy season.
- Pounding The Rock examines the Spurs' cap situation in 2012/13.
- True Hoop bloggers cast their votes for this year's awards.
- Hoops Addict writes that the Pacers have something to prove.
- Hoopinion has an idea of what could be next for Steve Nash.
- Wages Of Wins looks at how Kevin Durant edged Kobe Bryant.
- Nets Are Scorching outlined the ten best highlights of the Nets' season.
- Red94 says that Kyle Lowry was the Rockets' MVP in 2011/12.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Jamal Crawford To Opt Out Of Contract
Blazers guard Jamal Crawford will opt out of his contract for 2012/13, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The option would have paid Crawford $5.23MM next season.
The move allows Crawford to become an unrestricted free agent for the second year in a row. Crawford has an earlier-than-usual June 15th deadline to make the opt-out official but is expected to exercise it soon. A little over two weeks ago it was reported that the guard was expected to decline the option.
There are a number of clubs that have been linked to the 32-year-old including the Wolves, Suns, and Warriors. Crawford nearly landed in Minnesota at the trade deadline as part of a three-team deal before the Wolves backed out.