Your Move, Charlotte

One of the main characters from "Sex and the City" was named Charlotte. In my limited exposure to that show, I did not enjoy it (Kim Cattrall wasn't slutty enough for my taste). Somehow, however, that's the closest to success that I can place the Bobcat franchise. The Charlotte Bobcats are not one player away from being a great team.  At this point, they'll be in contention for the top draft pick next year regardless of who they draft with the second overall pick on June 28th.  Nonetheless, it's essential that they capitalize on their first selection in the 2012 draft.  Anthony Davis to New Orleans is a foregone conclusion, and the cast of characters for the second overall pick has expanded to include about a half dozen candidates.  Thomas Robinson, Andre Drummond, Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Harrison Barnes are all vying for this "honor."  Michael Jordan has been the architect of the crumbling edifice that is the Charlotte Bobcats, but who will he target for the next phase of this project?

Drummond has the highest ceiling, but his bust potential is undeniable.  His motor is a red flag, and most guys don't become hungrier AFTER they earn their first million.  He also teetered at the 40% threshold on free throws during the season.  How much can anyone hope for him to improve there?  Even if he improves by 50%, he's a 60% free throw shooter.  He has no go-to post moves.  So your worst case scenario is a big with no post moves, can't be in at the ends of games due to poor free throw shooting, and we don't know if he'll develop the intensity to have a defensive presence to overcome his potential offensive shortcomings.  I don't hate Drummond, but it's too good of a draft to risk the second pick on him.

Harrison Barnes' second season at UNC exposed him as somewhat one dimensional.  He's a very dangerous at catching and shooting, and is outstanding at pulling up off one to two dribbles.  He has good athleticism, but doesn't utilize it in either rebounding or defending.  I think the hate on Barnes has gone too far, but I think the key with drafting him is not expecting him ever to become the best player on your team.  He's a second fiddle who can open the floor with his shooting.  In a less tangible area, I would worry about Barnes struggling under Jordan's influence.  I won't call him soft, but I think it takes a real SOB to thrive under Jordan's domineering personality, and Barnes doesn't seem to be that guy.

Kidd-Gilchrist is the opposite of Barnes, but somehow also feels like a poor fit for Charlotte.  Don't draft MKG hoping him to be your franchise player.  Also, many compare him to Gerald Wallace, who the Bobcats traded away for fifty cents on the dollar a year ago.  If they valued Wallace so little, how can they justify drafting MKG?

Beal makes, sense, but for some reason, his stock seems to be slipping.  Also, his game isn't that different from Gerald Henderson...although, I won't advocate not drafting anyone because you already have Gerald Henderson.  If Charlotte likes Beal, then trade back a few picks and nab him there.

This leaves Robinson, and guess what?  I did that on purpose. T-Rob is the right pick for Charlotte for a lot of reasons.  He WANTS to be a franchise player.  There is no questioning his intensity.  He still talks about how he is better than Anthony Davis.  It makes him look kind of dumb when he does that, but know what doesn't look dumb?  His shoulders.  If you love Drummond because he passes the look test, then cast your gaze upon Robinson's chiseled frame, which pairs nicely with a much, much more impressive utilization of that physique.  I think Robinson could have a Blake Griffinesque impact for the Bobcats.  He's barely undersized at PF, and he does not appear to be an elite defender.  However, he's going to rebound the hell out of the ball, and he will be one of the most athletic 4s in the Eastern Conference from Day 1.  He also has that chip on his shoulder attitude that Jordan values so much. Take Robinson at 2, then take the best players, regardless of position for your next six picks, because you're terrible, Charlotte.

Kentucky wins #8.

The Kentucky Wildcats are the 2011-12 National Champions. After knocking off rival Louisville in the Final Four and then topping Kansas in the championship game, the Wildcats took home title number eight. It was an incredibly impressive season for the Cats. They began the 2011-12 campaign as the co-favorite (along with North Carolina) to win the title. With the Tar Heels stumbling in the early going, John Calipari's squad was pretty much the best team in the country from beginning to end. Kentucky dropped a game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington to the Hoosiers in December and lost a second game in the SEC tourney against a Vanderbilt team it had already beaten twice before. Outside of those two hiccups, UK was dominant from start to finish. Anthony Davis was the best player in the country and one of the best defenders the college game has ever seen. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, one of the country's fiercest competitors, had a spectacular freshman year in his own right. Terrence Jones failed to live up to his preseason accolades but put together a very solid season. Doron Lamb continued to be one of the craftiest scorers in the NCAAs. Darius Miller provided savvy veteran leadership, became one of the college ranks' most dependable crunch-time performers, and proved to be a player capable of playing at the next level. While Marquis Teague struggled in the early part of the season, he finished the year as the National Champions' very capable floor general. And Calipari, regardless of what his detractors may say about his methods and his vacated trips to the Final Four, put together one of the five best coaching jobs of the 2011-12 season. Sure, he had a ton of talent, but he also molded a group of freshmen and sophomores into a championship caliber team in about eight months. And he had this group of future first-round picks playing selfless, ego-less basketball. The Wildcats' chemistry was undeniable. They put forth as much effort on defense as on offense. They deferred to one another, seemed to genuinely enjoy playing with each other, and improved as the season progressed. And then, after the Cats put the finishing touch on their masterpiece of a season, Lexington went apeshit.

Notes: Louisville at Kentucky

1. What I'm getting ready to write is being written by pretty much everyone covering college basketball in the aftermath of the Cards-Cats contest. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is playing like a first team All-American. Anthony Davis has received more hype (which he's actually lived up to in large part), but Kidd-Gilchrist deserves the same amount of attention for the way he is playing. I'm not sure what's been more impressive about MKG's play - the effort he brings every single game on every single possession or the fact that he scores as much as he does without dominating the ball.

2. MKG's 24 and 19 was spectacular, and his play of late has been just about flawless. Still, I think Anthony Davis is the most important Wildcat. After foul trouble sidelined him for much of the first half, Davis finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Put simply, Davis is a singular talent. There are no substitutes for his shot-blocking and ability to play above the rim.

3. Kentucky got the better of the Cards on Saturday and is the better team. But Louisville fans need not fret. Rick Pitino's squad held one of the four best teams in the country to 29.8% shooting from the field on its home court. If the Cards can develop any semblance of effectiveness in their halfcourt offense to go along with one of the nation's premiere defenses, they are going to be very difficult to beat.

4. Louisville's level of talent has been much-maligned in recent weeks as a result of the Cardinals' undefeated start and the inevitable comparisons to the heavyweights of the 2011-12 campaign - Syracuse, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Ohio State. While the Cards' talent level pales in comparison to the talent possessed by the top 4 teams in the country, I like their roster compared to just about everyone else, save perhaps Connecticut. Peyton Siva is a steady hand at point guard, and Kyle Kuric is a well-rounded player who can knock down the three and finish on the break. That much we knew coming into the season. Additionally, Chase Behanan, despite a number of bone-headed mistakes against the Cats, has lived up to his billing as one of the Big East's top freshmen. The surprises have come in the form of the emergence of sophomores Gorgui Dieng, one of the nation's most improved players and best shot blockers, and Russ Smith, quickly becoming a source of instant offense off the bench and a player who can create his own shot. The Cards also have a number of injured players who are working themselves back into the rotation or should be returning in the near future.

5. Terrence Jones is costing himself a lot of money with his play thus far this season. He was a likely lottery pick had he left after his freshman season, but he's not playing like a first round pick right now. He collected 11 rebounds and 3 steals, so it's not as if he was a non-factor on Saturday. That being said, 2 points in 30 minutes is just not enough production from a preseason first-team All-American - even one nursing an injured finger. Needless to say this is not the type of season Jones hoped for when he decided to return to Lexington.

Notes: North Carolina at Kentucky

1. The rest of the NCAA can breathe a sigh of relief - Anthony Davis is human. While he blocked John Henson's shot with five seconds remaining to seal the win for the Wildcats, Davis had a pretty pedestrian game (7 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals). Davis is the most talented player in the country, but the Tar Heels have now provided a blueprint on how to slow down Davis. The trick - put a body on him. Be physical with his 6-10 220-pound frame. And, no matter what, don't leave him when penetration occurs or when the ball enters the post. Because, if you leave him to play help defense or if you fail to keep a body on him, Kentucky is going to lob it to Davis for an easy two. The Tar Heels defended Davis as well as anyone could hope to, and I expect other teams to adopt this approach going forward. Of course, most teams don't have a John Henson or a Tyler Zeller, so this strategy will, at best, slow down Davis. Then again, slowing down Davis is kind of best-case scenario at this point.

2. Anthony Davis is a future number one pick, and Terrence Jones is a preseason All-American, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was Kentucky's best player on Saturday. Kidd-Gilchrist was fantastic, scoring 17 points, grabbing 11 boards, slashing to the basket, and, as usual, playing with unmatched energy on both ends of the floor.

3. The season is still young, but, at this point, Marquis Teague does not appear to be in the same league as Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, or Brandon Knight. And, to be honest, I'm not sure it's fair to hold Teague to the standard set by those four. Unfortunately for Teague, the comparisons are inevitable given John Calipari's track record with freshman floor generals. Teague struggled against the Tar Heels and exhibited the poor decisionmaking that has plagued him so far this year. The freshman point guard appears to be more of a gunner than a playmaker. Complicating matters, Kentucky has looked better with sophomore Doron Lamb running the point. While there may be a temptation to remove Teague from the lineup, I would advise against any such move. Doron Lamb is Kentucky's best shooter and has one of the country's best mid-range games. Coach Cal needs Lamb running off screens and receiving the ball on the wing. Moving Lamb to the point would leave Kentucky without a sharpshooting wing and would stunt Teague's development. If Kentucky is going to win an eighth National Championship, Teague will have to improve. However, with the talent surrounding him, he doesn't have to be the next John Wall.

4. North Carolina, everyone's preseason number one, now has two losses. These early setbacks have exposed some of UNC's vulnerabilities, but I think the Tar Heels performed well on the road against Kentucky. The good news for UNC fans is that the Tar Heels are a very good team that has room for improvement. Yes, Harrison Barnes has a deadly outside shot, but he could start taking the ball to the hole more often. Sophomore Reggie Bullock and freshmen P.J. Hairston and James McAdoo will continue to develop over the course of the season. After a disappointing freshman campaign, Bullock looks to be gaining confidence, and I expect him to overtake Dexter Strickland by season's end. I love Hairston's game. He's a big-bodied two-guard with a nice stroke who provides instant offense off the bench. McAdoo is a top-flight athlete who really runs the floor well. He's still learning on the offensive end but is an active defender who will provide the Tar Heels with yet another long post defender.

5. So, who's number one? Kentucky or Ohio State? Kentucky has more talent. Ohio State has more depth. Kentucky has the most talented player in the country. Ohio State has the nation's best player. The Wildcats beat Kansas by 10 on a neutral floor and edged North Carolina by 1. Ohio State beat Florida by 7 and dismantled Duke, beating the Blue Devils by 22. I would probably give the edge to Kentucky for now but just barely.