Here's the thing - it all comes down to who can he guard? I'm always skeptical of white players being able to translate their game to the pro level, and I'm white myself (although I tend to think that there is but one race, and that is the human one. On those forms where you have to check the box about your background, you know, are you a caucasian, latin american, african american, etc.?, I always check the "other" box and write in human, but that's just me.). I mean, for every Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy jr., Brad Miller, and Jason Williams in today's NBA, there have been a million busts in the form of Adam Morrison, Luke Jackson, and Joe Kleine. That doesn't mean that I have something against a player just because he's white, but lets be honest - does anyone think that this guy will be a star in the NBA after going up against weaker competition in the WAC (he's not exactly playing in the Big East)? I should also point out that I'm a pessimist by nature and have never seen him play, so I'm probobly wrong about him. I wish the kid well and it would be cool if he became a perennial allstar, but I'm just not buying it (although if we select him, I hope I am horribly wrong and presently surprised). Paul George is just as good a shooter, a good passer, and is so much more athletic (according to nbadraft.net), but he also plays in a weak conference (I've also never seen him play, either). From the scouting reports and YouTube clips of both players, I can say the following:
- Luke Babbitt seems to be a mix between Troy Murphy (jump shot) and Anthony Mason (ball handling and passing for his size, more athletic than Mason, but not the rebounder or defender).
- Paul George seems to be a mix between Rashard Lewis (the way he shoots the ball, anyway) and Tayshaun Prince (in terms of body build). Maybe he's the next Danny Granger, Rudy Gay, or Tracy McGrady, or maybe he's the next Gerald Green. Who knows?
Bottom line - we need to draft well this year, and I could care less about the color of the players' skin; I just want the best player available (we need to find our Reggie Lewis). Don't let us down, Danny.