Is Jimmy the real deal? We say - YES!

Butler will be a PR staff's dream

Jimmy Butler from Marquette is a player that I really enjoyed watching. His coach (Buzz Williams) called him the hardest working kid he's ever coached. Butler is a late bloomer that improved by leaps and bounds since starting his collegiate career at a Junior College. …He rarely takes a bad shot - which is reflected in his career 51% FG shooting. ...He is smart - with a 1.63:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. ...He is a good athlete with hang-time in his jumping ability (measured 39" max. vert. at Chicago combine.) ...Butler averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game in 2010-11. His three-point shooting ability is a key part of his evolving game. He doesn't shoot a high volume of threes but he makes 39% of them (career). ...There are no red-flags with Butler. I think he is among the safest picks in the draft. I have him ranked higher than any other draft site I've seen.

Xavier Silas will have worked out for ten NBA teams by the time the NBA Draft rolls around on June 23rd. ...He played his freshman season at Colorado before transferring to Northern Illinois. As a Senior he averaged 22 points per game. He is a 6'5" Shooting Guard that improved his outside shooting to the point where he hit the three-ball at 41% in 2010-11. …80% FT (career). …Unfortunately - he has way more turnovers than assists - so he is NOT a Point Guard prospect. He CAN guard PG's but offensively he needs to improve dramatically as a distributor. ...Right-handed. ...He is in great physical condition. ...Confident. ...Silas is the son of James Silas who played six seasons in the NBA.

By Christmas Mississippi State could be jolly

Mississippi State finally has clarity on the status of their two studs that may be NBA material. Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney  (pictured at right) will miss the opening 16 and 9 games respectively. Bost is a point guard that has terrific speed and vision but his shot selection is suspect. He is probably a long shot for the Association. Sidney is a BIG (6’10” 270+) that will almost assuredly be the NBA when he decides to come (as long as he keeps his weight under control). I know it is a long way away—but circle your calendar for the Bulldogs to suddenly be better to the fifteenth power when Sidney returns to their lineup in mid-December. Bost and Sidney drew the ire of the NCAA for reasons that honestly I don’t care to expand on. I hate that stuff.  (You can read more about why Bost and Sidney were suspended here).

While we are quickly on the topic of college hoops ‘dynamic duos’, here is a quick rundown of our favorite pairs with regard to future NBA success. 1. Duke’s Kyrie Irving (pictured at left) and Kyle Singler. 2. Georgia’s Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins. 3. North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, and Reggie Bullock. 4. Texas’ Tristan Thompson, and Jordan Hamilton. 5. Baylor’s LaceDarius Dunn and Perry Jones III. 6. Florida’s Patric Young and Chandler Parsons. 7. BYU’s Jimmer Freddette and Jackson Emery. 8. Marquette’s Jimmy Butler, and Joseph Fulce.

Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague has a little brother that may well run Kentucky’s offense in 2010-11. Marquis Teague has tough shoes to fill not only following his big brother in basketball but also being the PG that succeeds John Wall for “big blue”.

Shaquille O’Neal said this of the Miami Heat, “They got a great 1-2.” Apparently The Big Celtic is not a fan of Chris Bosh.

Elton Brand took up cycling during the summer, which coupled with a better diet led to a loss of ten lbs. Brand and the Doug Collins coached Sixers intrigue me. The Sixers made two trades I didn’t like. I’m not a big Spencer Hawes fan, and I thought that newly acquired Craig Brackins was among the most overrated draft picks in June. What I like about the Sixers is their Team USA baller Andre Iguodala (pictured at right), the underrated and still relatively unheralded Lou Williams, and BIG Marreese Speights. Rookie Evan Turner will hopefully look better than he did in Summer League - where he was mostly ineffective.

I thought it was interesting to hear that the Knicks have their players wearing a device that tracks their activity level during practice sessions. The device measures how often you jump, run, jog, sprint, walk, etc… Slacking by vets just got a little tougher to pull off.