Tourney time
Posted on March 20th, 2008 – 5:48 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
The most interesting part of the rest of the Wolves season has begun: Today’s opening day of the NCAA tournament, where sophomore center Brook Lopez and the Stanford Cardinal are clobbering Randy Wittman’s kid and Ivy League champs Cornell out in Anaheim this afternoon and where Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo go at each other in just minutes in the Kansas State-USC game in Omaha.
It’s just a hunch, but I’m betting Mayo more than anyone in this tournament raises his stock for this summer’s draft, even though he has suggested he’s coming back to school for sophomore year. He reminds me a little of other West Virginia-raised athlete who had his share of acclaim and problems and promise. Some guy named Moss.
The Wolves late-season winning ways (Wednesday’s comeback over Memphis was their fifth win in seven games) might again lead to no lottery luck and it wouldn’t surprise me if they have to make a tough call on a guy like Mayo when it comes to their pick this June. They need talent — at least two more supremely talented players they can put next to Al Jefferson — at any position they can find it. It’ll be interesting to watch tonight’s game, and the tournament, and decide whether Mayo might be a steal or just a tease anywhere in the lottery after Beasley and Derrick Rose.
If he continues to play like he did coming down the regular season stretch, I’d take the promise of his talent and his upside over a big man (Brook Lopez) or a big-man project (DeAndre Jordan). I’m never right anyway, but USC is my sleeper pick in my office-pool bracket to make a run to the Elite Eight, if their anxious youth doesn’t panic in a potential second-round matchup against maddening Wisconsin.
13 Responses to "Tourney time"
USC already lost, next…
Wolves will parlay their two early second round picks if the opportunity presents itself.
Why would we want Mayo when McCants has been our second best player this season??
I’ll bet the wolfies wouldn’t make the elite eight.
Anyone?
McCants has been our second-best player? Really?
Jared,
Go back to Subway. See if they have the new”fantasyland” sammich.
McCants has been our second best player this year. He is scoring 15 points a game and he barely gets any minutes! Who do you think is playing better than Rashad?
wolvesfan32,
What do you think the other 31 fans think?
WF32….I pretty much agree with you on McCants.. He’s a super offense player and his lack of defense is compensated with his great offense. Once we get bigger and better up front his value will be even greater to the team….Beasley continues to impress, and as far as Mayo, I’d take him over a big man project….we should sign a proven FA/trade (draft picks) bigman if availble….and I like Smith’s game over Gomes if it comes down between those two for next year cause we shouldn’t pay them both big bucks as neither should be starting…..
Gomes is a better player than McCants. McCants is Anthony Peeler version 2. If he’s not scoring, he’s not helping. Gomes does more than one thing.
Of course, the real problem is that we’re arguing between Gomes and McCants as the second-best player on the team, when on a decent team they’d be no better than the fifth or sixth best player.
Hey, Sean gets it.
Good comment.
McCants is a much better offensive player than Peeler was. Not to mention he’s in his 2nd season. I agree w/Sean, Gomes is a better overall player than McCants. I’m interested in what happens w/Snyder.
I see Mayo as a future Rider. To much baggage at such a young age. Think things are going to improve once he gets a few million? i’ve heard about some hoss out of OK that might be worth a late gamble.
wtf is up w/Miami losing by 40? do they think losing that bad adds more ping pong balls? i mean there is tanking and then there is tanking. christ.
Peeler and McCants are extremely similar through their first three seasons. The only real difference is that Peeler’s minutes were limited by the presences of Byron Scott (as a rookie) and Eddie Jones (in the third season). They both even missed a substantial amount of time in their second year due to injuries.
You could take Anthony Peeler (back in the day) and plug him in on this Wolves team and get very similar results. I would agree that McCants has the potential to be better than Peeler. But so far, it hasn’t been there. McCants is athletic enough he shouldn’t have to be so jump shot dependent.
