Chad Ford (ESPN): There aren't 30 better players than Lance Stephenson in the draft

[JasonS]

Adam Zagoria posted the following on twitter today: Chad Ford on ESPNU: "I don't think there's 30 better basketball players in this draft than Lance Stephenson."

While many thought Lance should have stayed in school (myself included) one more year, he may end up having the last laugh and that would be awesome. Lance will not get drafted in the Lottery but he could easily find himself in the teens or early twentys. Let's face it, Lance's game was never really suited for the college game. He is a great one on one talent who is strong, can finish around the rim, and has the mentality to take over games. Yes, his jumpshot needs refining. So did LeBron's or Rondo's or countless other players that have come into the NBA. The good news for Lance and any team that drafts him is there are no classes to go to or homework to do. He can spend as much of his free time in the gym as he wants and based on his work ethic while at UC, I will predict he becomes a really good shooter by the end of his second year in the league.

These NBA guys love potential and love when guys do things at NBA camps that no one else can do. Lance can be that guy. He will make plays that will make you say, "Holy Shit, did you just see that" and the NBA scouts will look at his frame and say he has an NBA ready body. They will look at his stats in the toughest league in the country, see rookie of the year in the Big East and fall in love with him as a player. When it is all said and done, I think Lance will have made the right decision and will be a first round draft pick. I think you could see Chicago take him. Memphis, Oklahoma City, Atlanta or even Orlando could be possible destinations. Orlando needs a player who can go one on one. Oklahoma City could use Lance because Durant can play off the ball and Lance is an excellent passer and can create with the dribble. Atlanta likes athletic guys that can play a one on one style and Memphis is building a team of guys who are ultra competitive and from winning backgrounds. Chicago might not make the most sense because you have a similar style player in Rose, but it wouldn't shock me if they took him. OKC and ORL would be great situations for Lance. I hope it works out for him.

 

[swg]

I could see the Lakers taking him late.

 

[cincycpaw]

In reality, if he does get selected in the late first round, it could be the best thing that ever happened to him. Going to a good team where he can continue to work on his game and learn from experienced players on a winning team.

I wish nothing but the best for Lance. He is truly a winner. Selfishly, I wanted him to stay.

 

[JasonS]

The Lakers do not have a first round pick and neither do the Cavs. They could of course trade into the first round. I was basing my potential destinations on who had the picks currently.

 

[swg]

I could see the Lakers taking him with the second round pick.

 

[bearcat jeff]

Lance will be a very good NBA player. No player on the Bearcats put more time in to develop his game. As pointed out in the article his game is tailor made for The League.

 

[JasonS]

Just so we are clear....chad ford made the statement but I wrote the article. I don't want to confuse anyone.

 

[yanks26ngoin]

I was really hoping that Lance would fall to the Knicks, who I'd hope would take him with one of their 2 picks in the 2nd round(no 1st rd pick). And then I was hoping that the Knicks would take either Manny Harris, Deshawn Sims or Deonta Vaughn with the other. But I dont think any of those will happen for the Knicks, which depresses me.

But, yeah, I was watching the combine last night, and I have to admit, I did not think I would be so impressed with him before it started. But damn, was I in for a shock. IMO, he had the best combine of anyone there. He displayed a terrific mid range jumper, and great quickness and athleticism in the transition drill on both offense and defense. I was also extremely impressed by him when he was on defense in the drill. Not just his quickness and athleticism, but the ability to contest the shot without commiting a foul when he was right on top of the offensive player.

 

[swg]

Must be nice to see him play so well. He'll shine in the NBA (at some point) like he wasn't able to do at UC.

 

[bearcat jeff]

Lance did not live up to the expectations of the UC fans or the hype machine, but he had an excellent freshman campaign. 12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.5 apg. Shot .440 overall and .664 from the ft line. As we know he did not shoot well from 3 and he averaged 2.4 t.o.'s a game.

By comparison John Wall, who many think is the #1 overall pick in the NBA averaged 16.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 6.5 apg. Shot .461 overall, and .754 from the ft line. He also shot poorly from the 3 at .325 and committed 4 t.o.'s a game.

Statistically Lance was not that far below Wall. If he had been surrounded by the talent John Wall was, and the team was winning big and going to the tournament, who knows what we'd be saying about Born Ready. John Wall played with 5 potential first round picks.

I have argued for months that Lance wasn't the disappointed people made him out to be.

 

[swg]

LS played like a talented freshman with marginal talent around him. A pg like Downey would have created more points for him and others. He would have benefited from Cash having played the year before, or having other outside shooters around him that would have forced the guy guarding them to not help as much.

 

[david aka the TYZ]

I've always thought Lance would still sneak into the first round. As JasonS said his game is geared toward the NBA and not college. His game was lost here and still put up decent numbers. His upside is better than most in this draft and that will get him picked higher than some anticipate.

 

[JMac84]

I'd love to see him sneak into the lottery. Don't see it happening, but who knows. It would certainly be nice for the program for him to do well, even if he only spent a year here.

 

[yanks26ngoin]

Chad Ford has him at #29 on his top 100 players list. I clicked the link to see his draft profile, and I was stunned to see selfish still listed as a negative to his game. I thought this was disspelled while he was playing for us last year? Lance was not selfish as a Bearcat. In fact, I wish he would have kept the ball a bit more.

 

[PakMan]

In his Mock Draft 4.0, Chad Ford has Lance going #24 overall to the Atlanta Hawks. Perfect fit, IMO, especially considering the Hawks will lose Joe Johnson and will need to get more dynamic in their backcourt.

I have no doubt that Lance will be a good (not great) shooter within 2 years. But his wide body (for a guard), excellent feet and hands, and especially his ultra-competitiveness will be the reasons he does well in the pros.