LANCE GONE!

[Lobot]

@ bamacat -Not yet but he's publicly stated that he will and even gobearcats.com has that posted.

 

[swg]

24 hours later, my thoughts on Lance Stephenson leaving for the NBA draft. http://is.gd/bkCfY
joshkatzowitz (Josh Katzowitz), 4/8/2010 4:42 PM

 

[bearcat jeff]

Lance is going to be gone but I'm not worried where the fire will come from. Justin Jackson and Sean Kilpatrick are competitors. I think Kilpatrick has the potential to match Lance's ppg. My concern is where does the rebounding come from? Lance was an excellent rebounder. I thought with another year he would have been a great offensive rebounder and upped his ppg from that alone. I don't think SK is the equal of Lance in terms of passing/ball skills but he has a good bb iq and he will be solid in those areas.

That said I think it is imperative that Mick land absolutely one of these two things:

1) A low post scoring machine. Ricardo Ratliffe. The cats will have to be able to throw the ball in the low post and score. Ratliffe is an NBA player. Match made in Heaven.

2) A perimeter shooter/scorer. I think Sean Kilpatrick will help, but a shooter like Steele or a pure scorer like Burton would be huge. Think I've made it clear I would drive to the west coast to pick Burton up. Steele would compliment SK's driving ability.

If you can fill both needs I think this team will be really good. I'm predicting that this team will play better together next season with the subtraction of Vaughn and Stephenson. I do worry about scoring. Give me Ratliffe and Burton and I'm firmly on the bandwagon for next season. Matter of fact, I would be excited for next season.

 

[BearcatAlum1]

Lance is going to be gone but I'm not worried where the fire will come from. Justin Jackson and Sean Kilpatrick are competitors. I think Kilpatrick has the potential to match Lance's ppg. My concern is where does the rebounding come from? Lance was an excellent rebounder. I thought with another year he would have been a great offensive rebounder and upped his ppg from that alone. I don't think SK is the equal of Lance in terms of passing/ball skills but he has a good bb iq and he will be solid in those areas.

That said I think it is imperative that Mick land absolutely one of these two things:

1) A low post scoring machine. Ricardo Ratliffe. The cats will have to be able to throw the ball in the low post and score. Ratliffe is an NBA player. Match made in Heaven.

2) A perimeter shooter/scorer. I think Sean Kilpatrick will help, but a shooter like Steele or a pure scorer like Burton would be huge. Think I've made it clear I would drive to the west coast to pick Burton up. Steele would compliment SK's driving ability.

If you can fill both needs I think this team will be really good. I'm predicting that this team will play better together next season with the subtraction of Vaughn and Stephenson. I do worry about scoring. Give me Ratliffe and Burton and I'm firmly on the bandwagon for next season. Matter of fact, I would be excited for next season.

I agree with everything.

 

[anbuc88]

Lance is going to be gone but I'm not worried where the fire will come from. Justin Jackson and Sean Kilpatrick are competitors. I think Kilpatrick has the potential to match Lance's ppg. My concern is where does the rebounding come from? Lance was an excellent rebounder. I thought with another year he would have been a great offensive rebounder and upped his ppg from that alone. I don't think SK is the equal of Lance in terms of passing/ball skills but he has a good bb iq and he will be solid in those areas.

That said I think it is imperative that Mick land absolutely one of these two things:

1) A low post scoring machine. Ricardo Ratliffe. The cats will have to be able to throw the ball in the low post and score. Ratliffe is an NBA player. Match made in Heaven.

2) A perimeter shooter/scorer. I think Sean Kilpatrick will help, but a shooter like Steele or a pure scorer like Burton would be huge. Think I've made it clear I would drive to the west coast to pick Burton up. Steele would compliment SK's driving ability.

If you can fill both needs I think this team will be really good. I'm predicting that this team will play better together next season with the subtraction of Vaughn and Stephenson. I do worry about scoring. Give me Ratliffe and Burton and I'm firmly on the bandwagon for next season. Matter of fact, I would be excited for next season.

I agree wholeheartedly. I think as Bearcat fans we are conditioned to being negative and pessimistic. However, look at this team as it is now constructed.

In the frontcourt, Ibra will be better after another 6 months in the weigth room and should be able to finish better at the rim. He was already coming on at the end of the year. Even though a lot of fans are down on Yancy, he has shown improvement and as he enters his junior year, I think the light bulb goes on and he will make a significant jump. Justin Jackson brings a nonstop motor and Wilks showed that we can count on him for at least 15-18 servicable minutes next year.

In the backcourt, Cash can do nothing but improve. Increased strength will allow him to finish better at the rim and another year removed from his ACL injury will do nothing but help. If he works on his outside shot this summer, as I'm sure he will, then we will have a very good point guard for the next 3 years. Parker will also work on his shot and should be better. I look for him to consistently get 20-25 minutes per game. Killa will provide help, especially if the reports about him in practice are anywhere close to being accurate, although the fact that he is a freshman should temper this some. Dixon will have to work on his shot, and if he finds consistency may be the most improved player, as far as impact is concerned, in the backcourt. Finally, the return of Bishop, if his attitude is improved, will be hugh. Remember that he had a great game against Villanova, and if he can gain consistency, I can see him duplicating Vaughn's scoring numbers (12 ppg) next year. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there does not appear to be much playing time for Davis, and he may be a casualty if (when) new players are brought in this spring.

If Mick can add some more scoring punch to this core, as Bearcat Jeff has mentioned, then this will be a team to be reckoned with. Last year's team hung its hat on defense and rebounding, but the achilles heel was that they could not generate easy baskets with their defense. I think that this should not be as much as an issue this year, as team speed on defense will be better. Rebounding may suffer, but with Yancy, Ibra, and Bishop making a concerted effort, this should not be a big issue. I know this may be overly optimistic, but it is also not pie in the sky projections

 

[swg]

Parker is a good rebounder (similar to DV), and Wilks has gotten better in that arena. Gates looks slow and out of position on many rebounds. He needs to lose weight, and get active inside. If a skinny quick kid like Hayward from Butler can rebound 9 a game, so can Gates.
It all boils down to effort, positioning, and a knack for knowing where the ball is heading.

 

[swg]

Lance Invited to NBA Combine

Former University of Cincinnati guard Lance Stephenson is one of 45 to 50 prospects who have been invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago scheduled for May 19-23.

Stephenson is also in the process of scheduling individual workouts with various teams in anticipation of the June 24 draft.

"This is a kid that really, really wants it," said New York-based attorney Alberto Ebanks, who's representing Stephenson. "He works extra hard and he's self-motivated. I think he's really moving in the right direction."

Because he has hired an agent, Stephenson cannot change his mind before Friday's deadline and return to UC.

Lance Stephenson Sr. referred all questions about his son to Ebanks, who described himself as the family's long-time attorney.

"He's working real hard," Ebanks said Thursday. "He's excited about everything going on now. He had a great experience at Cincinnati. It was a big decision, a tough decision for him to make to move on.

"He loved it there. He had an opportunity to go away from home, to leave Coney Island and to meet new people in a really nice environment, which that campus is, surrounded by quality coaches that care about him, out of the big light, which is what he wanted. It was a very tough decision not to go back to that. It was a very welcoming environment."

Asked why Stephenson changed his mind after twice declaring near the end of the season that he planned to return for another year, Ebanks said Stephenson would answer that question when the time was right.

"I'm sure when he's not in the middle of having very busy days like he is now, that's something that he'll address," Ebanks said. "It wasn't on a whim. He gave the subject real consideration and felt this was the best decision."

Ebanks said Stephenson is currently in Las Vegas training at Impact Basketball, which describes itself as "the premier destination in the world for teams, professionals and student-athletes looking to improve their athleticism, strength and basketball skills."

Run by founder and president Joe Abunassar, its website lists such players as Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Dwight Howard, Ron Artest and Paul Pierce among its alumni.

Stephenson led UC in scoring as a freshman, averaging 12.3 points to earn the Big East Conference rookie of the year award. But he struggled with his perimeter shooting, making just 21.9 percent from 3-point range, and committed a team-high 81 turnovers.

NBAdraft.net projects Stephenson as a possible late first-round pick, but more likely a second-round choice.

"I think he's going to surprise a few people and I'll leave it at that," Ebanks said. "Just based on all the information available to me and conversations I've had, I think he's going to be OK. It's not an exact science. We'll know on June 24 whether he did the right thing or not."


http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100506/SPT0101/305060047/1064/Ex-Bearcat+readies+for+draft

 

[bearcat jeff]

Good article on Lance's efforts to get ready for the draft and an NBA career.

http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100510&content_id=9938334&oid=2&vkey=21

 

[swg]

NBA combine begins today. Good luck Lance.