Declared for the draft today, but not going to sign with an agent. This means he'll probably pull out if he doesn't like his draft projection, what position that is...I don't know. Since we've all been talking athlete/SG/shooter as a wish list for the 1st round pick, I want to gauge people's opinions on him. For those who aren't familiar/too lazy to look him up...here's my take: 6'5", 210 lbs. sophomore shooting guard from UCLA. He didn't have a good game in the national championship against Florida, as Brewer gave him a hard time. Also didn't have a good game in the semi-final against LSU. But he was one of the undeniable leaders of a Final Four team that played for the National Championship, so he had more than a little to do with them getting there. He's supposed to be an above average athlete with a strong mid-range game. The UCLA games I watched, he showed a three point stroke, although he shot .366 from the arc...which isn't great. Averaged 15 pts/game on 46% shooting, which I think is pretty good. My impression is that he's an efficient player and some scouting reports say that he is NOT prone to force things (a point of concern when I think about the other candidates for the Rockets, i.e. Rodney Carney). I like him at the #9 position. I think in a couple of years, he'll be just as good, if not better, than Brandon Roy is right now. If Roy's gone and a guy like Carney or Redick is the next best choice, I say give me Arron Afflalo.
As a fan, I would be disappointed if Houston drafted: 1.) a PG shorter than 6'4", 2.) a player who cannot dribble, 3.) a PF shorter than 6'10", 4.) a guard or forward who cannot shoot, or 5.) an unathletic player 6.) guards who cannot finish in the lane 7.) dumb players 8.) a SG shorter than 6'6" Needless to say, I'm not excited about Luther Head, Hayes, Bogans, Alston, Brunson, and Swift.
Affalo seems too raw. He doesn't have the greatest shot. Not a very good ball handler, and can't really play point. He can get to the rim, but not consistently. He is pretty good defensively, though. 32 is bit high for affalo. I would think he would be going aroun mid 40's, in which case he would probably pull out of the draft (wants the guaranteed money)
I like Farmar much more than Afflalo as a player. I'd be real concerned about a supposed big-time scorer who completely disappeared in the first half of the biggest game of his life (the title game against UF). That having been said, I think he could be a decent player down the line, but he probably needs another year in college to work on some things. Farmar, too. Of course, as a Cal fan, I wouldn't mind seeing them leave early so we could have a shot at the Pac 10 title next year.
Apparently someone smarter than me has decided a @Codman code and the rockets could be targeting this guy...thoughts?
