Big men improving away from Ann Arbor
Mr. Udoh checks in at #14 on ESPN's mock...
http://espn.go.com/nba/lottery2010/mockdraft
Even bigs like Courtney Sims and Chris Hunter improved a lot after leaving Michigan, both appearing in the NBA (Hunter currently w/ GS... Sims cup of coffee with Indy) when not many thought they ever would (I certainly didn't).
Hopefully DeShawn can really make a dent in the league because as we have all witnessed, the guy is pretty good when he wants to be. Hopefully Sims' case won't be the reverse of the other's.
His improved 3 point shooting will go a long way into him making a nice career in the NBA, as he will most likely be a small forward I would guess. Though foot speed might be a problem on defense for Sims guarding SF's.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:58 AM ^
I really think that was one of Tommy Amaker's down sides. Everyone was the same all the way through. Frosh to Senior there was no improvement. I think you have to take that simple fact into account.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:08 AM ^
TA, in my opinion, just wasn't a good coach. I also wasn't a fan of the mock turtlenecks or his aversion to playing his boy, Coach K. Anyway, while this season has been a serious disappointment, Beilein certainly seems to help players grow while in A2. Maybe we combine the two trends and turn Horford and Amir Williams into serious Michigan bigs.
January 28th, 2010 at 2:52 AM ^
In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure that TA is Coach K's boy, not the other away around
And by in all seriousness, I mean I'm being sarcastic.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:18 AM ^
Is this really fair towards Amaker? How much have Douglas, Novak, and LLP grown this year? I dont think the facts support this theory that Beilein is so much better at developing players than Amaker.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:48 AM ^
They're sophomores. Give them time. (Actually, I think they've all made strides on D and as passers; they're just not shooting well.) Look at what Beilein has done with Sims. I'm not sure he'd have made the same transformation under TA.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:21 AM ^
those 3 are sophmores... you have to look at guys that played 4 years for TA and did they really improved with him as a coach... did dion harris, ronald colman and lester abram get any better in their time at michigan??? NO... sims, hunter and petway would show flashes but never on regular basis... if you don't think JB can develop players go and watch tape of manny in his freshmen year... he has improved greatly in the last 3 years and the same goes for deshawn...
January 28th, 2010 at 8:33 AM ^
It really sucks that we lost Udoh. His offensive and defensive style would fill some huge deficiencies in our current team. I imagine we would be challenging for the Big10 title and ranked in the top 20 if he were still here.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:46 AM ^
Udoh made serious strides under Beilein. He was one of the worst shooters I've ever seen under Amaker, but under Beilein he started to develop a faceup game. It's a shame we couldn't reap the benefits.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:45 AM ^
Udoh was horrible under Amaker, but did seem to grow a bit as a player under Beilein. Look at Sims - he has shown improved range and playmaking over the years, and whether that is due to maturation or Beilein's teaching (my guess is a bit of both), he clearly is better. That was Amaker's biggest issue, IME, while at UM - he could get good kids, but he didn't really develop them. Dion Harris and Daniel Horton (outside of his senior year) were basically the same players they were when they stepped on campus as when they left, and it showed in the on-court results. I think Beilein can develop big men sufficiently for his system, but that doesn't necessarily mean those skills will translate to the NBA.