Congrats to Greivis Vasquez for being named to the Second Team AP All-American Team, and for winning the Bob Cousy Award as the best PG in the Nation.
Considering the other finalists for the award were John Wall (Kentucky), Evan Turner (Ohio State), Sherron Collins (Kansas), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), and Jon Scheyer (Duke) – this was lofty phrase for Vasquez.
NBADraft.net’s most updated Mock draft from March 31st, has Vasquez going to the Wizards with the 4th pick in the 2nd-round.
http://www.nbadraft.net/2010mock_draft
MyNBADraft.com’s most updated Mock draft from March 30th, has Vasquez going to the Knicks with the 8th pick in the 2nd-round.
http://www.mynbadraft.com/2010-NBA-Mock-Draft-Round-2
DraftExpress.com’s most updated Mock draft from April 1st, has Vasquez going 18th in the 2nd-round to the Bucks.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2010/
I would love to see Vasquez perform well enough in the individual workouts, that by draft night he has the chance to move into the back of the 1st-round. Getting selected in the 1st-round, and having that 3 year guaranteed contract would be huge.
That said, even if Vasquez does wind-up staying in the 2nd-round; he is still going to have a chance to make a roster.
The basic positives and negatives about how Vasquez projects at the next-level are well known.
On the positive-side he has great intensity, and outstanding work-ethic. At 6’6 he has the height necessary to see the court as a PG, and also post-up defenders. He enjoys passing the ball, and has makes tremendous plays due to his vision. His 3point shooting improved every-season, and he has shot about 86% from the FT line over the past two-seasons. He rebounds well for a G, and he is not afraid to get into the lane against traffic.
On the negative-side, he is limited athletically. He does not move particularly well laterally, though I think that improved this season. The Terps (and noticeably Vasquez) were stronger, quicker athletes under their new Strength and Conditioning Coach.
A staple of Vasquez’s offense as a collegian player has been his ability to turn the corner, drive the lane and get to the rim. Often he would finish with his floater, or at a minimum create enough contact to get to the line. While Vasquez is crafty and creative, NBA teams will worry that without that explosive first-step, that Vasquez will not be able to turn the corner against better professional athletes.
Vasquez will have the chance to counter that in the individual workouts. Vasquez could also point to the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship where he had a double-digit scoring effort vs Team USA, and scored at-least 9 points in every game of the 8 game tournament. (double-digits 5 times). A bit of different game under International rules vs. the NBA, but it was serious tournament, with professional players and Vasquez found a way to produce. Clearly Vasquez is a better player today, than he was at that time.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.