Chad Ford now says that he has heard from undisclosed Heat brass that USC's O.J. Mayo is closer than most people think to being the Heat's chosen consolation prize if the Bulls select Derrick Rose with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. Ford reports that many close to the Heat are convinced that Mayo is the most NBA-ready player coming out of college this year. At a private workout with the Heat, he shot around 70% and was connecting on some Top-10-worthy alley-oops.
An ironic wrinkle to Ford's report is that Mayo is forging a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, which to Ford, lends some credibility to the notion that Mayo, and not Michael Beasley, could be the Heat's choice later this month if Rose goes to Chicago. Funny - if Wade is going to the Bulls, as Ford suggests, then why does the budding Wade-Mayo friendship make Mayo-to-Heat increasingly likely to Ford? It's a free country, I guess - you're not obligated to make sense.
I still think that Beasley would be a better selection. Better to bring Beasley in to a potential logjam at power forward then Mayo into a guaranteed logjam at shooting guard (while Wade and Mayo may be getting close, they play the same position!). Mayo is not a natural point guard (for that, see Rose, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams). And while the knock on Beasley is that he has some character issues, Mayo's character is far from untouchable. Remember that time he was essentially paid to go to USC and sign with an NBA agent back when he was in high school?
Beasley is still the monster who put up mind-boggling numbers for a Kansas State team that had, without him, had no reason to go to the NCAA Tournament. NBA ready? Talk to most league executives and have them tell you about Beasley's strength and unreal-for-his-age repertoire of post moves. Don't get me wrong, O.J. is a stud; but let's not forget that Rose and Beasley are in a class of their own. It really is them and everyone else.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
More Drivel From Chad Ford
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2 comments:
Drivel is a very good way to describe what's trickling out of Chad Ford's mouth these days.
My concern with Mayo is that he seems like the biggest, most over-hyped punk in the world. The only reason why I might have some hope is that a lot of people felt the same way about Amare Stoudemire. Still, wasn't Ricky Davis enough of a cancerous ball hog? At least Ron Artest is a volatile personality who plays defense.
Yeah, I think his college productivity pales in comparison to Rose and Beasley. And, while he seems like a well-spoken young man, his track record is mighty shady.
Every high school kid knows that accepting money from agents and others in exchange for attending a school or doing other favors is strictly prohibited. Mayo did it anyways. That tells me something about him that worries me far more than what I've heard about Beasley.
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