Basketball Articles
Damion James and the 2009 NBA Draft
Posted by Trips Right on April 9th, 2009 under Basketball
A quick perusal of the various mock drafts on the interwebs reveals a few interesting things about the Junior from Nacadoches draft prospects. First and foremost, no mockster has a clue about where James fits in with David Stern’s Clown Carnival. First Round? Second Round? No Round? Sure there’s a range out there of where Damion falls in the draft, but it’s huge. Think Oprah without the lapband. NBAdraft.net has DJ going to Sacremento at 24. NBA Draft Press has James sneaking into the first round to Cleveland with the 30th.
Sometimes an NBA draft prospect needs a hug…or a point guard.
As an aside, the Cavs would be a great scenario for Damion given Lebron can rebound and defend like a big forward which takes pressure off of Damion having to be a dominant interior player on both ends. Offensively, Damion James will be able to thrive off of the ball, finishing cuts, offensive rebounds, and transition breaks.
Of course next year’s Texas squad would be the ideal place for Damion to audition for this sort of role because of the sick incoming perimeter talent. But we’ve beat that horse do death. Speaking of being a finisher/garbage man, NBA Draft Express had this interesting blurb about Damion being in the right place at the right time last season.
The trait that has allowed James to stay effective with and without Durant and Augustin has been his ability to create easy scoring opportunities by being in the right place at the right time. According to Synergy Sports Technology’s Quantified Player Report, James gets 12% of his offense from shots off of cuts, 11% from offensive rebounds, and 16% in transition. James does a great job moving to open areas on the floor, showing great timing when flashing to the rim and crashing the boards. On top of that, he consistently runs the floor hard in transition and provides a presence around the rim.
Put your Moneyball hat on and it’s easy to see that there will be more “right places at the right times” next season for Texas with or without James. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
NBA Draft Express doesn’t even bother to include James in the first or second round, probably because there are indications Damion is leaning to returning to school.
And finally My NBA Draft.com leaves James out of the first round altogether.
Another interesting point is that half of these mocks list Damion as a small forward and half list him as a power forward. You tell me where he’s going to play in the League. What position will he guard? We’ve sort of addressed how he’ll get offense in any league so it’s going to be tough to play an offensive minded position like small forward when you can’t create offense. It’s like having a Punch and Judy hitting 3rd baseman, or having Geoff Blum. And Damion’s too small to guard power forwards and posts or rebound with these type players on either end. Call him a 3 and a half.
Finally, and most interesting to me is the mock draft on NBAdraft.net that has Damion as the 24th pick in front of players like Patty Mills, Dajuan Summers, Terrance Williams, Jerel McNeal, Dionte Christmas, Leo Lyons, Tyrese Rice, Toney Douglass, Micah Downs, Jeff Pendergraph and Danny Greene. Each of these players are going to make an NBA roster and have a position their club can project them at. Damion needs a personnel specific club to draft him, like the Cavs, to accomodate his hybridness, to put it politely.
Yes, Mr. Scout, I have a J, I mean, I don’t smoke Marijuana but I can get my own shot.
I’ve said it since February and I’ll say it again, James needs to come back to school, average his double double, and surround himself with talented perimeter players which will translate into a gaudy field goal percentage. Then, some Tom Hicksian GM will draft Damion thinking he’s getting a Rick James SuperFreak finishing wing. And if we’re lucky, he’ll be right.
Thoughts?
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The General said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Is there a site with sabermetric style basketball stats for college players? It would be interesting to see how Damian’s rebounding stats look. I would think they were very high for a guy that spent most of his minutes at the 3.
Knowing some of the high level metrics would make it easier to figure out where the clubs that use them have Damion.
Trips Right said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:14 am
This is all I could find.
Bill James is an unathletic pussy.
NateHeupel said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:19 am
“NBA Draft Express doesn’t even bother to include James in the first or second round, probably because there are indications Damion is leaning to returning to school.”
Nay. James isn’t included in that particular draft because the authors are morons. Willie Warren has repeatedly reaffirmed that he’s coming back next year to prove he can ball without Griffin. (Ironic, really, that a college basketball team would benefit from a superstar’s ego.) But where can you find him in their draft?
7 Warriors Willie Warren SG
Wow.
Texoz said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:28 am
That web address reminds me, I think I’ll have a Humuhumunukunukuapua’a sandwich with tartar sauce for lunch. It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
To the subject at hand. I think DJ would have been more agressive in his decision if he really wanted to jump to the NBA. I’m sure people are telling him the same info about looking better next year with the new talent coming in.
He may not even take the “announce without taking the agent” route. As noted about Dexter, it’s often wiser to not lift the skirt and show the goods before you’re certain your date’s buying dinner, or a Humuhumunukunukuapua’a sandwich.
dick said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Didn’t James test the waters last year? If so, then you can only do that once. If he enters his name again, then he is gone for sure.
The General said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Does anyone think that Chinemelu Elonu sounds suspiciously like the same language that spawned hullaballoo kaneck kaneck?
Supposedly rebounding rate (or a similar metric) is what pointed Daryl Morey to Carl Landry. It would be interesting to see hoe DJ’s numbers compare.
I looked up the formula for it one time, but upon seeing it I lapsed into a mathematical coma.
Steve Nebraska said:
April 9th, 2009 at 7:40 am
The thing is, the draft class this season is pretty weak, compared to previous years and compared to next year. He might improve his stock overall, it just might not be worth as much in a more competitive market.
I think there’s a spot for him, though. If Malik Rose can have a pretty good NBA career, I have to think Damion James can as well.
hot stove steve said:
April 9th, 2009 at 8:14 am
what if Damion turned himself into a Bruce Bowen type of defensive stopper. Teams like San Antonio love a 6′7″ small forward who can guard the Kobe’s of the League, who scores occasional buckets, and who don’t ruin team chemistry by demanding the ball.
Trips Right said:
April 9th, 2009 at 8:28 am
The draft might be weak, but Damion needs some appealing game tape or it’s not going to matter. His performance in the last 4 or 5 games was mediocre at best. I’m telling you, when he’s averaging 3 or 4 dunks a game next year, with 12 boards, he’s going to Mike Mamula some club into thinking he’s a star. A deep tourney run wouldn’t hurt either.
The General said:
April 9th, 2009 at 8:41 am
what if Damion turned himself into a Bruce Bowen type of defensive stopper. Teams like San Antonio love a 6′7″ small forward who can guard the Kobe’s of the League, who scores occasional buckets, and who don’t ruin team chemistry by demanding the ball.
Wrong body type and his lateral quickness is not outstanding. His only chance is to find a team that wants a contributor off the bench at PF and SF. He has some very real NBA skills, but he just is never going to be tall enough to guard the elite 4’s in the NBA.
Bob in Houston said:
April 9th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Trips, if you were a scout, would you be fooled into thinking a guy who’s not Charles Barkley could fit into a combo forward spot by ramming home a few dunks?
(After all, is this not the expectation for Pittman? That is, that he will have a dunkfest with a PG, Bradley and Hamilton.)
The thing about Barkley was that he was 6-4 1/2, but he had a rear end the size of Phoenix and he could shoot. James can’t shoot like that.
The General said:
April 9th, 2009 at 9:19 am
People that work in the NBA aren’t rocket surgeons. They are dudes like you or me or some asshat you work with. They are not genius’s.
The problem with James is that he could average 20 and 12 next year and still only get drafted in the back half of the first round.
Trips Right said:
April 9th, 2009 at 9:23 am
I see your point Bob, but there are suckers out there that thought Harold Miner and Roy Marble were the next Jordan, that Clarence Weatherspoon was the next Barkley, and Steve Alford was a better guard prospect than John Stockton. Damion’s courtship of said suckers gets much much easier with some eye popping game film and a deep tourney run.
The difference with Pittman is that he has a position he can guard or attack from. Damion is going to have to find a team that can afford a player with a power forward’s skillset in a small forward’s body.
Steve Nebraska said:
April 9th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I’m going to claim Mamula as a verb the next time I play scrabble.
Facebook User said:
April 9th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I’ll also go ahead and posit that Damion will shoot the ball from outside better next season (fewer overall attempts but a better percentage).
Obviously that shouldn’t be option 1, 2, or 3 but I think the presence of better shooters, making more shots, will make it easier for him too. It’s easier to be confident letting one fly when scoring for the team is coming more easily across the board and you have guys inside hitting O glass.
This will translate into more footage of him demonstrating a more complete game.
Trips Right said:
April 9th, 2009 at 10:17 am
No doubt, Sailor. The game overall will come much easier to every player. It’s as synergistic as a Scipio power point.
Bob in Houston said:
April 9th, 2009 at 10:18 am
I remember Gabe Muoneke shooting threes. When he was a junior, Barnes limited him to the top of the key, and only when he had time to set himself. Gabe shot 50 percent from there.
The next year, the reigns were loosened a bit… well, they wound up loose, anyway. The percentage sank like a rock.
Kafka said:
April 9th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Damion will be a fine rebounder in the NBA. He has the power, jumping ability, quickness, aggression, and anticipation that it takes to be an outstanding rebounder.
He has an NBA body and stays healthy. He has a great attitude, is not going to embarrass a franchise with irresponsible behavior, and is going to work hard to improve.
He will have a tough time defending Tim Duncan but a lot of power forwards have that problem. He is going to need to learn how to flop. He may not be tall for a PF but he is strong and fast and should be decent at denying position and fronting. He is great at providing help D and has been well schooled in D by one of the master D coaches in the world.
It seems to me that he is stuck being a shortish power forward. I can’t see him defending small forwards in the NBA (they are just too quick and nimble).
He is probably going to be a good outside shooter eventually. If (huge if) he can improve his ball handling a bunch (which should have happened by now), he can make it very tough for the big power forwards to guard him and much more useful on the break.
Damion has a tremendous upside. I think he’ll go in the first round if he declares for the NBA. If he returns to the horns, the horns have a decent chance to go all the way.
Facebook User said:
April 9th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Chad Ford from the WWL.
HenryJames said:
April 9th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Someone on Orangebloods just posted this:
My brother works at the Chili’s at 35 and 290 and Damion James, who frequents the location, is currently there with a “strength coach” (I can only assume he means Todd Wright). Damion was overheard saying he would be back next season. Take it FWIW.
Steve Nebraska said:
April 9th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Dexter Pittman was there too, for the weekly “Stare Helplessly at an Awesome Blossom” portion of his conditioning program.
Horncasting said:
April 9th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
But another OB poster claims to know James pretty well and says he is for sure gone.
anonymous said:
April 9th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Kafka,
Your conclusion that James has tremendous upside doesn’t match your description of his game.
Also, people always say that James has an “NBA body.” And while he certainly has the physique, doesn’t having an NBA body include being tall (or in the parlance of our times, long) enough to play a position for which you have the requisite skill?
Nordberg said:
April 9th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Without getting into it, I have a very very close contact with Damion, and even Damion doesn’t know for sure what he’s going to do. But if I had to bet one way or the other, I’d bet that he leaves. And he will, if he hears that he’ll for sure go in the first round.
Kafka said:
April 9th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I am biased towards Damion (one of my two favorite UT basketball players) so that could be influencing my thinking.
The upside for Damion is that he is currently weak on some skills that can be improved a bunch with enough practise. His ball handling is weak so there is a lot of upside in that area.
He is (probably) going to improve his shooting sufficiently to contribute to floor spacing (very nice when a power forward can do this).
He will, once he focuses on it, develop a decent postup game.
Damion has upside because he is still a bit raw as a player. I don’t understand why he is still deficient in these areas but I think he will improve quite a bit with the right coaching and enough effort.
NBA body (to me) means that you are robust enough to withstand the rigors of the NBA competition. He is going to be able to run, jump, and bang with the big boys.
uthookem said:
April 9th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
When I was in school I once passed Chris Mihm in front of Gregory, I had a class with Gabe Muoneke, and I’ve eaten at a Chili’s. No doubt James is gone/coming back.
Hook ‘em!
Brian said:
April 12th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Damion’s chances at increasing his draft status is “iffy” by coming back his next year. They would look at his impressive numbers and those could be cancelled out by his age.
There is no doubt that James, while will never probably be a NBA starter, could be a a nice guy to bring off the bench. NY Knicks would be a great fit for James imo.