Well, that was fun, huh?  Not only is my bracket totally busted, but the guy I was gonna talk about today (Kevin Durant) isn’t even playing anymore.  That’s OK - I’ve still got a couple of guys to talk up, including my favorite local player:

Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown
I know, I know, the guy everyone’s drooling about is Jeff Green, but I actually am more of a fan of Hibbert when it comes to fantasy potential for his rookie year.  In fact, I’ll even go as far as saying that while Greg Oden will probably cost you a 3rd or 4th round pick (we can discuss that later), Hibbert can probably be had as late as the 9th or 10th round but be 70% as effective as Oden during the year.

So what’s to like about Hibbert?  Well obviously the big one is his size - he’s a big-time shot blocker, a constant presence in the post, and is a fantastic offensive rebounder.  But the thing that I liked most about Hibbert, especially watching him the first weekend, is his basketball IQ.  It doesn’t necessarily show up in the stats, but the Hoyas run a fair amount of their offense through Hibbert, bringing him out to the high post and letting him distribute, where he’s shown he can be a pretty effective passer finding the wings dispite being double-teamed.  He’s also pretty selective from the floor, which is part of why he’s shooting an absurd 67% from the field this year.

The down-side to Hibbert is one that you’ll generally find with guys that are 7-2 - he’s just not all that athletic.  He lumbers a bit, struggles to get boards that take odd bounces, and tends to rely on his size more than you’d like.  What’s really going to make or break Hibbert in the draft is to see how he does against other NBA-quality bigs, which might not happen unless he meets Florida in the Final Four or Ohio State in the Finals.

Acie Law IV, PG, Texas A&M
I’m not the least bit sold on Law right now.  I’m always - ALWAYS - skeptical of guys who are just so-so for three years and then suddenly break out (Hilton Armstrong, I’m looking at you).  His shooting this year has come out of nowhere - his 3PT% has jumped from 33% his junior year to 46% this year.  I just can’t get past the thought that this might be a bit of a fluke year for Law.

That said, he’s a nice passer, and apparently he’s strong and has a decent first step.  Also, of course, here at FBB we love us some point guards and Law is one of those.  Plus, everyone seems to love how clutch he is, and intangibles go pretty far for guards on draft day - just ask Mateen Cleaves and Juan Dixon.  The other issue for Law is, I don’t see anybody out there right now desperate for a scoring point guard.  It’s much more likely he ends up in a backup role on a team like the Pistons or Heat rather than a starter his first year.  If he takes Texas A&M into the Final Four, maybe I’ll turn around on Law, but if not I think I’ll still hold off.

Tyler Hansborough, PF, UNC
And then, there’s this thing.  Hansorough is like a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  On the one hand he’s completely dominant in college.  On the other hand, he’s not too tall, not too athletic, and has an incredible group of teammates around him.  Back to that first hand, he hasn’t improved at all from last year to this.  But as the second hand will tell you, how much better was he gonna get?

The one thing that you can say about Hansborough is that he is what he is.  If that doesn’t sound too promising, it’s not meant to.  It pretty surprising when a guy doesn’t improve at ALL from one season to the next, especially when that guy is going from a freshman to a sophomore in college (keep in mind that even though he’s only a sophomore, he’s already 21 years old).  Even if he does get minutes in the NBA, his defensive numbers are bad enough that he’s REALLY going to have to make up for it in other areas.   Hansborough isn’t going to prove anyone right or wrong over the next weekend or two.  That’s not going to happen until he gets into the NBA.  But what you can look for now is to see how he deals with NBA-quality defenders, particularly if he ends up meeting the aforementioned Roy Hibbert in the Elite Eight.