2011 NBA Draft and Offseason Blog

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Kentucky's DeAndre Liggins Made Right Decision in Entering NBA Draft - June 10


Every year I scratch my head at several underclassmen who decide to leave school and enter the NBA Draft early; and this year was no different. Most people felt that way about DeAndre Liggins' decision to leave Kentucky after his junior season. However, when you look at Liggins' situation with his personal life and how things likely would have shaped up on the court at Lexington next season, his choice to turn pro makes sense even though there is a real possibility he will not get drafted on June 23.

Liggins was not a star at Kentucky, as he was fifth on the team in scoring this past season averaging 8.6 points per game. He will never be a star in the NBA. However, despite being overshadowed the past two seasons by freshmen like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones, Liggins felt now was the right time to leave school and pursue his dream of becoming a professional basketball player.

When dissecting Liggins' decision to turn pro, two things come to mind. He became a father this past season and now has to support a family (including his fiancee). Also, with the extremely talented batch of recruits coming to Kentucky next season, there was no guarantee that Liggins would see more playing time than he did this past season.



The Wildcats figure to be loaded on the wing with Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and Terrence Jones all returning along with the addition of McDonald's All-American Michael Gilchrist. Calipari's outstanding reputation as a recruiter is a huge reason for his success as a coach, but it has worked against Liggins.

"We had other guys who more highly recruited than me, so (Coach Calipari) would rather live with their mistakes than my mistakes," Liggins said at the NBA Draft Combine. "But I have the chance to show people I can do more than I did at Kentucky. Coach Cal recruits one-and-done guys, but he also makes them work for their playing time."

Liggins earned his playing time due to his ability to blend in with those one-and-done players. His biggest asset to the Wildcats was developing into one of the best defenders in the SEC. Versatility played a major part in that as Liggins was able to guard multiple positions depending on the nightly matchup.



While defense is a huge strength for Liggins, his offensive abilities are in question with his transition to the next level. He shot the ball well from three this past season (39.1% which was up from 31.8% his sophomore year), but he never showed consistency in attacking the basket. Still, Liggins feels he can hold his own in the NBA.

"The whole thing with me is confidence," Liggins stated. "I have to have the confidence that I can play offense. I didn't have the ball in my hand a lot but I think my offense improved greatly the first two years and this year it improved again. Coach Cal gave me this confidence. That's what I love about him."

If Liggins is drafted, it will most likely be in the late second round which does not guarantee him a contract or a spot on an NBA roster. In fact, it may actually be beneficial for Liggins to not get draft so he can pick which team has a need for depth on the wing and try to earn a spot as a free agent during training camp. If not, Liggins will likely have to make a living by playing ball overseas.

Whichever path he ends up taking, Liggins is prepared to scratch and claw his way to the next level.

"I wanna be the underdog, my whole life," Liggins said. "I've got nothing to lose here. I'll put it on the line and give it my all."



Recent NBA Draft and Offseason Blog Entries:

2012 NBA Draft Outstanding Trades - 12/25
2011 NBA Offseason Winners - 12/23
2011 NBA Offseason Losers - 12/23
2011 NBA Free Agency Signings Analysis - 12/22
2011 NBA Free Agency Signings Analysis - 12/20
2011 NBA Free Agency Signings Analysis - 12/16
Chris Paul Trade Analysis - 12/15
2011 NBA Free Agency Signings Analysis - 12/14
2011 NBA Free Agency Signings Analysis - 12/10
2011 NBA Free Agency Signings Analysis - 12/9
Five Players Likely to Be Traded After NBA Lockout - 7/7
2011 NBA Free Agency: Allan Houston Rule - Southwest Division - 7/6
2011 NBA Free Agency: Allan Houston Rule - Northwest Division - 7/5
2011 NBA Free Agency: Allan Houston Rule - Pacific Division - 7/3
Cavaliers-Kings Trade Recap - 7/1
2011 NBA Free Agency: Allan Houston Rule - Atlantic Division - 6/30
2011 NBA Free Agency: Allan Houston Rule - Central Division - 6/30
2011 NBA Free Agency: Allan Houston Rule - Southeast Division - 6/29
2011 NBA Draft Trade Recaps - 6/25
2011 NBA Draft: Bobcats-Kings-Bucks Three-Way Trade - 6/24
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: How Kyrie Irving Compares to John Wall and Derrick Rose - 6/23
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Is Kyrie Irving Ready to be a Franchise Point Guard - 6/23
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Kemba Walker is the Most Undervalued Player in the Draft - 6/23
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Is Derrick Williams a Power Forward or Small Forward? - 6/22
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Wait, Kansas' Marcus and Markieff Morris are Twins??? - 6/21
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Jordan Hamilton Using Yoga to Help His NBA Draft Stock - 6/18
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Tristan Thompson Benefits from Weak Draft Class - 6/17
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Kawhi Leonard's Versatility is His Biggest Asset - 6/14
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Chris Singleton is a Lottery Sleeper - 6/13
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Where Does JaJuan Johnson Fit in the NBA? - 6/11
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Kentucky's DeAndre Liggins Made Right Decision in Entering NBA Draft - 6/10
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Should a Marijuana Arrest Affect NBA Draft Stock? - 6/9
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Nolan Smith Has Different Identity On and Off Court - 6/7
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: John Wall Mentoring Darius Morris - 6/5
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Brandon Knight Worth Third Overall Pick? - 6/2
Rumor: Cavs, T-Wolves, Pistons Discussing 3-Way Trade - 5/29
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Josh Selby Putting Kansas Behind Him - 5/28
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Marshon Brooks Rising Up Draft Boards - 5/26
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Alec Burks Connected to Bobcats - 5/24
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Combine Measurements - 5/21
Thunder Really Likes Kyle Singler? - 5/21
2011 NBA Draft Combine Coverage: Day 1 - 5/20
2011 NBA Draft Lottery Odds Breakdown - 5/16
2011 NBA Free Agents - 5/3
NBA Offseason and Draft Blog - Home

Leave a comment Name Comment Verification: click on image to refresh it   Captain Obvious 06-24-2011 10:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx2.25 (total posts: 1) 23     22 You said: "After Thursday evening, it will mark three years in a row that a point guard went first overall..." WTF happened to Blake Griffin??? LOL. waltair 06-21-2011 09:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.199 (total posts: 3) 23     23 waltare you need a cheif editor this is bad Walter 06-21-2011 01:43 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 20     19 Thanks, Fitz. Fixed. Austin 06-19-2011 01:18 am xxx.xxx.xxx8.49 (total posts: 1) 19     21 If Leonard can prove he is capable of knocking down shots, the raptors might reach for him at five, he can provide the rebounding that their bigs, not pointing fingers but a seven foot i-tie, don't. It's a reach for sure, but it might be a good fit. He will also improve their abominable defense. Fitz 06-18-2011 01:51 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3) 29     23 Well the Tristan Thompson article is good. The Hamilton Article has one mistake.In the 1st paragraph it says, "there are concerns about him about him being dialed in..." You put "about him" twice. Walter 06-17-2011 01:52 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 20     22 Haha thanks for that. I definitely won't hate you for it. It's hard to proofread at 2 am. Fitz 06-16-2011 03:46 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3) 17     20 Yea i understand. Gotta make that paper ha. Btw, in the last paragraph of the Singleton article it needs to say, "never will BE a star". Right now its says, "never will a star". I decided I'm gonna keep gonna keep correcting your articles until you start hating me Walter 06-14-2011 01:28 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 20     29 Haha definitely not my morals. It's what the advertisers and Google want, and since this is my main source of income, I have to do as they say. Fitz 06-13-2011 02:17 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3) 23     22 Yea I figured it was probably just bad grammar on Liggins' part but I figured I would correct it just in case. You cant say anything with a** in it or sh*t and a few others such as d*ck and so on and so forth. I understand if you have to do it because of advertisers and things like that, but I hope it's not because of your morals haha Walter 06-13-2011 01:42 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 17     20 Thanks, Fitz. I made some of the corrections. Two of them were wrong though because that's how the quote was said. You should never fix the grammar in the quote if that's how the player said it. What specific filter are you talking about? Fitz 06-11-2011 11:55 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3) 22     19 *Hands instead of hand. Haha i f'ed up while correcting your f ups. And you need to get rid of the bad language filter on here imo. It's annoying Fitz 06-11-2011 11:52 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3) 26     19 Walt- Well the first sentence did say Every year i scratch at instead of scratch my head at, but i guess u just fixed that recently. In the 3rd paragraph you say "the extremely talent bunch of recruits coming to Kentucky...". It should be TALENTED bunch 5th paragraph- "We had other guys who more highly recruited than me..." Should be "other guys who WERE more highly recruited than me" 7th paragraph- "but he never showed a consistency in attacking the basket." you need to take out the A. 8th paragraph- Hands instead of hands in " I didn't have the ball in my hand a lot" I'm not trying to be a grammar nazi btw. Just trying to help out. JimB 06-11-2011 09:13 am xxx.xxx.xxx1.14 (total posts: 1) 17     23 I believe he'll get drafted. His offense has improved year after year, he keeps improving his all around game and is reasonably athletic. I watched him play a lot at KY and his D is top notch. What team wouldn't want a wing player to come in off the bench and defend tirelessly and well, rebound, scrap for loose balls, and score if left open. He's the perfect player for that role, and a team first player as well. 2nd round to the Knicks or Celtics.... Walter 06-11-2011 01:15 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10) 18     18 Where are the errors? Fitz 06-10-2011 03:30 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3) 20     23 Walt, did you really edit this? Because there are still a ton of errors. If you ever want someone to proofread your stuff I'll be more than happy to. It's part of my job so I know what I'm doing. And trust me, you need it ha. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 67

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NFL Picks - Feb. 3