Some questions for you?

1. Who played better last night head to head?
2. Who is having the better season?
3. Who would you rather have on your team this year if you are picking for a college squad?
4. Who do you think will be drafted first?
5. Who will have the better pro career?

Fun matchup to watch!

Here are the season averages:
Rabb: 15.3 pts, 11.0 rebs, 1.8 ass, 1.1 blks
Leaf: 17.5 pts, 9.1 rebs, 2.7 ass, 1.3 blks

Here are last night's stats:
Rabb: 17-20-1 in 39 mins.
Leaf: 18-11-3 in 33 mins.

concordtom;842786541 said:

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Some questions for you?

1. Who played better last night head to head? LEAF
2. Who is having the better season? LEAF
3. Who would you rather have on your team this year if you are picking for a college squad? RABB
4. Who do you think will be drafted first? RABB
5. Who will have the better pro career? RABB

Fun matchup to watch!

Here are the season averages:
Rabb: 15.3 pts, 11.0 rebs, 1.8 ass, 1.1 blks
Leaf: 17.5 pts, 9.1 rebs, 2.7 ass, 1.3 blks

Here are last night's stats:
Rabb: 17-20-1 in 39 mins.
Leaf: 18-11-3 in 33 mins.

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Here is how I would see it.

socalBear23;842786550 said:

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Here is how I would see it.

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I think both are good. I think Leaf has a ton more tools around him so it is very hard to judge. His move on Ivan in the post, however, was a man's move suggesting that it isn't at all one sided.

Both are future starting PF's in the NBA. Leaf is a bit more polished on offense, whereas Rabb might be a little better on D and on the boards.

tsubamoto2001;842786564 said:

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Both are future starting PF's in the NBA. Leaf is a bit more polished on offense, whereas Rabb might be a little better on D and on the boards.

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I don't want to bash anyone. However, I am curious. What things do you see in Ivan that make you think he is a starting PF?
I have a few wonders: he does not seem to post aggressively and seems upright and walking around on the offensive end. Is he big enough to bang inside? He does not seem dynamic off the dribble to beat guys. He has shot well from outside the past 2 games but that skill is still questionable. He does not seem like a plus athlete. I love the guy and hope that now fully healthy he takes off. Maybe the injuries have limited him and I'm being crazy. I would take Leaf over him. Leaf has had an outstanding season.

Rabb-
Strengths: Great defensive rebounder, excellent hands, uses either hand, good quickness, starting to show a three point shot, smart.
Weaknesses: Defense, court awareness, footwork, strength, explosiveness.
Summary: Will have nice 10 year NBA career if he can find someone who he can defend. Because right now he does not have the strength to guard 5s or the movement to guard modern NBA 4s. I think he will get there.

Leaf (only seen twice)-
Strengths: Shooting (47% from 3, 70% from 2), court awareness, basketball skills.
Weaknesses: Free throw shooting (62%).
Summary: Judged by how he looks (un-athletic) rather than how he plays (awesome). I see him scoring 20 points a game in the NBA.

Sluggo

Rabb -- I think the jury is still out a bit until he matures even more physically. The lack of defense and explosiveness will have him coming off the bench for a few years. But if he puts on a bit more weight and muscle, he can get better in those areas.

Leaf -- Plays a bit more of a European game. I like his range. He's actually really good at passing. He also reminds me a bit of Adam Keefe. He should probably stay in college one more year. He'd get more featured looks without Ball, Balford, and Isaac Hamilton shooting so much.

Right now, I'd probably want Rabb on my team. Five years from now, I think Leaf will probably have a slightly better career (because of shooting touch). We'll see though...

tsubamoto2001;842786564 said:

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Both are future starting PF's in the NBA. Leaf is a bit more polished on offense, whereas Rabb might be a little better on D and on the boards.

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As is Arizona's Markkanen whom I expect will be picked higher than both Rabb and Leaf due to his outside shooting ability and great upside.

SFBearz;842786687 said:

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As is Arizona's Markkanen whom I expect will be picked higher than both Rabb and Leaf due to his outside shooting ability and great upside.

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You may be correct, but not sure AZ's guy is as competitive as Leaf and Rabb.

I haven't seen enough of either of our opponents really to have a clear notion of them.

All 3 guys will have to pick up their games when they play in the NBA, against the likes of Draymond and Blake Griffin, to name just two...

Interestingly, Fox just posted prediction of top 20 draftees.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/gallery/big-board-top-20-nba-draft-prospects-markelle-fultz-malik-monk-010417

1. Fultz
6. Ball
8. Lauri markaanen
11. Rabb
14. Leaf


11 Ivan Rabb, PF, California, sophomore
Most were surprised when Rabb opted to return to California for his sophomore season, especially considering he likely would have been a top-10 pick and staying means he'll be in what is thought of as one of the best drafts in recent memory.

Regardless, Rabb, 19, is a very good power forward prospect. He has good size at 6-foot-10, plus good length and mobility, and he is a quality athlete. Offensively, there's ability, as he's good over his left shoulder, has nice touch around the basket and is capable of making mid-range jumpers. On the opposite end, Rabb protects the rim, has good instincts and does a good job of rebounding. He's currently averaging 15.2 points and 10.3 rebounds.

14 TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA, freshman
Leaf has helped himself as much as any player in the country over the first half of the college basketball season. What's been most impressive is his overall efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. He's shooting nearly 70 percent on his 2-point shot attempts and over 48 percent from 3-point range. Leaf has shown he can score the ball in a variety of ways and is effective both facing the rim and with his back to it. His rebounding has improved a great deal since high school, and he's played with tremendous energy throughout the season. Sure, there are defensive concerns, but his style and strength fit with what the NBA is looking for out of power forwards.

Rabbi faces hard doubles every single game where leaf isn't even close to the first option. Did leaf even start against us? Tj is a freaky athlete for college but not the pros his fundamentals for success in the pros are far more raw than Ivan. I see rabb being a a safer pick but leaf having a higher ceiling if he works really hard.

It's pretty clear Rabb has a tougher row to hoe than Leaf given the difference in supporting casts but I still wonder about the superlatives (e.g., lottery pick, pre-season AA) that have come Rabb's way absent eye popping on-court performance. Obviously his hand injury was a setback but I think he has a way to go to justify the hype. Hopefully, the improvement in his performance evidenced in recent games will continue to build the rest of the season. If Coleman can replicate his last outing with any degree of consistency it should help a lot. I still feel Rabb's greatest need is a more diverse attack to lessen the focus on him.

59bear;842786846 said:

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It's pretty clear Rabb has a tougher row to hoe than Leaf given the difference in supporting casts but I still wonder about the superlatives (e.g., lottery pick, pre-season AA) that have come Rabb's way absent eye popping on-court performance. Obviously his hand injury was a setback but I think he has a way to go to justify the hype. Hopefully, the improvement in his performance evidenced in recent games will continue to build the rest of the season. If Coleman can replicate his last outing with any degree of consistency it should help a lot. I still feel Rabb's greatest need is a more diverse attack to lessen the focus on him.

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Yeah - 20 rebounds didn't pop MY eyes. I thought he could have gotten 30 if he was any good <eyeroll>

If teams are smart they will double-team Rabb every time he gets the ball. Because of that, it will be a battle for him every game to put up impressive numbers. It was a great honor for him to be named a pre-season All American but at the end of the season I would not be surprised at all if doesn't end up an All-American. Not that he wouldn't deserve it, but Cal will probably have a middle-of-the-Pac season and he will get overlooked. I hope that doesn't happen, as it would be nice to have a Cal All-American. He'll get the NBA attention either way.

concordtom;842786818 said:

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Interestingly, Fox just posted prediction of top 20 draftees.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/gallery/big-board-top-20-nba-draft-prospects-markelle-fultz-malik-monk-010417

1. Fultz
6. Ball
8. Lauri markaanen
11. Rabb
14. Leaf


11 Ivan Rabb, PF, California, sophomore
Most were surprised when Rabb opted to return to California for his sophomore season, especially considering he likely would have been a top-10 pick and staying means he'll be in what is thought of as one of the best drafts in recent memory.

Regardless, Rabb, 19, is a very good power forward prospect. He has good size at 6-foot-10, plus good length and mobility, and he is a quality athlete. Offensively, there's ability, as he's good over his left shoulder, has nice touch around the basket and is capable of making mid-range jumpers. On the opposite end, Rabb protects the rim, has good instincts and does a good job of rebounding. He's currently averaging 15.2 points and 10.3 rebounds.

14 TJ Leaf, PF, UCLA, freshman
Leaf has helped himself as much as any player in the country over the first half of the college basketball season. What's been most impressive is his overall efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. He's shooting nearly 70 percent on his 2-point shot attempts and over 48 percent from 3-point range. Leaf has shown he can score the ball in a variety of ways and is effective both facing the rim and with his back to it. His rebounding has improved a great deal since high school, and he's played with tremendous energy throughout the season. Sure, there are defensive concerns, but his style and strength fit with what the NBA is looking for out of power forwards.

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Waltz is the best player in the conference in the limited games I have seen. I'm not the NBA, but I like the 3 power forwards before Ball if i'm drafting. Ball gets someone defensive attention he seems to disappear. The 3 power forwards and Fultz get defensive focus that Ball doesn't get because of Alford and other UCLA shooters.