NBA draft was as I expected

[MU Avenue]

I have posted here recently my expectation that Wesley Matthews would be selected ahead of Jerel McNeal in NBA draft, if McNeal is drafted at all.

I was not certain that Matthews would be selected, but I was sure that McNeal's name would not be called.

I based my opinions of McNeal on how I saw him play over the past four seasons.

I would have loved seeing both players taken in the draft, but, as I have already written here, my gut has always been that Matthews is more "NBA" than is McNeal.

Matthews brings a steadiness and sense of control to the court. McNeal, meanwhile, brings a herky-jerky style of play that worked oftentimes against certain collegiate competition but will not play in the NBA.

I believe that professional teams saw in McNeal a player who would need tremendous amounts of coaching and retraining to become a player who would be able to truly compete and contribute in the NBA.

McNeal is a terrific player and a great athlete. Unlike many here, however, I do not see him being an obvious NBA player.

Matthews, now he is another story. ...

[chapman]

I think Matthews would have had to get drafted, or at least get invited to a summer league team before McNeal, before you can bust out the "I was right" post.