Anyone think Pons will really officially declare for the draft

#51
#51
If Pons goes NBA it is only because he got lucky and the players are thin that are available for signing. Other than that, he's SOL.
 
#53
#53
PulaskiVolFan said:
It's a good comparison but Dale Ellis had a ton more moves, especially in the post, than Pons straight line style. Ellis was always a polished shooter as well. Folks forget that Dale was great defensively too. He once stood toe to toe with big Ralph! I think Pons future is to play overseas and I'd be surprised if he ever made an NBA roster. I could see him making the Globetrotters over an NBA team.
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Ellis was the second quickest inside player from TN that I ever saw - nobody was in King's league on that. And yes, Ellis was a much better offensive player than Pons will ever be, and was also a legit 6'7". I seriously doubt that Pons is 6'6". I have to respectfully disagree with the statement about Ralph. I remember it being more Howard Wood who drew the assignment of Sampson.
 
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#55
#55
VOLED said:
Ellis was the second quickest inside player from TN that I ever saw - nobody was in King's league on that. And yes, Ellis was a much better offensive player than Pons will ever be, and was also a legit 6'7". I seriously doubt that Pons is 6'6". I have to respectfully disagree with the statement about Ralph. I remember it being more Howard Wood who drew the assignment of Sampson.
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I remember thinking that Dale definitely had the better game than Ralph that day. Man, that was a really good team back then. Devoe is really underrated, he was a really good coach.
 
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#56
#56
bleedingTNorange said:
By the time combine had rolled around GW was pretty much consensus 1st rounder, but even if it was 1st and early 2nd, that’s better than what Pons is getting projected as. Literally one outlet I have seen shows him 1st round, and most I have seen don’t have him getting drafted at all.
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This seems more likely.
 
#61
#61
omghulkhands said:
From my perspective, Pons on the surface looks like one of those gambles that many NBA teams make.

The hyper athletic player with potential who lacks A, B or C on their game. A player to develop.

Only like 1/10 of those kinds of players work out.

For every Giannis there are 9 Caleb Swanigan type busts.

Maybe I’m biased, but Pons likely has less bust potential cause I think he is smarter and has a better work ethic than the average. Somebody might find that in his scouting report and be willing to gamble on him.

You would not draft Pons for what he can be now, but what he could be in 4 years
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If he plays for Rick another year and makes another jump that 4 probably drops to 2. He is fun to watch.
 
#63
#63
VOLED said:
more like would not adapt
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That's accurate. He was way too stubborn and old school disciplined to adjust to changing rules and elite players' styles and attitudes. Right after the 3-point line was added, Devoe was quoted as saying that if he caught any players checking their feet positions relative to the 3PL before putting up perimeter shots he'd pull them out of the game.

The 45-second shot clock disrupted his philosophy as well. He'd go into a compact version of Dean Smith's 4-corners offense if he had a 2 or 3 possession lead lead with around 5 minutes remaining. He'd put the PG out front and pairs of players at each side of the free throw line extended that would set picks for each other. They'd all be good free throw shooters and he was looking to either get to the free throw line or get an easy, uncontested layup out of the formation.

Funny that Devoe resisted the shot clock and 3-point line so much while he also advocated for a 12-foot goal. At that time the top teams all had the big low posts that just camped out in the paint and were unstoppable near the basket. It really got kind of boring to watch, much like today's 3-point shooting contests. Ironic as the 3-pointer was largely added to counter the huge advantage of teams with the dominating big man. Hakeem, Ralph Sampson, Wayman Tisdale, Patrick Ewing, Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin... those teams were nearly impossible to stop.
 
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#64
#64
Thunder Good-Oil said:
That's accurate. He was way too stubborn and old school disciplined to adjust to changing rules and elite players' styles and attitudes. Right after the 3-point line was added, Devoe was quoted as saying that if he caught any players checking their feet positions relative to the 3PL before putting up perimeter shots he'd pull them out of the game.

The 45-second shot clock disrupted his philosophy as well. He'd go into a compact version of Dean Smith's 4-corners offense if he had a 2 or 3 possession lead lead with around 5 minutes remaining. He'd put the PG out front and pairs of players at each side of the free throw line extended that would set picks for each other. They'd all be good free throw shooters and he was looking to either get to the free throw line or get an easy, uncontested layup out of the formation.

Funny that Devoe resisted the shot clock and 3-point line so much while he also advocated for a 12-foot goal. At that time the top teams all had the big low posts that just camped out in the paint and were unstoppable near the basket. It really got kind of boring to watch, much like today's 3-point shooting contests. Ironic as the 3-pointer was largely added to counter the huge advantage of teams with the dominating big man. Hakeem, Ralph Sampson, Wayman Tisdale, Patrick Ewing, Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin... those teams were nearly impossible to stop.
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I had the opportunity to be an invited walk on (they didn't really call it that back then) and live in Gibbs Hall my freshman year when DeVoe was there. The class was 1979 and included Dale Ellis, Craig Weiner?, Seth McDonald, Anthony Love, and Michael Poole. I just stayed the first quarter, but I roomed with Seth and got to practice/workout with the team. DeVoe's workouts were brutal, but he seemed to be a fair person and I pretty much stayed clear of him - the preseason was mostly run by Coach Burton. Others were K Nash and Gary Carter, to name a few.

Your assessment of DeVoe is pretty much spot on. A shame he would not adjust as he was a superior on court coach IMO.
 
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#65
#65
VOLED said:
Your assessment of DeVoe is pretty much spot on. A shame he would not adjust as he was a superior on court coach IMO.
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Being an assistant to Bobby Knight for 5 years at Army made him pretty hard nosed and no-nonsense. Navy was a really good fit for Devoe. TN before the
mid 1980s was as well. At least by the time he had Tony White, Fred Jenkins, and Dyron Nix he started to come around a bit. But the damage was already done.

I thought that had Buzz added him to his staff that TN could have gotten back on the map. Buzz could recruit and Devoe could X and O.
 
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#66
#66
Speaking of coaches, who else did Mike Hamilton interview in 2011 to replace Pearl besides Byrd and Martin?
 
#67
#67
sport3500 said:
Speaking of coaches, who else did Mike Hamilton interview in 2011 to replace Pearl besides Byrd and Martin?
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I don't think anybody had a serious interview from TN's standpoint. Pearl was THE target when he had Milwaukee in the Sweet 16. Much the same situation when KO had Marquette in the S16 as well.
 
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#68
#68
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Right after the 3-point line was added, Devoe was quoted as saying that if he caught any players checking their feet positions relative to the 3PL before putting up perimeter shots he'd pull them out of the game.
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And that is the capsule summary of Devoe's downfall.
 
#69
#69
Pons would most likely be a mid-late 2nd round pick if he decided to leave. This is considered a very weak NBA draft compared to next year. The good thing about Pons is that his role is clearly defined for him. 3 and D guy who ideally can sit in the corner and knock down open 3 balls. He has defensive versatility and elite athleticism. He should test well at the combine.

As long as Pons likes school my guess is that he will stay. If his offensive game continues to develop and he shoots a better percentage from 3, he could sneak his way into round 1. He still needs to needs to improve his team defense and understanding his rotations, but he has improved drastically there already. He would be really valuable to a contending team late in round 1 as a plug and play 3 and D guy. Pons is actually a better NBA prospect than Admiral.
 
#70
#70
Vols8086 said:
Pons would most likely be a mid-late 2nd round pick if he decided to leave. This is considered a very weak NBA draft compared to next year. The good thing about Pons is that his role is clearly defined for him. 3 and D guy who ideally can sit in the corner and knock down open 3 balls. He has defensive versatility and elite athleticism. He should test well at the combine.

As long as Pons likes school my guess is that he will stay. If his offensive game continues to develop and he shoots a better percentage from 3, he could sneak his way into round 1. He still needs to needs to improve his team defense and understanding his rotations, but he has improved drastically there already. He would be really valuable to a contending team late in round 1 as a plug and play 3 and D guy. Pons is actually a better NBA prospect than Admiral.
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The problem Pons has are his handles and his lack of any offensive creativity. His shot is SLOW and will be easily defended at the next level. He is not a very good rebounder to be as strong as he is and with the vertical he possesses. As good as he was defensively this year, both Bowden and JJJ routinely guarded the other teams best players, especially Bowden as his on the ball defensive skills seem better to me. I just don't see him being drafted at all until he improves his ball skills, just too big of a liability offensively right now. If any potential NBA player ever needed another year of college ball it would be Pons. Back to back defensive player of the year in the SEC would definitely bump his chances up next year.
 
#71
#71
At this point with all the virus stuff if I was Pons agent I’d advise him to go even if he’s mid 2nd round to not being drafted at all. There is just too many unknowns with this virus and how that might effect summer workouts and even the season. It would be overly optimistic imo to think this summer off season program is going to be such that he is really going to able to make many strides with the skills he needs to work on. He’s just nit likely to get the attention at Tenn for that. And who knows there might not even be a season next year. I think he should move on
jmo
 
#72
#72
PulaskiVolFan said:
The problem Pons has are his handles and his lack of any offensive creativity. His shot is SLOW and will be easily defended at the next level. He is not a very good rebounder to be as strong as he is and with the vertical he possesses. As good as he was defensively this year, both Bowden and JJJ routinely guarded the other teams best players, especially Bowden as his on the ball defensive skills seem better to me. I just don't see him being drafted at all until he improves his ball skills, just too big of a liability offensively right now. If any potential NBA player ever needed another year of college ball it would be Pons. Back to back defensive player of the year in the SEC would definitely bump his chances up next year.
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I'm well aware of his lack of handles and offensive creativity, but I don't think he is every going to have those. And teams aren't going to be looking at those things in determining why/why not to draft him anyway. The only offensive skills he needs are the ability to catch and shoot from 3 and catch the lob. That's it. He will never be a guy to create his own offense. His ceiling is a Bruce Bowen type player and that will be the role he is drafted to fill and the plan for his development.

Bowden and JJJ guarded the best perimeter player at times while Pons took the bigs, which allowed him to protect the rim more than if he was guarding the perimeter. Pons was our best rim protector by far, so why would you want him guarding the perimeter routinely? If you did that, who is Bowden going to guard? Bowden tries really hard but he isn't anything special defensively. JJJ could be but he is young and has a lot to learn still. So I wouldn't take those 2 guys guarding perimeter players as a downgrade on Pons. I see the defensive assignments as a byproduct of the roster and the best way to play team defense.

Pons brings you versatility on the defensive end where he could guard 1-5 for stretches if you're in a switch everything defensive scheme. He is big and athletic enough to guard posts, but can step out and guard the perimeter as well. Him being back to back DPOY in the SEC is irrelevant to his draft stock. He is a good enough defender and elite athlete where he has a chance to get drafted now. His draft stock improving is totally dependent on the improvement of his 3 point shot.
 
#73
#73
Vols8086 said:
I'm well aware of his lack of handles and offensive creativity, but I don't think he is every going to have those. And teams aren't going to be looking at those things in determining why/why not to draft him anyway. The only offensive skills he needs are the ability to catch and shoot from 3 and catch the lob. That's it. He will never be a guy to create his own offense. His ceiling is a Bruce Bowen type player and that will be the role he is drafted to fill and the plan for his development.

Bowden and JJJ guarded the best perimeter player at times while Pons took the bigs, which allowed him to protect the rim more than if he was guarding the perimeter. Pons was our best rim protector by far, so why would you want him guarding the perimeter routinely? If you did that, who is Bowden going to guard? Bowden tries really hard but he isn't anything special defensively. JJJ could be but he is young and has a lot to learn still. So I wouldn't take those 2 guys guarding perimeter players as a downgrade on Pons. I see the defensive assignments as a byproduct of the roster and the best way to play team defense.

Pons brings you versatility on the defensive end where he could guard 1-5 for stretches if you're in a switch everything defensive scheme. He is big and athletic enough to guard posts, but can step out and guard the perimeter as well. Him being back to back DPOY in the SEC is irrelevant to his draft stock. He is a good enough defender and elite athlete where he has a chance to get drafted now. His draft stock improving is totally dependent on the improvement of his 3 point shot.
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Respectfully disagree that Bowden was nothing special as a perimeter defender. And Pons has a lot to learn about defending the perimeter. He doesn’t anticipate and react as quickly as Bowden. Pons was great in the post defending bigger players but can get better defending in the perimeter.
 
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#74
#74
He won defensive POY because he blocked shots, not because he shut down the opponents best post players. I think he did a good job defending in the post, especially considering his lack of size but iirc the majority of his blocks were not against the guy he was bodied up against in the post.
 
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#75
#75
walkenvol said:
He won defensive POY because he blocked shots, not because he shut down the opponents best post players. I think he did a good job defending in the post, especially considering his lack of size but iirc the majority of his blocks were not against the guy he was bodied up against in the post.
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Yep. He was the safety over the top and got a lot of blocks that way

This may not be popular but I think he hurt us a lot of times defensively Because he was hunting blocks which got himself out of rebounding position too often
 
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