Who will be the first pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft? Who will turn out to be the steal of the draft? What could the 2016 NCAA Final Four look like?
Former Virginia Tech basketball coach and current ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg discussed that and more in what was a briefly contentious interview Monday on “Press Row” on Chattanooga’s ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: If you’re running the Minnesota Timberwolves, are you taking Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke’s Jahlil Okafor with the No. 1 pick?
A: “I would take Karl-Anthony Towns. I love them both and you can’t lose with either, but Karl-Anthony Towns is the most versatile player I’ve seen in a good long while. He’s 7-1 with a 7-4 reach and can score on either block. He can shoot the ball at least from the college 3-point line, and you can put him in ball screens.
“He makes free throws, and most importantly, he can defend the ball screen and get back to the front of the rim. The more I’ve gotten into it, the more he reminds me a little bit of Tim Duncan and his skill set.”
Q: Take out the top five or six projected picks, and who is the sleeper of this draft?
A: “I think Trey Lyles, because he’s moved down to where people have him as low as 18th. I think he’s going to be terrific and that he will move up to either Miami (10th pick) or Indiana (11th). He’s 6-10 and played some small forward for Kentucky this past year, but I think he’ll end up being a 4-man in the NBA.
“He’s got the size, strength and skill set, and he can rebound balls that are out of his area and play through contact. I think he’s a steal.”
Q: Has the NBA draft become tougher to follow due to the influx of foreign players and the one-and-done college players?
A: “I think it’s become the hardest thing to predict because it’s a futures market. In terms of following, we’re only talking about a very few European players in the first round. This year there will only be two, and it’s been a while with these one-and-dones. We’ve been tracking all of them since they were high school sophomores.
“The basketball junkies are very familiar with them, but the casual fans will be introduced to several players for only the first or second time.”
Q: We just completed an NBA season in which Steph Curry was MVP and won a title. There have been reflective articles about his recruitment –
A: “You want to talk about the NBA draft? We can talk about the NBA draft. I’ve already gone on record that we recruited Steph Curry and did an in-home visit with him. We didn’t have a scholarship available and we asked him to walk on for a year and that we would give him one as soon as one became available.
“He would have had a four-year scholarship, and sadly we wanted him to redshirt at that time. He picked a great school (Davidson) and played for a great coach (Bob McKillop) and had a great career. Next question.
Q: Well, I was curious what kind of relationship –
A: “Next question!”
Q: OK. I want to ask about North Carolina and the investigation into academic fraud. Will the Tar Heels be a part of the 2016 NCAA tournament?
A: “I think they will play in the NCAA tournament next year. I’m not sure what their punishment is going to be. I think they will appeal any type of punishment they do get in terms of their basketball program. I haven’t read the whole report, but the parts I have read did not cite Coach (Roy) Williams for an institutional issue, and I think their greater concerns are bigger than the NCAA.
“I think it will be accreditation within their institution. That’s going to be their most damaging issue. It’s unfortunate, because it’s definitely hanging over their program. They definitely have a shot at the Final Four.”
Q: Who else could make a run at the Final Four?
A: “I think Indiana is a potential Final Four team. They’ve got a terrific backcourt and a terrific recruiting class. Purdue has a frontcourt that is as good as any in college basketball, and I think Cal has a terrific recruiting class and is a sleeper in the West. As you’re looking at the Pac-12, Cal is a team who could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament even though they will be young up front.
“Utah will be good as well, and in the ACC you can’t ever count out Duke. A lot of people have Maryland in the Big Ten up there, and they’ve got a very good returning crew. We had the intrigue of Kentucky this past year, but next year we’re going to have greater parity.”
Q: What is your take on Tennessee’s program after some up-down-down years?
A: “I think Tennessee is a program that can get to a Final Four. They’ve got terrific facilities and a great location, and they are in a great league with passionate fans. It’s going to take time, but Rick (Barnes) was a great hire. He’s a professional coach and a program builder, so he’s not going to take short cuts.
“He’s going to recruit the state hard. He’s built programs in the ACC, Big 12 and Big East, and he understands the business of the business. I think will do a terrific job and that Tennessee fans will love him. His teams are going to play really hard, and you’re going to get consistency out of that program that you haven’t had in a while.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.