Know the Prospect: Jarvis Varnado

is looking at that Draft .net pairing, they have Craig Brackins going next, and while I like him and think he’s got great upside, esp if he adds more strength and bulk, I’m not too sure he’s the answer at that spot. Guess it depends who’s available.

he is a kid, 2-3 years of trainers and working out and he will gain a good 20-25 pounds.

someone will snatch Bledsoe before our picks, but I think it is realistic that Varnado could fall to us

that clyde would call him the “terror-dark-tal.”

But he definitely has the timing and length to help on 5’s. And Lee didn’t have a great outside shot when he first came to the Knicks, and look at him now. It is just how hard he is willing to work on his jumper, and from all accounts it seems like this kid has a great work ethic.

to teach this kid, or any kid in the world, to have the timing he has. but everyone can work hard enough and eventual become a proficient free throw shooter. i think thats all there is to this kid.

you’re totally right. and its not like we would need him to come off the bench and start canning j’s from all over the floor. but if he gets fouled on a dunk attempt, it would be nice to feeel confident that he will make the freebies.

Thank you, Latrell, that does work much better

Varnado is graduating…. big difference mentally. Plus Varnado isn’t looking like a lottery pick, so ess pressure to perform.

and projects (read alabi et al) VERY VERY rarely pan out. dejuan blair was a sure thing, with a few question marks, and he stepped right in and made a huge impact for a top-notch team. jordan hill (for instance) struggled to prove legitimacy, yet one was a top pick in the first round and one was almost an afterthought.

that sort of thing happens every year, its maddening! but to get a guy, and you know what he brings to the table, and you don’t really have to question it, is tough to argue with.

the balk on blair was because of his knees/height. the balk on varnado will be his strength/height. but honestly, if a guy can play ball, he will have a positive effect on your team.

look at Taj Gibson as another.

Kinda doesn’t make too much sense. People always look for the 3-R HR pick, but most of the time the single up the middle knocks in at least one run.

Hopefully the “low upside” of Varnado and the “small stature” of Sherron Collins plays right into the Knicks hands with the 38 and 39th picks in the draft.

PG/SG dilemma he brings. Good ball handler who makes bad decisions, and a good shooter with bad shot selection when he’s the focus. It’s, to me, kinda the same problem we had with Crawford, and almost the same problem with Jordan Crawford, another guy who might be available at our position. I think Jordan Crawford is better as a 6th man whereas Warren is better when coached into a PG role, where he doesn’t have to be relied on as the shooter. But he will require solid coaching to get his decision making better and get him focused on the defensive side of the ball. He’s a grreat player, so is Jordan Crawford, but I take a flyer on both for a more pure SG or pure PG. Although I wouldn’t complain if we got either to their skill and potential. Maturity is the key for Wille Warren, whereas Crawford needs to learn technique and positioning on defense. By writing this and considering immediate impact, and proven big-game experience, I would opt on the side of Crawford as he came up big in the NCAA Tournament. Having a bad year last year didn’t help Willie, maybe another run would’ve, but he may’ve warn out his welcome. I like Varnado as one of our picks if he doesn’t fly up the board, I like Crawford, Bledoe, Jerome Jordan, dare I say Craig Brackins (think he’ll be gone), even another tweener in Dominique Jones. I see a lot of Vasquez talk but he’ll have trouble guarding NBA shooting guards or containing fast PG’s. All said, that leaves Bouldin who has the best upside in my opinion for the Knicks, with conditioning and coaching, a skilled teachable ball handler like him could be the steal we’re looking for. My picks then right now with what would be available to us without making any moves is Varnado and Bouldin.