News-Record.com

Granted not many Tobacco Roaders pay much attention to the NBA, but it is interesting to get a read on how much the NBA is paying attention to Tobacco Road.

To that end, check out Seth Davis' piece in SI.com in which he gets anonymous reviews from NBA scouts on the viability of some of the top college players.

Of particular interest, of course, are the comments about the local guys - Josh McRoberts, Brandan Wright, Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington.

McRoberts is described as being a "blend guy" who "maybe" can be Toni Kukoc. Not exactly high praise. While I agree that McRoberts' probably lacks the ego to be a No. 1 guy on an NBA team, I'm not sure the Kukoc comparison is quite right. Kukoc was much more of a perimeter floater.

Wright is called "the best pro on that team, without a doubt," and a lock for the lottery if he comes out. No argument here.

Hansbrough gets bashed a bit. He's called "unathletic" and the scouts claim that the things that work for Hansbrough at the college level - his insane effort and intensity - won't be equally translatable in the pros. I agree, to an extent. You just can't spend five seconds in the low post, pivoting and pivoting until you can get a shot off, as Hansbrough often does. On the other hand, while long athletic types in the NBA are a dime a dozen, guys that will bring intensity and effort, as well as rebounding and power, every night are always prized. Just look at the career of Kurt Thomas. Don't you think Hansbrough's at least better than him?

Ellington's review is the least conclusive. The scouts basically tell Davis that they like Ellington and think he's very smooth, but every time they watch they him, they can't figure out why more of his shots don't go down. Join the rest of the club guys. I don't think a shooting slump should hurt Ellington's future NBA status though.

There are plenty more intersting reviews in the piece. Take a look.