Tagged: Ed Davis RSS

  • shwineka 4:19 pm on June 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Alabama, , Bob McAdoo, , , , , Ed Davis, , Gordon Hayward, , James McAdoo, , Justin Knox, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

    Catching up 

    Is it finally over? By that I mean the sick feeling in your stomach re: the most recent NCAA championship. Mine has finally subsided. So might as well cure the subsequent blogging hangover by getting back at it eh?

    What better way to get over a case of the “I-can’t-believe-Gordon-Hayward-missed-that-shot”s than by looking forward to next year. Now that the NBA draft deadline has passed, we know that Easy Ed will be leaving us for bigger and better things. Can’t really blame him. He’s a projected lottery pick depending on how the draft day moves go, and he stands to lose a lot of money by staying in college for another year with all that lockout business.

    So then there’s Harrison Barnes. The No. 1 recruit in the country is coming in with some highly touted classmates to add some more youth to what is already going to be a young team. But wait! Why not make it even younger?

    Over the past few days it’s come to light that James McAdoo, nephew of former Tar Heel and NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, and a Top 5 recruit in the class of 2011, might just pull an Andre Dawkins and come to UNC next year with Barnes and Co. Read this piece on SI.com and it will make you feel all warm and giddy inside. Here’s a throwback of ol’ Bob, sorry about the watermark. Only image I could find in a Heels uni.

    Well if you read that article, it’s made clear by James McAdoo’s father that James came up with the idea once the Wear twins transferred. That gave me some piece of mind. I was afraid that Roy might have been pulling a Coach K. As in last year when Dawkins came to Duke as a 17-year-old. I never read any stories on him – why woud I? – but after Elliot Williams transferred I was sure it was K figuring out some way to bolster his roster. Unfortunately whoever initiated the Dawkins early graduation talks, it worked out for them, but that’s beside the point.

    The other move I’m not sure we’ve covered here on the Rafters is the transfer of Justin Knox from Alabama. This should be a valuable pick-up. If he can put up his numbers from the SEC a year ago (6.3 pts., 3.7 rebs) that will be gravy. It’d be about equal to what two Wears were giving us, so even trade.

    I don’t think the McAdoo Move would alter the potential starting lineup for next season, nor will the Knox pickup.  At the beginning, I’m guessing Drew, Strickland, Graves, Henson, Zeller, with the expectation that Barnes will be starting by the ACC season.

    The transfers and early graduations would give us a very solid bench, however, with McAdoo and Knox spelling Henson and Zeller. Graves and Barnes wouldn’t be forced to play much post, and Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall will provide the guards with respite.

    Come to think of it, that would give the Heels exactly 10 players who would likely see minutes — one sub for each starter.

    And if they start playing anything like last year, that would come in handy when Roy needs to make one of his full line-up substitutions.

     

  • shwineka 3:16 pm on March 26, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: austin rivers, billy donovan, boston celtics, , doc rivers, , Ed Davis, , , , , , ,   

    UNC Recruiting Austin Rivers 

    UNC entered the recruitment of the class of 2011’s top shooting guard this week. Not surprising for Carolina to be pursuing a top recruit. What is surprising is that this recruit had already committed to Florida!

    It’s none other than the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin. The younger Rivers had committed to Billy Donovan, but recently opened his recruitment back up to none other than Dook. Well, two can play at that game, and apparently Doc and tha fam spoke with Roy and said they welcomed UNC getting into the mix. I guess Doc does know his stuff.

    UNC’s ‘11 class is already solid, but the addition of Rivers would put it among the best in the nation. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to come play with Harrison Barnes? It’s true that Barnes might be gone after his freshman year, but that’s just more PT for any potential recruit to take. Some have raised questions about whether Carolina will have enough scholarships, as Roy has already offered Rivers one that potentially won’t exist. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. Ed Davis will surely be gone by then, and the way John Henson progressed at the end of the season, he’ll be popping up on mock drafts at the end of next year as well. Might as well over-recruit so we don’t end up in a situation like this year — with weak ball handling that causes all those dang turnovers.

    Plus it’d just be icing on the cake to steal another top recruit from the goonies in Durham.

     

  • shwineka 5:28 pm on January 27, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , Ed Davis, , , , , , , ,   

    Guess Who’s Back? 

    (photos by Ethan Hyman of the N&O)

    Well, Ed Davis was back first of all, but more so, it was Carolina. I guess Roy makes a mean bologna sandwich, because last night the young Heels won on the road and had to come back in the second half, no less.

    Mimicking the formula of  UNC teams in recent years, the Heels went back and forth with a feisty over-performing opponent in the first half, and then pulled away to a double digit win. It’s both a blessing and a curse that UNC seems to get every team’s best shot. A curse for obvious reasons, and a blessing because of the past achievements that merit every team’s best shot.

    This far in the season we’ve seen more of the curse part.

    But not in Raleigh last night. The boys didn’t rattle at the raucous crowd, and I’m sure it was loud in there. As I’ve said before, it’s the sole purpose in a State fan’s life to beat Carolina.

    So sorry to disappoint.

    The point is things are looking up if the Heels continue to play at this speed. From Deon Thompson’s slick power-step-to-jam drive to John Henson’s weak-side blocks, things were just clicking. I wanted to say the block party had returned, but it was actually only Henson doing any blocking in his seven minutes of PT. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll repeat that stat below.

    Takeaways

    • The bench is getting shorter. All five starters played 28 minutes or more last night, and only Dexter Strickland and Travis Wear got double digit minutes off the bench.
    • Emergence of John Henson? Henson looked good in his limited time on the floor. He notched 2 pts, 2 rebs and 3 blocks. It’s nice watching this guy develop throughout the season. (I’m talking about his skills obviously —  kid is a beanpole.)
    • D-FENCE. UNC held NCSU scoreless for an 8-minute stretch in the second half. They did it lots of ways, too, whether it was Henson’s blocks or even Thompson creating steals at mid-court.
    • Good shots. UNC has been crushing the field-goal percentage category, including from three. Last night they shot 50.9% from the floor, 42.6% from downtown. Now if they’d only work on that 59.1% from the line.

    Superlatives

    • Blockmeister – Well, the only guy who got any blocks, John Henson. But especially for his two in one defensive possession.
    • Move that made you go “OHHHHH!” - Deon Thompson for that sick drive into jam. I will try to find some video of this, or make my own. I got DVR!
    • Not superstitious, just a little stitious – Roy Williams. Roy might think that talking about his ties makes us dadgum idiots, but did you see him wearing any stripes last night? All I’m saying is that our analysis shows us to be 0-3 in the ACC when he does. Just saying.
     

  • shwineka 5:30 pm on January 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Ed Davis, , Kenan Stadium, , , , , , , , , ,   

    UNC Beats Va. Tech 78-64 

    Last night was a fantastic one for Tar Heels fans everywhere. Conference play began, Marcus Ginyard returned, Roy Williams was his sharply dressed self again – sans sling – and, oh yeah, the Heels pulled out a W.

    From the onset of the game it appeared it would be more of the same we’ve come to expect from this young team. Some poor decisions and ummmm, we’ll call it “inefficient layup production,” had Carolina trailing by four at the half.

    Then the impostors who we’ve been developing a certain familiarity with left and the real, full-potential UNC team came back out for the second half. The 3’s fell quickly and were ultimately the difference in the game. Five 3-pointers in the second half and a 14-point win, you do the math.

    Maybe it was their obnoxious football fans who showed up at Kenan the first year Va. Tech joined the ACC, but for some reason I really dislike that team, and especially losing to them. Nice job, boys.

    Last night was a good, character-building win. UNC built a lead, and kept it for the first time against a power-conference foe.

    Takeaways


    • WILL GRAVES! - Thirteen points on 5-10 shooting including trey, treys would have been enough, but Graves decided to add six boards and two blocks just for good measure. If UNC can get that kind of production from Graves it would cause opponents to have to guard the perimeter more honestly and not crash down on our bigs, opening up the offense a bit. Last night can only be a good sign.
    • John Henson - Henson is starting to understand his role a bit better. He had as many blocks last night as points (2) and notched one of every other statistical category (Rebs, Asts, Stls — and TOs). He only played 10 minutes, so to me that shows he’s getting after the ball and making better decisions based on what situation he’s in. Now if only he could add 20 pounds, that’d be great. Love ya, John, but sometimes I worry you might break.
    • Holding the lead - As I said above, Carolina built a lead in the second half — like they have in many games — but this time they held on to it. Tech never got back in the game after going down 15, and the win was never in doubt after that point.

    Superlatives

    • Not as “Fierce” as Roy Award - To Seth Greenberg for his failed attempt at lookin’ sharp.

    • Mr. Consistency - Mr. “Easy” Ed Davis had another double double (20 pts, 11 rebs) and chipped in four blocks, including a couple of monster pins to the backboard. Now if he’d only cut down on those four TOs…..
    • Perpetually Most-Improved Player - Dexter Strickland might not be a consistent, go-to scorer yet, but his decision making is constantly getting better. Dex had one TO in 21 minutes last night.

    (Photos by Robert Willet of the N & O)

     

  • shwineka 12:02 pm on January 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Ed Davis, , , , , , , , style, , , ,   

    Which Carolina player has the best style? 

    When you’re wearing the same uniform as your 15 other teammates, the only way to distinguish yourself is through your shoes. So that poses the question, who has the best style on the team?

     

  • shwineka 3:51 pm on January 5, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , , , , Ed Davis, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

    Postgame: UNC – College of Charleston 

    (photo by N&O’s Robert Willet)

    I could sit here and rant about hustle and turnovers and defense. I could complain that UNC didn’t have two of its starters — and upperclassman starters at that. I could even blame it on Roy, saying he should have had them better prepared for the game.

    But that would be silly because he basically did that for me.

    Maybe it’s because it’s already the next day and I’ve had time to calm down, but I think this loss will help the Heels down the road. My advice to the Heels:

    Kill, baby, kill!

    How did I arrive at this conclusion?

    First an aside: Larry Drew’s comments after the game:

    “Yeah, we talked. We always talk. There’s something with this team – we’ve got to stop talking at a point, and start playing. We’ve got to start walking the talk. … I feel like I’ve heard everything — from the players, from the coaches. It’s getting to a point where we’ve just got to start doing what we say we’re going to do.”

    Coach Williams said this team was about as low as it could get right now. Do you agree with that?

    “Wouldn’t you? Yeah. I don’t think right now… We’ve just got to play better.”

    Is there something different going on during these road games?

    “We’ve just got to play better. That’s all it comes down to. I mean, I missed a ton of shots out there. We’ve just got to make shots and make stops. [We’ve] got to manage the game better – that’s on me.”

    It sounds to me like the team is feeling what the Tar Heel faithful have been feeling throughout these last few games. And frankly it’s just what LD said — they’ve got to play better.

    More than that, the team needs to mature into a full-blown killing machine.

    Young teams always have this problem. They manage to build a lead, then watch it slip away as they try to hold on until time expires. What Easy Ed, LD, Deon, Dex, Big Z, Will, JWatts, T. Wear, D. Wear, Marcus, Henson and Leslie McDonald need to do is go for the freaking throat. Don’t let up intensity just because you’ve got a lead. Hell, even the Dukies are beating people by 40.

    Rutgers closed it down to four near the end. In the team’s best wins this season (Ohio State and Michigan State) UNC has squandered double digit leads, even being up 17 in the second half to MSU before they brought it to single digits. We’re not going to talk about that OSU game, though Larry Drew that’s when I started to love you.

    So back to this loss being a good thing. All of those wins-that-could-have-easily-turned-to-losses have had us Heels fans on edge over the past several weeks. Before College of Charleston, it was easy to chalk up the “L”s to playing Top 5 talent. Now there’s no excuses. UNC needs to amp up for the conference schedule, and this loss might just be the kick in the ass they need. The potential that many saw at the beginning of the season is still there.

    They’ve just simply got to play meaner.

     

  • gonzologist 5:53 pm on December 29, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 12.4, 16.5, 2.5, 2009, Aesthetics, , , , Ed Davis, , hyperdunk, , , , jordan 12 rising sun, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

    It’s Got To Be The Shoes – UNC Men’s Basketball Team Shoes Pt. II 

    About a month and a half ago I ran a post on the shoes UNC basketball players had worn up to that point in the season. That was only through the first two games of the season, plus the exhibition game. In the time since, the Heels have rolled out a bevy of new styles and changed up their footwear choices.

    First off, a quick guide to the shoes that have been worn this season by at least one Tar Heel:

    Jumpman Hallowed Ground

    Jumpman Ol’ School III

    Jordan 16.5

    Jordan 2.5

    Jordan 2009

    Jordan 12

    Jordan 12.5

    Nike Hyperize

    Nike Hyperdunk

    Now the players:

    Larry Drew II: Larry has kept it simple and worn the Jordan 2.5 all season. The 2.5 was a big shoe last season and has carried over for Larry this season.

    Marcus Ginyard: I was surprised when Marcus broke the mold and went outside the Jordan or Jumpman brands and decided to wear the Nike Hyperize. The Hyperize is being worn by about every college team outfitted by Nike as it comes in a wide selection of colors, but the Carolina blue colorway has only been seen one other place to my knowledge.

    David Wear: I was not able to find photographic evidence of David’s shoes from the beginning of the season, but I am 95 percent sure it was the Jumpman Pro. David was one of the first, however, the wear the Jordan 16.5 during the Heels MSG outing. David continued wearing the 16.5 for several games, but during the last four has worn the Jordan Ol’ School III, including his first collegiate start against Marshall and last night’s game against Rutgers.

    Deon Thompson: So far, Deon has been rotating three shoes. He began the season in the Jumpman Pro, which was a holdover from last season although he did not wear it during the National Championship game[he wore the Jordan 2.5]. He then switched over to the Jumpman Hallowed Ground for games against Gardner-Webb, Nevada and Kentucky before wearing the Jumpman Ol’ School III at Cowboys Stadium against Texas. Deon reverted to the Jumpman Hallowed Ground for the Marshall game but then broke out the Jordan 16.5 last night.

    Ed Davis: Ed has swtiched his flavor up a couple times throughout the short season. In the exhibition and opener he was seen in the Jumpman Pro but brought out the Jordan 2009 for the bright lights at MSG. This seems to be a trend as for games against Kentucky and Texas, Easy Ed also wore the more flashy Jordan 2009s. I may be looking too far into the importance of the game and correlation of the shoe because the 2009 does have more blue in it which would go better with the away uniforms that the team has also worn for each of those games. For games with Presbyterian, Marshall and Rutgers, Ed was back in the Jumpman Pro. I thought Ed had worn the Jordan 16.5 before but I have no evidence of that.

    Dexter Strickland: Even though he is only a freshman, Dexter has not been shy to take advantage of the shoe situation. Early in the season Dexter was wearing the Jumpman Hallowed Ground but by Gardner-Webb was onto the Jordan 16.5. Following Marcus’ footsteps, Dexter bucked the trend hard and wore the Nike Hyperdunk in games against Nevada and Michigan State, further confusing at least me when the colorway was navy and white, not a bit of Carolina blue in it. At Kentucky he was back to the Jordan 16.5 before switching to the Jordan 12 “Rising Sun” colorway for games with Texas, Marshall and Rutgers. I think I remember someone calling that earlier this season.

    John Henson: Sticking with freshman, John Henson hasn’t had quite as much variety as his counterpart but did offer a surprise as of late. This whole season John has been sporting the Jumpman Hallowed Ground, which we have photos from NCCU and Texas, though I can promise he was wearing them throughout. For Marshall and last night’s Rutgers game he brought out the Nike Hyperize in the same colorway that Marcus wears.

    Will Graves: Mr. Graves stumped me with his shoe choice for the beginning of the season. Against FIU through Valpo, Will was wearing some member of the Jumpman or Jordan brand that I can’t figure out. Will and Ed must talk about their shoes because in the games that Ed has worn the 2009s – MSG, Kentucky, Texas - Will has also worn them. Again it may have something to do with the uniforms though. Otherwise, Will has somewhat settled on the Jumpman Hallowed Grounds as his go-to as he has worn them against Gardner-Webb, Marshall and Rutgers.

    Tyler Zeller: Tyler, who wore the Jumpman Pro for most of last year, has switched between the Jumpman Ol’ School III and Jordan 16.5 this season. Early in the season Z was sporting the Jumpman Ol’ School III, like he did here against FIU and NCCU. Otherwise from about Gardner-Webb onward he has been wearing the Jordan 16.5, including against Kentucky, Marshall and last night.

    Travis Wear: Travis was spotted sporting the Jumpman Ol’ School III in the exhibition against Belmont Abbey but has since switched to the Jumpman Pro which he’s worn in most game this season, including, NCCU, Gardner-Webb and Rutgers.

    Justin Watts: For most of this season Justin had been rocking the Jumpman Hallowed Ground. Last night against Rutgers, however, Justin was the first Tar Heel to wear the Jordan 12.5 out on the court. Nice change up.

    Leslie McDonald: All season Leslie has worn the Jumpman Ol’  School. Here he is against NCCU, Presbyterian, Texas,  Marshall and Rutgers. Here he is doing the Danny Green in pregame.

    Marc Campbell: When Campbell has been in the game he’s been seen in the Jordan 2.5.

    Terrence Petree: Last but not least, Mr. Petree who was spotted in the Jumpman Pro.

    Check out the whole gallery here.

     

    • lulu 3:56 pm on December 30, 2009 Permalink

      unbelievable info. thanks– I’ll be watching for any changes in their footwear.

  • shwineka 12:41 pm on December 5, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Ed Davis, , , Lexington, , , UK,   

    Kentucky Diatribe 

    (pic from Kentucky.com)

    Kentucky.

    Are there really any worse fans than those who support Big Blue? ………..Well, I can think of a few.

    But anyway, a link tweeted by Adam Lucas  has me fuming this morning. A light snow is falling in Lexington, but it was already a cold place before that. It’s not that they don’t have the history to be as boisterous as they are, it’s that they don’t have any respect for any other program. They are too good for your team who has less wins than them, too good for your team that has less championships and too good to hire a respectable coach. For UK, the ends justify the means. Thing is this time, those ends (wins) might not eventually be counted. It’s a theory known as “Cali-vacate-ology.”

    Fine. It’s their choice. But please don’t go crying when your wins record disappears (UNC has 1,991, UK 1,995). Don’t get mad when Roy Williams makes UNC the team with the second-most national titles (not that they had any respect for UCLA anyway). And certainly don’t get mad when Easy Ed and company wipe the floor with you in Rupp today.

    I hope the snow keeps falling. It’s gonna be a long, cold afternoon.

     

  • shwineka 11:54 pm on December 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , Buffalo Billiards, , , , , Dean Smith Center, , Ed Davis, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

    Deja Vu: UNC Handles Michigan State 

    UNC 89, MSU 82

    Box Score

    It’s becoming a common thing. UNC plays Michigan State. UNC wins.

    The Heels have taken their last five meetings with the Spartans, and these aren’t just in the Big 10-ACC Challenge games. I recall an April day in 2005. A hot Spartan team was in the Final Four making some noise and ready to take down the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels. Or wait was that 2009?

    Anyway, for all the things that Tom Izzo does well, he can’t seem to figure out his Carolina conundrum. And honestly, who didn’t think Tuesday was going to be his night?

    A completely different UNC team showed up in the Smith Center than I’ve seen this year. The froshs and sophs played like upperclassmen right from the tip-off, with UNC jumping out to an early lead. It had to feel sickening for MSU fans, a horrible case of deja vu. Us DC-based Rafters bloggers sat with a decent contingent of UNC fans at Buffalo Billiards. A great idea emerged. Anyone not privileged enough to live in Chapel Hill, like our esteemed colleague Benn, should tweet us to meet up in the DC area for game viewings. We like to go out. If we go out anyway, we’ll make sure to say where we’re going.

    Hey, we might even put your picture on the internets.

    Before I get all hot and bothered thinking about tweet ups:

    Takeaways:

    • The recruiting class of 2008 came out of its shell. LD and Easy Ed both notched career highs in points (18 and 22 respectively). LD hit some clutch shots and had a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio in 27 minutes. Davis was his normal smooth self. You must watch this guy on Ustream sometime. Just follow him on twitter and he’ll notify when he’s getting on. If you want to know why we love him so much that will tell you everything.
    • If there’s only 5 seconds left in a half, who gets the rock? Answer: Dexter Strickland. Strickland hit his second buzzer beater of the year at the end of the first half, sinking a trey.
    • Will Graves is a starter, but he logs bench minutes. He’s getting about the same run time as Strickland, John Henson and Tyler Zeller. Gut tells me that once Roy is more comfortable with Henson or Strickland they’ll get the start. (And after last night I gotta be leaning towards Strickland)
    • Back to Dex. Strickland had zero turnovers while logging some significant minutes at point. And as Luke Winn reminds us, he is a converted shooting guard. Got to be happy with that.
    • Are the Wears twins? …………or clones? Travis – 2 pts, 3 rebs in 6 minutes; David – 2 pts, 2 rebs in 7 minutes

    Superlatives

    • Players of the Game: Larry Drew and Ed Davis -  see above
    • Lookin’ Fierce Award: Roy Williams
    • John Henson, if there was an award for throwing the ball between your legs to save it from going out, we’d give it to you. I don’t think even the Rafters has an award for that.
     

    • Zach Evans 12:46 pm on December 3, 2009 Permalink

      With all due respect to Henson, maybe the award should be the “Don’t Save the Ball Underneath the Other Basket” Award. As impressive as it looked, it did lead to an easy MSU basket.

      I guess I’m just never satisfied.

  • shwineka 5:51 pm on December 1, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: A Legacy Fulfilled, , , , , , , Durham Herald Sun, , Ed Davis, High Five, , , , , Spartans, , , ,   

    UNC Takes on Michigan State in ACC-Big 10 Challenge 

    (pic from Edthesportsfan.com)

    Tonight begins what could be the toughest two weeks of the Tar Heels’ season. The defending champs are taking on the team they ousted for the title just eight months ago. The headlines back on that glorious April day: “A Legacy Fulfilled” – DTH and “High Five” – Durham Herald Sun, among others.

    The headlines might be a little different tomorrow as the Spartans are the favorites favored about equally tonight, but the test could prove to be a turning point for the Heels. Win or lose, I can’t see the impact of tonight’s result being negative. A win could start a wave of confidence that helps the Heels plow through December. A loss would identify the main weaknesses in a young team, preparing them for their other Top 10 match-ups this month and getting them ready for the ACC season.

    Some think we’ll win, others think we’ll lose. (No link for the lose crowd. After all, who actually picks the Heels to lose?)

    BTW that was the first time I’ve ever used the term “we” when talking about Carolina on this blog. I’ve tried staying away from it, but c’mon. You know you say it, too.

    Here’s a Rafters-worthy prediction:

    The Heels bigs hassle the tiny Spartans side-to-side and up and down the court. MSU shoots a horrible percentage while Big Z, Easy Ed and damn-he-needs-a-sweet-nickname Deon Thompson corral the boards and teasingly hold the ball above their heads. John Henson, who is also in need of a sick nombre, will have a breakout game and play 20 minutes, scoring 20 points. LD will teach Kalin Lucas to respect the wood — as Lucas will be on the floor after his ankles get broken so many times — and UNC will win by 15.

     

Older Posts →

c
compose new post
j
next post/next comment
k
previous post/previous comment
r
reply
e
edit
o
show/hide comments
t
go to top
l
go to login
h
show/hide help
esc
cancel
3 visitors online now
3 guests, 0 members
Max visitors today: 7 at 04:21 am GMT+5
This month: 10 at 09-01-2010 06:03 pm GMT+5
This year: 120 at 02-24-2010 09:35 am GMT+5
All time: 120 at 02-24-2010 09:35 am GMT+5