Will Deonta play in the NBA?

[BasketBySteveLogan]

These guys seem to think so.... #51

http://www.nbadraft.net/mocks/2010_nba_mock_draft.html

[Bearcats_Rule]

That is interesting... They have Vaughn going before Harangody....

[Not Guilty]

I personally think he will be drafted but won't stay on an NBA roster for any real length of time...

[CincyBeerCo]

By the time his 4 year college career is over, I would be shocked if he were not drafted (most likely 2nd round). Doubt he will be an NBA starter, but I will reserve judgment until after I finish enjoying his magnificent college career as a Bearcat.

[Globe Trotting Cat Fan]

I personally think he will be drafted but won't stay on an NBA roster for any real length of time...

I agree, but for me their is one little caveat.

If Deonta can use this season to truly settle in and learn how to run a team with any amount of confidence and consistency then I could see him being a consistent NBA player.

As great a shooter as he can be, at 6'0 to 6'1 he is smaller than even the smallest guys at the 2 spot in the NBA. Guys like Ben Gordon or Gilbert Arenas are themselves only about 6'3, but for whatever reason their talent and ability has kept them in the NBA at the 2 spot, and even gotten them long term deals.

Unfortunately, at the 2 spot, I don't see Deonta lasting long in the NBA. But, again, if he can grow into a serviceable point guard, I can see him having a healthy career in the league.

For now though, I want to see Deonta do those things for us for 2 more seasons! :D

Go Cats!

[GoCats247]

He has a chance, he's only half way thru his career so we'll see.

Either way, here or overseas, I see Deonte making a nice living playing hoops, which is great for him cause he deserves it.

[Billy Don]

Well Vaughn has a NBA 3 point range shot right now but that's the only part of his game that might be NBA ready. Of course he is only a junior and other parts of his game could improve but I don't see it. Interesting to see Yancy wasn't on the list. I guess his upside hasn't kicked in for them yet.

[Cat's Meow]

I think it's funny that the guy who did this Mock Draft listed Deonta as a PG.

Vaughn has great skill and the build he has on his 6'0"-6'1" frame will help a lot. But he will have to be able to handle the rock.

You might remember a local high school player named Robert Hite a few years back....all the skill you could ask for at SG but he was only 6'2" (even with his 190 lbs frame) and never learned how to play point. He was drafted and lasted about a year in the NBA before heading off to Europe.

It would a good thing for this team, too, if Deonta could sure up his PG skills a little bit (considering our current situation). I love watching him play the 2 spot but as far as pro potential goes, he'll have to play point.

[BeastUC]

He does have a pg upside that maybe will work as a back up in the NBA.PLus his shooting range also helps his case.
There's a lot of things guys don't do in college that they can do in the NBA,much like Rasheed Wallace being a 3-point shooter on a regular basis as he wasn't one in college.

[Bearcat Otto]

I think it's funny that the guy who did this Mock Draft listed Deonta as a PG.

Vaughn has great skill and the build he has on his 6'0"-6'1" frame will help a lot. But he will have to be able to handle the rock.

You might remember a local high school player named Robert Hite a few years back....all the skill you could ask for at SG but he was only 6'2" (even with his 190 lbs frame) and never learned how to play point. He was drafted and lasted about a year in the NBA before heading off to Europe.

It would a good thing for this team, too, if Deonta could sure up his PG skills a little bit (considering our current situation). I love watching him play the 2 spot but as far as pro potential goes, he'll have to play point.



Has anyone ever stood next to Vaughn? If you think he is 6 feet or bigger you are wrong. At best he is 5'10" and that is if he stretches out!

I dont think he has any chance at getting drafted. Not much call for a 5'10" guard who can't handle the ball is is even a worse than average passer.

[TheLivingLegend]

If he would be drafted it would be at the PG spot, which isnt his position. I dont see him staying in the NBA, similar situation to steve logan... and deonta is no steve logan, yet?

[1984grad]

Vaughn will not be an NBAer. He proves every game that he is not able to play the point. He cannot: 1. look up the court to find the open man, 2. start the offense (unless you call driving the paint to look for YOUR OWN shot an offense), 3. stay in front of your man on defense, 4. make the simple pass to the open man on time. As you may have guessed by now Vaughn is not my favorite Bearcat. He frustrates me more than any UC player ever. He has skills, but he doesn't make players around him better. I really think he makes players around him worst. When was the last time he passed the ball into the post?

[1984grad]

PLEASEEEEEEEEEE DO NOT COMPARE STEVE LOGAN TO VAUGHN. Vaughn cannot shoot like Logan, pass like logan, shoot ft like logan, defend like logan, lead like logan. Please be fair and compare Vaughn to someone that was average on a very good team. Logan was a great college basketball player. Please be fair.

[bearcatbret]

Could be another Vinnie Johnson the microwave. Come in when you need a few quick 3's just to get the team moving.

[LongTimer]

My sense is that Vaughn will not play in the NBA. He is not skilled enough to play point. He is not big enough to play shooting guard. He is not quick enough to play either. Then again, defenses have focused on him because we have had no other options, and he has met the challenge....1st team all-Big East. He gets to the basket with amazing moves. He is great with both hands. He obviously can shoot. I still think it will be tough for him to make a roster. Comparing him with Logan is difficult because Logan had a way better supporting cast. I guess that I have argued my way into now admiting that it is a toss up on whether he makes the NBA or not. I can support both senarios happening. He's a tough one to forecast.

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

These guys seem to think so.... #51

http://www.nbadraft.net/mocks/2010_nba_mock_draft.html

He is listed as PG. That's where he would play in the NBA.

[YouGuessedItFrankStallone]

He reminds me of St. John's Marcus Hatten. Great, gutty college player. Not big or athletic enough to make an impact in the NBA.

[MikeInClifton]

I've watched the various NBA Draft watch lists for many years and can assure you it will change 20 times before draft night.

[bubbachunk]

PLEASEEEEEEEEEE DO NOT COMPARE STEVE LOGAN TO VAUGHN. Vaughn cannot shoot like Logan, pass like logan, shoot ft like logan, defend like logan, lead like logan. Please be fair and compare Vaughn to someone that was average on a very good team. Logan was a great college basketball player. Please be fair.

I think you would be more correct to say that Logan was average on a very good team. Vaughn has not played on a team the caliber that Logan had around him. Either way both are/were very good players and will bring comparisons based on physical build and skill set.

[Cats4Ever]

Logan was a first team all-american - and he played like it. No way can you ever say he was an average player on a good team. He was money in the bank night in and out. He owned the floor.

[1984grad]

I think you would be more correct to say that Logan was average on a very good team. Vaughn has not played on a team the caliber that Logan had around him. Either way both are/were very good players and will bring comparisons based on physical build and skill set.

Logan was great on a team that would have been average at best without him (his senior year). Logan made that team great. It is lazy to compare Vaughn and Logan due to their physical build.

[TheLivingLegend]

PLEASEEEEEEEEEE DO NOT COMPARE STEVE LOGAN TO VAUGHN. Vaughn cannot shoot like Logan, pass like logan, shoot ft like logan, defend like logan, lead like logan. Please be fair and compare Vaughn to someone that was average on a very good team. Logan was a great college basketball player. Please be fair.

I wasnt trying to compare their abilities. I looked at it like: both the star of the team, both have the abilities, both are to short for the NBA.

[icehole3]

what about comparing him to this guy

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3947

[cincycpaw]

I think you would be more correct to say that Logan was average on a very good team. Vaughn has not played on a team the caliber that Logan had around him. Either way both are/were very good players and will bring comparisons based on physical build and skill set.

You have to be kidding me? Steve Logan made a very average team into a #1 seed.

[CincyBeerCo]

what about comparing him to this guy

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3947

I wish DV could jump like Nate Robinson. Not many people can.

[Bcatfan08]

That is interesting... They have Vaughn going before Harangody....

Harangody has the same problem as Vaughn. Harangody's size will end up hurting him. He has the size of a 3, but will be forced to guard 7 footers if he wants to play the 4 in college. He plays hard, but he'll have a heck of a time getting PT at his size.

[joe]

I think you would be more correct to say that Logan was average on a very good team. Vaughn has not played on a team the caliber that Logan had around him. Either way both are/were very good players and will bring comparisons based on physical build and skill set.

Huh? He was "average" <shaking my head> I just don't understand someones take on Logan like this. Am I missing something, like this was said in jest?

gregg

[joe]

Logan was great on a team that would have been average at best without him (his senior year). Logan made that team great. It is lazy to compare Vaughn and Logan due to their physical build.

OK - I can understand this.;) As you said IMO without Logan (sr. yr.) that team wins 22-24 games. As I think you said he was "money"....he made everyone better which a leader does. That was a year I will never forget, the only way that team didn't go to the final four was done by having an under achieving UCLA team that at one time in the season was I think as high as #4 in the country start to play like they should have all season. When the brackets came out I knew it was trouble.

gregg

[Billy Don]

Huh? He was "average" <shaking my head> I just don't understand someones take on Logan like this. Am I missing something, like this was said in jest?

gregg

If Logan and Vaughn were both on the same top 10 team, Logan would be starting and Vaughn would be on the bench. End of discussion.

[levydl]

OK - I can understand this.;) As you said IMO without Logan (sr. yr.) that team wins 22-24 games. As I think you said he was "money"....he made everyone better which a leader does. That was a year I will never forget, the only way that team didn't go to the final four was done by having an under achieving UCLA team that at one time in the season was I think as high as #4 in the country start to play like they should have all season. When the brackets came out I knew it was trouble.

gregg

I loved Logan. One of my all time favorites. I don't mean to take anything away from him. He was a truly great college player, and should have won player of the year his senior year - he had a better season than Jason Williams.

But his only blemish is that he never played well in the NCAA tourney. Small sample size, yes, but he just never had a great game, and we got so used to his great games in the regular season that it was such a disappointment when he didn't match that in the biggest postseason games. I don't think he played very well as a freshman against Temple - though he was just a frosh. He played poorly against Tulsa the year Kenyon broke his leg, when we really needed someone to step up. He had a bad game against Stanford in the Sweet 16 in 2001 - Kenny Satterfield almost single-handedly won us that game. He really kind of played scared that day, it seemed to me. And he may have had his worst game of his senior season against UCLA - when Stokes had like 40 points. I remember it took him forever to hit a 3 in that game.

I also don't get how he has become mythologized as a leader. He was a great player, but he led by example, and I don't think that's what you mean when you say he was a great leader. He was very even keeled. He didn't get up in people's faces. He just did his job superbly, and he frankly bailed a lot of his teammates out on offense since he could create his own shot so well. Great, great college player. Great leader? I'm not so sure.

[dp3113]

I disagree- his senior year he was very often seen visibly in games getting in peoples faces and getting emotional in the "mini huddles" before free throws, etc.

It is very rare with teams that contain that little of talent, experience so much success, without having great leadership. The coach can only do so much.