THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012 PAGE 3B BASKETBALL How two Jayhawks stack up before the draft MAX ROTHMAN mrothman@kansan.com KANSAN FILE PHOTO THOMAS ROBINSON The NBA Draft isn't until Thursday, June 28, but scouts already have a pretty good idea of the prospects who could work best with their team. Junior forward Thomas Robinson and senior guard Tyshawn Taylor are the two Jaywhaws in this season's draft. Let's analyze some strengths and weakness for each player that could weigh into decisions on draft night. Height: 6-foot-10 (generous, according to coach Bill Self among others) Weight:237 pounds Strengths His greatest strength is, well, his strength. Robinson is one of the strongest, if not the strongest player in the draft. You can't say the same for automatic No. 1 pick Anthony Davis of Kentucky. Robinson's strength will help prevent severe rebounding regression as he goes from the Big 12 to the NBA. It could also create easy scores, especially against the plethora of lazy, defenseless backup forwards that litter the league. Last season, Robinson could only succeed by avoiding foul trouble. Because he played such a significant role in the offense, he couldn't play such physical defense. He often had to let a player score an easy layup because the foul just wasn't worth the cost. In his rookie season, he'll likely be able to use his strength and physicality to become a lockdown defender. A foul here and there won't hurt him like it did in college. His NBA-ready physique only helps. Also, as documented this past season, Robinson has a wholesome menu of post moves. Assistant coach Danny Manning certainly helped in this department, but Robinson's nonstop work last summer is also to thank. The more ready the player, the better. Weaknesses- Robinson occasionally relies on his jump shot too much, instead of simply mauling opponents by the basket. He will need that shot in the NBA, but it could mitigate his value as a post player. Many talented young players, such as DeMarcus Cousins and Josh Smith, often settle for jump shots when they should be working inside. Robinson should remember what got him to this point and only settle for the open jump shot if the shot clock is about to expire or if teams beg him to shoot. Robinson sometimes struggles to make proper decisions when double teamed. He probably won't see too many double teams as a rookie, but when he faces one, he needs to use patience and if necessary, pass to an open teammate. Robinson's biggest knock is that once he arrives to the NBA, he may be too small to play power forward and too big to play small forward. Tweeners, or guys in between positions, have struggled in the NBA. Detroit's Austin Daye is a prime example. Other tweeners have thrived, such as Kevin Durant and Charles Barkley. The team that drafts Robinson is probably hoping his strength and tenacity compensates for his below-average height, allowing him to play power forward. Best scenario in draft: No. 2 pick overall Worst scenario in draft: Outside the top 10 picks Likely scenario in draft: Top 5 pick overall Height: 6-foot-3 TYSHAWN TAYLOR Weight:185 pounds KANSAN FILE PHOTO Strengths- Man, can Taylor run. He is one of the fastest players in the entire draft, and once he gets going, his speed can completely take a game over. This speed has blessed players such as Ty Lawson and Derrick Rose, who use a quick first step to shake defenders and get to the hoop for a score or an easy assist. Also, when energized, Taylor has the tools to be an excellent defender. He has long arms and a quick sidestep, making him a difficult defender to shed. He has guarded and succeeded against skilled players such as Austin Rivers, Marquis After a long summer of practice, Taylor truly improved his jump shot. This was the biggest knock on Taylor's game, but then the conference season rolled around, everything started to click. He wasn't flicking his wrist, he was following through. Then he struggled with his shot in the NCAA Tournament, so scouts aren't sure what to think. This could be one of his strengths or his greatest weakness. Teague and Aaron Craft. There's still room to improve here. Weaknesses- As Kansas fans have come to learn, Taylor doesn't always make the best decisions with the basketball in his hands. He seems to know the right choice in his head, but he doesn't always back that up with his actions. If Taylor can settle down and make better decisions without taking away from his speed, he could become a serviceable point guard in the league. If he doesn't fix this issue, he'll be too much of a pain to play. Also, Taylor needs to keep proving that he's all about hoops. This past season was a great start, as he became the vocal leader of the overachieving Jayhawks. However his previous three seasons were tainted with suspensions, fights (from Twitter to the football team) and sloppiness. At times, it seemed like Taylor didn't care much about getting better. One of the NBA's biggest issues is that once players receive their paychecks, they lose that extra hustle and passion. Just as he did this past season, Taylor needs to keep hustling and preserve his current image as a guy who really cares. Best scenario in draft: Late first round pick Worst scenario in draft: Late second round pick Likely scenario in draft: Early second round pick — Edited by Amanda Gage -NBA Los Angeles off to a good start in series against Denver ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES _ The star of Game 1 shot the ball seven times. Then, before Game 2 was even a minute old, the Staples Center crowd was chanting "DEEE-fense." Much of the talk entering Tuesday was about the legality of how the Lakers had stopped Denver. DEEE-fense? That's the desire? Here? So soon? Lakers fans have chanted "DEEE-fense" in the past, sure. But they usually waited to do so until the final 60 seconds, not the first. So far in this series, the final 60 seconds haven't mattered as much as the Nuggets would like. The Lakers won Game 2, 104-100, with a little late drama but have not yet faced as much as a deficit in these playoffs. This first-round matchup isn't over. As Denver coach George Karl noted before tipoff Tuesday, "it's the first one to four (victories), not the first one to one." And, if you don't think nearly anything is possible in the NBA, you didn't witness what the Clippers did Sunday. But with things now shifting to Colorado, the Nuggets are going to need the thin air and a whole lot more to find resuscitation. Running is the only way the Nuggets can make this difficult on the Lakers, who, when the games slow down, can really answer the They better hope the altitude robs Kobe Bryant of his legs and has the rest of the Lakers gasping to keep their legs under them. calls of "DEEE-fense." If this team is capable of assembling a deep postseason run this spring, it will be one of the more un-L.A. runs of all-time. It will be built on the basketball fundamentals - the boring fundamentals - of defense and rebounding. Defense is what Mike Brown brought to this team and this town when he was hired to be the Lakers coach. It's not an easy sell. Let's be honest. L.A. isn't a defense kind of town. Defense doesn't twinkle or titillate. Defense generally is as sexy as Santa Claus. If the Lakers are winning and going deep, fine. "DEEE-fense, DEEE-fense, DEEE-fense" it is. But if they aren't winning, Mike Brown will be renamed Mike Beige and his style officially will be the latest thing in Laker colors since Smush Parker. It took Andrew Bynum blocking 10 shots in Game 1 - more than any Laker ever in a postseason game - to make it OK for Staples Center to go wild over points not being scored. He mentioned it again to ESPN recently, and the claim apparently sounded so bizarre that it led to spirited debate on the network throughout Tuesday morning. Bryant has been repeating the theme for much of this season's second half. He maintains this team is championship-capable because of defense and rebounding. Rest assured, this is still L.A. and still Lakers basketball. Bryant's electric offensive performance in Game 2 - 38 points, a number of Minutes before the opening tipoff, one of the referees had to come down to where the Lakers were warming up to get Pau Gasol for the pregame meeting at center court. Gasol was preoccupied and didn't realize he was needed. He was busy talking courtside to David Beckham. ridiculous baskets — was straight out of the early 2000s. When he dunked early and eluded 60 percent of the Nuggets on the floor en route to the rim, no one was thinking about defense. And, as Denver tightened things late, closing to within four points, what was the crowd chanting then? What was on their minds? "We want tacos!" The reference was to a promotion the Lakers have where the fans can receive free tacos from a fast-food chain. Yeah, this is still L.A. and still The Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum makes a basket over Denver Nugget defenders in Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round series at Staples Center. AP PHOTO And Coach Brown is doing his job. His Lakers are up 2-0 going to Denver in round one. Karl was the one who initiated the discussion about the Lakers cheating defensively in Game 1. He claimed that Bynum picked up his 10 blocks in part because the referees permitted him to anchor his 7-foot body in the lane. Coach Brown is off to a good start, yes. But Coach Beige will always be lurking. "This is not a hot building," he said. "This is kind of a stage, a Broadway stage. It has a history and an energy to it, but it's not one of those where you can't hear... This is more of a stage than an intense building like Oklahoma City or something like that." Staples Center. Karl was asked about the difficulties of winning in the postseason on the road. 5 STAGES B 100+ BANDS! TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Wakarusa MULBERRY MOUNTAIN OZARK, ARKANSAS MAY 31 - JUNE 3, 2012 Pretty Lights - The Avett Brothers Weir, Robinson, & Greene Acoustic Trio Primus - Umphrey's McGee Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros Slightly Stoopid - Girl Talk Fitz & the Tantrums - Matisyahu G. 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