• From Andy Katz’ blog last week:
  

  The anniversary of the most controversial decision of Billy Donovan’s coaching career — his decision to leave Florida for the Orlando Magic and subsequent reversal — is still a few weeks away.

  …

  But guess what? Donovan is completely at peace with every move he’s made.

  …

  But the quick fix isn’t coming, especially if Speights stays in the draft. Donovan said the realistic appraisal he’s getting from NBA executives is that the sophomore will go anywhere from 22-40. Donovan said Speights said that he would return if he’s not in the top 20. But that could easily change. “He understands he’s not a lock,” Donovan said. But the problem is that Speights may not understand that he has a chance to be in the top 15 in 2009 if he has a great junior season.

• With Mike D’Antoni moving to take over the New York Knicks, I think that the David Lee is in for a lot more playing time and maybe more exposure. Especially if Lee continues to improve his shooting range (but even if he doesn’t), he looks to be a good fit for the full-court 7-seconds-or-less system that D’Antoni wants to run. Couple that with his status already as the most popular player on the team and I have a feeling that we’ll be hearing a lot about Mr. Lee in the near future…
• Finally, continuing with the draft talk, Chad Ford is reporting that he thinks that Speights will stay in the draft, and DraftExpress now has him listed at 21 on their draft board.

I have to say that I’m most excited about 5-8 PG Erving Walker among UF’s incoming recruits for the 2008-2009 season. Despite the fact that the 2007 iteration of the Gators featured only one traditional pivot player on the roster in Marreese Speights, I think that perhaps even more damaging was the lack of any backcourt depth.

I’m incredulous that fewer people have talked about this fact: In 2007, UF ran a 3-guard lineup with basically only 3 guards ON THE ROSTER, for an UPTEMPO team! Whenever Jai Lucas, Walter Hodge or Nick Calathes needed a rest, UF substituted in a forward, because that was all they had.

Despite the fact that UF desperately needs guards I’m impressed by his combination of the traditional “New York guard” toughness and quickness combined with something that players from that area don’t always have: tremendous shooting ability. In the clips I’ve seen of him, he has some shots — with normal form and rhythm — that are reminiscent of former Gator Teddy DuPay. He’s just simply raining jumpers from 25 to 30 feet and beyond on people.

Anyway, here are a few recent assessments of him by DraftExpress from his performances in the Jordan Classic in late April and the Albert Schweitzer tournament in early April:

Jordan Brand Classic Games (Day Three)
April 21, 2008

Aside from (Ryan) Pearson’s outstanding performance, the best player on the City Team appeared to be Florida-bound, 5’8 point guard Erving Walker (20 points, 11 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 steals, 5 rebounds, 6-18 FG, 2-10 3P) who happens to be Pearson’s teammate at Christ the King.

While short on size, Walker isn’t short on anything in the skill department, as he showed excellent ball-handling skills, having the ball on a string, mixing in advanced moves, and frequently penetrating into the lane to cut up the defense. He was the game’s leader in assists with 11, and frequently excelled on the drive and dish and in transition, looking unselfish for the most part, but knowing when to step up for a pull-up three-pointer, which he hit a few times in the game.

He also showed a nice floater, and despite his size, Walker is probably someone who should be able to help the Gators out if he can crack their point guard depth chart, which is a bit cramped at the moment with Nick Calathes and Jai Lucas.

2008 Albert Schweitzer Tournament: Watered Down Mannheim
April 2, 2008

We have to insist on Walker, the heart and soul of this squad. Rightfully selected for the All-Tournament Team, he was spectacular for many stretches, running, passing and scoring, sometimes at will, just providing the fuel his team needed to remain competitive in most games.

Extremely small (he looks way shorter than the 5-10 he’s listed), Walker relies on his impressive quickness and great ball-handling. Like a devil set on fire, he would drive past anyone, sneak between defenses, to find layups –that he netted with both hands- or force defensive rotations that would leave his teammates open, especially behind the three-point line, where they would receive his kick-out passes. He’s a tough guy, really strong, ready to bump into any opponent and able to play even off contact while maintaining nice control of his body.

Still Walker showed a very nice shooting ability to compliment his slashing efforts. Almost money in the bank when left open, he showcased three-point range and off-the-dribble mechanics, even from deep positions, with a nicely quick release, although he often forced too much, which ended up affecting his percentages.

On the negative side, besides his obvious lack of size, Walker shows limitations running a team It basically comes down to the point that he needs to first beat his match-up off the dribble in order to get anything going, that is, unless he can find space to shoot from the perimeter.

Anyway, expect him to emerge as an important point guard in college basketball with the Florida Gators, with some chances to make it to the NBA as a sparkplug guy in someone’s rotation after four years.

From the Kevin Brockway’s blog in the Gainesville Sun:

Ex-Hoya forward to visit

Scout.com’s Dave Telep is reporting that former Georgetown forward/center Vernon Macklin will visit the Florida campus today and Friday.

Macklin (6-9, 227 pounds) decided to transfer this spring after averaging 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in limited playing time during his sophomore season. He may be a better fit at Florida because of his ability to run the floor and defend at the front of UF’s press.

Macklin also has a visit planned for Clemson early next week. Macklin earned McDonald’s and Parade All-American honors at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, the same prep school that produced UF center Marreese Speights.

Macklin would have to sit out next season under NCAA Division I transfer rules if he chose to enroll at UF. He would have two seasons of eligibility left beginning in the 2009-10 season.”

Coming out of high school in 2006, he was the 12th ranked player OVERALL by Rivals.com, and the 3rd-best power forward.

Sorry I’m like a dog with a bone, but here are a few choice reactions to Horford’s performance in this series:

From a chat with Bill Simmons, ESPN’s Sports Guy:

Brent (Atlanta, ga): I think you can see the value of college experience when watching Al Horford in this series, no?

SportsNation Bill Simmons: (1:49 PM ET ) Absolutely. Horford was the key guy in this series - he’s the only one who stood up to the Celtics in Game 2, and when he showed up Pierce at the end of Game 3, that was a huge “We’re not afraid of you guys” moment. Love that guy. It’s been hard to root against him in these playoffs, we need more Horfords in the NBA.

From Henry Abbott of TrueHoop, saying Oh, Atlanta:

My most lasting memory of the night was of Al Horford. Zaza Pachulia did to Kevin Garnett what everyone in Dallas wanted Dirk Nowitzki to do to David West — he didn’t take the insult quietly. But then Pachulia looked ready to get a little bit too crazy, and there was Al Horford, not acting like a rookie at all, walking that fine line. He had an arm around Pachulia, and talked him back to earth. He didn’t drag him away and ruin the man’s dignity. He just connected with him, and by the time they had walked twenty feet together, Horford had Pachulia channeling his energy into exhorting the crowd. That’s something.

I can’t help but look forward to when Chicago gets a real coach and I can watch BOTH Horford AND Joakim Noah in the playoffs…

David Thorpe, who has been a season-long admirer of both Joakim Noah and Al Horford, had this to say about how the Celtics have been and should be paying attention to Horford in their series:

Boston also needs to respect Al Horford more than it has. He sometimes has gone unchecked in the paint when Boston has “zoned up” underneath on perimeter ball screens. Both Kendrick Perkins and KG have made that mistake, resulting in a dunk or foul. Finding Horford should be the No. 1 priority in those situations — his hands are too good and he’s too accomplished a finisher to be left unaccounted for inside.

Horford was a larger part of the offense in Game 3 (only about three months late), routinely posting up and making easy kick-out passes when Boston did surround him, or hitting cutters for easy buckets. His six assists added up to 15 points, and his teammates moved smartly after the entry pass instead of standing and watching.

In many ways, Horford already is the best leader on this team. He is its spirit and has a lot of influence on Josh Smith, Atlanta’s supreme X factor. Late in Game 3, when Smith seemed to relax and enjoy Atlanta’s lead, it was Horford who grabbed Smith’s head with both hands and talked with him for a few moments. Smith immediately stopped smiling and plugged back in to the Hawks’ huddle. If Boston can do a better job of derailing Horford, it will go a long way toward locking up Round 1.