With preseason "Madness" upcoming, let's have some hoops fun by making predictions. Feel free to join in or discuss amongst yourselves.
I predict that:
*Greivis Vasquez will be a better shooter from long range this season. That will, in turn, help open up the lane because teams will have to take him seriously from beyond the arc. I don't know that he's naturally a terrific shooter -- he's a natural penetrator and passer. But he worked hard on his shot (and his defense) during his NBA "testing the water," pre-draft travels. I saw him work out for the Wizards and thought his shot looked to be improved, though not always fluid.
*The freshmen inside players, Jordan Williams and James Padgett, won't produce as much offensively as fans might expect, at least not this season. But they will help Maryland's rebounding and inside defense -- an urgent need. Last season's smallish Terps team had to box out flawlessly and still found opponents jumping over them for rebounds. The newbies should help. But scoring? Williams and Padgett -- and their fans -- may have to be patient.
*Eric Hayes will improve as a scorer. He's always had a good outside stroke but was not someone who could create much offense on his own. That began to change late last season. Remember what he did in the ACC tournament? I thought he showed a new dimension to his game in March. I'm not saying he'll average 20 points a game, but every little but helps.
Now, the question is who else can upgrade their games for a team that could sometimes be scoring-challenged a year ago? I suspect Sean Mosley and Adrian Bowie can both be better three-point shooters than they were last season.
I'll look at some more Terps in later postings. Will Landon Milbourne continue to improve? And what of Cliff Tucker, who could clearly be an important player for this team. It's time to get some snappy preseason dialogue going.
