So, you are asking how the start of the season is going?  Well starting a draft thread before game 7 probably tells you everything.   

College basketball hasn't started yet.    Last year there was hope that Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper would join Flagg and make it a legendary top 3.  They didn't but will probably prove to be good to very good players.    This year, there is hope that the top 3 are really potential lead guy type of players.   The top 3 are Dybansta from BYU, Boozer (yes son of Carlose Boozer) from Duke and Peterson from Kansas.   At the moment Peterson is usually thought of the top prospect.   A lot can change.  Will anyone else join them?  Will someone slip?  There is als some excitement in some prospects after the top 3.    Last year will prove to be a very good draft, i believe.  Some think this one will be better.   

I don't subscribe to the Athletic anymore, but here is a brief snippet as College basketball is about to begin.  

Quote:It’s hard to overemphasize how excited scouts and general managers were about these performances, with one high-ranking executive telling me that he felt that “all three look like guys who could be All-Stars quickly in the NBA.” What these opening salvos told us is that this race isn’t going to take time to heat up. This is going to be a battle from day one, with all three well-prepared to dominate college hoops from the opening tip.

Quote:With Peterson, scouts want to see just how efficient he can be while leading the Kansas offense. He improved drastically as a decision-maker in high school during his senior year, but will that remain as he steps up in competition?

Quote:For Dybantsa, it’s all about the attention to detail. Scouts were not wildly impressed by his defensive play in the opener against Nebraska, and his jumper has some questions entering the season due to its flatter trajectory.

Quote:For Boozer, the questions are more upside-related, as scouts worry about how flexible he is through his hips to separate from guys who are bigger and just as strong as he is. They want to see how well he survives defensively when he plays at the center position.

I was thinking the game was a little sloppy, but after a little reflection I see we got some good play from several people we don't normally see--in games, much less wins.

PJ continues to impress me with his play. He didn't score a lot but he was disruptive on both ends of the floor.

I thought this was a bad game for Cooper Flagg, and maybe it was, but he did end up with commendable stats across the board. I like the rebounds and points best.

Dlo continued playing well.

Brandon Williams made a belated entrance into the game and was a spark plug. I still think he's a shooting guard, not a point guard. Maybe just a creator. I don't know.

On to Mr. Dwight Powell. He does not get the respect he should. I like him on the team. Not as a first, or even a second center...but as a third? Hell yeah! He also doesn't make many mistakes. AND Mr. Powell is my Dirkie finalist...

He who should be fired didn't want a fat Luka so now we got a fat AD. 

I really want to like this team. There are so many players here that I like. 

Grain of salt... I've just watched highlights... but all the other team's baskets include AD's man taking a 3 while AD is holding up a hand while standing in the lane. If y'all tell me that he plays good D in all the plays I haven't seen, then I'll consider hating (sports hate) him less. 

Mostly, just hi. I miss y'all. I miss good Mavs basketball. 

But hey, in shape Luka highlights are fun to watch these days. That means I've gotten less bitter over the months.

While watching the game I thought Kidd was playing a very tight rotation.  The stats show that 9 men played meaningful minutes.  Let's see how they did.

AD:  11-14 FG, 0-1 3PT, 10 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK, 25 PTS
PJ:  6-14 FG, 1-3 PT, 7 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 17 PTS
Flagg:  8-14 FG, 2-6 3PT, 4 REB, 4 AST, 1 BLK, 22 PTS
Lively:  2-2 FG, 7 REB, 4 AST, 3 BLK, 4 PTS
KT:  4-7 FG, 2-4 3 PT, 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 10 PTS
Marshall:  4-4 FG, 6 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 12 PTS
Dlo:  8-18 FG, 2-7 3 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 24 PTS
Christie:  5-8 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 17 PTS

Nobody else played truly meaningful minutes.

I'm wondering about the low usage of Lively.  Are they trying to protect him?  His points total is low also.  Something I'll watch in the future. 

I appreciate the effort shown by all of the team tonight.

AD is good...but still slow.  He certainly filled the stat sheet though.  Maybe he only plays at one speed.

PJ laid it all out there...and he is one of my 3 finalists.

Cooper Flagg is getting more comfortable every game.  In this game he wasn't tasked so much with being a point guard--forward, whatever.  I think that helped him.

Dlo came in and did some good.  The play didn't seem so frenetic when he was out there.  In some of the previous games, without Dlo, the frenzy was more like panic.

Well heck.  No matter who I chose there will be someone he wants to chose a different player...and that's ok!

I'm going to give the Dirkie to Dlo.

I messed this poll thing up, so it will look better in the future...I hope.