The News Journal of Delaware calls Speights,"Big man of the future."

The Sixers liked the 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward from Florida because of his versatility, which includes his ability to post up and shoot from the outside. And Speights also possesses the main prerequisite of anyone joining the Sixers these days -- the ability to run.

"We're a running team, and he's one of the best running big men in the draft," Sixers vice president Tony DiLeo said. "We need a post-up presence, and we think he will be a good post-up player.

"We've done a lot of research on him. He really fits us like a glove."

The Philadelphia Daily News says the addition of Speights is part of a larger renewal plan for the Sixers. With $11 million in cap space following a surprising playoff run, the Sixers are positioning themselves for a big splash in the free agent market. That allows some patience with Speights.

"With the 16th pick in the draft, we had a plan," Sixers GM Ed Stefanski said, "but it was only part of the plan. We got the player we wanted [Speights] with a very big upside.

"While we don't see him coming and helping immediately, this kid is a talented offensive basketball player and he is 6-10. But the $11 million is extremely important to us to get the player that we want to bring in here starting on July 1."

How Speights fits in, either now or next season, is the subject of this Philly Inquirer column. Plugging Speights in may mean shipping out the Sixers' most recent star.

If Speights is the power forward, Thaddeus Young the small forward, and Mystery Acquisition the shooting guard of the future, where does Andre Iguodala play? He's not a point guard. As demonstrated painfully during the brief playoff appearance against Detroit, he's not a shooting guard. And, honestly, are you going to pay him $12 million a year to split time with Young at small forward?

My 12-year old sister claims she wants to go to UF and then open her own restaurant. But, after comments like this, I wonder if she should go the Erin Andrews route.

Sis: Did the Florida guy go yet?
Me: Yeah.
Sis: Why didn't you tell me?
Me: He just went. Philadelphia picked him.
Sis: So, they just drafted him on potential?

That is some solid analysis there. At least for a 12-year old girl who thinks the Big Three are the Jonas Brothers. She might have been confused about if Speights wasn't drafted, he could go back to UF, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, I was getting annoyed during the draft when it was constantly brought up how many freshmen were drafted. This thing is, if the NBA went back to no age requirement, there would be less freshmen drafted and more High School kids. Does anyone think Rose, Beasley and Mayo really wanted to go to college? At least Rose went to a school that had a legit shot at winning a championship, but I doubt that winning was even on the minds of Beasley and Mayo. Kids go to college for one season, taking a scholarship from a possible long term player in addition to killing their school's NCAA academic measures. (Can you see Mayo getting a degree?) The NBA could be moving closer to the NFL "three years out of high school" mark. That would create a domino effect, keeping guys in school longer and create dominant teams at the top of each conference.

Another season and another first round draft pick for the Florida Gators. Marreese Speights is nearly a lock for the first round in Thursday’s NBA Draft. NBA scouts look beyond his relative lack of fitness and see the .624 field goal percentage and averages of 14.5 points and 8.1 boards a game. Put him in an NBA system, where he can be tutored by Shaq (in Phoenix, pick 15) or by Dwight Howard (Magic, 22), and he can become a force. He was playing 24 minutes a night in college. If he gets 10-15 a night in the NBA, he will easily make a team’s rotation.

But does his decision to go pro really matter? Was there ever a point this season where you said, “Wow, Speights is dominating here.” If there was, let me know. Because for better or worse, the offensive options for UF were;

1a. Calathes outside

1b. Calathes inside

3. Who ever has the ball with five on the shot clock whenever Calathes is sitting

Calathes is the most dynamic player the Gators have. In the absence of players matching his caliber or willing to support him, the team fails. If Florida had done this, maybe they would have flamed out in the NCAAs and not the NIT.

Speights’ exit means the reinforcements coming in (Allan Chaney, Kenny Kadji, Eloy Vargas) will have to play more as freshman, which is what everyone wants anyway. I’m not trying to downplay the output of Speights, but being the most efficient player on the floor will not get you the ball when you’re only out there half the time. He is truly heading for greener pastures. Now it’s up to Calathes to take the reins and realize that there are four other dudes on the floor. Some of them may actually be able to shoot too.

Summer A is a boring time in Gainesville. Unless you’re college rap pioneers Confetti and Breadcrumb and you’re filming a new video with Jo Noah. (HT: 2-Cup. Doesn't that look like Butler Plaza too?)

When Jo wasn’t Gainesville Police’s favorite write up, he was getting down with former Gator Brett Swanson (Breadcrumb; red jacket). These shots are from Confetti and Breadcrumb’s newest video, "Beardz" which is set to drop in a few weeks. You can already hear the track on the group’s myspace. Their first video, the awesomely named "Sideboob" (shot by former Gator Garrett Tyler) is seen below. Of course, it is NSFW. But it’s worth watching just for the dancing and hot scooter video.

I am shocked, shocked, to find there is weed use in Gainesville! Oh my goodness! Billy Donovan should suspend him immediately! Twenty-three year olds never do anything like this!

Was that ok? Did I display the proper amount of distain?

My biggest problem with this is not that Noah was caught or was dumb enough to have weed on him. It was that he was dumb enough to walk out of a bar with an open container. I’ve seen shoving matches at Italian Gator and sorority girls doing Pete Rose slides down the back stairs at Grog with GPD not even flinching. But an open container? SWARM, SWARM, SWARM! As if being 6-foot-11 didn’t draw enough attention, Noah had to be bouncing with a cup of cognac. Give credit to Noah on this point; a man only drinks a clear or brown cocktail. But he couldn’t man up and finish it inside.

Noah will now have to deal with NBA sanctioned drug tests and pay a fine or do community service for his punishment. But remember this; the embarrassment Noah will feel when he has to face Al Horford (who was also in town last week) will be worse than anything a judge or a message board could deliver.

This quote after Game 3 of the Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics series says all you need to know about Al Horford.

That's rookie Al Horford. He's the one who got in Paul Pierce's head and prompted the Celtic to flash a gang sign, he's the one trying to pump up the crowd after Atlanta's Zaza Pachulia got in Kevin Garnett's face, and he's the one pulling out the tape before Game 3 of Muhammad Ali's win over George Foreman in 1974 ("Horford bombaye!"). The same Game 3 when Horford had an epic 17-14 and six assists. With Atlanta pulling even now in the series for Game 5 tonight in Boston, Horford is in the spotlight. Kevin Durant may win Rookie of The Year, but Horford is the real winner.

(By the way, how has the, "Bombaye!" chant not caught on? It means, "Kill him!" How awesome is that? Try it with me, "Tebow bombaye! Tebow bombaye! Tebow bombaye!" That was awesome, right?)

Horford isn't the only Hawk trying to destroy the Mass-holes. But through four playoff games, Horford is above his season averages. He is averaging 12.5 points and 11.5 boards per game. In Game 4, he only scored four points on 1-6 shooting, but he had 13 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end. Along with Josh Smith, Horford has clogged the paint, keeping Garnett away from the rim. Speaking of, here's how delusional Celtic fans are about all of this. From Bill Simmons chat Tuesday.

Simmons is a NBA guy, but he's wrong here. Garnett is getting harassed constantly (did he miss the Celtics last possession in the first half?) and the Hawks are playing to Horford's strength, allowing him to sink to the hoop and create traffic. Smith has been absolutely fantastic keeping with Garnett and when Horford does get out of position (Pierce's driving layup near the end of Game 4), Smith created problems (Pierce lost control and turned the ball over).

I'm horribly biased here (I love Horford and I hate everything associated with Boston, minus Paul Revere, Sam Adams and his beer), but what Horford has done in his first playoff experience has been incredible. He is not playing like a young player. Bumping up his stat line only proves that Horford has the extra gear winners have (Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan) and losers don't (Garnett, Chris Webber).

Horford is in Championship Mode.

The point of college is not to graduate but to prepare you for entry into adulthood. For Joakim Noah, he turned his back on a possible number one pick and millions in guaranteed cash for a third season of college basketball. For Greg Oden, it meant leaving after one season to become the next Bill Walton, injuries and all.

But I wonder if Marreese Speights understands how this works. Or better yet, the AAU coach who is in Speights' ear, whispering of champagne wishes and caviar dreams in the NBA.

Update [2008-4-9 11:29:2 by mlmintampa]:A comment below clarifies the opinion of Speights on the second link, NBADraft.net.

The uncertainty of Speights' status reminds me of some other guys.

If Speights is true to his word and does not hire an agent, at least he is aware that his lack of fitness and inexperience on defense might not appeal to a league that is willing to draft polished Euro players over raw college guys. Also, potential in basketball is a lot different than football. While you could see Cornelius Ingram in the NFL as a tight end in the mold of Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez, he realized one more year would put him in a different class. I hope Speights understands that.

We don't know if there are financial pressures on Speights, beyond the possibility of an old AAU coach hoping to get handed a wad of cash. If he needs to go, then good luck to him. But since he has an AAU coach advising him to go, we can advise him to stay.

Congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks for one of the best comebacks in NCAA history and their third National Championship. I think most people were hoping for an UCLA-UNC championship game, so I was pleasantly surprised to have such a competitive game last night.

One person who was excited to see a Kansas-Memphis title game was the winner of The Alligator Army Tournament Pick'em `GHBHN0607'. With 161 total points, `GHBHN0607' is the proud new owner of a Gators Beach Towel. Wooooooo!

Send me an email at alligatorarmy@gmail.com to claim your prize.

One of my good friends is getting married next spring. He and his fiancé had been discussing a possible date when she suggested the beginning of April.

"Well, you can't do it the first weekend of April," I said. "That's the Final Four. What if UF gets in?"

Eventually they decided on a May date. But unless the Gators fix these following areas, it may not matter that the date was moved because UF will end their season again in the NIT.

As always, these are just the opinions of a 23 year old with a blog. Drop your comments or insults below or at alligatorarmy@gmail.com

• Bigger commitment on defense: 83 points at Alabama, 89 at Ole Miss, 80 at Arkansas, 104 at Tennessee, 82 versus South Carolina, 89 versus Tennessee, 80 against Alabama. In 17 SEC games, Florida had seven games where they allowed 80+ points. But it wasn't just being weak on defense. They couldn't get stops when necessary, not to mention getting blown off the ball by FSU, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and UMass. The Gators were never in either of those games. In the case of the first Tennessee game and the UMass game, UF actually played good defense in the first half but could not remain at that level. (At UT, they allowed 44% shooting and 44 points in first half. In the second, that was 54% and 60 points. Against UMass, the first half numbers were 32% and 27 points. In the second, they jump to 53% and 51.) Florida was fantastic in limiting San Diego State, Creighton, and Arizona State to 49, 54, and 57 points, but that was too little, too late. Going into next season, they seemed to have learned how to be more active on defense and you have to hope a summer in the weight room, especially for Calathes and Parsons, will help.
• Bring back the 2006-07 uniforms: Why would I have a blue Joakim Noah jersey and a plain blue No. 1 jersey? I do like blue and Jo Noah is my favorite Gator, but two National Championships were won in those jerseys. So why the hell did they change them? Florida is one of several teams (among them Miami, Ohio State and Syracuse) that wear Nike's System of Dress. The tight fitting top and baggy shorts were new this season but they were actually introduced last season. After wearing the new threads in a horrific performance at Tennessee, the Gators stuck with the regular jerseys and won it all. You would have thought the basketball department would get the hint and stay away from the Frocks for Jocks but that was not the case. Bring back the old unis and watch the wins pile up.
• Get Speights more touches: This really has more to do with when Speights gets his touches. If you compare Calathes and Speights, Calathes had more attempts (411 to 346), but played a lot more minutes (1174 to 874). The thing is when Calathes is shooting jumpers late with heavy legs, Speights is being guarded by a guy inside who does not want to see another lefty hook. Next season, when the reinforcements include two five-star 6-10 guys (Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas) the Gator guards will have to do a much better job of getting the ball inside. Which brings us to our next point...
• Calathes at starting point guard: Who is UF's best ball handler? Who is UF's best scoring threat? Who is UF's best passer? If you answered Calathes for two of the three, thank you because you have proved my argument. He needs to improve on defense and at the line, but I'd rather have Calathes making decisions late than Jai Lucas.
• Parsons in starting lineup: If you take Lucas out of the starting five, a spot is opened for Chandler Parsons. He averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds in 21 mpg and was a great change of pace guy. Some time in the weight room will give Parsons the strength he needs to play down low, but he's already shown a willingness to go to the bucket. He's long which will help defensively and a frontline of Parsons, Speights, and Kadji would be a force. Calathes and Hodge in the backcourt make for a very impressive five.
• Change nothing: UF lacked experience and size this season. One more year gets both. But if UF starts playing poorly, Donovan shouldn't move them to Florida Gym. He should send the team to Southwest Rec and have them sign up for treadmills and fight with everyone and their brother for a full court game. Ten minutes watching a bunch of kids from Boca miss 12-foot jumpers will inspire the team to work hard to get back in the practice facility.

Monday, April 3rd, 2006 is the day everything changed. A school more known for football, even its greatest contribution to society was based on football, had defeated the greatest basketball program in history. Overnight, Florida became one of the elite institutions in America not because of an invention or a respected scholar. We did something no one thought was possible. Winning the 2006 title is no different than developing a new invention. Sure, one may affect more people. But both bring fame and fortune to a little college town in Alachua County.

This point was driven home for me the next day in my ethics class. Considering nearly the whole school was on University Avenue that night, my 8:30am class was amazingly packed. My teacher started class by all of us standing up and do `Two-bits' and sing `We Are The Boys'. You'd think an ethics teacher would be one of those academics who think college sports is a plague on society, but it was the opposite.

"You may not realize this," Michael Leslie said, "but Florida has done something very important. We won in football and in basketball. But there are people who didn't know who we were until last night. Now they do."

It's pretty cool to think of things that way. We all know how much a good sports program does for school pride. We don't realize though how much it matters to people outside the school's pull. The championships we won increased the applications UF received. That makes the academic programs more selective and the school better. Not to mention, it inspires buckets of donations.

Of the three titles, this was the only one I was actually enrolled for. (Stupid four year plan.) It's special for me because of the way everyone celebrated on the streets, hugging and yelling "Go Gators!" It was also during the 2006 postseason when `Championship Mode' was officially named, and that is me in the lower left (blue hat) of this picture with Joakim Noah after the team arrived home from Indianapolis. I can tell my kids I was with Jo Noah on the front of Gatorzone. That's pretty special too.

One year ago today, Florida became one of the greatest teams in college basketball history. 14 schools have won multiple championships, and Florida is one of them, something that was thought of to be impossible at a "football school."

Who knows when or if Florida will win another championship. Three other schools that won back-to-back are Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, and San Francisco; all of whom have fallen off the map.

We saw last night that this Gator team was not ready for primetime. There are a million things you can critique, but it all comes down to their lack of experience. As Florida fans, we've heard that line a lot this decade. But as we saw in 2006 and 2007, experience is nothing when you out work your opponent. I hope our boys learn that lesson next year.