NBA scouts give early evaluations to college stars

	Could senior forward Ivan Radenovic be Arizona's top pro prospect? Al Tielemans/SI
	MAILBAG Seth Davis will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his Hoop Thoughts column. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I've been talking to Finch quite a bit lately. I thought you should know what he has to say.

"Finch" is an amalgam for the half-dozen of so NBA scouts I've spoken with the last couple of weeks. Like most of my really good ideas, I stole the name from Alex Wolff, the owner of the ABA's Vermont Frost Heaves (and elegant SI wordsmith) who once attached the nom de plume to a scout he wrote about a few years back. NBA scouts almost always offer their opinions on the condition they not be identified, especially when they are discussing underclassmen, which is against league policy. Alex came up with Finch because that was Scout's surname in To Kill a Mockingbird. Is it any wonder why the Frost Heaves are destined for greatness?

Thus, in the space below, I've provided some of comments Finch gave me regarding some of the major players and topics in today's college game. You should know Finch's opinions tend to sway wildly, depending on what a player did the last time Finch watched him play. You also have to take Finch's characterizations with a grain of salt. He can be "disappointed" in a player or say "I'm not a big fan," yet still predict the guy will be picked in the lottery. He can "love" a player even though he's destined for the middle of the second round.

Finch is also the first to tell you he is not the one who will make the final decision as to whom his team will draft. That decision will be made by the GM's and personnel directors around the league. Any mistakes are theirs alone, usually because they didn't listen to Finch.

By the way, Finch has accumulated more frequent flier miles the past three months than you will accrue in your entire life. Here's what he had to say:

On Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh senior center: "I know a lot of people don't like him, but I do. People don't give him credit for his skills. He's not athletic, but he's really big. He's a legitimate five."

On the Pittsburgh players outside of Gray: "I don't see any definite pros there. Maybe Sam Young in a couple of years, maybe Tyrell Biggs. Maybe [Levance] Fields, though he has to address his body. I talked to a coach who played them, and he said they're really good but they just don't have that one perimeter guy that puts the fear of God into you."

On Hasheem Thabeet, UConn freshman center: "I don't think he can play. I think he's a stiff. He's obviously very long, but he's not a great runner. He doesn't have a high motor at all. It's a given he wouldn't have the technical stuff down, but watch him, he doesn't run gracefully and he doesn't have a lot of energy out there."

On Ivan Radenovic, Arizona senior forward: "Let me tell you something, he's a pretty good basketball player. Everybody's looking at the other kids on that team, but this guy is versatile, he shoots it, he has some toughness inside. I like him a lot more on that team than Marcus Williams, who's on everybody's list but I think he's soft and a little mechanical."

On Mustafa Shakur, Arizona senior point guard: "His decision making is much better this year, without a doubt. His shot still looks terrible; the mechanics change every time I see him. But he's got nice size, and if he keeps making decisions like he's making, he's definitely a draftable guy."