It was an honor for me on my little blog to cover Cade’s one college season. From the first game at Marquette to the second round versus Cinderella Oregon State… I made a point of watching every one of Cade’s college games and jotting something down in my Cade Cunningham Journal.
What an irony it is that Troy Weaver the former assistant to Sam Presti ends up with Cade and the Thunder end up with Josh Giddy.
Cade is the first player in Oklahoma State hoops history to be the No. 1 player taken in the NBA Draft.
With Jerami Grant already in Detroit the Pistons will immediately become a team I follow on here from time to time.
Look at Cade’s body sometime and then scrutinize the bodies of Sam Presti’s two first round picks in Poku and Josh Giddy.
In fact…I would say with the exception of perhaps Rondel Walker at O State every player on both OU and O State’s rosters looked more physically prepared to play in the NBA than what Sam Presti selected with a No. 17 and a No. 6 pick in the last two drafts.
Here’s what I would say about this season…I think he’ll actually make the transition to the NBA easier than he made to the college level last season because his game is tailor made for pick and roll and pick and pop. Plus, with his size and skill set he can isolate any time he wants and back a defender down and get whatever shot he wants.
Even when O State swept OU in the back to back Bedlam games…I have to admit it didn’t bother me like it normally might have because I knew I was watching something special…kind of like when Barry Sanders went off for over 200 yards against the Sooners in 1988 in a game O State should have won.
Barry Sanders and Cade both end up in Detroit. Who would have thought?
He’s a classy young man and I hope he realizes every goal he has made for himself and his team in the NBA.