Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

Mel Daniels was one of the greatest players in the old ABA. A two time league MVP who averaged 15 rebounds a game.

Through the years, it's always fun talking with Mel about two of my favorite topics, basketball and cowboy boots. I've known him since the 1980's, never seen him without his boots.

Now with the NY Knicks, Daniels has already seen 60 college games. Scouts won't tell you on the record who they are in town to look at, but it was obvious that Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight brought him to Rupp.

Scouts won't talk about a specific player, but generally speaking, Daniels saw a lot about Kentucky he really liked after watching UK and Indiana.

"I thought they played with a lot of class," says Daniels.

"They kept punching. They never lost their focus. They didn't force anything. They took the shots when they had it. They had some ballplayers who came to the front. Kind of special in some of the things they did."

Daniels will be the first to tell you he's old school. The Cats might be young, but he expects UK to get a lot better as the season continues.

"A mental toughness that is rare in basketball to me in college. They didn't lose their focus. They stayed with their offensive and defensive programs and it helped in the end. You have guys with high basketball IQs, this is the result of it.

"This shows the type of poise I'm here looking at. In the positions I'm looking at."

Daniels had no problem talking about John Wall in general terms. Most of us use the word great the way old school Mel uses the word good.

"I think John will bounce off the walls at his position. He'll play well, and then he will digress and then he will play well and digress. And when he gets into a rhythm he will be a good basketball player for the rest of his career."

It will take the former UK superstar some time. But, when he gets it, Mel believes he's got it.

"It's a hard adjustment. People don't understand the adjustment you have to make from the college environment to the pro environment. You are playing many more games. You are playing against bigger, stronger, taller, quicker people as you are."

"Those adjustments come in increments. Very slow increments. Some guys catch on quickly, others take a little while. If you are LeBron James, Michael Jordan. But, if you are John Wall and the kid from Ohio State (Evan Turner), it's going to take a while to fall into.

As far as Rajon Rondo?

"Well Rondo, he's off the charts."