Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Jimmermania's back.
It is now not so over-the-top, but percolating at the highest level. ESPN's NBA Draft Insider Chad Ford says, "Jimmer's stock is the most volatile. He's the most polarizing player I've seen in years."
Some NBA scouts and executives love him, saying he could go in the top 10 or just after. Others see flaws in his game (defense, athleticism) that could push him down the draft board. Fredette just wrapped a solid NBA pre-draft combine in Chicago as my colleague Greg Wrubell documents in great detail in "Cougar Tracks".
I've been on Jimmer's draft wagon for months. I think the Jazz should grab him at 12, unless they pick a point guard - either Kyrie Erving or Brandon Knight (PLEASE DON'T) - at #3.
Coming Up:
My latest bigman crush falls on 6'9"/265 lb Enes Kanter from Turkey. A more physical Boozer, plays like Atlanta's All-Star Al Horford. The only downside is that Kanter hasn't been seen playing very much against good competition.
Now back to Jimmer. If you love him or just like him, or are even just curious as to what he's all about, we've got you covered. We decided six weeks ago to dedicate this Sunday's SportsBeat show, the entire hour, to all things Jimmer. You can watch SportsBeat Jimmer Sunday night at 10:35 only on KSL 5.
It has come together better than any of us on the SportsBeat staff could've dreamed.
We have new interviews with Cougar icon Danny Ainge, who built the Celtics into champions.
"He'll be under a microscope as much as any player in this draft," Ainge says. "Scrutinized, flipped upside down, tested."
"I've been in this position my whole life," Jimmer says regarding all the doubters. "It's not anything new and I hear it and I listen to it and I let it drive me to try to go out there and prove everybody wrong and that's one thing that I want to do, I want to go out there and make sure everybody is a believer."
SportsBeat Jimmer will take viewers on the wild ride through the memorable season of Jimmermania, remix and rewind his greatest moves, shots and greatest games.
Will the Jazz draft him at #12? Hear from Jazz CEO Greg Miller plus Jazzmen Andrei Kirilenko and Gordon Hayward.
Weaving throughout the show we'll have a distinguished panel of media - those who know Jimmer and followed him closely through his days at BYU. The panel, led by the Voice of the Cougars, Greg Wrubell, will offer their insights and best memories of #32.
If that's not enough, one of our amazing editors (Matt Glade) has invented a Jimmer video game. Nobody put up video game numbers like #32, so we will pay homage to him and his work. We'll debut Jimmer's video game on Sportsbeat Jimmer.
Trust me, you won't want to miss this.
You can always reach me with your thoughts and opinions at Tom.Kirkland@ksl.com and follow me on Twitter @tksportsbeat