Catching Up with the 'Cats: Week 4

In the midst of a three-day three-basketball game stretch that has us all drooling (while holding ourselves from overdosing on turkey), let's not forget to check in with our alumni in the NBA. It was a good week all-around for the former Wildcats.

Randy Foye

Fans of the Denver Nuggets were worried about their starting shooting guard's slow start to the 2013 season. They questioned his shot selection. They wondered if he needed a quicker release. After this past week, Foye might have shut down the criticism for the time being.

The former All-American finally found his range from distance, shooting a solid 8-20 from distance. Foye scored a season high 17 points paired with five rebounds in a win over the Mavericks on Saturday. He nailed five bombs from distance. The Nuggets have now won six of their last eight and are seventh in the Western Conference standings. Randy is going out of his way to make sure the Nuggets keep that winning attitude going.

Foye certainly doesn't seem worried, commenting that "I don't even know my percentage, I don't pay attention to that kind of stuff." What's that old adage, "Shooters shoot?" Keep shooting Randy, keep shooting.

Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry continues to string together some impressive performances for the Toronto Raptors. He averaged around 16 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals over the past three games. The season highs kept coming for the Villanova alumni, as Lowry notched his high-water mark at 24 points in a losing effort against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. The Raptors starting point guard is now averaging 13 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds on the season.

Kyle Lowry vs Washington Wizards (11.22.2013) (via Hasan Alanam). Unless you're really bored before the 'Nova/Kansas game, I wouldn't suggest watching the whole highlight. Just know that Lowry demonstrates a very balanced point guard attack.

Lowry's season-long prospects became a little more muddled this past week, however. The Eastern Conference is exceptionally weak. In fact, the Raptors current 6-8 win-loss record would reward them with the 4th seed if the playoffs started today. You read that right. Obviously the season is still very young, but Toronto could have legitimate playoff aspirations if they so desire.

Here comes the muddled part. As most of the sports world has already heard, Derrick Rose is out for the season with a torn meniscus. From the standpoint of a Bulls Fan and a fan of the NBA, it's simply tragic. Nevertheless, the Bulls front office has kept their focus on winning a championship this season. Amin Elhassan (hopefully you have access to ESPN insider) points out how Lowry might be a viable candidate to fill Rose's shoes. He notes that "Lowry is an ideal fit for Chicago's style of play."

It will be interesting to see how the Raptors organization moves forward, especially considering how Lowry has been inflating his trade stock as of late.

Dante Cunningham

Cunningham had a mostly quiet week from a statistical standpoint, netting an average of 4 points and pulling down 4 boards. Most importantly, Dante only logged about 17 minutes a game, a regression from his 25 average over the preceding two weeks.

The downturn in minutes could turn into a trend for Dante. Minnesota recently traded semi-bust Derrick Williams to the Kings for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. We'll see how coach Rick Adelman manages the minutes between the two forwards.

In other Cunningham news, the San Antonio Spurs may be targeting the Villanova alumnus during next summer's free agency period (Hat-tip to Chris Lane for the scoop). He would figure to back up current starter Kawhi Leonard. Gregg Popovich is known for getting the most out of his players, so perhaps this move could maximize Cunningham's skill set.

Maalik Wayns

Villanova's former guard is still out as he rehabs his torn meniscus. The prognosis projected Wayns to be sidelined for around six weeks. Assuming the rehab is on schedule, we could be seeing his regular season debut sometime next week.

Maurice Sutton

Now for the news you've all been waiting for. Maruice Sutton kicked off the D-League season with the Tulsa 66ers this past week, and put up some solid numbers while he was at it. The Villanova alum averaged 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in just 19 minutes a game. Based off the box scores, it seems like Mo' is the 66ers best big man.

Will it be enough to get the big leagues calling? Only time will tell.