"I'll tell you exactly what Anthony Davis is -- he's a young Bill Russell ... And Russell was by far, and will always be, the most valuable player ever in sport." -- Bob Knight, former college coach

FOUR MINUTES into this year's NCAA championship game against Kansas, with his Kentucky Wildcats up 9-7, Anthony Davis did what he does best -- and what he might do better than any man alive. Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor received an inbounds pass and slalomed down the court on a one-man fast break. Davis, trailing the action, shadowed Taylor from a 10-foot remove like a shark stalking a darter fish. When Taylor reached the lane, oblivious to the looming threat from the right, he juked a nearby defender and lofted a lefthand runner.

It's not exactly a law of physics that a defender cannot block a layup when he's farther from the basket than the shooter is, but it's still a strong argument for the existence of the DVR. That's especially true when that defender owns a 7'4" wingspan and a jaw-dropping vertical leap. In one sweeping motion, Davis elevated from the middle of the lane -- a giraffe on a pogo stick, skinny legs and all -- and swatted the ball directly to Kentucky guard Doron Lamb. For a split second, even Lamb appeared stunned, unsure how the ball had found its way into his hands. But when Lamb turned and sprinted downcourt on the way to a layup, the genius of the moment was clear: Davis had not just blocked a shot. He had coerced his opponent into helping him deliver an outlet pass.

"When I was growing up, I saw Oscar get 56 in the Garden. I've watched Wilt forever. I saw Russell in the Holiday Festival when I was a young kid. Davis is in that class ... When he enters the draft, the team that gets him is gonna win over 50 games." -- Larry Brown, former NBA and current SMU coach

"There's one player in this draft who changes the course of a franchise, and that's Anthony Davis." -- Jon Barry, ESPN analyst

FEW THINGS IN LIFE ARE GURANTEED. One of those things is this: Davis, the rangy Kentucky big man with a knack for thwarting field goal attempts, will be the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft. With apologies to the producers of the upcoming draft telecast, any effort to manufacture drama regarding this is futile. Davis has had the top spot locked down since last fall. And the moment the New Orleans Hornets' pingpong ball popped into place, his fate was sealed: Whether he wanted to or not, Davis would be taking his talents to the French Quarter.

Never mind that this year's draft holds the most promising crop of prospects in years. Never mind that Davis remains oddly unformed, even inchoate. Never mind the nettlesome fact that he made all of one shot in the biggest game of his life to date. Never mind that Davis is expected to make an impact in the league without anyone quite knowing what that impact will be. Davis is about to transform a franchise and quite possibly the way defenses in the NBA structure themselves. Or, perhaps, he is the most ridiculously overrated one-trick pony in the history of the draft.

"Blocking shots is about more than just blocking shots. JaVale McGee was second in the league in blocked shots this year, but no one really thinks of him as a great defender. He's just one of those guys who's trying to block everything -- getting a bunch of goaltending calls, getting a bunch of fouls. Davis is the opposite of that." -- Kevin Pelton, author, Basketball Prospectus

ANTHONY DAVIS DIDN'T EVEN NEED to block a shot to seal Kentucky's victory against Kansas. He just had to imply it. With under a minute left, the Jayhawks had the ball. They had reduced Kentucky's once-commanding 18-point lead to six. Kansas guard Elijah Johnson received the ball in space out on the left wing off an interior screen with an opportunity to create against the rotating Kentucky defense. Davis' legs are so long that he typically covers ground effortlessly, almost laconically. But in that moment, sensing the urgency, he surged toward Johnson and leaped at full extension. It was a pre-emptive strike, shot blocking as playmaking, and the effect was mesmerizing -- as if someone had hurled an extension ladder at Johnson.

Johnson, having already opted for what he thought was a wide-open jumper, was hardly expecting company. Davis soared above him like the sword of Damocles. Johnson flinched in midair like a man who suddenly wanted to be somewhere else -- anywhere else. While in midair, he tried to bounce the ball to reset his dribble. The referee called a travel.

Game over. NCAA tournament over.

Moments like these have helped to turn the scouting report on Davis into a combination of slack-jawed awe and contemporary hoops realpolitik. The creativity, the timing, the strategic sense of how and when to strike, all are light-years ahead of the standard help-side shot swatter. Or, considering the many comparisons to Bill Russell, perhaps they're 50 years behind. But what to make of those comparisons to Russell -- the equivalent of wallpapering Davis' face on Mount Rushmore? Are we not engaging in basketball heresy?

It's one thing when Knight says Davis "has one of the same things that made Russell the greatest of all time ... his ability to take a shot away and yet get the ball for his team. He doesn't just swat it up into the bleachers." Knight, after all, can be prone to hyperbole.

One might expect former Georgetown coach John Thompson, who played with Russell and knows a few things about bringing along college big men, to be more circumspect. But even Thompson refuses to dismiss the comparisons. "Davis' arms don't always seem connected to his body in a stiff way," Thompson starts, by way of praise. "A lot of guys can block shots, but they collide into you with their body. Russell had the ability to go into the air, but he also could manipulate his arms in a manner to prevent from fouling. What remains to be seen is if Davis is able to do it strategically and with the mental approach that Russell had to blocking shots."