Lance Stephenson to go PRO
I'm surprised that he has a 2 year old daughter at such a young age.
An extra year would really have helped him go mid first round IMO. But i guess the money is essential, so its probably the right choice. He'll probably get picked early second round, maybe late first if some team wants to take a risk.
I'm not sold on Lance as the next big thing, I'm certain he can play at least a bench role in the NBA right now, but he certainly did everything to help his cause this year. He went to a school where he could be a main factor in their offense, stayed out of trouble, and tried to address issues about his character as was evident in his speech.
I understand he has a 2-year old daughter and his family may be in need, but he isn't guaranteed to be a 1st round pick. What if he gets picked in the 2nd round?? I know L.Stephenson has been hyped as the 'Chosen One' from a very young age, his somewhat selfish attitude on the court led me to believe that he had the wrong kind of people influencing him would and he would turn pro before he was ready. After the season, all indications were that L.Stephenson would return to Cincinnati, I thought he had good people advising now....I WAS WRONG!!!
IDK i think he is ready enough..maybe i'm not that high like iggy i guess and i'm not saying he is like P.Pierce because he would be top3-top5 pick but i really think he is closer to mid first-rounder that mid second-rounder..
the kid has size ball hadling little J little athleticism potential to be versatily player and good defender..
like for example i would probably take him over Bradley he is as good player and even better statistically plus he looks better suited as NBA player(and don't get me wrong i think Bradley is top20 pick)
he should stay another year at cinci so that all the focus will be on him. hell be the main guy on the team in the always weak conference usa (expect memphis w/ its incoming recruits next year). he should be able to really show his skills next year and build enough buzz around himself to slide into the 2011 lottery.
I always felt he should come back for his sophomore season because he would do very well and probably be picked in the top 20, but players are really scared about the possibility of a lockout. I wish Lance the best, and hope he succeeds in the NBA.
I think he will go early 2nd round to a time that can give him some time to develop. I dont think he will be a stud but at worst I see him as solid role which is bad to get in 2nd round. Hope he falls to celtics in 2nd round and have him learn from pierce and Rondo.
I think he will go early 2nd round to a time that can give him some time to develop. I dont think he will be a stud but at worst I see him as solid role which is bad to get in 2nd round. Hope he falls to celtics in 2nd round and have him learn from pierce and Rondo.
Lance Stephenson works very hard, and I see him playing in the NBA with a chip on his shoulder to prove to everyone he has matured and can play with the best as well. He also has a killer instinct. If you remember in the Big East Tournament vs. West Virginia he kept Cincinnati in it hitting shots when it counted, if he wasn't doing it WVU would have blown out Cincinnati.
Lance should've been patient. He's going to likely be a rotation player as a rookie, but he's going to be an early 2nd round pick more than likely. He would've gotten the opportunity to play with the ball in his hands more because Deonta Vaughn, who struggled BADLY this year trying to figure out if he wanted to be a PG or SG, exhausted eligibility. He would likely have had the ball in his hands as much as Vaughn did if he would've return, and I think he would've put up Tyreke Evans type numbers in return. All of that would've made him a likely lotto pick and probably would've made Cincy a tourny team (they have a very long and athletic team and borderline NBA prospect in big bully Yancy Gates down low). But maybe he HAD to support his child, so no real shame in that my brethren.
I dont think he's ready he is a good player if he wouldve stayed another year he couldve been dominant for cincinatti and showed scouts more I understand he has a kid but what if he gets drafted in the 2nd round which is most likely to happen then not get picked up he isnt overly atheletic his jump shot isnt the best he is still kinda raw and another year of school wouldve really helped him out. But if he thinks hes ready I wish him luck.
The fact that he has a child should be even more of a reason why he should stay in college and give himself a better shot at being a first round pick next year. He should want to put himself in the best position to support his child long term.
Has anybody ever seen this? I wonder if the girl in the 11th episode is the mother of his child:
http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/04/07/lance-stephenson-to-enter-nba-draft/#...
NEW YORK — After initially saying he would remain at Cincinnati for his sophomore season, Brooklyn’s Lance Stephenson has decided to go the one-and-done route, SNY.tv has exclusively learned.
The 6-foot-5 guard will submit his paperwork to the NBA and plans to enter the june NBA Draft.
“I have decided to withdraw from the University of Cincinnati and enter my name into this year’s NBA draft,” Stephenson said. “After carefully reviewing my options, it is now clear to me that the need to emotionally and financially support my family, especially my young daughter, along with my long-standing and burning passion to play in the NBA, outweighs my desire to return to the University of Cincinnati.
“I want to thank the administration, the athletic department and the entire coaching staff, especially Mick Cronin and Tony Stubblefield at the University of Cincinnati, for their support and guidance over the course of this past year. It was and always will be a privilege to be a Bearcat.”
Stephenson has a 2-year-old daughter, Liara.
“My daughter’s played a big role in my life,” Stephenson previously told SNY.tv. “Ever since she came I’ve just been real focused. I take everything more serious. I’m just more mature. Having a daughter made me take everything serious and be a good father.”
Both NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.com currently project Stephenson as an early second-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
“If he put his name in the draft right now, he’d still get drafted [in 2010],” Stubblefield said last month at the Big East tournament. “I think he could go anywhere from the late first round to early second, but I definitely think he would be drafted.”
Stephenson averaged 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists and earned Big East Preseason and Postseason Rookie of the Year honors. He scored a career-high 23 points in a March 6 loss at Georgetown.
Still, concerns remain about his handle, ability to shoot from outside, ability to go left and to keep the ball moving among teammates, as well as his character.
“The thing with Stephenson is he’s been all over the place,” one West Coast NBA scout. “I think he’s very, very talented. I had ambivalent feelings about his year in Cincinnati. He showed flashes of brilliance and then he would go over and play on the side just like a role player. He was used a complementary piece, not as the main man. A lot of NBA people felt he was the most talented player on that team by far.
“He went along with the game-plan and he let the older players, the juniors and seniors, kind of run the show.
“I think basically he has pretty good [shooting] form. He needs to work to perfect his stroke and if he’s coming out, that will be his job. I also thought by the end of the season, he was putting on some weight. I saw him a couple of years ago at LeBron James’ Camp and he dominated that. We heard a lot of different stories about him, but he didn’t seem to cause any problems down there at Cincinnati. Today in the NBA, 50 percent of it is scouting and 50 percent of it is background check to find out what kind of person he is.”
Stephenson initially said he “definitely” planned to remain in school another year.
“I felt like I didn’t show everybody the Lance Stephenson that everybody wanted to see, so I’m just going to come back, show everybody that I’m a winning player and that we’re going to try to win,” he said last month.
Stubblefield said there would be nothing disappointing about Lance coming back for another season, but it appears he has no plans to do so.
“I definitely think if he stays next year, he can have an opportunity to be a lottery pick,” Stubblefield said. “That depends on how hard he works and how much he improves on his game.”