[tbennett76Participant]

 Wiggins is really starting to annoy me with his total lack of passion.  To me the kid is quiet, and sometimes disinterested.  Tons of hype around this kid, but to me in a few inches he is Rashard Lewis.  He is a lot more raw than first thought.  Would not be surprised to see him slip down the lottery.  Uh, BALONEY.  He is a transcendent athlete a pants kick away from eating teams alive with his talent.  This idiot coach of his is running ball screens with freaking Tharpe when you have a guy who can leap over most teams he plays against.  Yes, I just called Bill Self an idiot.  Deal with it.

Parker is a scorer, you draft him, you draft a high volume shooter and leader who will get you 20 plus points per game out of the gate.  But will he help you win?  Not at first but he could become Paul Pierce.  One of the things that is so interesting with the college game is the myth of developing young players for the NBA.  MYTH.  The college game is a team game, not truly a star’s game, and it used to be.  Back then development mattered.  Now people like Brad Stevens have ruined the game with his brand of tempo clogging, talent diluting game planning.  It got so bad, they had to start calling fouls.  I put Jim Boeheim in this category too.  The NBA is about filling lanes, slashing, creating, and rotating on defense.  Thanks to Jimmy we hd NO idea how good Michael Carter Williams really was.  All this type of coaching does is hide talent.  Oh and look, goody, now OPIE is in the NBA.  Freakin awesome.

Bill Self is living up to his name by refusing to let his horses run.  Systems are great, but any other coach not named Bill Self has two potential number one picks and loses at home to SDSU is taking heat.  But Dean Smith did the SAME exact thing with MJ.  Worthy was the focal point of HIS offense.  Never mind the best player in the country was being hidden, and if you ask me, UNC should have had titles in 82, 83, and 84.  And they barely got one.  

Sometimes coaches HAVE to coach their butts off in order to win.  Other times they have to do little more than roll out the ball.  This forced servitude kids have to go through, this one and done, is wrong, immoral, and harmful to the truly talented.  I am giving it to you straight.  Now back to Parker, give me a break.  This kid is a scoring machine.  Is he "ready" for the NBA is one of the single dumbest question memes ever developed.  A better question is does this kid have the skill or not?  There is no amount of ready if you lack skill, as Marcus Smart will find out when he visits my (ticket holder) Texas Legends in his first of many years in the NBDL.

Don’t like my opinion?  Welcome to America.  You don’t have to.

-T

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

 Even in the NBA coaches prove it is a team game (e.g. Spurs, Indiana etc.): you cannot win the game on your own, you still need four others and a little bit of an idea/system to win. Letting players play in college makes them to play within a team/system, which helps them down the road.

Do I think forcing players to go to college is a good thing? I don’t know, but at least it gives them a broader basis not only in terms of basketball experience (like I said, playing in a system), but also in general (going to college, studying etc.). 

[tbennett76Participant]

 are fine muzzling a once a decade talent is not.  And the Spurs play team basketball by utilizing their best players, not leashing them.

And few people really think Indiana would knock off a healthy Heat team.  There is not one other profession where I am forced to go to an arbitrary one year of college to earn.  There are professions that require degrees.  But if I want to sell furniture Haverty’s does not say go to college for one year, earn 30 college credits, and then we will hire you.  And yes I think this is a black thing, lest we forget the overrated now trying to become overweight Mormon named Bryce Harper, who earned ten lifetime’s of regular guy pay at 17.  

 

[aaucoachParticipant]

 as a coach from the inner city,i have an entirely different take on the 1 and done rule.i like it because it forces kids to at least have to focus on something outside of basketball.im not naive to think 1 season in college is gonna turn jr smith into nikola tesla,but what it does is at least makes them think about what they may want to do if bball doesnt work.i wish it was 2 years instead of 1 so it would really put pressure on the kid,his "handlers",and the university to make a commitment to education and getting a kid prepared for life after bball

[Scrooge McDuckParticipant]

The problem: its potentially harmful to young men who are ready and mature enough to play in the NBA to be prevented from turning pro. There is no one size fits all…

[Scrooge McDuckParticipant]

The problem: its potentially harmful to young men who are ready and mature enough to play in the NBA to be prevented from turning pro. There is no one size fits all…

[Scott42444Participant]

…that is something that nobody ever thinks of.  It always is looked at as a huge burden for players, but for someone like Derrick Rose, moving to Memphis was the first time he ever was able to live outside of Chicago and have a little bit of pressure taken off of him. Also, I don’t think anyone ever looks at it from the NBA’s point of view.  The 1 and done rule also protects GM’s.  They were NOT able to properly scout international prospects, college prospects, NBA players, AND high school players.  The NBA had a ton of great, HOF caliber talent enter the NBA directly from High School, but the overall quality of the league was terrible.  The league is better now than it was in the early to mid 2000’s.  Significantly better.  And, this also significantly coincides with the 1 and done rule.  

Maybe the NBA should develop a REAL minor league.  Expand the NBDL.  Make a developmental team for EVERY NBA team in the league.  I think putting a minor league team in Naperville, IL would be a big enough suburb of Chicago that they could sell enough tickets to turn a profit and close enough to still have the players be able to interact with the Bulls.  That could be a trend that all teams in the league look towards.  I know that when the WNBA started, there was a first dibs policy for all NBA owners to own the WNBA team in their home city and they also were required to help fund the league in some way.  This way, the league could be offered as an alternative to going to college but the 2 and done rule could be enforced without complaint (which is what I think should be required, 2 years after high school graduation).  I watched a television show that focused on Rick Pitino and John Calipari and their coaching life.  During the Rick Pitino segment, he was teaching his students a class on how taxes work.  How much of your $2,000,000 a year salary would you actually make?  How much do you need to put away to retire comfortably at 30?  Those are things that high school seniors don’t know and it leads to a lot of trouble.  That is the stuff that makes college worthwhile for some of these kids and I think could be replicated by an NBDL franchise.  But, instead of having Derrick Rose have someone take the ACT test for him he could have an alternative to cheating.

Also, we could have a MUCH larger NBA Draft with multiple rounds again.  I believe this would improve everyone involved with proffesional basketball.

 

 

 

[Scott42444Participant]

…that is something that nobody ever thinks of.  It always is looked at as a huge burden for players, but for someone like Derrick Rose, moving to Memphis was the first time he ever was able to live outside of Chicago and have a little bit of pressure taken off of him. Also, I don’t think anyone ever looks at it from the NBA’s point of view.  The 1 and done rule also protects GM’s.  They were NOT able to properly scout international prospects, college prospects, NBA players, AND high school players.  The NBA had a ton of great, HOF caliber talent enter the NBA directly from High School, but the overall quality of the league was terrible.  The league is better now than it was in the early to mid 2000’s.  Significantly better.  And, this also significantly coincides with the 1 and done rule.  

Maybe the NBA should develop a REAL minor league.  Expand the NBDL.  Make a developmental team for EVERY NBA team in the league.  I think putting a minor league team in Naperville, IL would be a big enough suburb of Chicago that they could sell enough tickets to turn a profit and close enough to still have the players be able to interact with the Bulls.  That could be a trend that all teams in the league look towards.  I know that when the WNBA started, there was a first dibs policy for all NBA owners to own the WNBA team in their home city and they also were required to help fund the league in some way.  This way, the league could be offered as an alternative to going to college but the 2 and done rule could be enforced without complaint (which is what I think should be required, 2 years after high school graduation).  I watched a television show that focused on Rick Pitino and John Calipari and their coaching life.  During the Rick Pitino segment, he was teaching his students a class on how taxes work.  How much of your $2,000,000 a year salary would you actually make?  How much do you need to put away to retire comfortably at 30?  Those are things that high school seniors don’t know and it leads to a lot of trouble.  That is the stuff that makes college worthwhile for some of these kids and I think could be replicated by an NBDL franchise.  But, instead of having Derrick Rose have someone take the ACT test for him he could have an alternative to cheating.

Also, we could have a MUCH larger NBA Draft with multiple rounds again.  I believe this would improve everyone involved with proffesional basketball.

 

 

 

[aaucoachParticipant]

 as a coach from the inner city,i have an entirely different take on the 1 and done rule.i like it because it forces kids to at least have to focus on something outside of basketball.im not naive to think 1 season in college is gonna turn jr smith into nikola tesla,but what it does is at least makes them think about what they may want to do if bball doesnt work.i wish it was 2 years instead of 1 so it would really put pressure on the kid,his "handlers",and the university to make a commitment to education and getting a kid prepared for life after bball

[tbennett76Participant]

 are fine muzzling a once a decade talent is not.  And the Spurs play team basketball by utilizing their best players, not leashing them.

And few people really think Indiana would knock off a healthy Heat team.  There is not one other profession where I am forced to go to an arbitrary one year of college to earn.  There are professions that require degrees.  But if I want to sell furniture Haverty’s does not say go to college for one year, earn 30 college credits, and then we will hire you.  And yes I think this is a black thing, lest we forget the overrated now trying to become overweight Mormon named Bryce Harper, who earned ten lifetime’s of regular guy pay at 17.  

 

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

 Even in the NBA coaches prove it is a team game (e.g. Spurs, Indiana etc.): you cannot win the game on your own, you still need four others and a little bit of an idea/system to win. Letting players play in college makes them to play within a team/system, which helps them down the road.

Do I think forcing players to go to college is a good thing? I don’t know, but at least it gives them a broader basis not only in terms of basketball experience (like I said, playing in a system), but also in general (going to college, studying etc.). 

[jperk12Participant]

 I’ve been saying this forever, you don’t get ready for the NBA by going to college an extra year. Do you get ready for calculus by taking an extra year of geometry? No, because their 2 totally different concepts. I agree with everything except the point about star oriented basketball is the NBA style. Most coaches just don’t know how to operate and win at a high level without superstars. Oh, and +1 for the Marcus Smart comment, you can only go so far with a lack of skill in the NBA,  look what happened to Matten Cleaves and he put up ridiculous stats in the big ten and won a championship. 

[JoeWolf1]

 I guess you and I have different versions of ridiculous stats. Cleaves is virtually nothing like Smart.

Cleaves put up 12.5 ppg 2.1 and 6.6 apg in 4 years at Michigan State, and at a chubby 6’2” 205 lbs, it was his lack of athletic ability that hindered him from having success in the NBA playing a position usually reserved for the quickest players in the league. Yes, Cleaves wasn’t much a jump shooter, like Smart, but I don’t think I ever saw Mateen Cleaves dunk a basketball

On the other hand you have Marcus Smart is 6’4” in shoes, a strong 220 lbs and with a 6’8” wingspan, routinely blocks shots and dunks high above the rim and has produced at a clip much earlier and much better than Cleaves. To the tune of 15.9 ppg 5.4 rpg 4.1 apg and 2.8 spg. 

He practiced with Team USA last summer, and drew a lot of praise. No, he’s not a finished product, and it looks like people jumped the gun on his improved jumper. It’s improved a tad, but it’s still not that great. 

There are elements of his game that need work, no doubt, but Mateen Cleaves? I’m not buying that for a second.

[JoeWolf1]

 I guess you and I have different versions of ridiculous stats. Cleaves is virtually nothing like Smart.

Cleaves put up 12.5 ppg 2.1 and 6.6 apg in 4 years at Michigan State, and at a chubby 6’2” 205 lbs, it was his lack of athletic ability that hindered him from having success in the NBA playing a position usually reserved for the quickest players in the league. Yes, Cleaves wasn’t much a jump shooter, like Smart, but I don’t think I ever saw Mateen Cleaves dunk a basketball

On the other hand you have Marcus Smart is 6’4” in shoes, a strong 220 lbs and with a 6’8” wingspan, routinely blocks shots and dunks high above the rim and has produced at a clip much earlier and much better than Cleaves. To the tune of 15.9 ppg 5.4 rpg 4.1 apg and 2.8 spg. 

He practiced with Team USA last summer, and drew a lot of praise. No, he’s not a finished product, and it looks like people jumped the gun on his improved jumper. It’s improved a tad, but it’s still not that great. 

There are elements of his game that need work, no doubt, but Mateen Cleaves? I’m not buying that for a second.

[aaucoachParticipant]

 how on earth could you compare cleaves to smart lol.other than complexion,they are absolutely nothing alike.cleaves was an andre miller type of guard,while a more acurate comparison for smart would be a guy like eric bledsoe.cleaves was always 1 of the least athletic guys on the court while smart is the.and people said bledsoe didnt have skills either and now look at what he’s doing in phoenix.smart will be a very good player in the league

[jperk12Participant]

I never said they played the same. Obvioisly 2 differwnt talents. Mateen averaged 17 7.5 and 2 his sophomore year, seems pretty good on the college levele to me. I was comparing them at the same time. I’m not saying they play the same. I am saying you can be a great college player and not have the ability to in the NBA at a high level. People raved aboit Mateen and how great of a leader he was and how he was as tough as a linebacker.  His talent didn’t transfer to the NBA and I don’t feel Smart will be an all star in the NBA. Only time will tell and I hope he does well.

[jperk12Participant]

I never said they played the same. Obvioisly 2 differwnt talents. Mateen averaged 17 7.5 and 2 his sophomore year, seems pretty good on the college levele to me. I was comparing them at the same time. I’m not saying they play the same. I am saying you can be a great college player and not have the ability to in the NBA at a high level. People raved aboit Mateen and how great of a leader he was and how he was as tough as a linebacker.  His talent didn’t transfer to the NBA and I don’t feel Smart will be an all star in the NBA. Only time will tell and I hope he does well.

[aaucoachParticipant]

 how on earth could you compare cleaves to smart lol.other than complexion,they are absolutely nothing alike.cleaves was an andre miller type of guard,while a more acurate comparison for smart would be a guy like eric bledsoe.cleaves was always 1 of the least athletic guys on the court while smart is the.and people said bledsoe didnt have skills either and now look at what he’s doing in phoenix.smart will be a very good player in the league

[jperk12Participant]

 I’ve been saying this forever, you don’t get ready for the NBA by going to college an extra year. Do you get ready for calculus by taking an extra year of geometry? No, because their 2 totally different concepts. I agree with everything except the point about star oriented basketball is the NBA style. Most coaches just don’t know how to operate and win at a high level without superstars. Oh, and +1 for the Marcus Smart comment, you can only go so far with a lack of skill in the NBA,  look what happened to Matten Cleaves and he put up ridiculous stats in the big ten and won a championship. 

[samosasParticipant]

 I was with OP until he had to say "This is America! My opinion! RAWR!" You had some salient points, but have to neg.

[samosasParticipant]

 I was with OP until he had to say "This is America! My opinion! RAWR!" You had some salient points, but have to neg.

[Tallest Nigga N DA BuildingParticipant]

 I say college can always help u developed if its taken serious. I watch wiggins play and I’m not sure how much is he taking it serious knowing he top 3 pick. But I feel at this te wiggins she be working on his skills and learning how to do others things on the court when your not the man on the team like he was in highschool. Yes college is a coaches game and nba is a players league  and wiggins chose to go to Kansas so he knew what type of system he was gonna be playing in Bill Self had won titles b4 wiggins playing the system he plays and had a team of nba players playing on it. We live in a age when hype is bigger then somebodies actual skill level  and that’s what we r seeing wit wiggins. 

[Tallest Nigga N DA BuildingParticipant]

 I say college can always help u developed if its taken serious. I watch wiggins play and I’m not sure how much is he taking it serious knowing he top 3 pick. But I feel at this te wiggins she be working on his skills and learning how to do others things on the court when your not the man on the team like he was in highschool. Yes college is a coaches game and nba is a players league  and wiggins chose to go to Kansas so he knew what type of system he was gonna be playing in Bill Self had won titles b4 wiggins playing the system he plays and had a team of nba players playing on it. We live in a age when hype is bigger then somebodies actual skill level  and that’s what we r seeing wit wiggins. 

[Toronto16Participant]

 Agree with OP on the Bill Self thing.  His horrible plays are holding Andrew Wiggins back.  Now because Wiggins feels he has to prove everyone wrong, he is forcing the issue.  Still the #1 pick in my eyes.

[Toronto16Participant]

 Agree with OP on the Bill Self thing.  His horrible plays are holding Andrew Wiggins back.  Now because Wiggins feels he has to prove everyone wrong, he is forcing the issue.  Still the #1 pick in my eyes.

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 Andrew Wiggins is a very exiting prospect but I honestly dont see him becoming a franchise player, more like a defensive specialist with some offensive tools ala Iguadola or Deng, I think he’s more likely to become Iggy or Derozen than a franchise player…

Parker looks a mix of Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony,  and Marcus Smart looks and feels like a D.Wade type through and through…I would compare Joel Embiid to Darko because of the way they’ve captured everyone’s attention with their size and potential…

 

I’d steer clear of Embiid by all means and wouldn’t draft Wiggins before Parker or Smart, tired of the word potential trumping talent and  historical probability…

Parker could have made the leap from High School and been somewhat effective had the 1 and done rule been abolished, but I think both the NCAA and NBA have benefited from the rule and I think we’ve been treated to a resurgence of the college game…

 

 

 

 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Wiggins is a better player than Smart was as a freshman and is only slightly less productive than Smart this season.  And Parker’s production is really not that different from what would be expected of Wiggins if he played for Duke.  Bear in mind Parker is playing the 4/5 for a fairly experienced team with great ball movement and spacing.  If Wiggins played for Duke, he woudld be putting up bigger numbers than he is right now.

Smart and Parker are not necessarily safer prospects than Wiggins.  Both Smart and Parker have more serious flaws in their game than Wiggins.  Acting like Wiggins is just being drafted based upon potential and Smart and Parker are being drafted based upon production is silly.  Per game averages really don’t translate from one league to another, anyways, so some judgements should be based upon actually watching them play.

[aaucoachParticipant]

 what are you watching lol.what they produce doesnt indicate their skill levels.when you watch them play,their is very clear seperation between parker,smart and wiggins.both smart and parker have shown they can consistently break guys down and score off the dribble and score in a great variety of ways.wiggins meanwhile gets most of his buckets in transition.smart and parker have both shown that they are elite off the dribble which is the most important skill for a dominant perimeter guy,while wiggins hasnt shown much of anything in iso situations.the most ive seen him do is a step back jumper

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Parker and Smart are IMO the best players in this draft class, Wiggins and Randle look like studs but so did Demar Derozen and Micheal Beasley, I am in the minority when it comes to drafting Centers, I believe you should be very cautious and more often than not you’re drafting a future Bust, Joel Embiid has all the makings of a Bust

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

Parker and Smart are IMO the best players in this draft class, Wiggins and Randle look like studs but so did Demar Derozen and Micheal Beasley, I am in the minority when it comes to drafting Centers, I believe you should be very cautious and more often than not you’re drafting a future Bust, Joel Embiid has all the makings of a Bust

[B-ball fanParticipant]

Being better one-on-one players in college doesn’t mean they are necessarily better prospects.  Wiggins is a better man defender than either Smart or Parker, he is better in transition, and attacks close outs better.  In time, Wiggins should be the best help defender of the bunch, although Smart’s superior defensive awareness at this stage makes him a better defender.  

Wiggins is better at getting to the rim than either Smart, who has a tendency to fall in love with his jump shot, and Parker.  Now, Parker is a fantastic prospect and is more skilled on offense, but less skilled on defense than Wiggins is right now.  But what Wiggins does will translate better to the NBA and Parker has the advantage of being in an offense in college that features him more while putting him in constant mismatch situations. 

[aaucoachParticipant]

 the word prospect is almost as bad as the word potential.it makes you look for things that arent there and may never come.the gap between wiggins,parker and smart on defense is nowhere near as big as the gap between them on offense.parker plays like a seasoned vet and smart plays like a high energy guy.a few games this season i forgot wiggins was even on the court.imo the guys you know are always their are the 1’s who make for the best prospects

if wiggins was better at getting to the rim,he would be showing it.he doesnt even look to attack in iso situations because he really only has a spin move.ive seen smart and parker both cross guys and get to the basket.in what world does a guy who just stands on the perimeter have more translateable skills than guys who can beat their man 1 on 1.i like wiggins and i think he will be good in the league but so far,their is nothing on offense you can say he does better than parker,and as for smart,the most you can say is his shot looks better.and again,the gap between them on defense is not that big

 

 

[aaucoachParticipant]

 the word prospect is almost as bad as the word potential.it makes you look for things that arent there and may never come.the gap between wiggins,parker and smart on defense is nowhere near as big as the gap between them on offense.parker plays like a seasoned vet and smart plays like a high energy guy.a few games this season i forgot wiggins was even on the court.imo the guys you know are always their are the 1’s who make for the best prospects

if wiggins was better at getting to the rim,he would be showing it.he doesnt even look to attack in iso situations because he really only has a spin move.ive seen smart and parker both cross guys and get to the basket.in what world does a guy who just stands on the perimeter have more translateable skills than guys who can beat their man 1 on 1.i like wiggins and i think he will be good in the league but so far,their is nothing on offense you can say he does better than parker,and as for smart,the most you can say is his shot looks better.and again,the gap between them on defense is not that big

 

 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

Being better one-on-one players in college doesn’t mean they are necessarily better prospects.  Wiggins is a better man defender than either Smart or Parker, he is better in transition, and attacks close outs better.  In time, Wiggins should be the best help defender of the bunch, although Smart’s superior defensive awareness at this stage makes him a better defender.  

Wiggins is better at getting to the rim than either Smart, who has a tendency to fall in love with his jump shot, and Parker.  Now, Parker is a fantastic prospect and is more skilled on offense, but less skilled on defense than Wiggins is right now.  But what Wiggins does will translate better to the NBA and Parker has the advantage of being in an offense in college that features him more while putting him in constant mismatch situations. 

[aaucoachParticipant]

 what are you watching lol.what they produce doesnt indicate their skill levels.when you watch them play,their is very clear seperation between parker,smart and wiggins.both smart and parker have shown they can consistently break guys down and score off the dribble and score in a great variety of ways.wiggins meanwhile gets most of his buckets in transition.smart and parker have both shown that they are elite off the dribble which is the most important skill for a dominant perimeter guy,while wiggins hasnt shown much of anything in iso situations.the most ive seen him do is a step back jumper

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Wiggins is a better player than Smart was as a freshman and is only slightly less productive than Smart this season.  And Parker’s production is really not that different from what would be expected of Wiggins if he played for Duke.  Bear in mind Parker is playing the 4/5 for a fairly experienced team with great ball movement and spacing.  If Wiggins played for Duke, he woudld be putting up bigger numbers than he is right now.

Smart and Parker are not necessarily safer prospects than Wiggins.  Both Smart and Parker have more serious flaws in their game than Wiggins.  Acting like Wiggins is just being drafted based upon potential and Smart and Parker are being drafted based upon production is silly.  Per game averages really don’t translate from one league to another, anyways, so some judgements should be based upon actually watching them play.

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 Andrew Wiggins is a very exiting prospect but I honestly dont see him becoming a franchise player, more like a defensive specialist with some offensive tools ala Iguadola or Deng, I think he’s more likely to become Iggy or Derozen than a franchise player…

Parker looks a mix of Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony,  and Marcus Smart looks and feels like a D.Wade type through and through…I would compare Joel Embiid to Darko because of the way they’ve captured everyone’s attention with their size and potential…

 

I’d steer clear of Embiid by all means and wouldn’t draft Wiggins before Parker or Smart, tired of the word potential trumping talent and  historical probability…

Parker could have made the leap from High School and been somewhat effective had the 1 and done rule been abolished, but I think both the NCAA and NBA have benefited from the rule and I think we’ve been treated to a resurgence of the college game…

 

 

 

 

[max23Participant]

  Horrible plays?Seriously what has Wiggins shown in the half court game offensively??He misses open jump shots regurlarly,is not a good ball handler and for all his athleticim,he doesnt finish well at the rim.This is a guy that was touted as a superstar,a guy you give the ball too and get out of the way type,that makes teammates better.A guy that was supposed to make florida state a super team if he had chosen to go there.Imagine if i had gone there and was told hes the man,do you honestly think he would look much better than now…Him looking raw is on him not his coach.I hope for his sake hes not number 1,too much expectations on him if he is,and at this rate he probably wont be the number 1 or 2 guy next year for the team who drafts him as he would be expected to be..Now 3 years from now is another story…Im pulling for him though to improve the rest of year(he does have potential to do so),and to be very successful in nba.

[max23Participant]

  Horrible plays?Seriously what has Wiggins shown in the half court game offensively??He misses open jump shots regurlarly,is not a good ball handler and for all his athleticim,he doesnt finish well at the rim.This is a guy that was touted as a superstar,a guy you give the ball too and get out of the way type,that makes teammates better.A guy that was supposed to make florida state a super team if he had chosen to go there.Imagine if i had gone there and was told hes the man,do you honestly think he would look much better than now…Him looking raw is on him not his coach.I hope for his sake hes not number 1,too much expectations on him if he is,and at this rate he probably wont be the number 1 or 2 guy next year for the team who drafts him as he would be expected to be..Now 3 years from now is another story…Im pulling for him though to improve the rest of year(he does have potential to do so),and to be very successful in nba.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I think guys should be able to declare after high school.  THEN they go to school for at least two years.  When there two years are up, then their NBA contract takes over. 

I don’t want to punish high school phenoms by going to college.  I also want NBA teams to draft who they want, BUT they get a guy that is a bit more polished.

I also like the college game and would like to see these guys in college (selfishly?) for two years.  I think it would help these guys’ fundamentals too.

… back to Wiggins.  Has he had any great highlight dunks recently?  Where is this guy?  Embiid looks like the guy to get.  I like Marcus Smart too based on his size, athleticism, and alpha mentality.

Jabari Parker’s shooting stats haven’t been too hot the past two games.  Maybe he hit a wall…

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I think guys should be able to declare after high school.  THEN they go to school for at least two years.  When there two years are up, then their NBA contract takes over. 

I don’t want to punish high school phenoms by going to college.  I also want NBA teams to draft who they want, BUT they get a guy that is a bit more polished.

I also like the college game and would like to see these guys in college (selfishly?) for two years.  I think it would help these guys’ fundamentals too.

… back to Wiggins.  Has he had any great highlight dunks recently?  Where is this guy?  Embiid looks like the guy to get.  I like Marcus Smart too based on his size, athleticism, and alpha mentality.

Jabari Parker’s shooting stats haven’t been too hot the past two games.  Maybe he hit a wall…

[rileymcshea3Participant]

How can you call these successful coaches idiots? That is just arrogant to say. They are there to win games, not advertise nba prospects. If the player doesn’t fit in that system then they shouldn’t have chose that program. Wiggins could have chose any school in America, but he chose kansas and Self is actually doing a really good job by not making him a guy he who needs the ball to be good. He knows how to play defense and score without the ball efficiently using his athleticism, basically the opposite of Rudy Gay who he is compared to sometimes and we see how much he is valued in the NBA being traded for virtually nothing. If he would have gone to Florida St. and put up empty stats and resting on defense because he is the whole offense we would see Rudy Gay 2.0.

[rileymcshea3Participant]

How can you call these successful coaches idiots? That is just arrogant to say. They are there to win games, not advertise nba prospects. If the player doesn’t fit in that system then they shouldn’t have chose that program. Wiggins could have chose any school in America, but he chose kansas and Self is actually doing a really good job by not making him a guy he who needs the ball to be good. He knows how to play defense and score without the ball efficiently using his athleticism, basically the opposite of Rudy Gay who he is compared to sometimes and we see how much he is valued in the NBA being traded for virtually nothing. If he would have gone to Florida St. and put up empty stats and resting on defense because he is the whole offense we would see Rudy Gay 2.0.

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 He’s played a lot of minutes thus far and had to carry the load at times, Coach K will get the most out of the other guys while Parker plays through this stretch of fatigue and he’ll be ready to dominate teams in the NCAA tournament

Rodney Hood could really benefit from this cold spell come draft time, teams will look at him in a whole new light and he could be taken higher than most of us would expect

 

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 He’s played a lot of minutes thus far and had to carry the load at times, Coach K will get the most out of the other guys while Parker plays through this stretch of fatigue and he’ll be ready to dominate teams in the NCAA tournament

Rodney Hood could really benefit from this cold spell come draft time, teams will look at him in a whole new light and he could be taken higher than most of us would expect

 

[TheArtistPaysthePriceParticipant]

to play basketball if your 18 years old in America. No company is forced to hire you, but to not even let people fill out job applications is bullsh!t. It’s not brain surgery and college isn’t mandatory, you just have to wait a random year just…….. because. 

It makes to much money and gives GM’s more leeway to judge, the rule has a bigger chance to gain a year than lose one.

On the other hand,

 I mean, we are all happy Shabazz wasn’t picked number 2 after Anthony Davis in 2012, right?  

 

 

[TheArtistPaysthePriceParticipant]

to play basketball if your 18 years old in America. No company is forced to hire you, but to not even let people fill out job applications is bullsh!t. It’s not brain surgery and college isn’t mandatory, you just have to wait a random year just…….. because. 

It makes to much money and gives GM’s more leeway to judge, the rule has a bigger chance to gain a year than lose one.

On the other hand,

 I mean, we are all happy Shabazz wasn’t picked number 2 after Anthony Davis in 2012, right?  

 

 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 While the age limit is silly, the draft would be a real crap shoot without it.  College has a way of weeding out those who aren’t ready for primetime and gives scouts a chance to see guys compete when they won’t always be the man and will actually face tough competition.  

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 While the age limit is silly, the draft would be a real crap shoot without it.  College has a way of weeding out those who aren’t ready for primetime and gives scouts a chance to see guys compete when they won’t always be the man and will actually face tough competition.  

[tuck243Participant]

Staying in college didn’t improve his game.  He learned more in the NBA than he did with Coach K….  So there’s that…  But Coach K has been letting his best players take over…  We’ve seen this for almost a decade straight…  I have no clue what you talking about when you say that about Jabari Parker…  Dude literally takes (and hits) step back 3’s…  If that’s not a green light IDK what is…

I’m a fan of Marcus Smart but you never know with guys like him…  He might be too slow to play against PG’s and too small against 2’s…  (until we get combine results I’m not believing he’s 6’4)..  He could be Randy Foye 2.0…  Or James Harden…  We don’t know yet…  

Wiggins I think is similar to D. Rose in Memphis… He’s quiet and really came on late in the year taking over…  The only difference is D. Rose was playing PG so he always had the ball in his hands…  I still think you go with Jabari #1 at this point because you know what he will do for you…  Everyone else is nice but come with an if…  Outside of Randle of course…  

 

 

 

 

[tuck243Participant]

Staying in college didn’t improve his game.  He learned more in the NBA than he did with Coach K….  So there’s that…  But Coach K has been letting his best players take over…  We’ve seen this for almost a decade straight…  I have no clue what you talking about when you say that about Jabari Parker…  Dude literally takes (and hits) step back 3’s…  If that’s not a green light IDK what is…

I’m a fan of Marcus Smart but you never know with guys like him…  He might be too slow to play against PG’s and too small against 2’s…  (until we get combine results I’m not believing he’s 6’4)..  He could be Randy Foye 2.0…  Or James Harden…  We don’t know yet…  

Wiggins I think is similar to D. Rose in Memphis… He’s quiet and really came on late in the year taking over…  The only difference is D. Rose was playing PG so he always had the ball in his hands…  I still think you go with Jabari #1 at this point because you know what he will do for you…  Everyone else is nice but come with an if…  Outside of Randle of course…  

 

 

 

 

[bimirudParticipant]

 But top of the 2014 draft is loaded, any way you slice it. It’s a good problem to have if you’re a GM.

As for Wiggins, it’s sad to hear critics who want him to jack up 25 shots/gm and aren’t considering the fact that he consistently holds the guy he’s guarding under his average. Try telling me defense isn’t worth millions also. Wiggins outplayed Parker when they went head to head, and Wiggins took fewer shots and hit them when it counted.

I would take my chances with Wiggins at #1 because you have to play both ends, not just shoot all the time.

How cynical have we all become when a freshman leads the Kansas Jayhawks in scoring and people are calling him overrated?

 

 

 

 

[bimirudParticipant]

 But top of the 2014 draft is loaded, any way you slice it. It’s a good problem to have if you’re a GM.

As for Wiggins, it’s sad to hear critics who want him to jack up 25 shots/gm and aren’t considering the fact that he consistently holds the guy he’s guarding under his average. Try telling me defense isn’t worth millions also. Wiggins outplayed Parker when they went head to head, and Wiggins took fewer shots and hit them when it counted.

I would take my chances with Wiggins at #1 because you have to play both ends, not just shoot all the time.

How cynical have we all become when a freshman leads the Kansas Jayhawks in scoring and people are calling him overrated?

 

 

 

 

[aaucoachParticipant]

 wiggins did not outplay parker by any stretch of the imagination.wiggins looked good,parker looked dominant.parker scored in everyway possible

[aaucoachParticipant]

 wiggins did not outplay parker by any stretch of the imagination.wiggins looked good,parker looked dominant.parker scored in everyway possible

[LindseyParticipant]

 Until he was guarded by Wiggins…

[LindseyParticipant]

 Until he was guarded by Wiggins…

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

This is a great draft to have the 3rd, 4th, or 5th pick.  BUT you can probably mess it up at number 1.  I don’t think there is a no brainer pick with the first pick.  So, if there are FIVE guys out there you might have a 20% chance of taking THE BEST GUY with the first pick (1/5). 

I would almost want to trade down to 4 if I got the top pick UNLESS a guy like Jabari Parker just fit in real well with what you are trying to do.  Jabari looks like a stretch four with small forward range (but without the crazy athleticism and length like LeBron or Paul George or Kevin Durant).  I think the Paul Pierce comparison is a very good one for Jabari Parker.

I think Jabari needs better conditioning though to fulfill his "perennial all-star" potential.  He won’t outquick or outpower other guys on the next level.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

This is a great draft to have the 3rd, 4th, or 5th pick.  BUT you can probably mess it up at number 1.  I don’t think there is a no brainer pick with the first pick.  So, if there are FIVE guys out there you might have a 20% chance of taking THE BEST GUY with the first pick (1/5). 

I would almost want to trade down to 4 if I got the top pick UNLESS a guy like Jabari Parker just fit in real well with what you are trying to do.  Jabari looks like a stretch four with small forward range (but without the crazy athleticism and length like LeBron or Paul George or Kevin Durant).  I think the Paul Pierce comparison is a very good one for Jabari Parker.

I think Jabari needs better conditioning though to fulfill his "perennial all-star" potential.  He won’t outquick or outpower other guys on the next level.

[Ghost01Participant]

 Can we please stop with "he could be Paul Pierce" or "he could be Carmelo Anthony" or "he could be Paul George.

No.

Paul Pierce is Paul Pierce. Just because a guy is the same height, same skin color, and/or same size as a current NBA player doesn’t mean they will be the same.

Parker can/will have the same traits as some current NBA players. But he won’t be "the next…" anyone.

Same goes for Wiggins. They will be Parker and Wiggins. Not Durant/Melo and George/Iguodala. The comparisons are always off base as every player is different.

Now can you say "I think Parker will be a Carmelo level scoring threat, with better team concept" and I think that makes sense. But no one is the 2nd coming of anyone else. 

 

 

 

 

[Ghost01Participant]

 Can we please stop with "he could be Paul Pierce" or "he could be Carmelo Anthony" or "he could be Paul George.

No.

Paul Pierce is Paul Pierce. Just because a guy is the same height, same skin color, and/or same size as a current NBA player doesn’t mean they will be the same.

Parker can/will have the same traits as some current NBA players. But he won’t be "the next…" anyone.

Same goes for Wiggins. They will be Parker and Wiggins. Not Durant/Melo and George/Iguodala. The comparisons are always off base as every player is different.

Now can you say "I think Parker will be a Carmelo level scoring threat, with better team concept" and I think that makes sense. But no one is the 2nd coming of anyone else. 

 

 

 

 

[Corka ColaParticipant]

Kind of going back to a point made earlier, I thought a rule that would make sense would be what’s used in Major League Baseball today. With that, players can come out after their senior year of high school. Otherwise, they have to wait until their junior year of college to declare for the draft.

Otherwise, this being my opinion, if a player believes he is ready for the NBA, he should be able to declare whenever he wants. I just blame the media for egging on players in developing their egos and leaguewide team executives who bite into the hype of a player rather than the substantive skillset. Let them develop at their own pace and confidence.

 

  

[Corka ColaParticipant]

Kind of going back to a point made earlier, I thought a rule that would make sense would be what’s used in Major League Baseball today. With that, players can come out after their senior year of high school. Otherwise, they have to wait until their junior year of college to declare for the draft.

Otherwise, this being my opinion, if a player believes he is ready for the NBA, he should be able to declare whenever he wants. I just blame the media for egging on players in developing their egos and leaguewide team executives who bite into the hype of a player rather than the substantive skillset. Let them develop at their own pace and confidence.

 

  

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

 In college for 3 years to go get money. How can you be in favor of that? Do you want them to sleep, eat, wash when they are told? Grown men being denied their right to make a living for 3 years? Hell no

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

 In college for 3 years to go get money. How can you be in favor of that? Do you want them to sleep, eat, wash when they are told? Grown men being denied their right to make a living for 3 years? Hell no

[AmiableBaller34Participant]

"The college game is a team game, not truly a star’s game, and it used to be. Back then development mattered. Now people like Brad Stevens have ruined the game with his brand of tempo clogging, talent diluting game planning. It got so bad, they had to start calling fouls. I put Jim Boeheim in this category too"

As a basketball fan this part of your post disgusted me. Honestly, how can you sit there and say someone like Brad Stevens is ruining the game? He coached two teams of nobodies to the NCAA Championship Game, and you call that ruining basketball? I rather watch a good team win than just the team with the best recruiting class, and at the end of the day, that’s why I watch college basketball; for the upsets and Cindarella Stories. 

I think this post goes to show you what’s truely wrong with sports; People care more about the players than about the team. I was always brought up to believe that it’s the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back, and this new age of bandwagon fans and groupies are what’s truely sad. I watch a team like the Spurs or Bulls, and to me that’s real basketball. Every player has a role, and every player plays within the system that the coach has put into place. 

In my opinion, the early-mid 2000’s was one of the worst epochs of basketball history, and that was mainly because it was full of a bunch of teams that rallied around one player, and had little to no team play. Iso ball rained supreme. Guys like T-Mac, Iverson, Pierce, Bosh, Carter, KG, and others, where one man teams, and frankly, that wasn’t fun to watch compared to todays team oriented game. 

[AmiableBaller34Participant]

"The college game is a team game, not truly a star’s game, and it used to be. Back then development mattered. Now people like Brad Stevens have ruined the game with his brand of tempo clogging, talent diluting game planning. It got so bad, they had to start calling fouls. I put Jim Boeheim in this category too"

As a basketball fan this part of your post disgusted me. Honestly, how can you sit there and say someone like Brad Stevens is ruining the game? He coached two teams of nobodies to the NCAA Championship Game, and you call that ruining basketball? I rather watch a good team win than just the team with the best recruiting class, and at the end of the day, that’s why I watch college basketball; for the upsets and Cindarella Stories. 

I think this post goes to show you what’s truely wrong with sports; People care more about the players than about the team. I was always brought up to believe that it’s the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back, and this new age of bandwagon fans and groupies are what’s truely sad. I watch a team like the Spurs or Bulls, and to me that’s real basketball. Every player has a role, and every player plays within the system that the coach has put into place. 

In my opinion, the early-mid 2000’s was one of the worst epochs of basketball history, and that was mainly because it was full of a bunch of teams that rallied around one player, and had little to no team play. Iso ball rained supreme. Guys like T-Mac, Iverson, Pierce, Bosh, Carter, KG, and others, where one man teams, and frankly, that wasn’t fun to watch compared to todays team oriented game. 

[Author]

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