BGleas

I don't know that it will happen too much, it's really just for the guys with questionable academics or questionable ethics/handlers. Would you rather play at Oak Hill or Orangeville Prep, or at IU, Duke, UK, Kansas, etc.? Play in high school gyms, or play in front of millions on TV?

Giannis is definitely the most rounded player, but don't discount McCollumn. He put up slightly over 20ppg this season, shooting nearly 45 from the field and slightly over 40 from 3. Portland doesn't have all the pieces in place, but Lillard and McCollumn are going to be one of the better backcourts in the NBA over the next 4-5 years.

Wow, my view of him is the exact opposite. He went from a guy that was a 2nd round pick, waived twice in the NBA by the Cavs and the Spurs, to working his way into a key starter and excellent defender on a Championship team.

Why not?

That's his role in the NBA because for the most part that's all he can do. He can't shoot and has an extremely limited post game. He's a "garbage" guy. Plays really good D, hustles, sets screens, gets some put backs and is a good teammate. There's value to that and he does it well, but it's also not what a #4 pick should be. In a normal draft, you're hoping for that in the mid-to-late first round, and maybe early second. Every draft is about getting stars at the top, it's just that the 2013 draft didn't have any. It might go down as the worst draft in NBA history, it's definitely in the conversation.

He was not a lottery lock. He was maybe borderline late lottery to mid first. He would not have gone top 10 in the 2012 draft. Nobody said it was some magical thing that made his stock go up for 2013, we all watched his career, you're not the only one. Cody benefited from a horrendous 2013 draft. He's an athletic 7-footer yes, but not near the most athletic and he has a very limited offensive game and doesn't have great length. The length and his inability to shoot would have held him back in a normal draft.

Yeah, between Giannis and McCollum, I guess. Just an awful draft.

Agree completely. The defense and the defensive schemes are so much more advanced in the NBA than they are in college.

Cody was not a lock for the lottery after his freshmen year. He had a chance, but wasn't a lock. The reason he went from mid-first rounder to lottery lock in 2013 was because 2013 is going to go down as one of the worst drafts in the history of the NBA. It's a horrendous draft. In most drafts Cody is a late lottery to mid first rounder. I think C.J. McCollum is the best player from that draft. There might not be a single All-Star, it was an historically bad draft.

Potentially, but I wouldn't expect it to change too much. I think most of the new money will go to vets, not 2nd round rookies.

Assuming a guaranteed roster spot for the season. Somewhere in the mid-to-high six figures.

None of them would have been lottery picks. VO was not projected as even a first round pick after his sophomore year. Cody was projected as a mid-to-late first rounder after his freshmen year. Neither TB or OG have been projected as lottery picks this year. OG might have gone undrafted, certainly a 2nd rounder if he declared. I don't love Troy's game, but how is he any different than the above guys? He's been here 3 years, and is reportedly graduating this year.

There's not a guy on the team that would be playing "For Indiana" if they were projected as lottery picks in this draft. The NBA decision, for the most part, isn't about wanting or not wanting to be on the team, it's about realizing a dream and setting up your family financially.

Is he even good enough for the D-League?

I'm torn on Troy. I generally don't like low BBall IQ guys that take bad shots and turn it over a lot, but at the same time he does things on the court that are great too, and at times was our best player. I think there's also something to be said for having guys that have been in the program 3-4 years and for minimizing turnover. One thing this years team had that we lacked the previous two years was multiple seniors and only 3 scholarship freshmen.

I personally think Bryant should stay. It sounds like his range could be anywhere from the 20's to even the mid-second round. That's a wide range. I just think if he came back and improved in his pick and roll defense and showed even more of a jumper, and then improves elsewhere as a sophomore should, he could work himself into the late-lottery next year. That's a much more secure proposition for him.

The thing that surprises me about UK players not knowing Bobby Knight is that when I grew up I knew all about John Wooden, Kansas, UNC, UK, the historical programs., I knew who Red Auerbach was, etc. You'd think growing up in the game and playing the game you would know some of the history.

Interesting note that both teams that had played yesterday won their games today. While fatigue should be in the rested teams favor, familiarity with the arena and rhythm favor the teams with a game under their belt.  

I really don't think who we play Friday will have any bearing on our seeding, unless we lose. IMO the only games that will improve our seeding would be the potential Saturday/Sunday games.   

I don't know that I was skeptic, I think my posts were mainly from 2014 about where the scholarship would come from. At the time we had just had a lot of transfers and were really high on guys like Stanford Robinson, Devin Davis, and had just signed guys like April and Priller, and already had Juwan committed. My recollection is once I read up on OG and saw some videos, I was fairly high on him.   

Agree, I wasn't saying we shouldn't compete. I'm saying while Crean has had a 2-year run in the past, not one where it's a different team. The 11-13 run was basically the same team for two years. We absolutely should not have much drop-off next season, but it will be with Crean losing his best player/leader. It's going to require retooling the team, developing new leaders, and probably altering the style of play a bit.    It's not just rolling out the same team for two years and then rebuilding afterwards.   

Yes, but not having lost his best player in between. 2011-13 was essentially the same team. Some role guys came and went, but it was Zeller, Watford, Hulls, VO, Sheehey. If we're successful again next year it will be while adjusting to losing the best player on the team.   

I remember Fran saying that Crean was one of the first coaches to call him when the news broke about his son.

Please foul, but smartly.

Bryant should have fouled Woodbury there. He should have fouled him just going after the rebound.