Bigred3588

Emphasis on "career earnings." I interpret that as the amount of money you make from playing basketball. Many athletes' career earnings, by that definition, are minuscule compared to what they earn off the court. Phil Mickelson, for example, has made 88 million on the course but has an estimated net worth of 400 million. Tiger has made 115 million but was a billionaire at one point. And we're talking about golf here lol.

Elite players aren't concerned with career earnings. Michael Jordan made more money in 2017 than he did in his entire career as a player.

You're probably right, I just look at differently. Rookie contracts are only two years and the player has the right to reject the team option on year 3, so it's not like he's locked into a contract that will cost him a significant amount of money (in NBA terms at least lol). The most recent mock draft I could find had him going at 14, which equates to a minimum of 12 million dollars difference from first overall pick over the 2 year contract (assuming both contracts are at the 120% mark). Personally, I think Langford is capable of going first overall next year, or at least top 3. That's 8-12 million in guaranteed money plus the endorsements that come with being drafted that high. Take shoe deals, for example. Details were a little harder to find than I expected, but Bagley went second overall last year and signed what was reported to be the largest shoe deal for a rookie since Durant. Reports had it in the 3 million/year range which seems low considering the amount Durant was paid. Trae Young, on the other hand, went fifth and signed for a reported 1.8 million. I think it would be safe to say that Michael Porter at 14 is getting significantly less and that difference alone could offset the career earnings issue.

Which is why I said I THINK it's in his best interest. It's my opinion. Frankly, I don't really care that much either way. I'll enjoy watching him play this year and I'd enjoy watching him next year, but i'll still watch regardless of whether he comes back. I just think he signs a more lucrative rookie contract if he stays another year.

He was also quoted as saying that he really enjoys being able to go out without being bothered. I believe he specifically talked about how he's only been stopped by students a couple times on campus and doesn't have to sign autographs for hours after each game. At the beginning of the year, I didn't think there was any possibility of him coming back. However, he's slowly starting to slide down the draft boards and I think it would be in his best interest to return if we land Brooks. Romeo pretty much gets to the rim at will as is and those guys would make the lanes wider. He's underrated as a passer IMO and his assist numbers would pop with guys like Brooks and TJD to dump off to. And his shooting percentages are misleading because his form isn't broken. One off-season working on his jump shot and I think we see a dramatic increase in his percentages. If all of those things were to happen, I think he'd finally realize he can take over any game he wants and we'd see a 22/8/6 type of player that ends up going in the first 3 spots. Oh, and he gets another year of peace before the NBA circus begins.

To be fair, does it really matter whether he the reports are off by 3-4 points? If that number is in the 30s pretty much every game, the kid can put the ball in the basket lol. Especially when you consider the fact that HS games, to my knowledge, are still 32 minutes and have no shot clock.

Alright, this announcer just made my s*** list

I believe Romeo is officially under 20% from 3 now.

That one was so bad I couldn’t help but laugh

Apparently he’s unaware of the rule that says you can’t dribble after you’ve picked it up as well lol

I was watching him look like his feet were glued to the floor as a player on a bad team blew past him. He’s done some good things as well, but he only plays against cupcakes because he isn’t a capable defender at this point.

Fitzner is officiallyvthe first players I’ve seen try to pin the ball between the rim and the backboard on an open layup lol

For the guys asking why Anderson doesn’t play...that’s why.

Who is Jordan Morgan? Do we have a new guy?

Terrible Green is back in full effect smh

I could see Archie taking 2, and maybe even all 3 if one of them adds 3-4 more inches. Rob will be a senior and would be the only true PG on our roster that season if we don't pick up another over the next two years. Lander is obviously option 1 from a coaches standpoint as he is looking like an elite talent (although I think Brown is more important long-term). Given the roster situation, there are multiple ways Archie could pitch Lander the PT he'd be looking for. They could play simultaneously against most teams as Rob will be dependable enough as a scorer to play off the ball IMO, and they would be an ideal tandem for small ball. When we play teams with a lot of size, Rob could start against the more physical PGs with Lander starting against the quicker PGs. Naturally, they'd both be the first ball handler off the bench in any game in which they didn't start. Brown would be my choice for the second guard taken. He probably wouldn't see much PT at PG his freshman year, but he obviously has the offensive skills to move off the ball which would improve his chances at seeing PT early in his career. Regardless, he spends a year practicing against two excellent point guards and learning how to run Archie's system. I'd say he's also the most likely to accept this role considering he's already gone on camera and said IU is his dream school. I don't know about everyone else, but that's the kind of quote that makes a player a top priority in my mind; not that you need much more reason to want a player averaging 40 and 8 as a sophomore. If I'm Miller, Lander is the short term impact player and Brown is the guy that stabilizes my program. As far as Blackmon is concerned, I have him as a distant third option. I see him as a 6'1" shooting guard at this point and we need someone to run point in that class. I wouldn't go as far as to say i'd be disappointed if he were the only one that committed, but i'd feel like we should've just looked out of state after missing the first two. However, Blackmon was the player I was referencing in the beginning when I said I could see Miller taking all 3 if one added some size. If Jalen gets to 6'4 - 6'5 and maintains his current skill set, he'll be a handful.

I’d like nothing more than to be wrong for that reason. Unfortunately, I’m having a hard time seeing it. I like Archie’s system and his approach to recruiting, and I think IU becomes a perennial threat within the next couple years. However, I also think his system relies on experience and chemistry and that it’s not particularly favorable for young players. Looking at his three recruiting classes and the players Phinisee would be with for 4 years, I can see an elite 8 or final 4 run but I’m not expecting a NC. I think it’s fair to assume it isn’t happening this year. Next year’s roster looks like it will have a lot of talent, but it’ll likely be young and inexperienced talent. The most predictable roster for his junior year will be Phin, Anderson, Hunter, Forrester, Durham, Smith, Moore, Franklin, and maybe TJD. I don’t see a NC team there, even with the addition of an elite freshman. Senior year will likely be Phin, Anderson, Forrester, Moore, Franklin and 8 underclassmen or a combo of underclassmen and grad transfers. However, Archie will be able to balance the roster with guys like Franklin by the time Brown gets to be an upperclassmen. With all that said, next year could be a big surprise; especially if Romeo stays. We could be looking at a starting 5 of Phinisee, Langford, Brooks, Hunter, and TJD. If that group clicks, they’d be hard to beat.

I haven’t heard about them going to watch him but I have a hard time believing there’s a kid averaging 40 and 8 in Archie’s back yard and we haven’t at least been in contact.

Alright, I've been reading the comments and the stat lines but hadn't previously seen him in a game. Blackford posts entire games on Youtube so I decided to binge watch a few and do an analysis through the eyes of a former point guard. My final conclusion: We want this kid. Period. My observations are below. 1. The stats you're seeing? He's doing it against two and sometimes three defenders. 2. The shot, vision, and ball handling skills are as good as advertised. I was also impressed with the way he navigates the court. This is the first thing I look at when I evaluate a PG because it tends to be an area of weakness for young players. I was big on Phinisee because he was excellent in this regard as a senior, and Brown is well ahead of schedule. He's still a little impatient but that will come. I really wish he'd transfer to a team with some talent because he isn't getting to show off his entire skill set. 2. He has no problem embracing his role as the leader, even as a sophomore. He is noticeably vocal throughout the game and communicates well with teammates. To put that into perspective, our previous coach had to make huge flash cards to remind his 22 year olds to talk to each other. He does force shots, but he really doesn't have much choice. His teammates look lost. 3. When I read the comments about athleticism and lack of defense, I expected to see a player that was physically incapable. This is not the case. He has ample foot speed to play the position, consistently beats his defender off the dribble, and doesn't struggle getting where he wants. The only times I saw his opponent control his movement, they needed two players to do it. He does, however, need to put on some muscle. He doesn't handle contact well. 4. I think the criticism of his defense is exaggerated. When Blackford plays man, Brown moves well and keeps the ball in front of him. The Hulls comparisons are way off with regards to defense because Hulls simply didn't have the foot speed to stay in front of most PGs. Brown has the foot speed. He does occasionally slack off in man, but only when the ball is on the opposite side of the court. This gives the appearance that he's out of place but he's capable of closing the distance if the ball is thrown cross-court. He does look bad in zone but it's difficult to look good when your teammates are out of position and don't switch properly. Brown was routinely stuck defending both wings and the top of the key. The main area of concern I had with his defense is something that's easily fixed. He gets overzealous and has a habit of jumping passing lanes. It's great when he gets the steal; not so much when he doesn't. FWIW, I occasionally go on record here and/or GBI with projections that I know most people will laugh at. My last three: Phinisee will make the B1G All-Freshman team (Preseason projection), Anunoby would be drafted (Projection made during his senior year in high school), and Oladipo would be drafted (Also projected when he was a senior in high school). I would like to go on record as saying Brown will be the starting PG for the next IU team to win a NC.

I think he will be better than what i'm reading from a lot of posters in this thread, but i'm going to play devil's advocate here. What you're saying could be a double edged sword. With this kid's skill set, AAU ball could potentially put him in the "overrated" category. The two things that are undeniable about Brown are that he can shoot the lights out and he has God given court vision. That's a combination that could lead to gaudy numbers in run-n-gun basketball, especially if he has some talent around him.

A little tidbit you guys might be interested in. My cousin's husband was a runner up for Mr. Basketball back in the day and played for a B1G school. He currently coaches in the Indy area and does individual workouts as well as camps during the summer. I asked him about Brown last year and he said he knew him pretty well and had worked him out on multiple occasions prior to him leaving for Blackford. He had nothing but good things to say and that Brown was the hardest working kid at that age that he had ever seen. Specifically, he talked about how they'd bring Brown in and put him through an intensive workout for 2-3 hours at which point Brown would pack up and head off to his next trainer for the day. I haven't seen him play so I can't really speak on the reason for his defensive liabilities, but based on the description I received I would say he'll bust his rear end developing that part of his game the second a college coach tells him it's an area of concern in his recruitment.

And one of those was a bad, contested shot choice. We’ve been getting good shots, they just aren’t going in. I’d rather see those shots than Romeo shooting contested fade away threes when he’s only 25% on the season...

Only thing I don''t care for about Miller to this point: He's buddies with Cal. The dude just makes my skin crawl.

In the 15 or so years I’ve followed recruiting, I’ve literally only ever seen one basketball player state that jerseys had any influence on his decision. I can’t remember which but he went to either Baylor or Oregon.

It’s gonna take more than one