To Go or Not To Go

Well, the NCAA Tournament isn't quite over yet, but with only 4 teams left, there are a lot of college ballers who are contemplating their next decision, do you stay or go to the NBA?  It's always a tough question for some and then there are others that are motivated by the need for money that may make them do something that isn't in their best interests.  Let's take a look at some of the big names that may be on the fence.  (As a note, let's not even entertain the possibility of the anticipated NBA lockout).

Kyrie Irving, Duke - Ohhh, this is a tough one.  I know if Irving had helped Duke win a title, this would be a much easier decision.  With the loss to Arizona fresh in some people's minds, I imagine that Irving has quite a decision to make.  On one hand, he's been scouted enough (since middle school) and he's shown enough on the court for Duke that we all know he can play.  On the other hand, is this toe thing going to be a recurring issue?  If it is, it's best for him to go pro now and make his money and have access to a professional training staff (he actually has that at Duke already).  If he wants to come back and help Duke win one next year, they are going to be stacked in the back court.  Can you make player trades in college?  Duke is just one Udonis Haslem-type away from cutting down nets. Decision: Go.

Harrison Barnes, UNC - He's ready.  I mean he has all the tools needed to make the jump.  You really saw how he handled the pressure of being the man later in the season.  With that Larry Drew II stuff going on at UNC, we know that that ended up causing that team problems.  The kid is a legit 6'7" or 6'8" and he can score with the best of them.  I know he wants to help UNC win one, but, I'm not sure how much better he gets playing at UNC next year.  Decision: Go.

Derrick Williams, Arizona - You just put your team on your back and beat one of the best schools in the country in front of a national TV audience.  Williams is a tweener but brings some length and some heart to the NBA.  He can attack the basket against slower guys and is a good enough shooter to stretch the defense out to the 3 point line.  Decision: Go.

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State - Looks like Sullinger is heading back to Columbus for his sophomore year.  I think this is a good idea for him.  He played well as a freshman, but I think he serves himself better by getting in the weight room and working on his moves when he's guarded by bigger/taller defenders.  OSU was in trouble when teams were able to play Sullinger one on one and guard their 3 point shooters.  Part of the work for Sullinger is that he has to work on his body.  I'm not saying he's got to look like Dwight Howard, but he can't keep looking like Paul Pierce (no definition).  Decision: Stay.

Kemba Walker, Connecticut - If you don't get a National title this year, you did everything that you could do.  Walker has proven that one man can carry a team and I'm not discounting the play of the UConn bigs or Lamb, but Walker has been nothing short of amazing over the last month or so.  Walker is a little height challenged, but he will definitely be a great pick for the right team.  He does know how to pick and roll.  Decision: Go.

Tyler Zeller, UNC - I've said this all year long, this kid is legit.  He has a jump hook with both hands, a face up game and dominate the boards in stretches.  Zeller isn't going to get any better at UNC this next year (although his presence and John Henson's would cause my Dukies problems), but I think that he could win a National title next year at UNC.  So, the big question is, is it worth it?  Do you stay and get a title or do you bolt.  The NBA loves height.  Decision: Go.

John Henson, UNC - The pogo stick finally played well this year and with some determination.  Henson is a shot blocking machine.  He's LONG and he seems to be able to play two people at any one time while he's in the paint.  Henson put on 20lbs of weight last summer and he could add an additional 30 if possible, but why not do that in the NBA.  The people that he resembles from an NBA standpoint are Tayshawn Prince and Marcus Camby.  Not bad.  If one of these guys (Zeller or Henson) decide to stay, I think that'll weigh heavy on the other.  Decision: Go.

What's your take?  Do you have any advice for these young guys?  Let them hear it.  

Catching Up - NCAA Tournament (3-29-11)

It's been a minute or two since my last post, but wow, this has been a great tournament.  Let's touch base on some items:

1) It hurt to see my Dukies lose to Arizona, but I knew that they would have problems with Tristan Thompson or Derrick Williams in one of those matchups.  Williams D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-D the Blue Devils all over the court and dare I say (this hurts) that the Blue Devils qu, it's hard to write this,...the Blue Devils quit.  I've never seen a Coach K team just pack it in, but I got that feeling watching the game (they basically pulled a Jay Cutler).  All of the people that say that Nolan had a bad game because of Irving on the floor, I just don't buy.  Nolan just had a bad game, at the worst possible time. 

2) Shaka Smart has this VCU team looking like world beaters.  Their last game against Kansas was just hard to put into words.  It was like watching a heavyweight fight and the favorite (Kansas) came out and got a few jabs in early (their 6-0 lead) and then challenger (VCU) landed like a 6 punch combination.  Kansas was stunned for the entire rest of the first half.  They played better in the second half but they were just too far behind.  VCU is going to have to pony up some money to keep Smart and we'll soon see how much money that will be. 

3) While VCU is the darling this year, please don't forget about Butler.  They find a way to win or at least they put themselves in the position to win.  I do think that Florida gave the game away in regulation and we won't talk about that Pitt game.  How do you not get a better shot than a fade-away 3 pointer when you had over 20 seconds left on the clock and the game is tied?  Arrrrrggghhhhhh.  All I could do was to talk to my son about what to do in that situation and that the kid could have gotten that 3 point shot anytime he wanted to during that game (with probably the same result).  Nevertheless, Butler has to be the favorite going in to this game and maybe they win it all this year.  They only missed it by about 4 inches last year.  We'll see.

4) John Calipari has a chance to win it all.  This Kentucky team is loaded and they are athlethic and long enough to cause each of these other 3 teams problems.  I'm wondering when Jones will turn it back on to the way he was playing earlier in the year.  Harrellson has been the piece for the Wildcats, and I would imagine that him stepping up makes missing Enes Kanter all that much easier.  Our prayers go out to Coach Cal and his family as he is dealing with his father and their loss of Cal's mom. 

5) K-E-M-B-A.  This guy is actually carrying a team and has done this for a while.  He's in such a groove and seems to have command of the Huskies offense and their ability to win.  Funny story, one of my guys (yes T-Rell) saw Kemba working out this summer with Tim Grover and came away VERY VERY unimpressed.  He didn't see why this kid was garnering any attention.  Suffice it to say, T-Rell has eaten those words since Kemba beat his cousin, Dion Dixon, and the Bearcats in the second round of the tournament.  But back to Kemba, he can get the Huskies all the way there, he's that good.  We'll see what happens from here. 

6) The Fab Five, Jalen Rose, Grant Hill, and Duke.  Yes, I watched the ESPN documentary on the Fab Five.  Didn't know until the end that Jalen was the producer.  Man, I remember when that team hit the scene and man, those were some bad dudes.  I do understand what Jalen was saying about not being recruited by Duke and the perceived lack of 'soul' of brothers that went to Duke. 

(Several stories here)  My cousin went to an HBCU in Durham, NCCU and dated a young black girl that went to Duke.  She often encountered the stigma associated with being black and going to Duke and how it made you less of 'black' person.  With that said, she was smart and wanted to be a doctor (which she is today) so she made the best choice for her when it came to schooling. 

I ran track for a local Durham track team (do the Durham Striders still exist?) and we were always over at Wallace Wade Stadium for practice and meets.  I took courses during the summer (while in high school) at Duke, and was all ready to play for Steve Spurrier at Duke but he left for greener pastures (Florida) in 1990.  But the stigma I encountered (and I never enrolled at Duke) was that I was trying to be 'white' by going there. 

So the perception was there about blacks that attended Duke.  With that said, I think Jalen would have done himself a service by saying that 'when I was 17 or 18 I thought this way, but now that I'm older and wiser I see the error of my ways'.  I think this would have allowed him to keep it real and also let everyone know that we all grow and evolve.  Without doing that Jalen, and rightfully so, caught a lot of backlash from not only Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley, Coach K, and a whole bunch of other people.  I don't think that Coach K recruits in certain households and not others, I think he recruits the best talent.  Coaches gotta win.  Jalen was a left handed, 6'8" point guard who wasn't really a defensive player and wasn't a great shooter.  Think of the guys on those Duke teams: Hurley, Brian Davis, Thomas Hill, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Antonio Lang, Bill McCaffrey, etc.  Jalen wasn't going to get Hurley's spot and he also wasn't going to be happy with coming off the bench. 

Hopefully this all goes away and we can get back to talking about basketball and how it brings all people together for the common good.  Jalen, write an apology letter or something and finally make this go away. 

The only odd thing is that as good as that Fab Five team was they lost to the ACC's best in back to back years ('92-Duke, '93-UNC).