AK/ESPN combine story | Page 3 | The Boneyard

AK/ESPN combine story

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He is a great college player but a very marginal NBA prospect.

Frankly I was always under the assumption he would return . He would be a rock on a somewhat new team . Getting Diarra , SJ along with Stewart , Ball back plus Karaban is huge . You go from a rebuild to filling in the missing pieces. For the casual fan the former is a lot harder to do than the latter.
I was a little surprised that he might be drafted so this must be a weak draft .
Yes he is not the greatest athlete to come down the pike but I was impressed with his strength , a factor that could overcome some of his negatives.

i agree. when he was guarded last year he disappeared. it was a houdini on demand vs good defensive teams or m2m.

spencer on the other hand was catch and shoot and even created many shots for himself. karaban mostly hung out on the perimeter and crushed inferior competition.

late in the year he started to become more of an interior presence which he desperately needs to do. if he comes back you could see more of this. he only morphed into grayson allen and a 3pt specialist at UCONN. in prep school he took the ball to the hoop quite a bit.

i expect him to come back
 

Hunt for 7

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It would be good to know for sure what the finances are if he goes pro. If it is a $500K non guaranteed contract and he can make more money playing in college and get his degree all while chasing a third ring, I mean is it really crazy to have a young man decide to live in the moment.

What is the risk. He will make more money finish his education and more than likely be in the same position.

But what if he goes out and has a monster year, shoots like 42% from three and averages 17 ppg and 6-7 rebounds per game. Throw in 3 assists and 1.5 steals a game and who knows where he might be ranked next year.

I think with Alex the best way for him to get the most value at the next level is to prove he is a great shooter. And if he continues to improve his rebounding and defense imo he is a way better version of a player like Schierman who can’t guard or rebound better than Alex right now but I have to believe he is considered a better shooter.
 
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This makes it seem like it can go either way based on how the coming days and weeks develop.
Alternate access (for the technologically challenged):

For weeks, Alex Karaban, Cam Spencer have been working out in Chicago, where NBA Draft Combine begins on Sunday

 
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It would be good to know for sure what the finances are if he goes pro. If it is a $500K non guaranteed contract and he can make more money playing in college and get his degree all while chasing a third ring, I mean is it really crazy to have a young man decide to live in the moment.

What is the risk. He will make more money finish his education and more than likely be in the same position.

But what if he goes out and has a monster year, shoots like 42% from three and averages 17 ppg and 6-7 rebounds per game. Throw in 3 assists and 1.5 steals a game and who knows where he might be ranked next year.

I think with Alex the best way for him to get the most value at the next level is to prove he is a great shooter. And if he continues to improve his rebounding and defense imo he is a way better version of a player like Schierman who can’t guard or rebound better than Alex right now but I have to believe he is considered a better shooter.
I'll come right out and say it, I THINK HE SHOULD BE TRYING TO GO PRO THIS YEAR. The monster year you posted is actually what I would expect from him next year in a featured role instead of the 3rd-4th option. With that expectation, I believe he's currently an early 2nd rounder who will most likely get $2m guaranteed (life changing money for 98% of people). So basically for his draft stock to increase he'd have to handly beat those stats, with lesser role players, while also overcoming his depreciation due to age. I don't see a clearcut case that any of his strengths or weaknesses would change significantly depending upon whether he stays or goes since every rookie is expected to make strides for 4+ years after entering the league. He's one of my favorites and I don't doubt him but let's face, our expectations are a little deranged atm and a down year for him and our team, relatively!, is not totally out of the question next season. I think he and Hurley are marketing as a 1st round pick for leverage purposes, as you'd expect, but if he can the $2m guaranteed in the 2nd, which I think he will, he should take it and level up. He's already written into the legend.
 
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If somebody, even Charlotte, falls hard for Alex this week and offers him a guaranteed deal, he's gone; if anybody tries to two-way him, he comes home.
 
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If somebody, even Charlotte, falls hard for Alex this week and offers him a guaranteed deal, he's gone; if anybody tries to two-way him, he comes home.
The Celtics at pick 30 are very interesting. He could help them and be a long term role player while playing very close to home. If a team like the Celtics were to tell him we will stop your slide by pick 30 for example, that would be extremely difficult to say no to.
 

HuskyHawk

The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.
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He was a liability on defense his freshman year and last season he was solid . He might win national POY if he returns.
He got better on D. But some of that was not facing as many of the guys who gave him problems, like Whitmore, Hopkins, OMax and Jerome Hunter. All of them were gone. His defensive improvement mostly came late in his first year. Biggest improvement last year was putting the ball on the floor more when guys guard him too tight outside.
 

HuskyHawk

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The Celtics at pick 30 are very interesting. He could help them and be a long term role player while playing very close to home. If a team like the Celtics were to tell him we will stop your slide by pick 30 for example, that would be extremely difficult to say no to.
Yes, and he knows how to run the offense. When Brad got Gordon Hayward, I am convinced it was to help show JT and JB how to run the offense. Then he got hurt immediately. A bench player that comes in and actually executes the offense could be helpful, but can he hold up on defense? It's a real question.
 
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First round contracts are all guaranteed the first 3 years with 4th and 5th year team options. The 5th year escalates more in value as well.

Bouknight didn't have his 4th year picked up, but still made close to 15 million.
I think NBA 1st rounders get 4 year deals with only the first 2 guaranteed. I checked Spotrac and there is a footnote that Charlotte picked up his 23-24 option and then they declined is 24-25 option.
 
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Yes, and he knows how to run the offense. When Brad got Gordon Hayward, I am convinced it was to help show JT and JB how to run the offense. Then he got hurt immediately. A bench player that comes in and actually executes the offense could be helpful, but can he hold up on defense? It's a real question.
He clearly needs to get stronger physically to hang defensively at the next level, but I think he can add size and strength.
 

Waquoit

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When Brad got Gordon Hayward, I am convinced it was to help show JT and JB how to run the offense.
That was Ainge who picked Hayward and I think it was because Ainge was sitting on money and no one else would go to Boston. The same happened with Kemba. There was no plan, per se.
 

HuskyHawk

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That was Ainge who picked Hayward and I think it was because Ainge was sitting on money and no one else would go to Boston. The same happened with Kemba. There was no plan, per se.
Brad was the coach. Danny brought in Brad's star player from his college coaching days. It wasn't just an accident.
 

QDOG5

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Leaving didn’t really help AJ, it was a wasted year. All depends on the situation you’re drafted into. Even Hawkins as a lottery pick had a wasted year as far as improving his career.
I think your analysis is a little harsh. It's true neither player played the kind of minutes we would have liked but they got a full year of training in the NBA. I think all three players did the correct thing and turned pro. We will need another season or two to decide if the left too early. We can't rush to judgment. Just three years ago some on the board were adamant that Hurley should be fired. Patience can be a virtue.
 
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AK the pic on the story

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Karaban has the option to return to UConn, where he was instrumental in the Huskies' consecutive championship runs, making him one of the more consequential stay-or-go decisions. He'll also have an opportunity to take that momentum and build on it at the combine. Karaban has fans around the NBA due in large part to his considerable basketball IQ, toughness and winning acumen. He's a good shooter with enough positional size to play both forward spots, and a smart connective player who moves the ball and understands his role.
The primary knock on Karaban is his average athleticism and length, and how that translates defensively -- he won't be quick enough to defend every wing, nor is he the type of strong, disruptive player who will impact the game much as a rim-protector in help. He's also not going to create many shots for himself off the dribble, relying more on his passing and cutting ability to impact the game away from the ball. These factors aren't going to change, but the combine presents a stage for Karaban to showcase the many things he does well outside of UConn's complex, read-heavy offensive system. Whether he stays in the draft might hinge on whether a team rates him enough to guarantee him a deal, making this a big week for him -- and the Huskies.
Length? Doesn't he have a 7-foot wingspan? Seems pretty good to me.
 

UconnU

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Like Kacey Musgraves I‘m Happy and Sad at the same time. Happy that he’ll likely be scooped up by some smart organization in the back half of the first, Celtics would be his dream. Sad he‘s slipping out of our hands. He’s not going to want to have to recreate that performance again. Sounds like Hurley has a backup plan ready to go in recent interviews at least.
 
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Oh, then he might as well go. Nothing special about being in the basketball record books with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Prankster claimed AK would be the “first in history” with 3 rings.
That was nonsense.
It has nothing to do with whether he should stay or not.
 
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0x960.webp
 
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Does anyone know if Alex did the vertical jump, and if so, what he measured? I’ve been searching and can’t find a result.
 

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