Chances of both Daniels and Boatright returning next year?? | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Chances of both Daniels and Boatright returning next year??

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aceboon said:
I'd imagine scouts like what they saw in the tourney from DD, on top of the games we've seen the past two years where he lived up to his abilities....
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Good post. Remember when DD hit that contested turnaround in the first half of the Championship and a shocked Kerr said "Wow!...that was a Nowitzki move". I suspect that was of far more interest to NBA scouts than the fact that DD got in foul trouble and struggled to get back into the offensive flow. He had a brilliant tournament, showed his offensive versatility, showed his range, showed enough handle to get to the rim, showed he can defend and rebound in traffic. He's on the NBA radar now, and if you get there and stay in college your game starts to get nitpicked to death.

Sure, there's a possibility he could return, average 18 and 9, and go higher next year. But really, how likely is that given that we have 2 new alpha dog scorers coming in? And you certainly can't count on having the same tournament showcase.

Much as I'd love to have him back for UConn's sake, if he were my son I'd say go.
 
Palatine said:
Since the NBA draft is based on potential. And you concede that DD "has massive potential." Why don't you think he is a first rounder?
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Age, lack of physical strength at his age (look at Randle physically vs DD), lack of consistency, and the lack of credit anyone other than Bazz is given nationally.

His situation is like Lamb's after 2011, except Lamb was younger and therefore a more attractive NBA prospect at that time, and he stayed and was a lot better for it.
 
aceboon said:
I'd imagine scouts like what they saw in the tourney from DD, on top of the games we've seen the past two years where he lived up to his abilities. If DD were to show out in workouts against comparable SFs, that could easily secure himself a 1st round spot. I keep going back to this comparison, but Tony Snell, another LA kid, was in the same position last year with New Mexico. He played with two other guards who handled the ball in Kendall Williams and Hugh Greenwood so the ball wasn't always in his hands and was used as a spot up shooter, and a couple dribbles and rise up/shooter just like DeAndre(DeAndre has a nice post game too tho). He would always mix in very good games along with games in which he didn't show up, then at the end of last year he had a great MWC tourney, then went pro and was considered a borderline 2nd round pick. Well, dude performed very well in workouts and showed stuff scouts didn't know he had and had a guarantee from the Knicks with their 1st round pick, but the Bulls scooped him up before then.

Now with DD it will be a risk to go pro since there basically isn't a "testing the waters process" anymore, but DD has been described as a workout warrior, and someone who always looks great in practice but doesn't always translate it to games. If DD looks great in workouts and goes 1st round it will be worth it for him instead of coming back, possibly being inconsistent again, or even worse possibly getting injured and having a setback like he had this season with the sprained ankle and back spasms. Then you run the risk of being labeled a 23 year old inconsistent player who will never live up to his potential. That's exactly what happened with LaQuinton Ross this year for Ohio State(minus the age thing), who finally put it together during an Elite 8 run last year, came back to OSU and was the same inconsistent player, got knocked out in the 1st round, and has now decided he might as well go pro now instead of risking going through the motions again next year in his senior year.
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If he gets a strong guarantee of a high pick from a team then he should go. Snell hasn't been an NBA force and the Ross comp isn't valid IMO.

But, didn't Calhoun always try to advise players to go when they're ready to stick around in the NBA long enough for that 2nd contract? Why is that not the case here? Does anyone here truly believe he'd develop more in the NBA next year than here?
 
Boat has a great deal to gain by returning next year and improve his stock just as Kemba and Bazz did. He showed that he has the ability to be that go to scorer like the two aforementioned most outstanding NCAA Tourney were while they led UConn to NCs. Showing that he can be that lock down defender for an entire season as a sub-six foot guard will go a long way at getting drafted, hopefully somewhere in the first round next year.

As for Daniels, I'm not as sure. By returning, he runs the risk of not improving enough where NBA franchises don't believe his ceiling is all that high and worth a first round pick. On the other hand, his inconsistent play might not have been enough to make him a first round lock, and by returning, if he plays at the high level that many of us have witnessed at times but on a consistent basis next season, he could play himself into the upper half of the first round or at least improve his chances of being a first round lock, even if it's in the latter half.

DD demonstrated some eye popping NBA plays such as that baseline drive and dunk in the championship game, and that quick trigger fade away J he knocked down consistently in the tourney that I'm sure a lot of NBA GMs took notice of.

Unless there's a team that contacts DD and promises to take him in the first round, I think he and Boatright return.
 
It's brutal this year with just a week before being forced to make a decision. Fortunately, KO has an extensive NBA rolodex and can get direct feedback on DeAndre's draft prospects with a couple of phone calls. Next Tuesday will be very interesting.
 
Lets be honest for Boatright the chief impediment to an NBA career is size.
He is a freakish athlete, with a sick handle.
Unless he grows over the summer another year won 't change that.
I realistically don't see how another year will benefit him.

Would I love him to return yes, especially if he is on schedule to graduate.
Does it help his NBA aspirations. Marginally , he proved he can defend ,and run a team. What does he have to prove.

DD one of the most skilled wings we've had since the days of Rudy Gay.He has potential lottery pick type skills.
Great rebounder,showed he could take it to the hoop, great mid- range or long range jump shooter. He has the tools but needs the strength and confidence ,that an additional year will give him. He needs to come back.
 
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Keep in mind that there were plenty of scouts watching Uconn games all year long. Perhaps they were there to watch Bazz, but they are very familiar with DD's (and Boat's) body of work. I doubt a turnaround jumper or single drive/dunk will move a guy up the draft board that dramatically.

This is a strong draft and so while DD may not improve greatly with another year at Uconn, he will be more valuable in a weaker draft. In addition, it shouldnt be hard for KO to get the necessary intelligence on where DD is likely to fall. I doubt anyone really believes he is top 20 this year, which means the teams looking at him are playoff teams. Teams that are good already and probably trying to fill in some holes. So the analysis probably comes down to assessing whether or not ten or so teams would find DD attractive. If not, he would slip to round 2 and probably benefit from returning to school
 
Can anyone find a mock draft with Boatright or Daniels on it? I haven't been able to yet.
 
PcketknfNiels said:
If he gets a strong guarantee of a high pick from a team then he should go. Snell hasn't been an NBA force and the Ross comp isn't valid IMO.

But, didn't Calhoun always try to advise players to go when they're ready to stick around in the NBA long enough for that 2nd contract? Why is that not the case here? Does anyone here truly believe he'd develop more in the NBA next year than here?
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Right, because as a pick in the 20s Snell was expected to be an elite wing right off the bat...take a look around the NBA, nobody in that draft is a "force", but I'm not really sure what the point of that is, its about getting drafted and continuing to develop, college isn't the only place you develop. Jimmy Butler played very little his rookie year and he's now one of the better 2 way wings in the NBA. As for the Ross comparison, I didn't see you list a reason why its not valid..
 
Boatright needs to get more range in his shot, he can beat anyone off the dribble and defend any guard, also has a nice mid-range jumper, but needs to work on his 3. He didn't get much of a chance to do that this year with Giffey and Shabazz shooting most of the 3's but next year he will. I think with practice he can easily get his range, I remember Marcus Williams couldn't shoot when he was a freshmen but learned quickly. Although Boatright is undersized he is much more athletic to me that AJ Price or Marcus Williams and they both got drafted, with another year and proving he's a leader I think he can be a first rounder.

Calhoun at the end of a Mike & Mike interview said "watch out for Daniels, kid could be something special". From that I gathered he wanted and would advise him to stay another year. I assume Ollie feels the same way as Calhoun. This is a very deep draft and Daniels was wildly inconsistent. If he could go top 10-15, he should take the money and run, if not wait and grow.

In my opinon:
Boatright 75% chance he's back
Daniels 50%
 
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Im resigned to both being gone. If either comes back it will be a surprising gift.
While both could improve their games by coming back, it is about draft stock perception, and it is hard to have better draft stock perception than coming off winning a National Championship.

What if we don't make a deep run next year? Who gets the blame for that? The two seniors: Boat and DD. A lot of risk for them coming back.
 
For all those saying Boatright will go what round do you think he would go in? A 5'11 PG that can't hit a 3 consistently and has never been the "go-to-guy", I can't see him going first round.

If Boatright and Daniels have a good season they will be drafted higher regardless of a deep run or not, good teams go down in march all the time
 
champs99and04 said:
Daniels and Boatright have done more for this program than all but a handful of guys who have ever played here. If they decide that they've conquered college basketball and want to start earning a pay check for their talents, I wouldn't blame them at all. If they decide to return for a title defense, awesome.

Frankly, it is a really tough call, and I'm not sure which way I'd advice them to go if I had any say in the process (which I obviously do not). I doubt either one of them is a first round pick this season, but would they be first round picks next season if they returned? IMO, probably not. But then again, I said the same thing about Bazz last season, and everything clearly worked out for him.

I'd say Boatright has more to gain by returning. He was obviously phenomenal in the tournament, and he was indispensable all year, but sharing the back court with the best PG in American definitely restricted his ability to showcase his talent to some extent. I mean, in the national title game he took six shots - next season, I'm guessing he'll be taking 12-15 shots regularly and hitting them with a high degree of frequency. Additionally, his progressions as a play maker and decision maker towards the end of the year demonstrate how good he can become if given free reign, which he will have next season.

As far as Daniels is concerned, I'm not sure I wouldn't advice him to go. Daniels might be the player we saw in the tournament, or he might be the player we saw during the regular season. I'm not sure, but I bet the scouts are going to be intrigued by the kid who went for 20 & 10 twice in the tournament, proved he could guard bulkier players, and displayed what a match-up problem he can be as a stretch four and pick and pop guy. If he thinks he can improve his stock by returning to Storrs and dominating for a year, great. I wish them both the best regardless.
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Ryan Boatright shot 39% this year hes 5-10 170 and he needs to work on his overall PG game badly. UNLESS he wants to play overseas--it would be best for him to come back and do what Bazz did.

Same thing with Daniels. He has a chance to be a lottery pick next year--this year in such a tough draft--he would be lucky to to sneak into the first round and then when you drop--you open up to playing basketball overseas. Hes also skinny and would need development time. Why not get you degree work hard to improve and BOTH can make guaranteed milions by playing into round 1 next year where both will have a much better shot.
 
They should both come back. Neither is guaranteed to go in the first (DD is close, Boat not so much), so that's why they should come back. Don't go early unless you know you will go in the 1st or if you fear you can't improve your stock, and I think both can.

DD needs to bulk up. He's never relied on speed or quickness, he is simply long with big strides. So getting bigger can only help him when finishing at the rim or driving through contact. That should be his main priority this off-season. His handle has improved tremendously this year compared to last year, but he still needs to work on that as well. He worked hard to lock-down on the glass in the post-season but we need to see more consistent double-double performances from him. I don't doubt he is capable of that next year. If KO gets word from a team who says they'd take him at the end of the first, he should probably go, but I just doubt he'd go in the first in this year's deep draft. He has a shot at being DOMINANT if he returns next year. With some consistency, he could work his way into the middle of the lottery because of his all-around game.

Boat should come back and keep trying to be disruptive on D while also working on being efficient on offense from the field. That's what he did down the stretch and he needs to keep that up rather than trying to be a pure scorer. I don't see how Boat can hurt his stock by coming back and he could improve it. Still think he will probably be a 2nd round pick regardless.
 
nyc2014 said:
For all those saying Boatright will go what round do you think he would go in? A 5'11 PG that can't hit a 3 consistently and has never been the "go-to-guy", I can't see him going first round.

If Boatright and Daniels have a good season they will be drafted higher regardless of a deep run or not, good teams go down in march all the time
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Boat would have a shot if he was actually a point guard, but he isn't. He needs to be "the guy" at PG for a year here, and average over 5 apg.

I don't know if Daniels will ever be a lottery pick. He is very athletic, but not lottery level mind-blowing athleticism, at least in my opinion. He is thin and is not great defensively. I don't know what is going to change by next year for him.
 
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johnhuskies95 said:
There is a graveyard of kids like Daniels who had a chance to come out early and be a first round pick and stuck around too long only to not get drafted.
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There is a bigger graveyard of kids who left too early. The ones that left too late tend to have a college degree to fall back on.
DD has a lot he could improve on. Wish him all the best. He is not ready like Ray, Kemba, Rip...
 
Daniels should go in my opinion. Unlikely his stock will be higher than right now.
 
nyc2014 said:
I read players need to decide by April 15, is that true? It seems so soon.
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Not necessarily. They actually have until April 27th to declare. The April 15th deadline is for underclassmen who would like to declare for the draft and test the waters without hiring an agent. They have until the 15th to withdraw their name from the draft.

So even if Daniels & Boat don't announce anything by the 15th, they still have ~2 weeks to make their decision.
 
Thanks for clarifying the draft declaring issue.

How can anyone say Daniels has nothing to gain by staying? How about consistency? He's lacked that all season and NBA teams will not be as patient.
 
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nyc2014 said:
Thanks for clarifying the draft declaring issue. How can anyone say Daniels has nothing to gain by staying? How about consistency? He's lacked that all season and NBA teams will not be as patient.
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And what if he is not consistent? Does he gain or lose?

He loses over what his stock is right now.
 
Does it matter if his stock doesn't improve if his stock right now seems to be going in the 2nd round?
 
Daniels: consistency, strength, better handle. In the pros, unless they have big bucks invested in you, they don't care if you develop.
Daniels would be taking a chance by returning but I would put my faith in KO over an NBA coach to improve my game.
Again, this is his decision, his money and whatever he does is fine.

As far as Boat goes, I don't think he even has a choice
 
Other than on this message board I have never heard Boatright going this year as even an option. Has someone heard or seen that somewhere or was that just someone contemplating it themselves?

No kidding there are risks with staying, if he sucks or get injured obviously it's a dumb move. Calhoun ending an interview yesterday with "watch out for Daniels", you know they want him to stay, see great things for him, and will work with him. If he can get big money than go. But without significant strides does anyone seeing Daniels having more than a ~3 year NBA role player career?
 
Daniels had a slow start to the year but I think his game was starting to come together until he hurt his ankle. He missed some time and then had some back issues. I think he should go now because his name is hot and he will impress teams with his offensive skill. He needs to gain strength more than anything and that can be done with an NBA team. Even if he comes back next year and dominates I still think he would be late lottery at best. NBA teams like drafting youth and potential with those high and because of his age and he ins't an elite athlete has more to potentially lose by staying. Boat on the other hand should stay unless he wants to make money overseas right now which is fine. If he comes back next year and plays D like he did this tourney, continues to drive and kick to open shooters and shoots more consistently throughout the year I think he can get drafted or picked up by a team in the off season for workouts and possibly latch onto a team that way.
 
From everything I am reading, Daniels inconsistency has more to do with his mindset than his skill set.

He is a really nice kid and tends to defer to other players like Bazz and Boat. He stopped defering as much in the NCAA tournament and started playing with more confidence. In this case, I believe one more year would be beneficial to gain the confidence he neeeds to succeed. He would likely go in the late firs round. Trying to build confidence in the NBA can be a recipe for disaster especially if you are buried at the end of the bench on a good team.

He comes back next year and proves to himself more than anyone else than he can be the Go-To Guy on a good team and be succesful in that role.
 
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