Creighton Post Game Thread

[RuffRuff]

High second rounders can get some guaranteed money. We don't know where he would have been drafted, just projections which can be wrong. How do you think his draft stock compares to last year or the year before?

And to be clear, I think he made the right decision coming back, because he probably won't make it in the NBA anyway. Might as well make more money on NIL and get a degree and be treated like a king. But if we are strictly talking about his best chance to play in the NBA, that was last year or the year before.

If Baylor Scheirman went 30th in that 2024 draft, I think AK could have easily gone around him. Johnny Furphy dropped into early second. It was a super weak draft. Zachary Rissacher went 1 - he's already considered a bust.

Last year there was no point in leaving, as he got a bigger NIL bag coming back. He's being paid well from what I know.

My sense is Hurley needs to rethink some of his recruiting strategy. I think there is a lot of merit to him abandoning what worked for the profiles he's recruited the last couple years.

 

[KingAG]

My guess is he came back thinking he could escalate his draft value as a core player, along with NIL & the 3 peat as secondary benefits. I think that B2B jaded a lot of perspectives. That decision was encouraged by the coaching staff. They mis-evaluated. Hurley blind spot. Then when he generally tanked as a core player, he came back for the NIL and another year see if he could regroup.

Educated guess.


AJX had a 4 year, 7.5mm contract with 5mm+ guaranteed. Presuming that's around where AK would have gone in 2024 as an early second rounder, you could use that as a gauge. That's a lot more money that he got in NIL, and he would have gotten his NBA career started earlier. Early second rounders usually get decent guaranteed contracts.

Which means AK may have made more the last 2 years per year. Just not a bad decision imo. And all his money is guaranteed. How much of the 7.5 was guaranteed for AJax?

At the end of the day he bet on himself. The objection was you equating that to some unhealthy relationship between him and Hurley.

 

[KingAG]

Karaban may have been drafted late first round if he left after his sophomore season. Several teams at the end of the first were interested in him. He had his best season as a sophomore, UConn was coming off back to back and his flaws weren't exposed yet. He has no chance of being drafted first round now.

I'm sure he's comfortable with his decision, he's made a lot of money here in the past two seasons and he loves playing for UConn but the hype around him as a player in those two seasons doesn't at all match his on court performance.

I don’t see this “hype” you see. Every praise lobbied his way has been due to what he’s accomplished. He’s earned it. And people talk about his game rather accurately. Everyone describes him as a connector. Who is overrating him?

 

[HW611]

Did we use to have this much talk about Dehnam Brown and Rashad Anderson being 2nd rounders back in the Calhoun days?

We talk so much about second rounders and how great it is to be one these days lol

 

[RuffRuff]

Karaban may have been drafted late first round if he left after his sophomore season. Several teams at the end of the first were interested in him. He had his best season as a sophomore, UConn was coming off back to back and his flaws weren't exposed yet. He has no chance of being drafted first round now.

I'm sure he's comfortable with his decision, he's made a lot of money here in the past two seasons and he loves playing for UConn but the hype around him as a player in those two seasons doesn't at all match his on court performance.

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall with the staff when he decided to come back. The endorphins after that B2B made everyone drunk. From AK coming back thinking he could be a stud core player, to Hurley thinking he could convert Mahaney to a PG, to his Good Morning America interviews.

Which means AK may have made more the last 2 years per year. Just not a bad decision imo. And all his money is guaranteed. How much of the 7.5 was guaranteed for AJax?

You think AK made 2mm/year the last two years? He may also go late enough this year where he gets almost nothing guaranteed. He was also being discussed as a potential late first. The wise choice would have been to go.

 

[KingAG]

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall with the staff when he decided to come back. The endorphins after that B2B made everyone drunk. From AK coming back thinking he could be a stud core player, to Hurley thinking he could convert Mahaney to a PG, to his Good Morning America interviews.

You think AK made 2mm/year the last two years? He may also go late enough this year where he gets almost nothing guaranteed. He was also being discussed as a potential late first. The wise choice would have been to go.

Definitely. The numbers being thrown around behind the scenes are crazy. You think he came back for the vibes? He came back because it was lucrative.

 

[RuffRuff]

I don’t see this “hype” you see. Every praise lobbied his way has been due to what he’s accomplished. He’s earned it. And people talk about his game rather accurately. Everyone describes him as a connector. Who is overrating him?

You think he was expected to be a "connector" last year?

You have to ask, what would have come of Alex Karaban had he gone to Ohio St? I think AK is luckier UConn found him that the vice versa, although UConn was also very lucky to get Alex the person.

 

[HuskiesFourLife]

He’s been absent for about 3 games. Love him but he’s vanished

He’s been hurting. Quad. However- 18 points in the last game. Tonight he was a shell of himself. Assuming the injury effected him

 

[KingAG]

You think he was expected to be a "connector" last year?

You have to ask, what would have come of Alex Karaban had he gone to Ohio St? I think AK is luckier UConn found him that the vice versa, although UConn was also very lucky to get Alex the person.

What would’ve come of Derek Jeter if he was drafted by the Rockies. What would’ve come of Draymond if he was drafted by the Nets. What would’ve come of Tristen Newton had he stayed at ECU. We can do this all day.

And no, UConn was lucky to get Alex the player.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I don’t see this “hype” you see. Every praise lobbied his way has been due to what he’s accomplished. He’s earned it. And people talk about his game rather accurately. Everyone describes him as a connector. Who is overrating him?

A lot of us, for one

 

[RuffRuff]

Definitely. The numbers being thrown around behind the scenes are crazy. You think he came back for the vibes? He came back because it was lucrative.

From what I heard, he got 2mm this year. Maybe 1.5mm last.

You have to get your NBA career going young if you have the remote chance of going first in AK's profile. It's the same reason AJx went.

 

[superjohn]

Definitely. The numbers being thrown around behind the scenes are crazy. You think he came back for the vibes? He came back because it was lucrative.

What are the numbers being thrown around behind the scenes?

 

[KingAG]

A lot of us, for one

Who?

 

[KingAG]

What are the numbers being thrown around behind the scenes?

Taris alone was rumored to cost well over 3M.

Edit: that’s at least what he was being offered elsewhere.

 

[superjohn]

I don’t see this “hype” you see. Every praise lobbied his way has been due to what he’s accomplished. He’s earned it. And people talk about his game rather accurately. Everyone describes him as a connector. Who is overrating him?

This isn't true at all. I already listed all the hype he's received, it's way over the top for the level of player he is.

 

[RuffRuff]

What would’ve come of Derek Jeter if he was drafted by the Rockies. What would’ve come of Draymond if he was drafted by the Nets. What would’ve come of Tristen Newton had he stayed at ECU. We can do this all day.

And no, UConn was lucky to get Alex the player.

Jeter would have been an All Star if drafted by the Rockies.

Karaban will not even sniff an All American team - we can't compare him to Newton. I'd argue he was easily replaceable on those two title teams without them missing much of a beat. And that's not to say he didn't play his role extremely well.

 

[KingAG]

This isn't true at all. I already listed all the hype he's received, it's way over the top for the level of player he is.

None of that was hype. I’ve seen no one insinuate he’s a player of the year candidate or a first team all American. Everything else was just fact.

 

[HuskiesFourLife]

McDermot has Hurley's number. He out coaches him all the time.

We beat them by 27 on their home court 3 weeks ago

 

[superjohn]

Taris alone was rumored to cost well over 3M.

Edit: that’s at least what he was being offered elsewhere.

You responded to his post about what AK is getting per year these past two seasons. What are the numbers being thrown around behind the scenes?

 

[KingAG]

Jeter would have been an All Star if drafted by the Rockies.

Karaban will not even sniff an All American team - we can't compare him to Newton. I'd argue he was easily replaceable on those two title teams without them missing much of a beat. And that's not to say he didn't play his role extremely well.

But he’s not sniffing one here. What is your point? He would’ve been the same guy.

 

[KingAG]

You responded to his post about what AK is getting per year these past two seasons. What are the numbers being thrown around behind the scenes?

He responded to that already. We don’t know for certain but those were the rumors. At least 2M. Solo was getting offered a bigger bag from UK

 

[superjohn]

None of that was hype. I’ve seen no one insinuate he’s a player of the year candidate or a first team all American. Everything else was just fact.

It was all hype and he was a preseason 1st team All-American and on player of the year watch lists.

 

[KingAG]

It was all hype and he was a preseason 1st team All-American and on player of the year watch lists.

Where was AK preseason 1st team all American? On the watchlist sure. They have like 30 guys there at the beginning of the year lmao.

The discussion surround AK preseason was how we’d be so much better because hell finally be back in his role as the 3rd 4th best player and a connector.

 

[superjohn]

He responded to that already. We don’t know for certain but those were the rumors. At least 2M. Solo was getting offered a bigger bag from UK

RuffRuff asked if you think AK got 2 million per year the past two years. You answered definitely, the numbers being thrown around behind the scenes are crazy.

What are the numbers being thrown around behind the scenes?

 

[UCann]

This is good for us I think. Better to be exposed now than a March. We still have time to fix things. Albeit very little time. We’ll see what this staff and team is made of.

It’s about time we see some lineup changes too.