DeAndre Daniels will declare for NBA Draft

[nelsonmuntz]

I will say this will be the most stressful NBA draft in years for me. There are 3 UConn players that have a shot, but none of them are absolute locks for the first round, and Giffey is significantly less than 50/50 to even get drafted in the second round. I trust that Ollie and Calhoun have given DD good advice, and that Napier has played his way into the first round, but we will all be sweating it out.

I am very excited for all three of them.

 

[mauconnfan]

Good luck to Deandre and thanks so much…….great kid, came up big!!! Will be missed…….

 

[uconngb]

I wish him the best of luck but honestly I think he made a mistake. He is a borderline 1st round pick this year according to just about everyone. I think he should have come back, been the focus of the offense, had a big year, and could have potentially been a lottery pick in next year's draft which will be significantly less talented.

i'm with you....I think this is a BIG mistake. Odds are very high he drops to 2nd round, which means no guaranteed contract. He really needed to take the summer to get a lot stronger, come back and score 15-18 a game and had potential to go lottery next year. If he's not 1st round this year, GUARANTEED, then this is a bad decision. Hopefully for his sake, KO was able to get him real feedback and this means he will go in 1st round.

 

[WestHartHusk]

DD - thank you for choosing UConn, and then for choosing UConn again. The hardware was just a bonus.

(but you better continue your "academic progress" through the end of the semester).

 

[caw]

As with Napier it's going to be all about fit. Hope he goes to a good situation.

 

[Rico444]

I think it's a bad move..Look at all the other players who were not high draft picks and what they're doing now.. He should have played his 4 years and his stock would definitely gone up..

His stock "definitely" would have gone up, yet at the same time you think it's as simple as a team banging him a bit down low and he's completely taken out of the game. So if it's that simple, and teams do that all year, then how the hell will his stock "definitely" go up?

Some fans need to put their biases aside and accept that the great players that come here have priorities that go beyond their time in college.

 

[scrappy2.0]

Congratulations and thanks Deandre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can be really good youre a small KD!

 

[aceboon]

good take, I agree here, I know the "this is a bad decision" posters will say nonsense and that DeAndre could come back next year and dominate and be a lottery pick, but they also don't realize they posted those same thoughts after DD's finish last season.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-draft/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[nomar]

good take, I agree here, I know the "this is a bad decision" posters will say nonsense and that DeAndre could come back next year and dominate and be a lottery pick, but they also don't realize they posted those same thoughts after DD's finish last season.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-draft/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I agree. As I said in another thread, even if he "dominated" next season, he'd get nicked for being a senior and thus being "at his ceiling." Payne had an extremely productive season, has an NBA body, and he's on out the outside of the lottery looking in, just because of his age.

I think DD could have incrementally improved his stock, but had he not really upped his game, he could have taken himself into the late 2nd round or out of the draft altogether. He was never going to be a top-10 pick. Never.

I'm not saying this is the "right" decision, but it's definitely not a wrong one.

 

[Kitaman]

Whether he's ready or not its a smart move. His stock is high and his potential well known. There is a risk coming back and let's say DHam shines (over him) or some other issue arises.

Good luck Deandre and work hard this summer!

 

[dogpause]

God luck, Deandre. Thanks for all you've done here, which includes helping us land Daniel Hamilton.

 

[patrick]

Gonna miss you DD!

Good luck and remember PLAY AGGRESSIVE you have the talent to be the best player on the court no matter the opponent!

 

[uchusky32]

DD thanks for the Championship. Thanks for the loyalty. Thanks for keeping UConn prominent in the college basketball world.

You have cemented yourself as one of the beloved huskies. Now go out and make yourself some money!

Thanks Again!

 

[Pudge]

Am I the only one who doesn't feel this way at all? He's a talented scorer with height who can shoot the rock, just needs more killer instinct, the way he knocks down that turnaround fade in the high post... He could be late lottery no problem next year if he performed as the guy for us next year.

I am with you.

I don't think he gets into the First Round. I do think he can develop better on the UConn roster than as an add-on with one of the 30 programs; and like Jeremy Lamb - he will end up playing in Reno or Santa Cruz. Money? I don't think he gets a guaranteed contract. If he really bulked up & had the next step of a solid year, I think he becomes a top 20 pick - and that is $3-5m over three years GUARANTEED. And, maybe, he can nudge his way up to a role. Can he keep developing - kinda Paul George-ish? Maybe. I think that's the gamble. I am not willing to tell any kid that several hundred thousands dollars in 2014-2015 ain't good living for you & your family. But, I do lean that he is better off DEVELOPING here at UConn.

 

[uconNYC]

If DD has a sensational year next year the highest he'd go is around 15th anyway. That guarantees him $3M over 2 years per NBA Rookie Cap. If he goes in the first round this year he'll get $2M over 2 years. Why take the risk for an extra $1M when you're already going to be making 7 figures - one year early. Now if DD slips to the 2nd round then this might not be a wise decision, but even second rounders tend to get some sort of guaranteed money.

 

[breezy]

Thanks for the 'ship, Dre! Best of luck in the league.

I think we're all forgetting how well he shot from three this year. Hope that puts him over the lip of the second round!

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I say thanks, good luck and represent us well.
From a purely basketball standpoint (not looking at finances or possible injury) I don't agree he had to go. I think he needed another season to truly learn how to be the man all the time. I think we all remember games this season where he had minimal impact and maybe one game where he played only a couple minutes in the 2nd half. You've got to bring it every night in the NBA, not just in the playoffs. I think he would have benefitted greatly from a season where he was expected to be the man.
Best of luck, make us even more proud!

 

[Rico444]

I am with you.

I don't think he gets into the First Round. I do think he can develop better on the UConn roster than as an add-on with one of the 30 programs; and like Jeremy Lamb - he will end up playing in Reno or Santa Cruz. Money? I don't think he gets a guaranteed contract. If he really bulked up & had the next step of a solid year, I think he becomes a top 20 pick - and that is $3-5m over three years GUARANTEED. And, maybe, he can nudge his way up to a role. Can he keep developing - kinda Paul George-ish? Maybe. I think that's the gamble. I am not willing to tell any kid that several hundred thousands dollars in 2014-2015 ain't good living for you & your family. But, I do lean that he is better off DEVELOPING here at UConn.

The problem is, he's barely put on any muscle since he got here. If he hasn't bulked up in 3 years at college, I'm not too sure he's going to do it at age 23, and even if he does, does it hurt his athleticism? Not saying this was a no-brainer, but it's definitely the safer decision to declare now.

 

[tcf15]

From DD's twitter:

 

[art4life]

Good Luck DeAndre!
Wish you all the best.

 

[aceboon]

I am with you.

I don't think he gets into the First Round. I do think he can develop better on the UConn roster than as an add-on with one of the 30 programs; and like Jeremy Lamb - he will end up playing in Reno or Santa Cruz. Money? I don't think he gets a guaranteed contract. If he really bulked up & had the next step of a solid year, I think he becomes a top 20 pick - and that is $3-5m over three years GUARANTEED. And, maybe, he can nudge his way up to a role. Can he keep developing - kinda Paul George-ish? Maybe. I think that's the gamble. I am not willing to tell any kid that several hundred thousands dollars in 2014-2015 ain't good living for you & your family. But, I do lean that he is better off DEVELOPING here at UConn.

Meh, Lamb being in the D-League had more to do wtih the team/organization he was with more than his readiness. If Lamb goes to a bum squad he gets the opportunity to jack and develop like the other lottery pick SGs picked. I mean Rivers played the majority of the year last year in New Orleans and put up one of the worst statistical seasons of any player in NBA, he wasn't better than JLamb.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Sigh. When you play a Final Four game like that against the best team in the country, I guess you get to do whatever you want. I was hoping we'd get to see what he'd do as the #1 option next year.

 

[UCONNfan1]

Congrats DD! Thanks for everything you did to help UCONN, your teammates, and to entertain all of us UCONN fans. I wish you the very best and as much success as possible! Another proud UCONN alum in the NBA!!

 

[selles]

From DD's twitter:

Awesome. Go get 'em DD!

 

[Inyatkin]

Lot of stories quoting anonymous NBA scouts who aren't too high on him. I don't know, are there 30 people eligible who can do the things we all saw him do against top competition in the tournament? You can argue consistency, but he's shown the ability to play at a really high level, which ought to be worth a first round pick, I'd think.