don't have insider... a little help...drummond

[Huskymaniac]

Lamb is NOT going to be a top 10 pick this year. I know UConn fans love to trip over themselves to look "supportive" of their players' best interests but, really, some of you are clueless. I don't want Lamb to come back because I am selfish. Lamb should come back because it makes sense to do so. Instead of trying to push the kid out the door because you want to appear to be supportive of him and appear to care about what is "best" for him, look at the big picture. If you still think he should jump, you are truly clueless. Same for Drummond.

What really makes me shake my head is when some of the same people that insist our players should jump as soon as they are even close to being a lottery pick also say that there is nothing "shady" going on with other programs when their potential TOP 5 picks return. There were at least two cases like that last year and a bunch of likely lottery picks that returned to their teams. (Kentucky, UNC, Baylor and so on) Why is it that our players should definitely jump but the fact that these kids returned to their teams made sense to you folks? Seems simple to me. Either you are right about it being a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump and something fishy is going on at other teams OR you are right that nothing fishy is going on at these other teams and it isn't a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump but there might be perfectly good reasons for them to stay. There is no way for it to be true that it is a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump AND nothing fishy is going on at schools where they are staying.

 

[Walker11]

Lamb is NOT going to be a top 10 pick this year. I know UConn fans love to trip over themselves to look "supportive" of their players' best interests but, really, some of you are clueless. I don't want Lamb to come back because I am selfish. Lamb should come back because it makes sense to do so. Instead of trying to push the kid out the door because you want to appear to be supportive of him and appear to care about what is "best" for him, look at the big picture. If you still think he should jump, you are truly clueless. Same for Drummond.

What really makes me shake my head is when some of the same people that insist our players should jump as soon as they are even close to being a lottery pick also say that there is nothing "shady" going on with other programs when their potential TOP 5 picks return. There were at least two cases like that last year and a bunch of likely lottery picks that returned to their teams. (Kentucky, UNC, Baylor and so on) Why is it that our players should definitely jump but the fact that these kids returned to their teams made sense to you folks? Seems simple to me. Either you are right about it being a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump and something fishy is going on at other teams OR you are right that nothing fishy is going on at these other teams and it isn't a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump but there might be perfectly good reasons for them to stay. There is no way for it to be true that it is a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump AND nothing fishy is going on at schools where they are staying.

Stick to the Calipari bashing and skip the attempted analysis. Lamb is projected lottery by everyone, and that is before he measures out ridiculously at the pre-draft camp.

 

[aceboon]

How in the world has Lamb reached his ceiling? He was nowhere near the player he is now when we first signed him, and he wasn't even that player last year(I know everyone likes to say since he didn't become Ray/Rip he regressed, but that isn't the case). Lamb still has plenty of room to grow as a player, he acknowledged creating for himself off the bounce was something he needed to work on at the end of the 10-11 season, that wasn't something that was going to perfected in one offseason. I don't think he will ever develop that alpha dog mentatility but he still has plenty of ways to into developing into that perfect complimentary player at the pro level, to say that he's reached his ceiling at this stage in his development is mind boggling to me.

I think Lamb has reached a ceiling and he knows it. He doesn't have much to improve on, skill-wise. Sure it couldn't hurt for him to put on 15 pounds of muscle, but that's the case for everyone leaving early for the draft.

The traits that prevent him from being a top-5 pick are not the sort of thing you work on in the offseason; I'm talking about assertiveness. Lamb will never be like Kobe or MJ, demanding the ball in crunch time, even on the college level. He's a nice complementary piece, not a guy you build a franchise around.

Late lottery is really his upside, and he's better off taking it now than risk his stock falling like Sullinger and Barnes.

 

[UConnLen]

Spoke to a soccer coach from STM a few days ago and he said that AD's Mom has always said that getting a degree is most important to her. Spending another year learning the game and honing his skills also will make him closer to his Mom's stated goal for him.

A couple of things:
1 - It doesn't really matter about fan exposure, this is all about exposure to the people who matter....NBA scouts and the like. In that regard, whether UConn is tournament eligible or not is almost inconsequential. The players will still have all of the necessary exposure to NBA scouts, because they are playing in the BE and for UConn (and the players are therefore already on most of the radar screens that count). A great tournament performance might enhance draft position by a little bit, but the scouts know enough to influence their decisions, already, before March.

2 - Things are a world of different for Lamb and Drummond. I agree with the Lamb assessments. He is a fairly known quantity and it is unlikely that next year will provide that much opportunity for him to vastly improve. He might go from a 12-15 pick to a top 10 (or not) but he is likely unable to move into a top 5 pick no matter what.

Drummond, on the other hand, has just so much more to learn/gain. The kid is still so very very raw, that an additional year at this level will only elevate him. I agree with the way folks characterize the vast gulf between his raw ability and his comfort with and knowledge of the game.

3 - As much as I want Drummond fto come back, I cannot make a real persuasive economic argument as to how this would benefit him. Have an accountant run the numbers.....the difference between having all those millions today, as opposed to having them a year from now....well (unless you pull a Brewster's Millions and spend the entire bundle as fast as you make it), you are always better off with the cash in hand, invested today, than you are deferring it.

4 - I am not at all convinced that Drummond is your typical NBA-bound player. The kid was only a couple of days/weeks removed from having spent last year playing high school ball. He truly seems to be enjoying the heck out of being an 18 year old kid. College is a unique experience, and I think it suits Andre very well. He will have ample opportunity to be an NBA player/millionaire for years to come. He only has this one opportunity to be a college student. The NBA money will be there, waiting for him.

I hope he stays! I think he would not regret that decision.

 

[aceboon]

Perfect case of UConn fans being in a bubble, but in your case your own pyschotic, craze fueled bubble.

Lamb is NOT going to be a top 10 pick this year. I know UConn fans love to trip over themselves to look "supportive" of their players' best interests but, really, some of you are clueless. I don't want Lamb to come back because I am selfish. Lamb should come back because it makes sense to do so. Instead of trying to push the kid out the door because you want to appear to be supportive of him and appear to care about what is "best" for him, look at the big picture. If you still think he should jump, you are truly clueless. Same for Drummond.

What really makes me shake my head is when some of the same people that insist our players should jump as soon as they are even close to being a lottery pick also say that there is nothing "shady" going on with other programs when their potential TOP 5 picks return. There were at least two cases like that last year and a bunch of likely lottery picks that returned to their teams. (Kentucky, UNC, Baylor and so on) Why is it that our players should definitely jump but the fact that these kids returned to their teams made sense to you folks? Seems simple to me. Either you are right about it being a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump and something fishy is going on at other teams OR you are right that nothing fishy is going on at these other teams and it isn't a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump but there might be perfectly good reasons for them to stay. There is no way for it to be true that it is a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump AND nothing fishy is going on at schools where they are staying.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Stick to the Calipari bashing and skip the attempted analysis. Lamb is projected lottery by everyone, and that is before he measures out ridiculously at the pre-draft camp.

Is that your attempt at an insult? If so, you suck at it and should stick to being delusional. I know math probably isn't your strong suit so trust me when I say that there are 14 teams in the lottery, not 10, and that 14 is greater than 10. As for reading comprehension, note that I said he won't be a top 10 pick. Finally, you need to do more research before making a statement like EVERYONE is projecting him to be in the lottery. First of all, you might want to look up the definition of EVERYONE and then read more projections. At least ONE person is not projecting him to be in the lottery. But, again, I just said he wasn't going to be a top 10 pick this year. Really...scroll up and read it again...you can do it...

And to aceboon, instead of being a , you might want to actually state what you disagree with and why. If you can't be bothered to make that effort, I can tell you with certainty that it is unwise to say/type anything if all you will say/type is the crap you just did.

For all its benefits, the intenet can really suck sometimes............

 

[Huskies4ever]

How in the world has Lamb reached his ceiling? He was nowhere near the player he is now when we first signed him, and he wasn't even that player last year(I know everyone likes to say since he didn't become Ray/Rip he regressed, but that isn't the case). Lamb still has plenty of room to grow as a player, he acknowledged creating for himself off the bounce was something he needed to work on at the end of the 10-11 season, that wasn't something that was going to perfected in one offseason. I don't think he will ever develop that alpha dog mentatility but he still has plenty of ways to into developing into that perfect complimentary player at the pro level, to say that he's reached his ceiling at this stage in his development is mind boggling to me.

A lot of people here think that he can only be a complimentary player, but you never know. Circumstance can play a part in determining how good a pro a player can be. For instance, if you are a big fish in a small pond, you may look like a star. The kid can shoot, create, is extremely long and athletic. The potential is there for him to be a Rip-type player at the next level worst case scenario. i like his upside more than Harrison Barnes'.

 

[aceboon]

When I mean complimentary player I mean I don't think he will ever be the best player on a very good/contending level team. That level is reserved for the Durant/Lebron/Kobe/Wade/DRose types, I think Jeremy will only get better but just not on that level. Nothing wrong with being the 2nd or 3rd best player on a very good team.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Lamb is NOT going to be a top 10 pick this year. I know UConn fans love to trip over themselves to look "supportive" of their players' best interests but, really, some of you are clueless. I don't want Lamb to come back because I am selfish. Lamb should come back because it makes sense to do so. Instead of trying to push the kid out the door because you want to appear to be supportive of him and appear to care about what is "best" for him, look at the big picture. If you still think he should jump, you are truly clueless. Same for Drummond.

What really makes me shake my head is when some of the same people that insist our players should jump as soon as they are even close to being a lottery pick also say that there is nothing "shady" going on with other programs when their potential TOP 5 picks return. There were at least two cases like that last year and a bunch of likely lottery picks that returned to their teams. (Kentucky, UNC, Baylor and so on) Why is it that our players should definitely jump but the fact that these kids returned to their teams made sense to you folks? Seems simple to me. Either you are right about it being a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump and something fishy is going on at other teams OR you are right that nothing fishy is going on at these other teams and it isn't a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump but there might be perfectly good reasons for them to stay. There is no way for it to be true that it is a "no brainer" for ALL of these kids to jump AND nothing fishy is going on at schools where they are staying.

Seeing as a lottery NBA contract guarantees several million dollars, I would think it would be pretty much impossible for any school to do something "fishy" enough to convince a player to come back to school.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Seeing as a lottery NBA contract guarantees several million dollars, I would think it would be pretty much impossible for any school to do something "fishy" enough to convince a player to come back to school.

Seems like reasonable logic. Therefore, the fact that several players last year, and in years past, came back even though they were lottery picks implies that there must have been other factors in their decision. Some of the players that came back last year were projected to go very high in the lottery. In those cases, one potential factor for coming back, to become a higher pick, is completely erased so there are, presumably, even more factors than that one. My point is that people shouldn't be tripping over themselves to say that Lamb should leave as some of those "other factors", including improving his draft position, may apply to him as well. I doubt anyone on this board knows Lamb well enough to know if these other factors apply to him. I also doubt anyone on this board knows the NBA GMs well enough to know where he would be picked. So the wise thing would be for people to stop rushing to declare what they THINK he should do. At this point he might not even have enough information to make his decision so anyone here is basically clueless as to what he should do based on what they think they know. Yeah, crazy, I know.....

 

[Gurleyman]

Guys, guys - all this bickering and arguing on 77-74 Day. It's just not right. Think of the children. If you can't enjoy 77-74 Day, at least don't ruin it for them.

 

[caw]

Seems like reasonable logic. Therefore, the fact that several players last year, and in years past, came back even though they were lottery picks implies that there must have been other factors in their decision. Some of the players that came back last year were projected to go very high in the lottery. In those cases, one potential factor for coming back, to become a higher pick, is completely erased so there are, presumably, even more factors than that one. My point is that people shouldn't be tripping over themselves to say that Lamb should leave as some of those "other factors", including improving his draft position, may apply to him as well. I doubt anyone on this board knows Lamb well enough to know if these other factors apply to him. I also doubt anyone on this board knows the NBA GMs well enough to know where he would be picked. So the wise thing would be for people to stop rushing to declare what they THINK he should do. At this point he might not even have enough information to make his decision so anyone here is basically clueless as to what he should do based on what they think they know. Yeah, crazy, I know.....

Last year was a bit odd with the lockout looming.