Hurley Should Have An Honest Talk With Bouk

[6xChamps]

DeAndre Daniels/Daniel Hamilton III

Where are they now vs where they might have been had they stayed?

Dude what are you talking about you’re cherry picking the two guys that left early that weren’t first round talents and just completely ignoring Andre Drummond, Jeremy Lamb, and Kemba Walker who have all left early recently and were drafted around the range that Bouknight is currently projected. All of those guys each have tens of millions of dollars now.

 

[Chief00]

Lottery picks leave. There is no conversation to be had.

I am not so sure that’s a lock ?
Every year guys leave schools due to being in the lottery that turn out to be late 1st or second round picks.

 

[Travelman6]

RIP came back his junior year after being "gone" after the 1997-98 season. Stranger things have happened but RIP felt like he had unfinished business and was one of the best competitors UConn has ever seen. Bouk doesn't give me the same vibes, as far as "having unfinished business". The Maryland game was a huge bummer but I am 95% sure he is gone and doesn't feel that same desire RIP did. Kemba could have left after Year 2 and many had him slotted to enter the draft after winning first-team BE honors in 2009-10, but he also came back for that amazing run in 2011. So ya, sometimes those surprises do happen. With that said, I think he is already out the door, so to speak. Probably not ready, but he has potential and most of these draft picks are largely based on potential + like everyone else said it is hard to turn down that money + RIP and Kemba did not have such a serious injury when they decided to come back for a third year He probably does not want to risk reinjury/injury.

 

[Chief00]

If he goes it will be a mistake. Physically he needs to get stronger and better condition. He also needs to simplify his game so he won’t be so injury prone.
But, equally important is his mindset, approach to the game and maturity in life. The honest answer is it’s definitely in his interest to stay in college another year where the support systems are in place for James to have the best opportunities for growth and success in these areas.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

RIP came back his junior year after being "gone" after the 1997-98 season. Stranger things have happened but RIP felt like he had unfinished business and was one of the best competitors UConn has ever seen. Bouk doesn't give me the same vibes, as far as "having unfinished business". The Maryland game was a huge bummer but I am 95% sure he is gone and doesn't feel that same desire RIP did. Kemba could have left after Year 2 and many had him slotted to enter the draft after winning first-team BE honors in 2009-10, but he also came back for that amazing run in 2011. So ya, sometimes those surprises do happen. With that said, I think he is already out the door, so to speak. Probably not ready, but he has potential and most of these draft picks are largely based on potential + like everyone else said it is hard to turn down that money + RIP and Kemba did not have such a serious injury when they decided to come back for a third year He probably does not want to risk reinjury/injury.

He also doesn't want to risk the NBA figuring out that he may only be good enough to be a backup at the next level.

Khalid El-Amin is probably the UConn player that most obviously made a mistake by coming back to college. He would have definitely been a first round pick in 1999, but he wanted to be "the guy" on the team so he came back for the 99-00 season. He had a good season statistically, but he didn't dominate, and that was enough to drop him to round 2.

 

[BGesus4]

Talent wise he's a great but accomplishment wise he isn't a great. He fell apart at the end of the season, not the way any of us wanted to see his UConn career end. I think he'll be great in the NBA and am looking forward to cheering him on.

He definitely didn’t play well in his last two games as a husky, the most important of his career. He also didn’t really get a full crack at building a bunch of big UConn memories due to injury, suspension, COVID and not the type of surrounding cast our other greats had.

and he has been instrumental in bringing us back to relevance in multiple ways. We’re not as far as we’d like but we’re on the way there.

listen to practically every guard we’ve recruited what they say they like about UConn. They say they like how we let our guards play and they watch Bouknight and see themselves in the role he plays.

People who are saying he won’t last long in the league are talking out of their . Who did you think was super NBA ready?? Okafor? Shabazz? How many times do ppl need to hear it to realize college performance is not 1 to 1 with NBA career. Rudy, for example, has had a long NBA career but was part of two of the most disappointing tournament runs we’ve had, with tons of talent around him. Some posters need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and open their eyes.

 

[J187Money]

On the ESPN draft rankings - Bouk is 13th.

The rookie scale shows if he gets drafted 13th - he will make just under $10M for the first 3 years.

2020-21 NBA rookie scale contract figures for first-round picks

Rookie Wire took a look at the rookie scale salaries for each of the first-round picks ahead of the 2020-21 season.

therookiewire.usatoday.com

Up or down a bit doesn't move the needle that much (relatively) - and getting out now means he is one year closer to the real deal (if he is good enough to get a second contract). He 100% should go.

Staying another year - lets say he moves up to 6 - and then his deal is worth 15M in the first 3 years (pretax of course). Just isn't enough upside to justify waiting. IMO he would need to drop into the mid 20s to justify staying another year.

That doesn't mean I think he is going to be an amazing pro - lots of draft picks aren't. But this is about money. He should go.

 

[TyroneJames]

NBA defense is A LOT tougher than NCAA defense so if Bouknight regularly gets double-teamed in the NBA, he wont be able to do good. Right now he can go sign a $5 million contract but once everyone figures out he is a garbage player, his NBA worth is going to get smaller and smaller until a team won't even want to sign him. However is he stays JUST ONE YEAR, he can probably be a superstar and play in the NBA for the rest of his career kinda like rip

 

[Candyman]

If he goes it will be a mistake. Physically he needs to get stronger and better condition. He also needs to simplify his game so he won’t be so injury prone.
But, equally important is his mindset, approach to the game and maturity in life. The honest answer is it’s definitely in his interest to stay in college another year where the support systems are in place for James to have the best opportunities for growth snd success in these areas.

He already had a knee injury in high school and elbow injury in college. Man if I am him I take my money while I can. He will be a lottery to mid first round pick. 2 games will not dictate his draft status espeically when you look at how the rest of his teammates crapped the bed right along with him. What happenes if he comes back and struggles as a junior or worse gets hurt? It would be stupid and self serving advising him to stay.

 

[Lefty2one]

NBA defense is A LOT tougher than NCAA defense so if Bouknight regularly gets double-teamed in the NBA, he wont be able to do good. Right now he can go sign a $5 million contract but once everyone figures out he is a garbage player, his NBA worth is going to get smaller and smaller until a team won't even want to sign him. However is he stays JUST ONE YEAR, he can probably be a superstar and play in the NBA for the rest of his career kinda like rip

Why on earth would an NBA team regularly double-team Bouknight? NBA teams don't even regularly double-team All-Stars lol. It's suicide with all the spacing and shooters.

 

[Candyman]

NBA defense is A LOT tougher than NCAA defense so if Bouknight regularly gets double-teamed in the NBA, he wont be able to do good. Right now he can go sign a $5 million contract but once everyone figures out he is a garbage player, his NBA worth is going to get smaller and smaller until a team won't even want to sign him. However is he stays JUST ONE YEAR, he can probably be a superstar and play in the NBA for the rest of his career kinda like rip

This is such a bad take. Now Bouk is a garabage player? His game is suited for the NBA. They ain't double teaming him if hes a garbage player. One year back in college and he will be a superstar???

 

[TyroneJames]

This is such a bad take. Now Bouk is a garabage player? His game is suited for the NBA. They ain't double teaming him if hes a garbage player. One year back in college and he will be a superstar???

yes one year and he will be a beast

 

[JohnFSilver]

here is the talk Hurley should have.

“Hi James. I just want to give you these pamphlets for correspondence courses and summer classes. You are always welcome back here at UConn while I am here and I really want you to come back here and finish your degree.

If you need to train or a place to play pickup in the summer, stick around here. “

 

[JohnFSilver]

Why on earth would an NBA team regularly double-team Bouknight? NBA teams don't even regularly double-team All-Stars lol. It's suicide with all the spacing and shooters.

Bouknight will have so much more room in nba. 3-point line is further rout. Shooters are insane. You can’t double in the nba anymore, you end up giving up an open 3. It is seriously the last resort for defenses that only maybe James Harden gets doubled.

 

[Fatroony5]

Lmao

NBA defense is A LOT tougher than NCAA defense so if Bouknight regularly gets double-teamed in the NBA, he wont be able to do good. Right now he can go sign a $5 million contract but once everyone figures out he is a garbage player, his NBA worth is going to get smaller and smaller until a team won't even want to sign him. However is he stays JUST ONE YEAR, he can probably be a superstar and play in the NBA for the rest of his career kinda like rip

lmaoooo what? So if he leaves now he’s garbage but if he stays one more year he’ll be a superstar? This is peak boneyard logic. So guys don’t improve more when they play bball as their job vs in college? I just, can’t.

 

[The Funster]

Bouk has a lot of work to do but he should go. I'd be shocked if he stayed.

Happy, but shocked.

 

[alphasigko]

Dude what are you talking about you’re cherry picking the two guys that left early that weren’t first round talents and just completely ignoring Andre Drummond, Jeremy Lamb, and Kemba Walker who have all left early recently and were drafted around the range that Bouknight is currently projected. All of those guys each have tens of millions of dollars now.

At this point Bouk is not an Andre Drummond (whose size was his strength), Jeremy Lamb or Kemba Walker (whose individual performances contributed to a National Championship). IMO he is at this point perhaps as good as, or a little better than, either deAndre or Hamilton.

 

[BlueDogs]

If they pay him big dollars to develop, he ought to go. He is not remotely close to a 1st round pick in my view. Somebody dumb will take him, because that what he’s been marketed to be despite the reality. He has no reliable 3, he can’t stay on his feet, losses his handle a lot, and has shown no clear ability to dominate against higher level competition. He is a very good player but not a dominant next level player at this moment in time. But it’s Stevie Guitar Miller time - “go on, take the money and run”

 

[Candyman]

At this point Bouk is not an Andre Drummond (whose size was his strength), Jeremy Lamb or Kemba Walker (whose individual performances contributed to National Championships). IMO he is at this point perhaps as good as, or a little better than, either deAndre or Hamilton.

Lamb had a very down sophmore year on a even more disappointing team but was drafted on potential which Bouk has. NBA drafts on potential and he still has tons of it. Getting a year older in college does nothing for his draft status as NBA like young.

 

[Abe1]

He's going to make a ton of money but he unfortunately lost himself a bunch of money recently.

??

 

[Fatroony5]

Lamb had a very down sophmore year on a even more disappointing team but was drafted on potential which Bouk has. NBA drafts on potential and he still has tons of it. Getting a year older in college does nothing for his draft status as NBA like young.

Lamb was key to a national title run, but he was playing with Kemba, literally one of, if not the best college tournament player ever. Bouk didn’t have that as a freshman and his numbers were better. His numbers were again better than this year than lamb as the main piece, he scored like 19 a game, it’s not easy to do that. We’re all disappointed with how things ended and Bouk struggled at times, don’t think anyone denies that. But NBA like you said drafts on potential. They believe they can get him into their system and actually develop him to take his game to another level. People need to stop comparing college to NBA, it’s a different world. NBA is about potential, guys who are super productive 3-4 year college players usually aren’t top end NBA players.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Dude what are you talking about you’re cherry picking the two guys that left early that weren’t first round talents and just completely ignoring Andre Drummond, Jeremy Lamb, and Kemba Walker who have all left early recently and were drafted around the range that Bouknight is currently projected. All of those guys each have tens of millions of dollars now.

DeAndre totally should have left. He would have went undrafted if he came out as a senior. That was the best he was going to do. Hamilton? He was a late first guy until he graded out as a below average athlete. No matter how long he stayed, he was going to be picked there.

 

[superjohn]

??

I think he lost money with his recent play.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Also. Losing a lot of money? That is such a 1995 way of looking at it. The goal as an nba player - -with the rookie scale -- is to get to free agency as early as possible. Think about it. No more $90M deals for being a No. 3 pick or something.

Because of that, if you have guaranteed first-round money, you take it and then play 3 years for your next contract. The NBA is picking up the development tab. Second rounders? It is a host of foreign guys, older players, and weird players.

Now, if you are projected as a late first, be careful. You slip into the mid second round nothing is guaranteed. And worse, you are so cheap they can cut and trade you as chattel. If there is any conceivable way he drops to second round, he should come back. But does it matter guaranteed, $3M vs. $1.8M? Not when you factor in the year of service you gain (closer to FA). He'll make up whatever he lost by not returning hitting FA a year earlier than if he stayed.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I think he lost money with his recent play.

Won't have any effect.