What shoulda been

[Uconn93]

(Dallas AP) The University of Connecticut improved its overall record to 22-2 (11-1 AAC) with a four point win over the Mustangs here in Dallas. As has been the story all season, the Huskies were led by their senior duo of Ryan Boatright and Deandre Daniels. Daniels hit a pressure three pointer to put the Huskies up by two with just 48 seconds to go and Boatright iced the game with two free throws to give UConn its final margin of victory.

Daniels, who considered going pro after the Huskies magical run to the title last year, was interviewed after the game and told the assembled media that he was just happy to be in a Husky uniform and was looking forward to another deep run through the tournament in March. Daniels is averaging sixteen points and nine rebounds to go along with Boatrights' 18 points and 5 assists per game. One NBA scout who asked not to be identified said after the game, "What Daniels did in raising his stock by staying for his senior year should really be applauded. He has clearly played himself into a first round pick." The number six nationally ranked Huskies are back in action Thursday night at Memphis.

 

[MattMang23]

The kid made the wrong decision. Quick, get the pitchforks- he ruined our season!

 

[Cheeky]

The kid made the wrong decision. Quick, get the pitchforks- he ruined our season!

Why do you say this?
I think it's arguable that the way this season is playing out shows that he made the correct decision.
A lot of posters seem to think that Daniels would have made this team a lot better.
He would have made it better, to be sure, but he would not have remedied our poor ball handling outside of Boat. Maybe he's good for another few wins, similar stats to last year, a round of 32 exit, and how exactly would that have helped his draft stock?
There's this bizarre notion that a guy who leaves his Junior year and doesn't make it in the NBA somehow made the "wrong" decision. It worked for Napier to stay. It did not work for many others (Boone, e.g., one year earlier).

 

[mauconnfan]

He made his decision and hopefully it works out for him, he's a good guy who helped us get yet another NC.

I have no problem with the "what if" posts, at this point you tend to wonder how many more wins a DD would have brought and that's fair.

 

[CTBasketball]

Daniels is making $200,000 this year playing basketball in Australia. Not to mention anything the Raptors might give him when he returns. So yeah, I think he made the right decision.

Even with Daniels this team still has major flaws. Daniels isn't a reliable ball-handler, so our problem still exists.

 

[MattMang23]

Why do you say this?
I think it's arguable that the way this season is playing out shows that he made the correct decision.
A lot of posters seem to think that Daniels would have made this team a lot better.
He would have made it better, to be sure, but he would not have remedied our poor ball handling outside of Boat. Maybe he's good for another few wins, similar stats to last year, a round of 32 exit, and how exactly would that have helped his draft stock?
There's this bizarre notion that a guy who leaves his Junior year and doesn't make it in the NBA somehow made the "wrong" decision. It worked for Napier to stay. It did not work for many others (Boone, e.g., one year earlier).

It was the wrong call in my opinion. He could have stayed his Sr. year and still be playing in Perth, Australia next year. He also could have stayed and had a better chance at the first round next year, as was the point of the OP. My post was not to debate that point.

The point of my post was to submit the opinion that DDs decision is not the reason this season hasn't gone as expected. He declared in what? April last year? We had seven months to replace him. We didn't. I took exception to the OP because it seems like he is opining that DD is the reason our season has gone sour.

I'm sorry, but it's not. Players come and go. People knew going into last season DD leaving was a possibility. He was not adequately replaced. We brought in a phenomenally talented freshman to play the position, but he's a freshman. The coaching staff did their part on the trail, but I don't believe this team has improved from day one of the season, and that's on the staff. The remaining players also share the blame. They aren't fixing mistakes from game to game. But this season is NOT DDs fault.

 

[mauconnfan]

Daniels is making $200,000 this year playing basketball in Australia. Not to mention anything the Raptors might give him when he returns. So yeah, I think he made the right decision.

Even with Daniels this team still has major flaws. Daniels isn't a reliable ball-handler, so our problem still exists.

Ok yeah but we would have been able to throw it to a 6'9" guy for scoring so in that case less ball handling would be required. Right now if we throw it there's a black hole. He makes us better staying , probably 3-5 more wins easy. But he made a great decision for himself no doubt.

 

[Uconn93]

Daniels is making $200,000 this year playing basketball in Australia.

$200,000 is chump change compared to first round money as per this list:

http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/info/rookie_scale

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Faustian bargain or not, I have no regrets about saying,"If it'll bring the NC, I'll gladly cash in DD's senior season."

 

[CallMeBruce]

Daniels is making $200,000 this year playing basketball in Australia. Not to mention anything the Raptors might give him when he returns. So yeah, I think he made the right decision.

Even with Daniels this team still has major flaws. Daniels isn't a reliable ball-handler, so our problem still exists.

Ballhandling isn't the only problem, as defenses would have to play Boatright differently if we had a wing shooter like Daniels available. There's no question that this is a much better team with Daniels on it.

 

[imno1]

(Dallas AP) The University of Connecticut improved its overall record to 22-2 (11-1 AAC) with a four point win over the Mustangs here in Dallas. As has been the story all season, the Huskies were led by their senior duo of Ryan Boatright and Deandre Daniels. Daniels hit a pressure three pointer to put the Huskies up by two with just 48 seconds to go and Boatright iced the game with two free throws to give UConn its final margin of victory.

Daniels, who considered going pro after the Huskies magical run to the title last year, was interviewed after the game and told the assembled media that he was just happy to be in a Husky uniform and was looking forward to another deep run through the tournament in March. Daniels is averaging sixteen points and nine rebounds to go along with Boatrights' 18 points and 5 assists per game. One NBA scout who asked not to be identified said after the game, "What Daniels did in raising his stock by staying for his senior year should really be applauded. He has clearly played himself into a first round pick." The number six nationally ranked Huskies are back in action Thursday night at Memphis.

If you are going to live in a fantasy at least make them undefeated and on a collision course with Kentucky.

 

[Matrim55]

I have no problem with the "what if" posts, at this point you tend to wonder how many more wins a DD would have brought and that's fair.

Yup. I'm relentlessly positive about this team, but it's hard not to imagine how much better we'd be if we'd kept DD and landed Perkins and Abu.

 

[Palatine]

(Dallas AP) The University of Connecticut improved its overall record to 22-2 (11-1 AAC) with a four point win over the Mustangs here in Dallas. As has been the story all season, the Huskies were led by their senior duo of Ryan Boatright and Deandre Daniels. Daniels hit a pressure three pointer to put the Huskies up by two with just 48 seconds to go and Boatright iced the game with two free throws to give UConn its final margin of victory.

Daniels, who considered going pro after the Huskies magical run to the title last year, was interviewed after the game and told the assembled media that he was just happy to be in a Husky uniform and was looking forward to another deep run through the tournament in March. Daniels is averaging sixteen points and nine rebounds to go along with Boatrights' 18 points and 5 assists per game. One NBA scout who asked not to be identified said after the game, "What Daniels did in raising his stock by staying for his senior year should really be applauded. He has clearly played himself into a first round pick." The number six nationally ranked Huskies are back in action Thursday night at Memphis.

As long as you recognize that this is a fantasy and reality would have played out differently, it's cool.

 

[3rdbass]

We do miss DD on both sides of the ball. He was good shot blocker who played off AB. Definitely better than KF. He was a decent rebounder also. Though on the offensive side we really missed throwing the ball inside to him. He was our only post player last year and also would of been this year.

It puts so much pressure on the guards when they can't throw the ball inside and always have to make something happen on the perimeter especially against a good defensive team like SMU. There were 2 times were RB wanted to throw into the post to RL and AB but they lost their position. Our bigs are just horrible post up players. We do need someone next year to develop or bring someone in or otherwise we could look just as unbalanced again even with another ball handler.

 

[Uconn93]

As long as you recognize that this is a fantasy and reality would have played out differently, it's cool.

We all have to have somewhere to go to deal with this season. I spent the college football season counting the minutes until college basketball season started. I've spent college basketball season counting the minutes until MLB starts. Is it a fantasy....sure. But as one of the other posters pointed out, if it were all fantasy, "the article" would have us undefeated and on a collision course with Kentucky. I think there's an element of validity to it in that, at the very least, we were a tournament team with DD. Bring on spring training...

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I can't come up with a single reason why DeAndre still comes up in the context of this current team. It's mystifying.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I can't come up with a single reason why DeAndre still comes up in the context of this current team. It's mystifying.

Our atrocious play at the 4 and inconsistent outside shooting?

I agree that this isn't worth discussing, but it's a pretty obvious "what if" scenario.

 

[Kitaman]

$200,000 is chump change

Less if there is an agent, traveling expenses, accountant/attorney. overseas lodging expenses, entertainment, meals, taxes and a host of other expenses. Not to mention any outstanding debt incurred between declaration and playing.

I didn't realize that it was this low.

 

[champs99and04]

I must have missed the part where people were bashing DD for making that decision. Maybe direct me to the post?

At the time, I probably would have advised Daniels to declare. He was a 22-year-old junior, probably not going to get dramatically better, etc. All of that about striking while the iron is hot. But in retrospect, I have to think he'd have been better off playing another hand in Storrs - worst case scenario, he's probably in the same position a year from now.

This subject has obviously been beaten into the ground, so I'm not sure why we torture ourselves playing the what if game. Something to talk about, I guess.

 

[Scoe]

There are no guarantees in life, for DD to be a successful pro its on him, for Uconn to be successful after a player leaves its Uconn. You can bang your head into a concrete wall or you can just accept it for what it is. What if DD comes back his Sr year and tears his ACL then what. The NBA doesn't look too highly at a 23 year old. Look at Sean Kilpatrick for instance you saw how good he was for Cincy, he is now bouncing around the Dleague, he went undrafted and couldn't even make it onto a tanking 76ers roster.

 

[Gurleyman]

There are no guarantees in life, for DD to be a successful pro its on him, for Uconn to be successful after a player leaves its Uconn. You can bang your head into a concrete wall or you can just accept it for what it is. What if DD comes back his Sr year and tears his ACL then what. The NBA doesn't look too highly at a 23 year old. Look at Sean Kilpatrick for instance you saw how good he was for Cincy, he is now bouncing around the Dleague, he went undrafted and couldn't even make it onto a tanking 76ers roster.

I always use CJ Fair. Similar tweener. Came back for senior year after a FF, got better, went undrafted.

 

[huskiesnyc]

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I must have missed the part where people were bashing DD for making that decision. Maybe direct me to the post?

At the time, I probably would have advised Daniels to declare. He was a 22-year-old junior, probably not going to get dramatically better, etc. All of that about striking while the iron is hot. But in retrospect, I have to think he'd have been better off playing another hand in Storrs - worst case scenario, he's probably in the same position a year from now.

This subject has obviously been beaten into the ground, so I'm not sure why we torture ourselves playing the what if game. Something to talk about, I guess.

We torture ourselves because the spot on the roster was already his, unlike a recruit not landed. That, and because nobody can bring themself to suggest that Tolksdorf could have been Giffey 2.0.

 

[bear]

And what if he came back and we went put up 12 losses and missed the postseason? He got a lot of exposure in the final four and undoubtedly boosted his draft stock. Very possible that he could have come back and put up similar numbers to last year with no NCAAT exposure and gone undrafted. The kid made a good decision, he would have been a 23 year old senior this year.