Oh I agree 100%! It's like the band-aid scenario that was discussed after our loss...he's pulling the band-aid off slowly.
In any event, this off-season is extremely intriguing for a Duke fan. A lot of ifs, ands, buts, maybes.
But, hey, it gives us something to obsess over now that we have nothing to cheer for (besides the LADY DEVILS)!
I'm no basketball expert but I agree with you. From watching AR during several games this past season, I got the distinct impression that he was "immature" - immature physically and immature in terms of his basketball skills and knowledge and game presence. Obviously he has talent and may eventually turn out to be a very good pro player, but I'm not sure he is ready to step up to the next level at this point in time. Even among college players, I thought he looked like a high school player in terms of his physicality and once he gets to the pros where the players are even much larger, I think he will have a hard time exerting himself physically into the pro game. I also thought he made a lot of "Freshman" mistakes during the course of the season - taking shots that had very little chance of going in (other than the shot to win the Carolina game which will go down in history, of course), not passing when he should have, trying to everything himself, etc. I sometimes got the feeling that he thought he was still playing for his high school team where he was the star and dominating player. I really think he would do well to remain in college for another year to grow physically and to improve his overall basketball skills. My guess is that if he does turn pro and gets drafted, he'll spend a lot of time on the bench for most NBA teams. In that case, why not play a full season of high level college basketball? I realize there is the issue of a potential career-ending injury and the fact that the money may be there this year (if he is a lottery pick). In any event, I would wish him good luck in whatever he decides.
If I were fortunate enough to be in his situation, I think this would be my thought process. I'd play next year at Duke, try to win some championships, grow and mature for another year before the rigors of the NBA.
With respect to his long-term NBA prospects, I don't think jumping now or a year from now really matters: he has his talent and his work ethic, and he'll be what he'll be long-term no matter what.
I think his next two years might be more rewarding as 2012-2013 at Duke w/ a championship and 2013-2014 as an NBA rookie playing a lot ... that's a better scenario than would be 2012-2013 as an NBAer fighting for minutes, and 2013-2014 playing a lot.
Well, the flip side of this argument is that he may play another season of college basketball and instead of showing more NBA potential, more flaws or weaknesses could be exposed. Or he just doesn't improve much but is now a year older. In that case, he would have lost his one and only shot at being a first round pick. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but I don't think it is cut and dry that just because you come back you get drafted higher. As you get older, you lose the ability to be drafted on potential.
Maybe I should not have used "pro-ready." I do not think Austin will be able to consistently perform in the NBA yet. You say 2-3 years and I would probably agree with that... if he ever develops a consistent shot and learns how to play off the ball. Oh and defense. He would strictly be a potential pick right now. Compare him to other top-15 draft picks this year and you will find a group of players that have a much more well-rounded game. As I said, he does not do one thing great, or really well. He does have a tremendous first step but that will only get you so far in the NBA. His strength isn't where it should be so once he gets into the paint, it will be much harder to adjust and get a shot/lay-up. I just think he's getting himself into trouble.
If his dream is to make it into the NBA... after 1 year of college, then yes, he is fulfilling his dream. If he just wants to get out of college and see what the pro's are like, then he may find that things are A LOT tougher. The NBA is not going anywhere. Also, whereas Kyrie left in part to be the #1 pick, austin is choosing to leave and enter into one of the most loaded NBA drafts in recent history. It just does not make too much sense to me.
-I hope I am not making it seem like he "owes" anything more to Duke if he does leave. I am just looking at him in regards to being a pro prospect.
I personally would want to start making money as soon as possible. I went to college mainly because it was supposed to help me land a job once I graduated. I bet that is the reason a lot of people go to college. If Rivers is capable of earning seven figures now then why not leave? You get to play against the best and live an NBA lifestyle while doing it. Sounds good to me.
Curious as to the players over the years ...
Who's gone early?
Brand
Avery
Maggette
Boozer
Dunleavy
Gerald
Shav
McRoberts
Who could've gone early but opted not to?
Grant
Hurley/Laettner? Any discussion then?
Johnny D?
If one were categorizing ...
- which guys jumped at the right time,
- which should have perhaps stayed at Duke (in hindsight),
- did any regret not jumping?
Of course, the clearest case for going pro early was Duke's very first to leave early: Jay Heaps.
Well, if that is the case, then he isn't even going to make it more than a year in the NBA haha...
If he can't improve while staying at Duke, playing against lesser competition where he would be a greater focus, then how on earth is he going to improve in the NBA? He would not be a main focus and wouldn't play all that much (based on his current skills).
If he were to play another season at Duke and expose more flaws and weaknesses, then good luck in pro ball.
Per USA today, Austin will hire an agent. I'm in conference right now but will try to copy/paste the link.
Link: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/03/report-austin-rivers-to-leave-duke-for-the-nba/1
Yes, earning seven figures, playing against the best, and living an NBA life does sound good. It's a rational decision.
Winning some sort of championship at Duke next year, playing with K and in Cameron, having a couple more UNC games on espn (rather than a mid-February Milwaukee-Detroit-Cleveland swing), maturing and growing as a player to make the early NBA years even better ... and then earning seven figures, playing against the best, and living an NBA life the very next year, also sounds good.
He can have a lot of NBA in his future ... or have some more Duke and a lot of NBA in his future. A win/win and he cannot really go wrong. I wish him the best either way. If it were me, I'd choose the latter.
Nolan Smith
Kyle Singler
JJ Redick
Shelden Williams
And I think it's especially obvious that in JJ's and Shelden's cases that even after 4 years, and high draft picks, they weren't "ready" for the NBA. Now both are getting solid minutes, starting even, after a couple years of really struggling to get off their benches. I think AR has lots of pine time in front of him.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Gottlieb was just talking about the situation filling in on ESPN Radio...He and Andy Katz said similar things to what a lot of people have been thinking. Rivers was a nice kid, hard worker etc but extremely difficult to play with and does not think things will be worse off.
While I wish he would have stayed, all I can say is thank you Austin for the year you spent on the team. If the rest of the team had his competitive fire, I think we'd still be playing this season. Good luck in the NBA!
I very much appreciate the talents Rivers has. I also very much appreciate his competitive spirit and the strides he made in expanding his game. And I'll always appreciate the shot.
That said, I do wonder if we'll be a little more versatile offensively next year. Rivers was pretty one-dimensional in terms of offensive style (useless off the ball, more or less an iso player on the ball, limited passing ability). Next year, there is an opening to be very diverse offensively. Especially if guys like Cook, Gbinije, Murphy, and Sulaimon are ready to contribute. So there's certainly a chance we could be just as good offensively without Rivers. There's also the chance that those guys aren't ready and we take a big hit offensively.
Hopefully our young guys (and our seniors) step up and embrace the challenge. There is a TON of talent on next year's roster, even if we lose both Mason and Rivers. We'll still have (I believe) 7 top-30 recruits and another guy who has now been All-ACC, and another guy who is a 7-ft McDonald's All-American. It's a phenomenal situation that people can look at that roster and think we're in trouble next year. We'll be good. It's just a question of how good.
It will be interesting to see if the overall pundit opinion emerges along these lines, because to not be worse off after losing your best player (understanding that, too, is subjective, but something that I believe) speaks to that player being a net negative or, at worst, a net neutral.
Interesting that the DBR chooses to use "Ahhhhh Seeya! Rivers Gone" as the front page lead. Interesting choice of words, considering the fan base uses it to taunt disqualified opponents. Are we due for a few days of "good riddance" Austin Rivers stories? If so, why?