Calipari hurt Jones' draft stock?

[m g]

Interesting quote from ESPN.com about Terrence Jones -

"He's not going to wow you in the athletic drills, but I think he's got such a well-rounded game. I see some Lamar Odom in him," the GM said. "He's another guy who, at 6-foot-9, should really excel in drills and two-on-two play. I think he was surrounded by so much talent at Kentucky that people just don't get how special a player he can be."

So many UK players have been picked high lately that I have not really considered that going there could hurt their draft stock... but that is exactly what this GM is suggesting happened to Jones.

[jimsumner]

Interesting quote from ESPN.com about Terrence Jones -

"He's not going to wow you in the athletic drills, but I think he's got such a well-rounded game. I see some Lamar Odom in him," the GM said. "He's another guy who, at 6-foot-9, should really excel in drills and two-on-two play. I think he was surrounded by so much talent at Kentucky that people just don't get how special a player he can be."

So many UK players have been picked high lately that I have not really considered that going there could hurt their draft stock... but that is exactly what this GM is suggesting happened to Jones.

I think this is a reach. How would you react to "Mike Krzyzewski surrounded Corey Maggette with so much talent that he hurt his draft stock? "

[OldPhiKap]

Interesting quote from ESPN.com about Terrence Jones -

"He's not going to wow you in the athletic drills, but I think he's got such a well-rounded game. I see some Lamar Odom in him," the GM said. "He's another guy who, at 6-foot-9, should really excel in drills and two-on-two play. I think he was surrounded by so much talent at Kentucky that people just don't get how special a player he can be."

So many UK players have been picked high lately that I have not really considered that going there could hurt their draft stock... but that is exactly what this GM is suggesting happened to Jones.

I'd love to pile on Cal, but I think this kind of says the opposite.

[DukieInBrasil]

I think this is a reach. How would you react to "Mike Krzyzewski surrounded Corey Maggette with so much talent that he hurt his draft stock? "

Well, Corey came out as a Fr., when he was not widely talked about as going strait to the NBA (prior to the 1-yr minimum). Jones however, was considered as a 1-n-done player and stayed for a second year. Was it b/c his draft stock had slipped? Possible nervousness about the lockout? Hard to say, but i don't think using CM supports that argument.

[jimsumner]

Well, Corey came out as a Fr., when he was not widely talked about as going strait to the NBA (prior to the 1-yr minimum). Jones however, was considered as a 1-n-done player and stayed for a second year. Was it b/c his draft stock had slipped? Possible nervousness about the lockout? Hard to say, but i don't think using CM supports that argument.

No, the argument is that Calipari hurt Jones' draft status by surrounding him with so much talent that he couldn't shine. Use Carlos Boozer as an example if you prefer. K surrounded Boozer with so much talent that he couldn't even get drafted in the first round. As a senior, Chris Duhon was surrounded by Luol Deng, J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, among others. Did K hold back Duhon by surrounding him with too much talent?

It's an absurd argument. IMO. And I don't think the thread title supports the content of the article.

As for Maggette, a respected Chicago writer predicted--on the basis of conversations with NBA scouts and GMs-in the middle of Maggette's freshman season that he would be the first pick in the 1999 draft, if he elected to come out. He so elected and didn't exactly go number 1.

Had he started ahead of Chris Carrawell, played 30 mpg and taken twice as many shots, he might have been number one.

But he didn't and he wasn't. Because in the aggregate, the 1999 Carrawell brought more positives to the team than did the 1999 Maggette, the latter's greater NBA potential notwithstanding.