Obnoxious article on SI.com

[prefan21]

Who Should and Shouldn't Go Pro (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/sioncampus/vent/2007/02/who-should-and-shouldnt-go-pro.html)

Whoever wrote it has to be a Tar Heel fan -- he says that none of the Heels should go pro, and then takes a cheap shot at Greg Paulus, saying he should go pro because "it'll be fun to watch you on draft night realizing you made the biggest mistake of your life."

As if Greg's ever mentioned, much less bragged about, jumping early?

Obnoxious.

[Lord Ash]

Agreed. Just like the rest of the world, sports writers can often be broken down into two groups; those that appreciate Duke, and those that don't.

[civileng68]

Agreed. Just like the rest of the world, sports writers can often be broken down into two groups; those that appreciate Duke, and those that don't.

Exactly, and this is why I love being a Duke fan. I think you have to relish this sentiment among people. Just realize, the reason they hate us is because of how bad we've likely beaten their team at some point in the last few years.

If everybody in the country loves you, then you don't win enough. Simple as that.

About the Carolina guys, I actually agree. I 'd love to see them go pro but I dont think any of them are actually ready to be honest.

[devildownunder]

About the Carolina guys, I actually agree. I 'd love to see them go pro but I dont think any of them are actually ready to be honest.


What's being ready got to do with it?:confused:

[civileng68]

What's being ready got to do with it?:confused:

:) Point taken.

[MulletMan]

:) Point taken.

Concur.

As for the "article"... its a blog post that makes absolutely no sense. I mean its poorly written, makes no coherent arguments, and takes pot-shots at people. Oh, and there's no byline. Worry not about this fellow...

[JasonEvans]

Going pro has nothing to do with being ready for most kids, it is about draft stock and maximizing your pro earning potential. It should also be about angling for that second contract and a successful career, but most kid do not really consider that.

If that is the case, there is no way Wright can come back to Carolina as his stock is simply too high. He's the #3 pick, almost certainly. If you are a top 5 pick, you need to come out-- it is that simple. And yes, I felt the same way about Luol Deng and Mike Dunkleavy even though I hoped they would not make the jump. If you are top 5, for sure, then you have to come out.

I could see the other Carolina guys staying in school, though I think that if UNC makes a nice tourney run then Hansy needs to think seriously about jumping. If he can get to the point where his stock has him as a sure-thing late-lottery pick then he probably needs to come out as he is simply not enough of an elite athlete to ever be much higher than that and he could really slip in future years. I always think it is a pity when a kid stays in school and loses guaranteed money as a result.

-Jason "what does all this mean for Josh? Well, I think that if he is sure he is top 10, he probably should leave... even though I would like him to stay" Evans

[phaedrus]

another note, this isn't by an SI sportswriter. it is from SI on campus, which is generally pretty low quality, and is probably written by a college student. and not one from duke.

[77devil]

Not surprisingly the article is in SI on Campus-in other words, SI Lite. There is no attribution either. Even if the writer dislikes Duke, why use Greg as the foil? Josh is the only Devil with any consideration of coming out early.

The tone of the article remindes me of the obnoxious drivel Greg Doyell writes at CBS.com. Fortunately he is no longer on the basketball beat.

Beat the Twerps.

[MulletMan]

Going pro has nothing to do with being ready for most kids, it is about draft stock and maximizing your pro earning potential. It should also be about angling for that second contract and a successful career, but most kid do not really consider that.

If that is the case, there is no way Wright can come back to Carolina as his stock is simply too high. He's the #3 pick, almost certainly. If you are a top 5 pick, you need to come out-- it is that simple. And yes, I felt the same way about Luol Deng and Mike Dunkleavy even though I hoped they would not make the jump. If you are top 5, for sure, then you have to come out.

I could see the other Carolina guys staying in school, though I think that if UNC makes a nice tourney run then Hansy needs to think seriously about jumping. If he can get to the point where his stock has him as a sure-thing late-lottery pick then he probably needs to come out as he is simply not enough of an elite athlete to ever be much higher than that and he could really slip in future years. I always think it is a pity when a kid stays in school and loses guaranteed money as a result.

-Jason "what does all this mean for Josh? Well, I think that if he is sure he is top 10, he probably should leave... even though I would like him to stay" Evans



You know, this brings up an intersesting issue. First off, I am sure that Wright is gone. I bet 2 other Heels will be leaving the assylum as well, but I'll let y'all speculate who those will be. I want to discuss Hansy. So, Jason says he should go, as his stock will never get higher than if UNC makes a tourney run, but I wonder if his stock will ever be high. Remember, he is older than most college sophs, and his NBA "upside" (word to my man Hube Brown) is small to non-existent. Let's face it, his skills just don't translate into the NBA, and so I wonder if its ever going to be realistic for him to think about making the jump? I feel like he probably will play out his 4 years... if he has someone telling him that he's going to be a first round pick, with the way that the NBA currently evaluates talent, then those folks are lying to him.

[jacone21]

... if he has someone telling him that he's going to be a first round pick, with the way that the NBA currently evaluates talent, then those folks are lying to him.

<Lumbergh voice> Uhhhhh.... yeah.... uhhh.... I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you there. </Lumbergh voice>

I'm no Hansblahblah fan, but the kid is big, strong, fairly quick, has a good post game, can rebound, and can shoot the ball. I think he'll make a decent living in the league. I do agree with Jason, that his upside may be about maxed right now.

[DukieUGA]

I think the fact that SI.com was willing to attribute the "article" to no one says alot about its quality. What a cheap and nasty shot at GP, as if he's ever made any mention of leaving early to try out for the NBA. If he was gonna mention anything about someone from Duke why did s/he not mention JM? For my $.02, i think Josh would be better served with another NCAA year, patly b/c this year's draft could be chock full of big guys like Oden, Durant, Wright etc., and partly b/c a college education and especially one from Duke is something to have pride in all of his life.
One thing i really dislike about the sports "pundits" is that by writing this peurile crap, they end up influencing impressionable young guys. They may be incredibly talented, but they are still just kids and don't need people that they don't know and have no interest in their well-being making judgement calls for them.
In the comments of the article one guy says only NBA ready players should win NCAA POTY awards and asked about Redick, "has he even scored this year?" Well, i guess that takes away any legitimacy from his assinine comments. Granted, JJ is riding pretty deep on the bench, but when given the chance to play, he's had some very nice games.

[CMS2478]

jacone21..............I'm not trying to trash Hansbrough, but I think his post up game is actually weak. Pretty much all of his points comes from garbage buckets and dunks. When they actually throw him the ball inside with his back to the basket it usually ends up being a travel that is not called and then a missed shot. I think his post up game is his weakness.

[DukeDevilsBB]

I don't see any way that B Wright stays in school.

Interesting that there is no mention of McRoberts in the article.

[MulletMan]

jacone21..............I'm not trying to trash Hansbrough, but I think his post up game is actually weak. Pretty much all of his points comes from garbage buckets and dunks. When they actually throw him the ball inside with his back to the basket it usually ends up being a travel that is not called and then a missed shot. I think his post up game is his weakness.

Agree. His post game is weak and his mid-range jumper is nearly non-existent. Many of his baskets come from his size, but his size won't give him nearly the advantage in The League that it does in college.

[mapei]

Josh strikes me as not ready. He can get so much better playing against college competition, I think. It will be easier to develop his "upside" with another year (two!) at Duke than it would playing against the big boys.

As a Georgetown fan, there is much speculation about Green and Hibbert. Green has been playing so well lately (you just have to exclude the Syracuse disaster) that his stock is soaring. Hibbert, I think, could stand to stay in school like Josh and develop his skills a bit more. There were 15 pro scouts at the Hoya-Pitt game last weekend watching those two and Pitt's Gray.

[jws]

I think that if UNC makes a nice tourney run then Hansy needs to think seriously about jumping. If he can get to the point where his stock has him as a sure-thing late-lottery pick then he probably needs to come out as he is simply not enough of an elite athlete to ever be much higher than that and he could really slip in future years. I always think it is a pity when a kid stays in school and loses guaranteed money as a result.


Hansbrough doesn't need the money and doesn't appear to be worried about his draft status at all. He certainly could lose a lot of ground in the draft if he gets hurt, but I'd guess they've already taken out insurance on him and he seems pretty intent on staying all four years, so I don't think there's much chance of him jumping this year.

Of course, if Carolina wins the NCAA championship, either this year or next, I think the likelihood of him going pro rises dramatically.