Well, this sounds a little more certain than what we already knew, but it's still "according to sources," with a formal announcement to come Friday, so I'm not sure it counts as "official."
I think they each made the best decision me.
I also hope they each made the best decision for their respective situations.
Yea, it should still be a tough game. Remember, Hayward didn't play all that well against us in the title game (which we won!!!!!!!!!). He got to the line a lot in the second half, but otherwise he was pretty ineffective from the field (see: Kyle's monstrous D). And in spite of that, they still gave us a seriously tough game. It should still be tight, though it's definitely not as hype-able as if he had stayed.
All good points. They aren't the same without him but still a really good team. It's true that he didn't have a monster game in the title match (and thankfully missed his last two shots) but they most likely wouldn't have been there at all without him.
Still, these tough non-conference matchups have become a staple of scheduling for Duke and I think really help prepare the team for late season games, in addition to boosting the computer rankings for non-conf SOS (take notice VA Tech) and TV rankings! I like the "neutral" court too for this game
This news makes me all the more grateful to Kyle for deciding to spend one more year at Duke. Kyle outplayed Hayward in the championship game and he could have reached a similar decision regarding his pro prospects. Kyle is the man!
So Duke and MST, are the top tier teams and everyone else is behind them?
They had no significant contributions from their freshman last year, they are not bringing in any significant recruits, and they lose 2 starters (Hayward 6'9 210, Veasley 6'3 205) and another key bench player (Jukes, 6'8 215).
R. Nored - Junior - 6’0 175
Z. Hahn - Senior - 6’1 175
S. Mack - Junior - 6’3 215
S. Vanzant - Senior - 6’6 235
M. Howard - Senior - 6’8 230
They will be an even smaller team than last year, and they will have zero bench.
I think they will be top 15-25, but only because I think next year will be another relatively "down year" in college basketball.
Don't discount the effect that his presence had on the game, even on a tough night. We had to put one of our best defenders on him, and that defender had to stay completely focused on him. In addition, the rest of the defense had to be wary of him.
Without Hayward, that offense looks VERY pedestrian. I'm sure they'll still play tough defense. But I don't see them as any real threat to us next year unless we're also substantially weaker.
If Hayward is told 10-20 range in the draft, makes me wonder (again) what Kyle was told his actual draft position would likely be. Same range? Some have suggested lower. Are they really looking at similar prospects and coming to different decisions? Don't know if this is a fair comparison.
In the NBA's mind (oxymoron?), it's all about "upside", and the scouts think that Hayward has more than Kyle, despite the fact that Kyle outplayed Hayward in the title game.
To be fair, I think Hayward is a better ball handler, and the scouts think his other skills (shooting and rebounding, for example) will come along.
Personally, I'd take Kyle.
Absolutely yes, preseason and on paper. One might argue that Purdue could be the logical #3 if both Johnson and Moore withdraw from the draft.
I'm very sorry to see Hayward leave early. Butler is losing a fine, fine player. Can't blame him, and I can certainly see why he's likely lottery, but neither his game nor his body is quite NBA-ready. He's gonna get beat up some. But as many posters have said, it's all potential, he's got it, and he's gettin' his while he can.
NBA sucks [except for Grant, JJ, Boozer, etc.].
I said before Hayward left that we're going to beat them by 25 next December. Now, maybe more.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
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Yeah, the "upside" thing may be overvalued; generally the NBA would rather take a chance on maybe 8, maybe 4 than a certainty of 6 (I chose the numbers randomly, before anyone asks me what they mean). I read somewhere, though, that one reason Hayward is considered to have more upside (in addition to the fact that he is a year younger) is that he grew a lot recently--so he may be still adjusting to playing at his current height.