Pippen - the worst advic possible.

[WVDUKEFAN]

Yea can’t argue with a lot in this article; but Zion appears to enjoy the game and the old “money can’t buy happiness” may apply here.

He’s awesome both as a person and a player. Just a great kid.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Where was Pippen's college experience?

Okay then.

BEAT. ME. TO. IT.
Pippen has no idea what playing at Duke can do for a player...in so many ways.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Look at it this way. If Zion were to shut it down and could sign a guaranteed $250million deal with Nike/Adidas/UA/Gatorade/Stiflers_Mom with a $10million dollar signing bonus tomorrow, could we really blame him? He could spend a few months working with trainers and shooting coaches and making commercials where he does 360 dunks and flashes that big beautiful smile for the camera.

I pulled those numbers out of thin air but I seem to remember a rookie golfer getting a $40million 5 year contract with Nike about 22 years ago (followed by a $100million contract in 2001). I've seen rumors that L.James contract with Nike tops $1billion.

Look at it this way. That's not who Zion is. The very thing that makes him so genuine and dazzling as an endorser...is the very reason he won't do this.

[sagegrouse]

Yea I agree, and have thought so for years. It won't be Zion but it will be someone. Pippen's not really wrong. Zion's brand, endorsements, notoriety etc are all sky high. Being at Duke and playing college bball has increased his visibility, to be sure, but that's really not dependent on him playing the whole season. It's already happened.

If and when something like that does happen, it's going to play havoc with college basketball and it's going to be an uggggly scene.

(I'm a little bit surprised Ben Simmons didn't do this, actually.)

Yeah, but dropping off the Duke team is a blot on his character, and it wil earn the enmity of college hoops fans (except maybe a few Duke haters) that will affect his market value going forward and also make owenrship and teammates wonder about him.

[MrPoon]

Sorry if this has been said, I’m a little late to the discussion.
There is an irony here of course. That because Zion’s brand has drastically increased because he did go to Duke. Yes he has a zillion YouTube followers but that would not have made him the #1 pick nor would it have wowed sponsors the way this year has on national TV against top flight talent. Steve Kerr isn’t talking about him if he’s not at Duke. Plus its been a bit of a vertious circle, being at Duke and being spectacular has made him further hyped but so to has the hype around being part of the 1-2-3 recruiting class.
Duke has been good for the Z brand. The Z brand has been good to Duke.

An injury might hurt his stock some. But at his age, I suspect few injuries could be material enough to knock him off the #1 spot and if it does, it would probably move him back to his previous 2-5 spot before conning to Duke. But the sponsors will still be VERY interested. I do agree that its nearly impossible to increase his brand from today forward, but a title might increase his rep.

The comp to football is very different. Basketball injuries are nowhere as frequent or as severe. Plus the NFL age requirement makes the wear and tear even more significant.
I do think Kyler Murray should pick baseball but that could side track the conversation and that NEVER happens on DBR.

[kshepinthehouse]

So to make this more painful to all of us Duke fans. An honorable way to "shut it down" is to suffer an injury and then take as much time as possible to recover from the injury.

In <10 games Kyrie showed what an amazing talent he would be in the NBA. He unfortunately suffered an injury and then spent 90% of the season recovering. Somewhere in that time period he may have been able to come back at 80% or 90% of his original talent level. However if he was thinking about his future he may have erred on the side of caution. This is not a criticism of Kyrie just a thought process that needs to be considered when looking at recovery from an injury.

The painful thought is that Tre may have already shown that he has enough talent to be drafted higher in the 1st round than we think. At what point of time should we accept that Tre needs to consider his future in the NBA and adjust his recovery time to err on the side of caution.

By the way I hate thinking about this because I want this team to be great, but since the top players on Duke's team are headed to the NBA they should be thinking about their futures and we should accept that.

Exactly, I was thinking this the other day. I think one and done’s injuries would be handled differently than a junior’s or senior’s.

[WillJ]

I love this team. I love Zion - he makes me smile. But I would not be too upset with him if he did what Pippen suggests. Sad for me, but not upset with him. All that said, he really seems to love playing for Duke, and he'll never get that back if he "shuts it down.".

[moonpie23]

sadly, for a fan base, Pipp is right on this....i hate it, but he's right...

[Steven43]

sadly, for a fan base, Pipp is right on this...i hate it, but he's right...

Maybe Zion, Tre, Cam, and RJ — in the interest of not getting injured (or in Tre’s case not getting further injured), protecting their draft status, and acquiring an instant fnancial windfall through endorsements — should collectively quit Duke Basketball before the Virginia game is even played while simultaneously withdrawing from the University. If it’s all just about preserving one’s viability for the NBA and endorsements, why not?

[elvis14]

Just to be clear on my previous comments. I am in no way saying Zion should take the cash out route. I am, however, saying that I can see where it would be a valid and very lucrative option. The main point I was making was that I hadn't really considered the immediacy of the windfall. He could literally have tens of millions of dollars overnight. Do I think his rep would take a hit? Yes. I also think that wouldn't matter a bit about 4 minutes into his first NBA game when he posterizes Harden. It's also why I mentioned in my previous post that he would make a bunch of fun commercials doing unreal dunks and showing his wonderful personality along the way.

As a Duke fan, I hope he doesn't listen to Scottie at all...unless Scottie is going to work with him on that sweet pull up jumper off glass that he killed everyone with.

[Pghdukie]

Only a guess on my part, BUT, I can picture Zion and K shaking hands in Zion's living room. Zion reiterates to K that he wants to win a championship. Again, only a wild bunch on my part.

[Edouble]

I remember a reporter years ago, asking Kobie "do you miss not playing in the NCAA tournament ". Kobie's answer was "EVERYDAY".

Kobe said "Every March" actually, at least in the interview I heard.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

BEAT. ME. TO. IT.
Pippen has no idea what playing at Duke can do for a player...in so many ways.

It's possible that life as a basketball player today at Duke is more enjoyable than life as a player at University of Central Arkansas 35 years ago in the mid 80s.

Having said that, I do understand his perspective, and it is undeniable that Zion could be a top draft pick if he didn't set foot on a court between now and June.

But if your life is nothing but a series of financial decisions, I feel sad for you. Life is much more dynamic than math equations.

Zion seem by all accounts to be a great young man who is highly motivated and has a lot of fun on the court. He is a massive asset to this team, and seems to be genuinely fond of his team mates.

If Zion and a handful of other high profile OAD players were to do something along these lines it would be a game changer. This is different than one prospect skipping a second tier bowl game. I feel it would spell the (overdue) end of the sham of amateur athletics in this particular model.

I don't want to derail this thread into (yet another) discussion of the NCAA, OAD, whether players should be paid, etc - I'm happy to redirect to another thread for that. But Pippen's comments are further evidence that the system is broken.

FYI - University of Central Arkansas is in Conway, Arkansas. Two sporks to anyone who knew that without Googling.

[Matches]

Yeah, but dropping off the Duke team is a blot on his character, and it wil earn the enmity of college hoops fans (except maybe a few Duke haters) that will affect his market value going forward and also make owenrship and teammates wonder about him.

Eh. I doubt it. There would be some backlash. It would be fodder for the talking heads at ESPN for a couple of days. This board would blow up, and the main site would write an article bemoaning the decision and taking a few not-subtle shots at him. But I think most would recognize it as a business decision, and the only people who would really be upset by it would be Duke fans.

Long-term I think it would have zero effect on his marketability, the perception of him, etc. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not advocating for it, but from a purely dispassionate, economic standpoint Pippen’s got a point.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

It's possible that life as a basketball player today at Duke is more enjoyable than life as a player at University of Central Arkansas 35 years ago in the mid 80s.

Having said that, I do understand his perspective, and it is undeniable that Zion could be a top draft pick if he didn't set foot on a court between now and June.

But if your life is nothing but a series of financial decisions, I feel sad for you. Life is much more dynamic than math equations.

Zion seem by all accounts to be a great young man who is highly motivated and has a lot of fun on the court. He is a massive asset to this team, and seems to be genuinely fond of his team mates.

If Zion and a handful of other high profile OAD players were to do something along these lines it would be a game changer. This is different than one prospect skipping a second tier bowl game. I feel it would spell the (overdue) end of the sham of amateur athletics in this particular model.

I don't want to derail this thread into (yet another) discussion of the NCAA, OAD, whether players should be paid, etc - I'm happy to redirect to another thread for that. But Pippen's comments are further evidence that the system is broken.

FYI - University of Central Arkansas is in Conway, Arkansas. Two sporks to anyone who knew that without Googling.

I agree with that, only quibble is that I would say definitely life as a Duke star is way more exciting and enjoyable than at a small college no one cares about. Zion himself has said he feels like he's living in a movie...a dream. Zion is the one who had tears of joy after HIS TEAM beat FSU without him. Zion gave us the Thomas Hill surrender cobra in fact.

As for the nuts and bolts you mentioned, I have no disagreement...and I've thought the same thing that if Zion did this, it would force the hand of the NBA to make some changes I think. Then again, Zion is unique, there has't been a phenom like Zion in HS since LeBron and before that, Coby. Interesting times these...

[devilsince1977]

Maybe Zion, Tre, Cam, and RJ — in the interest of not getting injured (or in Tre’s case not getting further injured), protecting their draft status, and acquiring an instant fnancial windfall through endorsements — should collectively quit Duke Basketball before the Virginia game is even played while simultaneously withdrawing from the University. If it’s all just about preserving one’s viability for the NBA and endorsements, why not?

And Jerome, Guy, and Hunter should do the same for Virginia. They have just about as much to protect.

Heck, we might as well cancel all P5 basketball and spend out evenings watching Campbell vs. Elon.

Oh, no they too might get an injury that could hurt their future careers in RTP.

[JDNC64]

Purely economic thinking is the absolute worse kind of mindset.

[sagegrouse]

I love this team. I love Zion - he makes me smile. But I would not be too upset with him if he did what Pippen suggests. Sad for me, but not upset with him. All that said, he really seems to love playing for Duke, and he'll never get that back if he "shuts it down.".

sadly, for a fan base, Pipp is right on this...i hate it, but he's right...

Let me ask you guys, does Zion learn and improve by playing and practicing with future NBA players, likely stars, under the tutelage of the one of the greatest coaches ever? What would he lose by doing only individual workouts for six months? A lot, I would suggest.

Zion Williamson at Duke here and now is "must see" basketball, as much as anyone in all of basketball -- college or professional. You can't buy that kind of positive publicity! He's gonna walk away from that, saying, in effect, he cares nothing about his fans and teammates? Really? I mean, REALLY??

What does Zion lose inside his person and in the outside world by, basically, quitting on his team and coaches? Oh, my! What a disastrous move that would be!

It isn't just a spreadsheet calculation, Scottie. I also remember, Mr. Pippin, when with the Knicks in the latter part of your career the final play wasn't drawn up for you. You refused to go into the game, unwilling to serve as a decoy and help your team win. To me, that says a lot about you and your questionable, self-centered advice to our man Zion.

[Indoor66]

If he were to do that, he would create a regret that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Some things money cannot assuage. Ask Kobe.

[Matches]

If he were to do that, he would create a regret that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Some things money cannot assuage. Ask Kobe.

Kobe saying he’s sorry he didn’t get to play in the NCAAT <> Kobe saying he’d make a different decision if he had it to do over.

But just for poops & giggles - what about a guy like Markelle Fultz, whose team wasn’t going to play in the NCAAT?

The first guy to shut it down before the end of the season probably won’t be someone like Zion, whose team has a legit chance to play deep into March. It’ll be a Fultz or a Simmons, who is on a middling or bad team.