NBA Draft sends double messages

[Administrator]

We already sensed that up-and-coming prospects thought of playing four seasons of college basketball as failure. The surprise was that NBA types might think the same thing.

Last Sunday's New York Times included this nugget about what then Portland Trail Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy thought of his son, Mike Dunleavy, returning to Duke for a senior season.

"You know what? I don't want him to stay," The Times quoted the elder Dunleavy as saying. "Because as sad as it is, our organization, and this league, devalues a player the longer he stays in school."

Tubby Smith, Billy Donovan, and Mike Dunleavy thinks the NBA devalues seniors.

[Bigbluefan]

That is very sad

[MissKitty]

Joe Dumars pretty much said the same thing in this article about Tayshaun.

The Detroit Pistons went against the trend of drafting teen-agers by selecting Tayshaun Prince, who spent four seasons shooting jumpers at the University of Kentucky.

''We like that,'' Pistons president Joe Dumars said. ''That's nothing but a plus for us. Some people, for some reason, look at it as a downside.''

''We were drawn in by his versatility,'' Detroit coach Rick Carlisle said. ''This guy is an oddity in today's draft. He's a four-year player who played in 135 games in college and had great durability. He brought the ball up a lot of times for Kentucky. He's second in career three-point field goals made, so he can do it on the outside. And he's fifth all-time in blocked shots, so he does some things inside. He's an usual combination.

Courier Journal Article

Maybe some of the other GMs and NBA Coaches will take notice to what Dumars and Rick Carlisle got in drafting our Four Year UK Star.

[KY Kid]

Thanks for the article Spam.

[Blueblood_Jim]

That was a hell of a piece, but the truth is you gotta strike when the fire is hot

[MissKitty]

That's so true Jim. I hate to see kids leave too early.. But I also hate to see them risk staying when their stock is at it's peak.

There have been a lot of guys come back for their senior season and not get drafted, when they would've gone in the 1st round as juniors.

[4uktrey]

I think this trend could stop in a couple of Basketball seasons when more of these upside kids dont contribute, and they have wasted millions trying to find that out. ED