Chad Ford draft updates...

[Fly Rodder]

Was curious; Lydon is the same way, born April 96. Howard is April 97, so he's the more "correct" age for his year.

I'm fascinated by this now; if Chukwu spends 3 years here, he'll be a month short of 24 by the end of his career. (granted he redshirted)

Older players generally do better than younger ones in these youth orientated leagues (elementary school through college). It's origination of the saying a man among boys". They're bigger and stronger and more accustomed to using their body. Once they're in their mid-20s to 30s everyone is grown. A huge signal for a quality prospect in baseball minor leagues is if a guy can hold his own against players older than him. Age is a huge component of grading out baseball prospects. If there's a true 18 year old freshman dominating his peers in D1 basketball, he isn't staying around for long.

 

[pearl31]

Uh... since Lydon and Mali are both quite old for 1st-year players, this is not reassuring in the slightest.

Could buzzkill Ford at least wait until after the FF? I feel like we're staring down the barrel of a lose-lose situation.

Come on man, just enjoy this next week. That's it.

 

[upperdeck]

how can it be that Su players are the only ones that ever get drafted on potential and leave early? there are 2-300 people graduating or leaving this year. if you go by potential would they ahead of any of the kent/unc kids? we have played 5 teams in the NCAA as of Sat and there might be 6-8 kids ahead of our 2 off those rosters already

 

[Newhouser]

Where is the kid from UVA who won the Player of the Year awards targeted to be drafted. In 2 years would you rather have him or Mal?

 

[mayselc]

They weren't enough to make him a household name, clearly.

That's why I used the quotes around his name - he is a brand now. A celebrity.
He's the college Steph Curry - hitting ridiculous shots, getting insanely hot, winning games.

I hope Mal watches Buddy close during the first game and realizes he could be a high lottery pick with another year of work. Buddy's handle, step-back game and overall creativity are way ahead of Mal, and he makes shots at a much higher percentage.

 

[Fly Rodder]

nah he woulda been a surefire 1st rounder last year - was a pretty big surprise to everyone that he came back

Eh, some people would differ:

Oklahoma's Buddy Hield will be a lottery pick because of an incredibly prolific and efficient scoring campaign as a senior. But he received a mid-second-round grade last spring and was there for the taking from any NBA team willing to make a commitment to him when he was waffling over whether to enter the draft. Things never got that far because he was forced to make a decision in April, but if he had the entire month of May to roam around NBA team facilities, would he really have done the same thing? It’s difficult to say.

 

[pearl31]

Eh, some people would differ:

huh, interesting - thought he was more highly regarded last spring

 

[Orange2389]

how can it be that Su players are the only ones that ever get drafted on potential and leave early? there are 2-300 people graduating or leaving this year. if you go by potential would they ahead of any of the kent/unc kids? we have played 5 teams in the NCAA as of Sat and there might be 6-8 kids ahead of our 2 off those rosters already

exactly

 

[SUOrangeSU]

If Mal or TL want to enter the draft and they get selected in the 1st round, by all means it's a good move...They have led us to a FF and exceeded everyone's expectations for this year. If it happens, we'll figure it out next year. We always do. It will definitely put a stinger in our team but we'll figure it out

 

[Orange2389]

If Mal or TL want to enter the draft and they get selected in the 1st round, by all means it's a good move...They have led us to a FF and exceeded everyone's expectations for this year. If it happens, we'll figure it out next year. We always do. It will definitely put a stinger in our team but we'll figure it out

no way in hell i'm accepting an NIT because lydon and mali jumped ship. if we win the whole thing then ill be glad to drive them to the draft as others said

 

[MikeSU02]

You know what would be worse? Getting knocked out of the first round and STILL worrying about this.

Enjoy the ride. Remember how infrequently these Final Four trips come. Let's take care of business next weekend and then worry about the NBA draft.

 

[BillSU]

Well, that runs counter to just about everything people have been saying on here all season.

 

[Fly Rodder]

huh, interesting - thought he was more highly regarded last spring

I've seen that and that he was a borderline first rounder. Personally, I think he made the right choice even though it's one of the few times that a player stuck around and played himself into a lottery as senior.

Unlike past seasons, I think tons of players declare and while anything could happen at the combine/team workout, but I'm not too worried. I think both Malachi and Lydon declare, go to the combine and then come back. There's still a fair amount of talent in the draft this season and one scalding hot half doesn't change much. Malachi has an NBA stroke and he showed it in ACC play, but he has holes in his game still. Lydon could be the wild card. He played really well on Team USA against strong competition.

 

[Fly Rodder]

You know what would be worse? Getting knocked out of the first round and STILL worrying about this.

Enjoy the ride. Remember how infrequently these Final Four trips come. Let's take care of business next weekend and then worry about the NBA draft.

Yeah, it's going to be a while before anything is settled with regards to the draft. The order isn't even set yet. :noidea:

 

[NYCorange]

compare Mali to Wesley..

smaller, less of a shooter, less athletic, not as good at actually getting to the basket.

does he have more upside than a fringe NBA guy career and get drafted high on that?

There are so many problems with thinking like this.

First of all, the standard is not "is he better currently than the 4th overall pick?" If Mal gets guaranteed money (first rounder) it's hard to fault him for leaving.

Second, I would say that Mal is better at getting to the basket and a better shooter--sure his percentages are lower, but that's more of a reflection on Mal's role and teammates this year, along with his experience and shot selection. And shooting is more than just how well you shoot from a standing position. Mal shoots far better off the dribble than Wes ever did. Does anyone think that Mal is gonna be a worse shooter than Wes in a few years?

Third, Wes is NOT a fringe NBA player. Not by a LONG shot. No he's not a superstar, or even a star, but he does play 20 minutes a night for a team that is 45-27 in a tough conference. If Wes takes care of himself and works hard, he can play until he's in his mid-thirties which would give him a 10+ year NBA career. Fringe players in the NBA don't have 10 year careers. Seth Curry is a fringe NBA player, who is playing himself into something more. Dejuan Summers was a fringe NBA player, who like most fringe players, quickly left the league.

 

[pearl31]

In the end...
I think both will (and should) go through the eval process. My gut right now is that Lydon will be back (regardless of feedback he gets) while Mal will be gone if he grades in 1st round.

 

[BillSU]

I've seen that and that he was a borderline first rounder. Personally, I think he made the right choice even though it's one of the few times that a player stuck around and played himself into a lottery as senior.

Unlike past seasons, I think tons of players declare and while anything could happen at the combine/team workout, but I'm not too worried. I think both Malachi and Lydon declare, go to the combine and then come back. There's still a fair amount of talent in the draft this season and one scalding hot half doesn't change much. Malachi has an NBA stroke and he showed it in ACC play, but he has holes in his game still. Lydon could be the wild card. He played really well on Team USA against strong competition.

I’m going to go to some place probably some players and fans won’t like and some will. The NBA or NCAA, IMO, should institute a rule for all of college basketball that reads: if you accept a scholarship you are bound to that school for two years. Too many are ending up on D league rosters languishing there and not making the show at all. Now unless you are elite – a Dave Bing, Pearl, or Carmelo Anthony, you need to stay and develop your game. It’s all about the money and you’ll get more with two years in school instead of one. The idea that Tyler Lydon and Malachi Richardson would consider leaving is ludicrous to me. Both their season numbers were not THAT great. So, you have a great game(s) in the tournament and the potential you have makes you suddenly a 1st Rd draft pick?! This has nothing to do with selfishness, it’s all about development and maturity. But for the NBA it’s all about greed. Realizing that I, (until the rule is established that you are required to stay for two years), am peeing into the wind we’ll all see what happens. Hopefully they stay!

 

[tee1222]

This thread is so us.

 

[Knicks411]

I don't even know how the NCAA could enforce that. How can they make a person stay in college? The better bet would be the NBA raising the age limit a year.

 

[TheCusian]

I wonder if this would work to hurt the draft stock for older players even more, since a team would control him for fewer years.

Yeah, could be. But there are protections built in - and more could be added to account for that.

 

[bpo57]

A few thoughts:

I would never criticize any kid's decision to go pro if he could be reasonably assured that he would be drafted in the first round. You never know what would happen later on to ruin that plus we all know these GMs like them more as frosh than upperclassmen.

That said, too many guys have made massive mistakes by coming out early with little to show for it. You want to get drafted but you also want to maximize your chances for success. The one thing I notice about Chad Ford's write up is that he barely mentions defense when profiling our players. The NBA is a league focused on isolating your defensive weakness and then exploiting it. If you can't defend then you'll never even see the court in the NBA and won't be long for the league altogether.

 

[TheCusian]

Uh... since Lydon and Mali are both quite old for 1st-year players, this is not reassuring in the slightest. Could buzzkill Ford at least wait until after the FF? I feel like we're staring down the barrel of a lose-lose situation.

Doesn't have to be age - could be time since graduation - or years removed from 1 year buffer

 

[MSOrange]

This thread is so us.

You summed it up very well tee! Very well put.

 

[TheCusian]

A few thoughts: I would never criticize any kid's decision to go pro if he could be reasonably assured that he would be drafted in the first round. You never know what would happen later on to ruin that plus we all know these GMs like them more as frosh than upperclassmen. That said, too many guys have made massive mistakes by coming out early with little to show for it. You want to get drafted but you also want to maximize your chances for success. The one thing I notice about Chad Ford's write up is that he barely mentions defense when profiling our players. The NBA is a league focused on isolating your defensive weakness and then exploiting it. If you can't defend then you'll never even see the court in the NBA and won't be long for the league altogether.

The NBA rightly believes that defense can be coached up if the physical tools are there.

Defensive only players are going the way of the dinosaur. You make your money on O.

 

[Ajflood12]

Huge misconception - in Bing and Melo we have arguably two of the top 25 or so all-time players. Coleman, Seikaly, Schayes, and Douglas all had above average NBA careers. Several other had solid NBA careers. I think we have a record of sending players to the NBA that we can be proud of and that would be better than that of almost any other school that is not in the absolute elite of college royalty.

This is getting a bit old but I will rephrase....In recent history. All the players you referenced were in the 80's-90's besides Melo who was 2003.