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Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 2571363, member: 837"] Maybe it's a matter of phrasing for some of these guys. Lydon has only played 15 G League games ... but he's only played in one NBA game. So I"m not sure how to classify it -- it's almost like he's just in purgatory or something. Not sure if that's due to injury or not but it doesn't seem like a great spot (and by the way, I had zero problem with him leaving and absolutely am rooting for him to kill it). Richardson is sort of in the same spot. He does have appearances in 48 NBA games but he's logged a total of 522 minutes in two seasons. He's played well in the G League to a large extent but that's 29 total games as well so I don't know how you'd classify him either. My only thing with guys leaving early, as I've stated many times, is that it may not always be the best path to development. Yes, you get the checks and there's not a whole lot any of us can argue with when it comes to a 7 figure salary. But the goal is to make this thing a career and when you aren't a freak athlete (Grant) or don't have a truly elite skill (a shooter for example) it can be really hard to get a chance to develop while on the floor. So not sure if I answered the question at all, but I just think it can be tough to carve out a true NBA career (I'm not talking Melo level, but like a Jason Hart or Etan Thomas or Wes Johnson) if you're not truly ready to play when you get there. Grant can do it b/c he's a physical specimen but guys like Ennis and Richardson are a dime a dozen at that level. Of course, having said that, I'd acknowledge that returning to college offers zero guarantees either. Battle is an interesting guy if he could polish off a degree (or get really close) with a third year and work hard on his game, he could theoretically benefit on both fronts. No one could blame him for going if he really is a late first-round guy, but it makes for an interesting decision, I think. [/QUOTE]

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