Darius Bazely | Page 11 | Syracusefan.com

Darius Bazely

The kid made a decision and will definitely be an NBA pick come next draft. I don't blame him for not wanting to try to showcase his talents in the G-League. If he gets hurt, his draft stock would be impacted. No reason to take that risk while playing against individuals trying themselves to earn a paycheck and invite to the league. While he may made a rash decision in trying to forge this path, ultimately, I think this is the right decision given the circumstances. I too wish he was playing for SU this coming fall, but I don't fault him at all for not wanting to risk his future at this point in the G-League.
 
Orangepace said:
The kid made a decision and will definitely be an NBA pick come next draft. I don't blame him for not wanting to try to showcase his talents in the G-League. If he gets hurt, his draft stock would be impacted. No reason to take that risk while playing against individuals trying themselves to earn a paycheck and invite to the league. While he may made a rash decision in trying to forge this path, ultimately, I think this is the right decision given the circumstances. I too wish he was playing for SU this coming fall, but I don't fault him at all for not wanting to risk his future at this point in the G-League.
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Sheesh
 
 
jdubs30 said:
It’s funny. Let’s assume Bazley was coming here and Battle/Brissett still came back.

Bazley would be getting 25mpg, probably averaging 8ppg/5rpg/2apg/2bpg all while almost never being the focus of attention of the other team. He’d be practicing against one of the best defenses in the country while going head to head with another 1st round pick (OB). He’d play enough to flash all of that potential enough to make NBA teams gush. He’d have a year to gain weight and work on his shot. He’d declare and most likely do well at a combine style event. He may struggle in scrimmages but he would have shown enough in the season to fall into the lottery.

He’s now hoping his high school tapes playing Walnut Hills, making some open jumpshots in a try out, and “working on drills” when every other prospect is in live action for the world to watch (also practicing against actual D1/G-League players) will get him drafted .

Good luck to the kid, I’d have way more respect for him if he stuck to the G-League thing
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Good points. Yep. He would be getting so much better in practice going against all those good players of ours now. A lot of those Kentucky guys don’t put up gaudy stats but get drafted high. Part of the reason is that I’m sure they are benefiting from the tough competition in practice so when they go for those workouts/scrimmages teams can see that they know how to play.
 
SoBeCuse said:
Good points. Yep. He would be getting so much better in practice going against all those good players of ours now. A lot of those Kentucky guys don’t put up gaudy stats but get drafted high. Part of the reason is that I’m sure they are benefiting from the tough competition in practice so when they go for those workouts/scrimmages teams can see that they know how to play.
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Iron sharpens iron.
 
Alsacs said:
He will go in the first round. It’s just no way he will go high.
Enes Kanter didn’t play at all and he went in the lottery.
Now the kid was practicing against NBA talent every day and he wanted to compete but the NCAA wouldn’t let him.
Bazley has NBA talent he is just lost a chance to showcase himself. Teams in the 20s will be all over this kid.
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If we're going to make any comparisons to Bazley's situation, the only logical one is Mitchell Robinson. I believe Mitchell Robinson was a higher rated prospect as most had him within the top 10 of his class, when Bazley is usually in top 15-20. Had Robinson participated in the combine and was able to show off his freakish athletic ability, I think it'd be safe to say he would have been a first round pick. From what I've seen of both these guys, Bazley isn't really close to the athlete Robinson is. And from the recent report of Bazley under-performing at the Skills Camp, with current college players, it sounds like he has a long way to go to even compete at a high level in the G League.

It shouldn't be bypassed that Robinson did himself no favors by skipping college and the combine, despite him getting a lot of hype right now. Heck, Based on what he's shown so far on the Knicks, he probably would have been a lottery pick had he gone to college or even just participated in drills and scrimmages. I think its completely fair to assume Bazley isn't helping himself out either, and how anyone can think he'd be a first round pick after bailing on two college programs, getting destroyed for his level of play at the skills camp, and now cowardly hiding from actual competition in the G League is beyond me. By training on his own, he's basically admitting he can't hang with G League level competition and the article/his camp are spinning it that he's more of a team player than a 'get mine' kind of player... which is just desperation to salvage any momentum the kid has left to get drafted where he wants. It's damage control at this point.

Bazley has a lot talent for sure, but clearly not enough to even hang with the competition in the Skills Academy at this time, never mind the G-League with professionals. His performance wasn't just criticized at the Academy but bashed. I don't see how a year of training in a gym by himself is going to erase his concerning path and performances, and somehow propel him to be a first round pick. I can certainly see him getting a chance in the second round with the potential of being a skilled wing at the next level, but I'm not even sure he'd be drafted. And this isn't to say he can't be successful in the NBA or have a bright career, just simply that I don't think he's really even close to being a first round pick.

Billy Preston could be another decent comparison as a player and five star recruit. Their situations are surely different, but Billy was/is a promising player just like Bazley. He went undrafted, an is on a two way deal with the Cavs now. If I was a betting man, I'd bet a similar outcome for Bazley.
 
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dcw914 said:
If we're going to make any comparisons to Bazley's situation, the only logical one is Mitchell Robinson. I believe Mitchell Robinson was a higher rated prospect as most had him within the top 10 of his class, when Bazley is usually in top 15-20. Had Robinson participated in the combine and was able to show off his freakish athletic ability, I think it'd be safe to say he would have been a first round pick. From what I've seen of both these guys, Bazley isn't really close to the athlete Robinson is. And from the recent report of Bazley under-performing at the Skills Camp, with current college players, it sounds like he has a long way to go to even compete at a high level in the G League.

It shouldn't be bypassed that Robinson did himself no favors by skipping college and the combine, despite him getting a lot of hype right now. Heck, Based on what he's shown so far on the Knicks, he probably would have been a lottery pick had he gone to college or even just participated in drills and scrimmages. I think its completely fair to assume Bazley isn't helping himself out either, and how anyone can think he'd be a first round pick after bailing on two college programs, getting destroyed for his level of play at the skills camp, and now cowardly hiding from actual competition in the G League is beyond me. By training on his own, he's basically admitting he can't hang with G League level competition and the article/his camp are spinning it that he's more of a team player than a 'get mine' kind of player... which is just desperation to salvage any momentum the kid has left to get drafted where he wants. It's damage control at this point.

Bazley has a lot talent for sure, but clearly not enough to even hang with the competition in the Skills Academy at this time, never mind the G-League with professionals. His performance wasn't just criticized at the Academy but bashed. I don't see how a year of training in a gym by himself is going to erase his concerning path and performances, and somehow propel him to be a first round pick. I can certainly see him getting a chance in the second round with the potential of being a skilled wing at the next level, but I'm not even sure he'd be drafted. And this isn't to say he can't be successful in the NBA or have a bright career, just simply that I don't think he's really even close to being a first round pick.

Billy Preston could be another decent comparison as a player and five star recruit. Their situations are surely different, but Billy was/is a promising player just like Bazley. He went undrafted, an is on a two way deal with the Cavs now. If I was a betting man, I'd bet a similar outcome for Bazley.
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I think any front office who picks him in the first round will get scorched for it.

So short of a bullet proof front office being enamored with him and taking a flyer late in the first round, he would seem to be second round flyer material at this point.
 
rrlbees said:
he'll be a 1st round pick.
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I respect you but don't agree. He just got killed at the Nike Academy and he will not be playing. He will be 1 year removed from playing and he is not a physical freak. I think his upside would be the unselfish way he plays which is more a game tap thing than a workout thing. I think he is in trouble.
 
cuseinseattle said:
I respect you but don't agree. He just got killed at the Nike Academy and he will not be playing. He will be 1 year removed from playing and he is not a physical freak. I think his upside would be the unselfish way he plays which is more a game tap thing than a workout thing. I think he is in trouble.
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I don't get the nike thing. he didn't play great but he was 3-5. he didn't rebound though only getting 1. but the competition was basically the same a the mcdonalds game and he played very well there scoring 11 and leading his team in rebounding alone with some steal, assts and a block.
 
The only think that could save him is how weak this draft class is. I have seen him in the middle of the 2nd round below Tyus Battle. Just saying. The other thing is he won't be playing and other players will have chances to develop and show what they have and could pass him. Right now is the best he will look because no one is playing. Kind of like when a kid hurts himself and then falls in the rankings in high school.
 
rrlbees said:
I don't get the nike thing. he didn't play great but he was 3-5. he didn't rebound though only getting 1. but the competition was basically the same a the mcdonalds game and he played very well there scoring 11 and leading his team in rebounding alone with some steal, assts and a block.
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Don't see how the Mcdonalds AA game and Nike Skills academy are the same thing.

One is a glorified all star game for high schoolers in which no defense is played while The Nike Academy is current elite underclassmen college players trying to showcase their talents for NBA scouts. Darius did not lead his team in rebounds and the majority of his team even had better all-around stats than he did.
 
dcw914 said:
Don't see how the Mcdonalds AA game and Nike Skills academy are the same thing.

One is a glorified all star game for high schoolers in which no defense is played while The Nike Academy is current elite underclassmen college players trying to showcase their talents for NBA scouts. Darius did not lead his team in rebounds and most of his team had better stats than he did.
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yea, I was thinking nike hoop summit. at mcdonalds, you're right. he was 2nd by 1 reb. if you saw the game, he looked very good but wasn't a ball hog like some of the others.
 
rrlbees said:
I don't get the nike thing. he didn't play great but he was 3-5. he didn't rebound though only getting 1. but the competition was basically the same a the mcdonalds game and he played very well there scoring 11 and leading his team in rebounding alone with some steal, assts and a block.
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McDonald's has turned into a glorified pickup game.

Nike Academy is real basketball. There are drills and training sessions on top of the scrimmages. He didn't look like an elite basketball player.
 
 
rrlbees said:
yea, I was thinking nike hoop summit. at mcdonalds, you're right. he was 2nd by 1 reb. if you saw the game, he looked very good but wasn't a ball hog like some of the others.
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I still think he he was outclassed at times by other forwards such as Nassir Little, Barrett, Jordan Brown, etc. He just isn’t there yet with strength and explosiveness and he prefers to camp out and shoot 3s it seems right now. I remember one time he tried to mix it up down low in that game and was knocked to the ground with some slight contact.

Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have the kid. Learning the game here, the competition in practice, strength training, a good team, etc. Would’ve been perfect for him.
 
rrlbees said:
I don't get the nike thing. he didn't play great but he was 3-5. he didn't rebound though only getting 1. but the competition was basically the same a the mcdonalds game and he played very well there scoring 11 and leading his team in rebounding alone with some steal, assts and a block.
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How is he going to showcase his skills for NBA teams? Or improve his game in the next year. He will be forgotten about while other kids pass him.
 
Briancuse said:
How is he going to showcase his skills for NBA teams? Or improve his game in the next year. He will be forgotten about while other kids pass him.
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He will need to lean on his agents to setup workouts and support him financially.
 
Whitey23 said:
He will need to lean on his agents to setup workouts and support him financially.
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What agent wants to support someone financially? Its supposed to be the other way around.
 
Briancuse said:
What agent wants to support someone financially? Its supposed to be the other way around.
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Agents do that often. How else do you think players are wearing tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry at the NBA/NFL Draft? These are floater loans. In Bazely's case, if he doesn't get drafted in the first round or secure a contract out of Summer League/Training Camp, the agency writes it off as a loss in their books for tax purposes. Happens a lot more than you think.
 
cuse10 said:
Agents do that often. How else do you think players are wearing tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry at the NBA/NFL Draft? These are floater loans. In Bazely's case, if he doesn't get drafted in the first round or secure a contract out of Summer League/Training Camp, the agency writes it off as a loss in their books for tax purposes. Happens a lot more than you think.
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Ya those are guy that are going to get drafted. The way things have gone for him he might not. It might not be worth it.
 
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