Dion: Highest drafted Cuse guard since Bing?

[IthacaMatt]

As for his offensive skills, I'm not sure why so many posters see can't miss, freshman Carmelo-like ability in Dion. There was a long stretch last year before the BET where Dion's offense was decidedly mediocre. He was getting to basket but not finishing and/or hoisting terrible off-balance shots, and his outside shooting was unreliable, to put it nicely. In his defense, I suspect he may have been battling through injuries at the time, but am not entirely sure. I certainly see the right skill set for a nice NBA career and hope he continues to improve his shooting mechanics (he will be getting lots of open looks from 18 feet out until he shows he can knock down the jumper consistently). So put me in the camp that has some concerns about how all this will translate for him at the next level.

Because the NBA is a dribble drive league, and that's what Dion does best. If you think his shot is that bad, look at his shooting stats in the last portion of the season. That game with seven threes at the Garden showed what he's capable of. There are only a handful of players who have ever hit that many in a game for us. Plus, if you look back at his game-by-game stats, he didn't have many truly terrible games, which you would suspect if he was as much of a gunner as he was the year before.

 

[RandygoCuse]

Some people do underestimate him and others might be overestimating him, .

Maybe this makes him the next Shawn Marion I also agree with others that the character issues are a thing of the past. He was 18, and I'm sure there were more than a few of us who had bad attitudes at the time (Though we are all much better now). This year he has shown a willingness to come off the bench, play limited minutes, and I think has shown a committment to defense. In short, he's made the most of his situation. The only reason I thought he shouldn't have come out early was that I saw him going late in the first round , not a lottery pick. Clearly I was wrong.

 

[OttoMets]

"questionable" doesn't mean "bad," and it doesn't mean "he can't." it means . . . well, questionable. Because he hasn't had to display it, and because he is undersized for his position, it remains in question.


it wasn't "2 years ago." it was just a calendar year ago that he was on the verge of quitting the program, and his attitude issues have been with him for half a decade, not just his time at SU. While he coexisted well enough to be an integral part in a great, great season, I would say that 6 months of acceptable behavior don't completely wipe away concerns about 5 years of not so good behavior, especially when he is about to join a team where he could lose more games in the first two months than he has in his entire prep and college careers combined.

They're legitimate points, and neither 34 wins nor 500 Syracusefan.com regurgitations of Fran Fraschilla's "He's going to be a better NBA player than college player" does anything to rebut them. Dion is in the unique position of erasing concerns about questionable defense, shaky jumper, or impatience with a losing team or diminished playing time; it boggles the mind as to why so many posters get defensive and try to hard to disprove these points which can't at this time be disproved.

 

[OttoMets]

As for his offensive skills, I'm not sure why so many posters see can't miss, freshman Carmelo-like ability in Dion. There was a long stretch last year before the BET where Dion's offense was decidedly mediocre. He was getting to basket but not finishing and/or hoisting terrible off-balance shots, and his outside shooting was unreliable, to put it nicely. ..

And everyone conveniently brushes this off by falling back on the "worst-officiated game in history" excuse, but the bad streak arguably continued through Ohio State game with only a couple positive (Cincinnati) breaks. Poor shot selection and unfinished runners/layups were the rule, not the exception, for the last six weeks.

Wouldn't be surprised if accrued injuries were a contributing factor, but he's by no means the offensive messiah or anything like that.

 

[IthacaMatt]

And everyone conveniently brushes this off by falling back on the "worst-officiated game in history" excuse, but the bad streak arguably continued through Ohio State game with only a couple positive (Cincinnati) breaks. Poor shot selection and unfinished runners/layups were the rule, not the exception, for the last six weeks.

Wouldn't be surprised if accrued injuries were a contributing factor, but he's by no means the offensive messiah or anything like that.

Are you nuts ?? Just go back and look at the box scores. He was in double figures in 9 out of 14 games, beginning from Feb 4 to the end of the season in March. He average 13.2 ppg over that stretch, and although he had a few bad games (Georgetown, Louisville, Ohio State), he was pretty much our best player down the stretch - a total game changer.

 

[moqui]

And everyone conveniently brushes this off by falling back on the "worst-officiated game in history" excuse, but the bad streak arguably continued through Ohio State game with only a couple positive (Cincinnati) breaks. Poor shot selection and unfinished runners/layups were the rule, not the exception, for the last six weeks.

Wouldn't be surprised if accrued injuries were a contributing factor, but he's by no means the offensive messiah or anything like that.

I think on the right team, he can be a valuable contributor and a second tier NBA star, a Microwave Johnson type . . . but on the wrong team, he could become a Ricky Davis type - a ball stopping shot hunter who nobody really wants as a teammate

some people think I am being too hard on Dion, but I want him to succeed - that's why I am hoping that he lands on a good team where he can maximize his skills and build a long career.

 

[OttoMets]

Are you nuts ?? Just go back and look at the box scores. He was in double figures in 9 out of 14 games, beginning from Feb 4 to the end of the season in March. He average 13.2 ppg over that stretch, and although he had a few bad games (Georgetown, Louisville, Ohio State), he was pretty much our best player down the stretch - a total game changer.

Not nuts, though maybe the trend I'm seeing doesn't actually exist. From the Notre Dame game, he shot 42% for the rest of the year. ~6% off his season average. 12.1 points per game over that period, which is barely off his season average (one could argue that that was skewed high by the stellar scoring night in New York and two good performances against UConn, but they were part of what I'm claiming was a slump, so they contradict that a bit).

He won us some games down the stretch. Five of his last six games were good ones (the last game was not). Perhaps it's not accurate to claim that his slump lasted through the end of the season.

 

[OttoMets]

I think on the right team, he can be a valuable contributor and a second tier NBA star, a Microwave Johnson type . . . but on the wrong team, he could become a Ricky Davis type - a ball stopping shot hunter who nobody really wants as a teammate

some people think I am being too hard on Dion, but I want him to succeed - that's why I am hoping that he lands on a good team where he can maximize his skills and build a long career.

I'm agnostic on this one. I don't know how Dion's going to react to the 50-loss seasons that he might have to endure, but it's certain that four months of doing and saying the right things while going 34-3 with a group of his good buddies is no indicator of his future behavior.

 

[HOFCeluck]

It's real easy to have a good attitude when you go 34-3.

 

[RF2044]

It's real easy to have a good attitude when you go 34-3.

True, but why denigrate the kid for doing everything right? Bottom line is that he DID show a good attitude, worked hard in the offseason, didn't gripe about PT, and has been tremendously deferential toward Boeheim since leaving.

 

[albanycuse]

True, but why denigrate the kid for doing everything right? Bottom line is that he DID show a good attitude, worked hard in the offseason, didn't gripe about PT, and has been tremendously deferential toward Boeheim since leaving.

Not isolating doc but some people arent happy unless they say something negative and like to "hear" themselves speak/write.

 

[ORRange]

The silence on this board now is deafening. Dion #4 has shocked the skeptics. Kudos to Waiters and you'll see him in the All-Star game very soon.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

The silence on this board now is deafening. Dion #4 has shocked the skeptics. Kudos to Waiters and you'll see him in the All-Star game very soon.

Dion at #4 shocked a lot of people. He and Kyrie Irving make a very formidable backcourt but I wouldn't get carried away yet with All-Star predicitions. I think many other NBA franchises would love to have that pair of 20 year olds. Those two still need a lot of help.

 

[br801]

The silence on this board now is deafening. Dion #4 has shocked the skeptics. Kudos to Waiters and you'll see him in the All-Star game very soon.

With all due respect, I'm not sure why any of the concerns regarding Dion's future as an NBA player expressed by people in this thread (or in others) are any less valid this morning. Nothing posted has been unreasonable or malicious. Pretty sure we're all happy for Dion and will be cheering him on in the future, even if we're not waving poms poms.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Not isolating doc but some people arent happy unless they say something negative and like to "hear" themselves speak/write.

It's a legitimate concern and one that will definitely be addressed next year, one way or the other.

 

[OttoMets]

True, but why denigrate the kid for doing everything right? Bottom line is that he DID show a good attitude, worked hard in the offseason, didn't gripe about PT, and has been tremendously deferential toward Boeheim since leaving.

I don't think anyone in this thread disparaged him. The idea is just that he's not a sure thing and that his current sunny demeanor is immaterial to any predictions about his future conduct.

Awesome that he's the highest-drafted SU guard since Bing, though.

 

[armory]

Amazing how the people that are usually wrong were wrong again. Funny how that works.

 

[moqui]

Amazing how the people that are usually wrong were wrong again. Funny how that works.

just who was wrong? I haven't read any posts in the last month that said Dion wouldn't get drafted high

 

[ORRange]

With all due respect, I'm not sure why any of the concerns regarding Dion's future as an NBA player expressed by people in this thread (or in others) are any less valid this morning. Nothing posted has been unreasonable or malicious. Pretty sure we're all happy for Dion and will be cheering him on in the future, even if we're not waving poms poms.

With all due respect the concerns about Dion in this thread were unwarranted and proven by him being selected 4th. Nobody with those concerns will ever wave pom poms. lol. Saving face is more important. Making statements like "nobody ever said he wouldn't be chosen high" is a perfect example. He was chosen 4th , some on this board should just man-up and admit they were incorrect. But, don't hold your breath.

 

[OttoMets]

With all due respect the concerns about Dion in this thread were unwarranted and proven by him being selected 4th. Nobody with those concerns will ever wave pom poms. lol. Saving face is more important. Making statements like "nobody ever said he wouldn't be chosen high" is a perfect example. He was chosen 4th , some on this board should just man-up and admit they were incorrect. But, don't hold your breath.

Yeah, you're absolutely right. His getting drafed fourth means he's a very good shooter and defender against professionals.

Brilliant.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

What other backcourts would you rather have in the NBA over Waiters/Irving?

 

[OttoMets]

What other backcourts would you rather have in the NBA over Waiters/Irving?

I really don't have any opinion on this, nor can I predict how successful Dion will be (though I certainly hope he does well). Just taking umbrage at an asinine post by someone who seems to be misrepresenting the opinions stated by a handful of us. "Concerns" being "unwarranted and proven by the fourth pick" and all that jazz. Not worth arguing, I suppose.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

I can only think of 21 other backcourts I'd rather have.

 

[jdubs30]

I can only think of 21 other backcourts I'd rather have.

4 or 5 current Big East backcourts too

 

[longislandcuse]

All I gotta say is...

"******* on these haters, ball hard D-Waiters"