Jerami Grant

[chugg21]

How are all the others doing?

The same as they were always going to do. Another year at Syracuse wasn't going to make them better basketball players than a year in the NBA. They might have ended up drafted higher/lower and in a better situation but they weren't going to be better NBA players a year later than what they were in year 2 by leaving.

 

[CusefanATL]

The same as they were always going to do. Another year at Syracuse wasn't going to make them better basketball players than a year in the NBA. They might have ended up drafted higher/lower and in a better situation but they weren't going to be better NBA players a year later than what they were in year 2 by leaving.

ehh... i'll disagree with this. Every decisions has a consequence. Mccullough and Greene had potential through the roof. They could have really improved by coming back.

Ennis, Mali, Lydon all prob were at the top of their draft potential. its kind of crazy to say, but the CM and DG were easily the best of the 5 and they should have stayed. But Ennis, Mali and Lydon should have gone based purely on timing.

 

[jgeorge322]

Him and rak still look ridiculous w the hair though

 

[jgeorge322]

ehh... i'll disagree with this. Every decisions has a consequence. Mccullough and Greene had potential through the roof. They could have really improved by coming back.

Ennis, Mali, Lydon all prob were at the top of their draft potential. its kind of crazy to say, but the CM and DG were easily the best of the 5 and they should have stayed. But Ennis, Mali and Lydon should have gone based purely on timing.

Not sure about mali, he comes back and could be a lottery pick. That being said, was a first rounder so who am i to judge.

 

[CusefanATL]

Not sure about mali, he comes back and could be a lottery pick. That being said, was a first rounder so who am i to judge.

Yeah, exactly how i feel. Wish everyone stayed 4 years but who am i to judge when they leave?

 

[chugg21]

ehh... i'll disagree with this. Every decisions has a consequence. Mccullough and Greene had potential through the roof. They could have really improved by coming back.

Ennis, Mali, Lydon all prob were at the top of their draft potential. its kind of crazy to say, but the CM and DG were easily the best of the 5 and they should have stayed. But Ennis, Mali and Lydon should have gone based purely on timing.

Absolutely agree that CM and DG would've been drafted higher if they stayed for a 2nd year but I took what he was saying as being about how they are doing/did in the NBA and believe they turned into whatever they were always going to turn into. I always believe that players will develop better in the NBA then they will in college.

 

[realorange]

He adds a dimension on the floor that Melo cannot at this stage of his career. Grant's defensive ability is a great fit for the modern NBA as one announcer pointed out last week - he can give you minutes at the 5 in the modern NBA. He is going to get paid - a guy who impacts games and can do it with no shots.

But he can't be good defensively. He only knew the zone when he went to the NBA.

 

[jgeorge322]

Absolutely agree that CM and DG would've been drafted higher if they stayed for a 2nd year but I took what he was saying as being about how they are doing/did in the NBA and believe they turned into whatever they were always going to turn into. I always believe that players will develop better in the NBA then they will in college.

This is an argument thats hard to prove. I get that you dedicate 100% to basketball. What people dont take into account however is that it can be a confidence killer. Sometimes going to harvard and being average isnt as good as going to a lower level school and being first in your class. Theres a psychological component that cant be ignored.

 

[longislandcuse]

But he can't be good defensively. He only knew the zone when he went to the NBA.

I want to scream Jerami ****ing Grant in the face of every scout/analyst who brings up the zone in relation to our players. This dude is, legit, one of the best defenders in the NBA.

 

[TheCusian]

Not having all info and making ill-informed guesses about their choice < Still not having all the info and making ill-informed guesses about their choice

Just happy for a guy who played at the college I root for do well in the pro's... No need to parse the crap out of it

 

[Cheriehoop]

Jerami just oozed athleticism thus potential - what he lacked were basketball skills, strength, experience and development. He was an extremely lucky young player thankfully whose athletic upside to anyone with eyes, appeared limitless. He would have blossomed on either the collegiate or NBA level given time. The NBA knew they were getting a bargain if he had his head on straight, was willing to wait to develop and dependent on his work ethic. They weren't losing much on their gamble money wise. I do believe he would have increased his worth and brand staying at SU (who else other than SU fans knew him and were fans - heck NBA fans are just discovering him after 4 years in the league).

I think SU fans were sad at his leaving not because we didn't believe in him nor his ability to 'make it' but because we did see it and personally I wanted him to maximize his earning and impact earlier in his NBA career. He was definitely a star in the making. The NBA got a bargain getting him early. I believe he was a lottery pick a year later but congratulate him for his own determination, coachability, patience and work ethic to finally earn a contract this upcoming year I had hoped he'd get after he left SU. Way to go Jerami!

 

[SUFan44]

You really believe that he was going to jump up to the lottery after his Jr year without still developing a jumper. That absolutely was not happening. Far more realistic scenario is that he is a 2nd coming of Hak who was actually an All-American and still went 19th because he was an upper classmen with no jump shot.

Yes, I do. He would have been given more freedom without Fair and would have been the focal point. Much like Brissett will be next year.

 

[Cheriehoop]

You really believe that he was going to jump up to the lottery after his Jr year without still developing a jumper. That absolutely was not happening. Far more realistic scenario is that he is a 2nd coming of Hak who was actually an All-American and still went 19th because he was an upper classmen with no jump shot.

Hak earned from 2005 through 2009 seasons $5,876,000 for his first 4 years (initial contract). In 2 years 2011-2013, he earned an additional $7,219.512. He had a lucrative 8 NBA year career.

If Jerami had only been the 19th pick in 2015 (ironically the same pick as his brother Jerian) he would have earned $3,215,400 that year (more than Jerami earned over 3 years) with a guarantee of at least $7,568,544 after 4 years almost double Jerami's earnings. Regardless, happy that Jerami is finally going to see the recognition and monetary result of his hard work.

 

[OrangeDW]

But he can't be good defensively. He only knew the zone when he went to the NBA.

Pretty sure it was McCullough who was asked in an interview during his rookie year how he was adjusting to playing man to man after playing zone in college, and he said learning the zone at Cuse was harder than learning NBA man to man, so he was doing fine with the adjustment.

 

[OrangeDW]

I want to scream Jerami ****ing Grant in the face of every scout/analyst who brings up the zone in relation to our players. This dude is, legit, one of the best defenders in the NBA.

Yup. Waiters has been pretty good on that end too. MCW and Johnson are decent.

Carmelo...I’m sure the one year of mostly zone vs. his 15 years of playing man to man in the NBA - I’m sure the zone is to blame for his far overstated(by people who just repeat what others say) defensive struggles.

 

[cuse10]

He's gotten a lot better. One of the rare instances for Syracuse in which a player actually provides some value in the Association after getting drafted. If this were last year, he could have fleeced a team for a nice deal. GMs are going to be very reluctant to spend this offseason.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Him and rak still look ridiculous w the hair though

This is a good call out. So true.

 

[Cusefan0307]

ehh... i'll disagree with this. Every decisions has a consequence. Mccullough and Greene had potential through the roof. They could have really improved by coming back.

Ennis, Mali, Lydon all prob were at the top of their draft potential. its kind of crazy to say, but the CM and DG were easily the best of the 5 and they should have stayed. But Ennis, Mali and Lydon should have gone based purely on timing.

McCullough was the worst of the 5. Even when he played he produced less than Lydon or Mali.

 

[billsin01]

Not possible. He didn't stay in school to get better. He left too soon.

Lame. There is not one sole path to improvement. What's right for Grant may not be right for others. Not sure what is so hard about that for folks. Awesomet to see grant actually improving his offensive game.

 

[billsin01]

If he comes back for his junior season at Syracuse, he's an All-American and at least a mid to late first rounder. And by that measure, if he was the 19th pick for argument's sake, he makes $7,568,554 on a 4-year deal. After three years, that's about $4.928M.

As it stands now in his current situation, he made $4,234,674 as a second round pick over a four-year contract. Not bad, but he could have made +$700K (plus or minus, depending on draft position) in only three years. Plus another year guaranteed (which can work both ways).

I personally think he's a lottery pick the following year, which would bump him to $6.669M. That's over two million dollars more.

This is what kills me about the "it makes more sense for you to leave now and get paid sooner" crowd. Can he do what he wants and do what's best for him? Sure. And I don't fault any of them. Just trying to point out that financially, a lot of times it makes sense to bet on yourself and stay in college like Brissett is doing.

Sure, an injury could happen. But I think the risk outweighs the reward in a couple of our cases, most specifically with Grant.

Exactly -- there is no point debating what Grant *should* have done since it's his decision, but there is absolutely logic in saying that he could certainly have stayed had it be worthwhile on many fronts, finances included.

 

[billsin01]

You just used a hypothetical as evidence.

That doesn't work.

But everything is hypothetical when a player is making this choice. The choice is what is my best path for development? Getting a check as fast as possible isn't always the best way. Glad it's worked out for Grant, however, and I agree no one can say he made a bad decision -- which the poster you are replying to made clear.

 

[OrangeDW]

First Waiters and now Grant...OKC has been good for using Cuse guys as their 6th man and having them do pretty well.

Waiters had a year in Miami before he got the big contract, but he was able to start to turn his narrative around in OKC as people noted that he defended well there, played his role, and had some big offensive stretches in the playoffs when they needed him to.

OKC is like the opposite of Minnesota for Cuse players.

 

[orangenirvana]

The same as they were always going to do. Another year at Syracuse wasn't going to make them better basketball players than a year in the NBA. They might have ended up drafted higher/lower and in a better situation but they weren't going to be better NBA players a year later than what they were in year 2 by leaving.

The poster I replied to used a sarcastic comment to make a point that because Grant is finally starting to have NBA success in his fourth year, that must mean that he was right to leave SU when he did. Even though there's no way of knowing if that's true or not and there are many more examples of struggling former Syracuse players who left the program early.

I'm not going to pretend I know one way or the other. You both must be two of the lucky ones who have that special view of alternate universes.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Lame. There is not one sole path to improvement. What's right for Grant may not be right for others. Not sure what is so hard about that for folks. Awesomet to see grant actually improving his offensive game.

There’s a group who is 100 percent convinced that the college experience and playing in front of 30k is the end all be all for an NBA prospect and riding the bus between Sioux Falls and Grand Rapids is a fate worse than death.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Ten first-round picks in the last ten years - but it's one of our second-rounders that's actually developed into a decent and/or above-average NBA player.

Huh? Dion, Wes, MCW all say hi.