Your Top 10 Most NBA Ready Orange Departures

[Trueblue25]

since ‘02/‘03, how would you rate the top 10 most NBA ready Orange players at the time of their departure? This is going based off of how the player was prior to their declaring for the draft/pro performances.

1. Melo
2. Flynn
3. Waiters
4. Johnson
5. Hak
6. Mcw
7. Donte
8. Grant
9. Hughes
10. Fab

Yes, I didn’t include Ennis. I thought, for me at least, it was clear he was riding momentum off an incredible freshman performance. McCullough I thought could have turned into a legend had he stayed, but I understand he had other priorities and couldn’t risk another injury while he was still a first rounder. Lydon’s 11 and Rak would be my 12. Thought Battle was more prepared his sophomore year than junior year. He never seemed to fully develop his game, which can be attributed to what seemed to be a team bereft of chemistry his junior year.

edit: forgot MCW.

 

[OrangeDW]

Carmelo
enormous gap
Hakim
Wes
Waiters
MCW
Flynn
Christmas
Hughes
Grant
Ennis

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I would rate them as all ready.

 

[Trueblue25]

I would rate them as all ready.

But you don’t think some were better pro prospects than others?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

But you don’t think some were better pro prospects than others?

Eh. Better pro prospect vs ready are very different things.

 

[General20]

Rookie of the year MCW isn't getting enough love. He should probably be #1 on this list because it's not who has the highest ceiling, it's who was most ready and MCW's career proves he was as ready as he was going to get.

 

[OrangeDW]

Rookie of the year MCW isn't getting enough love. He should probably be #1 on this list because it's not who has the highest ceiling, it's who was most ready and MCW's career proves he was as ready as he was going to get.

While true in terms of his ROY award, he was also given unprecedented free reign on a historically awful team that was trying to lose.

Someone like Hak came in on a 49 win veteran team, and Melo was the leading scorer on a playoff team.

 

[General20]

While true in terms of his ROY award, he was also given unprecedented free reign on a historically awful team that was trying to lose.

Someone like Hak came in on a 49 win veteran team, and Melo was the leading scorer on a playoff team.

I'm not saying MCW was better than Melo or Hak, I'm saying he was more ready relative to his ceiling.

MCW had already reached his ceiling by his rookie year, he was as good as he was going to get, thus the most ready he could have possibly been.

Melo and Hak got a lot better in future years, thus they were not as ready as they could have been, even though they had higher ceilings.

 

[RF2044]

1. Melo
2. Waiters
3. Johnson
4. Hak
5. Hughes
6. MCW
7. Grant
8. Flynn
9. Fab
10. Donte
11. Richardson


***Edited to include Wesley Johnson.

 

[jordoo]

Wes Johnson

 

[OrangeDW]

1. Melo
2. Waiters
3. Hak
4. Hughes
5. MCW
6. Grant
7. Flynn
9. Fab
9. Donte
10. Richardson


***Not sure who "Johnson" is from the OP's list.

Wesley

 

[RF2044]

Wesley

ah -- duh.

So long ago, I didn't even think to include him.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I thought Flynn was going to be our third best pro ever after Melo and Bing. It’s really too bad he got hurt.

 

[Trueblue25]

Really wanted to start a thread about how excited I am for Hughes as a legitimate pro prospect but figured its a good time to strike some positive nostalgia for recent past favorites as well.

I thought Flynn had promise to be the next Steve Francis or Baron Davis. It is a shame that injury cut his time short. Despite whatever may have happened in the past, I hope he makes it back to the dome for cuse nation to honor him.

 

[sufandu]

since ‘02/‘03, how would you rate the top 10 most NBA ready Orange players at the time of their departure? This is going based off of how the player was prior to their declaring for the draft/pro performances.

1. Melo
2. Flynn
3. Waiters
4. Johnson
5. Hak
6. Mcw
7. Donte
8. Grant
9. Hughes
10. Fab

Yes, I didn’t include Ennis. I thought, for me at least, it was clear he was riding momentum off an incredible freshman performance. McCullough I thought could have turned into a legend had he stayed, but I understand he had other priorities and couldn’t risk another injury while he was still a first rounder. Lydon’s 11 and Rak would be my 12. Thought Battle was more prepared his sophomore year than junior year. He never seemed to fully develop his game, which can be attributed to what seemed to be a team bereft of chemistry his junior year.

edit: forgot MCW.

I think my list would flip Flynn and Waiters then Johnson and Hak, and move Hughes up to 6.