NBA Off-Season Discussion Thread

[The Young One]

Only in a basketball sense though. You look at some of the great college coaches like Wooden and Gene Keady. They wanted their guys not only to be good players, but good men as well.

Cal is different, he's just looking at it from his benefit. But I guess you can say that the culture of the sport has changed.

Wooden is a Great Man...but he wasnt exactly all the way clean.

But facts are facts. And the fact is, Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years, from 1948-63, without winning an NCAA championship. And then from 1964-76 he won 10 titles in 12 years. What changed? Sam Gilbert's involvement changed.

Gilbert, a UCLA alum and wealthy contractor, opened his home and apparently his wallet to the Bruins, from Lew Alcindor to Lucius Allen to Bill Walton. When the best Bruins left school, Gilbert represented them as an agent, which is one of the most brazen unpunished NCAA violations in college sports history: Rich booster spoils the best players on campus, then becomes their agent. And the coach doesn't stop it. Doesn't even know about it.

Maybe Wooden didn't know. But his attention to detail was legendary. Wooden literally monitored how his players tied their shoes and how they wore their socks ... but he didn't know Gilbert -- the players called him "Papa Sam" -- was giving them cash and clothes and cars before becoming their agent? Maybe. More likely, Wooden didn't want to know. That's how he slept at night, and that's how he won 10 national titles.

 

[elcheato]

Whiteside is so raw offensively, and very skinny.... Cousins is a big dude, with very good post moves and multiple ways to score.. That comparison is so far off base.

 

[$tunna]

Only in a basketball sense though. You look at some of the great college coaches like Wooden and Gene Keady. They wanted their guys not only to be good players, but good men as well.

Cal is different, he's just looking at it from his benefit. But I guess you can say that the culture of the sport has changed.

I disagree, if he wanted the best for himself he would tell these players to stay and not go to the NBA to provide better lives for themselves and their families.

 

[Mexi]

or because the saint Kobe is a baby and would only go one place..

only because the lakers had a shot at him
otherwise he just would have went to Duke

 

[$tunna]

Whiteside is so raw offensively, and very skinny.... Cousins is a big dude, with very good post moves and multiple ways to score.. That comparison is so far off base.

I'm saying a better Hassan. But honestly you can't act like John didn't make it easier for him and P-Pat aswell.

 

[The Young One]

Cal got all his PGs top 5 and above so I don't see a problem. If they weren't the best they wouldn't play for him. I refuse to believe he did not do anything to develop Demarcus. If he would have went to UAB he would have been a better version of Hassan Whiteside without the blocks. You can't tell me Cal isn't developing these dudes at all.

John Wall was the number 1 recruit in the nation last year. When it was reported he could've been drafted outta HS. He was being looked at as a top 3 pick. All before Cal. Derrick Rose was a top 5 pick on draftnet and draftexpress before cal. And yes cheat some of cal players are getting paid.

 

[$tunna]

Wall was going to go to Memphis but he followed Cal. Same with Cousins and UAB.

Which goes to show why Coach Cal has to be doing something right to get these players

 

[V23]

I disagree, if he wanted the best for himself he would tell these players to stay and not go to the NBA to provide better lives for themselves and their families.

Them staying isn't doing anything for him. If they leave, and get drafted high, it makes him look good to HS kids because they know he can get them a lot of money.

 

[$tunna]

John Wall was the number 1 recruit in the nation last year. When it was reported he could've been drafted outta HS. He was being looked at as a top 3 pick. All before Cal. Derrick Rose was a top 5 pick on draftnet and draftexpress before cal. And yes cheat some of cal players are getting paid.

What players got paid then? and just because they were projected doesn't mean ish. lol Hassan Whiteside was a projected lotto pick. When they played for Cal they lived up to the hype.

 

[The Young One]

Im so dead serious..Im not gonna put the players out there. Are you seriously trying to say Derrick Rose wouldnt have been a top 5 pick outta hs? Or That Wall wouldnt have been top 3 out of hs.

And your giving Cal way too much credit. Reke wanted to go to UNC but they didnt want him. Then he wanted to go to UL..but he got into that shooting incident. And Rose wouldve went to Illinois if he was promised to start.

And are you trying to compare Hassan whiteside to a guy who was called the best pg out of chicago since isiah? Really

 

[$tunna]

Them staying isn't doing anything for him. If they leave, and get drafted high, it makes him look good to HS kids because they know he can get them a lot of money.

Wouldn't them staying and winning a NCAA championship make him look good? Honestly you think it's his fault that alot of his players go one n done? It's not his decision to make to be honest. What coach wouldn't want one of the great PGs he's had to stay for more then one year and compete for a championship? If Derrick Rose would have stayed another year he could have won a chip.

 

[V23]

What players got paid then? and just because they were projected doesn't mean ish. lol Hassan Whiteside was a projected lotto pick. When they played for Cal they lived up to the hype.

But them playing for Cal didn't do anything. John Wall still would have been a top 3 pick if he played for any other school in the country. Cousins I'm sure would have gone in the top 10 if not top 5.

The only ones that you could say he helped from UK are Orton and Bledsoe. Patterson probably would have been a late 1st rounder.

 

[$tunna]

Im so dead serious..Im not gonna put the players out there. Are you seriously trying to say Derrick Rose wouldnt have been a top 5 pick outta hs? Or That Wall wouldnt have been top 3 out of hs.

And your giving Cal way too much credit. Reke wanted to go to UNC but they didnt want him. Then he wanted to go to UL..but he got into that shooting incident. And Rose wouldve went to Illinois if he was promised to start.

And are you trying to compare Hassan whiteside to a guy who was called the best pg out of chicago since isiah? Really

Demarcus Cousins was called the best pg out of the chi since isiah?

and why not put the players out there? and honestly out of HS I doubt John went top 3. None of those teams chose a PG and I doubt they'd trust HS talent over College talent. And D-Rose possibly atheleticism doesn't make you a top 5 pick.

You're seriously acting like Cal did nothing the entire time they were in college. And these players don't learn anything while playing in college at all.

 

[$tunna]

But them playing for Cal didn't do anything. John Wall still would have been a top 3 pick if he played for any other school in the country. Cousins I'm sure would have gone in the top 10 if not top 5.

The only ones that you could say he helped from UK are Orton and Bledsoe. Patterson probably would have been a late 1st rounder.

I doubt it there are plenty of teams he could have played for and not been top 3. Cal's system is made for NBA preparation and Guard play. And once again Cousins wouldn't have been that great if he wasn't on a great overall team. Yall are saying he didn't help these guys just because they were good when they got there. They could have just as easily did horrible and not lived up to any hype.

 

[The Young One]

Mike, FL: Is John Wall the No. 1 pick in 2010 Draft. He was awesome at the Hoop Summit game.

Chad Ford: He was awesome and he'll compete with Ed Davis and a few other freshmen for that. However, there is some buzz that Wall believes he might be eligible for THIS year's draft. I've been doing some digging and will be filing a story later today. The short rub is this: Wall is a 5th year senior and depending on how you read the collective bargaining agreement, 5th year seniors are eligible for the draft as long as the turn 19 in the calander year (Wall does). The league is taking a wait and see approach. If he declares, they'll research and make a ruling. If he does declare and is ruled eligible (two big ifs) he's a Top 5 pick in this draft. Maybe Top 3.

^From Last Year



Rose wouldve went top 5... outta hs easily.

 

[$tunna]

^From Last Year



Rose wouldve went top 5... outta hs easily.

All Talk.

 

[V23]

I doubt it there are plenty of teams he could have played for and not been top 3. Cal's system is made for NBA preparation and Guard play. And once again Cousins wouldn't have been that great if he wasn't on a great overall team. Yall are saying he didn't help these guys just because they were good when they got there. They could have just as easily did horrible and not lived up to any hype.

Your telling me John Wall couldn't have played for Georgetown, UNC, Duke, Kansas, or Georgia Tech and been a top 3 pick?

Cousins had more than enough skill to be a number one option on a decent team. He could have played for Texas and done just as well as he did at UK.

 

[$tunna]

Your telling me John Wall couldn't have played for Georgetown, UNC, Duke, Kansas, or Georgia Tech and been a top 3 pick?

Cousins had more than enough skill to be a number one option on a decent team. He could have played for Texas and done just as well as he did at UK.

Be honest here. If a player like Hassan Whiteside or Avery Bradley or Jordan Hamilton played for Cal you're saying they couldn't go first round? or in Avery's case lotto?

I'm not saying Coach Cal is the best coach in the nation or anything, I'm just saying he's really good at Player development

 

[The Young One]

All talk..thats Chad Ford saying he was a top 5, potentially top 3 pick outta hs. But whatever I proved my point

 

[The Young One]

Jordan Hamilton is a ballhog/ and bradley was overrated outta hs.