James Not Invited to Orlando

[DJO's Pump Fake]

Just thought I would pass this along from Andy Katz's insider blog



James an Orlando alternateposted: Monday, May 21, 2007  |  Print Entry
filed under: NCB

Marquette sophomore guard Dominic James is an alternate for the Orlando pre-draft camp next week but that's not forcing him to withdraw from the NBA draft -- yet.



Marquette coach Tom Crean said that James has at least four workouts with NBA teams from June 6-18. Crean said he advised James that if he were going to test the draft process, then he had to maximize every day.



There is still a chance that James could be added to the Orlando camp roster, considering there are usually a number of players who are pulled by their representation as the week gets closer.



Crean said the experience of not immediately being put in Orlando was a humbling one for James, and the hope is that it will motivate him even more to work.



The 5-11 James led the Eagles with 14.9 points and 4.9 assists last season.



"You can only test it once so you might as well go all out," Crean said.



Underclassmen have until June 18 to withdraw from the June 28 draft.

[Harrison]

So will this make all the people that say DJ sucks happy or sad?  because this might mean he has to come back to MU! 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I hope DJ comes back with a chip on his shoulder.

Many athletes excel when they are told they can't do something (whatever that may be). 

He's already a fantastic ball handler. I would say shot selection is the biggest thing to work on. If his selection was better, I think his percentage would jump greatly. I'm not sure that he will ever become a pure shooter, but he is a freakish athlete that can change any game that he is in.

MU is better with him. People might not be his biggest fan (not sure why), but talent is talent and having more is better than less. I don't think losing DJ fits the old cliche "addition by subtraction"

[DJO's Pump Fake]

I agree with MUalum

His freshman year he was definetly at his best, because he wanted to prove his worth and because he finished second in Mr. Indiana and clearly thought he was the best.

His sophomore year he received so many accolades that he seemed not to care and just seemed like he thought he peeked.

Not getting all the attention and being told he has stuff to work on by the pros is just what the doctor ordered - he will come back ready to play and be better than ever. 

[Harrison]

2002 alum......Good post and I agree.  Many people with zero basketball accumen have actually subscribed to the addition by subtarction theory.  Post like "we have Christopherson and Acker to replace him" are laughable, yet sad.  Yes, James shot selection was questionable at times last year, but what many overlook was what were our other options?  This team was a collection of bricklayers.  Often times when DJ was on the court Cubes was not, so many times he was not an option.  Also, in better than half the games Fitz would not shoot the ball.  So there go about our only two viable outside options in many cases.  Would MU have been better off with McNeal or Matthews taking many of those shots? Not Really. Did we have an inside option?  No!!

Additionally, for many of the dolts who say "last year DJ good, this year DJ bad" or "he needs to stop reading his press"...get a clue.  A point guard and all basketball players are a product of their teams.  Similar to Pippen being named all NBA top 50 with Jordan and then being average at best without him.  DJ looked like a superstar because we had guys like Chapman and Novak spreading the floor.  This created driving and passing lanes for DJ.  This year without any true spacing threats teams often packed  5 guys within one step of the lane or played outright zones.  Last year teams zoned for one or two possesions and then 2 threes later would not play it again.  Bottom line with zero inside presence and no shooters every coach chose to pack the middle and force MU to open them up.  In many cases MU never did that and we lost while shooting "too many threes".  In many cases the ball would end up in DJ's hands with little time on the clock.

I am not here to argue " Dj good the rest of the team bad", I am merely stating That the team two years ago was much more difficlut to defend, making the job that much easier for every one on the court.  This year scoring was at a premium and made DJ's job infinitely more difficult, team's took away our top option ( Dj creating on the drive).  Dj was also asked to become more of a scoring option, despite shooting being his weakest skill.  He does not all of  sudden suck.   He was not affected due to playing for the scouts.  It was simply a much more difficult job this year and he still scored 15 a game and dished 5 dimes a game while making 1st team All Big East.

If DJ comes back.... my predicition, and it's not really a predicition, it's evaluating what we will have.  We will have a better inside presence if nothing else due to improvement of OOZe, Burke and the addition of Mbakwe.  We will have an improved Fitz, Cubes, Mcneal, and Wes on the perimeter, ( MCNeal shot the 3 very effectively the second half of the year)  Add  in the possibility of an inside/outside presence in Lazar and this year's team will score the ball much more readily than last year's.  All of a sudden the know nothings will attribute this to DJ being humbled by not being drafted, no longer playing for the scouts, and taking better shots.

Ignorance is bliss.

[NYWarrior]

If DJ comes back.... my predicition, and it's not really a predicition, it's evaluating what we will have.  We will have a better inside presence if nothing else due to improvement of OOZe, Burke and the addition of Mbakwe.  We will have an improved Fitz, Cubes, Mcneal, and Wes on the perimeter, ( MCNeal shot the 3 very effectively the second half of the year)  Add  in the possibility of an inside/outside presence in Lazar and this year's team will score the ball much more readily than last year's.  All of a sudden the know nothings will attribute this to DJ being humbled by not being drafted, no longer playing for the scouts, and taking better shots.

well said.....this is the 07-08 master plan

[tonyreeder]

The key will be how the perimeter guys are mixed and matched into the lineup.  With James, Matthews and McNeal presumably logging a lot of minutes I think it will be interesting to see how Cubillan and Fitz fit into the rotation.  If Fitz starts we're small and it also cuts into Lazar's minutes.  If the starters are James, Matthews, McNeal, Ooze and Lazar MU still doesn't have anyone who can consistently hit a three.

[77fan88warrior]

Does anyone have stats on how many of 24 invited last year became first round picks?

[jutaw22mu]

i hope dj continues to get the most of this pre-draft experience as he can.  i also hope that none of the 4 teams he is going to workout for does what the cavs did for daniel gibson last year.  id really like to see dj back at MU this season and the next one.

[Harrison]

tonyreeder - I do not disagree with you  we are not going to go from what we had last year to a great perimeter shooting team over 1 summer.  However, given your lineups which appear to be pretty accurate I think you can throw in a few things.  First. hayward supposedly can shoot the three, if nothing else he can help space the floor as i beleive that this year he will shoot the ball more effectively from 15' and out and can beat a 4 with the dribble.  Also, mcNeals 3 point % in the second half of the season was greatly improved.  Matthews should also shoot better.  Throw in Cubes as a Sub for McNeal or mathews and I think we might even see some Linups of say...DJ, Cubes, fitz, Lazar and OOze.  I beleive that lineup could rebound adeqautely, space the floor and shoot.  I think our shooting will improve enought through maturation, preacrtice, and confidence to not make us a great shooting team but to eliminate the other teams from simply defending the lane and givng up the 15' and out jumper.  Given that DJ will all of a sudden not suck anymore    DJ is at his best as a facilitator when he is our perimeter scoring option he is not playing to his strengths.  Perfect example TJ Ford in 2003, turn him into a jump shooter and he is not a lottery pick and they are not a Final 4 team, but that team had a lot of options

[ChicosBailBonds]

It troubles me greatly when I agree with 99% of what Harrison just said so I'm off to the bar to go re-evaluate my life.

 

Good post Hairy.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I don't think DJ's shot selection was terrible. It sometimes appeared that way because he's such a bad shooter. I think his decision making could use some work, however. He tends to lose patience in games in which he's not contributing scoring-wise, which I think is natural for a young guy.

I vehemently disagree with Harrison's statement regarding Scottie Pippen. He took the Trail Blazers to within a game of the Finals. Unfortunately, the Blazers blew a 20 point lead against Shaq, Kobe and the Lakers. He and Kukoc also led the Bulls to 50-some wins when Jordan retired the first time. They also would have likely made the Finals if not for a horrendous foul call vs. Hubert Davis and the Knicks when he literally was not touched on a three point attempt. Unfortunately, Hue Hollins had his head up his ass and gave Davis three shots. It was a joke and cost the Bulls the game and, ultimately the series when they lost game 7.

Pippen was a better defender, passer and ballhandler than Jordan ever was.

[77ncaachamps]

Great news. 

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

tonyreeder - I do not disagree with you  we are not going to go from what we had last year to a great perimeter shooting team over 1 summer.  However, given your lineups which appear to be pretty accurate I think you can throw in a few things.  First. hayward supposedly can shoot the three, if nothing else he can help space the floor as i beleive that this year he will shoot the ball more effectively from 15' and out and can beat a 4 with the dribble.  Also, mcNeals 3 point % in the second half of the season was greatly improved.  Matthews should also shoot better.  Throw in Cubes as a Sub for McNeal or mathews and I think we might even see some Linups of say...DJ, Cubes, fitz, Lazar and OOze.  I beleive that lineup could rebound adeqautely, space the floor and shoot.  I think our shooting will improve enought through maturation, preacrtice, and confidence to not make us a great shooting team but to eliminate the other teams from simply defending the lane and givng up the 15' and out jumper.  Given that DJ will all of a sudden not suck anymore    DJ is at his best as a facilitator when he is our perimeter scoring option he is not playing to his strengths.  Perfect example TJ Ford in 2003, turn him into a jump shooter and he is not a lottery pick and they are not a Final 4 team, but that team had a lot of options

I agree with most of what you say here... and I also want to add that MU was not a terrible shooting team when they got the open looks that they want (duh, right?). Several guys on the current team can be effective shooters when given open looks (duh, again, right?)

In several interviews last year Crean stated that they were making 40%+ of the 3's that they reviewed film and looked at as "good shots". The problem was that too often the offense didn't create these open shots on the outside (or the inside).

Here is my point, if Lazar (who has a very nice scoring touch inside), ooze, Burke, and Mbwake can provide some punch on offense, that will help create more open looks and better opportunities for the outside players. To use an NFL analogy, the run can set up the pass or vice versa.

I don't think that any of the guards will suddenly become great shooters over the summer, but if the inside players can provide some presence, the outside players should get better looks and knock down a higher percentage of shots.

The decision making on all of the players has to get better in order for this theory to come to fruition, but I believe that with maturity will come patience and better decision making skills.

[NotAnAlum]

I for one really hope DJ comes back.  I think it would be better for him, because he is not the kind of can't miss talent who should leave early and it would most certainly be better for the team.  DJ is a very good college point guard with one weakness.  He can't consistantly hit his jump shot.  I can live with that.  Last year I think that James was playing with the expectation that he was the best shooter on the floor with Novak gone.  Fitz did nothing early in the season to prove otherwise, Cub was an unknown and Lazar didn't shoot well out of the gate.  If Fitz can establish himself early as the primary starting outside shooter and if DJ can play free of some of the "lottery pick" expecations then DJ can go back to the way he played as a freshman.  If he does that coupled with the more seasoned games of Barro, McNeal and Wes along with the depth of the sophs and the new front line players this team could be VERY GOOD.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I don't think DJ's shot selection was terrible. It sometimes appeared that way because he's such a bad shooter. I think his decision making could use some work, however. He tends to lose patience in games in which he's not contributing scoring-wise, which I think is natural for a young guy.

I agree that sometimes he loses patience, and I think that is why I think his shot selection isn't so great. When he is "off" on his jumper, he needs to find other ways that he can influence the game.

Jason Kidd is a point guard who has never been considered a great shooter or scorer... but he has the ability to change the game in so many ways, and he is very smart about how/when he uses himself on offense.

I don't think DJ is Jason Kidd, but I do think that DJ can affect a game in many ways outside of his jumper. He could go 0-5 from 3pt. and still be the MVP of the game... he has that type of ability.

[tonyreeder]

RE:Pippen.   When the game was on the line Pippen would pee his shorts and give the ball to Jordan.  Interesting PRN's defense of Pippen are the times he just about lead his team to victory. That says a lot. Pippen was better than an "average" player but no way was he a top 50 all time NBA player.

[BigSky]

So will this make all the people that say DJ sucks happy or sad?  because this might mean he has to come back to MU! 

I've never seen anyone say James sucks.  I don't think anybody is that biased or agenda driven or clueless here.   

[Big Papi]

Tony Mejia has Dom as the fifth best PG in the draft.

I do find it preplexing that (a)  Dom is only on the waiting list for the Orlando camp and (b) Crean and company wasn't able to determine ahead of time that Dom was not going to be officially invitied before Dom declared.  If Dom does not get the opportunity to showcase himself in Orlando, he basically wasted away his one free chance to test the waters. 


http://www.sportsline.com/nba/draft/prospectrankings
 

[MUAlum99]

Does anyone have stats on how many of 24 invited last year became first round picks?

Invites to Orlando camp last year and where (if) they were drafted:

1st Round Picks:
-----------------------------
*Jordan Farmar (UCLA)
*Renaldo Balkman (South Carolina)

2nd Round Picks:
-----------------------------
**Denham Brown (UConn)
**Solomon Jones (South Florida)
**Bobby Jones (Washington)
**Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech)
**David Noel (North Carolina)
**Steve Novak (Marquette)
**James Augustine (Illinois)
**Will Blalock (Iowa State)
**JR Pinnock (George Washington)
**Craig Smith (Boston College)

Best of the rest (NOT DRAFTED):
---------------------------------
Terence Dials (Ohio State)
JP Batista (Gonzaga)
Brandon Bowman (Georgetown)
Daniel Horton (Michigan)
Eric Hicks (Cincinnati)
Chris McCray (Maryland)
Pops Mensah Bonsu (George Washington)
Carl Krauser (Pittsburg)
Dwayne Mitchell (Louisiana-Lafayette)
Darius Washington Jr. (Memphis)
Eric Williams (Wake Forest)
Allen Ray (Villanova)
Frans Steyn (Southwest Baptist)
Rashad Anderson (UConn)  
Dan Grunfeld (Stanford)
Brad Buckman (Texas)
Matt Haryasz (Stanford)
Taquan Dean (Louisville)
Victor Keyru (Dynamo St. Petersburg)
Tedric Hill (Gulf Coast CC)
Marco Killingsworth (Indiana)
Gerry McNamarra (Syracuse)
Mustafa Shakur (Arizona)
Paul Miller (Wichita State)
Steven Smith (La Salle)
Joah Tucker (Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Michael Southall (Louisiana-Lafayette)
Justin Williams (Wyoming)
Curtis Stinson (Iowa State)  
Kenny Adeleke (Hartford)
Morris Almond (Rice)
Keydren Clark (Saint Peter's)
Louis Amundson (UNLV)
Torin Francis (Notre Dame)
Bobby Brown (Cal State Fullerton)
Tarance Kinsey (South Carolina)
Nik Caner-Medley (Maryland)
Brad Newley (Townsville)
Sean Dockery (Duke)
Chris Quinn (Notre Dame)
Nick George (Virginia Commonwealth)
Antyane Robinson (Temple)
Taj Gray (Oklahoma)
Blake Schilb (Loyola-Chicago)
Coby Karl (Boise State)
Marcus Slaughter (San Diego State)
Yemi Nicholson (Denver)
Curtis Withers (Charlotte)
Ian Vouyoukas (Saint Louis)

[77fan88warrior]

99 nice work on players at camp and their results. I hope that DJ gets called in as an alternate and learns more about his game. I personally think it would do him good to find out whether he has it or not. I hope makes the right decision for himself.

[ChicosBailBonds]

So will this make all the people that say DJ sucks happy or sad?  because this might mean he has to come back to MU! 

I've never seen anyone say James sucks.  I don't think anybody is that biased or agenda driven or clueless here.   

I've seen a few people say it, unfortunately.  Usually as their 1st post and never to be heard of again.

[Murffieus]

I wonder what the chances are that if he doesn't get drafted he gets signed as a FA----or barring that goes straight to Europe?

[79Warrior]

I wonder what the chances are that if he doesn't get drafted he gets signed as a FA----or barring that goes straight to Europe?

ZERO.

DJ will be back at MU.

[SoCalwarrior]

I've seen a few people say it, unfortunately.  Usually as their 1st post and never to be heard of again.

At least it's never been said on this board.