Austin Rivers

[Aughnanure]

Yup and of the Big 3. 1 is currently in the NBA and none were drafted, once again my point. Try Todd being 6'3 but whateaver made up heights you want to use, go ahead. Its clear you are just as lost. If he plays 4 years there is no chance he gets drafted, assuming he improves as a starter hes GONE. No arguing it, his brother is OJ Mayo he will take off and go for the money.

But LOL still cant believe there was a Kobe comparison. Dear god I thought id heard it all.

Yeah sure, listed at 6'3. And Lazar was really 6'6.

[PGsHeroes32]

Yeah sure, listed at 6'3. And Lazar was really 6'6.

So since Lazars height is wrong in your eyes, todd's is too? Most people believe Jamil is really 6'8 rather than 6'7 so nice backwards logic there.

[wadesworld]

Yup and of the Big 3. 1 is currently in the NBA and none were drafted, once again my point. Try Todd being 6'3 but whateaver made up heights you want to use, go ahead. Its clear you are just as lost. If he plays 4 years there is no chance he gets drafted, assuming he improves as a starter hes GONE. No arguing it, his brother is OJ Mayo he will take off and go for the money.

But LOL still cant believe there was a Kobe comparison. Dear god I thought id heard it all.

So you don't think if Kobe had played 2 years of college basketball instead of his first 2 years in the pros there would be less wear and tear on his body?  You realize he has tendonitis on basically every part of his body, right?  You think an 82 game NBA season, plus up to 28 Playoff games, will have the same effect on a player's body as a 30 game college season?  Not to mention how much more physical the game is in the NBA and how much more physical the players are in the NBA?  OK, good for you.  Nowhere did I say Todd Mayo is like Kobe Bryant.  Just saying that Kobe's playing age is older than his actual age, and there is no doubt about that.

You realize that Todd was a 2 star recruit, right?  So 2 stars should develop into early-entry draft picks or else something is wrong?  OK  

Mayo is averaging 8.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, and 1.6 turnovers/game in 21 minutes/game.  He's (listed at) 6'3", 190 lbs.  How many 6'3" shooting guards are in the NBA?  Hint: not many.  He'll need to show he can play the point guard.  A good start to that would be having more assists than turnovers.  And then to actually play the point guard position.  With Junior and Wilson platooning there for the rest of this year and all of next year, and with Blue being the 3rd option for the next 2 1/2 years, Mayo will not be getting much time at the point guard.  None at all next year, that is for sure.  So I guess if he wants to leave early that is his decision, but it's a horrible one.

Look at DJO.  He's listed an inch shorter, but has a MUCH more solid build, a much better "NBA body."  Yet he very well may not even be drafted.  And he is averaging 18.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, and 2.5 turnovers/game in 32 minutes/game.

You really expect Mayo to put up better numbers than what DJO is putting up NEXT YEAR?  I hope you are right, but man, talk about raising expectations way too high.  DJO and Todd both have the same problem in regard to their pro prospects.  They are shooting guards in point guard bodies.  Are they both athletic?  Absolutely.  But they are also both small.  And neither possess point guard skills. Mayo's shot selection is not exactly a strength, and when he misses a bad shot he tries to make up for it by being overaggressive trying to get an offensive rebound and picks up a foul 90 feet from the other team's hoop that he had no chance to get the ball as it was.  He needs time to mature and to gain the skills for the position at which he will play in the NBA (point guard).

Wait, so Lazar would have been better off declaring after his junior year and not getting drafted at all, rather than getting drafted in the 1st round after his senior year?

Todd Mayo will leave when he thinks he has a legitimate chance of making a an NBA roster. Age doesn't matter that much. You don't leave a D1 program to go play in the D league just because you are 23. That's idiotic.

Thank you and well put.  That is hilarious.  Lazar and Todd were in the same situation.  So you're saying Lazar should have left after his sophomore year because he was an old sophomore?  So that he went undrafted and played in Europe and never made it to the NBA?  He's not better off being drafted in the first round and guaranteed a contract?  Hmm.  That is some VERY interesting logic you have going on there, Hayward.  Leaving early to go undrafted and play in Europe just because you're 23 years old is not a good decision.  Going from Europe to the pros after playing college in the United States does not happen very often.  Being drafted at 24 is more likely than being picked up out of Europe.

[Aughnanure]

So since Lazars height is wrong in your eyes, todd's is too? Most people believe Jamil is really 6'8 rather than 6'7 so nice backwards logic there.

Cause your logic that he'll leave cause "he'll be old" or something really holds up. Oooh, and because he has a brother in the NBA! Forgot how strong that unrelated point is.

[wadesworld]

Cause your logic that he'll leave cause "he'll be old" or something really holds up. Oooh, and because he has a brother in the NBA! Forgot how strong that unrelated point is.

Haha yup.  Age and family members in the NBA are the keys to an early entry into the NBA Draft.  Who cares about basketball ability and tools for the NBA?!

[schuess56]

This is why Mo Acker was so terrific.  A point guard, cool, calm and collected, who could run the team, AND score from the perimeter.   His senior year, he saved that team, and that was huge for Buzz at that point in his career.

Ok Cadougan is a better defender than Acker who was too small to be effective as a defender.  I get that.

There are recruits  out there like Mo  who MU could realistically land.

Acker is one of the most underrated players MU has ever had. 

[4everwarriors]

Some of Kobe's tendinitis is no doubt due to overextending his middle leg into places it had no business being.

[wadesworld]

Some of Kobe's tendinitis is no doubt due to overextending his middle leg into places it had no business being.

Haha. Good call

[reinko]

This is why Mo Acker was so terrific.  A point guard, cool, calm and collected, who could run the team, AND score from the perimeter.   His senior year, he saved that team, and that was huge for Buzz at that point in his career.

Ok Cadougan is a better defender than Acker who was too small to be effective as a defender.  I get that.

There are recruits  out there like Mo  who MU could realistically land.

Acker is one of the most underrated players MU has ever had. 

Willie Warrior just choked and died on his own vomit.

[PGsHeroes32]

Haha yup.  Age and family members in the NBA are the keys to an early entry into the NBA Draft.  Who cares about basketball ability and tools for the NBA?!

So todd mayo has no tools or basketball ability? Ok. You cant be this stupid seriousyl. IF TODD MAYO IMPROVES AND BECOMES A LEGIT BIG EAST STARTING GUARD LIKE EXPECTED.......HES GONE. Do I really need to bold. There is no chance he stays, he will test the waters and enter. All he needs is one solid season.

Guys do it all the damn time. Still waiting for why Kobe Bryant was compared to Todd Mayo.

[wadesworld]

So todd mayo has no tools or basketball ability? Ok. You cant be this stupid seriousyl. IF TODD MAYO IMPROVES AND BECOMES A LEGIT BIG EAST STARTING GUARD LIKE EXPECTED.......HES GONE. Do I really need to bold. There is no chance he stays, he will test the waters and enter. All he needs is one solid season.

Guys do it all the damn time. Still waiting for why Kobe Bryant was compared to Todd Mayo.

I think it's pretty hilarious that you are telling others that they cannot be this stupid when your posts are as ridiculously unintelligent as they are.  Who said Todd had no tools or basketball ability?  Because he does not have the tools or ability to play in the NBA does not mean he does not have any basketball tools or ability at all.  Pretty horrible logic.  And all "legit Big East starting guards" go pro?  Interesting.  Scotty Reynolds, Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Jerry McNemera, Jerry Smith, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on would tend to disagree with you.  But hey, man, again, just forget the fact that sometimes sticking around is a good idea if a player is not ready to play in the NBA.  His (half) brother is in the NBA and he will be 24 his senior year so he better leave early if he is a decent guard!  Would you consider DJO a "legit Big East guard?"  Wasn't he a "legit Big East guard" last year?  Why is he still here then?!

And again, where did anybody compare Kobe Bryant to Todd Mayo.  The point being made was that human age is different than NBA age.  A 30 year old 12th year player is different than a 30 year old 8th year player.  If you can't understand that I feel sorry for you.  Reading comprehension (and articulation of your thoughts in the written word) are clearly not strengths of yours.  MATC did you well, man...

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

So todd mayo has no tools or basketball ability? Ok. You cant be this stupid seriousyl. IF TODD MAYO IMPROVES AND BECOMES A LEGIT BIG EAST STARTING GUARD LIKE EXPECTED.......HES GONE. Do I really need to bold. There is no chance he stays, he will test the waters and enter. All he needs is one solid season.

Do you think Todd will get drafted by an NBA team with one solid season under his belt? I feel like a 6'3" shooting guard needs to have an all-american season to have a shot at getting drafted.

[MU82]

Pretty funny that what started as a "what-if" subject about Austin Rivers devolved into a when-is-Mayo-going-pro debate.

Some points:

1. Plenty of very good players stick around well past their 22nd birthdays to keep playing college ball. Lazar was an excellent example; he was almost 24 when he made his NBA debut. He had a very nice junior year and could have tried to go pro if only because he felt he was getting too old. He didn't.

2. There are all kinds of reasons guys stay in college when they could have been first-round draft picks after their junior seasons. Guys want to get their degrees. Guys simply love the college experience. Guys want to improve their draft prospects. Guys don't have pressing financial need. Jimmer Fredette averaged 22 points as a junior but returned to BYU for his senior season - and is glad he did. He was almost 23 when he made his NBA debut.

3. An underclassman might want to go pro but NBA scouts and GMs might strongly recommend he stay in college. One need look no further than McNeal and James for examples there; they tested the waters and learned the seas were too choppy, so they came back to the safe port that was MU. There are two sides to this decision, and if you ignore the NBA side telling you that you simply aren't ready, you won't be doing yourself any favors by leaving.

4. Just because a guy might not really be NBA-ready doesn't mean he won't leave anyway. This happens all the time, usually to horrific results for the kid. A player might get bad advice from those close to him. He might decide he can't stand one more year of pretending to take school seriously. He might not want to wait until he's another year older. He might have serious financial need. Mayo might fit any of these ... or might not.

Conjecture is fun. It's the reason we have this site and others. But there is WAY too much unknown for anybody to make even an educated guess as to what Mayo's future holds.

I, for one, will be happy if he just gets back to being the nice role player he was for MU before he hit whatever wall he hit a few weeks ago!

[muwarrior69]

Man, I wish I could make the same money those guys playing in Europe do.

[GOO]

I for one take it a year at a time and hoPe Mayo is back next year!  I'm not worried about the NBA either. He is the likely starter next year, but Taylor and Blue will push him for time. Would it be stupid for him to leave after this year - of course. But who knows, maybe he thinks Europe gets him
 to the nba faster or just becomes disgruntled at lack of playing time.  Or thinks he should get Blues minutes, etc. I take nothing for granted and hope he is here next year. Then we can see how he does and worry about the nba.

[GGGG]

So todd mayo has no tools or basketball ability? Ok. You cant be this stupid seriousyl. IF TODD MAYO IMPROVES AND BECOMES A LEGIT BIG EAST STARTING GUARD LIKE EXPECTED.......HES GONE. Do I really need to bold. There is no chance he stays, he will test the waters and enter. All he needs is one solid season.

You could say the same thing about Jamail Jones...doesn't mean it's gonna happen.  

I for one take it a year at a time and hoPe Mayo is back next year!  I'm not worried about the NBA either. He is the likely starter next year, but Taylor and Blue will push him for time.

That's a damn good point.  TJ Taylor could very well be the starter for DJO next year, and Mayo could be the first guard off the bench.  (Blue will still start at the wing like he does now....probably with Anderson and Jones backing him up.)  Or even if Mayo does start, Taylor will be getting minutes.  Mayo isn't ready to take over games like DJO is doing this year.  Mayo isn't yet matching what DJO did his sophomore year.  (Not saying he won't...)

[PGsHeroes32]

You could say the same thing about Jamail Jones...doesn't mean it's gonna happen.  


That's a damn good point.  TJ Taylor could very well be the starter for DJO next year, and Mayo could be the first guard off the bench.  (Blue will still start at the wing like he does now....probably with Anderson and Jones backing him up.)  Or even if Mayo does start, Taylor will be getting minutes.  Mayo isn't ready to take over games like DJO is doing this year.  Mayo isn't yet matching what DJO did his sophomore year.  (Not saying he won't...)

You can't say the same for Jamail? He hasnt even proven he can get sufficient garbage time minutes.

[PGsHeroes32]

Kobe Bryant averaging almost 30 ppg. Ya wear and tear is just killing him!!!!!!!!

[GGGG]

You can't say the same for Jamail? He hasnt even proven he can get sufficient garbage time minutes.

Why not?  If he improves he could enter the draft next year.  That's the same thing you are saying about Mayo.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Stay on topic, Hayward.

Do you think Todd will get drafted after a solid year in the Big East?

What kind of year do you think he would have to have to get drafted?

Let's establish this part of the debate.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Kobe Bryant averaging almost 30 ppg. Ya wear and tear is just killing him!!!!!!!!

Not picking a side in this fight, but wear and tear isn't the issue.  The issue is that the NBA drafts on potential.  At 24, they think you've already become what you're going to be as a player, with only marginal improvements.  At 19, 20, 21, they get caught up in what you COULD be three years down the road and place a much higher value on a 19/20/21 year old that is producing at or near the same level as a 24 year old in college.  I think that's the point people are trying to make.

Now back to your regularly scheduled pissing match!

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Not picking a side in this fight, but wear and tear isn't the issue.  The issue is that the NBA drafts on potential.  At 24, they think you've already become what you're going to be as a player, with only marginal improvements.  At 19, 20, 21, they get caught up in what you COULD be three years down the road and place a much higher value on a 19/20/21 year old that is producing at or near the same level as a 24 year old in college.  I think that's the point people are trying to make.

Now back to your regularly scheduled pissing match!

This is 100% correct, if the guy is 7ft tall. and/or an athletic freak.

Not a lot of 6' 3" shooting guards getting drafted on potential.