Curious In The Quon

[4everwarriors]

Sittin' here watching a boring ass NBA marketing extravaganza feeling like the Warriors' season has taken a dive into the all-gone machine. So far, are you following me?
Here's the thing, has the season long "DJ to the Association" topic been a major distraction to this year's team and affected their play, has Crean handled the situation in the best way possible, and or, has the coaching staff lost control of the team and essentially been tuned out?

[bananahammock]

i thought DJ played within himself last night.  did have a few to's but didn't force any bad shots.  while i think DJ has had his mind on the NBA at times this year (can't blame a kid when millions of dollars are in the fold) i think it's other coaches exploiting our weaknesses that is leading to our problems. 

[ToddPacker]

The only people that seem fixated on it are a bunch of people on the internets.

[AlumKCof93]

I thought DJ played much better on Saturday than he had in recent games.  I can't recall him forcing any shots and forcing shots was why I was so frustrated with him in the first place.  The only qualm I had about his game on Sat was his taking a dive on d with 30 seconds left that left L-ville open for a 3.  Oh, and his missed FT.  But overall he played well and there were many reasons why we lost that game.

[NavinRJohnson]

has the season long "DJ to the Association" topic been a major distraction to this year's team and affected their play,

No.

has Crean handled the situation in the best way possible

Yes. What situation?

has the coaching staff lost control of the team and essentially been tuned out?

No. I see little evidence to suggest otherwise.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I'm doubt DJ has been distracted by the NBA stuff.

I understand that people are human, and distractions happen, but DJ is constantly around teammates, coaches, and coach Crean himself. I doubt any of them would let DJ really get distracted.

Crean is known for running extremely demanding practices... so I doubt DJ could have his mind elsewhere and still survive the physical and mental challenges that all of the players face.

An old coach of mind used to say "Be where you are at", which basically meant if you are in the gym, then concentrate on playing ball... not your girlfriend, your homework, your dog, etc. etc. If he sensed that you weren't concentrating, you ran until he had your FULL attention.

I would suspect that Crean is very keenly aware of DJ's attention, and has made the appropriate adjustments.

I think the team and DJ are still very good, we are just watching the growing pains of a younger player and team.

[MUCam]

"I'm doubt DJ has been distracted by the NBA stuff."

- Not so sure I agree here. Assuming DJ's plan is to go to the NBA after this year, then every game he plays is an audition or interview for his future employer. It is impossible not to be distracted by that. It is not DJ's fault, but that is what happens when one starts thinking months ahead of where you are at. If, and remember it is an if, DJ made his intentions known privately regarding his possible entry, then it is clear that it has been on his mind. And, if it has been on his mind, then it was a distraction.

Again, I don't blame him. It is only human, but to say it isn't there is simply wishful thinking. I think he thinks about it a lot, and that has lead to some of his "superman" heroics...for better or worse. After the Duke game, DJ was a consensus first round pick. Now, maybe not such a sure thing. You think he doesn't hear/realize/think about this? Again, he is human.

As for the rest of the team, coaching staff, etc. I doubt that it is a distraction.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

"I'm doubt DJ has been distracted by the NBA stuff."

- Not so sure I agree here. Assuming DJ's plan is to go to the NBA after this year, then every game he plays is an audition or interview for his future employer. It is impossible not to be distracted by that. It is not DJ's fault, but that is what happens when one starts thinking months ahead of where you are at. If, and remember it is an if, DJ made his intentions known privately regarding his possible entry, then it is clear that it has been on his mind. And, if it has been on his mind, then it was a distraction.

Again, I don't blame him. It is only human, but to say it isn't there is simply wishful thinking. I think he thinks about it a lot, and that has lead to some of his "superman" heroics...for better or worse. After the Duke game, DJ was a consensus first round pick. Now, maybe not such a sure thing. You think he doesn't hear/realize/think about this? Again, he is human.

As for the rest of the team, coaching staff, etc. I doubt that it is a distraction.

I guess I can see that side of it because all players are human. I don't doubt that it may have some slight effect, but like I said before... I'm sure the coaching staff is keenly aware of what DJ is thinking and doing and making the appropriate adjustments.

These guys don't opperate in a bubble... but they also aren't surfing the internet and watching ESPN for 4 hours a day like some of us are. They are at class, practice, weighlifting, films, etc. They are almost always together and I'm sure his teammates help him stay grounded.

This coach and program has produced 3 NBA players in the last 4 years, so this isn't anything new for them. I'm sure they know how to get players attention and appropriately motivate them to practice and play MU style basketball.

[MUCHI814]

I don't think you can ever say that the NBA is not on DJ's mind, after all isn't that any of these guys ultimate goal.  However, when it comes down to it and he is playing in the game I doubt that when he is bringing the ball up or running the offense he is worried about inflating his NBA stock.  When it comes down to it and he is in the game his primary focus is to probably help out the team and win, I doubt his mentality is to impress scouts when he is pulling up for jumpers.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I don't think you can ever say that the NBA is not on DJ's mind, after all isn't that any of these guys ultimate goal.  However, when it comes down to it and he is playing in the game I doubt that when he is bringing the ball up or running the offense he is worried about inflating his NBA stock.  When it comes down to it and he is in the game his primary focus is to probably help out the team and win, I doubt his mentality is to impress scouts when he is pulling up for jumpers.

Well, he is human so it may have some small effect... I'm just saying he is with players and coaches all of the time that are pushing him to play well and help MU win... not for him to get drafted high.

He's in a competative culture that wants to win every time they step on the floor. There was an article a while back describing that DJ, Jerel and Wes as being EXTREMELY competative with everything they do.

Given that, I would guess that DJ is working hard enough an concentrating enough on his current team.

Also, I'm not sure NBA is the ultimate goal for these guys. I'm sure some guys might have that as a stretch goal, but most don't... just like most high school players don't dream about playing in college (they know its not realistic)... they dream about winning their conference or state tourny