Bad misses

[MUCam]

Does any oplayer in history have more absolutely atrocious misses more often than DJ?

[79Warrior]

Just don't see him going pro. I really believe he needs to develop and mature some more.

[lab_warrior]

Yeah, the jumpshots are WAY off.  Just bizarre.  Defnitely needs work on shooting if he wants to go to the association.   It's not like he isn't getting good looks, either.

[MUCam]

I wouldn't go so far as to say he isn't ready for the NBA. He has enough hype and enough absolutely phenomenal physical talent to warrant a first round draft pick. He might help out his game by staying a year, but that certainly wouldn't help out his financial situation. It is a tough call, but I think he declares and is drafted in the mid-first round. Remember, it is not whether or not he is ready for the NBA that matters, rather it is whether or not some team is willing to draft him...

But holy moly are those some bad misses.

[Wade for President]

MUCam...haven't heard the term 'holy moly' in quite sometime.  Very nice.

[spiral97]

MUCam...haven't heard the term 'holy moly' in quite sometime.  Very nice.

hmmm.. me neither.. must be time to break out the grumpy(ier) old men movies!

[mugrad99]

Has anyone in the history of MU basketball been more villified thean Dom. If it's not people talking out of their a** about Dom does not celebrate with the team when they win (South Florida) to Dom looking to raise his stock for NBA scouts more than he cares about the team (by taking NBA range 3 pointers).

I thought the attacks on Merritt were bad, but the jabs taken at DJ are much worse.

Think of it this way:  We've won 8 straight, were ranked in the Top 12. DJ over the last five games has played more like a true point guard (25 assists to only 6 TO), has played tough  D, and his 3pt % is better this year than last.  Sure, he's in a shooting slump, but many are acting like we should not start him.

OK rant over.

[Nukem2]

Bottom line is that DJ is playing well; but, his shot has been inconsistent.  Lets enjoy watching DJ.  Look at the alley opp and the great rebound and the 7 assists with no turnovers and good defense on Wednesday night.  Enjoy.  Whether his inconsistent shooting (from the field and the line) keeps him from the NBA this year, who knows.  In the meantime,  enjoy one of the better players in MU history.

[StillAWarrior]

BWhether his inconsistent shooting (from the field and the line) keeps him from the NBA this year, who knows.  In the meantime,  enjoy one of the better players in MU history.

Either way, Marquette wins.  If DJ leaves for the NBA, that is one more player representing the program and the University at that level -- it's great for Marquette.  If he stays another year, that's one more year we get to enjoy him at Marquette.  We can't lose.

Rest assured, when I was at Marquette in the late 80s and early 90s, I would have loved having to debate whether our Wooden Award Finalist sophomore point guard was going to bolt for the NBA or play for another year.  Just stop and look where this program is compared to where it was just 5 years ago.  Amazing.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Anybody see the Bulls vs. Sacramento last night? In the first half, Ben Gordon threw up at least two airballs and was just BRUTAL! I am in no way comparing Gordon's shooting ability to DJ, but DJ is obviously extremely streaky. What he needs is a consistent release point on his jumper, which is something he has struggled to do.

[spiral97]

1.) the thing is.. I don't think we're comparing him to other people or anything like that.. I think we're comparing him to what he is capable of... and we're not satisfied until he plays at that level.. and some are probably worried that he's going to go to the NBA and be a bust there unless he rises to his capability level.  this produces frustration that is often vented - which is then interpreted as slamming him.. true that the way such vents are usually phrased could be improved to come across more as constructive criticism or making it obvious that it stems from frustration.. but the bottom line is I think that the majority of people here do not wish DJ any ill and do not truly feel that DJ is not _capable_ of being a star.

2.) Like I said with the FT's, I am starting to wonder if he's over-thinking the shooting.  Maybe he just needs to forget about it and just let it flow from his hands.  I know if I think about how to type a word, I'll usually get it wrong.. but if I just go to type it and no thinking it'll flow right out without any issue (like my spelling and typing skills were downloaded into my fingers and deleted from my brain).

3.) I was quite happy with almost every other aspect of DJ's play on Wednesday night.  I said this in a different thread that was active during the game and I still stand by it:

DJ is doing exactly what we need him to do - be the point guard and run the offense.. I am astonished how much passing we are doing.. looks very very crisp in most cases too.  And it's all flowing through DJ.  He has asserted himself a few times for points as necessary but his guys are mostly doing it for him so he can just be the marshal.

To me, this part of his game made a big leap from the previous game.  So many times I went to count the number of passes made in a possession and I came up with 5, 6, and even higher!  Something else odd struck me suddenly during that game - I didn't really see much weaving!  Further, I didn't see DJ standing by himself just past mid-court dribbling the ball for 20 seconds.. even when he was staying in the same spot his feet and shoulders were generally moving all over probing his defender's plan.

[muwarrior87]

if Dom thinks he's ready for the NBA, he's gonna go, and as far as I see it, the team isn't going to be any worse of without him. Acker is a phenominal true point guard, doesn't shoot a lot but that's getting better and his ball distribution is great. Plus, he played H.S. ball w/ McSteal so that back court already has chemistry. The one thing we lose w/ James that Acker doesn't have is the explosive athletic ability but Acker still has a lot of it. I'm not worried about what James does and I really don't see anyone else to hype it up. I agree w/ the earlier post about Merritt too...this is way worse. Dom's D and distribution have been much better the past few games and i'm going to be greatful for that and the fact we're winning instead of picking apart another player that will hopefully give Marquette more national recognition if he does make the jump after this season.

[MarquetteVol]

if Dom thinks he's ready for the NBA, he's gonna go, and as far as I see it, the team isn't going to be any worse of without him.

I'd like to agree with that, but we simply won't be as good without him. If DJ comes back next year, we're a Top 5 team to start the year and discussed amongst the title contenders. If he doesn't, we'll be at about the same expectation level as this year amongst national media, fans, etc. Obviously, a lot can change to help overcome his loss. It's to be expected that McNeal, Matthews and Barro will continue to improve significantly - as they've been doing since they showed up on campus - and that will help ease a potential loss of DJ. But in the end, we're way better WITH him. It's  impossible to argue otherwise.

This is the first and last thing I'll say on the "DJ to the NBA" talk. It's kind of a tired subject. 

[MUHoopsfan6]

I was at an MU booster event and most of the team was present for this event.  Some jerk asked TC about Scot Merritt and said something like "when is Merritt going to start playing some decent ball, he's a terrible ball handler yada yada..."  I don't remember the rest that this guy asked, but Scott was right there behind Crean and I couldn't help but feel a bad for Scott.  I don't know if players, coaches or family members troll this board, but I would hope they could get honest objective and specific opinions not this boohoo kids gonna go pro let's bash him as much as possible so maybe he won't get drafted. 

The top post lost me when he basically said, DJ isn't ready ready for the NBA, but we would be a top 5 team with him next year.  Isn't that talking a little out of both sides of your face? 

The next post was just as good. DJ's not ready for the association but if we lose him it's no big deal we have a TRUE POINT GUARD coming in Acker.  I disagree, I think DJ has progressed at the point a lot.  We all know he is in a bit of a shooting slump but that happens to all players I saw Novak, TD and D Wade (all players I love) all have bad games and shooting slumps.  Those guys are all in the NBA and I think DJ will be in the NBA to.  Next season.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

My guess is that after the season DJ, his family, Coach Crean, and some scouts will talk about where he is likely to be chosen.

I know some people were talking if he is really ready, but the point is, only the teams chosing in the draft "know" that, and even they don't really "know", they are just speculating if the player they chose will be successful.

If he is a good bet as a 1st rounder, I think he should/will go.

Tough to turn down that amount of guaranteed money.

I know some people will say that staying in school might help him in the long run, but he should be able to get enough coaching and experience in the NBA environment to work the kinks out of his game. And, even if he doesn't improve, he will have made a nice chunk of change that will help set him and his family up for a long time.

If his NBA career fizzles, he can go back to school, get a degree, and still be 1000 times ahead of the average person under 30. I would love to have my degree and 1million in the bank, I'm sure I could start a successful small business with that amount of capital.

If it looks like he is going to be a 2nd rounder, he should/will probably come back. He has some flaws in his game, but nothing that couldn't be worked out and improved upon next year that will make him a 1st rounder.

Taking a non-guaranteed contract is risky, and it would probably take him a couple of years to get enough PT to earn a new deal (Travis is probably better than most of the PGs on his team, but is still struggling to get mins... thats just the way it works sometimes).

I would say he has the athletic ability and the basketball sense, but probably needs to work on consistency and shooting.

[downtown85]

From what I see, the 07 draft is light on point guards, the 08 draft has a lot of point guards including Rose.  I think he goes in 07.

[Big Papi]

I really believe that DJ should hold an open forum on one of the MU boards, this one preferrably, and have the posters on these boards decide what is in his best interests.  Forget him, his family, what his coaches have to say and what the scouts have to say.  They don't know diddly.    

[FrennA]

Good point Fanatic.  I'm 100% behind you - as long as it is known what that new forum is about (to discuss DJ's career decisions).  Kind of like how this one is about MU basketball, and how this thread and everyone who responded on this topic stayed with the theme of the forum......MU BASKETBALL............