[PaintTouches]Sources: Blue considering NBA draft

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

in some ways Vander is in the same situation.  if he can come back and hit the three next year, he's in great shape...if he can't, he's in a worse spot then he is in now.  

I don't think so.

I don't know if anybody is going to draft Vander based upon upside as much as they are drafting him to fill a role. He's not a 7' athletic freak who is still learning to play, and he's not a freaky athletic 18 yr old PG like James.

If he doesn't improve his shot, he'll be the same guy next year... decent athlete, little undersized, role player.

[tower912]

Vander, ignore everybody on this board.   Find someone you trust.   Listen to them. 

[jesmu84]

And I agree with the many folks here: Obviously, neither the NCAA nor the NBA gives a rat's rump about the kids. They should be ashamed of themselves for the rule change that prevents athletes from getting a true read of what NBA teams think of them before they have to declare for the draft. But since when do NCAA and NBA honchos feel any shame?

Never. I don't understand why athletes (except hockey and baseball) are treated so differently than any other student. If I could leave school after my junior year and get a good paying job with guaranteed salary, no one is going to stop me. No one is even going to stop me from asking companies if they'd hire me. And if I found nothing, I could come back and resume my schooling. But athletes get screwed.

[dwaderoy2004]

He wasn't projected after his freshman year because he didn't declare after his freshman year.  His best year statistically at MU was his freshman year and he had the Big East newcomers of the year award.  Maybe he wouldn't have been a first rounder, but it was they year in which without a doubt he would have been drafted highest.

That's incorrect.  He was in mock drafts in February of 2007, before he declared after the sophomore season.  If they thought he would be drafted after his freshman season, he would have been in mock drafts during that season.  And my point was that James was not going to be a first round pick after his freshman season. His stock was highest after his freshman year, no doubt, but that does not mean he was guaranteed to be drafted.

[Groin_pull]

Never. I don't understand why athletes (except hockey and baseball) are treated so differently than any other student. If I could leave school after my junior year and get a good paying job with guaranteed salary, no one is going to stop me. No one is even going to stop me from asking companies if they'd hire me. And if I found nothing, I could come back and resume my schooling. But athletes get screwed.

No one is saying he can't test the waters. What many are saying (myself included) is that he's not a first round pick. He's a 6'3" shooting guard without a consistent shot. There aren't a lot of NBA teams dying for a player like that.

[jesmu84]

No one is saying he can't test the waters. What many are saying (myself included) is that he's not a first round pick. He's a 6'3" shooting guard without a consistent shot. There aren't a lot of NBA teams dying for a player like that.

But that's just it. He can't go to workouts, or tryout for a team without losing amateur status. At least, that's what I thought the new restrictions were.

[MU82]

No one is saying he can't test the waters. What many are saying (myself included) is that he's not a first round pick. He's a 6'3" shooting guard without a consistent shot. There aren't a lot of NBA teams dying for a player like that.

You're wrong. The NCAA and NBA are saying he can't test the waters.

By changing the rules a couple of years ago, they have made it almost impossible for a borderline player to accurately gauge whether or not he should go pro.

It's purely an anti-athlete rule, and it sucks for Vander and everybody else who is screwed by it.

[dwaderoy2004]

Myself and others have thrown April 16th out there as the NCAA draft deadline, which it is.  However, I've been reading up on it, and it appears that, in a way, that deadline is irrelevant.  Vander can still declare for the draft up to the NBA deadline of April 28th.  The NCAA deadline is just the date which a player can withdraw that has ALREADY declared. As long as a Vander does not hire an agent, and trusts Buzz to keep a roster spot open, he can test the waters all the way up until April 28th.  The following article lays it out:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/57740/mason-plumlee-going-to-take-his-time

[ChicosBailBonds]

As the PT article points out,
"Ford also bumped Blue from the 90s of his top-100 list to No. 75..."

Hopefully, Vander takes the next week to figure out that the draft has 60 selections.

Of which only 30 are first rounders.  I wish him well, in whatever he decides.

[MU82]

Myself and others have thrown April 16th out there as the NCAA draft deadline, which it is.  However, I've been reading up on it, and it appears that, in a way, that deadline is irrelevant.  Vander can still declare for the draft up to the NBA deadline of April 28th.  The NCAA deadline is just the date which a player can withdraw that has ALREADY declared. As long as a Vander does not hire an agent, and trusts Buzz to keep a roster spot open, he can test the waters all the way up until April 28th.  The following article lays it out:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/57740/mason-plumlee-going-to-take-his-time

Thanks for the link. It provides good info.

An April 28 deadline still sucks and still screws potential pros who are weighing the biggest decision of their young lives.

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

Just hope he's getting good advice. And not from Uncle Tim...

Vander to Tennessee

[dwaderoy2004]

Thanks for the link. It provides good info.

An April 28 deadline still sucks and still screws potential pros who are weighing the biggest decision of their young lives.

Absolutely.  And, as the article lays out, the player can't actually contact teams without declaring, ruling out workouts, interviews, etc.  The coach has to act as the mediator.  Still not all that great for the player.

[reinko]

Wrk592 needs to get his camera ready

Post of the day.

[ChicosBailBonds]

When was the last time the NCAA did what's best for the kids?

All the time....the organization oversees almost 500,000 athletes every year, most of them having nothing to do with football or basketball.  People keep forgetting about soccer, volleyball, track, water polo, etc, etc, etc. 

[Bocephys]

Vander, ignore everybody on this board.   Find someone you trust.   Listen to them. 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you saying he shouldn't trust us?

[Benny B]

It's purely an anti-athlete rule, and it sucks for Vander and everybody else who is screwed by it.

So are HS recruits not considered athletes?  Think about this rule from the other perspective: the HS recruit whose offer(s) is contingent upon a player leaving school (i.e. staying in the draft).  IMO, the downside of a recruit being left in limbo during the spring signing period far outweighs the downside of a player (with borderline NBA talent) being forced to make a decision in the month following the tournament.

EDIT: Other scenario -- the player who loses a month contemplating transfer options because he may or may not get his schollie renewed depending on his teammate's decision.

[Litehouse]

Here's the list of SGs from draftexpress.com
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2013/

1st Round
2. Ben McLemore, Kansas
5. Victor Oladipo, Indiana
16. CJ McCollum, Lehigh
18. Archie Goodwin, Kentucky
22. Jamaal Franklin, SDSU
29. BJ Young, Arkansas
30. Allen Crabbe, Cal

2nd Round
3. Erick Green, Va.Tech
12. Nemanja Nedovic, foreign
14. CJ Wilcox, Washington
18. Michael Snaer, FSU
21. Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan
22. Brandon Paul, Illinois
28. Carrick Felix, ASU

So, is Vander better than these guys?  Is he better than BJ Young or Crabbe to have a shot at the first round?  Is he better than Snaer, Hardaway, or Paul in the 2nd round?  I'd say he's comparable to those guys at best, but that's an awfully big risk to take.

[Litehouse]

From nbadraft.net
http://nbadraft.net/2013mock_draft

1st Round
1. Ben McLemore, Kansas
10. Victor Oladipo, Indiana
14. CJ McCollum, Lehigh
16. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
25. Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan
28. Allen Crabbe, Cal

2nd Round
34. Archie Goodwin, Kentucky
37. Lorenzo Brown, NC State
38. Jamaal Franklin, SDSU
46. BJ Young, Arkansas
47. Brandon Paul, Illinois
50. Michael Snaer, FSU
52. Carrick Felix, ASU
55. Brandon Triche, Syracuse
59. Seth Curry, Duke
60. Jordan Aboudou, France

[brewcity77]

So, is Vander better than these guys?  Is he better than BJ Young or Crabbe to have a shot at the first round?  Is he better than Snaer, Hardaway, or Paul in the 2nd round?  I'd say he's comparable to those guys at best, but that's an awfully big risk to take.

If that's the list and they draft 6 SGs in the first round, Vander should absolutely go. The only 3 guys on that list I'd put clearly ahead of Vander are McLemore, Oladipo, and Goodwin. McCollum is a great shooter but probably shorter than Vander and didn't play against high-level competition. Vander is younger than all the first-round projected players except McLemore, Goodwin, and Young. And Young's career already looks to be trending down; he should have declared after last year.

What sets Vander aside is that his potential is proven. His game has been getting markedly better every year and he's still only 20 years old.

But as tower said, we won't really have any meaningful input. I want Vander back, but I wouldn't at all begrudge him leaving and think he might be able to capitalize as I definitely feel he's a top-5 SG of the guys that will be available (my opinion). Hopefully he and Buzz can get a good assessment between now and the end of the month and make the best basketball decision for Van.

[Golden Avalanche]

Is this really news?

Expected this the moment he won the Davidson game. He has to consider it.

[Silkk the Shaka]

The awesome Paint Touches piece on Blue's midrange game might point to the differentiator between Vander and the other borderline 1st round SGs.  I haven't seen a pull-up J like that in a while from a guy so young.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

All the time....the organization oversees almost 500,000 athletes every year, most of them having nothing to do with football or basketball.  People keep forgetting about soccer, volleyball, track, water polo, etc, etc, etc. 

And most of them will go pro is something other than sports.

[ChicosBailBonds]

And most of them will go pro is something other than sports.

Mostly for Enterprise Rent a Car....well, we also have about 50 here at work, solid kids.  On my team is a swimmer from Penn.  I have a Yale fencer as well.

[macman320]

I have awesome numbchuck skills

[Benny B]

Mostly for Enterprise Rent a Car....well, we also have about 50 here at work, solid kids.  On my team is a swimmer from Penn.  I have a Yale fencer as well.

Ask the kid from Yale if (s)he can build a fence around your swimming pool.  They hate that.