MU Blue: Dumbest decision ever??

[MUrugger]

Fraschilla mentioned tonight how much MU needed Vander Blue and how much he needed them.  It was so obvious that he needed to come back for a senior year to have any chance of realizing the dreams that likely sprouted when he was about a H.S. sophomore.  He was never "there" but he was getting close.

Apparently Reggie Smith made some bad decisions, and I remember a decent Odartey Blankson being clueless, but has any MU player ever made a dumber decision than Blue did in leaving?

[wadesworld]

Do you know what Blue's needs were?  I don't.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Vander who?

[Dawson Rental]

Vander's still paying ball, but now he's getting paid for it.  I doubt that whether you (or Fraschilla) would be happy with his decision ever entered into his decision making process.

[MUrugger]

I have no idea what his needs were; feed his family, prove himself a baller, earn a degree??--I have no idea.

What I do know--from his own words--was that he dreamed to be an NBA basketball player.  He needed to stay in school and get better at his vocation if that was his dream.

[chapman]

I wouldn't mind being 22, making a good wage and working in Israel.

[jzpenguin]

He's getting paid to play, so I can't begrudge his decision.  But no question it hurt the team big time.  He would have been the perfect bridge between this year's team and the freshman.

[Dawson Rental]

I have no idea what his needs were; feed his family, prove himself a baller, earn a degree??--I have no idea.

What I do know--from his own words--was that he dreamed to be an NBA basketball player.  He needed to stay in school and get better at his vocation if that was his dream.

Oh, so this thread is all about how disappointed you are that Vander hasn't done better for himself professionally, and has nothing whatsoever to do with you being upset over a Marquette loss.  Weird timing, though.

[AirPunches]

It was a huge loss but at this point posts like this are just sour grapes. Teams that make deep runs in the tourney lose good players to the draft. It was a dumb decision but why post this now and not 2 months ago?

[MUrugger]

Hey LittleMurs, let's not overstate my disappointment.  Maybe my timing could be better, but the comment was mostly prompted by the announcer bringing it up.  I've seen a lot of versions of MU hoops through the years and I just can't too heavily invested in this bunch, though the last several years have been quite enjoyable, with many of the same faces.  That's fine; I can wait.

Really though, I'm OK.  Not disappointed, not disturbed, not sour...just not as invested in this team as I tend to get in most MU squads.  Is there now a frequent posting requirement?

And I really thought in launching this post there would be a lot of dumb moves recalled over the last 40-50 years or so.  Instead I've heard from the Vander backers and young sages reminding me how important making money is.  My expectations were too high.   

[Superfan]

Agreed it was a horrible decision for Vander and the team but it's time to move on.

[MU82]

If we want our program to be elite, or close to it ... elite programs lose great (or even very good) players early all the time. Some of them make excellent decisions, some don't. But it's just a fact of life near the top of the college heap. You bring in 5-star recruits, coach 'em up, let 'em develop. Some stay four years but many do not.

I don't think Vander made the greatest decision, but who the hell am I to know? He supposedly didn't like school and he obviously had somebody advising him who thought he'd get drafted, perhaps in the first round. Many, many, many folks on this board were convinced he'd be drafted.

But it's now ancient history. He ain't coming back. Deal with it.

[Dawson Rental]

Hey LittleMurs, let's not overstate my disappointment.  Maybe my timing could be better, but the comment was mostly prompted by the announcer bringing it up.  I've seen a lot of versions of MU hoops through the years and I just can't too heavily invested in this bunch, though the last several years have been quite enjoyable, with many of the same faces.  That's fine; I can wait.

Really though, I'm OK.  Not disappointed, not disturbed, not sour...just not as invested in this team as I tend to get in most MU squads.  Is there now a frequent posting requirement?

And I really thought in launching this post there would be a lot of dumb moves recalled over the last 40-50 years or so.  Instead I've heard from the Vander backers and young sages reminding me how important making money is.  My expectations were too high.   

There is no frequent posting requirement. 

Certainly, Vander leaving took an important contributor away from this team.  There is no way of taking from that that it was also a bad decision for Vander.  None of us knows how Vander sees that decision now, he could very well still be quite content with it.  Given that, I saw your thread title of "Dumbest decision ever??" as inviting an inane discussion which honestly I'm glad hasn't yet ensued.  I guess that we both have high expectations, just in different directions.

[keefe]

I wouldn't mind being 22, making a good wage and working in Israel.

The Israeli Defense Force has a long, proud tradition of excellence. I trust Vander Blue sleeps comfortably beneath the blanket of security of its dedicated warriors. Mazel Tov!

[willie warrior]

The picture of the two chick soldiers kissing reminds one of what our military seems to be striving for. Hope Vander is sampling some of that!

[GGGG]

I have no idea what his needs were; feed his family, prove himself a baller, earn a degree??--I have no idea.

Yet you think it might be the "dumbest decision ever?"

Classless.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

It doesn't matter, but it was a dumb decision no matter what his needs were. Had he waited one more year, he would've had a much better opportunity to meet whatever needs he had.

Besides, I suspect it was about needs. It was about getting some piss poor advice.

[Golden Avalanche]

Fraschilla mentioned tonight how much MU needed Vander Blue and how much he needed them.  It was so obvious that he needed to come back for a senior year to have any chance of realizing the dreams that likely sprouted when he was about a H.S. sophomore.  He was never "there" but he was getting close.

Apparently Reggie Smith made some bad decisions, and I remember a decent Odartey Blankson being clueless, but has any MU player ever made a dumber decision than Blue did in leaving?

Don't be a douche and put the failures of Buzz and his 13-14 squad on Vander Blue. When you want a discussion of bad decisions and who needs who look no further then the players on this roster. They've done enough damage to themselves.

[GGGG]

It doesn't matter, but it was a dumb decision no matter what his needs were.

That sentence makes absolutely no sense.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

That sentence makes absolutely no sense.

Yes it does.

[GGGG]

Yes it does.

If you have no idea what his needs are, how can you call the decision "dumb."  If the guy didn't want to be in school, and wanted to get paid, he got his wish.

And how do you know that if he would have waited a year that he would have been in a better position? 

[Goose]

Sultan

He obviously did not want to wait another year. Time to move on. I wish Vander nothing but the best in 2014.

[hairy worthen]

Sultan

He obviously did not want to wait another year. Time to move on. I wish Vander nothing but the best in 2014.

I miss Vander.  He was one of my favorite players, but you are correct. He is gone, time to move on. It was his decicision, so be it. Just because others selfishly don't like the decicision doesn't mean it was the wrong one for him.

[Goose]

Hairy


I am with you. Vander was my favorite player since DWade. Loved he bolted on Bucky and enjoyed watching him improve. Plus, he gave us some great moments last season.

[brewcity77]

I know you are but what am I?

In all seriousness, it definitely hurt our team. Van had the potential to be an All-American type as a senior, and losing that will kill any team. I think it had to do with Van's expectations. He seemed to see himself as an early entrant player so he was going to go regardless of what people in the know we're telling him. As far as a good decision or not, if he's making over 6 figures with all the benefits (house/car paid for, etc) it may well have been a good decision for him. Some guys do just fine overseas. All comes down to if he's able to provide for who he needs to provide for and if he's happy. If the answers to that are yes, he made the right decision, no matter the impact on our team.

Either way, spilled milk now. Wish he was here, but we need to find answers with what's left.