Imagine If DEnnis Smith & Giles came to UNC....
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With Shady involved, it won't be over til he signs his LOI. Jalek wants to be one n done and shady will pump that in his head relentlessly.
Unless you-know-who hammers us hard, I don't think I would worry about Felton decommiting.
Jalek Felton can be a "1-and-done" at UNC just as easily as he can be at Kentucky. So I'm not sure why Felton wanting to be 1-and-done is relevant at all.
My mind is seriously blown when I see the way some fans talk about or perceive these players who could be "1-and-done." This is not some new breed of basketball player, y'all. The same caliber of players that used to stay in college for multiple years through the 90s and early 2000s, generally leaves earlier nowadays. For the most part they're the exact same. There are a few guys each year that previously would have gone straight to the NBA from HS when they were allowed to do so. But guys like Kevon Looney, Myles Turner, etc. Hell, even Tyus Jones. Basically everyone who's 1-and-done that isn't "special." Guys like that... if they had come along 10-15 years ago, there is no chance they are 1-and-done. It's simply a product of the times that non-special players like that are 1-and-done. It's a complete joke, but that's how it is.
I personally hate it, but this is the new reality. I think it's ridiculous that 10-15 freshmen every year think they can be 1-and-done and all of them stick in the NBA for 10+ years. That is not realistic. The amount of roster turnover year-to-year in the NBA is not that significant to where literally every... single... year, a new crop of 15 freshmen can come in and all find a niche. It's absolutely ridiculous and stupid. I can just about guarantee you that a good half of the 15 1-and-done freshmen from this draft will end up in the D-league, out of the league, or fall off into oblivion in some capacity.
I understand y'all's frustration too, because it wasn't too long ago that we (Duke) were going through similar recruiting struggles. It was mainly with big men, but it was really all around. We were getting "good" players, but not the elite types that we landed with regularity in the late 90s and early 2000s. For instance, Greg Paulus was not on the level that Jason Williams was. They were both #1 point guards and 5-stars, but they were vastly different in terms of their pure talent.
Basically, with the current basketball environment, you gotta make a choice. Historically, both UNC and Duke have brought in the best of the best talent. UNC and Duke have made a living bringing in top 10-caliber players. That's how they've become the two best programs of the modern era. If you want to keep bringing in the caliber of players you've always brought in, you have to accept the fact that they could (or likely will) leave after 1 year. The alternative to not taking 1-and-dones is to become a program like Michigan State. You know why UNC and Duke absolutely own Izzo and Michigan State? Because UNC and Duke usually have the true top-end talent that Izzo and MSU simply cannot get.
It's not like y'all can say "I don't want 1-and-dones, I want a player like Ty Lawson who stayed in school." Those are essentially one and the same now. From Duke's perspective, Kyrie Irving was just like Jason Williams. Irving just came through in a different era, that's all it is. He wasn't like significantly better talent-wise than Williams. If Irving had come through in 1999 and Williams in 2011, it's likely Irving would have stayed multiple years and Williams would've been 1-and-done. The 1-and-done trend hadn't caught fire when Lawson was a freshman the way it has now. It's likely that a player of Lawson's caliber would be 1-and-done in 2016 (even though I think it's still in the best long-term interest of a player of that caliber to stick around). The reality of the situation sucks, but you can't ignore reality.
Like when I read y'all's board and see people say "Oh this guy is 1-and-done so we won't get him, this guy isn't 1-and-done so we might get him".... I just have to cringe. That is not how fans should look at this situation. It's safe to assume that top 5 level players in nearly every class will be 1-and-done, but like I said earlier, it's not like there's some new breed of player. You just gotta accept the fact that there's a chance a legit top 10-15 level prospect will leave after 1 year in this environment. Some may take longer to develop or choose to return to school (which is fine), and others might not miss a beat coming into college. I think the best way for blueblood programs, like UNC, to go about this era is to still recruit the caliber of players you always have. Like when people say K has "adjusted" to the 1-and-done era, I don't really agree. We would have recruited Tyus Jones, Winslow, and Okafor had they come through in 1984, 1994, 2004, or 2014. Elton Brand was the same caliber of player as Okafor. Grant Hill was on the level of Winslow. Tyus was like a new-age Bobby Hurley. It's not like Jones, Okafor, and Winslow are on a different level than guys like Hurley, Brand, or Grant Hill. We've always recruited those caliber of players. It was just a different era then, that's all it is.
I know this post is sort of all over the place, but the main point is that people in general need to look at this 1-and-done phenomenon differently than they do. It is not some new breed of player, we're basically dealing with the same caliber of player we've always dealt with. It's just a different era where everyone wants to go money-grabbing and thinks it's a race to the NBA. It is what it is. It's a fvcking joke. I hate the 1-and-done rule more than anything in sports. But if the alternative is to never land top 10-15 caliber players, then I don't think that's the best way for a blueblood program to go about this era of basketball. UNC has always, always, always landed top 10 caliber players, and they should continue to do so.
UNC has only landed one player since 2010 (Barnes) who had any business thinking about being 1-and-done. He could have been 1-and-done and turned out just fine, but he chose to return to school. That is very commendable. But I mean guys like McAdoo, Henson, etc. had no business being 1-and-done. People acting like they could have or should have been 1-and-done elsewhere are morons. But given today's environment, there's a possibility that players of that caliber could make the decision to leave. I think you just gotta take your chances on the best talent, especially when historically your program has been built on landing elite players.
I personally hate it, but this is the new reality. I think it's ridiculous that 10-15 freshmen every year think they can be 1-and-done and all of them stick in the NBA for 10+ years. That is not realistic. The amount of roster turnover year-to-year in the NBA is not that significant to where literally every... single... year, a new crop of 15 freshmen can come in and all find a niche. It's absolutely ridiculous and stupid. I can just about guarantee you that a good half of the 15 1-and-done freshmen from this draft will end up in the D-league, out of the league, or fall off into oblivion in some capacity.
I understand y'all's frustration too, because it wasn't too long ago that we (Duke) were going through similar recruiting struggles. It was mainly with big men, but it was really all around. We were getting "good" players, but not the elite types that we landed with regularity in the late 90s and early 2000s. For instance, Greg Paulus was not on the level that Jason Williams was. They were both #1 point guards and 5-stars, but they were vastly different in terms of their pure talent.
Basically, with the current basketball environment, you gotta make a choice. Historically, both UNC and Duke have brought in the best of the best talent. UNC and Duke have made a living bringing in top 10-caliber players. That's how they've become the two best programs of the modern era. If you want to keep bringing in the caliber of players you've always brought in, you have to accept the fact that they could (or likely will) leave after 1 year. The alternative to not taking 1-and-dones is to become a program like Michigan State. You know why UNC and Duke absolutely own Izzo and Michigan State? Because UNC and Duke usually have the true top-end talent that Izzo and MSU simply cannot get.
It's not like y'all can say "I don't want 1-and-dones, I want a player like Ty Lawson who stayed in school." Those are essentially one and the same now. From Duke's perspective, Kyrie Irving was just like Jason Williams. Irving just came through in a different era, that's all it is. He wasn't like significantly better talent-wise than Williams. If Irving had come through in 1999 and Williams in 2011, it's likely Irving would have stayed multiple years and Williams would've been 1-and-done. The 1-and-done trend hadn't caught fire when Lawson was a freshman the way it has now. It's likely that a player of Lawson's caliber would be 1-and-done in 2016 (even though I think it's still in the best long-term interest of a player of that caliber to stick around). The reality of the situation sucks, but you can't ignore reality.
Like when I read y'all's board and see people say "Oh this guy is 1-and-done so we won't get him, this guy isn't 1-and-done so we might get him".... I just have to cringe. That is not how fans should look at this situation. It's safe to assume that top 5 level players in nearly every class will be 1-and-done, but like I said earlier, it's not like there's some new breed of player. You just gotta accept the fact that there's a chance a legit top 10-15 level prospect will leave after 1 year in this environment. Some may take longer to develop or choose to return to school (which is fine), and others might not miss a beat coming into college. I think the best way for blueblood programs, like UNC, to go about this era is to still recruit the caliber of players you always have. Like when people say K has "adjusted" to the 1-and-done era, I don't really agree. We would have recruited Tyus Jones, Winslow, and Okafor had they come through in 1984, 1994, 2004, or 2014. Elton Brand was the same caliber of player as Okafor. Grant Hill was on the level of Winslow. Tyus was like a new-age Bobby Hurley. It's not like Jones, Okafor, and Winslow are on a different level than guys like Hurley, Brand, or Grant Hill. We've always recruited those caliber of players. It was just a different era then, that's all it is.
I know this post is sort of all over the place, but the main point is that people in general need to look at this 1-and-done phenomenon differently than they do. It is not some new breed of player, we're basically dealing with the same caliber of player we've always dealt with. It's just a different era where everyone wants to go money-grabbing and thinks it's a race to the NBA. It is what it is. It's a fvcking joke. I hate the 1-and-done rule more than anything in sports. But if the alternative is to never land top 10-15 caliber players, then I don't think that's the best way for a blueblood program to go about this era of basketball. UNC has always, always, always landed top 10 caliber players, and they should continue to do so.
UNC has only landed one player since 2010 (Barnes) who had any business thinking about being 1-and-done. He could have been 1-and-done and turned out just fine, but he chose to return to school. That is very commendable. But I mean guys like McAdoo, Henson, etc. had no business being 1-and-done. People acting like they could have or should have been 1-and-done elsewhere are morons. But given today's environment, there's a possibility that players of that caliber could make the decision to leave. I think you just gotta take your chances on the best talent, especially when historically your program has been built on landing elite players.
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Hi Nick! My brother you have a good SPIRIT. You post with good sense, I wish you a blessed evening.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
