Udoka closing in on decision?
- Thread starter Ozheelfan
- Start date
The sad thing is, if he's had an account for 15 years, he should be past the age where trolling is somewhat acceptable, which ends once you turn 10 or so.
Don't fret guys, he can't respond.
One thing... Please name ALL of the INJURED UNC players who never recovered from an injury please. Also, Meeks can play but this season has been inconsistent at best. He also still needs to improve in almost every area of the game (jmho)...
Meeks is injury-prone . He has had injuries every year and has ongoing weight issues.. up and down every year. I was referring to injured bigs....Let be rattle off a few..Greg Oden, Joel Embiid, Ralph Sampson, Isaiah Austin, Yao Ming, Kevin Durant.....I can go on and on. The attached link sheds some light on the injury history of bigs in the NBA. Meeks is a second rounder whether he goes this year or next year. I love Meeks and would love for him to return, but as I said above, I see no "personal" benefit for him to return. Paige will suffer by not leaving after his sophomore year. For every player that you say will benefit by staying another year (Brice), I can rattle off one that will suffer by staying around (Paige).
I'm very consistent on this. I think it is a bad decision for Giles to play for Duke next year coming off surgeries on both knees. He is taking a big risk. It's hard to argue about something like this. The fan in me wants Meeks to come back, but the business side says leave.
http://nesn.com/2011/01/top-10-injury-prone-big-men-in-nba-history-include-greg-oden-yao-ming/
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I would love to see this thread closed out. UA's decision is history but discussion goes on having nothing to do with original topic.
There's a lot wrong with this post. If I may,...
None of those guys except Oden were injured in college so I don't understand how that proves any point. I mean, none of those guys passed up a chance to be drafted and then lost money because they waited a year too long before entering the draft. So what's the point you're making? That Big men are susceptible to injury? Ok. Does that mean every college basketball big man should attempt to go pro after their first year, because after all, they could get hurt? That's a silly and reactionary stance. I could get hit by a bus every time I leave the house. Should I just never leave the house?
No personal benefit? So graduating isn't a personal benefit? Learning and honing your leadership skills as a captain of the team isn't a benefit? Overall development as a player and a person isn't a benefit? Weird position to take. I agree that Meeks is never more than a second rounder. But you believe he should cash in at the first chance he gets. I believe he should prepare in case he never gets the chance to "cash in".
Maybe. But Paige was never highly sought after because of his diminutive stature and his less than ideal PG skills. So IMO, he was never really seen as more than a late first round gamble but more likely a second round pick - which he still is. And that statement is also insinuating that the goal of every player in college basketball is to play NBA ball. I just don't believe that to be true - especially really smart guys like Marcus Paige. I'm sure he'd like to play ball for money one day. But Marcus will be successful regardless of what he chooses to do. And part of the reason that's true, is because he's battled a lot of adversity through his time at UNC. He grew up in many ways at UNC. He became a leader at UNC. And that will serve him well wherever he goes.
Steatty my man, are you in some way inferring that Meeks is anywhere close to the level of Greg Oden, Joel Embiid, Ralph Sampson, Isaiah Austin, Yao Ming, Kevin Durant? In college any of those guys, I would buy your argument about injury, because every one of those guys were already NBA lotto level guys, Meeks is no where close to being at that level.
The guys you referenced had a double ton more to risk than Meeks does. You said it yourself, he already seems a it injury prone so already having that tag means he should come back and play thru an entire college season in order to show that he is not so prone to injury. But aside from that, the kid is at best very late first round and I would not be surprised at all to see him un-drafted at this point. I don't think there is a single metric other than maybe pushing some weight that meeks would be considered as anything but below average. Height, reach, verticle, agility are all very critical NBA measures and Meeks is below the cut line on all of those.
BUT, if he can develop a go to mid range jump shot, go thru a season without missing games, play more physical he could carve out power forward room in the league. These things I am suggesting are actually things I think the kid can actually do that he has been lacking so far.
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Gun, you make some great points and most important one you make is that he is second-rounder at best. The chances of him improving his NBA stock is slim, at best. Embiid suffered an injury before he got drafted and is still injured. There is some question on whether he will ever play in the NBA. At minimum, Embiid at least got rookie contract money. The point I failed to articulate very well is that bigs have a disproportionate amount of major injuries in the NBA. Whether these players suffered their career ending injuries in college or the NBA is a moot point. Bottomline, there is a disproportionate amount of career ending injuries to bigs in the NBA. Meeks can work on those other basketball skills after he leaves UNC and get his degree later in life. I have told you all along that I'm looking at this from a business standpoint, and being a financial advisor in real life I would recommend he leave after this year. Meeks is injury-prone and that is even more of a reason for him to leave. I would love for Meeks to come back, but I just don't see it happening. Another thing to consider is that no one knows what NCAA sanctions (if any) will be coming down from te NCAA. That will not be known until long after the draft. Plus, the team will not be as good next year. But, in my opinion, the primary factor is that his stock will not be higher by staying another year and the injury factor. I know my position is not popular on the board.
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Dave, see my post to Gun. You make some good points. But let me say put it another way that may be more acceptable...."I don't think Meeks is coming back, but I'm hope I'm wrong"...lol We will all see in a few months. Hey, I'm not going to be upset if he comes back.
Please understand that I too am not forming my opinion based on my desire for him to stay. But you continue to disregard secondary development - that is development in areas outside the 94 feet. As I stated, Meeks would have a chance to be the team captain next year. That's better leadership development than you can get for $50,000 and a week with Zig Ziglar. That cannot be overlooked. And as we both agree, he's never more than a second round pick. So why not be a second round pick with exceptional leadership skills instead of being just a second round pick? Why not be a second round pick with a college degree rather than just a second round pick? Injury? I guess that's something that could happen. But good god man, you have to live life. If I woke up every morning and worried about what could happen, I'd never do anything.
I didn't say he hasn't improved. He has vastly improved. But the way that he plays is not going to change. He's always going to be a below the rim player who has to use his body and angles to be effective. Always has been, always will be. Coming back and being with Jonas another year will help some, but he's not going to be Vince Carter...ever. When I said he's the same player now as he was a freshman in high school, that's what I meant...stylistically he's the same.
Gun, good points but we will have to agree to disagree on this. I feel like we are arguing a baseball arbitration case. It's not a good feeling and no body is happy about it. Who is an authority to say that Meeks cannot attain the leadership skills mentioned by returning to UNC to pursue his degree later if an NBA career does not materialize? Many players have gone back to get their degrees later in life. Roy made a point in his staff meeting the other day that many may have missed. He said there has only been 4 players in his 37 years of coaching that have ever missed being on time to a shoot around or practice. Meeks was the 4th. This probably does not mean anything, but it is interesting to make a note of.
Regretfully, many of the players today do not have the values of the past. It's all about money and how much money you "think" they can make.
I still don't even agree with that. He can step out and hit 12-15 footers, something he didn't really do in HS. And he uses his body and angles underneath because he's a good big man with good feet. Hell, David Robinson used his body and angles too and he's maybe the most complete center to ever play. Why do you want him to change his style?
Wasn't Embiid injured in college? He hasn't yet set foot on an NBA court has he?
