Since when has anyone done anything in the best interest of the student athlete?

I hope NCAA compliance offices are letting players know the situation. I haven't seen that many notifications of future eligibility in the news, mainly because teams with NBA talent are still playing, but I suppose I would have heard something from UConn's camp by now.

wildcats20;1125192 wrote:]

I mean yeah, they didn't "excel" but they would have been **** without him.

I would have liked to have seen what they would have been without him. I don't think they would have been putrid, a 26-7 team definitely not but I bet it would have been within 3/4 losses of that.

Azubuike24;1125256 wrote:The new rule is awful. It does nothing except put more pressure on kids to decide. The deadline is a whole ONE WEEK after the NCAA title game. That is very little time to discuss the matter with your family, let alone talk to people about your game, stock and possible jump to the NBA.

Add to that, the deadline was moved to BEFORE the NBA even starts their workouts. This means that unless you hire an agent (and sign away your college eligibility), you are very limited as to what information you can solicit from these people without breaking rules. So essentially, there is no more "testing the waters."

Just watch. This rule is going to confuse so many people this year, there will be a rude awakening in a few months. Eligibility issues. Articles in the media. Upset families. It hasn't gotten enough publicity and the bottom line is...this rule is NOT in the best interest of the student athlete.

I guess I'm viewing it different. It makes the decision easy for kids who are questionable. Go to school, work on your game and work towards finishing your education. I think you'll see less underclassmen opting for the draft because of the definite uncertainty. Of course there will still be the ones who are a sure thing though.

That's the problem.

The top picks, the sure-fire lottery guys...they are gone. Rule doesn't hurt them.

The fringe picks, the mid-late 2nd rounders or undrafted free agents...they are staying or going (usually for other reasons besides where they are going to be drafted). Rule doesn't hurt them.

However, that only eliminates about 25% of the prospects. The other 75%, is usually the group who really needs an evaluation and more information to decide whether to stay or go. What better way to get handle on this than going right from the source (the NBA teams and scouts themselves). While I HATE the college game becoming weakened, I fear that many of these kids are going to A) not fully understand the rule, enter the draft and be stuck or B) enter the draft (because there is some ego involved, always thinking you can be better) and listen to more people who DON'T have answers (agents, coaches, other players, etc...)). Yes, once the rule becomes well-known, players will adjust, but this is a groundbreaking rule change by the NCAA that has largely gone unpublicized. It has a MAJOR EFFECT on the college game, and it has been changed under the radar, so much so that there have already been articles about how coaches and players had no clue the process is different.

I do agree with you, I wish kids would interpret it as "well if I'm not a sure-fire lock, I'll just come back to school and be safe." That's easy for us to say as fans, but we all know how things are working in this world, that's just not the case. The NCAA knows this, yet still makes this rule. So yeah, my issue isn't as much with the ACTUAL RULE, because a rule is a rule, regardless of what it says. My problem is that I can already see that the rule hasn't been fully publicized and explained, and I'll predict it now, we ARE going to have some backlash in the next month or so because of this.

Remember the Dee Bost case from last year? We're going to see that this year, and instead of the NCAA being pinned into a corner, they are going to be able to lay down the law.

After the ordeal last Friday, I think a cleaning of house was in high order. I am indebted to Austin for giving me one of the great joys of my sports life, a moment that will likely forever stand as the greatest shot in the history of the Duke-Carolina rivalry, but, with that, also comes a swift goodbye. Losing to a 15 and then bolting isn't necessarily the makeup of the kind of team-first competitor that this program needs right now. Duke could very well be staring down the barrel of a shotgun and will need guys with the right mindset and commitment to the success of the program to stop a complete mess from happening.

I disagree with swami on one thing. For the Blue Devils to have any shot at Sweet 16 run next season they will absolutely require the services of a senior leader inside like Mason Plumlee. Without him, I'm not sure who is going to rebound or defend the basket. Unless Marshall Plumlee jumps in and make bigger impact than I anticipate.

That is where Tony Parker comes in, and a combination of Harison, Gbinije, and Plum3

swamisez;1125574 wrote:That is where Tony Parker comes in, and a combination of Harison, Gbinije, and Plum3

Hope you're right, but Mason is a pretty athletic rebounder and shot blocker for a kid that stands near six-eleven. Of the three guys you mention (even when you are grouping them together to collectively replace Mason), only Marshall has the potential for that type of skill set and I literally have no idea what we are going to see out of him. And I'm not about to believe anymore summer pick-up rumors. We all heard the whispers that Seth Curry was "the best player on the floor" in practice during the 2009-10 national championship season and that couldn't have been further from the truth. If that was true in 2010, then Seth must have been taking drugs this year.

Tony Parker would be a solid get. But, I'm not overly optimistic about landing him, especially after the comments you stated he made about Wojo (I believe that was him).

in the same article Parkers mother and girlfriend made it clear they want him to go to Duke.
The departure of MP2 would signal the opening for Parker, and I hope that the Duke staff can make it clear that he would be developed in the same way Boozer, Brand, Williams were.

swamisez;1125674 wrote:in the same article Parkers mother and girlfriend made it clear they want him to go to Duke.
The departure of MP2 would signal the opening for Parker, and I hope that the Duke staff can make it clear that he would be developed in the same way Boozer, Brand, Williams were.

That's positive to hear. Off to do some recruit reading. Thanks for the update.

swamisez;1125674 wrote:in the same article Parkers mother and girlfriend made it clear they want him to go to Duke.
The departure of MP2 would signal the opening for Parker, and I hope that the Duke staff can make it clear that he would be developed in the same way Boozer, Brand, Williams were.

Then I'd go somewhere else.

swamisez wrote:in the same article Parkers mother and girlfriend made it clear they want him to go to Duke.
The departure of MP2 would signal the opening for Parker, and I hope that the Duke staff can make it clear that he would be developed in the same way Boozer, Brand, Williams were.

hoops23;1125876 wrote:Then I'd go somewhere else.

Yes, because four combined NBA All-Star appearances (Boozer and Brand) and a No. 5 lottery pick (Williams) are ominous signs.

reclegend22;1125892 wrote:Yes, because four combined NBA All-Star appearances (Boozer and Brand) and a No. 5 lottery pick (Williams) are ominous signs.

Oh god... I forgot Williams was a lottery pick. That's even worse.

hoops23;1125894 wrote:Oh god... I forgot Williams was a lottery pick. That's even worse.

Well, all three are multi-millionaires and two are multi-time All-Stars. Brand was one of the best forwards in the game for years. He was just hidden on some pathetic teams. Have no idea why you are dissing on him. That's absurd.

reclegend22;1125908 wrote:Well, all three are multi-millionaires and two are multi-time All-Stars. Brand was one of the best forwards in the game for years. He was just hidden on some pathetic teams. Have no idea why you are dissing on him. That's absurd.

Giving you guys shit and it's working.

ccrunner609;1126139 wrote:But Oden was the right choice?

I think Rivers is a fool to try to jump this year. I cant believe that his dad would go for that. He has to know that he isnt ready. But AR is gonna get a higher draft stock due to the fact that his daddy is making phone calls.

At 25-22 the Boston Celtics will probably get their first pick in the Draft somewhere before the 20th overall pick and it would not be all that surprising if that pick was Austin Rivers. Rivers is currently predicted to go 15 or somewhere in that range.

Doc was asked about that possibility earlier this week and he said: "Intersting...It would be very interesting."

With Rajon Rondo's future up in the air and Ray Allen in the final stages of his, who knows.