What players should have gone to school to hone their skills? Many players, such as Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant needed little to no college experience at all to be a success in the NBA, with Anthony being the only one attending college at all. But there are some players who should have stayed in school or gone to college all together. <u>My List</u> Still very good, but... Josh Smith- I know this kid can really play, but I could have seen him being sort of a mixture of LeBron and Jermaine O'Neal had he gone to college. He has all the skills, he just never got the time to utilize those skills and master them in college. Lamar Odom- He has literally every skill offensively needed to be a perennial all star in this league. He is just too inconsistent. Had he stayed in Rhode Island for a couple more years, I could have seen him as one of the current greats in the NBA. Could have used college: Sebastian Telfair Darius Miles Desperately needed college Gerald Green Ndudi Ebi Leon Smith Kwame Brown Any others I'm completely missing?
Moses Malone, KG, Kobe, Tmac, Jermaine O Neal, Lebron, Dwight, Al Jefferson, Monta Ellis and Andrew Bynum. But seriously, Shawn Kemp, Darius Miles (Maybe could have accomplished more), Eddy Curry (probably would have been in better shape and developed defensively better).
I'm sure there are others, but being a Blazer fan, Telfair is the one who stands out to me. He was planning on going to Louisville and playing for Pitino. He was considered a reach when he was picked at 13, and he probably was in hindsight, but how high could he have gone if he had played for a year or two under Pitino, in a system that would have fit him perfectly?
Donte Greene, Andray Blatche, Martell Webster, Dorell Wright, Robert Swift, Desagana Diop, Eddy Curry, Al Jefferson, JR Smith, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Daequan Cook, Louis Williams. All to bulk up more, learn to play defense. Or in Diop's case, to learn how to play on offense. Or, in some players' case, to learn to play on both sides of the court. Also, for maturity reasons, for many of the players.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lavalamp @ Jun 29 2008, 12:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Moses Malone, KG, Kobe, Tmac, Jermaine O Neal, Lebron, Dwight, Al Jefferson, Monta Ellis and Andrew Bynum. But seriously, Shawn Kemp, Darius Miles (Maybe could have accomplished more), Eddy Curry (probably would have been in better shape and developed defensively better).</div> Shawn Kemp? Whyyy he was awesome. He's gonna be a hall of famer, I swear
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 28 2008, 11:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Donte Greene, Andray Blatche, Martell Webster, Dorell Wright, Robert Swift, Desagana Diop, Eddy Curry, Al Jefferson, JR Smith, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Daequan Cook, Louis Williams. All to bulk up more, learn to play defense. Or in Diop's case, to learn how to play on offense. Or, in some players' case, to learn to play on both sides of the court. Also, for maturity reasons, for many of the players.</div> Not to be a homer or anything, but IMO Al made a pretty good choice of coming out early. 21 ppg and 11 rpg is pretty respectable. The rest I understand though.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tim @ Jun 29 2008, 01:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 28 2008, 11:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Donte Greene, Andray Blatche, Martell Webster, Dorell Wright, Robert Swift, Desagana Diop, Eddy Curry, Al Jefferson, JR Smith, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Daequan Cook, Louis Williams. All to bulk up more, learn to play defense. Or in Diop's case, to learn how to play on offense. Or, in some players' case, to learn to play on both sides of the court. Also, for maturity reasons, for many of the players.</div> Not to be a homer or anything, but IMO Al made a pretty good choice of coming out early. 21 ppg and 11 rpg is pretty respectable. The rest I understand though. </div> Idk, I don't like his defense. I know it may not be too big, and he still has the chance to become a passable defensive player...but I'm wondering how much better he would be on defense if he went to a good college with a good coach that would teach him some defense.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 28 2008, 11:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Donte Greene, Andray Blatche, Martell Webster, Dorell Wright, Robert Swift, Desagana Diop, Eddy Curry, Al Jefferson, JR Smith, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Daequan Cook, Louis Williams. All to bulk up more, learn to play defense. Or in Diop's case, to learn how to play on offense. Or, in some players' case, to learn to play on both sides of the court. Also, for maturity reasons, for many of the players.</div> Donte Green- To early to tell he hasn't even played a game yet Robert Swift- i waz a pretty big fan of his. The kid could have been really good,but injuries really messed him up. Al Jefferson-20 and 10, I mean dudes been able to produce since his rookie year. JR Smith- He strikes me as a player who would have gotten worst in college. His main weapon is to score, and he would have been going into a team with May, Felton, McCant, Marvin. So he would have had to share his shots. Brandon Wright and Spencer Hawes- Both have shown flashes of being really good players, but it's to early to tell.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (o.iatlhawksfan @ Jun 29 2008, 01:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 28 2008, 11:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Donte Greene, Andray Blatche, Martell Webster, Dorell Wright, Robert Swift, Desagana Diop, Eddy Curry, Al Jefferson, JR Smith, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Daequan Cook, Louis Williams. All to bulk up more, learn to play defense. Or in Diop's case, to learn how to play on offense. Or, in some players' case, to learn to play on both sides of the court. Also, for maturity reasons, for many of the players.</div> Donte Green- To early to tell he hasn't even played a game yet Robert Swift- i waz a pretty big fan of his. The kid could have been really good,but injuries really messed him up. Al Jefferson-20 and 10, I mean dudes been able to produce since his rookie year. JR Smith- He strikes me as a player who would have gotten worst in college. His main weapon is to score, and he would have been going into a team with May, Felton, McCant, Marvin. So he would have had to share his shots. Brandon Wright and Spencer Hawes- Both have shown flashes of being really good players, but it's to early to tell. </div> Of course Al Jefferson can rebound and score, we all know that. Defense is what wins, though. That's what I'd like to see him improve upon...and what I think he could improve upon. Smith and Greene have maturity issues and problems on defense. They could improve with college, if they take the time. Since they won't, it'll take even more time for them to improve in the NBA...in fact, they may not improve in those aspects at all...ever, throughout their careers. Wright, Hawes, and Swift are players that needed to stay in college to bulk up, toughen up, and learn a few more things before jumping into the NBA. Hawes and Wright still may be perfectly fine though, and are very likely to have good NBA careers. I'm just wondering how much better they could be if they stayed in college a little while longer.
Anyone thinking of LeBron James, Guy came from St. Vincent - St. Mary High School to early, he could of been better if he went to college.
How about every HS kid except for LeBron and Kobe. seriously some of'em put up good numbers (T-Mac, JO) but all are lacking in basketball IQ when it comes to playing with the pressure of the playoffs and it shows time and time again. Kobe caught a break of playing for Phil and with Shaq and going to veteran team via trade on draft day and thus was given the opportunity to grow with his playoff experience. LeBron is a freak of nature and has shown a desire to be great and has lead his team to the finals because of his own personal drive. T-Mac, Jermaine O'Neal, Telfair, Green, Al Jefferson etc etc, would have all benefitted from a year or two of college exposure and the pressure of big conference and March Madness games. Too many HS kids dominated the game too easily and never played in the atmosphere needed to grow the intangibles needed to be a success in big games.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Celtic Fan @ Jun 29 2008, 03:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>How about every HS kid except for LeBron and Kobe. seriously some of'em put up good numbers (T-Mac, JO) but all are lacking in basketball IQ when it comes to playing with the pressure of the playoffs and it shows time and time again. Kobe caught a break of playing for Phil and with Shaq and going to veteran team via trade on draft day and thus was given the opportunity to grow with his playoff experience. LeBron is a freak of nature and has shown a desire to be great and has lead his team to the finals because of his own personal drive. T-Mac, Jermaine O'Neal, Telfair, Green, Al Jefferson etc etc, would have all benefitted from a year or two of college exposure and the pressure of big conference and March Madness games. Too many HS kids dominated the game too easily and never played in the atmosphere needed to grow the intangibles needed to be a success in big games.</div> Kevin Garnett? By your criteria, I personally would put him w/ LeBron and Kobe, what do you think?
For a couple of these kids, how many would have qualified for college? I'm sure the NCAA gives more leeway to top programs than say my beloved employer, St. Bonaventure University, but there still have to be some standards. Gerald Green would have been helped by some college years, but I'm not entirely sure he is literate, which I think is a requirement, even for Bob Huggins' teams. Honestly, I think everyone would benefit some way from going to or graduating from college, not just on the court but also off of it, which is probably why I am working at a college now. For specific players, I don't have any to add that weren't already named, particularly by Pegs. As for Al Jefferson, atleast from his time in Boston, he was entirely incapable of completing a pass out of the post. I think that will be the major failing of the Love trade. Miller and Love are both good pieces, but Jefferson is a horrid passer and that will hinder that offense clicking like it should. Jefferson would have been helped greatly by having to play in a real offense that would expect him to pass out of the post would make him a truly dominant player.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tim @ Jun 29 2008, 04:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Celtic Fan @ Jun 29 2008, 03:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>How about every HS kid except for LeBron and Kobe. seriously some of'em put up good numbers (T-Mac, JO) but all are lacking in basketball IQ when it comes to playing with the pressure of the playoffs and it shows time and time again. Kobe caught a break of playing for Phil and with Shaq and going to veteran team via trade on draft day and thus was given the opportunity to grow with his playoff experience. LeBron is a freak of nature and has shown a desire to be great and has lead his team to the finals because of his own personal drive. T-Mac, Jermaine O'Neal, Telfair, Green, Al Jefferson etc etc, would have all benefitted from a year or two of college exposure and the pressure of big conference and March Madness games. Too many HS kids dominated the game too easily and never played in the atmosphere needed to grow the intangibles needed to be a success in big games.</div> Kevin Garnett? By your criteria, I personally would put him w/ LeBron and Kobe, what do you think? </div> You saw how shook he was in the playoffs, bricking free throws. Kobe shouldn't be let off, either - you saw how he's done in pressure situations in the playoffs. I think Lebron may be the only exception - and even his defense is iffy.
