Bradley yes/yes Hamilton borderline/no idea J Brown No/no Nobody else (undergrad obviously) unless Balby goes overseas
None of them should go, they're simply not good enough. They didn't have good stats, didn't take their team past the 1st round of the conf tourney or big tourney, and frankly stunk for the last half of the year. Will they go is a different question. Maybe some need to get money to their families asap, and if they can get drafted or picked up, then go for it, but I'd hope people are telling them to wait and improve dramatically on both ends of the court, become true players at their respective positions and then have a good soph year and bolt.
I believe the more appropriate question is will they go somewhere else - as in transfer to another school. I'm sure it was quite frustrating for all three this year, but to think any, or all of them are ready for the NBA is absurd.
This thread made me laugh out loud. The only one going to the NBA is Damion. Dex is not anywhere near ready. He pulled a Connor Atchley and fooled us all. As for the freshman, everyone will be back. Avery was no where near the player he can potentially be. Same thing goes for Hamilton.
Not saying I agree, but ESPN has him projected mid first round, as do several other sources. I have no idea of his personal situation which would push him one way or another. The Link
I'm sure Avery would get picked somewhere in the second half of the first round. And I'm not sure if his stock will ever climb higher, even if he improves demonstrably. He's never going to be a PG (his handles are never going to be good enough), and 6-2 combo guards don't go in the lottery. But his overall skill level and athleticism will place him in round 1. If he just wants to get his NBA career started, he should go. Otherwise I think he'll be well served playing and improving another year to maximize the number of years he plays in the league.
This blog explains why Bradley and other freshman may decide to come out (whether they are ready or not)---potential work stoppage in 2011-12 and the possbility of a lower salary structure once the league re-opens.The Link
Bradley can go the NBA. I'm sure he'll get lots of playing time if he stands in the corner and waits for someone to pass him the ball. I wish I could remember the analyst that made the following comment. He was dead-on. "Texas has 5 star talent with 3 star effort and 7 star egos."
Never underestimate the ability of pro scouts to think they can get more out of a player than a college coach can. CJ Miles comes to mind, and it seems to have worked pretty well for him. And if it goes wrong and they can't get anything out of him, it's no surprise that he probably wouldn't help a college team, either. Some guys are just naturally overrated by the AAU process, whereas we could just find a point guard from some Texas 3A high school who would perform better than what we've seen the past couple years with All-America recruits.
Bradley is a dreadful shooter. He regularly misses on 12 footers and lay-ups. If you are in the NBA and can't can an open 12 footer, you are on the bench. He is an outstanding defender and hustles all the time, but he is slightly built and would get mauled by the full grown men he will be asked to guard. Its like sending a teenager to a penitentary. I view him a better version of Justin Mason. Until he gets his FG and FT percentage into respectable range, why waste a 1st round draft pick on him? Too risky for a first round pick.
These guys are known entities before they get to college and play national schedules. This isn't football. The NBA knows who they want and what they can do with them years before they enter the NCAA. Bradley has the tools to be elite again. NBA coaches obviously think they can do this and they probably can. Rick Barnes, probably not. Was nice to see you in burnt orange Avery, but I understand, breh.
None of them are fit to go pro. Bradley and Hamilton would get drafted later on high school hype alone. But how could Avery play in the league when he is exhausted halfway through a college basketball season? Compare that to the nearly year-round NBA season with more than twice as many games, playing sometimes 4-5 times in one week, and frequently having to play back-to-back road games. Hamilton has no concept of defense. He'd be in the D-League in two weeks. Brown is not even in consideration as an NBA player right now. Some earlier poster said something about there being no NBA players on this team, and then spouted some nonsense about some guy named "JJ" Wall. Well Damion James is a guaranteed 1st round pick thanks to coming back to college. Just because we don't have the number one pick in the draft doesn't mean we don't have any future NBA players.
Scholarships are renewed each year. Assistant Coaches need to earned their keep and should be reviewed based on their performance. The pieces that don't fit or (most importantly) don't want to fit needs to go. Rick needs to think about what is good for this the team instead of the individuals. We need to go the junior college route if necessary for players and there are many young assistant coaches who would jump at the chance to come here. There was no identity or cohesiveness at all with this year's team. Even though I think Calipari a scumbag, he did what was necessary to be successful at Kentucky. He cleaned house and brought players he needed to mold into a team. This ship is sinking if Barnes keeps on with his current plan.
Since when was Bradley an NBA candidate? Now that would be a laugher. The kid needs some serious help on his game, like at least 2 more years of improvement.
"You can't even make free throws, what makes you think you're ready for the NBA??" One of the more flawed comments from this board, and that's a laugher to begin with. James CAN be a decent bench performer for a team willing to take a risk on him, but he'll have to adapt his game dramatically to contribute. Less handling and more quick looks would be a good formula for him. I can see him being an Eduardo Najera type if he learns to control his upper body a bit more, but he's never going to amount to much if he's trying the same stuff that he did at Texas. Anyone else think Brandon Mouton would amount to much in the NBA? Probably the same ones thinking that James has a shot to do something special in the league. It makes me wonder what our team would be like if Dex/James had left last year and the old "right to the NBA" rule was still in effect for Bradley and Hamilton. We could be like Division II bad.
