With the baseball team's success I think we're forgetting that one of our own is projected to be a top 10 pick in this year's nba draft :thumb: In this week's ESPN the magazine, Ric Bucher has his mock draft listed and has Mr. Randolph going 9th to michael jordan and the bobcats making their starting line up pg- raymond felton sg- jason richardson sf- gerald wallace pf- anthony randolph c- emeka okafor Also, he has every player rated as one of the following: the club cornerstone core guy borderline starter top reserve one tool specialist Anthony Randolph is the ONLY Club Cornerstone other than Derrick rose, putting him ahead of michael beasley, oj mayo, kevin love, eric gordon, and the rest of the players in this year's draft.
With Sean May coming off of surgery and overweight and Davidson still developing, Randolph could start and star right away. That team has gotten a lot better since Felton moved permanently to the point and with the return of Morrison, and maybe Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats might make a little noise, and more importantly Randolph could get in the spotlight sort of like Roy did with the Trailblazers. One of the analysts I saw yesterday said the general consensus about him is he is the biggest sleeper and may have the most potential.
I just don't feel like the kid is "one of our own". Same way I feel about Tyrus Thomas and Brandon Bass. Kids were never all that happy to be here and bolted at the first opportunity. There is a common denominator, however, and said denominator is no longer employed by the university.
its basketball though, the nba has totally watered down the college game, even though it is still probably the most exciting thing to watch in the post season when your team isnt there. making it to where kids had to come at least a year, helped a little, but its not like it used to be. there are still great players that come through the college ranks, but to these kids its just not worth risking injury to stay when they could have a huge payoff. And these kids also alot of the time, dont have positive role models in thier lives helping make good decisions. I will always cheer for Bass, Thomas, and Randolph in the nba though, as long as you dont transfer to another school, or end up coaching a nemesis, once a tiger always a tiger. :LSU231:
right, In basketball it's different.. I can only think of reddick and morrison as people that were truly parts of their universities
I certainly think that this sentiment is ONE aspect of the game. The one and done rule certainly has its flaws (i.e., what's the point of only 1 year right?), but at the same time, the alternative is that college campuses NEVER see these kids play at all. Case in point, Kevin Durant is back at UT campus, playing pick up games with his old teammates and taking summer school, in Austin right now. If there was no rule, he wouldn't even be thinking about getting a college degree from UT. :nope: And, UT fans got to pay non-NBA prices to see a lottery pick light it up in Irwin. Sure, it creates a little bit of "team" transitional issues, but as the 'horns saw, a good coach and good players (i.e., DJ Augustin) can pick it up after a one and done leaves and actually play better. You also have to remember that 95% of college kids do play to get a college degree and work their tails off (thank you, Garrett Temple, Alex Farrer, Chris Johnson, etc.! ) It's just the way of the future, until the NBA says "one year isn't enough", which is a little bit of a sentiment, but probably won't change anytime soon. I don't harbor any ill-will at Anthony Randolph...he's a big-time Dallas signing for LSU, who went to LSU, will land at a NBA team and will be another LSU pro alumn, who might someday get his degree from LSU (like Shaq') and be a part of our basketball legacy. LSU will get a little pub on draft night, and Anthony will go in the lottery. I DO have some beef with guys who leave when they're assured of being in the second round or not even, however, because then, it's a harder call. But, at the end of the day, you can't keep these kids from making a living. Brandon Bass was a close call for me, b/c I think one more year would have had him making more $. Tyrus, good for him--he wouldn't have been a number 4 pick if he stayed. Big Baby, I kind of think could have stayed, but not sure early second round was too far off. So, I'll be watching draft night, hoping Randolph does well. As for what Trent Johnson brings, I really don't think this will change too much. Look at the Lopez twins, they both are bolting after a couple of years too. Just part of the game. And the key for the new staff is getting LSU to the point of consistently good recruiting classes made up of good 4 year players with a few very good impact (one and done) players year in and year out, so losing the Randolphs of the world doesn't hurt as much. :geauxtige LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. BE A PART OF THE TRENT JOHNSON ERA.
I'd just as soon be done with the one-year-rule. Yes, it means the 5 or 10 best high school players each year will never play the college game, but in my opinion Randolph is a prime example of what's wrong with it. He came in and played, but had one eye on the NBA at all times. He was a one-year mercenary who, in the end, did absolutely nothing for us. He led us nowhere, and now he's gone. I just can't bring myself to have the warm fuzzies about him. In contrast, I don't feel the same way about Tyrus Thomas. He's a guy who was probably expecting to be here a while, and maybe the entire four years. He played his heart out and was a true Tiger. He just developed much quicker and got much better than anyone could have expected, and his stock rose so high that he couldn't turn down his shot. No, it wouldn't be really better if Randolph had gotten us to the tournament. He'd still be a mercenary. It's nothing against him, because the system forced him to be a mercenary rather than do what he really wanted, which was to go straight to the NBA.
tyrus was here twice as long as randolph. my recollection is that randolph is the first lsu player to leave for draft after one year.
do you know how often a player actually improves his draft status by staying a year later when he's projected as a lottery pick? staying another year actually hurt glen davis... it's the same in football in most cases too... kevin faulk, corey webster
That's not really my point. I'm not saying it would have been better for Randolph to stay. What I'm saying is I feel no affinity for Randolph from his one year here. I can't blame him for leaving. Heck, how much could his draft stock POSSIBLY improve? He's going to be a top 10 pick. As it stands though, I think Randolph is one of those rare players who might actually become a better player through staying in school an extra year or two. That's because his weaknesses as a player have nothing to do with anything more practice time could help. Randolph shows very little passion or enthusiasm on the court. I never got the impression, in his year here, that he gave a crap about the game. He seems like the kind of guy who plays basketball simply because he's good at it. I think he's a guy who, more than anything, needs to learn to love the sport he's playing, and I don't think the NBA helps with that. I think college is the place to go to discover your passion for basketball. If he really is as passionless and indifferent as he appears, I would question his motivation to work hard enough to really be an NBA standout. He may end up being the kind of guy who stops trying once he realizes he's not one of the best players on the court. It won't come easy to him at that level, and without a love of the game, will he do what he needs to do?
