In the upcoming draft, or would they have been better off to have left at the end of last year?
I think Macon improved his stock big time. Barford at the beginning of the year looked improved, but towards the end, he was having huge issues (maybe fatigued?).
Believe both increased value, got more national attention but still not enough to get drafted. At their size, they need to show that they can play PG at NBA level. That did not happen. However, increased value will get them in a higher league in Europe. They won’t end up in a remote place like Kampuchea.
Neither was getting drafted last year. Neither will get drafted this year.
As I stated early this season, we had only one future NBA player on this roster and he was a freshman.
While I appreciate the work that both Barford and Macon put in for our Razorbacks I don’t think either have any chance of being drafted, but will be able to play internationally as pro players and make a good amount of money.
Gafford onthe other hand has NBA potential and could be drafted, but not yet as a lottery selection. It’s my hope that he stays in school for at least one and possibly two more years to improve his skills and then be a lottery pick.
Currently, he can’t physically handle the grind of an NBA season and would be regulated to the G-League for most likely a coupe of years and at that point a guy can get lost unless he truly develops his body and his skill set.
Go Hogs!
^ This right here.
Their chances of getting drafted were always slim. I will say it wouldn’t surprise me if one or both of them got summer league invites.
Great post, Dferris. Many times a player like Gafford comes out and does never make it. They do get lost in the shuffle because they are not mature or ready to play professionally. He may or may not be one of those guys who does, but it is easy to see Daniel Gafford maturing and leading the Razorbacks to an Elite 8 or Final 4. The NBA has watered down its own league and hurt college basketball by drafting all these players not ready for the NBA. How many careers has this ruined? More than we ever will know.
The one and done rule exists because NBA was concerned about watering down its own league. With this rule, high school players cannot go straight into NBA. So this rule does not eliminate but does reduce the concerns you mentioned about watering down NBA, hurting college basketball and running careers. Before the one and done rule, players like Kobe, LeBron did not play even one year of college basketball. With this rule, these players at least play one year of college ball and they are more mature physically and mentally when they get drafted.
As I said this rule does not take care of your concerns completely, but it is wrong to say one and done created these concerns. One and done actually tried to take care of your concerns.
Only fix to your concerns is a three and done rule. I don’t know if NBA can get away with that in the courts.
Saw an article this morning that the Big East recommended replacing 1 and done with 2 or none. Straight from HS or stay in college for two years.
PJ, I never mentioned one and done. But since you said I was wrong…I wanted to comment on drafting players too early. One and Done is is a sorry rule and hurts basketball, both pro and college. How many stud juniors and seniors or sophs do you see? Very few. They are gone to play in the NBA or some unknown country like Turkey or Icantguardastan. When you have a junior or senior…he is likely a guy who couldn’t make his grades or developed late, like Macon and Barford or a guy who is never going to play professionally like Dustin Thomas or Rotnei Clarke. Daniel Gafford, who is very gifted physically, can’t even turn and hit a jump shot…he has no post moves. He isn’t strong physically and he can’t shoot. He is still very raw, but most believe he will be gone to the NBA to play in the minors…while he could be playing for Arkansas. The baseball rule is the best. It lets the colleges act as minor leagues for MLB. The kids get to go to college if they don’t turn pro, play baseball, mature and maybe even get a degree. After their junior year, they can be drafted again.
College basketball is not nearly as strong as it was when Corliss and Scottie played in the 1990’s. Why? Because everybody thinks they are great and want to be a pro, but few are actually good enough to have an NBA career. For every guy that plays in the NBA, there are probably 50 guys who left college to play professionally and never made it. Or they went somewhere to play ball other than the NBA, didn’t save their money and are now broke looking for a job. If these kids had some time to grow and mature, maybe get an education, their future would be more secure. There are a few phenoms that can play right out of high school, like LaBron or Kobe, but not many.
I agree 100% with what you posted. If they can adopt the baseball rule for basketball, I am all for it. You make an excellent point.
But since we don’t have that, my point was that one and done is better than players going to NBA directly out of high school. I am saying we would have had LeBron and Kobe at least for a year playing college ball, if one and done rule was there at that time.
Okay, I see your point. I don’t see the hurry in getting these kids to the NBA, do you? Their was a reason kids couldn’t buy liquor until they are 21. They usually aren’t responsible enough to drink it. Most of us did drink before that age, but we might have been better off if we had not. Most of us did it because our buddies were doing it…peer pressure. How many young kids 18,19 or 20 are ready to live that professional lifestyle and give up being a kid? Not many.
I hope the one and done is changed to make it better for the kids and the schools and lastly for the NBA.