GRIII to Timberwolves

Submitted by LKLIII on

It isn't the first round, but he'll get his opportunities.  Wolves traded with Brooklyn to get into the draft and pick him.  Originally Brooklyn didn't have any selections, so they must see the big up side potential for GRIII.

EDIT: Another poster correctly pointed out that Minnesota's pick at 40 already existed and they did not trade up for this. My mistake. The ESPN Radio broadcast was talking about Minnesota's pick at 44, which was apparently done on behalf of Brookkyn (who did NOT have a pick in the draft at the start of the night). Apologies for the confusion.

 

 

 

TheLastHarbaugh

June 27th, 2014 at 1:56 PM ^

The only problem is Chase Budinger is under contract at $5 million a year through 2016. Corey Brewer makes a little under $5 million and is under contract through 2016. They both have guaranteed contracts. GRIII does not. They aren't going to just cut one of those guys and take a huge cap hit.

 

michiganfanforlife

June 26th, 2014 at 11:26 PM ^

I think he left money on the table and would have been better served with one more year in college. Coach can still boast that we have had 5 NBA draft Picks in 2 years and that is special! Go Blue!!

Sllepy81

June 26th, 2014 at 11:27 PM ^

over most of the previous teams and hoped he would fall. He snuck by Milwaukee but Minnesota isn't an improvement especially if Love is gone.

Wolverine Devotee

June 26th, 2014 at 11:28 PM ^

Good for him. Hopefully GRIII has a performance like Trey did when he came to Auburn Hills.

Let's not question a life decision he made. He got drafted. These guys dream of getting their name called on draft day. 

Marley Nowell

June 26th, 2014 at 11:29 PM ^

Glad to see he was really wanted by Minny as they traded up to get him.  Would have been nice to see him go in the first round but this isn't a death blow to his career.  2014 may prove to be the deepest draft in NBA history (2003 was great but top heavy) and I'm sure we'll see more of these 2nd Rounders stick in the league than usual

cbs650

June 26th, 2014 at 11:32 PM ^

He cost himself money when didnt go last year. He left this year because had he returned and played as a stretch 4 again (for the good of the team but not his draft stock) and had equal numbers he could have risked not getting drafted at all. 

umichjenks

June 26th, 2014 at 11:36 PM ^

money when he showed he couldn't dribble or beat slow PF off the bounce. Plus he shot shitty. Add that to not rebounding well with his athleticism.

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 1:32 AM ^

GRIII was a good NOT GREAT player for us.  That's why he didn't go in the first round.  He played much better at the end of the year, but the reality is, he couldn't beat ANYONE off the dribble, was a mediocre at best rebounder, and was often the worst long-range shooting option on the floor other than Morgan/Horfort. 



He wasn't ready to go pro, plain and simple.  He still has loads of potential, but he needed to work on pretty much every facet of his game except his alley-oop dunks. which are world class.  But, he went, so good luck to him. 

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 1:41 AM ^

"Pathetic" might be a bit strong.  "Underwhelming" might be the word I'd use.  GRIII rebounded pretty much exactly the same as LeVert, who is the exact same height but 35 pounds lighter than him. That is pretty disappointing in my book. 

Anyway you look at it, GRIII is NOT a good rebounder. 

LKLIII

June 27th, 2014 at 1:59 AM ^

You're absolutely right. My original post was inaccurate and I've amended it. The ESPN Radio guys were talking about Brooklyn trading into the draft to get a pick from Minnesota when I was in the midst of creating the thread. They were talking about the 44th pick and it was Brooklyn trading for the Minnesota pick, not the other way around. My bad for mixing up the scenario.

Overall I agree that a big reason why Robinson slipped as far as he did is due to his own play, even if he didn't have the perfect role for himself at Michigan. He'd play hot and cold, and he just didn't seem to have that fire in the belly at times. If had the high motor that McGary had, I think he might have ended up several slots higher than he did. Part of it also might be just him growing into his body and having the confidence to use it to its fullest potential. He's a big athletic guy but sometimes played as if he wasn't. Caris Has a smaller frame and yet plays more aggressively for example. The point is, regardless of things beyond his control, I don't know that he maximized the things that were in his control.

But again, getting drafted is a big accomplishment and he'll certainly have his opportunities to prove himself to the Timnerwolves. Good for him.

chatster

June 27th, 2014 at 1:11 AM ^

If you were basing your opinion solely on historical statistics, you could say that Glenn Robinson III has about a 25% chance of having a successful NBA career*, and that he might have been better served by returning for another year at Michigan.
 
But consider the fate of a player who stayed for four seasons, made the Final Four as a junior, was first team All-ACC and second team All-American as a senior, and then went undrafted in 2014 -- C. J. Fair of Syracuse.  Besides, historical statistics are meaningless if the man selected in the 2014 NBA Draft with the 40th pick develops like Monta Ellis (another player chosen with the 40th pick.)
 
So, good luck to Glenn Robinson III.  May he prove that you can't always rely on statistics.
 
*  Here are those statistics.  From the 1990 through the 2013 NBA Drafts, these men were taken with the 40th pick.  Almost half of them spent most of their professional career playing overseas. Players in bold italics are those who’ve had some reasonable amount of success or longevity in the NBA.
  • 2013 - Grant Jerrett - Arizona PF (Fr.) - D League and OKC Thunder
  • 2012 - Will Barton - Memphis SG (So.) - Portland Trailblazers
  • 2011 - Jon Leuer - Wisconsin PF (Sr.) - Memphis Grizzlies
  • 2010 - Lance Stephenson - SG Cincinnati (Fr.) - Indiana Pacers 
  • 2009 - Derrick Brown - Xavier SF (Sr.) - Russia
  • 2008 - Chris Douglas-Roberts - Memphis SG (Jr.) - Charlotte Hornets
  • 2007 - Sun Yue - Beijing Olympians PG - China
  • 2006 - Denham Brown - Connecticut SG/SF (Sr.) - Romania
  • 2005 - Monta Ellis - Lanier HS SG - Dallas - 10 NBA Seasons
  • 2004 - Albert Meralles - Roseto Basket (Italy) C - Spain
  • 2003 - Derrick Zimmerman - Mississippi PG (Sr.) - Poland
  • 2002 - Juan Carlos Navarro - FC Barcelona PG - Spain
  • 2001 - Jamison Brewer - Auburn PG (So.) - Germany
  • 2000 - Hanno Möttölä -  Utah SF/PF (Sr.) - Finland
  • 1999 - Gordan Giriĉek - Croatia G/F - 10 NBA Seasons
  • 1998 - Korleone Young - Hargrave Military Academy SF - International
  • 1997 - Ed Elisma - Georgia Tech F (Sr.) - International
  • 1996 - Marcus Mann - Mississippi Valley State PF (Sr.) - Baptist Minister
  • 1995 - Dwayne Whitfield - Jackson State PF (Sr.) - 8 NBA games
  • 1994 - Jeff Webster - Oklahoma F (Sr.) - 11 NBA games
  • 1993 - Rich Manning - Washington C (Sr.) - 2 NBA seasons
  • 1992 - Steve Rogers - Alabama State SG/SF (Sr.) - International
  • 1991 - Doug Overton - LaSalle PG - 11 NBA Seasons
  • 1990 - Bimbo Coles - Virginia Tech PG - 14 NBA Seasons

cobra14

June 27th, 2014 at 8:50 AM ^

A guy who disappears in multiple game through a college basketball season does not go in the first round. He should of came back to school and showed people he had dog in him. Unfortunately he showed he is a passive player that struggled to blow by people and just be an ok shooter.

With that said he will be sorely missed on this years team. Everything said above doesn't change the fact the guy did a ton for Michigan hoops in two years.

iamtjeff

June 27th, 2014 at 9:22 AM ^

Great draft for Michigan players. But you honestly have to wonder what happened behind closed doors during those team workouts. There was a disconnect in how GMs thought they went with what GR III believed when he left them, per his comments in the media. He slid, and I am very surprised at some of the players taken before him at the end of the first and second rounds. Of course, this was a deep draft. No way of knowing, but I wonder where he would have gotten taken last year in a much, much weaker draft class. 

cobra14

June 27th, 2014 at 9:31 AM ^

Don't forget where he would of been taken in next years draft. I know it's easy to think about last years because that's where the hype I was but if he had a great Junior year in a weaker draft he would go much higher.

Caris has done it right!

Leonhall

June 27th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^

But to me, I'm not surprised with his slip. He doesn't create much on his own, isn't a great shooter, and for the NBA, is just another athlete, he is no more athletic than most guys now. Defensively, he is going to have to improve at this level too. Not trying to be negative, but I never saw him as a first round pick. At this point he will probably bounce around until going to Europe at some point. Still, better than anybody around here, I'm not trying to be a Debbie downer, just trying to imagine what NBA execs were thinking.

MaximusBlue

June 27th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^

Somebody should just make a ,"He's not ready and should have come back another year thread." Let's celebrate this man for getting drafted and also what he did for the program during this resurgence.

Everybody can't be a superstar and we don't even know what GR3 will eventually become in the league. His career is far from over and I believe he has some staying power and the tools to stick around for a bit.

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^

Why should we celebrate him for making an incredibly stupid decision that probably cost himself millions of dollars?   He wasn't going to go in the first round this year unless he just lit it up in the pre-draft workouts.  It isn't like this is some sort of shock that no one saw coming.   He was incredibly inconsistent during the season, didn't show NBA 3-ball range, couldn't get to the hoop on the bounce, and honestly, didn't show anything that would get him drafted in the first round other than outstanding athleticism and potential.  He started to play great at the end of the year, and if he had put together an entire season of that kind of play next year, he would probably have been a lock for the 1st round in 2015.

 

With another year of working on his game, who knows where he could have gone in the draft?  There will be no Stauskas to dominate the ball next year.  He easily could have been our leading scorer.  If he had worked hard and his game had taken a jump he would have been a 1st round lock.  Now he has a higher probabiility of bouncing around in Europe than he does of sticking in the NBA.  I'm not going to celebrate that.

 

The idea that we should celebrate a talent like GR III leaving early and getting drafted in the 2nd round is silly IMO.  If a talented player leaves early and doesn't go in the 1st round, it is a major MAJOR mistake that has the potential to haunt them for the rest of their lives. 

umichjenks

June 27th, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^

If you can't beat slow footed PF in the big ten, you need to work on your handle and quickness. And let's not forget he was an inconsistent shooter. You shoot 30% from 3's and only grab 4 boards a game with that athleticism?!

West German Judge

June 27th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^

I think Horford transferring and Mitch's ineligibility had to have played a large role.  If he had to play PF for another season, his stock would likely have dropped even further.  As it was, he had a full NBA season's (76 games at 33 minutes per) worth of tape for GMs to pore over and identify his deficiencies.  Adding another 35+ games of ~more of the same~ would have reduced any of the benefit of the doubt that his athleticism brought him.

Rather than him having misgivings about staying for his Jr year, he really should have gone after his Fr year.  Regardless, I think he'll turn out fine. 

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^

but I don't understand why at PF he wasn't just BLOWING BY guys.  He should have been able to take those guys to the rim at will.  And since he couldn't, he should have spent his entire off-season figuring out why and fixing it.  Yeah he was undersized at the four.  MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU.   It isn't like the guy is small.  Dude is 220.  I seem to remember a guy names Charles Barkley that was about Glenn's size who never had a problem playing against guys bigger than himself. 

I'm not saying it was a perfect situation, because it wasn't.  But it seems like the bigger problem with playing out of position was on defense.  On offense, GET TO THE RIM AND SCORE!  If he had lit it up on offense next year, his defensive mismatches would not have kept him out of the first round. 

Oh well, it is done.  Good luck to him.

MaximusBlue

June 27th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^

Don't know what to say to that. "Incredibly stupid"? "MAJOR" mistake"? "Haunt him for the rest of his life"?...you really need to get some perspective on life. You honestly sound like a big time hater that's mad that he didn't stay. Whatever decision he made was for him and his family. What he eats don't make any of us shit.

My point is let this be a celebratory time in this thread and just create a separate thread to dump on him all you like if it gets you off. Good to know you've already written his career off though.

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 2:44 PM ^

This was a major mistake that has the potential to haunt him for the rest of his life.  Do you have any understanding of how money works?

Calling me a big time hater just makes me think you are young and have no idea how the world works.  Hell, I guess you could be old and have no idea how the world works too, but I doubt you'd be calling me a h8ter then.

He had a great shot of coming back to school and going in the 1st round next year.  1st round draft picks are SET FOR F'ING LIFE if they invest their money properly.  I'm talking never have to work a day again, instead of slogging through life like the rest of us shchlubs.  Life is a cake-walk.  And if you actually do WELL as a 1st round pick and you get to that second contract, well then you truly become one of the uber-weathly.

2nd round picks are luckly to make it.  What was the earlier post in this thread--about a 25% chance?  Not terrible, certaily better than anyone in normal life has, but considering a 1st round pick is set for life, a 25% chance of making it SUCKS compared to that. 

So yeah, if the 75% (more llikely) scenario plays out and GRIII doesn't make it, he will probably regret this forever.  Now who knows, maybe if that happens he can make good enough money in Europe or whereever that he still won't have to work like a normal person.  Or maybe his dad will give him money and it doesn't matter anyway.  But he was SO CLOSE to being set, and he threw it away because he couldn't be patient and work on his game for one more year. 

Look at what Tim Hardaway was able to do by coming back.  GRIII could have gotten drafted in the 2nd round any time that he wanted to.  Getting taken in the 1st round had to be he only goal, and for him to come out early and not have it happen can only be looked at as a massive failure.  Getting drafted in the 2nd round is NOT a reason to celebrate.  It's basically like going in the 7th round of the NFL draft--it's marginally better than being a free agent because at least you get looked at by the team.  But you are still the first one out the door when the cuts come down.

MaximusBlue

June 27th, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^

So you're telling me that you are really this passionate and have to type all these words because you're so hurt that he made this awful,terrible, unforgettable decision for himself. I'm not buying it. You come off bitter and just a huge hater. Sorry I don't have a more fancy word to use but hater fits just perfect in this situation.

Money? He's already financially stable. Now does he want to make his own money and build his own fortune? Of course. That's what he's doing right this minute. He's entering his profession. How do you know what this man will be doing 5,10,15 years down the line. Are you a fortune teller? Are you Nastrodomas? Whatever does or doesn't happen basketball wise won't dictate the rest of his life. He can always go back to school and get a pretty damn good degree that holds plenty weight. He's going to have a network not only through connections he's made while attending school, but also through Michigan basketball and the NBA. His father also had a long distinguished career and I'm pretty sure he knows some folks.

Getting drafted into any association/league is a major accomplishment because it only happens to a very small fraction of people. Would he have been better off not getting drafted at all? Hell, what if he just has a 10-15 year run in the league? Then what would you have to say? I'm definitely rooting for him and hope he proves all the people like you wrong.

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^

For a major talent like GR III, getting drafted in the 2nd round is not a major accomplishment.  It's actually a massive failure.   I'm sorry that your understanding of the NBA draft is so unbelievably poor.

As for all of your "basketball will not define him--he will come back and get his degree and be successful yada yada yada crap".  It's all crap.  The point is, he had all his goals right in front of him for the taking and through a terrible decision, probably (around 75%) just flushed them all away.  Why the hell should we celebrate that?  It has nothing to do with me being hurt personally.  It was a stupid decision.  For ANY talented basketball player on ANY team to leave school after 2 years and not go in the first round is a massive failure.  I don't care if they play for Michigan or UCLA or Florida or whoever.  You leave school to go in the 1st round.  If you don't go in the first round, you FUCKED UP.  BIG TIME.  And it will probably end up being one of the biggest mistakes of your entire life.   Unless you really weren't talented enough to ever go in the 1st round.  I don't believe that for GR III.  He had 1st round talent.  But he probably  just flushed it away, unless he is one of the 1 in 4 lucky ones who claws their way out of the 2nd round to actually stick in the NBA. 

Call me a hater all you want.  Being called a hater by an idiot doesn't bother me one bit.

 

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^

that you seem to be so dense.  A basic understanding of the vast, vast difference between being drafted in the 1st and 2nd rounds on fhe NBA draft is NOT really that difficult to understand.  For most people.  The 2nd round of the NBA draft is a wasteland of broken dreams.

It's just a simple numbers game.   Whether your goal is to play in the NBA or just get rich, your ONE big shot in your life that will make or break you is the NBA draft.  If you go in the first round, your odds of success go through the roof.  If you don't your odds sink like a rock.

Sure, you can claw your way back up from the 2nd round.  But by not getting into that 1st round, you basically just hung a 100 pound lead weight around your neck.   I hope for GR III's sake he is one of the few that make it work out. 

People on this board got all pissy when I said this about Manny Harris (who actually didn't even get drafted).  Where is he now?  People on this board got all pissy when I said this again about Darius Morris.  WHERE IS HE NOW? 

Guys that don't go in the 1st round of the draft are usually screwed.  It's just the way it is.  You don't have to be a fortune teller to know that.   

MaximusBlue

June 27th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^

You're the one spitting all negative vile out about GR3 and HIS decision to go pro. That's why I called you a hater because that's exactly what you're doing. If you're this "passionate" about a stranger making his own decision I can't imagine how you are with your family and people close to you when they make a decision you don't agree with. Couldn't imagine you as a parent with that type of negative I'm holier than thou thought process.

Manu Ginobli
Dennis Rodman
Tiny Archibald
Hal Greer
Willis Reed
Alex English
Paul Millsap
Anderson Varejao
Toni Kukoc
Rashard Lewis
Danny Ainge
Stephen Jackson
Monta Ellis
Michael Redd
Marc Gasol
Gus Williams
Jeff Hornacek
K.C. Jones
Carlos Boozer
Gus Johnson
George McGinnis
Gilbert Arenas
Mark Price
Mo Cheeks
Bill Sharman
Dennis Johnson

This list is filled with NBA champions, MVPS, all stars, player of the years, and hall of famers. And wait for it...wait for it...all drafted in the second round! Go figure. Just because you get drafted in the second round doesn't mean your life/career is over with. You don't know half of what you think you know. GR3 will be just fine and as long as he has "great" Michigan fans like you that allow him to have that big chip on his shoulder and motivate him to greatness.

P.S. Manny and Darius aren't the same talent or athlete GR3 is.

JamieH

June 27th, 2014 at 7:26 PM ^

Using guys like Dennis Rodman and Anderson Varejao as examples of second rounders that succeeded just shows how much you don't get about this whole process.

Dennis Rodman played at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a NAIA school.  No one had even HEARD of him.  It was a miracle that he was even drafted at all. 

Anderson Varejao was a relatively unknown player for FC Barcelona.  He was, again, a long shot at best.

Neither of these guys ever sniffed the first round.  Yeah, they got a shot and they succeeded. What is your point?  Their situations were 100% different than GRIII.  They were probably THRILLED to be taken in the 2nd round.  They had ZERO chance of ever being 1st round picks. 

Of course you can go through history and find second round picks who were successes.  We already established a number--it's about 25%.at the slot GR III was picked.  That's still a massive drop off from the first round.

I'm done arguing with you.  You want to celebrate the fact that a guy just made a really dumb decision and just made his NBA career goals about 5 times harder?  Go ahead and celebrate.

As for you ripping on my parenting skills, I don't really worry about my kids making stupid decisions, because they are clearly already far smarter than your stupid ass.  If you ever have any important financial decisions to make I pray you get a financial advisor first.

MaximusBlue

June 27th, 2014 at 7:55 PM ^

What does it matter??? They were drafted in the second round and Rodman is a Hall of Fame player that lasted 20 years in the league. Varejao has been in the league 10 years. What are you talking about?These are facts! This isn't baseless opinion. What is there to understand about this process you speak of? Being in the NBA and especially being drafted is a privilege, not a right. This is comical. Who cares if they weren't heard of.

What about the other 20 something players? Soooo that's your argument? Because GR3 was more known and went in the second round its a bigger disappointment and he won't make it? All of your responses have been 110% negative. You would rather have him fail and fall flat on his face just to get your rocks off and say, "I was right. He should have stayed another year!" Come on man. Get over yourself.

And I wouldn't say I ripped your parenting skills. I'm just trying to imagine if you're like this for a stranger you don't know or have anything to do with, how would you be with your family or people close to you that you love or care about? Comparing/contrasting how you feel about GR3 and this negativity you have towards him, man that would be ugly.

To resort to all the name calling just proves that you're wrong and have nothing substantial to say. I can play too. For example, I can call you a stupid fucking idiot who doesn't have a clue about life and thinks he knows everything but don't know a damn thing and pray for your kids because your raising them, but I'm bigger than that, so I won't go that route. I definitely feel a lot dumber from engaging in this back forth about a strangers decision he made with his life that you're clearly butthurt about. Good day sir...

umichjenks

June 28th, 2014 at 1:37 AM ^

about 25 players from the last 20 years that were 2nd rounders and found success. What you didn't do is mention the other 350 players from the second round of those drafts that never amounted to anything. All the guy was saying is that GR3 made a Huge mistake bc the odds are not in your favor once you dip into the second round. He needed to come back another yr, work on his jumper, learn to dribble and find some aggressiveness.

MaximusBlue

June 28th, 2014 at 2:08 AM ^

You like him just see it differently. Celebrate and appreciate what this man did for the program. An appreciation thread. Start another thread and be as negative as you want to be.

Of course not all second rounders make it, but if its so horrible to go in the second round and I give you this data with all these players and their accolades, it proves it's not impossible for him to not only make it but stick. Goes both ways and that's all I'm saying. And the list went deeper but that's a pretty decent amount of highly distinguished NBA players that have done well out the second round.

I didn't reply to his post. He replied to mine. GR3 hasn't even practiced or played a game yet and you guy's are writing him off because YOU wanted him to come back. Let his fate play out before you throw stones at him.