Evil Empire

July 8th, 2014 at 10:40 AM ^

and the future seems bright.  The emotions are similar to those surrounding Jamal Crawford's NBA career.  I feel a bit cheated that we didn't get to see more of him playing for us.  This past season of Michigan basketball was pretty great in its own right, but...

 

If Mitch's back is really okay, he was a steal at #21.  He's going to fit in so well with Durant and the Thunder, like Stauskas would with the Showtime Lakers.

LSAClassOf2000

July 8th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^

Sadly, you generally can't embed the NBA.com licensed video directly (at least in my experience, you have to be a licensed provider like Yahoo! anyway), which is a bit of a shame in this case as this was a great assist - I am sure it will appear on YouTube in relatively short order, however. It underscores the fact that McGary will definitely be worth following as he makes a career for himself in the pros, in my opinion. He will definitely be missed this year here in Ann Arbor, that's for sure.

BlueCube

July 8th, 2014 at 11:11 AM ^

was only 80% recovered. I can't wait to see him at 100%.

It does make me sad to think what could have been last year. Considering his draft position and back issue, I think it was a good move to turn pro even if it hadn't been a forced decision.

JamieH

July 8th, 2014 at 4:23 PM ^

If McGary had a 1st round guarantee before the draft then he probably should have gone pro even without the pot suspension.  His back injury made him coming back for another season rather risky.  if he comes back and hurts his back again he becomes permanently damanged goods.

 

That being said, the McGary on that summer league tape looks like a lottery pick type player if he could have played like that for us next year. 

1989 UM GRAD

July 8th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^

Holy shit...the 15-foot jumper...the rebounding...running the floor...passing....etc.

We would've been back in the Final Four with him at full strength this past year.

As historically efficient as our offense was, imagine it with his shooting, passing and PNR skills out there.

And this is not to take anything away from JMo's leadership and effort...but McGary's skills are just at a whole different level.

I'm sure it's been discussed somewhere, but does anyone have any insight as to whether McGary being forced to go pro is what precipitated GRIII's decision?

 

1989 UM GRAD

July 8th, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^

I still don't buy this complaint from GRIII (if it was indeed a significant issue to him).

My understanding of the Beilein system is that the 2/3/4 are almost interchangeable.

How did playing the 4 keep GRIII from making more of an impact and/or showcasing his skills?  There were many times when he got the ball and he could've made a move...or driven to the basket...etc...but he hardly ever did so.  He had opportunities to create but rarely did so.

Yes, he seemed to be humble and hard-working...and a good teammate...and he certainly contributed to the team's success.

I just don't buy the excuse that playing the 4 kept him from reaching his full potential...

Still left with the feeling that he could've worked on ball handling and creating his own opportunities over the summer...and then been a focus of the team's offense in '14-'15...and positioned himself as a solid first round pick next year.

Indonacious

July 8th, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^

Out of curiousity, how many of the 4s that played in the big ten were 4+ inches taller than him. The twolves list him at 6-7 and 211 (we listed him at 6-6 / 220). Even if that 6-7 is slightly exaggerated, I'm sure other 4s he played against him were similarly over-exaggerated. 

1989 UM GRAD

July 8th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^

There is some validity to this.

Not sure how many 4's in the Big Ten, though, were really that much bigger than GRIII.  Jordan Morgan was one of the smaller 5's in the Big Ten...and held his own.

Zack Novak was a lot smaller...and he seemed to be giving a full effort on both ends of the court...and his senior year, when he spent the most time playing at the 4, was also his best offensively at U of M.

Again, not saying GRIII didn't contribute or work hard.  It still just feels like we never saw his best effort.

I dunno, maybe he's just so smooth that he doesn't look like he's working that hard...or maybe he's just more of a passive player...

It just seems that, given his athleticism and the sporadic moments of greatness, we should've seen a more consistent output from GRIII...