Saint_in_Blue

April 15th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^

I hope they tear it up during their pro workouts and shoot up the draft boards. I know once in the NBA they'll represent the University of Michigan well. Good luck to you guys!

BlueCube

April 15th, 2014 at 3:55 PM ^

For all the three point shots he hit and all the great plays, I think this is the one that told me he was playing at a whole different level.

 

 

 

And here is a GRIII highlight too.

 

PurpleStuff

April 15th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^

In their two years in Ann Arbor, Nik/GRIII started on a team that went 59-17 overall.  They went 27-9 in B1G regular season play (best record in the conference during that span by two games) and won an outright B1G title this year.  They also went 8-2 in the NCAA tournament (no team in the country has won more games in that span and only Louisville has a more impressive record at 8-1).

Not bad, guys.  Good luck in the league.

jblaze

April 15th, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^

isn't it always better to go pro? Surely without going to class and the limits on practice time, a player has more time to improve his game in the D-league over college (assuming D-league coaches are not awful).

JamieH

April 15th, 2014 at 4:04 PM ^

Being drafted in the 1st round is guaranteed millions and most likely a guaranteed roster spot.  Being drafted in the 2nd round means you struggle to even stay in the league and may not get playing time anywhere.

Almost any player who isn't a 1st round pick would have been better off going back to school and playing full-time in college, with the exception of guys who are completely failing academically or those that suffer a freak career destroying injury.   Or I guess guys that feel like the situation with their college team is so bad that they are going to end up looking terrible if they come back.

The D-League is pretty much purgatory.  I don't think anyone wants to play there.

 

jblaze

April 15th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^

If you are just looking at the rookie contract then, yeah, get drafted in round 1, make money, quit basketball at the age of 26/27, do something else in life. 

But what about guys who improve their game? Doesn't the D-league or maybe Europe offer more development for guys playing full time than college (the exception may be a guy like Beilein, who apparently develops players like a boss).

So, a mid 1st round pick makes $3 million guaranteed (I think) over 2 years and then there are options for a 3rd year. Let's say a guy goes in the mid 2nd round. My guess is he gets maybe $300,000 over 2 years, or a loss of about $2.7 million over 2 years.

My question: Is that "loss" of $2.7 million over 2 years worth less development, practice... that the D-League offers over college? Isn't the real goal to get a good new, non-rookie contract, which can be achieved by staying in school or going pro? 

http://www.cbafaq.com/scale2011.htm

Wolverine Devotee

April 15th, 2014 at 4:03 PM ^

Thank you guys. For giving the two best seasons of Michigan Basketball as a fan in my 18 years.

10 years ago we were celebrating winning an NIT. That was all I saw Michigan win until 2011-12.

  • 59 wins
  • 2013 NCAA South Regional Champions
  • 2013 Final Four
  • 2013-14 B1G Champions (outright)
  • The most B1G wins of any team in the last two seasons
  • The most NCAA Tournament wins of any team in the B1G the last two seasons

Definitely going up on my wall of Michigan Basketball history next to Trey, THJ, Stu and Zack.

LSAClassOf2000

April 15th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^

It has been an enormous privilige to have Nik and Glenn represent this university over the last two seasons and a huge thanks to both of them for their time here. Their productivity will be missed, but the fact that we're sending to great players to the pros again helps Michigan's stature long term. I said it to someone last night, but NBA talent being developed in your program begets NBA-style talent coming to your program - it can only be a good thing.

Best of luck to both of them at the next level. 

samdrussBLUE

April 15th, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^

Funny- so many people have been complaining about media fishing and digging to break these types of stories which deprive the kids of breaking it and just being the story. Then the university/program goes and breaks the story with this tweet doing exactly that. Made me laugh

YoBoMoLoHo

April 15th, 2014 at 10:49 PM ^

0 of the 68 posts (so far) match my feelings. That is, that this REALLY SUCKS! I'm not 'thinking it through', I'm just giving you my "heart reaction". People, please stop being clever, or intentionally positive about that which is clearly very bad news for Michigan basketball. Nik & Glenn (mostly Nik) are great players. They most definitely will be missed by the M hoops team next year. 4 of the top 6 players from an Elite Eight team are GONE (I'm not counting the injured M&M)! !  If you are an M fan, & not a "fan of former Michigan players whom are now playing professionally", then this is 100% bad news, 0% good news. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the NBA. Because of the NBA, every moment of jubilation I experience as an M hoops fan is quickly followed by prolonged moments of anxiety; The anxiety caused when a Michigan players performance is deemed "draft worthy".... Let's discuss an example. Earlier this evening I talked myself into watching a portion of the Knicks game. Why? Because of TH Jr. The moment I began watching I noticed that TH Jr was on the court.... You know how I felt? I felt "so F**K**G what". He doesn't play for Michigan. I don't care about TH Jr's NBA exploits AT ALL. I care about Michigan. And the news this afternoon is very bad for Michigan. Paint it any color you want. It still comes out looking like a bad day for Michigan's hoops hopes for 2014-15'.

Ty Butterfield

April 16th, 2014 at 1:07 AM ^

I agree. This is a huge blow for next season. Is sending guys to the NBA really "helping" the program? If Beilein was 10 years younger I might have a different view. He would have more time to build the program up. Beilein is 61. The time to win is now. Michigan is not winning recruiting battles for elite kids.