5* Syracuse recruit Bazley decommits; will head straight to G League
In what could be the first of many defections straight to the pros, 5* Syracuse recruit Darius Bazley will forego college and sign with a G League team. Not OT because Beilein recruited him briefly, and this could start a trend among 5* one-and-dones who would prefer to focus full-time on basketball.
https://sports.yahoo.com/projected-top-10-draft-pick-make-leap-high-sch…
Also, couldn't have happened to a better coach.
I saw a twitter discussion about this, and it's interesting. It's not that they'll be opposed to him, exactly, but he'll be competing for a spot with older guys who also want to get picked up by the NBA, and the team has no reason to start him over other players if he is not performing better than they are. Now, I expect that he'll benefit from more practice time, and the parent team of whatever club gets him will know all about him, but there's no guarantee about how this will shake out.
I've seen him play quite a bit (he's from my home suburb and spent two years at my alma mater but he transferred out when an iceberg* hit the basketball program). He plays in one of the best leagues in Ohio and he led that league in rebounds, assists and blocks. And I haven't seen his AAU team play but sentiment seems to be that the better the competition, the better he plays.
He also needs a lot of strength work--he's a very slender guy. But the ceiling's very very high and if he gets the right people working with him on S&C he might be able to contribute right away.
*Head coach retired unexpectedly to focus on his business career and family, and the new guy was not of the same caliber, to put it mildly; we haven't won a league game in the two years since Bazley's transfer.
Say the G league team really really likes the kid, and so does the parent organization.
Then they decide to never play him at all - in effect red shirting him.
Makes it hard for the rest of the NBA to decide whether or when to draft him.
If he has control of the G league team he signs with, he could even game the system if say he wants to be on the LA Lakers, sign with their G league team and know he's not going to play.
It is not that farfetched.
But not what Bazley would be getting out of closing the market for his services and limiting himself to a single prospective employer.
On the other hand, how many opportunities do teams have to get this close to a lottery prospect before a draft? It may be worth it if you are an NBA team that is probably going to be in the lottery just to be able to evaluate that player in-house.
Also, can't any G-League player be claimed by a team if they are not on your 17-man NBA roster? I get that you want to develop your own players on two-way contracts and draft picks, but there should be more than enough playing time to fit him with the rest of the roster. Just being able to evaluate him in practice would make it worth it.
He won't be a typical G-League player, since he hadn't been draft eligible. No NBA team could sign him until he's gone through a draft. Then he'll be treated the same as if he were coming from college.
If I was running the NBA team that owns the G-League team Bazley is on, why would I want to showcase him so that other teams can see him play? I'd be hiding him like Izzo and Deyonta Davis. I'd most want to play the guys my team owns the rights to. I could promote them any time they're needed.
If he's starting a trend, the NBA may want to take over a couple of teams and have them unaffiliated with any team. They could put all of the draft ineligible players on them.
March 30th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
Everyone in the G-League is being showcased. I don't get this logic. 75% of the players on a team's G-League roster are free agents. Most teams have two 2-way contracts and maybe a draft pick. The rest of the roster are free agents. The Knicks were forced to sign Trey Burke to their roster because they were afraid someone else might sign him if he played at the G-League Showcase. And even most of the 2-way contracts will be free agents at the end of the season. So exactly who are you developing? This isn't set up like minor league baseball or hockey where the pro team owns most of their minor league players' rights for years.
And my point was there are a lot of things you can't learn about a prospect from just watching a game. Getting to know a potential All-Star or starter and see him in practice every day is a different animal and may have more value than playing a bunch of guys who are most likely never going to sniff any real playing time in the NBA.
Because we haven't seen from various sports that players with raw talent / measurables get drafted even with minimal playing time?
If he improves more from practicing with NBA draftees than he would in college, he will be able to show teams this on their own court prior to the draft and get drafted.
In what could be the first of many defections straight to the pros,Although I'd like to see it, as it might benefit Michigan, I doubt it. Playing college basketball can make you a household name. Playing in the G-league won't.
Ok, you prompted me to drill down. The $75,000 figure (which may be my fault, because I was the first person to provide in the thread) is the guaranteed salary for a G League player on a 2-way contract. Other players who make NBA camps or get called up also make a fair amount of money.
However, Bazley is not eligible to play in the NBA, and according to the espn.com article by Jeff Borzello I just managed to locate, the max G League salary is $26,000.
That's not much.
The quote in the same article seems telling: "The G League will have the most to offer, considering that this is the development league for the NBA. I will get more out of that than going overseas." (emphasis added). It seems that he wasn't deciding between college and professional basketball, but between non-college options. That suggests to me that for whatever reason, be it academic eligibility, rules eligibility, a decision that the Boeheim zone would torpedo his career (with a signed NLI it is his only college option), he wasn't going to be able to go to Syracuse.
$26,000 isn't nothing, and he is probably provided room and board, so it's more than he can legally get if he plays in college, but it sounds like the money isn't the reason.
Good catch on me.
IMO, people who focus entirely on $$, don't see the bigger picture. Without debating whether the institutions benefit more than the players - focusing only on what athletes actually receive - it's pretty great.
[Caveat: some kids come from extreme poverty, and getting paid ASAP outweighs everything]
I don't understand people who consider college "indentured servitude" - didn't you go to college? It was awesome!
For many of these kids, their college experience is the best time of their lives.
At most colleges, student athletes (especially 5* who have their choice) get:
- beautiful campus environment
- education and networking opportunity (note, I said opportunity - not all avail themselves)
- incredible support in every way (academic, training, coaching, even life skills)
- nurturing environment and structure. food, housing, health care taken care of
- the only time/place in your life where you have literally thousands of kids your own age, at the same place in life. endless opportunities for fun and fulfillment
- girls. college girls. thousands of them
- huge exposure. opportunity to become famous and win future endorsements
- opportunity to be BMOC, feted and honored
- lifelong connection and attachment to something greater than themselves. Even NBA legends like Jordan and Magic still connect and bond with their university. enhanced post-career job opportunities as well
Downsides?
- if you're LeBron or Kobe level great, you delay your first big payday, and might not be fully challenged athletically
- pretty busy life and schedule
- maybe feel exploited by ncaa and university
Overall, from my perspective, a better alternative would have to include a pretty huge payday. $75k to play in front of 100 people in some crappy little town doesn't sound too great to me.
Look, from a financial standpoint, the argument is moot for anyone good enough to get a big NBA payday - they're gonna get paid either way.
I'm arguing that for the vast majority of basketball players, college is a great deal, and way better than G-league. Even one year.
As for connections, I disagree. Alumni networks are powerful, and there are plenty of good jobs available to former college stars through that network. Plus, many guys who are superstars in college become relative nobodys even if they make it to the league - without college exposure they'd never be famous.
I don't like the one-and-done at all. I hope when all this settles itself out the results will be:
- 2-5(?) superstars per year who can immediately succeed in the NBA will be able to do so
- Most kids will choose to go to college for all the reasons I mentioned, and almost all stay longer than one year
- Those who have no interest can follow their own path. That's likely to include anonymous G-league or international play for a modest paycheck
I'll bite...
- Major restrictions on training and solicitation of coaching
- Comparably smaller playing season and fewer opportunities to practice
- G-League and Europe has better overall competition than the NCAAs
- Required to go to class, which is a "trade off" from your professional objectives
- Not being paid - - - or not legally, anyway
- This may not relate to the G-League, but - from an experience standpoint - the European league is in Europe. That's an amazing opportunity for a young athlete to get exposure to, particularly at such an impressionable age of life.
I don't really agree with many of your points, TBH...But - I imagine you probably don't agree with mine either. So, I suppose we agree to disagree.
We're probably not all that far apart. However, regarding your points:
- restrictions on coaching and training - coaching, yes. training, no. Camp Sanderson? As for caliber of coaching, I don't know if D-league coaching is all that high-level (I honestly don't know). I think the level of coaching overseas varies wildly - could be very good, could be awful. Certainly, a school like Michigan provides absolutely top-notch coaching and player development. Do Stauskas, Burke, THjr, etc. reach the NBA without Michigan? Hmmmm...don't know.
- opportunities to practice. I don't think so. Official practices, sure - though again, I really don't know how much more official practice time G-league guys get. Maybe much more, I have no idea. college players can play and practice as much as they want.
- better overall competition. As things currently sit, I don't think so. There are a handful of really good European teams, but a lot of pretty awful ones too. If Euro leagues were so great, there would be many more guys who jump right to NBA. I've not watched too many G-league games (has anyone?), but they look like glorified scrimmages to me. There's certainly very little true team vs team competition; much more individuals trying to get better as individuals. Winning the G-league means...nothing?
***big caveat here. if NBA gets really serious about making G-league a better option, the competitive environment could greatly improve***
- required to go to class. I'm sure some kids agree with you, but I don't. It's an opportunity that many (most) people value highly.
- money. yep, apparently a few G-league guys make $75k - though i think most make much less. Of course, they have to pay taxes, and have other expenses that college kids don't (is room/board covered? meals? health insurance? i have no idea). College players now get a bit of stipend money now too if i'm not mistaken, so the "pay" gap isn't large. Unless a kid is a real star, he's not gonna make much money. As for Europe, I think it varies wildly depending on talent. A truly great player can probably make good money (though if it was that great you'd think more guys would take advantage). that said, any additional money has value - point, you.
- experience/opportunity. yes, living/traveling in europe can be a great experience; you can't convince me that G-league is much fun. OTOH, almost all pro athletes identify and revel in their college connection their entire life - i've never heard any athlete reminisce wistfully about his time in Erie or Canton.
it's a fun discussion. i know if i had the opportunity to choose, i'd take college.
March 29th, 2018 at 11:25 PM ^
There's a lot of good discussion here. For all the griping we do about meltdowns on this board, a lot of these threads have really substantial content that I learn a lot from.
Regarding coaching:
This is an interesting question. One of the unique things about the revenue issues in college is that there is a lot of money available to sign good coaches. A guy who can coach is not going to stay in the G League--he'll go to the NBA or college if he can. But a guy like Coach K or Roy Williams or JB will stay in college because they get paid to coach players. They can be really good at it.
One thing the G League can potentially offer, though, is coaching specifically for the needs of the NBA. To take an obvious example: Jim Boeheim spends a great deal of time coaching his players to play his zone defense. Those are skills that will be of little use to NBA teams. Post skills can provide a guy who's 6'9 with no outside shots a niche in college basketball that will be useless in the taller, faster, spacier NBA. But players can have their niche better identified and can develop skills specific to their NBA profiles. And contact with NBA teams can help that a great deal.
I think college is still a preferable option for most guys, and that's partly due to the meager salary the G League offers. Even if a star college player takes no illegitimate side money, the profile they develop in college will pay off almost immediately upon leaving school with endorsements, and any small amount of money they forego for the nine months they're in college will be paid back in spades.
Those that aren't quite as good will have a chance to make an informed choice to stay or go. And then the education can actually come into play.
I'd rather these one and dones not even go to school since it's not about education. But for the athletes, it's gotta be a better experience going to college for a year. For me, 5 and done worked out just fine.
GO BLUE!
In regards to when a player is allowed to play in the NBA after high school. But it makes you think what some players would be like without college to help them grow. And I wonder what we are missing out on with some of these one and done guys or guys that have gone alternative routes like Brandon Jennings and Mudiay. How much better could they have been with time to really develop with a coach whose sole job it is to develop young men? As opposed to professional coaches who are there to do one thing and thats win. Nothing wrong with that. Thats the nature of the beast. I just wonder if a guy like Mudiay who has been relegated to Jameer Nelson territory had at least a year under a coach that really focused on his growth and expanding his knowledge of the game, what could he be.
That was my first thought when I saw this former syracuse commit story.
Ironically, I wonder if this will be better for Bazley personally. The posts about how great college life is for a basketball star: It sounds fun. it can also mess one's priorities.
Spending time in an anonymous league, without being the big man on campus, working hard, travelling, not being on tv. That can build someone's determination to do better, and it can teach them some balance and appreciation for what they get if they achieve. I'm sure there are a number of people here who have been through some rough circumstances that made them better people; I certainly have.
I wonder if spending a year in a place where he's not the big dog might be a good thing for him.
Just because he'd gotten into SMU didn't mean he was ever going to be eligible.
Those two years spent at Prime Prep put Emmanuel Mudiay in a tough spot
Imagine, hypothetically, that a one-and-done player had some issues with academic qualification. Going straight to the G-League would be a pretty obvious move if the alternatives were juco or sitting out the only year you were going to have.
And there's no reason we would ever find out.
I could be wrong but I don't think a signed LOI is related to being academically qualified by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
They can't make a final decision on academic qualification until you graduate and submit a final transcript. They need that final GPA and your last/best attempt at the board exams.
Pretty much any recruit you can think of who was declared a non-qualifer or academic redshirt had already signed an LOI before that declaration.
If it doesn't work out it's hard to find a decent job with a hs diploma and no tradeskills
would've fixed that? I love college basketball, but if he was planning on being a one and done anyway, I'm happy he decided to go get paid over the table. He'll develop way more in the G-League than in college.
You're right I suppose...I guess I'm old fashioned and it is a shame these kids aren't counseled to earn a degree...or at least continuing their education in some fashion. You never hear the stories about the ones who don't make it and where they end up.
He couldn’t just apply to go to college/trade school like a regular person because he went to the G league?
The NBA is going to actively start promoting the G league to make it an alternative to college. This will definitely cause more guys to go "pro" immediately. Especially once a few guys start doing it and the coaches and GM's start openly encouraging it to be able to develop future talent in a way that is more under their control. Soon the college guys will be at a disadvantage as the guys going straight to the G league will have more development being full time Basketball players.
Let's say for the sake of argument that this time - for once - the scumbags who make up the underbelly of college basketball are actually afraid of the FBI and are not passing out the bagmen money this spring.
If a kid gets promised $100k to play for Syracuse and finds out it isn't coming, this is just the thing he might decide to do.
I read this as Syracuse, scared by FBI probes, has welched on their agreement to pay him to go to Syracuse so he's going pro instead.
If by pay you mean guys having summer jobs at a YMCA making minimum wage, and a tutor adding a footnote for a player on a term paper, then sure.
by pay i mean handing over bags of cash, obviously.
Yep. If I were his parents, I'd be concerned that he's about to spend a year getting dominated by Trey Burke equivalents, have no team willing to sign him next year, and be ineligible for the NCAA. Going straight to the G-League seems like enormous risk for high schoolers.
Also, he'll be getting paid pebbles compared to what he'll eventually get in the NBA. If he's good enough to go to go to the NBA, the salary earned in the G-League will be inconsequential in the context of his career earnings. If he's not good enough to go to the NBA, he's making a colossal mistake by foregoing college.
March 29th, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^
Hoping this is a step closer to implementing a draft and follow/NHL style player rights ownership thing.
Got banned from a Syracuse message board for wishing an ACL tear on him. Just another reason to love MGoBlog and its wild, wild, west culture.
UHH WHAT