Baye Declares for NBA; Retaining Eligibility

[spdrama]

 

[57jacket]

All right!! Great news.

 

[spdrama]

Lance Terry remains the only player held over from CJP. Bad play/loss comment last season from CDS, “This won’t happen when I have my guys here”. Well… here we go year two and all your guys are here, Coach. I think most of us still understand we are only in year two; this team is still pretty young + new and need to learn the system and how to play together. Patience still needed. But, the expectation among the basketball world is going to be pretty high, as seen below. So I full expect the haters to be out in force after every loss.

 

[ESPNjacket]

Expectations will be high. This is already more fun than the last decade plus.

 

[awbuzz]

Yep, just saw this feed come in...

 

[GaTech4ever]

Gimme examples of people who have been in Baye's shoes, who forgo eligibility to "develop" in the G league, and then go on to make an NBA roster.

I don’t really think we’re disagreeing in theory. But I’ll pick one team in the NBA that’s still playing. As for the Dallas Mavericks:

AJ Lawson gave up two seasons of eligibility at South Carolina to go undrafted and play 1000 minutes in three different G league seasons before he played in 42 NBA games this season (not including the non-garbage time minutes he’s seen this playoffs).

Derrick Jones Jr. gave up three seasons of eligibility at UNLV to go undrafted and play 1500 minutes in three different G league seasons before becoming a regular NBA rotation player in his third post-college season.

Of course those guys aren’t the common route. But Baye will never go the common route at this point. He’ll never be a first round pick who makes an NBA roster from the get-go. He will ALWAYS have to go the G-League route. And I’m only still responding because I think we have to accept that Baye will, at some point (thankfully not yet!!), forgo his college eligibility to become an undrafted (maybe 2nd round) prospect who’ll have to make the NBA via a two-way deal at best. Which I think you’d agree with. It’s just how does he get to a two-way deal quickest and without losing the most potential earnings. Thankfully, GT is on the right side of his calculation.

Edit: Maybe some of you all remember this, but a few years ago the Steelers had a running back named Le’Veon Bell who famously decided to sit out an entire season and hold out for a bigger contract. The agency I partner with ran the numbers and determined that there was no scenario in which it was the financially correct decision to sit out, because he’d never make that salary back on the back-end of his career (regardless of if he did sign a big contract after sitting out). Bell’s agency miscalculated and it ruined his career both from an on-field and earnings potential standpoint.

 

[MtnWasp]

Phew! I was sweating this one.

I would not deny Baye his dream, but selfishly, I really want to see what some of these promising but raw pro-prospects can do in college after they have had some seasoning. I think college fans have been seeing the NBA athletes playing only half baked (or even one quarter baked) and then they are gone before we really see what they can do.

 

[spdrama]

I’m only still responding because I think we have to accept that Baye will, at some point (thankfully not yet!!), forgo his college eligibility to become an undrafted (maybe 2nd round) prospect who’ll have to make the NBA via a two-way deal at best. Which I think you’d agree

Don’t count me in who you think agrees with you on this. All-freshman ACC and on the rise after a great G League Elite camp. 6 months away from opening day and you have him going undrafted over a year from now? Did you consult Nostradamus on this? I wish him a career year and first round pick next year. No idea how anyone can have negative thoughts or feelings about this young man, who just plays his heart out game after game. If it’s a vote for who agrees with you, count me as a NAY.

 

[orientalnc]

Now that Baye is coming back, CDS will probably not be looking for another big. Does he just go for the best player he can afford or target a shooter? I think there will be more guys in the draft thinking of backing out and getting another year in college. Can we afford one of them? May 29 is the deadline for withdrawing if a player wants to play college ball again. This could be an interesting week.

 

[57jacket]

Don’t count me in who you think agrees with you on this. All-freshman ACC and on the rise after a great G League Elite camp. 6 months away from opening day and you have him going undrafted over a year from now? Did you consult Nostradamus on this? I wish him a career year and first round pick next year. No idea how anyone can have negative thoughts or feelings about this young man, who just plays his heart out game after game. If it’s a vote for who agrees with you, count me as a NAY.

Shoot the 3 at good % and he's 1st round material

 

[spdrama]

Now that Baye is coming back, CDS will probably not be looking for another big. Does he just go for the best player he can afford or target a shooter? I think there will be more guys in the draft thinking of backing out and getting another year in college. Can we afford one of them? May 29 is the deadline for withdrawing if a player wants to play college ball again. This could be an interesting week.

Agree. Have bigs galore with Souare possibly a nice surprise. Another wing shooter would fit. Best available on GT budget or maybe a Nait George-like recertify gem hiding in the weeds, just waiting for CDS to discover.

 

[slugboy]

Of course those guys aren’t the common route. But Baye will never go the common route at this point. He’ll never be a first round pick who makes an NBA roster from the get-go. He will ALWAYS have to go the G-League route. And I’m only still responding because I think we have to accept that Baye will, at some point (thankfully not yet!!), forgo his college eligibility to become an undrafted (maybe 2nd round) prospect who’ll have to make the NBA via a two-way deal at best. Which I think you’d agree with. It’s just how does he get to a two-way deal quickest and without losing the most potential earnings. Thankfully, GT is on the right side of his calculation.

I’m admittedly not the biggest college basketball genius. We had Dowuona as our one player with the size to play a true 5. He averaged about 10 minutes a game. Ndongo played in the 5–arguably out of his natural position—for most of the year.
Ndongo went to try to qualify for the draft, playing a position he’s undersized for at center, or playing at power forward where he didn’t get enough reps this past season.
This season, we have two centers who are hopefully better able to compete in the middle.
Ndongo should be able to get a season of reps at the 4 spot, and be better prepared to earn a draft spot at a position that fits his size.

Now that Baye is coming back, CDS will probably not be looking for another big. Does he just go for the best player he can afford or target a shooter? I think there will be more guys in the draft thinking of backing out and getting another year in college. Can we afford one of them? May 29 is the deadline for withdrawing if a player wants to play college ball again. This could be an interesting week.

I don’t know. We have three centers—one who should redshirt. I have a hard time even finding a 24-25 roster, but we look deep at guard and the wings, and better at center.

I don’t think Miles is coming back, but I think he’d have a better year if he did—he could be a role player instead of trying to do too much.

My guess is “best available”. We look good at SG. Do we need another PG?

 

[MtnWasp]

So where do play Ndongo next season? Is his best position in our system at the 5? Was his return contingent on coach agreeing to give him time as an "out?"

If we are not having him defend the 5, then who will do it, a Freshman?

 

[Tourneybound20]

I'm feel so happy inside right now

 

[Techster]

Like officially, officially coming back.



Let's rock.

We're going to the FINAL FOUR!!!!!!!!



(...I hope...)

 

[BeeRBee]

So where do play Ndongo next season? Is his best position in our system at the 5? Was his return contingent on coach agreeing to give him time as an "out?"

If we are not having him defend the 5, then who will do it, a Freshman?

So not to trigger you or anything, but this is the Thad Young dilemma, correct? Do we have the centers necessary to (mostly) play him in the position to best develop him for the NBA?

 

[LargeFO]

Aye Baye-Baye!!

 

[MtnWasp]

So not to trigger you or anything, but this is the Thad Young dilemma, correct? Do we have the centers necessary to (mostly) play him in the position to best develop him for the NBA?

Correct. I guess that it would be a dilemma if the team is better with him playing a position that is not the one he projects at the next level.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

He was the missing piece to the puzzle. I think CDS can it all fit together as a team now.

You do all realize now don’t you that we are going to have a cornucopia of highlight film next season?

 

[YlJacket]

So where do play Ndongo next season? Is his best position in our system at the 5? Was his return contingent on coach agreeing to give him time as an "out?"

If we are not having him defend the 5, then who will do it, a Freshman?

I play him at the five. I give him opportunities to shoot from the perimeter on a pick and pop. That’s different than what he did last year. I am not worried about playing him against other centers with some very rare exceptions. He was not a defensive liability overall just on occasion he got out rebound or overpowered.