Anthony Davis: What's his ceiling?

The whole rule came about in the wake of Malice at the Palace and was at the same time as the NBA's dress code. There's your example.

 

Good points. I wasn't really taking into account their rookie contracts, which would expire a year sooner.

But evaluating a player's performance in the McDonald's All-American game, or even AAU ball, is not the same as evaluating a player who excelled in the ACC, SEC or Big 10 and then in the NCAA Tournament. I think teams get a much better idea of who a player can become by scouting those games than they can AAU It also takes fewer resources.

 

We need to find a way to protect more NBA GMs and owners from themselves. Because when a GM gives Darius Miles $75 million, it is not their fault when he turns out to be Darius Miles.

 

Don't forget we need to make sure our NCAA tournament viewing experience is as top-notch as possible.

 

Right. A GM sees someone like Miles and they think, "This guy is the next Kevin Garnett." and they throw truckloads of money at him based purely on potential.

Four teams passed on Garnett in the draft and while none of those guys were busts, Garnett was better than all of them combined.

If guys have to spend a year or two in college, NBA GMs have a much better idea about what they're getting.

 

That's the fucking teams fault, not the players. Let's punish the players because of a few dumb GM's.

 

Wait, didn't you just disagree with me on the same point and say that they've played the top competition in AAU ball?

 

Anthony Davis would be a lot better right now if he had never gone to college. A lot. Whether by playing against D-league guys or finding minutes on an NBA court, he would have had no choice to improve his weaknesses and to get physically stronger.

But nobody would know who Anthony Davis is, so when he blows up into an All-Star in three years nobody would give a shit. Now you have a whole nation of basketball-watchers who will be keeping an eye on Anthony Davis.

I remember AP did a story, during March Madness, on OJ Mayo as a Grizzlies rookie. He was loving life because while he had all the money of an NBA player, he was almost completely anonymous, or at least as anonymous as an NBA first-round pick could be. And he was playing every night.

 

OJ Mayo played one year at USC.

 

I know. The story was comparing how much scrutiny and pressure he was under the previous March to the free and easy life he was living in the NBA. Just again illustrates what a spotlight the NCAA tournament is for the NBA.

 

I doubt Davis would be better after a year in D-League than a year at Kentucky.

 

That's where we fundamentally disagree, I suppose, but in the D-League he'd be going up against another 6-11 guy every night, and someone who has at least 30 pounds on him.