Forum › Forum › Lehigh Sports › Lehigh Men’s Basketball › CJ's Twitter Comment On Turning Pro
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March 22, 2012 at 2:13 am #5583
Twitter Exchange:
Tom Fallon (Program Director of ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley):
I’ve had some people asking me if there’s any chance you go pro now? What should I tell the Lehigh Valley?CJ McCollum: tell them to be patient and that I value the chance to get a college degree.
March 22, 2012 at 2:06 pm #5587NCAA Tourney: Stock Watch
By Jonathan_Wasserman
Tue, 03/20/2012 – 1:16amUpdated: 2012 Big Board: Top 100 Prospects
http://nbadraft.net/ranking/bigboard
CJ move up to #36 in the mock draft
McCollum showed off his prolific scoring ability when he dropped 30 in Lehigh’s win over the Blue Devils. He reminds some of former Duke killer Juan Dixon.
CJ McCollum The 6’3 scoring guard has averaged almost 25 a game over his past 7, converting both inside and outside the arc. Against Duke he was the best guard on the floor, showing up Rivers and Curry with some dazzling ball-handling and shakiness off the dribble.
While his 6 assists against Duke was his highest total since January, his ability to put the ball in the hoop could be an attractive quality for team with a dull backcourt.
McCollum has a lot of buzz following such an impressive game, knocking out Duke. Blue Devil coaches were said to describe him as a first rounder following the loss.
NBA scouts still have question marks and stop short to project him in the first round. But he could certainly get looks at the end of the first round after opening eyes to his silky smooth offensive skills against Duke.
March 22, 2012 at 2:22 pm #5588I will treasure the first post and totally ignore the second
March 23, 2012 at 2:13 pm #5600An intriguing guest column in the Brown and White from C.J.:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/thebrownandwhiteblog/index.ssf/2012/03/guest_column_cj_mccollum.html
It’s a really good piece of writing for a guy who is a journalism major, but it offers few clues as to whether C.J. will take a chance at the draft or not. On first read his use of the past tense “I will always remember the moments we spent time together in practice…” made me think he was not going to return. But reading it again, I’m not so sure.
March 23, 2012 at 2:26 pm #5602I don’t love the tone in that article. Seems like a farewell. I think at this point it just comes down to the experts telling his people where he will go in the NBA draft. If it is first round, guaranteed money, bye bye. If it is second round, or questionable, he is back.
March 23, 2012 at 2:49 pm #5604I don’t think we should read too much into his tweets or articles. He mostly likely will (and should) submit his name to the draft and get feedback from the NBA Advisory Board. Once he has that info, he will make the decision he feels is best for him.
If I had to guess, I would say he has no idea about what he is going to do right now and he wrote an article that could be interpreted as a farewell because he was reflecting on the glory of last weekend. He didn’t mention next year, because the article wasn’t about next year.March 23, 2012 at 2:56 pm #5605I would be surprised if he didn’tput his name in.
March 23, 2012 at 3:52 pm #5609Just read CJ article. Does sound like a farewell , thanks for the memories piece.
March 23, 2012 at 5:51 pm #5612I know that there is a lot that goes into a decision like this but from this outsider’s standpoint, it seems like a no-brainer to stay although he should put his name in with no agent. Perhaps the Bulls or Heat etc will guarantee taking him late first round.
1.)I just reviewed about 5 or 6 mock drafts and he isn’t even listed in most. The high was a #34 or early 2nd round..no guaranteed money.
2.) Frankly I think some people were emotionally awed by the 30 pts against Duke that they really didn’t evaluate all his #s
9 of 24 (37.5%) FG 2 0f 7 (28.5%) from 3 and 10-16 (62.5%) FT All of which is good but not eye-popping by NBA standards. Against Xavier
5 of 22 (22.7%)FG 0-6 (3 pt) 4-4 FT.
3.) I saw projections as high as #20 in the 2013 Draft. The difference in guaranteed money is substantial.
4.) C.J. has opened eyes but still has some flaws (though very limited). If he shoots 1,000 3s every day this summer and learns to be a little bit more patient with his shot selection, he will be very difficult to ignore next season in the national landscape.
If he were my son, I think I would advise him to use his final year to truly enjoy the game with friends and classmates, accept the laurels and recognition to come his way, get his degree, move up in the selection process and then move on to the next phase of his life.
Just one man’s opinion.March 23, 2012 at 6:09 pm #5613I don’t understand the mock drafts at all, but there is no doubt that the small school guys don’t get put that high, because the so-called “experts” haven’t seen them. Also, the guys who play more college ball are penalized over the one and done’s based on mythical “potential”. The Euro’s are always put too high as well based on intrigue and “potential”. Austin Rivers is projected a top 10 if he comes out of Duke. Is there any doubt, after seeing him and CJ on the court together that CJ is clearly the better player? It wasn’t even close in that game. CJ could break those guys down off the dribble at will. There is a premium at the NBA level of guys who can get their own shot. CJ has shown, against all NCAA competition, that he can do that. I have to think that when CJ goes to individual team workouts against his peers, his stock will rise dramatically. There is virtually no one that can guard him. I have never in my life seen such close defense as Duke played on him in that game. The Duke player was literally touching him chest to chest 35 feet from the basket. It didn’t matter.
March 23, 2012 at 6:15 pm #5614Most mock drafts are posted for entertainment value and are put together by people who have little or no knowledge of the subject. Thus I wouldn’t put too much stock in them. Like you say, the best way to get an idea of where a player might go is to declare for the draft but not hire an agent. I think there is a good chance he will do this.
The risk of staying is that a number of players over the years have seen their stock fall by not leaving. When dealing with underclassmen, there is a built-in expectation of improvement each year. If he does not improve by a significant amount, his stock could fall. Also his value in Europe – if he doesn’t end up on an NBA roster – might be at an all-time high right now due to all the publicity of the Duke game.
One other factor of which I have no idea. Does his family need the money? As for finishing college quickly, I’m sure he will get his degree long before he needs it for anything whether he stays or goes.
I’m sure it’s a tough decision for him.
March 23, 2012 at 7:28 pm #5615Austin Rivers, just announced, has hired an agent. So, he is going after 1 year at Duke. He can always remember that he played his last college game against Lehigh, an honor that Mason Plumlee will share, as he is coming out as well.
March 23, 2012 at 8:01 pm #5616Just listened to C.J. talking to his hometown radio station. He sounded like he was staying for his senior year. I believe a quote was “I’ll keep working hard, and the future will take care of itself”. The host also mentioned in his final question that C.J. would be staying for his senior year.
Exhale!
March 23, 2012 at 8:18 pm #5617Austin Rivers, just announced, has hired an agent. So, he is going after 1 year at Duke. He can always remember that he played his last college game against Lehigh, an honor that Mason Plumlee will share, as he is coming out as well.
I can’t help think that this is a huge mistake by both players, for in both players’ final games as collegians, they had some major-league flaws exposed.
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