Russ Smith waived by Memphis
- Thread starter KerryRhodes
- Start date
Not too surprising. He's really a 6 foot 2G. Not many that size make it in the NBA. He got some money out of it, and he'll still have a nice career playing in Europe. He also has a shot at getting picked up by another NBA team.
Oh and he was waived to make room for a 7 footer - Ryan Hollins. You can't teach height and they needed a back up center behind Gasol.
And they trying to say Tyler Ulis gonna be a NBA player .I follow the NBA alot Russ was never really given a opportunity once the regular season started. Same is happening for Terry, both these guys too include Montrezl in preseason proved they can play in the NBA , but haven't been given a true opportunity. U of L players do not get a really good opportunity. It's very political and it does matter who your agent is and what program you come from. rom
When a NBA team doesn't invest a ton a money into a player they aren't going to play that player unless they are that much better than the current players.
There has only been 3 Louisville players that had the athletic ability, measurements and basketball skills to be an NBA players. Terrance Williams, Earl Clark and Gorgi all could play the game. TWill wasted his opportunity. Earl Clark made the most of his opportunity. Gorgi has been very good so far. Harrell isn't an NBA player, his game isn't going to transfer to the NBA. He is a power forward with no post up game or shooting range. Smith is just too small and Rozier isn't a good enough shooter or finisher. Rozier may make it because of his work ethic.
When all these guys came to Louisville only Clark would have been on early draft boards. They all worked their butts off to reach their dream. Being waived or cut doesn't change that. These guys were terrific college players and will make a bunch of money overseas, but the NBA is a entirely a different animal.
There has only been 3 Louisville players that had the athletic ability, measurements and basketball skills to be an NBA players. Terrance Williams, Earl Clark and Gorgi all could play the game. TWill wasted his opportunity. Earl Clark made the most of his opportunity. Gorgi has been very good so far. Harrell isn't an NBA player, his game isn't going to transfer to the NBA. He is a power forward with no post up game or shooting range. Smith is just too small and Rozier isn't a good enough shooter or finisher. Rozier may make it because of his work ethic.
When all these guys came to Louisville only Clark would have been on early draft boards. They all worked their butts off to reach their dream. Being waived or cut doesn't change that. These guys were terrific college players and will make a bunch of money overseas, but the NBA is a entirely a different animal.
I'll assume you are talking Pitino era players. Francisco Garcia disagrees with this statement.
He has recruited to fit his system not as the fastest path to the NBA. Hard to say but if the NBA system was like it was when he was at UK I believe he would have created a dominate program. Even with the one and done Louisville is 2nd in the most wins over the last 5 years.
He is the best college coach and it is not even close. There is no coach, including Coach K, that can take a bunch of good players and win big. He has done it everywhere he has been.....Providence, UK, Louisville. All the other coaches require elite talent to win big. When he did get elite talent he was nearly unbeatable at UK. Recruiting is part of the deal so Coach K and Cal will always be consider better in the media. Not in my book. From strictly teaching the game perspective no one has been better since Wooden. Izzo is another one that is a fantastic teacher of the game.
He is the best college coach and it is not even close. There is no coach, including Coach K, that can take a bunch of good players and win big. He has done it everywhere he has been.....Providence, UK, Louisville. All the other coaches require elite talent to win big. When he did get elite talent he was nearly unbeatable at UK. Recruiting is part of the deal so Coach K and Cal will always be consider better in the media. Not in my book. From strictly teaching the game perspective no one has been better since Wooden. Izzo is another one that is a fantastic teacher of the game.
thecycle I promise you RP recruits the same guys coach k and cal do. RP does not have a specific list of kids he recruits and a list he doesn't because one fits his system better. RP recruits the best player available period. what he is a master of, is scrambling and replacing kids who he thought we're coming and had a change of heart or a kid leaving when RP thought he was staying. I believe RP has proven he can take guys who may not of been his first or even maybe his 2nd choice and make a championship team. that's why he is a HOF. not because he has a special way of recruiting just players who fit his system.
Size will be a big disadvantage especially on defense, but Ulis's ball handling and play making is among the very best of cbb pg's
An NBA franchise is a business and winning is good for business. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the players that give the team the best chance to win are the ones that play.
There is quite a long list of successful NBA players that did not go to college or come from what you are considering a program.
Rozier will get a chance Boston is just stacked at the guard position right now. Harrell is in a mess in Houston mostly with the team and coach firing already. It will get better for Harrell and he will be an NBA player. Russ just doesn't fit in Memphis IMO. They are wanting vets and looking to win now opposed to devloping younger players.
However this is what Cal and Uk fans cling and use as a defelctor now. How many NBA players that went to Uk but equal the number of championships 1:1 since Cal has been their. Personally i be embarrassed to have all that talent and still be on par with only three little NBA player's U of L.
This is exactly it. There is clearly a bias against UofL players in the NBA and Russ getting released proves it. Thought he would be a stud in the NBA but just couldn't get on the floor due to politics and the fact he didn't come from the right school aka a Nike school.
Bingo! And we did what we did is much more note worthy. Quite frankly Cow's run has been utter failure. How do you have the teams he's had an not win the title? Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, Patterson, Orton, Miller, and so on and they didn't make the Final Four. Last year they had Towns, Booker, Stein, the Twins, Johnson, and Lyles and still couldn't win the tourney. Sorry, but with the NBA rosters he's had a Yewkay, I don't see how their fan base can deem Cow's tenure anything other than a failure. Had Rick had these guys, he would have 5 titles easy. Not sure why Yewkay fans aren't more up in arms about that.
I surly hope you are kidding about this. The NBA could care less if a kid was from a Nike, Addidas or UA school...they just want players that can play.
Not sure I'd agree with under achieving but complain about Cal? Maybe we can get a coach who brings in lesser talent and has worse results, but we can feel better because he isn't underachieving. I looked from a list of a few Ricks best players and Jamal Mashburn was the only one to get over 10 a game as a Freshman. That included Walker, Gaines, Mercer, Delk, and Anderson
Well maybe you need to do a better job researching...Anderson played at Ohio State Freshman year and Gaines played for Crum Freshman Year, so maybe that is why they didn't average more than 10 points under Pitino.
Anderson didn't get 10 a game as a Jr. As far as the others go there really hasn't been a Pitino freshman stud. I guess he didn't get Gaines until he was a Jr.? Cal and Rick were 3-3 in head to head NBA games though
Everybody knows when it comes to recruiting the elite ready made NBA players Cal dwarfs Rick. But looking at the total body of work not the (head to head) games. What has Cal done anymore than Rick? In a business world Cal would be fired has more resorces(elite talent) than Rick has had. And Rick is getting just as much with less. And me personally i think Rick should be able to recruit at least in every class "1 " ready made NBA type player, but he just can't seal the deal. Oh well! Last i checked the last championship was won by Rick. 1:1
Only replied what you said
Sosa, Garcia,Dean Samuels avg 10+ game as Freshman
Look there is a lot that goes into recruiting one and done players. He was an average recruiter until WWW came onto the scene. To his credit he made the right business decision to partnered up with WWW because someone was going to do it. They created a model that brought the best talent together which is really a pretty easy sell to a elite player and their handlers. They also know that playing with other great players makes their own game better and can hide their own flaws for one year. If the player isn't elite they are easily pushed to the side. This is where I thought that system would fall apart but hasn't. He has had players stick around like Miller, Liggins, Hawkins, Willis, Lee and AP which have provided him a strong bench in certain years. For example if Lee or AP transfer out or goes pro they have to play Skal who isn't ready. Now they can take their time with him. There was only one year he didn't have enough role players and that was the NIT team. He was forced to play the guys that weren't performing. Cal has to deal with all the handlers.
Pitino enjoys developing players and teaching the game. Yes, he goes after one and done, but he doesn't cater to the handlers. Before the one and done elite players wanted to go to Pitino because he prepared them for the NBA. It was a longer process back then and fit right into Pitino style of coaching. Now there is no developing players in a 8 month process. Blakney was a really good example of how outside influences impacted his decisions not for the better. He is being exposed at LSU. He is getting plenty of playing time but isn't exactly lighting it up with shooting and we know they don't play very good defensively. Now he is stuck playing for a coach that can't teach the game. He will likely be stuck at LSU for the next three years or transfer out.
They both has gone about building their program differently and both have produced great results.
Pitino enjoys developing players and teaching the game. Yes, he goes after one and done, but he doesn't cater to the handlers. Before the one and done elite players wanted to go to Pitino because he prepared them for the NBA. It was a longer process back then and fit right into Pitino style of coaching. Now there is no developing players in a 8 month process. Blakney was a really good example of how outside influences impacted his decisions not for the better. He is being exposed at LSU. He is getting plenty of playing time but isn't exactly lighting it up with shooting and we know they don't play very good defensively. Now he is stuck playing for a coach that can't teach the game. He will likely be stuck at LSU for the next three years or transfer out.
They both has gone about building their program differently and both have produced great results.
There actually is a consensus here so far, even between the UK and UofL fans.
Rick does more with less. How much "more" is actually an interesting aspect to debate.
Away from the playing floor, UofL's basketball teams now regularly lead their conferences in GPA and academic All Americans. Pitino's constant plaint is an unusual demand - that the players enjoy the richness of their college experience. The cultures of our 2 rival programs are never set in more contrasting bas relief than this. Inasmuch as the NCAA has somehow tacitly approved what Cal does at UK - barring future scandals - the realities are that each system gains from each approach. If one hauls in magnificent and unparalleled numbers of one and done, top 10 type ballplayers, it is absurd to think holding them back to graduate has any merit at all, lol. But if they are not one and done, then pleasure can be successfully derived from players actually using college not just to graduate, but to actually learn how to be excellent citizens.
That we cannot appreciate our rival's attainments should not take away from the objective reality of what they are accomplishing. In Rick's case, it seems every bit as cool. Add fan interest in the developmental aspects of projects and ballplayers, the Louisville fans get very up close and personal any more with their favored ballplayers. None of this even touches on the game on the floor, which is amazingly visually pleasing at the UofL end..
Rick does more with less. How much "more" is actually an interesting aspect to debate.
Away from the playing floor, UofL's basketball teams now regularly lead their conferences in GPA and academic All Americans. Pitino's constant plaint is an unusual demand - that the players enjoy the richness of their college experience. The cultures of our 2 rival programs are never set in more contrasting bas relief than this. Inasmuch as the NCAA has somehow tacitly approved what Cal does at UK - barring future scandals - the realities are that each system gains from each approach. If one hauls in magnificent and unparalleled numbers of one and done, top 10 type ballplayers, it is absurd to think holding them back to graduate has any merit at all, lol. But if they are not one and done, then pleasure can be successfully derived from players actually using college not just to graduate, but to actually learn how to be excellent citizens.
That we cannot appreciate our rival's attainments should not take away from the objective reality of what they are accomplishing. In Rick's case, it seems every bit as cool. Add fan interest in the developmental aspects of projects and ballplayers, the Louisville fans get very up close and personal any more with their favored ballplayers. None of this even touches on the game on the floor, which is amazingly visually pleasing at the UofL end..
Oh you can think Cal is the worst coach in the country. Idc at all because he's 8-1 vs UofL while having one of the greatest runs in modern CBB while at UK. I understand the whole Cal only recruits argument. However, to say Pitino is better than K is asinine. Krzyzewski is the best coach in college basketball and it's not close.
Wherever it is you're getting someone saying K is worse than Rick is beyond me. It certainly wans't from me, that's honestly all I care about in this bizarre argument searching so hard for outrage.
You are obviously the one searching for a bizarre argument and outrage. You haven't even taken the time to read the thread and see where this comment came from. Thecycle21 wrote an entire paragraph about how Pitino is the best coach in the country and specifically calls out Krzyzewski.
According to the last 5 years, Pitino is at lest on par while winning more games.
What do you want me to say? That Cue is wrong like your little rant cares so much about?
What do you want me to say? That Cue is wrong like your little rant cares so much about?
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