JohnnyGopher: Mbakwe is gone

Donate To GopherHole
ShowinGoldyLove

ShowinGoldyLove

Active member
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
2,758
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Since it was buried in another thread, I figured I'd start a new thread as it appears to be worthy of it.

Given JohnnyGopher's sources and track record of insider info over the past few years, I figured his insight on the issue would be worth more than anyone else's.

Which is what gives me the biggest pause; according to JG, it sounds like Mbakwe is indeed leaving after this year, whether it's the NBA or Europe. For selfish reasons, I really want him back next year. However, I do undertand why he might leave: his stock probably won't get much higher next year, he's graduating this spring, he's already pretty old, has a family and a 3 year old son to provide for, etc.

I know things can change, and people can always change their minds, but JohnnyGopher, unfortunately in this case, has had a pretty solid track record with this type of info over the years. If true, I'd at least like to thank Mbakwe for sticking though the mess last year and giving it all as a Gopher...his intensity & passion was a blast to watch.
 

I'm still going to hope against hope that he returns. Even though Mbakwe has only played one year he will still likely end up being one of my favorite Gopher players of all time. I'd go on about how much I enjoyed watching him play, but like I said, I'm still hoping he ends up surprising us and gives us one more season. He deserves a NCAA tourny run and I think we could do that next season if he comes back.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
his stock probably won't get much higher next year
Click to expand...

I've seen a lot of people post this, but I simply disagree.

If he works hard on his mid-range game this off-season and returns next year and proves his can consistently knock down that 15-to-17-foot jump shot (like the one he hit in the 2nd half today vs. Northwestern) then his stock will rise. In addition, if he works hard and proves he can make 75% of his free throws next season, then his stock will rise. If he can do those two things, he could be a 20-pt, 12-rebound type of guy and that could put him in the first round next year, even at his age. His athleticism is still something team's will like, but the skills can continue to develop.

If he goes out now, then he is likely not drafted.
 

tjgopher said:
I've seen a lot of people post this, but I simply disagree.

If he works hard on his mid-range game this off-season and returns next year and proves his can consistently knock down that 15-to-17-foot jump shot (like the one he hit in the 2nd half today vs. Northwestern) then his stock will rise. In addition, if he works hard and proves he can make 75% of his free throws next season, then his stock will rise. If he can do those two things, he could be a 20-pt, 12-rebound type of guy and that could put him in the first round next year, even at his age. His athleticism is still something team's will like, but the skills can continue to develop.

If he goes out now, then he is likely not drafted.
Click to expand...

I actually agree, but for different reasons--I believe if he had quality guard play he may be a 20 pt, 12 rpg guy.

If this team could give him some guards to work with and present a perimeter threat to keep teams honest. However, it doesn't appear our guard situation will be substantially better next year so he is probably looking at it as being in the same situation. He will have to fight off four guys crowding the lane, and without hoff his stats may actually be even worse.
 

tjgopher said:
he could be a 20-pt, 12-rebound type of guy
Click to expand...
He's a 14 pt, 11 reb guy now in basically his first year of D1 basketball.

Add in the fact that he will be splitting minutes with not only Ralph and Colton again, but also Walker, who will undoubtedly be seeing more time; I don't know how many more points he could score or rebounds he could grab in his time on the floor.

I think his jumper is actually pretty decent, he just didn't get as many chances to shoot it this year because Ralph was usually at the high post. I don't see how that will change next year...Ralph will still be there.

If he can go through workouts with teams this spring/summer and show he can hit that jumper (and his free throw shooting has improved lately it seems), I don't think he'll need another year.

Lastly, the possibility for injury, given the way he plays, is higher than most players in my opinion. Imagine what a few torn ligaments/broken foot/ankle would do to his game, or at least how pro teams would view it.
 


I'll believe it when I see it. He is an undersized PF who can't shoot in the NBA and he can't play the SF. He MIGHT be able to make a team in the NBA, but in my opinion it will be a mistake if he comes out. I can't think of a player who is more limited offensively who has done anything in the NBA.
 

ethomasp31 said:
I can't think of a player who is more limited offensively who has done anything in the NBA.
Click to expand...
Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman come to mind off the top of my head, and Trevor is undoubtedly better than them offensively right now.

You guys seem to forget how one dimensional a lot of NBA players are, and how many phenomenal, well-rounded college players never sniff a NBA roster, much less the court.
 


ShowinGoldyLove said:
Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman come to mind off the top of my head, and Trevor is undoubtedly better than them offensively right now.

You guys seem to forget how one dimensional a lot of NBA players are, and how many phenomenal, well-rounded college players never seen a NBA roster, much less the court.
Click to expand...

Horrible comparisons. You are comparing Trevor to two NBA stars. He'll be very lucky to crack an NBA roster and he's most likely playing somewhere overseas.
 



He has a jump shot? I can hardly remember him making a jump shot all year. He shot less than 63% from the line. The only place that is even close to average is on the Gopher team.
 

Both Ben Wallace and Rodman were incredible defensive players!!!! It also took both of them years before they became stars in the NBA. Who would he beat out on the Timberwolves, who are one of the worst teams in the league?!?!?! No one!!!
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman come to mind off the top of my head, and Trevor is undoubtedly better than them offensively right now.

You guys seem to forget how one dimensional a lot of NBA players are, and how many phenomenal, well-rounded college players never seen a NBA roster, much less the court.
Click to expand...

Both of these are a stretch for different reasons-and Mbakwe is not undoubtedly better on offense. That is a joke. They may be similar, but don't get ahead of yourself. The NBA is a completely different pace of game. Mbakwe is an above average offensive player in college, but has no skills outside the paint. Those skills are even further diminished in the pros when the speed of game picks up.

Rodman had a better offensive game that Mbakwe--you may disagree, but its true. His style changed over his career, although he was never a great offensive player, but he was a better passer and a better scorer. Also, while Mbakwe is a good rebounder, he is not Rodman and can't offset his offense the way Rodman could.
 

GopherFish said:
Good. I hope he's gone.
Click to expand...

terrible opinion, the guy gave everything every single game and was the only player on the team who consistently gave his all and played his heart out. Go back to KFAN rubechat.
 



GopherFish said:
Horrible comparisons. You are comparing Trevor to two NBA stars. He'll be very lucky to crack an NBA roster and he's most likely playing somewhere overseas.
Click to expand...
Actually based on their height, weight, and game, I don't think it's totally crazy.

No doubt I think he'd be lucky to crack an NBA roster, but you've got guys like Ibaka and Reggie Evans drawing an NBA paycheck who are pretty limited players as well.

To play in the NBA, you need 2 things:
1) A NBA skill
2) the ability to guard your position

Trevor's rebounding prowess/hands is an NBA-level skill. Whether or not he can guard the 3/4 is a question. However, I don't think it's crazy that he could make a team. He'd likely make a team in Europe instead, but he has an outside shot at the pro's IMO.
 

ethomasp31 said:
He has a jump shot? I can hardly remember him making a jump shot all year. He shot less than 63% from the line. The only place that is even close to average is on the Gopher team.
Click to expand...

You didn't watch many games did you? Not that he made a ton, but he made more than enough for a casual fan to remember him hitting at least a couple. He made one today too in case you missed that.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Actually based on their height, weight, and game, I don't think it's totally crazy.

No doubt I think he'd be lucky to crack an NBA roster, but you've got guys like Ibaka and Reggie Evans drawing an NBA paycheck who are pretty limited players as well.

To play in the NBA, you need 2 things:
1) A NBA skill
2) the ability to guard your position

Trevor's rebounding prowess/hands is an NBA-level skill. Whether or not he can guard the 3/4 is a question. However, I don't think it's crazy that he could make a team. He'd likely make a team in Europe instead, but he has an outside shot at the pro's IMO.
Click to expand...

Reggie Evans is a great comparison...very similar players.

Serge Ibaka on the other hand is an absolutely terrible comparison. Have you watched him play? Not even remotely similar to Trevor, is younger, significantly more talented and has a great future ahead of him in the NBA. Future All-Star--guaranteed. mark my words.
 

He is a late 2nd round pick at best right now.
If he comes back and has any sort of outside game I think he could end up being an early second....if he improves as much as J Johnson (not as good as Johnson, but improves as much as Johnson) did he could even be a late 1st.

In my opinion, leaving now costs him any chance at an NBA career. But maybe that is not what he is looking for. I think he could be a really solid player in Italy if he left right now.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Actually based on their height, weight, and game, I don't think it's totally crazy.

No doubt I think he'd be lucky to crack an NBA roster, but you've got guys like Ibaka and Reggie Evans drawing an NBA paycheck who are pretty limited players as well.

To play in the NBA, you need 2 things:
1) A NBA skill
2) the ability to guard your position

Trevor's rebounding prowess/hands is an NBA-level skill. Whether or not he can guard the 3/4 is a question. However, I don't think it's crazy that he could make a team. He'd likely make a team in Europe instead, but he has an outside shot at the pro's IMO.
Click to expand...

Although I think Trevor has some qualities that make him an NBA type player, his hands are not one of them. Just because one idiot announcer claimed he has hands like vise grips doesn't mean it is true.

I don't see him making a team for more than a year tops if he can't find a go-to move. He is actually pretty bad down low. He gets his shot blocked a lot. He loses the ball going up a lot. He can't hit easy bunnies with ease. He can't hit free throws at a high %. These things are going to really hurt him unless he improves fast. I hope he does because I like him. I wished he would stay another year but I never actually thought that was a possibilty.
 

Trevor's college game reminds me a lot of Carlos Boozer's back in college. I wasn't anticipating Boozer putting up 20 and 10 in the NBA, but he developed that 15-17 ft jumper and that unleashed his potential. Selfishly I'm hoping Trevor chooses to work on developing his jumper next year at Williams Arena, but either way I think he'll have a decent professional career. Whether that is here or overseas is yet to be determined. I'd also add he's an underrated passer for a 4.
 



Trevor will not make the nba and will not be drafted. He can make a nice living overseas if he so chooses.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman come to mind off the top of my head, and Trevor is undoubtedly better than them offensively right now.

You guys seem to forget how one dimensional a lot of NBA players are, and how many phenomenal, well-rounded college players never sniff a NBA roster, much less the court.
Click to expand...

2 examples. Sorry trevor. youre a great guy, but no chance you could contribute to an NBA team this next year or the one after.
 


I don't think Trevor knows what he's going to do. I think he'll test the waters, but to say that he's 100% gone is stretching it.
 


TeamTubby said:
Trevor will not make the nba and will not be drafted. He can make a nice living overseas if he so chooses.
Click to expand...

Disagree. Trevor's game isn't fit for Europe as he isn't a consistent face up big man. Many of the successful Forwards in Europe are those type of players.

He likely would end up in Russiaor China considering their basketball is the most similar to our basketball and it allows for good rebounders to flourish. He also will at the very least have a chance in the NBDL.
 

Pretty sure if he was confident enough to make such a declaration, and not just a best guess, he would have started his own thread.
 

GoldMedalCounty said:
Say what you want, there is a reason Boozer was drafted 34th overall.
Click to expand...

Yeah...the reason was the scouts missed on him big time. They missed on Boozer's incredible soft touch around the rim. Boozer has an amazing ability to be a Bull in a China Shop getting a rebound but then switch gears and finesse the ball into the basket if needed.

Mbawke can't turn off his Bull in a China Shop mentality. He has very little touch around the rim. If he's not dunking the ball, he struggles offensively.

For what it's worth, the polar opposite to Mbawke is Darko for the Wolves. There you have someone that's all finesse. However, Darko has at least a 4 inch height advantage on Trevor and what many people don't understand about good shot blockers is they tend to be finesse players. There's an art form to blocking a shot. It's not about athletic ability and determination. It's more about positioning, length, and timing.

Putting myself into Trevor's shoes for a moment...I can't understand his immediate financial or personal situation so I won't comment on that. This is purely from a basketball point of view...if he heads to Europe next year (he's not playing in the NBA right away, just not happening with his current skill set), he'll see less playing time than if he were to return to the Gophers. Right now, he'd be a reserve on one of the better Euro teams. The better teams are the ones that pay decent money. There's not much money to be had for a Belgian Club team for example. From a growth standpoint, I'd want the opportunity to play as much as possible and the exposure that comes with being one of the top 5 or 10 Big Ten players next season. He would be hyped up if he returned as a potential POTY candidate. In Europe, he's making money but he becomes irrelevant Stateside. I'd rather put off the money for one more year (if i can) at a place where I'll get the most playing time and exposure. I'm not talking about exposure to scouts as they'll always find you no matter where you play. I'm talking about the kind of exposure that allows for reabilitation of my image, to the point where my post-basketball playing career has new opportunities afforded to me.
 

GoldMedalCounty said:
Trevor's college game reminds me a lot of Carlos Boozer's back in college. I wasn't anticipating Boozer putting up 20 and 10 in the NBA, but he developed that 15-17 ft jumper and that unleashed his potential. Selfishly I'm hoping Trevor chooses to work on developing his jumper next year at Williams Arena, but either way I think he'll have a decent professional career. Whether that is here or overseas is yet to be determined. I'd also add he's an underrated passer for a 4.
Click to expand...

Put down the crack pipe.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom